Garlic Extract Ameliorates Renal and Cardiopulmonary Injury in the Rats with Chronic Renal Failure

Abstract

Chronic renal failure (CRF) is associated with oxidative stress that promotes production of reactive oxygen species and cytokine release. We aimed to investigate the possible protective and antioxidant effects of aqueous garlic extract (AGE) in a rat model of CRF. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned as either CRF group with 5/6 reduction in the renal mass or sham-operated control group. CRF group received either saline or AGE (250 mg/kg/day/1 mL) orally for 3 weeks. At the end of the 3 weeks, rats were decapitated and trunk blood was collected. Creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, and TNF-α and IL-1β levels were measured in the serum samples, while malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) levels, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were determined in the kidney, lung, and heart samples. CRF caused significant decreases in tissue GSH, which were accompanied with significant increases in MDA levels and MPO activities, while the circulating levels of the LDH activity, creatinine, BUN, TNF-α, and IL-1β were elevated. AGE treatment alleviated CRF-induced oxidative changes in the injured tissues, while CRF-induced elevations in the blood levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and LDH were reduced. In conclusion, CRF-induced oxidative tissue injury occurs via the activation of pro-inflammatory mediators and by neutrophil infiltration into tissues and that the protective effects of garlic on CRF-induced injury can be attributed to its ability to inhibit neutrophil infiltration and pro-inflammatory mediators. These findings suggest that garlic, as a supplementary to diet, may have a potential therapeutic use in delimitating the systemic oxidant effects of CRF on remote organs.     

Relationship between salivary antioxidant capacity and phases of the menstrual cycle

Kawamoto A, Sugano N, Motohashi M, Matsumoto S, Ito K. Relationship between salivary antioxidant capacity and phases of the menstrual cycle. J Periodont Res 2012; 47: 593–598. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S Background and Objective: Reactive oxygen species and free radicals are involved in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. Previous studies have shown that the stage of the menstrual cycle is associated with the levels of gingival inflammation and discomfort. This study examined changes in salivary antioxidant activities, clinical parameters and bacterial levels during the menstrual cycle. Material and Methods: The study group consisted of 16 women with periodontitis and 12 healthy women. Clinical and bacterial measurements were performed for all subjects during the ovulatory and follicular phases. Results: Salivary antioxidant activity during the ovulatory phase was significantly lower than during the follicular phase in the women with periodontitis. The antioxidant activity in all subjects during the ovulatory phase was negatively correlated with Prevotella intermedia (r = ?0.430; p = 0.023) and total bacterial counts (r = ?0.496; p = 0.007); however, these correlations were not significant for subjects in the follicular phase. Conclusion: This study showed that salivary antioxidant capacity decreased, while bleeding on probing and P. intermedia increased, over the course of the menstrual cycle in women with periodontitis. Antioxidant capacity could be involved in the pathogenesis of periodontitis.     

Mitochondrial function in human brains is affected by pre‐ and post mortem factors

G. Harish, C. Venkateshappa, A. Mahadevan, N. Pruthi, M. M. S. Bharath and S. K. Shankar (2013) Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 39, 298–315 Mitochondrial function in human brains is affected by pre‐ and post mortem factors Aim: Mitochondrial function and the ensuing ATP synthesis are central to the functioning of the brain and contribute to neuronal physiology. Most studies on neurodegenerative diseases have highlighted that mitochondrial dysfunction is an important event contributing to pathology. However, studies on the human brain mitochondria in various neurodegenerative disorders heavily rely on post mortem samples. As post mortem tissues are influenced by pre‐ and post mortem factors, we investigated the effect of these variables on mitochondrial function. Methods: We examined whether the mitochondrial function (represented by mitochondrial enzymes and antioxidant activities) in post mortem human brains (n = 45) was affected by increased storage time (11.8–104.1 months), age of the donor (2 days to 80 years), post mortem interval (2.5–26 h), gender difference and agonal state [based on Glasgow Coma Scale: range = 3–15] in the frontal cortex, as a prototype. Results: We observed that the activities of citrate synthase, succinate dehydrogenase and mitochondrial reductase (MTT) were significantly affected only by gender difference (citrate synthase: P = 0.005; succinate dehydrogenase: P = 0.01; mitochondrial reductase: P = 0.006), being higher in females, but not by any other factor. Mitochondrial complex I activity was significantly inhibited by increasing age (r = ?0.40; P = 0.05). On the other hand, the mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme glutathione reductase decreased with severe agonal state (P = 0.003), while the activity of glutathione‐S‐transferase declined with increased storage time (P = 0.005) and severe agonal state (P = 0.02). Conclusion: Our data highlight the influence of pre‐ and post mortem factors on preservation of mitochondrial function with implications for studies on brain pathology employing stored human samples.     

Histopathological and Biochemical Effects of Ecballium elaterium on Sepsis-Induced Lung Injury

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Ecballium elaterium (EE) on sepsis-induced lung injury. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 male rats were divided into three groups as follows: control, sepsis, and treatment groups (sepsis + EE) with each group containing 10 rats. A rat model of sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) was used. In the treatment group, rats were injected intraperitoneally with 2.5 mg/kg EE after CLP. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) values after a 24-hr period were measured via cardiac puncture. Animals were harvested after the procedure and biochemical analysis was done and histopathological changes of the tissue sections of lungs were examined thereafter. Results: A statistically significant decrease was observed in the IL-6 (p < .05), TNF-α (p < .05), and TOS (p < .01) levels in the sera of the treatment group compared to those of the sepsis group. Following the treatment, the TOS (p = .01) and OSI (p < .05) levels in the lung tissue of rats indicated a statistically significant decrease compared to those of the sepsis group. The histopathological follow-up undertaken after the administration of the EE treatment to septic rats showed significantly lower values of alveolar wall thickness (p < .001), interstitial edema (p = .018), and neutrophil infiltration (p = .047). Conclusion: EE treatment may have beneficial effects on sepsis-induced lung injury, and therefore has potential for clinical use.     

Total antioxidant and oxidant status of plasma and renal tissue of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxic rats: protection by floral extracts of Calendula officinalis Linn.

The present study was aimed to determine the total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) of plasma and renal tissue in cisplatin (cDDP) induced nephrotoxic rats and its protection by treatments with floral extracts of Calendula officinalis Linn. Treatment with cDDP elevated (p?p?antioxidant enzymes compared to the control group. Pre- and post-treatments of ethanolic floral extract of C. officinalis along with cDDP restored (p?>?0.05) CR, albumin, TOS, GSH and activities of antioxidant enzymes in blood and renal tissue. Ethanolic extract treatments reduced (p?C. officinalis protect cDDP induced nephrotoxicity by restoring antioxidant system of the renal tissue.     

Protective effect of syringic acid on kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury

The objective of the present study was to determine whether preischemic administration of syringic acid (SA) would attenuate renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Rats were divided into three groups: Sham group; IR group; and IR?+?SA group. The effects of SA were examined using biochemical parameters including serum ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI), tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) and malondialdehyde (MDA). The apoptosis status and histopathological changes were evaluated. After calculating the score for each histopathological change, the total score was obtained by summing all the scores. In the SA group, MDA, IMA, TOS, and OSI decreased significantly compared to the IR group. After SA administration, the increase in GPx activity was found to be significant. Apoptosis decreased significantly in the SA group compared with the IR group. The total score significantly decreased after administration of SA. Taken together, our findings suggest that SA preconditioning is effective in reducing tissue damage induced in kidney IRI. Renal histology also showed convincing evidence regarding the protective nature of SA.