PMID: 

Pharmacology. 2019 Oct 16:1-8. Epub 2019 Oct 16. PMID: 31618740

Abstract Title: 

Paeoniflorin on Rat Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion Injury of Protection and Mechanism Research.

Abstract: 

OBJECTIVE: To study the myocardial benefit effect and mechanism of paeoniflorin on myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MIRI) in rats.METHODS: Hundred SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: sham group, model group, Paeoniflorin (15 mg/kg) group, Paeoniflorin (30 mg/kg) group, and Paeoniflorin (60 mg/kg) group. Myocardial ischemia reperfusion model was established in each group except the sham group. The myocardial infarction and morphological changes were measured by the TTC staining and HE staining respectively. Myocardial caspase-3 was detected by immunohistochemistry. In addition, the protein levels of Bcl-2 and Bax and the expression ratio of p-erk, p-jnk, and p-p38 were detected by Western blot. Myocardial superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) level were measured by the assay kit.RESULTS: Paeoniflorin (30 mg/kg) and Paeoniflorin (60 mg/kg) can obviously alleviate myocardial infarction caused by MIRI (p

read more

PMID: 

Food Funct. 2019 Sep 1 ;10(9):5682-5696. Epub 2019 Aug 22. PMID: 31435625

Abstract Title: 

Yerba mate aqueous extract improves the oxidative and inflammatory states of rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis.

Abstract: 

Healthy and adjuvant-induced arthritic rats were treated for 23 days with daily doses of 400 and 800 mg kgIlex paraguariensis extract. This treatment (a) diminished the ROS levels in the liver and brain, (b) decreased oxidative protein and lipid damage in liver and brain, (c) increased the plasma antioxidant capacity, (d) increased the GSH levels and the GSH/GSSH ratio in both the liver and the brain, (e) almost restored the enzymatic activities linked to the metabolism of GSH-GSSG, and (f) reversed the modified activities of xanthine oxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase. The anti-inflammatory actions (firstly) and the antioxidant actions (in the second place) of the yerba mate constituents (e.g., chlorogenic acid derivatives) are the causes of these beneficial effects. Daily ingestion of traditional yerba mate beverages may be effective in attenuating the symptoms of inflammatory diseases, especially in older adults.

read more

PMID: 

Nutr Hosp. 2019 Oct 15. Epub 2019 Oct 15. PMID: 31610673

Abstract Title: 

[Association between consumption of yerba mate and lipid profile in overweight women].

Abstract: 

INTRODUCTION: yerba mate is a traditional drink consumed in South America, produced from toasted leaves of Ilex paraguariensis. Several studies have demonstrated its lipid-lowering properties due to the presence of polyphenols and saponins.OBJECTIVE: to analyze the effect of daily yerba mate consumption on the values of serum lipids and body composition in overweight women.METHODS: 119 overweight women between 25 and 50 years were divided into three groups: Mate and Diet (MD), Mate without Diet (M), and Water and Diet (AD). For 12 weeks the M and MD groups were supplemented with mate, while the AD and MD groups maintained a hypocaloric food plan. Anthropometric measurements and blood tests (total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides) were taken at the beginning and at the end of the study. The statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test or Wilcoxon's test for paired samples and ANOVA (p

read more

PMID: 

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019 ;2019:3790728. Epub 2019 May 16. PMID: 31223328

Abstract Title: 

Neuroprotective Effects of Anthraquinones from Rhubarb in Central Nervous System Diseases.

Abstract: 

Rhubarb is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine; it has been used in China for thousands of years. Rhubarb anthraquinones are the major medicinal ingredients derived from rhubarb including emodin, aloe-emodin, chrysophanol, rhein, physcion, and danthron. These different anthraquinone derivatives alone or in combination play a therapeutic role in central nervous system diseases (CNSD), such as cerebral ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, Alzheimer's disease, depression, and others. We review the experimental studies on these six anthraquinones in the treatment of CNSD by consulting literature published in the last 20 years in PubMed and then give a future perspective on it. In the end of this paper some deficiencies related to these studies also have been pointed out.

read more

PMID: 

North Clin Istanb. 2019 ;6(3):203-209. Epub 2018 Oct 10. PMID: 31650105

Abstract Title: 

The hepatoprotective effect of Aloe vera on ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.

