Protective effects of taxifolin on pazopanib-induced liver toxicity: an experimental rat model

Pazopanib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is generally used for the treatment of metastatic renal cell cancer and advanced soft tissue sarcoma. It can cause various degrees of hepatotoxicity. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of taxifolin on pazopanib-induced liver toxicity. A total of 18 rats were divided into three groups: the pazopanib (PP), pazopanib plus taxifolin (TPP), and control (C) group. Taxifolin was administered to the TPP (n=6) group with a dose of 50 mg/kg. Distilled water was orally admnistered to the C (n=6) and PP (n=6) groups as a solvent. Subsequently, pazopanib 200 mg/kg was administered to the TPP and PP groups via the stomach. This procedure was repeated once a day for four weeks. Then, all rats were sacrificed, and their livers were removed. Malondialdehyde (MDA), total glutathione (tGSH), total oxidant status (TOS), and total antioxidant status (TAS) levels were evaluated. MDA and TOS levels were higher in the PP group compared with the levels of the other parameters (P<0.001). tGSH and TAS levels were lower in the PP group than in the TPP and C groups (P<0.001), and the aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were higher. Furthermore, liver tissue damage, including hemorrhage, hydropic degeneration, and necrosis was observed in the PP group. Administration of taxifolin before pazopanib significantly improved degenerative changes. Our study demonstrated that the administration of taxifolin is significantly effective in preventing pazopanib-induced hepatotoxicity in rats.     

New water mites of the family Hygrobatidae (Acari,?Hydrachnidia) from Turkey

In this study, the findings of three water mite species of the family Hygrobatidae collected from different streams in Turkey were evaluated. Hygrobates (s. str.) anatolicus Esen & Pešić, sp. n. is described as new for science. Hygrobates (Rivobates) diversiporus Sokolow, 1927 and Atractides (s. str.) nikooae Pešić, 2004, which were illustrated and thoroughly discussed, are new records for the Turkish fauna.     

The effect of ellagic acid on caspase-3/bcl-2/Nrf-2/NF-kB/TNF-α /COX-2 gene expression product apoptosis pathway: a new approach for muscle damage therapy

Molecular Biology Reports - The goal of this study was to determine the protective role of ellagic acid (EA) against CCl4-induced muscle injury in rats. In this study, 36 Wistar albino rats...     

Biological Time‐Dependent Difference in Effect of Peroxynitrite Demonstrated by the Mouse Hot Plate Pain Model

We previously demonstrated the rhythmic pattern of L‐arginine/nitric oxide (NO)/cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) cascade in nociceptive processes. The coupled production of excess NO and superoxide leads to the formation of an unstable intermediate peroxynitrite, which is primarily responsible for NO‐mediated toxicity. In the present study, we evaluated the biological time‐dependent effects of exogenously administered peroxynitrite on nociceptive processes and peroxynitrite‐induced changes in the analgesic effect of morphine using the mouse hot‐plate pain model. Experiments were performed at four different times of day (1, 7, 13, and 19 hours after lights on, i.e., HALO) in mice of both sexes synchronized to a 12 h:12 h light‐dark cycle. Animals were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with saline or 10 mg/kg morphine 30 min before and 0.001 mg/kg peroxynitrite 30 sec before hot‐plate testing, respectively. The analgesic effect of morphine exhibited significant biological time‐dependent differences in the thermally‐induced algesia; whereas, administration of peroxynitrite alone exhibited either significant algesic or analgesic effect, depending on the circadian time of its injection. Concomitant administration of peroxynitrite and morphine reduced morphine‐induced analgesia at three of the four different study time points. In conclusion, peroxynitrite displayed nociceptive and antinociceptive when administered alone according to the circadian time of treatment, while it diminished analgesic activity when administered in combination with morphine at certain biological times.     

Hydrogen peroxide pretreatment of roots enhanced oxidative stress response of tomato under cold stress

In the view of physiological role of H₂O₂, we investigated whether exogenous H₂O₂ application would affect short-term cold response of tomato and induce acclimation. Pretreatments were performed by immersing roots into 1 mM H₂O₂ solution for 1 h when transferring seedlings from seedling substrate to soil (acclimated group). Cold stress (3 °C for 16 h) caused significant reduction in relative water content (RWC) of control and non-acclimated (distilled water treated) groups when compared with unstressed plants. H₂O₂ promoted maintenance of relatively higher RWC under stress. Anthocyanin level in leaves of acclimated plants under cold stress was significantly higher than that of unstressed control and non-acclimated plants. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels demonstrated low temperature induced oxidative damage to control and non-acclimated plants. MDA remained around unstressed conditions in acclimated plants, which demonstrate that H₂O₂ acclimation protected tissues against cold induced lipid peroxidation. H₂O₂ acclimation caused proline accumulation in roots under cold stress. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity in roots of cold stressed and unstressed H₂O₂ acclimated plants increased when compared with control and non-acclimated plants, with highest increase in roots of acclimated plants under cold stress. CAT levels in roots of acclimated plants also increased, whereas levels remained unchanged in unstressed plants. Endogenous H₂O₂ levels significantly increased in roots of control and non-acclimated plants under cold stress. On the other hand, H₂O₂ content in roots of acclimated plants was significantly lower than control and non-acclimated plants under cold stress. The results presented here demonstrated that H₂O₂ significantly enhanced oxidative stress response by elevating the antioxidant status of tomato.     

Variables of Microbial Response in Natural Soil Aggregates for Soil Characterization in Different Fluvial Land Shapes

The main objective of this study was to determine changes in microbial response in natural soil aggregates for soil characterization in different fluvial land shapes. This study was carried out in fluvial lands formed on accumulated sediment depositions carried by K?z?l?rmak River. The majority soils of the study area were classified as Typic Ustifluvent and Typic Haplustept in Soil Taxonomy. It was found that macroaggregates (especially >6300 μm and 2000–4750 μm diameters) of all soil samples were higher than microaggregate of soils. In addition, it was determined that the C_org content varies between 0.41–0.91% in soil samples. C_mic content was also found higher level in aggregates involved <250 and 250–425 μm diameters as compared to other aggregate size classes. Moreover, we detected that C_org:C_mic ratio was much higher in macroaggregates than in microaggregate fractions. BR levels were also greater in macroaggregates of >6,300, 4,750–6,300 and 2,000–4,750 μm than in the other macroaggregates sizes and microaggregates. Consequently, macroaggregates have relatively more C_org level than the C_org level in microaggregates, even if the absolute values of C_mic were the lower. This study thus evidenced contrasting microbial habitats and their response in different soil aggregate size formed in various developed soils.