Correlation of urinary inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in very low birth weight infants with subsequent development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Abstract

Currently, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) occurs almost exclusively in pre-term infants. In addition to prematurity, other factors like oxygen toxicity and inflammation can contribute to the pathogenesis. This study aimed to compare urinary inflammatory and oxidative stress markers between the no/mild BPD group and moderate/severe BPD group and between BPD cases with significant early lung disease like respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) (‘classic’ BPD) and with minimal early lung disease (‘atypical’ BPD). A total of 60 patients who were a gestational age < 30 weeks or a birth weight < 1250 g were included. Urine samples were obtained on the 1^st, 3^rd and 7^th day of life and measured the levels of leukotriene E₄ (LTE₄) and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). The 8-OHdG values on the 3^rd day showed significant correlation to duration of mechanical ventilation. The 8-OHdG levels on the 7^th day were the independent risk factor for developing moderate/severe BPD. In ‘classic’ BPD, the 8-OHdG values on the 3^rd day were higher than those of ‘atypical’ BPD. In ‘atypical’ BPD, the LTE₄ values on the 7^th day were higher than the values in ‘classic’ BPD. These results suggest that oxidative DNA damage could be the crucial mechanism in the pathogenesis of current BPD and the ongoing inflammatory process could be an important mechanism in ‘atypical’ BPD.     

Urinary 8-OHdG elevations in a partial lesion rat model of Parkinson's disease correlate with behavioral symptoms and nigrostriatal dopaminergic depletion

Increased oxidative stress contributes to pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is the oxidation product most frequently measured as an indicator of oxidative DNA damage. Several studies have shown increased 8-OHdG in PD patients. There are few basic laboratory data examining 8-OHdG levels in animal models of PD. In this study, we utilized hemiparkinsonian model of rats induced by intrastriatal injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). The urinary 8-OHdG level was measured in relation to behavioral and pathological deficits arising from 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxic effects on the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway. All rats were subjected to a series of behavioral tests for 42 days after 6-OHDA injection. We collected urine samples with subsequent measurement of 8-OHdG level using ELISA kits. For immunohistochemical evaluation, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) staining was performed. Significant increments in urinary 8-OHdG level were observed continuously from day 7 until day 35 compared to control group, which showed a trend of elevation as early as day 3. Such elevated urinary 8-OHdG level significantly correlated with all of the behavioral deficits measured here, suggesting that urinary 8-OHdG level provides a good index of severity of parkinsonism. Urinary 8-OHdG level also had a significant positive correlation with the survival rate of dopaminergic fibers or neurons, advancing the concept that oxidative stress during the early phase of 6-OHDA neurotoxicity may correspond to disease progression closely approximating neuronal degeneration in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system. The present results demonstrate that alterations in urinary 8-OHdG level closely approximate onset and disease progression in PD.     

Oxidative stress and altered antioxidant defenses in children with acute exacerbation of atopic dermatitis

The underlying mechanisms of skin inflammation in atopic dermatitis (AD) are not completely understood. The purpose of the present study was to examine the involvement of oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses in children with acute exacerbation of AD. We studied 13 children who were hospitalized for acute exacerbation of AD with purulent skin infection by Staphylococcal aureus (age, 1.5 to 10.0 years), and 28 age-matched healthy subjects (controls). Urine samples obtained from the patients on admission, on 2nd and 7th-9th hospital days, as well as from the controls were analyzed for 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) (a marker of oxidative DNA damage), acrolein-lysine adducts (a marker of lipid peroxidation), bilirubin oxidative metabolites (BOM) (a marker of antioxidant activity of bilirubin under oxidative stress) and nitrite/nitrate (NO(x)(-)) (a marker of endogenous nitric oxide production). Of these, urinary concentrations of 8-OHdG, acrolein-lysine adducts and BOM, but not NO(x)(-), were significantly higher in AD children on admission than those in control subjects. Response to treatment was associated with significant falls in the concentrations of 8-OHdG and acrolein-lysine adducts. Urinary concentrations of acrolein-lysine adducts, but not 8-OHdG, were still significantly higher in AD patients on the 7th-9th hospital day relative to the control. Urinary BOM remained almost constant and significantly high in AD children during hospitalization. Our findings indicate that oxidative stress and altered antioxidant defenses are involved in the pathophysiology of acute exacerbation of AD, and that suppression of oxidative stress might be a potentially useful strategy for the treatment of AD.     