Abstract: 

OBJECTIVE: is known for its antioxidant properties. In this experimental study, we aimed to investigate the efficacy ofin ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) liver injury in rats.METHODS: Male Wistar Albino rats were divided into three groups, where the sham group (n=7) underwent no medication or surgical procedures, the I/R group (n=7) was the control group that received 45 minutes of applied abdominal aorta ischemia and rats were sacrificed 24 hours after reperfusion, and the I/R+group (n=7) was the treatment group that was given(30 mg/kg) every day followed by gastric lavage for a month before applying ischemia and performing sacrifice as in the previous group. Before sacrifice, all the liver tissues were removed. Tissues were examined for histopathological investigation, iNOS immunoreactivity and tissue biochemistry, malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities.RESULTS: The SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px levels of the I/R+group were not significantly different from the sham group (p>0.05) but were significantly higher when compared to the I/R group. MDA levels of liver tissues were significantly lower (p

read more

PMID: 

Odontology. 2019 Oct 29. Epub 2019 Oct 29. PMID: 31664632

Abstract Title: 

Clinical efficacy of an Aloe Vera gel versus a 0.12% chlorhexidine gel in preventing traumatic ulcers in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.

Abstract: 

Traumatic oral ulceration (TOU) is one of the most common side effects of orthodontic treatments. The objective of this trial is to compare the clinical efficacy of an 80% Aloe Vera gel, prepared using a master formula, versus a commercial 0.12% Chlorhexidine (CHX) gel for TOU prevention in participants wearing fixed orthodontic appliances. This report represents a single-centre, university-based, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial with 2 parallel arms. Patients aged 12 years or older, in the permanent dentition, and about to start fixed orthodontic treatment in this university setting were randomly allocated to use either Aloe Vera or CHX gel, following the cementation procedure. Pre-treatment and 1 month after the cementation clinical assessment and digital photographic images were taken of the teeth and assessed by 2 clinical assessors for the presence or absence of TOUs. A total of 140 were randomized and completed the trial. The overall prevalence of TOUs was 43.6%. Overall 5.7% of patients treated with Aloe Vera gel showed did not suffer from TOUs, whereas in the CHX arm, a total of 57 (81.4%) were affected by this outcome reaching a significant result (p 

read more

PMID: 

Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2019 Aug ;70:103205. Epub 2019 Jun 7. PMID: 31195360

Abstract Title: 

Indole-3-carbinol inhibits lipid deposition and promotes autophagy in hyperlipidemia zebrafish larvae.

Abstract: 

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) is extracted from cruciferous vegetables and is well known for its anti-cancer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This study investigated the protective effect of I3C in hyperlipidemia zebrafish larvae and early life stage toxicity of I3C on zebrafish embryos/larvae. Zebrafish larvae were fed with 4% high-cholesterol diet (HCD) and treated with I3C 2.5μmol/L and 5μmol/L for two weeks. Confocal image analysis, oil Red O staining were used to analysis vascular lipid accumulation and western blotting was used to evaluate possible mechanics. In addition, zebrafish embryos were treated with I3C for 96 h to assess the general toxicity and cardiotoxicity. We found that lipid deposition on vasculature was dose-dependently decreased in the I3C treated groups as compared with control group (47%, 23%, p

read more

PMID: 

Front Pharmacol. 2019 ;10:1167. Epub 2019 Oct 9. PMID: 31649538

Abstract Title: 

Anti-Cancer Effects of 3, 3'-Diindolylmethane on Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Is Enhanced by Calcium Ionophore: The Role of Cytosolic Caand p38 MAPK.

Abstract: 

3,3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM), derived from indole-3-carbinol (I3C) in the Brassica species of cruciferous vegetables, has anticancer effects, but its exact underlying mechanism of action is unknown. We explored the roles of cytosolic free calcium ([Ca]) and p38 MAPK in the anti-cancer effects of DIM in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.Cell proliferation was measured with a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and the clonogenic formation assay. Cell apoptosis was examined by flow cytometric analysis and Hoechst dye staining. Cleaved-caspase3, cleaved-PARP, Bax, total, and phosphorylated p38 MAPK were assayed by western blotting. [Ca]was measured with Fluo-3/AM by fluorescence microscopy. A23187, a calcium ionophore, was used to increase [Ca]levels.DIM inhibited cell proliferation in both SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. DIM also enhanced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK (p-p38), which was attenuated by SB203580. The proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction by DIM were also blunted. In addition, DIM increased [Ca]in HCC cells, and this effect was inhibited by the calcium chelator, BAPTA-AM, resulting in reduced p-p38 MAPK activation and apoptosis in DIM-treated cells, though the proliferation inhibition by DIM was unchanged. However, the DIM-induced cell proliferation inhibition and apoptosis were significantly enhanced by A23187, a selective calcium ionophore, which was attributed to exaggerated p-p38 MAPK.The calcium ionophore enhanced DIM-induced anti-cancer effects in hepatocellular carcinoma cells, secondary to [Ca]-dependent activation of p38 MAPK. Treatment with a combination of DIM and calcium ionophore may offer a new approach to enhance the chemotherapeutic efficacy in liver cancer.

