Biomedicine & Preventive Nutrition最新文献

The use of the artificial sweetener aspartame has long been contemplated and studied by researcher around the world regarding their varying negative effects. The present study aims to evaluate the long-term effect of aspartame (75 mg/kg) on liver and brain antioxidant status with histopathological changes in liver and renal cortex in Wistar strain albino rats. Many existing reports, which are available, state that aspartame releases toxic metabolites during metabolism, in which methanol is considered to be one. To mimic the human methanol metabolism, methotrexate (MTX) treated rats were included to study the aspartame effects. There were significant decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR) along with marked increase in lipid peroxidation (LPO), glutathione-S-transfrease (GST), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT), protein carbonyl and formate level, indicating changes in the antioxidant status of liver and brain. There were also significant histological changes in the liver and renal cortex. Hence, methanol per se and its metabolites may be responsible for the antioxidant status and histological changes in liver and renal cortex. Hence, it can be concluded that long-term aspartame may be responsible for oxidative stress and the hepato-renal toxicity.

The aims of this study were to test the effectiveness of copaiba essential oils controlling trypanosomosis and to describe the toxic effect of copaiba essential oil used in treatment of mice infected with Trypanosoma evansi. The experiment was designed, testing the effect of three different oils of copaiba species (Copaifera reticulata, Copaifera paupera and Copaifera duckei) in the mice in dose 1.0 mL kg⁻¹ during 3 days. However, they did not reach the curative efficacy, showing that only C. paupera oil was able to prolong the survival of mice. The three tested oils were toxic at the used doses to the mice due to the verification of increased levels of alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lipid peroxidation and observation of histopathological lesions in liver. The curative effect was not observed; being only able to prolong the lifespan of the animals treated with oil of copaiba, as well as the dose of oils was toxic to animals.

Chloroform (CHCl₃) is one of the volatile organic compounds detected most frequently in both ground and surface water. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of curcumin (CMN) to attenuate CHCl₃ toxicity and cellular dysfunction in cardiac tissue of female albino rats. Fifty rats were divided into 5 groups, 1st group was control; 2nd group rats were intoxicated with 150 mg CHCl₃/kg BW; 3rd group rats were treated with 50 mg CMN/kg BW; 4th group rats were treated with 50 mg CMN/kg BW for 30 days then intoxicated with 150 mg CHCl₃/kg BW for 60 days and 5th group rats were intoxicated with 150 mg CHCl₃/kg BW plus 50 mg CMN/kg BW, respectively. Treatment was continued for 90 days. The levels of lipid peroxidation, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and xanthine oxidase (XO) were increased and the activities of antioxidant enzymes, protein content and endogenous antioxidants were decreased in cardiac tissues in rats treated with CHCl₃ in comparison with control group. Serum cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL-C levels were increased while high HDL-C was decreased in rats treated with CHCl₃ in comparison with control group. Treatment with CMN helps in improving the adverse effect of CHCl₃ toxicity; also our histological results confirm this finding. The present study could be concluded that CMN has protective and ameliorative effects against CHCl₃ induced oxidative stress.

Lung cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide both in men and women accounting for 29% of all other cancers. The constituents of smoke consist of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as benzo(a)pyrene which play a major role in lung carcinogenesis. B(a)P increases oncogenic stimulation by enhancing intrinsic ROS stress and metabolic activity. Recent focus of cancer chemoprevention is on the supplementation of natural anti-oxidants which are capable of ameliorating biochemical and molecular changes that occur during carcinogenesis. Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid), a sulfur-containing β-amino acid abundant in sea foods has potent antioxidant property. The present study was framed to investigate the potency of taurine on boosting the antioxidant status and chemopreventive effect against benzo(a)pyrene induced lung carcinogenesis in Swiss albino mice. Administration of B(a)P (50 mg/kg body weight) to mice resulted in decrease in the activities of enzymic and non-enzymic anti-oxidants with concomitant increase in lipid peroxides (LPO), protein carbonyls and lung specific tumor markers. Taurine supplementation (100 mg/kg body weight) significantly attenuated these alterations. From these results, we suggest that administration of B(a)P induces ROS production and diminishes antioxidant levels. Conversely, taurine affords protection from ROS induced lung damage by augmenting the function of anti-oxidants.

Aspartame is rapidly and completely metabolized in humans and experimental animals to aspartic acid (40%), phenylalanine (50%) and methanol (10%). Methanol, a toxic metabolite is primarily metabolized by oxidation to formaldehyde and then to formate. These processes are accompanied by the formation of superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide. This study is focused to understand whether the oral administration of Aspartame (40 mg/kg bw) for 15 days, 30 days, and 90 days have any effect on immune organs. Damage to plasma membrane was assessed by levels of membrane-bound ATPases. Oxidative stress status was assessed by alterations in level of lipid peroxides, protein carbonyls, protein thiol and lipid-soluble antioxidant vitamin E. To mimic human methanol metabolism, folate-deficient animals were used. There was decrease in all membrane-bound ATPases activities in immune organs. Aspartame administration to rats inducing excess free radical generation is confirmed by increase in lipid peroxidation, obvious which is also again substantiated by the elevated protein carbonyl and decrease in protein thiol in this study. These excess free radical generations also decrease the cellularity (reduction in organ weight and cell count) of immune organs.