8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine in DNA from leukocytes of healthy adults: relationship with cigarette smoking, environmental tobacco smoke, alcohol and coffee consumption

8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) has been widely used as a biomarker of oxidative DNA damage in both animal and human studies. However, controversial data exist on the relationship between 8-OHdG formation and age, sex and tobacco smoking in humans, while few or no data are available on other exposures such as environmental tobacco smoke, alcohol, coffee and tea consumption. We investigated the level of 8-OHdG in DNA from peripheral leukocytes among 102 healthy adults living in Brescia province, North Italy, aged 25-45 (mean: 35.2 years), of which 51 were males. 8-OHdG levels expressed as a ratio to total deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG/106 dG) in DNA showed wide interindividual variation, the highest value (63.8) being 6. 2-fold greater than the lowest (10.3). Current smokers showed lower mean 8-OHdG values than subjects who never smoked (29.3 and 34.0, respectively, p<0.05), and an inverse relationship was found between 8-OHdG and lifetime smoking, which was independent of age, sex and body mass index. An inverse relationship was also found with coffee drinking while no association was observed with alcohol and tea consumption, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and use of vitamins in all subjects, and with use of oral contraceptives in females. The inverse relationship between smoking status and 8-OHdG levels could be explained by the presence of efficient repair processes for the oxidative damage induced by smoking. In this study, the smokers were relatively young (77% were less than 40 years) and only 7% smoked 30 or more cigarettes a day. In conclusion, it would appear that 8-OHdG levels in leukocytes may not provide a sensitive marker of exposure to tobacco smoking.     

实验性肺纤维化大鼠发病过程中肺组织FIZZ1蛋白和mRNA表达的动态变化

为了探讨FIZZ1（found in inflammatory zone 1）在肺纤维化发病中的作用,应用博莱霉素（5mg／kg体重）气管内注入复制实聆性人鼠肺纤维化模犁,采用HE染色、Masson三联染色、羟脯氨酸含量测定、免疫组织化学染色、原位杂交等方法,观察实验性人鼠肺纤维化的发病过程及其肺组织中FIZZ1蛋白、mRNA表达水平的动态变化。结果显示：（1）实验性人鼠肺纤维化发病过程中,呈现舆型的肺泡炎（7d）、纤维组织增生（14～2ld）及稳定的肺纤维化（28d）等表现;（2）FIZZ1蛋白在正常肺组织表达较弱,存肺纤维化组7d时表达明显增强,14d时较7d时有所减弱,21及28d明显减弱;（3）FIZZ1 mRNA在正常肺组织巾表达较弱,在肺纤维化组7d时表达明显增强,14d时开始减弱,2l及28d明显减弱,但仍强于正常组。上述结果提示,FIZZ1蛋白和mRNA在实验性大鼠肺纤维化发病过程中呈现明显的动态变化,并可能参与了肺纤维化的发生。     

Changes in urine 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine levels of super-marathon runners during a four-day race period

We have determined the urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels of five well trained supra-marathon runners during a four-day race. The daily running distances of the four-day race were the following; 93 km, 120 km, 56 km and 59 km, respectively. Pre-race and post-race urine samples were collected on each day and analyzed by a monoclonal antibody technique. The urinary 8-OHdG content increased significantly on the first day and tended to decrease from the third day. By the fourth day 8-OHdG content was significantly less than measured on the first three days. The serum creatine kinase activity changed in a similar fashion, showing a large increase (P<0.001) up to the third day when it decreased significantly from the peak value (P<0.05). We conclude that extreme physical exercise causes oxidative DNA damage to well trained athletes. However, repeated extreme exercise-induced oxidative stress does not propagate on increase of urinary 8-OHdG, but rather causes an adaptation leading to normalization of oxidative DNA damage.     

Urinary excretion of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine and malondialdehyde after high dose radiochemotherapy preceding stem cell transplantation

