Naringin ameliorates acetic acid induced colitis through modulation of endogenous oxido-nitrosative balance and DNA damage in rats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of naringin on experimentally induced inflammatory bowel dis- ease in rats. Naringin （20, 40 and 80 mg/kg） was given orally for 7 days to Wistar rats before induction of colitis by intrarectal instillation of 2 mL of 4% （v/v） acetic acid solution. The degree of colonic mucosal damage was analyzed by examining mucosal damage, ulcer area, ulcer index and stool consistency. Intrarectal administration of 4% acetic acid resulted in significant modulation of serum alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, superoxide dismutase （SOD）, glutathione （GSH）, malondialdehyde （MDA） and myeloperoxidase （MPO） content along with colonic nitric oxide （NO）, xanthine oxidase （XO） level and protein carbonyl content in the colonic tissue as well as in blood. Naringin （40 and 80 mg/kg） exerted a dose dependent （P 〈 0.05） ameliorative effect, as it significantly increased hematological parameter as well as colonic SOD and GSH. There was a significant （P 〈 0.05） and dose dependant inhibition of macroscopical score, ulcer area along with colonic MDA, MPO activity by the 7 days of pretreatment of naringin （40 and 80 mg/kg）. Biochemical studies revealed a significant （P 〈 0.05） dose dependant inhibition in serum alkaline phosphatase （ALP） and lactate dehydrogenase （LDH） levels by pretreatment of naringin. Increased levels of colonic NO, XO, protein carbonyl content and DNA damage were also sig- nificantly decreased by naringin pretreatment. The findings of the present investigation propose that naringin has an anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic potential effect at colorectal sites as it modulates the production and expression of oxidative mediators such as MDA, MPO, NO and XO, thus reducing DNA damage.

Dendrobium huoshanense improves doxorubicin-induced heart failure in C57BL/6 mice

Objective:To investigate the therapeutic effect of Shihu(Dendrobium huoshanense,DH)on doxorubicin(DOX)-induced heart failure in mice and the involved mechanisms.Methods:Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 3 groups:Control(Ctrl)group,DOX group and DH group.Chronic heart failure was induced by intraperitoneal injection of doxorubicin solution.Mice in DH group were fed normal chow containing DH powder for 4 weeks.After 4-week treatment,electrocardiograms were measured.At the end of experiment,serum and heart sample were collected for determination of indicators for heart failure indicators.The heart tissues were conducted HE,Masson,Sirius red staining and TUNEL staining to determine cardiac tissue morphology,fibrosis,collagen content and apoptosis,respectively.mRNA and protein expression were determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot,respectively.Results:DH reduced the DOX-induced serum biomarkers(creatine kinase,aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase)of heart damage and reduced heart fibrosis.Mechanically,DH inhibited myocardial apoptosis,decreased interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factoralevels,but increased superoxide dismutase 2 expression.Conclusion:DH alleviates DOX-induced chronic heart failure by inhibiting inflammatory pathway and enhancing anti-oxidative enzymes.Our study provides the potential of DH for heart failure treatment.

N-carbamoylglutamate improves lipid metabolism, inflammation, and apoptosis responses in visceral adipocytes of Japanese seabass (Lateolabrax japonicus), in vivo and in vitro

This study applied in vivo and in vitro methods to investigate the effect of dietary N-carbamoylglutamate(NCG)on lipid metabolism,inflammation and apoptosis related-gene expression in visceral adipose tissue and isolated adipocytes of Japanese seabass(Lateolabrax japonicus).A basal diet and a test diet supplemented with 720 mg/kg NCG were fed to the fish for 10 weeks.During the growth trial,no mortality and no significant differences in growth performance were observed in fish between the 2 groups(P>0.05).Plasma Arg content and mRNA level of argininosuccinate synthetase(ASS)in adipose tissue were significantly increased,which indicated that NCG inclusion promoted endogenous Arg synthesis.Thereafter,the potential effects of NCG treatment on lipid metabolism-related genes expression were studied through in vivo and in vitro methods.In the present study,we successfully established a primary adipocytes culture system and isolated pre-adipocytes in vitro of Japanese seabass for the first time.Both the results in vivo and in vitro showed that NCG treatment decreased the mRNA levels of genes related to adipogenesis(fatty acid synthase,FASN),cholesterol synthesis(3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase,HMGCR)and fat deposition(lipoprotein lipase[LPL]and leptin),which revealed the underlying mechanism of NCG on reducing fat deposition.The results of this study demonstrated that NCG inclusion reduced the expression of inflammatory and apoptosis cytokines markedly in vivo and in vitro.In conclusion,NCG did exert beneficial effects on ameliorating adipo-genesis,inflammation and apoptosis via promoting Arg endogenous synthesis in Japanese seabass.

Apoptosis within mouse eye induced by Toxoplasma gondii

Objective To investigate apoptosis induced by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in eyes of C57BL/6 (B6) mice. Methods Apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) technique and pathological changes within eyes were analyzed at different time points after intraocular inoculation of either 50 or 500 of tachyzoites. Results In eyes that received 50 tachyzoites, a few apoptotic inflammatory cells in the anterior chamber and keratocytes in the cornea were seen at days 1 and 2, but no apoptosis was detected 4 days after inoculation. Significantly greater apoptosis of inflammatory cells was observed in the anterior chamber and in the vitreous of eyes injected with 500 parasites. Apoptosis of inflammatory cells in the anterior chamber and of keratocytes in the cornea was seen at day 1. The apoptotic stromal keratocytes strikingly increased at day 4. There were a number of apoptotic inflammatory cells in the vitreous at day 2, and a few apoptotic retinal cells along the internal limiting membrane and the nerve fiber layer of the retina 4 days after inoculation. Conclusion These results suggest that apoptosis of inflammatory cells infiltrated eye infected with this parasite may be a mechanism of eliminating the organism.