Flavonoids as Promising Natural Compounds in the Prevention and Treatment of Selected Skin Diseases.

Phytochemicals represent a large and diverse group of naturally occurring compounds, bioactive nutrients, or phytonutrients produced by plants, widely found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains products, legumes, beans, herbs, seeds, nuts, tea, and dark chocolate. They are classified according to their chemical structures and functional properties. Flavonoids belong to the phenolic class of phytochemicals with potential solid pharmacological effects as modulators of multiple signal transduction pathways. Their beneficial effect on the human body is associated with their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, and anticarcinogenic properties. Flavonoids are also widely used in various nutritional, pharmaceutical, medical, and cosmetic applications. In our review, we discuss the positive effect of flavonoids on chronic skin diseases such as vitiligo, psoriasis, acne, and atopic dermatitis.

Salivary Redox Homeostasis in Human Health and Disease.

Homeostasis is a self-regulatory dynamic process that maintains a stable internal environment in the human body. These regulations are essential for the optimal functioning of enzymes necessary for human health. Homeostasis elucidates disrupted mechanisms leading to the development of various pathological conditions caused by oxidative stress. In our work, we discuss redox homeostasis and salivary antioxidant activity during healthy periods and in periods of disease: dental carries, oral cavity cancer, periodontal diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, systemic sclerosis, and pancreatitis. The composition of saliva reflects dynamic changes in the organism, which makes it an excellent tool for determining clinically valuable biomarkers. The oral cavity and saliva may form the first line of defense against oxidative stress. Analysis of salivary antioxidants may be helpful as a diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic marker of not only oral, but also systemic health.

Tryptophan: Its Metabolism along the Kynurenine, Serotonin, and Indole Pathway in Malignant Melanoma.

(1) Background: Tryptophan metabolism is known to be one of the important mechanisms used by cancer to evade immune surveillance. Altered tryptophan metabolism was studied in patients with pigmented malignant melanoma confirmed histologically by the anatomic stage grouping for cutaneous melanoma using clinical staging on the basis of the Breslow thickness of the melanoma, the degree of spread to regional lymph nodes, and by the presence of distant metastasis. (2) Methods: Urinary tryptophan metabolites were detected by RP-HPLC method. (3) Results: In the present work, we provided evidence of altered metabolism of all tryptophan pathways in melanoma patients. (4) Conclusions: Knowledge of the shifted serotonin pathway toward DHICA formation and kynurenine pathway shifted toward NAD+ production could serve in the early detection of the disease and the initiation of early treatment of malignant melanoma.

Successful correction of hyperglycemia is critical for weight loss and a decrease in cardiovascular risk in obese patients.

Weight loss is recommended for obese patients with cardiovascular risk; however, it remains questionable how hyperglycemia affects this process. To address this problem, we aimed to determine the association between weight loss, lipid profile, and body mass parameters in obese normoglycemic and hyperglycemic patients. Obese (body mass index30 kg/m2) normoglycemic and hyperglycemic volunteers were placed on a weight reduction program that included a balanced, low-calorie diet and moderate exercise for 6 months. Participants were assessed for serum glucose, ß-cell functions, insulin resistance, lipid metabolism, lipoprotein profile, and body mass parameters. This weight reduction program fully normalized serum glucose levels only in a subpopulation of patients. These individuals also exhibited a significant reduction in body weight, and significant improvement in serum lipid profile and insulin resistance. In contrast, the patients that remained hyperglycemic were characterized by persistent insulin resistance, increased levels of atherogenic fractions of LDL and HDL lipoproteins, and elevated values of a modified Atherogenic Index of Plasma. Correlation analysis indicated a strong positive association between the modified Atherogenic Index of Plasma with atherogenic lipid profile, insulin resistance, and body mass parameters, indicating its usefulness in clinical studies in obese patients. Overall, our data indicate that successful treatment of hyperglycemia facilitates weight loss and improves the composition of blood lipids, while persisting hyperglycemia negatively affects the weight loss process and maintains an atherogenic lipid profile. Because hyperglycemia predisposes to cardiovascular disorders, its correction should be the primary goal during weight reduction therapy.

The Effect of Oestrogen Supplementation on Antioxidant Enzymes and Mitochondrial Respiratory Function After Myocardial Infarction of Ovariectomized Rats.