The urinary excretion of the hydroxylated DNA base 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA) was monitored in 11 patients with hematological malignancies undergoing total body irradiation and high-dose chemotherapy preceding bone marrow transplantation. Nine patients showed a prompt increase in urinary 8-OHdG (8-25 times the initial baseline level) on days 0-7 after irradiation onset; the excretion then decreased during the aplastic period and increased again when engraftment took place (in 7 patients). A significant positive correlation was found between urinary 8-OHdG and whole blood leukocyte count, both on day 5 (p =.04, r =.72) and on day 22 (p =.009, r =.80) after irradiation onset. One patient who lacked the first peak of 8-OHdG excretion showed low blood leukocyte counts (less than 2 x 10(9)/l) before therapy onset; this patient, however, later had a successful engraftment and then also showed considerable increases in both 8-OHdG excretion and leukocyte count. These observations suggest leukocytes play a part in the excretion of 8-OHdG after conditioning therapy preceding bone marrow transplantation. As opposed to the biphasic 8-OHdG excretion, the excretion of MDA showed a single peak appearing on days 11-19 after radiochemotherapy onset, i.e., during the period in which the patients suffered from cytopenia, mucositis, and other side effects of the treatment. It is suggested, therefore, that these clinical manifestations are associated with increased lipid peroxidation. Altogether, these findings illustrate the utility of serial urinary samples for monitoring oxidative stress due to conditioning therapy in clinical practice. They also demonstrate that different oxidative stress markers may behave quite differently regarding their appearance in the urine after whole-body oxidative stress.     

Garlic supplementation prevents oxidative DNA damage in essential hypertension

Oxygen-free radicals and other oxygen/nitrogen species are constantly generated in the human body. Most are intercepted by antioxidant defences and perform useful metabolic roles, whereas others escape to damage biomolecules like DNA, lipids and proteins. Garlic has been shown to contain antioxidant phytochemicals that prevent oxidative damage. These include unique water-soluble organosulphur compounds, lipid-soluble organosulphur compounds and flavonoids. Therefore, in the present study, we have tried to explore the antioxidant effect of garlic supplementation on oxidative stress-induced DNA damage, nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide generation and on the total antioxidant status (TAS) in patients of essential hypertension (EH). Twenty patients of EH as diagnosed by JNC VI criteria (Group I) and 20 age and sex-matched normotensive controls (Group II) were enrolled in the study. Both groups were given garlic pearls (GP) in a dose of 250 mg per day for 2 months. Baseline samples were taken at the start of the study, i.e. 0 day, and thereafter 2 months follow-up. 8-Hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), lipids, lipid peroxidation (MDA), NO and antioxidant vitamins A, E and C were determined. A moderate decline in blood pressure (BP) and a significant reduction in 8-OHdG, NO levels and lipid peroxidation were observed in Group I subjects with GP supplementation. Further, a significant increase in vitamin levels and TAS was also observed in this group as compared to the control subjects. These findings point out the beneficial effects of garlic supplementation in reducing blood pressure and counteracting oxidative stress, and thereby, offering cardioprotection in essential hypertensives.     

Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress Study II: Are oxidation products of lipids,proteins, and DNA markers of CCl4 poisoning?

Oxidation products of lipids, proteins, and DNA in the blood, plasma, and urine of rats were measured as part of a comprehensive, multilaboratory validation study searching for noninvasive biomarkers of oxidative stress. This article is the second report of the nationwide Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress Study using acute CCl4 poisoning as a rodent model for oxidative stress. The time-dependent (2, 7, and 16 h) and dose-dependent (120 and 1200 mg/kg i.p.) effects of CCl4 on concentrations of lipid hydroperoxides, TBARS, malondialdehyde (MDA), isoprostanes, protein carbonyls, methionine sulfoxidation, tyrosine products, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), leukocyte DNA-MDA adducts, and DNA-strand breaks were investigated to determine whether the oxidative effects of CCl4 would result in increased generation of these oxidation products. Plasma concentrations of MDA and isoprostanes (both measured by GC-MS) and urinary concentrations of isoprostanes (measured with an immunoassay or LC/MS/MS) were increased in both low-dose and high-dose CCl4-treated rats at more than one time point. The other urinary markers (MDA and 8-OHdG) showed significant elevations with treatment under three of the four conditions tested. It is concluded that measurements of MDA and isoprostanes in plasma and urine as well as 8-OHdG in urine are potential candidates for general biomarkers of oxidative stress. All other products were not changed by CCl4 or showed fewer significant effects.     

Levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine as a marker of DNA damage in human leukocytes

We measured 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels in human leukocytes from healthy donors to evaluate oxidative DNA damage and its correlation with smoking, physical exercise, and alcohol consumption. A significant increase in oxidative DNA damage was induced by cigarette smoke, with the mean level of 8-OHdG being significantly higher in smokers (33.1 +/- 10.6 per 10(6) 2-deoxyguanosine (dG) [mean +/- SE], n = 16) compared with nonsmokers (15.3 +/- 1.8 per 10(6) dG, n = 31) and former smokers (17.8 +/- 1.5 per 10(6) dG, n = 9). The highest values were observed after smoking more than 10 cigarettes per day (41.8 +/- 17.1 per 10(6) dG, n = 9). A large interindividual variation in 8-OHdG levels was observed in all analyzed groups. We also observed a correlation between 8-OHdG levels and age in nonsmokers and former smokers. Neither frequency of physical exercise nor alcohol drinking significantly modified 8-OHdG levels in leukocytes.     