read more

PMID: 

Neural Regen Res. 2020 Feb ;15(2):332-341. PMID: 31552907

Abstract Title: 

Possible mechanisms of lycopene amelioration of learning and memory impairment in rats with vascular dementia.

Abstract: 

Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of vascular dementia. Studies have shown that lycopene can significantly inhibit oxidative stress; therefore, we hypothesized that lycopene can reduce the level of oxidative stress in vascular dementia. A vascular dementia model was established by permanent bilateral ligation of common carotid arteries. The dosage groups were treated with lycopene (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) every other day for 2 months. Rats without bilateral carotid artery ligation were prepared as a sham group. To test the ability of learning and memory, the Morris water maze was used to detect the average escape latency and the change of search strategy. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe changes of hippocampal neurons. The levels of oxidative stress factors, superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde, were measured in the hippocampus by biochemical detection. The levels of reactive oxygen species in the hippocampus were observed by dihydroethidium staining. The distribution and expression of oxidative stress related protein, neuron-restrictive silencer factor, in hippocampal neurons were detected by immunofluorescence histochemistry and western blot assays. After 2 months of drug administration, (1) in the model group, the average escape latency was longer than that of the sham group, and the proportion of straight and tend tactics was lower than that of the sham group, and the hippocampal neurons were irregularly arranged and the cytoplasm was hyperchromatic. (2) The levels of reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde in the hippocampus of the model group rats were increased, and the activity of superoxide dismutase was decreased. (3) Lycopene (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) intervention improved the above changes, and the lycopene 100 mg/kg group showed the most significant improvement effect. (4) Neuron-restrictive silencer factor expression in the hippocampus was lower in the sham group and the lycopene 100 mg/kg group than in the model group. (5) The above data indicate that lycopene 100 mg/kg could protect against the learning-memory ability impairment of vascular dementia rats. The protective mechanism was achieved by inhibiting oxidative stress in the hippocampus. The experiment was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Fujian Medical University, China (approval No. 2014-025) in June 2014.

read more

PMID: 

Toxicology. 2019 Nov 1 ;427:152301. Epub 2019 Sep 27. PMID: 31568845

Abstract Title: 

Protective effect of lycopene on testicular toxicity induced by Benzo[a]pyrene intake in rats.

Abstract: 

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) stimulates male reproductive toxicity. In this study, we want to examine the ameliorative potential of Lycopene (LYC) on BaP-induced testicular toxicity. Adult male Wistar rats were segregated into 5 groups: Control, LYC, BaP, BaP + LYC and BaP + PQ7. Sperm parameters, testosterone level, oxidant and antioxidant parameters were determined. MRNA and protein abundances of key genes were analyzed. Cell death and apoptosis were assessed by trypan blue exclusion and Annexin V-FITC staining assay, respectively. LYC inhibited BaP-caused decrease in sperm motility and epididymal sperm concentration, and increase in head, tail and total abnormal sperm rate. LYC inhibited BaP-caused decrease in testosterone level in serum and intratesticular fluids. LYC protected germ cells from BaP-caused oxidative stress. LYC also prevented BaP-caused germ cell death and apoptosis by inhibiting apoptotic pathway. Besides, LYC ameliorated BaP-mediated gap-junction dysfunction of sertoli cells, as shown by the inhibited sertoli cell death and apoptosis, the upregulation of Bcl2 and Cx43, the downregulation of Cleaved Caspase 3, Baxand CaM, and the decrease in Calevel. LYC ameliorated BaP-caused testicular damage via inhibiting oxidative stress and apoptosis, and relieving the gap-junction dysfunction of sertoli cells.

read more