Effects of acute footshock stress on antioxidant enzyme activities in the adolescent rat brain

In a previous study we demonstrated that acute footshock stress increased glutathione peroxidase activity in the prefrontal cortex and striatum of adult male rats. Adolescents may respond differently to stress as life stressors may be greater than at other ages. The present study examined the effects of the acute footshock stress on superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) enzyme activities and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels in adolescent male and female rat brains. We demonstrated that acute footshock stress increased SOD activity in the prefrontal cortex, and increased GPx activity in the hippocampus in female rats. In males, acute footshock stress increased GPx activity in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Footshock stress did not change TBARS levels. These results indicate a strong role of gender in the response of adolescent subjects to various aspects of stress.     

Iron, Nitric Oxide, and Myeloperoxidase in Asthmatic Patients

Plasma nitric oxide (NO), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and iron (Fe) levels were determined in bronchial asthma. The relations among these parameters in different stages of asthma were interpreted. Their association with airway inflammation observed in patients with bronchial asthma as well as the roles and the contributions to the pathological processes were evaluated. A total of 62 individuals, 32 asthmatics and 30 controls, were included into the scope of this study. Plasma nitric oxide metabolites (NOx) and MPO and Fe levels were determined by the Griess reaction, ELISA, and the automated TPTZ (2,4,6-tri[2-pyridyl]-5-triazine) method, respectively. In the asthmatic individuals, plasma NOx, MPO, and Fe concentrations were 133 +/- 13 microM, 95 +/- 20 ng/ml, and 159 +/- 20 microg/dl, respectively; in the control group these values were 82 +/- 11 microM, 62 +/- 11 ng/ml, and 96 +/- 9 microg/dl. Increased values were detected for plasma MPO (p > 0.05), NOx (p < 0.01), and Fe (p < 0.01) concentrations in asthmatic individuals. Considering the facts that NO modulates the catalytic activity of MPO and induces the expression of heme oxygenase as important contributors to the mechanisms causing free Fe release, it is concluded that elevated NOx, MPO, and Fe levels observed in the asthmatic group act in a concerted manner and appear to be involved in the pathogenesis of asthma.     

Characterization of the divergent wound-healing responses occurring in the pathergy reaction and normal healthy volunteers

Beh?et's disease (BD) is a multisystem inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulcerations and uveitis, with varying other manifestations associated with vascular inflammation. A unifying feature of BD inflammation is the skin pathergy reaction (SPR), a nonspecific tissue hyperreactivity to minor trauma involving epithelial disruption. This study compared skin responses to needle prick in BD patients and normal healthy volunteers. Two study groups, each consisting of 10 BD patients with SPR(+) and 6 controls, were evaluated using either immunohistochemistry or quantitative real-time PCR to measure inflammatory cell and cytokine levels in biopsy specimens obtained serially from independent sites at 0, 8, and 48 h after needle prick. We found similar cellular infiltration patterns in response to needle prick in BD patients and controls between 0 and 8 h. Further development of this immune response was limited in skin of normal control subjects, with stable or decreased inflammatory mediators observed at 48 h. In contrast, in BD-derived skin specimens, increased influxes of mature dendritic cells, monocytes, and lymphocytes, including T regulatory cells, were noted by 48 h. Similarly, increases in cytokines (IFN-gamma, IL-12 p40, IL-15), chemokines (MIP3-alpha, IP-10, Mig, and iTac), and adhesion molecules (ICAM-1, VCAM-1) were noted at 48 h in the skin of BD patients with SPR(+) but not in the skin of normal controls. These results suggest that, in contrast to the self-limited inflammation associated with epithelial disruption of normal skin, BD patients experience marked cellular influxes into the injury site, leading to an exaggerated lymphoid Th1-type response.     

Plasma levels of nitrites, PGF1α and nitrotyrosine in LPS-treated rats: functional and histochemical implications in aorta

We investigated the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration on plasma nitrite, nitrotyrosine and 6-keto prostaglandin F1alpha, (PGF1alpha) levels and the related resultant changes in function and histochemistry of aorta in rats. Plasma nitrite and PGF1alpha nitrotyrosine levels were analysed after 5 mg/kg intravenous LPS was administered to rats compared with those in non-treated rats. The distribution of nitrotyrosine in the aorta was studied immunohistochemically. The contractile responses of aortic rings to phenylephrine (PE) from both the LPS-treated and control rats were studied in the organ baths. There were increases in plasma nitrite, PGF1alpha, and nitrotyrosine concentrations of LPS-treated rats compared to non-treated rats. Immunoreactivity of nitrotyrosine residues were detected in the endothelial and smooth muscle cells in LPS-treated but not in control rat aorta. The contractile responses to PE of the LPS-treated rat aortic rings were significantly reduced as compared with those of control rat's. Incubation of the aortic rings from LPS-treated rats with cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacine or with a combination of indomethacine and nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) increased the contractile responses to the levels observed in control rats suggesting that both prostanoids and particularly nitric oxide (NO) are involved in the reduced contractile responses in LPS-treated rats. These results supported the view that LPS might cause an increment in both NO and PGI2 levels. This increase in the NO and PGI2 levels may be responsible from the reduction in responses of aorta to contractile agents in LPS-treated rats. Increased peroxynitrite formation in LPS-treated rats may lead to nitration of the tyrosil residues of the proteins in the aorta.     

Dilated cardiomyopathy in a spider monkey (Ateles paniscus)

Background A spider monkey with severe dyspnea was referred to our clinic. Methods and Results Radiographs revealed an enlarged cardiac silhouette. Ventricular tachycardia and ST segment depression were also diagnosed after an ECG. These findings coupled with the postmortem examination confirmed dilatative cardiomyopathy. Conclusions This case is worthy of presentation since dilatative cardiomyopathy has been rarely encountered in spider monkeys.     

Extraction of the essential oil from endemic Origanum bilgeri P.H.Davis with two different methods: comparison of the oil composition and antibacterial activity

The antibacterial activity and chemical composition of the essential oils (EOs) isolated from Origanum bilgeri P.H.Davis by two different extraction methods, i.e., hydrodistillation (HD) and solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME), were examined. This endemic Origanum species had shown very good antibacterial activity. The composition of the O. bilgeri EOs obtained by SFME and HD was investigated by GC/MS analysis. The main components of the oils obtained by both methods were carvacrol (90.20-84.30%), p-cymene (3.40-5.85%), γ-terpinene (0.47-1.20%), and thymol (0.69-1.08%). The EO isolation by SFME offered many important advantages, including a higher extraction yield, a shorter extraction time, and a higher content of the active component carvacrol. The carvacrol-rich oils obtained by both HD and SFME showed a good antibacterial activity. The largest inhibition zones were observed for the O. bilgeri EO obtained by SFME. Our study suggests that O. bilgeri EO has the potential to be used as preventative against bacterial contamination in many foods, instead of the common synthetic antimicrobial products.