Creatine supplementation decreases oxidative DNA damage and lipid peroxidation induced by a single bout of resistance exercise

Rahimi, R. Creatine supplementation decreases oxidative DNA damage and lipid peroxidation induced by a single bout of resistance exercise. J Strength Cond Res 25(12): 3448-3455, 2011-Creatine (Cr), or methyl guanidine-acetic acid, can be either ingested from exogenous sources, such as fish or meat, or produced endogenously by the body, primarily in the liver. It is used as an ergogenic aid to improve muscle mass, strength, and endurance. Heretofore, Cr's positive therapeutic benefits in various oxidative stress-associated diseases have been reported in the literature and, recently, Cr has also been shown to exert direct antioxidant effects. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an acute bout of resistance exercise (RE) on oxidative stress response and oxidative DNA damage in male athletes and whether supplementation with Cr could negate any observed differences. Twenty-seven resistance-trained men were randomly divided into a Cr supplementation group (the Cr group [21.6 ± 3.6 years], taking 4 × 5 g Cr monohydrate per day) or a placebo (PL) supplementation group (the PL group [21.2 ± 3.2 years], taking 4 × 5 g maltodextrin per day). A double-blind research design was employed for a 7-day supplementation period. Before and after the seventh day of supplementation, the subjects performed an RE protocol (7 sets of 4 exercises using 60-90 1 repetition maximum) in the flat pyramid loading pattern. Blood and urine samples taken before, immediately, and 24-hour postexercise were analyzed for plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and urinary 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) excretion. Before the supplementation period, a significant increase in the urinary 8-OHdG excretion and plasma MDA levels was observed after RE. The Cr supplementation induces a significant increase in athletics performance, and it attenuated the changes observed in the urinary 8-OHdG excretion and plasma MDA. These results indicate that Cr supplementation reduced oxidative DNA damage and lipid peroxidation induced by a single bout of RE.     

Determination of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine by an immunoaffinity chromatography-monoclonal antibody-based ELISA

The postulated importance of oxidative damage to DNA in aging and age-related degenerative pathologies such as cancer has prompted efforts to develop sensitive quantitation methods. 8-Hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is a widely used marker for oxidative damage to DNA. To develop an immunoassay for quantitation of 8-OHdG, two monoclonal antibodies have been developed and characterized by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Antibody 1F7 has 50% inhibition at 5 pmol 8-OHdG and 1 × 105 pmol dG, while antibody IF11 has 50% inhibition at 2.5 pmol 8-OHdG and 2000 pmol dG. Both antisera crossreact with guanosine and several structurally related derivatives, including 6-and 8-mercaptoguanosine, 8-bromoguanosine, 8-methylguanine, and 7-methylguanosine. Immunoaffinity columns were prepared with antibody 1F7, which exhibits higher selectivity than 1F11, to isolate 8-OHdG from DNA hydrolyzates followed by ELISA quantitation with antibody 1F11. This method allows the analysis of approximately one 8-OHdG/105 dG using 100μg DNA. To validate the assay, DNA extracted from human placental tissues were assayed by both ELISA and HPLC with electrochemical detection. Values by both methods correlated well (r = 0.87, p < 0.001), but the levels determined by ELISA were approximately sixfold higher than those determined by HPLC. This may be due to oligonucleotides detected by the ELISA but not the HPLC method or crossreactivity with other damaged bases present in the immunoaffinity purified material. Placental samples from current smokers had significantly higher 8-OHdG by ELISA than those from nonsmokers (p < 0.05). The method of immunoaffinity purification combined with ELISA quantitation has sufficient sensitivity for detecting 8-OHdG in human DNA samples. Although absolute values are higher than those determined by HPLC, the method provides a good alternative to the HPLC-EC method for monitoring relative oxidative damage in molecular epidemiological studies.     