ABSTRACT: Acute myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide with premenopausal women showing a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease compared with men of the same age. After menopause, this advantage disappears, suggesting that sex hormones play a cardioprotective role. This study was aimed to assess on the activity of antioxidant enzymes in plasma and the respiratory function of isolated heart mitochondria after the induction of MI in rats after ovariectomy and estradiol benzoate supplementation. Sprague-Dawley female rats were ovariectomized 3 months before the induction of MI and supplemented/not supplemented with oestrogen 3 months before/7 days after the induction of MI. No significant differences in glutathione peroxidase activities were found in any group. Differences between values were only significant in the ovariectomized not supplemented group (P < 0.01) for the glutathione reductase activity and glutathione concentrations. In isolated mitochondria (7 days after MI), the decline in respiration was observed comparing the ovariectomized and nonovariectomized group. Respiratory functions did not show significant differences between animals supplemented with oestrogen before MI or treated with oestrogen after MI. Ovariectomy worsened mitochondrial dysfunction after MI, and oestrogen supplementation before or after the induction of MI did not improve mitochondrial function.

Current View on the Mechanisms of Alcohol-Mediated Toxicity.

Alcohol is a psychoactive substance that is widely used and, unfortunately, often abused. In addition to acute effects such as intoxication, it may cause many chronic pathological conditions. Some of the effects are very well described and explained, but there are still gaps in the explanation of empirically co-founded dysfunction in many alcohol-related conditions. This work focuses on reviewing actual knowledge about the toxic effects of ethanol and its degradation products.

Recommendations for safe collection of venous blood by a closed collection system.

In recent years, data have been repeatedly published stating that most errors in the process of obtaining a laboratory result occur in the pre-analytical phase (46 % to 68.2 %). This is an area that is usually out of direct control of the laboratory, involving venous blood collection (phlebotomy). The detection of these errors is considered to be quite difficult and can therefore easily lead to a misinterpretation of laboratory results with a consequent adverse effect for the patient and even in unintended injury. The most effective way to prevent them is to have a good knowledge of the current blood collection recommendations, which were recently (2018) revised by the European Federation for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) and are offered in this review.

Correction to: High-Resolution Respirometry in Assessment of Mitochondrial Function in Neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y Intact Cells.

The original version of the article is unfortunately missing the Acknowledgements section. Acknowledgments section is given below.

High-Resolution Respirometry in Assessment of Mitochondrial Function in Neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y Intact Cells.

Mitochondria are organelles with significant cellular functions, especially cellular bioenergetics and apoptosis. They are structural and functional elements of cell respiration with the electron transport system (ETS), whose role is to provide adenosine triphosphate (ATP), used as a source of chemical energy. The Krebs cycle and fatty acid oxidation take place within mitochondria. Other metabolic pathways and cycles include some steps inside and outside the mitochondria (e.g., the urea cycle, steroid biosynthesis, heme biosynthesis, and cardiolipin synthesis). Dysfunction of mitochondria plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of a variety of diseases including degenerative diseases, aging, and cancer, etc. Nowadays the interest of the mitochondrial respiratory function is still increasing due to their importance in the physiology and pathophysiology of an organism. Neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y is widely used as an in vitro model in neurodegenerative diseases, where mitochondrial dysfunction is considered as a key mechanism in pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders. This paper gives first insight into the mitochondrial respiration and characterization of SH-SY5Y cells, with basic information of respiration in different coupling control states including ROUTINE, LEAK, and maximal electron transport (ET) capacity.

Specific Urinary Metabolites in Malignant Melanoma.

Background and objectives: Melanin, which has a confirmed role in melanoma cell behaviour, is formed in the process of melanogenesis and is synthesized from tryptophan, L-tyrosine and their metabolites. All these metabolites are easily detectable by chromatography in urine. Materials and Methods: Urine samples of 133 individuals (82 malignant melanoma patients and 51 healthy controls) were analysed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The diagnosis of malignant melanoma was confirmed histologically. Results: Chromatograms of melanoma patients showed increased levels of 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid, vanilmandelic acid, homovanilic acid, tryptophan, 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid, and indoxyl sulphate compared to healthy controls. Concentration of indoxyl sulphate, homovanilic acid and tryptophan were significantly increased even in the low clinical stage 0 of the disease (indoxyl sulphate, homovanilic acid and tryptophan in patients with clinical stage 0 vs. controls expressed as medium/ interquartile range in µmol/mmol creatinine: 28.37/15.30 vs. 5.00/6.91; 47.97/33.08 vs. 7.33/21.25; and 16.38/15.98 vs. 3.46/6.22, respectively). Conclusions: HPLC detection of metabolites of L-tyrosine and tryptophan in the urine of melanoma patients may play a significant role in diagnostics as well as a therapeutic strategy of melanoma cancer.