Anti-inflammatory properties of the plant Verbascum mallophorum.

Verbascum mallophorum is part of a large family of Scrophulariaceae consisting of more than 360 species. Verbascum mallophorums contains diverse polysaccharides, iroid glycosides, flavonoids, saponins, volatile oils and phenylentanoids. Verbascum has been used in popular medicine for treating wounds, chilblains, respiratory ailments, acne and arthritic disturbances. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) represents one of the three isoforms that produce nitric oxide using L-arginine as a substrate in response to an increase in superoxide anion activated by NF-kappaB. It is implicated in different pathophysiological events and its expression increases greatly during an inflammatory process due to oxidative stress. In our study we reproduced an inflammatory state by treating THP-1 cells (human myelomonocytic leukaemia) with pro-inflammatory stimuli, such as LPS and IFN-gamma, obtaining an up-regulation both in the expression and in the activity of iNOS. The aim of our work is to investigate the possible antiinflammatory action of verbascoside extract from Verbascum mallophorum using a concentration of 100 muM. Our results show a significant decrease in the expression and activity of iNOS and extracellular O2- when cells were treated with verbascoside. Based on these results we hypothesize that verbascoside extract from Verbascum mallophorum has anti-inflammatory properties since it reduces the production of superoxide radicals and consequently reduces the activity of iNOS.

Phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitor and oxidative stress.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common medical condition that affects the sexual life of millions of men worldwide. Numerous physical and psychological factors are involved in normal erectile function, including neurological, vascular, hormonal and cavernous functions. The current therapy for the condition is pharmacological and psychotherapeutic which regulates the erectile function and amplifies the NO-mediated response. The aim of this work is to test the action of three common phosphodiesterase inhibitors: Tadalafil, Sildenafil Citrate and Vardenafil at 0.05 microM on human monocytes, analyzing the expression of iNOS protein and mRNA by Western blot and rt-PCR, and production of NO by conversion of L-(2,3,4,5)-[3H]Arginine to L-(3H) citrulline. We also tested the efficiency of the antioxidant network by spectrophotometer (SOD, CAT, GPx and Gr), under normal conditions and after stimulation with LPS. The results showed an increase in ROS levels, similar for all the molecules with regard to the antioxidant enzymes. In all cases the treatment determines a response to the limited efficiency, arriving at a situation in which phosphodiesterase inhibitors + LPS clearly show oxidative stress.

Plasmatic markers of muscular stress in isokinetic exercise.

In this paper we examined the variations of plasmatic concentrations of hypoxanthine and xanthine, and their relation with other important indicators of muscular stress creatine-kinase (CK), myoglobin, uric acid, leucocytes, in prolonged, isokynetic physical exercise, performed in a concentric mode at different joint excursion. Twenty healthy male subjects performed isokinetic exercises in concentric-concentric mode, with joint excursion of 30, 60, 90 deg/sec. Blood samples were drawn at rest, immediately after exercise and after 45 min of recovery. The plasmatic concentration of hypoxanthine increased at the end of physical exercise, compared to the rest value of about 1,5 micromol/L, up to a level of greater than 19 micromol/L; the values were higher after a period of recovery of 45 min and the increase varies considerably according to the type of exercise that was performed. Myoglobin has a slight but sensible increment too, with the same trend as hypoxanthine, while CK increase without correlation to the type of exercises. The relation with other indicators of muscular activity demonstrates that in none of the different isokinetic exercises, performed at concentric mode, was there ultrastructural damage, while it is possible to come across a considerable metabolic stress, which is dissimilar in the different kinds of exercises. The results suggest that hypoxanthine can be useful in monitoring the effectiveness of a work load and the metabolic stress consequences on the muscle tissue in training or rehabilitation programs. The results also suggest that even myoglobin, at small concentrations, can have the same function.

iNOS activity in the aged rat liver tissue.

Free radical damage to many cellular components has been proposed as the main mechanism underlying the aging process. In the liver, NO can be generated by iNOS, but also by the constitutively expressed endothelial NOS (eNOS). iNOS enzyme appears to be expressed in liver disease such as cirrhosis and fulminant hepatitis, while the eNOS is expressed in physiological conditions. Ten young and ten old Wistar rats were sacrificed and their livers were excised. Liver sections were incubated with an anti-iNOS antibody of rabbit origin. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis were performed and nitric oxide activity was calculated. A significant increase of iNOS immunoreactivity was seen in the aged liver sections versus young liver sections. iNOS protein is expressed in greater quantities in the aged group, compared to the young group. In this study we show, for the first time, that aging in the rat liver is accompanied by a spontaneous induction of iNOS mRNA, high levels of iNOS protein and immunohistochemistry/image analysis.

[Merkel cell tumor. A clinical case]. / Il tumore a cellule di Merkel. Caso clinico.

Merkel's tumor cells represent a rare neuroendocrine neoplasia type which belong to an apudomi group but it's different due to the absence of the biogen amine and hormone polypeptide production. The authors report a rare case of Merkel's tumor cells clinically evident with a great neoformation under the left axilla but already represents at the moment of discovery a notable diffusion with repetition as in hepatic and suprarenal gland. Pointing out not only clinic case having arrived at their observance but also it's important to take note of this particular neoplasia and to suspect it in case of doubt interpretation of clinical tumor.