Dietary supplementation of some antioxidants against hypoxia

The present study aims to clarify the protective effect of supplementation with some antioxidants,such as idebenone(200 mg/kg,ip),melatonin(10 mg/kg,ip) and arginine(200 mg/kg,ip) and their combination,on liver function(T.protein,albumin,alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase),energetic parameters(adenosine triphosphate,adenosine diphosphate,adenosine monophosphate,inorganic phosphate,total adenylate,adenylate energy charge and potential phosphate).The effect on glycolytic and glycogenolytic enzymes(glucose,glycogen,glycogen phosphorylase,pyruvate kinase and phosphofructokinase against hypoxia) was also studied.The drugs were administered 24 and 1 h prior sodium nitrite intoxication.All biochemical parameters were estimated 1 h after sodium nitrite injection.Injection of sodium nitrite(75 mg/kg,sc) produced a significant disturbance in all biochemical parameters of liver function,energetic parameters and glycolytic and glycogenolytic enzymes.Hepatic damage was confirmed by histopathological examination of the liver as compared to controls.The marked changes in hepatic cells induced by sodium nitrite were completely abolished by pretreatment with the drug combination,suggesting potential protection against sodium nitrite-induced hypoxia.It could be concluded that a combination of both idebenone and melatonin or idebenone and arginine provides potential protection against sodium nitrite-induced hypoxia by improving biochemical parameters and preserving liver histology.

Role of zinc as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory to relieve cadmium oxidative stress induced testicular damage in rats

Objective:To investigate the role of zinc in reducing the deleterious effects of cadmium on male gonads.Methods:Rats were injected subcutaneously with CdCl_2 and ZnCl_2 at dose level of2.2 mg/kg(1/40 of LD50 of cadmium per day).Results:The rats treated with cadmium exhibited a significant increase in levels of testicular malondialdehyde,tumor necrosis factor-alpha,nitrogen oxide and inducible nitrogen oxide synthase immunostaining reaction,as well as an elevation of blood hydroperoxide and follicle stimulating hormone.In addition,a significant decrease in testicular ascorbic acid,zinc,reduced glutathione,catalase,superoxide dismutase,sex organ weight,plasma testosterone and luteinizing hormone were observed in the cadmium group.Sperm motility and count were decreased with cadmium treatment,while sperm abnormalities elevated significantly.Zinc treatment was found to mitigate the toxic effects of cadmium on oxidative stress,spermatogenesis,sex hormones,and inflammatory markers.Rats injected with cadmium showed intense histopathological changes.Zinc manifested protective role and markedly reduced tissues damage induced by cadmium.Conclusions:The protective effect of zinc can be attributed to its antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties.

Pharmacochemical Aspects of the Evolution from Erythromycin to Neomacrolides, Ketolides and Neoketolides

Antibiotic macrolides are experiencing renewed interest in anti-infective therapy since the advent of ketolides. This therapeutic class was introduced in order to broaden the narrow antibacterial spectrum of macrolides and to cope with the emergence of germs resistant to Erythromycin A and its hemisynthetic derivatives or neomacrolides (Clarithromycin, Roxithromycin, Azithromycin, Dirithromycin). From a pharmacochemical point of view, ketolides were first of all obtained by operating chemical modulations on Erythromycin A to obtain the neomacrolides, then, by replacing the neutral sugar (L-cladinose) in C3 by a ketone function coupled with the creation of an oxazolidinone like heterocycle in C11 and C12 in place of the hydroxyls present in these positions (Telithromycin, Cethromycin, Solithromycin). These modulations have enabled the improvement of the chemical stability of ketolides in gastric acid medium and increase their affinity for the ribosomal target, hence the broadening of their spectrum of action towards Gram positive germs including strains resistant to other macrolides and to neomacrolides. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review is to report the various pharmacochemical aspects undertaken since 1952 in the macrolide series based on the structure of Erythromycin A. These aspects will focus on the pharmacomodulations that have led, year after year, to the optimization of stability, the improvement of the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profile and that have allowed the development of neomacrolides, ketolides and neoketolides, which are today essential in the management of severe bronchopulmonary infections.

Anticancer Activities and QSAR Study of Novel Agents with a Chemical Profile of Benzimidazolyl-Retrochalcone

The present pharmacochemical and modelling work focused on a benzimidazolyl-chalcone series. These previously synthesized compounds were evaluated in vitro for their anticancer activities against a panel of seven human cancer cell lines and normal fibroblasts. Among the new benzimidazole-supported chalcones, nine (9) compounds (compounds 1 - 4, 6 - 8 and compounds 10 and 11) showed promising anticancer activities with IC50s ranging from 0.83 to 2.58 μM. Compounds 2 and 6 with IC50s of 0.83 and 0.86 μM, respectively, were shown to be potent inhibitors of HCT-116 colon cancer cell proliferation. It was therefore necessary, for a development of this new series of chalcones, to establish through a QSAR study, their quantum descriptors according to the DFT calculation method and following the B3LYP/6-31+G (d,p) theory. These descriptive and predictive studies focused on the colon HCT 116 cell line which was found to be more sensitive to the anticancer action of our benzimidazolyl-retrochalcones. QSAR study showed that the electronic energy (Eelec), lipophilicity (logP), chemical softness (S) and chemical hardness (η) of benzimidazolyl-retrochalcones play an important role in inhibiting cancer cell proliferation.

ROLE OF MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS IN MODERN URBAN COMMUNITIES OF BRUSSELS

Medicinal and aromatic plants(MAPs)have been used by humans for centuries.A big part of the knowledge and interest in MAPs was lost during periods of intensive industrialisation and urbanisation.According to the estimations of the United Nations,the world urban population is expected to increase by 84%by 2050.

Herbal Medicines for Acute Kidney Injury: Evidence, Gaps and Frontiers

Acute kidney injury(AKI) is a major health threat worldwide. The literature on herbal intervention in AKI was searched from English and Chinese databases and reports were critically analyzed in terms of preventing AKI, promoting repair and regeneration, enhancing extrarenal clearance of uremic toxins, and preventing progression to chronic kidney disease(CKD). Altogether, 16 herbal formulae and a few extracts derived from individual herbs were reported to prevent or mitigate AKI in animal models induced by renal ischemia/reperfusion, cisplastin,gentamicin, glycerol, adenine, sepsis or physical exhaustion. Four formulae and six individual herbs were reported to accelerate recovery and/or to prevent CKD in established AKI animal models. Intrarectal herbal medicines, with or without simultaneous oral administration, were reported in six clinical trials and in an animal model to increase extrarenal clearance of uremic toxins. Additional 13 clinical trials reported oral or intravenous herbal interventions in AKI of different etiologies. Despite recurring problems, notably poor compliance with good practice guidelines for clinical trials and for authentication, naming and quality control of herbal materials, accumulating experimental data on the preventive effects of herbal medicines in AKI look encouraging and urge for better, definitive trials to guide clinical practice. Herbal enemas promoting extrarenal clearance of uremic toxins seem cost-effective, but better clinical evidence is certainly needed before any affirmative recommendation be made for AKI patients without access to dialysis. New frontiers, however, lie in those herbal remedies that promote repair/regeneration and prevent chronicity after AKI. Recent experimental data suggest that this may be possible.

TRADITIONAL HERBAL MEDICINES IN LITHUANIA

Lithuania is an Eastern European country with 60 miles of sandy coastline to the open Baltic Sea.The country can be divided into 4 ethnographic regions with specific nature scenery,soil,traditions and linguistic dialects.Lithuania experienced many political changes through the centuries leading finally to regained independence and EU membership in 2004.Geographical,climatic conditions,