The antioxidant and stress-protective properties of an extract from the green alga <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ulva lactuca</Emphasis> Linnaeus, 1753

The effects of an extract from the green alga Ulva lactuca and the Essentiale® commercial preparation, which was used as a reference, on the weight indexes of the viscera and the biochemical markers of the liver have been studied in a model of acute stress in rats. Acute stress was simulated by suspending animals in the upright position by their neck dorsal skin fold for 24 hours. Administration of the U. lactuca extract to rats exposed to the extreme stress resulted in a pronounced preventive action, which was manifested in the support of the weight index of their viscera, lipids metabolism, the antioxidant defense system of liver, and a reduction of lipid peroxidation. The extract from U. lactuca was no less effective in protecting the metabolic reactions of the liver under acute stress than the Essentiale® commercial preparation. The pronounced protective properties of the U. lactuca extract are explained by the combined effects of phospholipids of marine origin, n-3 PUFAs, and antioxidant polyphenols that comprise it.     

An extract from the brown alga <Emphasis Type="Italic">Laminaria japonica</Emphasis>: a promising stress-protective preparation

It was shown in rats that stress is accompanied by a decrease in osmotic resistance and antioxidant protection of erythrocytes and an increase in their volume and diameter; cholesterol esters were reduced, the amounts of malone dialdehyde, cholesterol, sphingomyelin, and phospholipid lysofractions were increased. Comparative data on the membrane protecting activity of extracts of Laminaria japonica and Eleutherococcus senticosus are presented. Administration of these extracts caused the normalization of the parameters of erythrocytes in rats.     

Long non‐coding RNAs in melanoma

Melanoma is the most lethal cutaneous cancer with a highly aggressive and metastatic phenotype. While recent genetic and epigenetic studies have shed new insights into the mechanism of melanoma development, the involvement of regulatory non‐coding RNAs remain unclear. Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a group of endogenous non‐protein‐coding RNAs with the capacity to regulate gene expression at multiple levels. Recent evidences have shown that lncRNAs can regulate many cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and invasion. In the melanoma, deregulation of a number of lncRNAs, such as HOTAIR, MALAT1, BANCR, ANRIL, SPRY‐IT1 and SAMMSON, have been reported. Our review summarizes the functional role of lncRNAs in melanoma and their potential clinical application for diagnosis, prognostication and treatment.     

Protective effect of bixin on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

Background

The liver is an important organ for its ability to transform xenobiotics, making the liver tissue a prime target for toxic substances. The carotenoid bixin present in annatto is an antioxidant that can protect cells and tissues against the deleterious effects of free radicals. In this study, we evaluated the protective effect of bixin on liver damage induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) in rats.

Results

The animals were divided into four groups with six rats in each group. CCl₄ (0.125 mL kg^-1 body wt.) was injected intraperitoneally, and bixin (5.0 mg kg^-1 body wt.) was given by gavage 7 days before the CCl₄ injection. Bixin prevented the liver damage caused by CCl₄, as noted by the significant decrease in serum aminotransferases release. Bixin protected the liver against the oxidizing effects of CCl₄ by preventing a decrease in glutathione reductase activity and the levels of reduced glutathione and NADPH. The peroxidation of membrane lipids and histopathological damage of the liver was significantly prevented by bixin treatment.

Conclusion

Therefore, we can conclude that the protective effect of bixin against hepatotoxicity induced by CCl₄ is related to the antioxidant activity of the compound.     

Chemical composition and biological action of rowanberry extract

The object of this study was the extract from the dried pomace of the Amur rowanberry (Sorbus amurensis Koehne) after the juice separation. The content of total polyphenols, lipid composition, and antiradical activity of the extract were studied. The total content of polyphenols proved to be 80 ± 2,5 mg-equivalents of gallic acid per 100 mL of the extract, suggesting the high level of its antiradical activity (29.73 ± 0.23 mmolequivalents of trolox per liter). The lipid part of the extract included three phospholipid fractions and six fractions of neutral lipids. Their content was found to be 13.4 ± 0.14 mg of total lipids/mL. These results pointed to a high biological activity of the extract which could be considered as a promising object for further experimental studies. The Amur rowanberry extract was shown to exhibit a pronounced antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity on the laboratory model of the carbon-tetrachloride-induced hepatitis in rats with endogastric administration at a dose of 100 mg of total polyphenols per kg of body weight. Administration of the extract resulted in a decrease in the content of total lipids, specific liver weight, and the activity of alanine aminotransferase. The level of the reduced glutathione and the activity of antioxidant and lysosomal enzymes were also normalized. The rowanberry extract seemed to be a promising source for the creation of biologically active food supplements with high antioxidant and antiradical activity.     

Antioxidant and membrane-protective properties of an extract from the brown alga <Emphasis Type="Italic">Laminaria japonica</Emphasis>

This paper presents comparative data on the antioxidant and membrane-protective activities of an extract from the brown seaweed Laminaria japonica and the commercial drug Legalon. It was shown that intoxication with carbon tetrachloride was accompanied by the exhaustion of the antioxidant defense system of erythrocytes, an increase in their dimensional characteristics, and a change in the phospholipids to neutral lipids ratio. The Laminaria extract appeared to be more efficient than Legalon in the restoration of the lipid component of erythrocyte membranes and the removal of toxic stress.     

The Influence of an Extract from the Marine Brown Alga <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sargassum pallidum</Emphasis> on the Metabolic Reactions in the Liver under Experimental Toxic Hepatitis

This study explores the influence of an extract enriched with polyphenol substances obtained from the brown alga Sargassum pallidum and the effect of the Legalon commercial reference preparation on the biochemical indices of the blood at acute hepatic injury induced in rats with carbon tetrachloride (CTC). Administration of S. pallidum extract exhibited a pronounced antioxidant and hepatoprotective effect revealed in reduction of alanine aminotransferase (AlAT) activity in blood plasm, in normalization of superoxide dismutase activity and reduced glutathione contents, of the level of lipid peroxidation, and the liver antiradical activity. We observed recovery of lipid metabolism and elimination of liver fatty infiltration. The S. pallidum extract was as effective as the reference Legalon hepatoprotector and even surpassed it in its ability to restore the phospholipid metabolism. In our opinion, this hepatoprotective effect of S. pallidum extract is associated with the action of polyphenols contained in brown algae, that is, phlorotannins, which are highly active antioxidants and restore the liver metabolic reactions after toxic hepatic injury with CTC.     

Lipid Composition,Content of Polyphenols,and Antiradical Activity in Some Representatives of Marine Algae

Russian Journal of Plant Physiology - Qualitative and quantitative composition of the lipid complex and total content of polyphenols were compared in aqueous alcoholic extracts from three species...     

The hepatoprotective properties of an extract from the brown alga <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharina japonica</Emphasis>

This study examines the influence of an extract from the brown alga Saccharina japonica on the antiradical activity and biochemical indices of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in rat liver during carbon tetrachloride (CTC) poisoning. The Saccharina extract contributed to a reduction of the level of free-radical processes, effective relief of tissue hypoxia, and the restoration of the neutral lipid fractions pattern. The therapeutic effectiveness of the algal preparation appeared to be greater than that of the widely adopted reference hepatoprotector Legalon.