Behavioural impairment and oxidative stress by acute exposure of zebrafish to a commercial formulation of tebuconazole

Tebuconazole is a systemic follicular fungicide known to cause diverse problems in non-target organisms namely associated to the pure active ingredient. As such, the objective of this work was to evaluate developmental changes induced by a tebuconazole commercial formulation to a non-target animal model. Zebrafish embryos at ± 2 h post-fertilization were exposed to tebuconazole wettable powder concentrations (0.05, 0.5 and 5 mg L^-1) for 96 h with developmental toxicity assessed throughout the exposure period and biochemical parameters evaluated at the end of the exposure. Behavioural assessment (spatial exploration and response to stimuli) was conducted 24 h after the end of the exposure. While no developmental and physiological alterations were observed, exposure to tebuconazole resulted in an increased generation of reactive oxidative species at the 0.05 and 0.5 mg L^-1 concentrations and a decreased GPx activity at the 0.5 mg L^-1 concentration suggesting a potential protection mechanism. There was also a change in the avoidance-escape behaviour supporting an anxiolytic effect suggesting possible alterations in the central nervous system development demanding further studies.     

Sparkling plastic: Effects of exposure to glitter on the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Microbeads and fragments have been widely studied, while glitter remains neglected by the literature although found in a variety product (e.g., body paints, nail polish, cosmetics, craft products). The main aim of this study was to assess the effects of different types and concentrations of glitter particles on Mytilus galloprovincialis after 7 days of exposure. The experiment was divided into a preliminary test and a confirmatory test. Our findings support the hypothesis for a link between concentration and type of glitter particles, percentage of recovery and oxidative stress in M. galloprovincialis. There was a significant correlation between particle length and percentage of particles recovered in water, suggesting that the digestive tract of M. galloprovincialis retains smaller particles more. In addition, we noted an increase in antioxidant defense induced by smaller particles. Moreover, certain types of glitter crumbled and shortened in length, resulting in higher levels of oxidative stress biomarkers. Finally, the star-shaped glitter particles had a different effect on oxidative stress biomarkers. Further studies are needed to clarify the toxic effects of glitter on aquatic organisms and to quantify its proportion to other microplastics in the environment.     

Mechanism of action of Orthosiphon stamineus against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Insights from systems pharmacology and molecular docking approaches

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common complications of a metabolic syndrome caused by excessive accumulation of fat in the liver. Orthosiphon stamineus also known as Orthosiphon aristatus is a medicinal plant with possible potential beneficial effects on various metabolic disorders. This study aims to investigate the in vitro inhibitory effects of O. stamineus on hepatic fat accumulation and to further use the computational systems pharmacology approach to identify the pharmacokinetic properties of the bioactive compounds of O. stamineus and to predict their molecular mechanisms against NAFLD. Methods: The effects of an ethanolic extract of O. stamineus leaves on cytotoxicity, fat accumulation and antioxidant activity were assessed using HepG2 cells. The bioactive compounds of O. stamineus were identified using LC/MS and two bioinformatics databases, namely the Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database (TCMID) and the Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for the Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN-TCM). Pathway enrichment analysis was performed on the predicted targets of the bioactive compounds to provide a systematic overview of the molecular mechanism of action, while molecular docking was used to validate the predicted targets. Results: A total of 27 bioactive compounds corresponding to 50 potential NAFLD-related targets were identified. O. stamineus exerts its anti-NAFLD effects by modulating a variety of cellular processes, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial β-oxidation, inflammatory signalling pathways, insulin signalling, and fatty acid homeostasis pathways. O. stamineus is significantly targeting many oxidative stress regulators, including JNK, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), NFKB1, PPAR, and AKT1. Molecular docking analysis confirmed the expected high affinity for the potential targets, while the in vitro assay indicates the ability of O. stamineus to inhibit hepatic fat accumulation. Conclusion: Using the computational systems pharmacology approach, the potentially beneficial effect of O. stamineus in NAFLD was indicated through the combination of multiple compounds, multiple targets, and multicellular components.     

D-Ribose-LCysteine attenuates manganese-induced cognitive and motor deficit,oxidative damage,and reactive microglia activation

Due to overexposure, manganese (Mn) accumulation in the brain can trigger the inhibition of glutathione synthesis and lead to increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress. D-Ribose-L-Cysteine (RibCys) has been demonstrated to effectively support glutathione synthesis to scavenge ROS and protect cells from oxidative damage. In the present study, we examined the effects of RibCys on weight changes, cognitive and motor associated activities, oxidative stress markers, striatal and cortical histology, and microglia activation following Mn exposure. Rats were exposed to either saline, Mn or/and RibCys for two weeks. The Mn exposed rats received RibCys either as pre-, co-, or post-treatments. Mn caused a significant decrease in weight, memory and motor activities, increased lactate dehydrogenase level, overexpression of IBA1 reflecting microglia activation, and distortion of the neuronal cytoarchitecture of the striatum and motor cortex, respectively. Interventions with RibCys mitigated Mn-induced neurotoxic events. Our novel study demonstrates that RibCys effectively ameliorates the neurotoxicity following Mn treatment and maybe a therapeutic strategy against the neurological consequences of Mn overexposurec     

