Modulator effect of watercress against cyclophosphamide-induced oxidative stress in mice.

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale, Cruciferae; W. Aiton) is a vegetable widely consumed in our country, with nutritional and potentially chemopreventive properties. Previous reports from our laboratory demonstrated the protective effect of watercress juice against DNA damage induced by cyclophosphamide in vivo. In this study, we evaluated the in vivo effect of cress plant on the oxidative stress in mice. Animals were treated by gavage with different doses of watercress juice (0.5 and 1g/kg body weight) for 15 consecutive days before intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide (100 mg/kg body weight). After 24 h, mice were killed by cervical dislocation. The effect of watercress was investigated by assessing the following oxidative stress biomarkers: catalase activity, superoxide dismutase activity, lipid peroxidation, and glutathione balance. Intake of watercress prior to cyclophosphamide administration enhanced superoxide dismutase activity in erythrocytes with no effect on catalase activity. In bone marrow and liver tissues, watercress juice counteracted the effect of cyclophosphamide. Glutathione balance rose by watercress supplementation and lipid oxidation diminished in all matrixes when compared to the respective control groups. Our results support the role of watercress as a diet component with promising properties to be used as health promoter or protective agent against oxidative damage.

In vivo antigenotoxic activity of watercress juice (Nasturtium officinale) against induced DNA damage.

The present study was carried out to investigate the genotoxicity as well as possible protective activity against damage induced by cyclophosphamide (CP) of the aqueous juice of watercress (Nasturtium officinale, W.T. Aiton) in vivo. Male and female Swiss mice 7-8 weeks old (N = 48) were treated by gavage with 1 g kg(-1) body weight and 0.5 g kg(-1) body weight of watercress juice during 15 consecutive days. Genotoxicity and its possible protective effect were tested by the comet assay in peripheral blood cells and the micronucleus test in bone marrow. In addition, biopsies of the bladder, epididymis and testicles of mice were performed to extend the experimental design. Watercress juice per se did not induce genetic damage according to the comet assay and micronucleus study, exhibiting a protective activity against CP (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively). The comparative analysis of bladder histological changes obtained in the watercress plus CP group against those treated with CP alone suggests a probable protective effect. Further studies are needed in order to establish the protective role of watercress juice against DNA damage.

Antigenotoxic activity of watercress extract in an in vitro mammalian system using comet assay.

Watercress (Cruciferae), an integral part of Mediterranean diets, is a nutritive food which is used in the treatment of several diseases. Oxidative DNA damage seems to play a crucial role in chronic, aging-related diseases and it is considered an important and probably carcinogenic factor. The aim of this work was to determine the impact of watercress extract on cell viability and its potential antigenotoxic properties against induced oxidative damage, using a comet assay and peripheral blood cells as an in vitro model. An aqueous extract of the leaves was prepared using a juice processor, centrifuged, filtered and preserved at -20 °C. Two concentrations of the aqueous extract (13.2 and 26.4 mg/mL) were assayed. No differences were found in cell viability between the control and treated groups at any time. Significant antigenotoxic effects were observed for both concentrations, expressed as the damage index (p = 0.005 at 30 min; p < 0.001 at 60 and 90 min), the percentage reductions in damage being similar between them (67.1-75.2% respectively). These results suggest that the consumption watercress in the diet is a powerful tool for improving health and the quality of life.

Microbiota, Gut Health and Chicken Productivity: What Is the Connection?

Gut microbiota and its relationship to animal health and productivity in commercial broiler chickens has been difficult to establish due to high variability between flocks, which derives from plenty of environmental, nutritional, and host factors that influence the load of commensal and pathogenic microbes surrounding birds during their growth cycle in the farms. Chicken gut microbiota plays a key role in the maintenance of intestinal health through its ability to modulate host physiological functions required to maintain intestinal homeostasis, mainly through competitive exclusion of detrimental microorganisms and pathogens, preventing colonization and therefore decreasing the expense of energy that birds normally invest in keeping the immune system active against these pathogens. Therefore, a "healthy" intestinal microbiota implies energy saving for the host which translates into an improvement in productive performance of the birds. This review compiles information about the main factors that shape the process of gut microbiota acquisition and maturation, their interactions with chicken immune homeostasis, and the outcome of these interactions on intestinal health and productivity.