Epithelial lining fluid free IGF-I-to-PAPP-A ratio is associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants

Preterm newborns developing retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) show persistently low levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in sera. They also present higher free IGF-I concentrations in epithelial lining fluids (ELFs) and lung tissues. Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) is a metalloproteinase that dissociates three binding proteins from the active form of IGF-I, namely free IGF-I. The present study analyzes the ELF concentrations of free IGF-I, PAPP-A, and their ratios in preterm newborns developing or not BPD, defined as O(2) dependence at 36 wk postmenstrual age. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of 41 infants (34 without and 7 with BPD) were analyzed on the 2nd and 4th day after birth. Infants developing BPD showed increased ELF free IGF-I and decreased PAPP-A concentrations on both days 2 and 4 compared with newborns without BPD. A nonsignificant trend between these 2 days was observed for free IGF-I (increasing) and PAPP-A (decreasing). On the same days, the free IGF-I-to-PAPP-A ratio was always significantly higher in patients developing BPD. These differences were more significant than those of IGF-I or PAPP-A when individually evaluated. A multivariate analysis confirmed the significance for free IGF-I on day 4, whereas the ratio was confirmed on both days 2 and 4. The same ratio was significantly correlated with some indexes of disease severity, such as hours of oxygen administration, days of hospitalization, and ROP severity scores. Finally, the ratio between ELF free IGF-I and PAPP-A appears to be a useful marker for lung injury of premature newborns.     

Dermatoglyphic analysis in borderline personality disorder and schizophrenia--results of a Croatian study

Dermatoglyphic features of 52 male patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) were compared with those of 200 male controls (control group-CG) and 195 males with schizophrenia (SCH). Quantitative analysis showed statistically significant differences between BPD-CG and between BPD-SCH, mainly regarding the palmar traits, but also the 5th, the 4th and the 1st finger of the right hand as well as the 5th and the 4th finger of the left hand between BPD and SCH patients. The canonical discriminant analysis permitted correct classification with 69.84% probability between the BPD and CG and with 76.11% probability between the BPD and the SCH group. Qualitative finger and palmar traits analysis showed differences between the BPD and SCH groups on the 3rd finger of the left hand, total frequency for all fingers and in the III interdigital space. Significant differences between the BPD and CG were found on the 3rd finger of the left hand. Our results show that the dermatoglyphic features of BPD differ from those of schizophrenia and from those of control subjects. The possible significance of these findings is discussed.     

Increased susceptibility of MER5 (peroxiredoxin III) knockout mice to LPS-induced oxidative stress

MER5 (also called peroxiredoxin III, PrxIII) is a member of peroxiredoxin family that has antioxidant activity. The present study was performed to investigate its in vivo function using MER5 knockout mice. MER5 knockout mice were born in normal frequency and could grow to maturity, but we found that intracellular ROS levels are significantly higher in the macrophages of the knockout mice. We examined roles of MER5 function for the oxidative stress responses by intratracheal inoculation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to the mice. Lung inflammation such as inflammatory cell infiltration and airway wall thickening was more severely detected in the knockout mice. At the same time, oxidative damage on DNA and proteins was more strongly detected in lung tissues of the knockout mice, including 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) formation and protein carbonylation. The degrees of lung inflammation and oxidative damage were positively related with LPS doses. Our results indicate that MER5 knockout mice accumulated higher intracellular ROS levels, which cause LPS-induced lung injury more severely, and thus, suggested that MER5 acts as an important scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under oxidative stress.     

8-Hydroxyguanosine formed in human lung tissues and the association with diesel exhaust particles

Diesel exhaust particles consist of various organic chemicals, heavy metals, and carbon particles. Knowledge of the fate of organic chemicals and carbon particles in the lungs is important to determine the mechanisms responsible for lung tumors. In the present study, diesel particle extracts were found to show mutagenicity for YG3003, a sensitive strain to some oxidative mutagens, as well as other mutant strains, and those of lung tissues obtained from lung cancer patients exhibited potent mutagenicity. Formation of 8-hydroxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as a biomarker of oxidative damage was analyzed with in vitro and in vivo assay systems. The 8-OHdG was detected in all 22 cases of lung tissues with carcinomas tested and their levels increased with the increasing age of the patients, suggesting a correlation between age and the presence of carbon particles in lung tissues. Therefore, the formation of 8-OHdG due to diesel exhaust particles was investigated via intratracheal injections into mice. 8-OHdG formation was elevated when carboneceous particles, after removal of organic chemicals with various solvents, were administered to mice, but it was not elevated when polyaromatic compounds such as benzo[a]pyrene, 1,8-dinitropyrene, and 1-nitropyrene were used in the same procedure in mice. The carboneceous particles were formed from a giant particle that was aggregated by micro-particles with diameters of 1.47 +/- 1.34 to 1.05 +/- 0.83 microm. These results suggest that carboneceous particles, but not mutagens and carcinogens, promote the formation of 8-OHdG, and that as a mechanism, alveolar macrophages may be involved in oxidative damage. The oxidative damage may be due to the fact that the mutation is involved with the generation of a hydroxyl radical during phagocytosis, and the hydroxyl radical leads to hydroxylation at the C-8 position of the deoxyguanosine residue in the DNA.     

