Effect of Organic Selenium on the Homeostasis of Trace Elements, Lipid Peroxidation, and mRNA Expression of Antioxidant Proteins in Mouse Organs.

(1) In this study we determined the effect of long-term selenomethionine administration on the oxidative stress level and changes in antioxidant protein/enzyme activity; mRNA expression; and the levels of iron, zinc, and copper. (2) Experiments were performed on 4-6-week-old BALB/c mice, which were given selenomethionine (0.4 mg Se/kg b.w.) solution for 8 weeks. The element concentration was determined via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. mRNA expression of SelenoP, Cat, and Sod1 was quantified using real-time quantitative reverse transcription. Malondialdehyde content and catalase activity were determined spectrophotometrically. (3) After long-term SeMet administration, the amount of Se increased by 12-fold in mouse blood, 15-fold in the liver, and 42-fold in the brain, as compared to that in the control. Exposure to SeMet decreased amounts of Fe and Cu in blood, but increased Fe and Zn levels in the liver and increased the levels of all examined elements in the brain. Se increased malondialdehyde content in the blood and brain but decreased it in liver. SeMet administration increased the mRNA expression of selenoprotein P, dismutase, and catalase, but decreased catalase activity in brain and liver. (4) Eight-week-long selenomethionine consumption elevated Se levels in the blood, liver, and especially in the brain and disturbed the homeostasis of Fe, Zn, and Cu. Moreover, Se induced lipid peroxidation in the blood and brain, but not in the liver. In response to SeMet exposure, significant up-regulation of the mRNA expression of catalase, superoxide dismutase 1, and selenoprotein P in the brain, and especially in the liver, was determined.

A Comparative Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity of Extract and Essential Oil of Origanum onites L. In Vivo.

In the present study, the effects of Origanum onites L. extract and essential oil of O. onites L. on the antioxidant status of the liver and brain of mice were investigated. Due to certain disadvantages of essential oils, such as poor solubility, high volatility and sensitivity to UV light and heat, formulation of liposomes with Oregano essentials (OE) was optimized and used in this study. The results demonstrated that the best composition of the lipid carriers and OE were conducted in terms of the polydispersity index (PDI), mean particle size and encapsulation efficiency (EE). For further study the LE4 formulation was used, which contained Lipoid S100 at 45 mg, Lipoid S75 at 45 mg and 90 mg of EO. The administration of O. onites L. extract to mice for 21 days significantly decreased the glutathione (GSH) level in the livers and brains of the mice as well as the malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in the livers. In the brains of the mice, MDA level significantly increased after this extract consumption. Whereas liposomes with OE significantly decreased GSH concentration in the mouse brain and MDA concentration in the mouse liver, there was an increased (p > 0.05) GSH level in the liver and MDA concentration in the brain of mice compared with the control group. It was found that both O. onites. ethanolic extract as well as liposomes with OE of this plant material affect the antioxidant status in the livers and brains of mice.

Natural Compounds Rosmarinic Acid and Carvacrol Counteract Aluminium-Induced Oxidative Stress.

Aluminum accumulation, glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations as well as catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were determined in erythrocytes and brain and liver homogenates of BALB/c mice treated with Al3+ (7.5 mg/kg/day (0.15 LD50) as AlCl3 (37.08 mg/kg/day), whereas HCl (30.41 mg/kg/day) was used as Cl- control, the treatments were performed for 21 days, i.p., in the presence and absence of rosmarinic acid (0.2805 mg/kg/day (0.05 LD50), 21 days, i.g.) or carvacrol (0.0405 mg/kg/day (0.05 LD50), 21 days, i.g.). The treatment with AlCl3 increased GSH concentration in erythrocytes only slightly and had no effect on brain and liver homogenates. Rosmarinic acid and carvacrol strongly increased GSH concentration in erythrocytes but decreased it in brain and liver homogenates. However, AlCl3 treatment led to Al accumulation in mice blood, brain, and liver and induced oxidative stress, assessed based on MDA concentration in the brain and liver. Both rosmarinic acid and carvacrol were able to counteract the negative Al effect by decreasing its accumulation and protecting tissues from lipid peroxidation. AlCl3 treatment increased CAT activity in mice brain and liver homogenates, whereas the administration of either rosmarinic acid or carvacrol alone or in combination with AlCl3 had no significant effect on CAT activity. SOD activity remained unchanged after all the treatments in our study. We propose that natural herbal phenolic compounds rosmarinic acid and carvacrol could be used to protect brain and liver against aluminum induced oxidative stress leading to lipid peroxidation.

