Therapeutic effect of lycopene in lipopolysaccharide nephrotoxicity through alleviation of mitochondrial dysfunction,inflammation, and oxidative stress

Molecular Biology Reports - Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) accompanies a higher mortality in intensive care patients. High-dose lipopolysaccharides (LPS) as an endotoxin is usually...     

Hepcidin Peptide Inhibitor as Cardioprotection by Targeting Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Type 1 Diabetic

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Hepcidin peptide is the dominant regulator of systemic iron metabolism. Studies suggest a dual role of hepcidin in neuronal iron load...     

Garlic extract attenuates time-dependent changes in the reactivity of isolated aorta in streptozotocin-diabetic rats

In the present study, the effect of aqueous garlic extract (Allium sativum; 100 mg/Kg/day; i.p.) on the vascular reactivity of streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats was investigated. Vascular reactivity of isolated aortic rings was assessed by measuring phenylephrine-induced contractile and acetylcholine-induced relaxation responses. The results showed that aortas prepared from 8-week, but not 4-week, STZ-diabetic rats exhibited significantly increased contractile responses, which were partially attenuated by garlic extract treatment. The maximum vasorelaxant response of pre-contracted aortic rings exposed to acetylcholine also significantly decreased in 8-week STZ-diabetic animals which was attenuated to some extent by extract treatment. It is concluded that long-term administration of garlic extract (i.p.) can attenuate various functional alterations induced by STZ-diabetes in the vascular system of an insulin-dependent model of uncontrolled diabetes, and this may suggest a potential approach to future therapeutic strategies.     

Berberine Ameliorate Oxidative Stress and Astrogliosis in the Hippocampus of STZ-Induced Diabetic Rats

Diabetes mellitus increases the risk of central nervous system (CNS) disorders such as stroke, seizures, dementia, and cognitive impairment. Berberine, a natural isoquinoline alkaloid, is reported to exhibit beneficial effect in various neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Moreover, astrocytes are proving critical for normal CNS function, and alterations in their activity and impaired oxidative stress could contribute to diabetes-related cognitive dysfunction. Metabolic and oxidative insults often cause rapid changes in glial cells. Key indicators of this response are increased synthesis of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) as an astrocytic marker. Therefore, we examined the effects of berberine on glial reactivity of hippocampus in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats, using GFAP immunohistochemistry. Lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and nitrite levels were assessed as the parameters of oxidative stress. Eight weeks after diabetes induction, we observed increased numbers of GFAP⁺ astrocytes immunostaining associated with increased lipid peroxidation, decreased superoxide dismutase activity, and elevated nitrite levels in the hippocampus of STZ-diabetic rats. In contrast, chronic treatment with berberine (50 and 100 mg/kg p.o. once daily) lowered hyperglycemia, reduced oxidative stress, and prevented the upregulation of GFAP in the brain of diabetic rats. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the treatment with berberine resulted in an obvious reduction of oxidative stress and GFAP-immunoreactive astrocytes in the hippocampus of STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Protective Effect of Oral Hesperetin Against Unilateral Striatal 6-Hydroxydopamine Damage in the Rat

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder due to loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNC). PD finally leads to incapacitating symptoms including motor and cognitive deficits. This study was undertaken to assess protective effect of the flavanone hesperetin against striatal 6-hydroxydopamine lesion and to explore in more detail some underlying mechanisms including apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress. In this research study, intrastriatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rats received hesperetin (50 mg/kg/day) for 1 week. Hesperetin reduced apomorphine-induced rotational asymmetry and decreased the latency to initiate and the total time on the narrow beam task. It also attenuated striatal malondialdehyde and enhanced striatal catalase activity and GSH content, lowered striatal level of glial fibrillary acidic protein as an index of astrogliosis and increased Bcl2 with no significant change of the nuclear factor NF-kB as a marker of inflammation. Hesperetin treatment was also capable to mitigate nigral DNA fragmentation as an index of apoptosis and to prevent loss of SNC dopaminergic neurons. This study indicated the protective effect of hesperetin in an early model of PD via attenuation of apoptosis, astrogliosis marker and oxidative stress and it may be helpful as an adjuvant therapy for management of PD at its early stages.     

S‐allyl cysteine,an active ingredient of garlic,attenuates acute liver dysfunction induced by lipopolysaccharide/ d‐galactosamine in mouse: Underlying mechanisms

In the present study, beneficial effect of S‐allyl cysteine (SAC) was evaluated in the lipopolysaccharide/d ‐galactosamine (LPS/d ‐Gal) model of acute liver injury (ALI). To mimic ALI, LPS and d ‐Gal (50 μg/kg and 400 mg/kg, respectively) were intraperitoneally administered and animals received SAC per os (25 or 100 mg/kg/d) for 3 days till 1 hour before LPS/d ‐Gal injection. Pretreatment of LPS/d ‐Gal group with SAC‐lowered activities of alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase and partially reversed inappropriate alterations of hepatic oxidative stress‐ and inflammation‐related biomarkers including liver reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, and hepatic activity of the defensive enzyme superoxide dismutase, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), toll‐like receptor‐4 (TLR4), cyclooxygenase 2, NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), caspase 1, nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB), interleukin 1β (IL‐1β), IL‐6, tumor necrosis factor‐α, and myeloperoxidase activity. Additionally, SAC was capable to ameliorate apoptotic biomarkers including caspase 3 and DNA fragmentation. In summary, SAC can protect liver against LPS/d ‐Gal by attenuation of neutrophil infiltration, oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and pyroptosis which is partly linked to its suppression of TLR4/NF‐κB/NLRP3 signaling.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hypericum Perforatum</Emphasis> Hydroalcoholic Extract Mitigates Motor Dysfunction and is Neuroprotective in Intrastriatal 6-Hydroxydopamine Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder with selective and progressive decline of nigral dopaminergic neurons. Hypericum perforatum L. (H. perforatum, St. John’s wort) has been traditionally used for management of different disorders, especially mild-to-moderate depression. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of H. perforatum extract against unilateral striatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) toxicity and to unmask some involved mechanisms. Intrastriatal 6-OHDA-lesioned rats were treated with H. perforatum hydroalcoholic extract at a dose of 200 mg/kg/day started 1 week pre-surgery for 1 week post-surgery. The extract attenuated apomorphine-induced rotational behavior, decreased the latency to initiate and the total time on the narrow beam task, lowered striatal level of malondialdehyde and enhanced striatal catalase activity and reduced glutathione content, normalized striatal expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein, tumor necrosis factor α with no significant effect on mitogen-activated protein kinase, lowered nigral DNA fragmentation, and prevented damage of nigral dopaminergic neurons with a higher striatal tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity. These findings reveal the beneficial effect of H. perforatum via attenuation of DNA fragmentation, astrogliosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress.