Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and beneficial metabolic effects of botryosphaeran [(1→3)(1→6)-ß-d-glucan] are responsible for its anti-tumour activity in experimental non-obese and obese rats bearing Walker-256 tumours.

Botryosphaeran, a (1→3)(1→6)-ß-d-glucan, presents several beneficial activities, such as antiproliferative, hypoglycemic and antitumoural activities. This study evaluated the effects of botryosphaeran on oxidative stress, inflammation and metabolic activities in Walker-256 tumour-bearing non-obese and obese rats. Wistars rats were divided into four groups: control tumour (CT); control tumour + botryosphaeran (CTB); obese tumour (OT), and obese tumour + botryosphaeran (OTB). In ninth week, obese and non-obese rats were inoculated with 1 × 107 Walker-256 tumour cells and treated with botryosphaeran (30 mg/kg/d for 15 days). In 11th week, the following parameters were evaluated glycogen, glucose and lactate levels, pro-oxidant (TBARS) and antioxidant markers (superoxide dismutase [SOD]; catalase [CAT]; glutathione-S-transferase [GST]; reduced glutathione [GSH]; vitamin C) and cytokines. Obesity presented oxidative stress and inflammation, as demonstrated by high levels of TBARS, SOD and TNF-α, and lower levels of CAT, GSH and interleukin-10 (IL-10). Botryosphaeran significantly decreased TBARS and TNF-α and increased GST, GSH, vitamin C and IL-10 in the liver; increased SOD and vitamin C in tumour tissue; decreased TBARS in adipose tissue, and notably decreased the levels of glycogen and lactate in the tumour of CTB rats. Botryosphaeran promoted significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and beneficial metabolic effects in Walker-256 tumour-bearing non-obese and obese rats, which contributed to its antitumour activity.

Myocardial Dysfunction in Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy is Associated with Alterations of Phospholamban Phosphorylation and IL-6 Levels.

BACKGROUND: Decreased cardiac contractility has been observed in cirrhosis, but the mechanisms that initiate and maintain cardiac dysfunction are not entirely understood. AIM OF THE STUDY: We test the hypothesis that cirrhotic cardiomyopathy is related to deterioration of myocardial contractility due to alterations in calcium-handling proteins expression. In addition, we evaluated whether cardiac pro-inflammatory cytokine levels are associated with this process. METHODS: Cirrhosis was induced by thioacetamide (TAA, 100 mg/kg/i.p., twice weekly for eight weeks). The myocardial performance was evaluated in isolated left ventricle papillary muscles under basal conditions and after inotropic challenge. The cardiac calcium handling protein expression was detected by Western blotting. Cardiac TNF-α and IL-6 levels were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: Thioacetamide induced liver cirrhosis, which was associated with cirrhotic cardiomyopathy characterized by in vivo left ventricular diastolic and systolic dysfunction as well as cardiac hypertrophy. In vitro baseline myocardial contractility was lower in cirrhosis. Also, myocardial responsiveness to post-rest contraction stimulus was declined. Protein expression for RYR2, SERCA2, NCX, pPBL Ser16 and L-type calcium channel was quantitatively unchanged; however, pPBL Thr17 was significantly lower while IL-6 was higher. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that cirrhotic cardiomyopathy is associated with decreased cardiac contractility with alteration of phospholamban phosphorylation in association with higher cardiac pro-inflammatory IL-6 levels. These findings provided molecular and functional insights about the effects of liver cirrhosis on cardiac function.

High sucrose diet attenuates oxidative stress, inflammation and liver injury in thioacetamide-induced liver cirrhosis.

AIMS: Liver cirrhosis is the main chronic liver disease and is considered a catabolic disease. Cirrhotic patients have a low energy intake and high energy expenditure at rest, leading to metabolic disorders. Malnutrition is associated with complications of cirrhosis and has been shown that a nutritional intervention with increase of energy intake improves the survival of cirrhotic patients. Therefore, our aim was to evaluate the effect of a high sucrose diet in the liver of animals with cirrhosis induced by thioacetamide and investigate the mechanism involved. MAIN METHODS: Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: Control; Thioacetamide; and Thioacetamide + high sucrose diet. The thioacetamide was administrated (100 mg kg-1) intraperitoneally and the sucrose was offered in drinking water (300 g L-1). KEY FINDINGS: The administration of thioacetamide was associated with fibrosis and inflammatory infiltrate in the liver and increased levels of transaminases enzymes. The high sucrose diet promoted a reduction of theses parameters in cirrhotic rats. The malnutrition observed in cirrhotic rats was attenuated by the high sucrose diet shown by the improvements in weight loss, subcutaneous fat, and caloric intake. The high sucrose diet also attenuated the oxidative stress present in the liver of animals with thioacetamide-induced cirrhosis. SIGNIFICANCE: The high sucrose diet had anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects in the liver of animals with thioacetamide-induced cirrhosis. In addition, the high sucrose diet also improved malnutrition and catabolism present in cirrhosis. Thus, a high sucrose diet may be a therapeutic option for cirrhotic patients in a catabolic state.

Metabolic syndrome and inflammation in adipose tissue occur at different times in animals submitted to a high-sugar/fat diet.

Obesity is associated with low-grade inflammation, triggered in adipose tissue, which may occur due to an excess of SFA from the diet that can be recognised by Toll-like receptor-4. This condition is involved in the development of components of the metabolic syndrome associated with obesity, especially insulin resistance. The aim of the study was to evaluate the manifestation of the metabolic syndrome and adipose tissue inflammation as a function of the period of time in which rats were submitted to a high-sugar/fat diet (HSF). Male Wistar rats were divided into six groups to receive the control diet (C) or the HSF for 6, 12 or 24 weeks. HSF increased the adiposity index in all HSF groups compared with the C group. HSF was associated with higher plasma TAG, glucose, insulin and leptin levels. Homeostasis model assessment increased in HSF compared with C rats at 24 weeks. Both TNF-α and IL-6 were elevated in the epididymal adipose tissue of HSF rats at 24 weeks compared with HSF at 6 weeks and C at 24 weeks. Only the HSF group at 24 weeks showed increased expression of both Toll-like receptor-4 and NF-κB. More inflammatory cells were found in the HSF group at 24 weeks. We can conclude that the metabolic syndrome occurs independently of the inflammatory response in adipose tissue and that inflammation is associated with hypertrophy of adipocytes, which varies according to duration of exposure to the HSF.

Early Life and Postnatal Western Diet Feeding and Susceptibility to Chemically Induced Colonic Aberrant Crypt Foci in Male Rats Offspring.

The modifying effects of a Western diet (WD) during early life on the susceptibility to colon carcinogenesis induced by dimethylhydrazine (DMH) were examined in male rats as later adults. Three groups were studied: a lifetime control diet-fed group, a test group fed WD since pregnancy from dams until postnatal day (PND) 42, and a group fed WD at adulthood. At PND 70, all groups received the carcinogen DMH and were euthanized 10 wk later. Colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) were scored (number and crypt multiplicity) and the altered pattern of ß-catenin expression was evaluated in the colonic lesions. ACF multiplicity (≥4 crypts) was significantly higher in the group fed WD at early life than in the group fed the control diet. ACF number, crypt multiplicity, and the number of high-grade dysplastic lesions were significantly higher in the group fed WD at adulthood than in the groupfed the control diet. The number of lesions with altered ß-catenin expression was higher in the groups receiving WD at early life or at adulthood than in the lifetime control-diet-fed group. These findings indicate that WD exposure at early life increased the susceptibility to colon carcinogenesis at adulthood.

Evolution and genomic organization of muscle microRNAs in fish genomes.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules with an important role upon post-transcriptional regulation. These molecules have been shown essential for several cellular processes in vertebrates, including muscle biology. Many miRNAs were described as exclusively or highly expressed in skeletal and/or cardiac muscle. However, knowledge on the genomic organization and evolution of muscle miRNAs has been unveiled in a reduced number of vertebrates and mostly only reflects their organization in mammals, whereas fish genomes remain largely uncharted. The main goal of this study was to elucidate particular features in the genomic organization and the putative evolutionary history of muscle miRNAs through a genome-wide comparative analysis of cartilaginous and bony fish genomes. RESULTS: As major outcomes we show that (1) miR-208 was unexpectedly absent in cartilaginous and ray-finned fish genomes whereas it still exist in other vertebrate groups; (2) miR-499 was intergenic in medaka and stickleback conversely to other vertebrates where this miRNA is intronic; (3) the zebrafish genome is the unique harboring two extra paralogous copies of miR-499 and their host gene (Myh7b); (4) a rare deletion event of the intergenic and bicistronic cluster miR-1-1/133a-2 took place only into Tetraodontiformes genomes (pufferfish and spotted green puffer); (5) the zebrafish genome experienced a duplication event of miR-206/-133b; and (6) miR-214 was specifically duplicated in species belonging to superorder Acanthopterygii. CONCLUSIONS: Despite of the aforementioned singularities in fish genomes, large syntenic blocks containing muscle-enriched miRNAs were found to persist, denoting colligated functionality between miRNAs and neighboring genes. Based on the genomic data here obtained, we envisioned a feasible scenario for explaining muscle miRNAs evolution in vertebrates.

Lack of protective effects of zinc gluconate against rat colon carcinogenesis.

Zinc has been proposed as a promising chemopreventive candidate against colon cancer. However, few studies on the potential beneficial effects of this trace element on cancer chemoprevention are available. The present study was designed to investigate the potential modifying influence of zinc gluconate (ZnGly) on the initiation step of colon carcinogenesis induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH). Male Wistar rats received orally ZnGly (15 mg elemental zinc/kg, 3 times per wk) 2 wk before and during DMH treatment (3 × 40 mg/kg, once a wk). The animals were euthanized at the end of 4th and 16th wk. Colons were analyzed for aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and tumor development. Blood and colon zinc levels, cell proliferation, and apoptosis indexes in colonic crypts were analyzed 24 h after the last DMH administration. Oral treatment with ZnGly did neither alter the number of ACF nor the indexes of cell proliferation and apoptosis in the colonic mucosa. The incidence and multiplicity of colon tumors induced by DMH and their histopathological patterns were not modified by previous treatment with ZnGly. These findings indicate a lack of chemopreventive action of zinc gluconate supplementation on the initiation step of rat colon carcinogenesis induced by DMH.

Effects of Ginkgo biloba on chemically-induced mammary tumors in rats receiving tamoxifen.

BACKGROUND: Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE) is used extensively by breast cancer patients undergoing treatment with Tamoxifen (TAM). Thus, the present study investigated the effects of GbE in female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats bearing chemically-induced mammary tumors and receiving TAM. METHODS: Animals bearing mammary tumors (≥1 cm in diameter) were divided into four groups: TAM [10 mg/kg, intragastrically (i.g.)], TAM plus GbE [50 and 100 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.)] or an untreated control group. After 4 weeks, the therapeutic efficacy of the different treatments was evaluated by measuring the tumor volume (cm(3)) and the proportions of each tumor that were alive, necrotic or degenerative (mm(2)). In addition, labeling indexes (LI%) were calculated for cell proliferation (PCNA LI%) and apoptosis (cleaved caspase-3 LI%), expression of estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-α) and p63 biomarkers. RESULTS: Overall, the tumor volume and the PCNA LI% within live tumor areas were reduced by 83% and 99%, respectively, in all TAM-treated groups when compared to the untreated control group. GbE treatment (100 mg/kg) reduced the proportions of live (24.8%) and necrotic areas (2.9%) (p = 0.046 and p = 0.038, respectively) and significantly increased the proportion of degenerative areas (72.9%) (p = 0.004) in mammary tumors when compared to the group treated only with TAM. The expression of ER-α, p63 and cleaved caspase-3 in live tumor tissues was not modified by GbE treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Co-treatment with 100 mg/kg GbE presented a slightly beneficial effect on the therapeutic efficacy of TAM in female SD rats bearing mammary tumors.

Efeitos da Ginkgo biloba sobre o desenvolvimento e o crescimento de neoplasias de mama em ratas da linhagem Sprague-Dawley / Effects of Ginkgo biloba on the development and growth of breast cancers in wistar female Sprague-Dawley

O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar as propriedades quimioprotetoras e terapêuticas do extrato de Ginkgo biloba (EGb) sobre o desenvolvimento de lesões mamárias neoplásicas induzidas pela dimetil(a)benzoantraceno (DMBA) em ratas da linhagem Sprague-Dawley. No artigo 1 (Quimioprevenção), os animais foram divididos aleatoriamente em quatro grupos experimentais, sendo dois grupos controles (Positivo e Negativo) e dois grupos teste. Aos 51 dias de idade, as fêmeas receberão por gavagem (i..g) dose única de 60mg/kg de DMBA ou de óleo de Canola (veiculo da DMBA) e receberam ou não a substância teste (EGb) misturada à ração basal nas concentrações de 0,1 e 0,2%. Ao final da 18ª semana, todos os animais foram eutanasiados na câmara de CO2 e foram coletados ovários, úteros e tumores mamários, fixados em formalina tamponada 10% e processados histologicamente para as análises histopatológicas. Também foram coletadas e congeladas (nitrogênio líquido) amostras dos tumores mamários para a análise dos níveis protéicos de bax, bcl-2 e do receptor de estrógenoalfa (RE-a). O tratamento com EGb nas duas concentrações não modificou a latência, incidência, multiplicidade e tipos histológicos das neoplasias mamárias e não foi capaz de impedir o crescimento e malignidade dessas neoplasias. Além disso, o EGb não alterou os níveis das proteínas apoptóticas bax, bcl-2 e do RE-a nas neoplasias mamárias induzidas pela DMBA. No artigo 2 (Terapêutica), todos os animais foram iniciados pela DMBA (80mg/kg; i.g.). A partir do momento que apresentaram tumores mamários palpáveis, os animais foram divididos aleatoriamente em quatro grupos experimentais recebendo ou não o tratamento com Tamoxifeno (TAM) (10mg/kg; i.g.) e/ou EGb (50-100mg/kg; i.p.) durante 28 dias consecutivos...

The present study was designed to investigate the chemopreventive and therapeutic properties of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb) on 7,12-dimethylbenz( o)anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary tumors in female Sprague-Dawley rats (SD). In the manuscript 1 (Chemoprevention), the experimental design comprised of four experimental groups, including two control groups (positive e negative) and two test-groups. The 51 days-old female SD rats received a single dose of DMBA (60 mg/kg, i.g.) or a single administration of Canola oil (DMBA vehicle) and were fed with basal diet or EGb supplemented diet at 0,1 or 0,2 %. At 18th week, all animals were euthanized in CO2 atmosphere, the ovaries, uterus and mammary tumors were fixed in 10% phosphate-buffered formalin and processed in order to provide 5-μm thick paraffin sections for histological analysis. Also, tumor samples were frozen in liquid nitrogen for the analysis of bax, bcl-2 and estrogen receptor alpha (ER-a) protein expression by Western blot. The EGb intake did not alter the latency, incidence, multiplicity and histological pattern, neither the growth and malignancy of the mammary tumors. Besides, the treatment with EGb did not modify the bax, bcl-2 and estrogen receptor alpha (ER-a) expression in the mammary neoplasm induced by DMBA. In the manuscript 2 (Therapy), the experimental design comprised of four experimental groups. Female SD rats bearing palpable mammary neoplasms induced by DMBA (80 mg/kg b.wt., i.g.) received (G1) TAM (10 mg/kg b.wt., i.g.); (G2 and G3) TAM + EGb (50 or 100 mg/Kg b.wt., i.p.) or (G4) EGb (100 mg/kg b.wt., i.p.) during 28 days...