Post-exposure distribution of selenium and aluminum ions and their effects on superoxide dismutase activity in mouse brain.

The study was conducted to determine how aluminum (Al) and selenium (Se) ions alone and in combination affect superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and to evaluate the distribution of these elements in the blood and the brain of laboratory mice. SOD activity in mouse brain was evaluated after single-time (within 24 h) and repeated (over 14 days) intraperitoneal (IP) injections of SeO32-, Al3+, and (SeO32-+Al3+) solutions. The control mice received IP injections of the same volume of saline. Aluminum concentration in mouse blood increased both after single-time and repeated injections of AlCl3 and the combined (AlCl3 + Na2SeO3) solutions. The concentration of Se increased in blood after single-time and repeated injections of Na2SeO3 and the combined (AlCl3 + Na2SeO3) solutions. After the single-time injection of the experimental solutions, the concentrations of both Al and Se in mouse brain remained at baseline, but after repeated injections of (AlCl3 + Na2SeO3) solutions increased aluminum concentration. A single IP injection of Al did not change SOD activity in mouse brain, while a single injection of Se or the Se + Al mixture decreased it. After 14 days, IP injections of Al or Se alone did not affect SOD activity, while their combination decreased it. Our results showed that Se ions decreased SOD activity in mouse brain after both single-time and repeated IP injections of selenium-containing solutions. The study failed to show a direct or linear effect of increased Al or Se concentrations on SOD activity in mouse brain.

Relationship between Oxidative Stress and Left Ventricle Markers in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure.

Oxidative stress is proposed in the literature as an important player in the development of CHF and correlates with left ventricle (LV) dysfunction and hypertrophy in the failing heart. In this study, we aimed to verify if the serum oxidative stress markers differ in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients' groups depending on the LV geometry and function. Patients were stratified into two groups according to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) values: HFrEF (<40% (n = 27)) and HFpEF (≥40% (n = 33)). Additionally, patients were stratified into four groups according to LV geometry: NG-normal left ventricle geometry (n = 7), CR-concentric remodeling (n = 14), cLVH-concentric LV hypertrophy (n = 16), and eLVF-eccentric LV hypertrophy (n = 23). We measured protein (protein carbonyl (PC), nitrotyrosine (NT-Tyr), dityrosine), lipid (malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidizes (HDL) oxidation and antioxidant (catalase activity, total plasma antioxidant capacity (TAC) markers in serum. Transthoracic echocardiogram analysis and lipidogram were also performed. We found that oxidative (NT-Tyr, dityrosine, PC, MDA, oxHDL) and antioxidative (TAC, catalase) stress marker levels did not differ between the groups according to LVEF or LV geometry. NT-Tyr correlated with PC (rs = 0.482, p = 0.000098), and oxHDL (rs = 0.278, p = 0.0314). MDA correlated with total (rs = 0.337, p = 0.008), LDL (rs = 0.295, p = 0.022) and non-HDL (rs = 0.301, p = 0.019) cholesterol. NT-Tyr negatively correlated with HDL cholesterol (rs = -0.285, p = 0.027). LV parameters did not correlate with oxidative/antioxidative stress markers. Significant negative correlations were found between the end-diastolic volume of the LV and the end-systolic volume of the LV and HDL-cholesterol (rs = -0.935, p < 0.0001; rs = -0.906, p < 0.0001, respectively). Significant positive correlations between both the thickness of the interventricular septum and the thickness of the LV wall and the levels of triacylglycerol in serum (rs = 0.346, p = 0.007; rs = 0.329, p = 0.010, respectively) were found. In conclusions, we did not find a difference in serum concentrations of both oxidant (NT-Tyr, PC, MDA) and antioxidant (TAC and catalase) concentrations in CHF patients' groups according to LV function and geometry was found. The geometry of the LV could be related to lipid metabolism in CHF patients, and no correlation between oxidative/antioxidant and LV markers in CHF patients was found.

Effect of Selenium on the Iron Homeostasis and Oxidative Damage in Brain and Liver of Mice.

Selenium is an essential trace element that maintains normal brain function, mainly due its antioxidant properties. Although the amount of Se in the body is tightly regulated by the liver, both an excess of and deficiency in Se can modulate the cellular redox status and affect the homeostasis of other essential elements for both humans and animals. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of inorganic selenium excess on oxidative stress and iron homeostasis in brain and liver of laboratory BALB/c mice, which were supplemented with Na2SeO3 solution (0.2 mg and 0.4 mg Se/kg body weight) for 8 weeks. The content of the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde and antioxidant enzyme catalase activity/gene expression were used as markers of oxidative damage and were evaluated by spectrophotometric assays. Selenium and iron concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Catalase gene expression was analyzed by qRT-PCR and ΔΔCt methods. Our results showed that doses of 0.2 mg Se and 0.4 mg Se caused a relatively low accumulation of Se in the brain of mice; however, it induced a 10-fold increase in its accumulation in the liver and also increased iron accumulation in both tested organs. Both doses of Se increased the content of malondialdehyde as well as decreased catalase activity in the liver, while the 0.4 mg Se dose has also activated catalase gene expression. Brain of mice exposed to 0.2 mg Se showed reduced lipid peroxidation; however, the exposure to 0.4 mg of Se increased the catalase activity as well as gene expression. One may conclude that exposure to both doses of Se caused the accumulation of this micronutrient in mice brain and liver and have also provided a disrupting effect on the levels of iron. Both doses of Se have triggered oxidative liver damage. In the brain, the effect of Se was dose dependent, where -0.2 mg of Se provided antioxidant activity, which was observed through a decrease in lipid peroxidation. On the contrary, the 0.4 mg dose increased brain catalase activity as well as gene expression, which may have contributed to maintaining brain lipid peroxidation at the control level.

The Effects of Cannabis sativa L. Extract on Oxidative Stress Markers In Vivo.

In recent decades, a lot of attention has been paid to Cannabis sativa L. due to its useful applications, including in fibers, oil, food for humans and animals, and therapeutics. The present study aimed to determine antioxidant activity of cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa L. in vivo, evaluating the possible antioxidative effect of Cannabis sativa L. extract (CE) on malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) concentrations as well as on catalase (CAT) activity in BALB/c mice. In total, 40 mice were divided into five equal groups: the aluminum group (7.5 mg AlCl3/kg/d (0.15 LD50), the saline group, the 10% ethanol group (an appropriate amount of the solution for mouse weight), the CE group (1.6 mg CE/g/day), and the aluminum-CE group (7.5 mg AlCl3 plus 1.6 mg CE/g/day). The results of the study showed that CE significantly decreased (by 26.81%, p < 0.05) the concentration of GSH in blood of the mice and the concentration of MDA in the brain (by 82.12%) and liver (by 53.5%) of the mice compared to the respective concentrations in the AlCl3 group. CE significantly (p < 0.05) increased CAT activity in the brain (by 64.79%) and liver (by 72.37%) of the mice after the AlCl3-induced prooxidant effect. The results showed the antioxidant activity of cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) in vitro. The findings in vivo indicate that Cannabis sativa L. is a good source of natural antioxidants and can be used in the management of oxidative stress.

The Effects of Buckwheat Leaf and Flower Extracts on Antioxidant Status in Mouse Organs.

This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of the extracts of buckwheat leaf and flower on the antioxidant status of the brain and liver tissue. The administration of buckwheat extracts (both concentrations were 10%) to mice (at the dose 10 mL/kg of body weight) for 21 days significantly decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and reduced the amount of glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the mouse brain, while catalase (CAT) activity significantly increased. In the mouse liver, the amount of GSH and activity of SOD increased, while the CAT activity after administering buckwheat leaf and flower extracts was lower in experimental mice than in the control group. However, the administration of 10% ethanol (for 21 days) to control animals also had a significant effect on the antioxidant system in brain and liver cells. Experimental animals demonstrated rather marked changes in the activities of the antioxidant enzymes SOD and CAT in their liver and brain cells, and changes in the levels of GSH and MDA were observed when compared with the control group.

The effects of cadmium chloride and sodium selenite on protein synthesis in mouse liver.

The study aimed at evaluating the effects of cadmium and selenite ions on protein synthesis and metallothioneins content in mice liver after 2 h, 8 h, 24 h and 14 days of exposure. Our studies revealed that cadmium suppressed protein synthesis after 2 h and 24 h, but activated after 8h and 14 days. Also, the endogenous mRNA translation were reduced under any exposure to cadmium, meanwhile, metallothioneins content was decreased after 2 h, but then was progressively increasing up to 492% after 14 days. Meantime, selenite did not influence metallothioneins content, caused mild activation of protein synthesis, and slightly suppressed the endogenous mRNA translation. The combined treatments with cadmium and selenite favored toward resisting of protein synthesis to cadmium after 2 h and 24 h of intoxication. Besides, selenite also protected translation against cadmium in cell-free systems, but did not attenuate effects of cadmium on metallothioneins content.