The health effects of mercury are highly dependent on the different chemical forms of mercury. Inorganic mercury has a non-uniform distribution after absorption being accumulated mainly in kidney tissue causing acute renal failure. The purpose of this work was to study the influence of hesperidin and ellagic acid followed by mercuric chloride induced kidney damage. At sub-lethal dose of mercuric chloride (1.23 mg/kg B.W) was administrated in rats for 7 days. The results revealed that treatment of mercuric chloride caused marked enhanced level of lipid peroxidation (LPO) content and significantly decreased in the level of reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the kidney tissue. Hesperidin is a natural flavonoid and a strong antioxidant helps to prevent oxidative damage. Ellagic acid has a chemo protective effect in cellular models by reducing oxidative stress. The treatment of hesperidin and ellagic acid (5 mg/kg B. W) in the kidney tissue shows a significantly decreasing in the level of oxidant content and simultaneously an enhanced level of antioxidant properties by the way of recovery in kidney tissues. Antioxidant and non-antioxidant enzymes (LPO, GSH, GPx, SOD, CAT) activities were also an enhanced to near normal level when compared to mercury treated group. These observations of the present experimental study demonstrated a preliminary protective effect of hesperidin and ellagic acid against mercuric chloride intoxicated rat kidney tissue.

Cladodes and fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of abscess and skin inflammation. It was therefore interesting to assess whether an antileishmanial activity could be associated to skin healing. This study reports on the antileishmanial activity of Opuntia ficus-indica extracts from cladodes and fruits. Ethyl acetate extract from cladodes only exhibited an activity against Leishmania major with an IC₅₀ value of 53.9 μg/mL, but ethyl acetate fruit extract, ethyl acetate cladode extract and methanol cladode extract were active also against Leishmania donovani with IC₅₀ values at 70.3, 70.5 and 45.2 μg/mL, respectively. A poor activity of the fractions was monitored against Trypanosoma brucei brucei. Finally, a bioguided fractionation of fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica led to a pre-purified fraction that exhibited an IC₅₀ of 9.3 μg/mL against Leishmania donovani intramacrophage amastigotes. The selectivity index defined as CC₅₀/IC₅₀ was higher than 10. In conclusion, the bioguided fractionation allowed to enhance the antileishmanial activity about ten-fold comparatively to those of the ethyl acetate fruit extract. Such an activity is worth of further investigations to identify the compounds responsible for the antileishmanial effect.

The present study was considered to assess the antihypertensive and antioxidant effect of valproic acid, against Nω- nitro-L arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME) induced hypertension in male Wistar rats. Hypertension was prompted in adult male albino rats of the Wistar strain, weighing 180–220 g, by oral administration of the L-NAME (40 mg/kg body weight/day) in drinking water for 4 weeks. The L- NAME hypertensive rats revealed significant (P < 0.05) rise in the systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, water intake and heart weight L-NAME hypertensive rats also revealed significant (P < 0.05) increase in the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, lipid hydroperoxides in plasma and tissues (heart and aorta), and significant (P < 0.05) drop in the body weight, nitrite and nitrate levels in plasma and aorta. Activities of enzymic antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase in erythrocyte and tissues and the levels of non-enzymic antioxidant such as reduced glutathione in plasma and tissues, ET-1 mRNA expression in aorta was significantly (P < 0.05) increased in L-NAME rats. Valproic acid (VPA) supplementation (100 mg/kg) daily for four weeks brought back all the above parameters to near normal level. The above outcomes were confirmed by the histopathological examination. No significant (P < 0.05) effect was observed in control rats treated with valproic acid (100 mg/kg). These results suggest that valproic acid performed as an antihypertensive and antioxidant agent against L-NAME induced hypertension.

NLRP3 inflammasome, a multi-protein complex containing ASC as a linker protein influences the process of inflammation and tissue injury in pancreas. In this study, the effect of methanolic seed extract of Nigella sativa (MENS) on the expression of ASC protein of NLRP3 inflammasome was investigated in rats subjected to experimental pancreatitis. Male albino Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups. Group 1 and 2 rats were fed with normal diet; group 3 and 4 rats were administered with ethanol (EtOH) and fed high fat diet (HFD) for 90 days. In addition, group 2 and 4 rats were administered orally with 200 mg/kg body weight of MENS for the last 60 days. We measured serum lipase and amylase activities, oxidative stress markers and inflammatory markers. The mRNA expression of caspase-1, ASC, pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β, IL-18, TNF-α and protein expression of caspase-1 and ASC were determined in pancreas. Our study indicated that MENS co-administration significantly decreased the level of serum lipase and amylase activities, oxidative stress markers and inflammatory markers in EtOH and HFD fed rats. mRNA and protein level expression of caspase-1 and ASC were found to be downregulated in MENS co-administered rats. Spearman's rank correlation test showed that ASC mRNA expression has significant positive correlation with the serum levels of caspase-1 (r_s = 0.885, P < 0.01), IL-1β (r_s = 0.828, P < 0.05) and IL-18 (r_s = 0.943, P = 0.01) in MENS co-administered rats. The present study showed that MENS exhibits anti-inflammatory activity probably by downregulating the expression of ASC protein of NLRP3 inflammasome in pancreas to minimize the activation of caspase-1.

Selenium is an essential trace element and integral part of many antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase and selenoprotein P in humans and animals. Deficiency of selenium leads to various clinical consequences including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and lung disorders. This review gives a brief outline of the current information on selenium in the environment, its natural sources, dietary requirement, various selenoproteins, the role of selenium as an antioxidant in defense systems, as well as its antimicrobial and radioprotective abilities. The relationship between selenium deficiency and various health outcomes, in particularly cardiovascular disease, nervous and gastrointestinal abnormalities dysfunction of the thyroid and immune systems type 2 diabetes and fertility, are also reviewed. The exact chemical form and dose, which results in the normal functioning of numerous body systems or risk of disease are intricate but need to be elucidated through good clinical practice for efficient public health strategies.