Role of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the prevention of hyperoxia-induced lung injury in newborn mice

BPD (bronchopulmonary dysplasia) is predominantly characterized by persistent abnormalities in lung structure and arrested lung development, but therapy can be palliative. While promising, the use of BMSC (bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell) in the treatment of lung diseases remains controversial. We have assessed the therapeutic effects of BMSC in vitro and in vivo. In vitro co-culturing with injured lung tissue increased the migration-potential of BMSC; and SP-C (surfactant protein-C), a specific marker of AEC2 (type II alveolar epithelial cells), was expressed. Following intraperitoneal injection of BMSC into experimental BPD mice on post-natal day 7, it was found that BMSC can home to the injured lung, express SP-C, improve pulmonary architecture, attenuate pulmonary fibrosis and increase the survival rate of BPD mice. This work supports the notion that BMSC are of therapeutic benefit through the production of soluble factors at bioactive levels that regulate the pathogenesis of inflammation and fibrosis following hyperoxia.     

Amelioration of cisplatin toxicity by a fermented grain food product

The most noticeable hypothesis regarding the pathogenesis of cisplatin toxicity, seen mainly in kidney and intestine, is oxidative stress, an imbalance between free-radical generating cisplatin and radical scavenging systems. This paper describes the role of the antioxidant system in cisplatin-induced toxicity and the protective effect by a processed grain food (Antioxidant Biofactor: AOB), which has been shown to exhibit strong antioxidant activity. Male Fischer 344 rats were used. They were pre-fed either a basal diet (control, 15 g/day) or the diet supplemented with AOB to provide 6.5% or 20% of total diet throughout the experiment. Cisplatin (5 mg/kg, i.v.) was administered at the start of the experiment, and the animals were sacrificed 5 days later. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and plasma creatinine, NO2(-) and NO3(-) (NOx) were determined from the plasma. The levels of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (a lipid peroxidation product), 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG, an oxidatively modified DNA adduct) and nitrotyrosine were histologically analyzed. The cisplatin administration resulted in a loss of body weight and elevations of BUN, serum creatinine and NOx levels, whereas AOB supplement reversed these effects. The severe morphological damages induced in the kidney and intestine by the cisplatin administration were markedly improved in the AOB group. The levels of lipid peroxidation, 8-OHdG, and nitrotyrosine all paralleled the morphological damage. The AOB effect was dose dependent. In conclusion, the present study suggests that certain food additives like AOB may be of benefit against the side effects of cisplatin.     

Formation of the base modification 8-hydroxyl-2'-deoxyguanosine and DNA fragmentation following seizures induced by systemic kainic acid in the rat

The formation of oxidative DNA damage as a consequence of seizures remains little explored. We therefore investigated the regional and temporal profile of 8-hydroxyl-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) formation, a hallmark of oxidative DNA damage and DNA fragmentation in rat brain following seizures induced by systemic kainic acid (KA). Formation of 8-OHdG was determined via HPLC with electrochemical detection, and single- and double-stranded DNA breaks were detected using in situ DNA polymerase I-mediated biotin-dATP nick-translation (PANT) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated nick end-labeling (TUNEL), respectively. Systemic KA (11 mg/kg) significantly increased levels of 8-OHdG within the thalamus after 2 h, within the amygdala/piriform cortex after 4 h, and within the hippocampus after 8 h. Levels remained elevated up to sevenfold within these areas for 72 h. Smaller increases in 8-OHdG levels were also detected within the parietal cortex and striatum. PANT-positive cells were detected within the thalamus, amygdala/piriform cortex, and hippocampus 24-72 h following KA injection. TUNEL-positive cells appeared within the same brain regions and over a similar time course (24-72 h) but were generally lower in number. The present data suggest oxidative damage to DNA may be an early consequence of epileptic seizures and a possible initiation event in the progression of seizure-induced injury to DNA fragmentation and cell death.