刺槐素通过调控TLR4通路对干眼症大鼠的保护作用及其机制研究＊

目的 研究刺槐素对干眼症（DED）大鼠的保护作用及可能的分子机制。方法 60只SD大鼠随机分为空白组（不做处理）；模型组；0.1% SH组；刺槐素0.1%、0.25%、0.5%组。每组10只，除正常组外，每日4次皮下注射12.5 mg/天氢溴酸东莨菪碱（SCOP），共7天。所有的药物均为在眼球表面局部给药，每只眼睛20 μL，每天4次。通过泪液分泌实验检测各组大鼠泪液分泌情况，通过角膜荧光染色检测各组大鼠角膜表面缺损情况，过碘酸雪夫试剂（PAS）染色观察结膜杯状细胞数量，酶联免疫吸附法（ELISA）检测各组大鼠角膜组织中炎症反应和氧化应激相关指标含量。免疫印迹法（Western blot）检测各组大鼠角膜组织中Toll样受体4（TLR4）通路相关蛋白TLR4、髓样分化因子88（MyD88）、核因子κB p65（NF-κB p65）、Pyrin域蛋白3（NLRP3）蛋白表达。结果 与正常组相比，模型组大鼠泪液分泌量、结膜杯状细胞数量明显减少，角膜荧光素染色评分显著升高，但角膜新血管生成评分减少，同时角膜组织中白细胞介素1β（IL-1β）、肿瘤坏死因子α（TNF-α）、IL-10、丙二醛（MDA）水平上调，而超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GSH-Px）含量则下调，TLR4、MyD88、NLRP3、p-NF-κB p65蛋白相对表达量均升高（P<0.05）；与模型组相比，经刺槐素0.25%、0.5%组治疗后，大鼠泪液分泌量、结膜杯状细胞数量明显增加，角膜荧光素染色评分显著降低，角膜新血管生成评分显著增加，同时角膜组织中IL-1β、TNF-α、IL-10、MDA水平下调，而SOD和GSH-Px含量则上调（P<0.05），尤其是刺槐素0.5%组上述指标变化更明显，而且角膜组织中TLR4、MyD88、NLRP3、p-NF-κB p65蛋白相对表达量较模型组显著降低（P<0.05）。结论 刺槐素对干眼症大鼠具有保护作用，其保护机制与抑制干眼症大鼠的氧化应激反应、炎症反应和TLR4/MyD88/NLRP3通路活性有关。     

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of lycopene against 5-fluorouracil-induced cytotoxicity in Caco2 cells

5-fluorouracil (5FU) is widely used to treat colorectal cancer (CC) and its main mechanisms of anticancer action are through generation of ROS which often result in inflammation. Here, we test the effect of Lycopene against 5FU in Caco2 cell line. Caco2 cells were exposed to 3 µg/ml of 5FU alone or with 60, 90, 120 µg/ml of lycopene. This was followed by assessment of cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and gene expression of inflammatory genes. Our findings showed that Lycopene and 5FU co-exposure induced dose-dependent cytotoxic effect without compromising the membrane integrity based on the LDH assay. Lycopene also significantly enhanced 5FU-induced SOD activity and GSH level compared to control for all mixture concentrations (p < 0.01). Lycopene alone and combination with 5FU-induced expression of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6. Furthermore, IFN-γ expression was significantly enhanced by only mixture of lycopene (90 µg/ml) and 5FU (p < 0.05). In conclusion, Lycopene supplementation with 5FU therapy resulted in improvement in antioxidant parameters such as catalase and GSH levels giving the cell capacity to cope with 5FU-mediated oxidative stress. Lycopene also enhanced IFN-γ expression in the presence of 5FU, which may activate antitumor effects further enhancing the cancer killing effect of 5FU.     

蒙药安神补心六味丸预防给药对心肌缺血大鼠的保护作用及氧化应激水平的影响＊

目的 研究蒙药安神补心六味丸对大鼠心肌缺血损伤的保护作用和氧化应激机制。方法 将60只大鼠随机分为空白组、模型组、阳性对照组（丹参滴丸）及蒙药安神补心六味丸低、中、高剂量组，使用腹腔注射异丙肾上腺素方法制备大鼠急性心肌缺血模型，记录并观察大鼠心电图活动变化，然后进行腹主动脉取血，分离血清，测定乳酸脱氢酶（Lactic dehydrogenase，LDH）、肌酸激酶（Creatine kinase，CK）、磷酸肌酸激酶（Creatine kinase isoenzyme，CK-MB）、谷草转氨酶（Aspartate aminotransferase，AST）、超氧化物歧化酶（Superoxide dismutase，SOD）、丙二醛（Malondialdehyde，MDA）和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（Glutathione peroxidase，GSH-PX）含量变化。取心肌组织固定，对大鼠心肌组织进行HE染色，通过对心肌酶学和和心肌组织形态学两个方面来考察蒙药安神补心六味丸对大鼠心肌缺血模型的保护作用。结果 与空白组比较，模型组大鼠血清中LDH活性极显著升高（P<0.01），CK、CK-MB、AST、MDA活性均显著升高（P<0.05），SOD活性显著降低（P<0.05），GSH-PX活性高度显著降低（P<0.001），且差异均具有统计学意义；与模型组比较，蒙药安神补心六味丸组高剂量组大鼠血清中LDH、CK、CK-MB、MDA活性显著降低（P<0.05），SOD活性显著升高（P<0.05），GSH-PX活性极显著升高（P<0.01），且差异均具有统计学意义。从HE染色分析，蒙药安神补心六味丸能够改善因缺血而造成的心肌组织损伤。结论 蒙药安神补心六味丸能有效改善心肌组织病理状态，减轻大鼠心肌缺血损伤，以达到保护心肌作用，机制可能与氧化应激机制相关。