Overview of the role of Shiga toxins in porcine edema disease pathogenesis.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) have been implicated as the cause of enterotoxemias, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome in humans and edema disease (ED) of pigs. Stx1 and Stx2 are the most common types found in association with illness, but only Stx2e is associated with disease in the animal host. Porcine edema disease is a serious affection which can lead to dead causing great losses of weaned piglets. Stx2e is the most frequent Stx variant found in porcine feces and is considered the key virulence factor involved in the pathogenesis of porcine edema disease. Stx2e binds with higher affinity to Gb4 receptor than to Gb3 which could be due to amino acid changes in B subunit. Moreover, this subtype also binds to Forssman glycosphingolipids conferring upon Stx2e a unique promiscuous recognition feature. Manifestations of edema disease are caused by systemic effects of Stx2e with no significant morphologic changes in enterocytes. Endothelial cell necrosis in the brain is an early event in the pathogenesis of ED caused by Stx2e-producing STEC strains. Further studies are needed to generate techniques and tools which allow to understand the circulation and ecology of STEC strains in pigs even in resistant animals for diagnostic and epidemiological purposes.

Isolation of acetylated bile acids from the sponge Siphonochalina fortis and DNA damage evaluation by the comet assay.

From the organic extracts of the sponge Siphonochalina fortis, collected at Bahía Bustamante, Chubut, Argentina, three major compounds were isolated and identified as deoxycholic acid 3, 12-diacetate (1), cholic acid 3, 7, 12-triacetate (2) and cholic acid, 3, 7, 12-triacetate. (3). This is the first report of acetylated bile acids in sponges and the first isolation of compound 3 as a natural product. The potential induction of DNA lesions by the isolated compounds was investigated using the comet assay in lymphocytes of human peripheral blood as in vitro model. The results showed that the administration of the bile acid derivatives would not induce DNA damages, indicating that acetylated bile acids are nontoxic metabolites at the tested concentrations. Since the free bile acids were not detected, it is unlikely that the acetylated compounds may be part of the sponge cells detoxification mechanisms. These results may suggest a possible role of acetylated bile acids as a chemical defense mechanism, product of a symbiotic relationship with microorganisms, which would explain their seasonal and geographical variation, and their influence on the previously observed genotoxicity of the organic extract of S. fortis.

Modulator effect of watercress against cyclophosphamide-induced oxidative stress in mice

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale, Cruciferae; W. Aiton) is a vegetable widely consumed in our country, with nutritional and potentially chemopreventive properties. Previous reports from our laboratory demonstrated the protective effect of watercress juice against DNA damage induced by cyclophosphamide in vivo. In this study, we evaluated the in vivo effect of cress plant on the oxidative stress in mice. Animals were treated by gavage with different doses of watercress juice (0.5 and 1g/kg body weight) for 15 consecutive days before intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide (100 mg/kg body weight). After 24 h, mice were killed by cervical dislocation. The effect of watercress was investigated by assessing the following oxidative stress biomarkers: catalase activity, superoxide dismutase activity, lipid peroxidation, and glutathione balance. Intake of watercress prior to cyclophosphamide administration enhanced superoxide dismutase activity in erythrocytes with no effect on catalase activity. In bone marrow and liver tissues, watercress juice counteracted the effect of cyclophosphamide. Glutathione balance rose by watercress supplementation and lipid oxidation diminished in all matrixes when compared to the respective control groups. Our results support the role of watercress as a diet component with promising properties to be used as health promoter or protective agent against oxidative damage.

El berro (Nasturtium officinale, crucíferas; W. Aiton) es una hortaliza ampliamente consumida en nuestro país, con valor nutricional y propiedades potencialmente quimiopreventivas. En trabajos previos demostramos que el jugo de berro tiene efecto protector in vivo contra el daño del ADN inducido por ciclofosfamida en tejidos del ratón. En el presente trabajo evaluamos, también in vivo, los efectos del jugo sobre el estrés oxidativo en diferentes tejidos del ratón. Los siguientes biomarcadores fueron investigados: actividad de superóxido dismutasa, actividad de catalasa, peroxidación lipídica y balance de glutatión. Los animales fueron tratados con diferentes dosis de jugo (0.5 y 1 g/kg de peso corporal) por alimentación forzada durante 15 días consecutivos antes de la inyección intraperitoneal con ciclofosfamida (100 mg/kg). La ingesta de berro antes de la administración de ciclofosfamida mejoró la actividad de superóxido dismutasa en los eritrocitos sin efecto sobre la actividad de la catalasa. En médula ósea e hígado, el jugo de berro contrarrestó el efecto deletéreo de la ciclofosfamida. En todas las matrices, el balance de glutatión fue mayor y la oxidación de lípidos menor que los valores encontrados en los grupos control. Nuestros resultados demuestran que el berro es un componente de la dieta con propiedades prometedoras como promotor de la salud o como agente protector contra el daño oxidativo.