Association between soy and green tea (Camellia sinensis) diminishes hypercholesterolemia and increases total plasma antioxidant potential in dyslipidemic subjects.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the hypolipemic and antioxidant effects of soy and green tea alone and/or in association in dyslipidemic subjects. METHODS: One hundred dyslipidemic individuals were allocated into four groups. The soy group ingested 50 g of soy (kinako) daily, and the green tea group ingested 3 g of green tea in 500 mL of water per day. A third group ingested 50 g of soy and 3 g of green tea daily, and the control group had a hypocholesterolemic diet. Evaluations were performed at baseline and after 45 and 90 d. Plasma levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, and triacylglycerols were evaluated by automated methods. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was calculated using the Friedewald equation. LDL was isolated by ultracentrifugation. Total plasma antioxidant capacity and plasma levels of total lipid hydroperoxides and those linked to LDL were evaluated by chemiluminescence. The results were expressed as median values and their 25th to 75th percentiles, with a 5% level of significance. RESULTS: No significant difference occurred in LDL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triacylglycerol levels across groups. However, a statistically significant difference in total cholesterol occurred within the soy/green tea group 45 and 90 d after intervention. No statistically significant difference occurred in plasma levels of lipid hydroperoxides or those linked to LDL in any of the groups studied. All the groups that used soy and/or green tea presented increased total plasma antioxidant potential. CONCLUSION: Soy and green tea, alone or in combination, increased the total antioxidant potential of hypercholesterolemic patients, whereas only the combination decreased total cholesterol levels.

Plasma malondialdehyde levels and CXCR4 expression in peripheral blood cells of breast cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is one of the most common neoplasms in women and is a leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide. Chemokines and their receptors are involved in the control of lymphocyte traffic, a critical component of systemic immunity. CXCR4 mRNA could be involved in the development of variety of diseases. Lipid peroxidation, the result of nonenzymatic autooxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, presents numerous harmful effects on biological systems and has been implicated in diseases like cancer. This study examined CXCR4 mRNA expression in peripheral blood cells and malondialdehyde (MDA) in plasma from blood donors and breast cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CXCR4 expression in peripheral blood cells from 59 breast cancer patients and 76 healthy blood donors was analyzed by real-time PCR. Plasma MDA was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). CONCLUSION: In all stages, MDA levels in total breast cancer patients (1.41 +/- 0.11) were significantly higher (P < 0.01) than those in healthy subjects (0.34 +/- 0.03). No statistically significant difference occurred between CXCR4 expression in peripheral blood cells from breast cancer patients (1.69 +/- 1.05) and the normal healthy control group (1.8 +/- 0.65). However, stage II samples differed statistically (4.3 +/- 1.72) from control, total cancer patients and stages I, III and IV samples.

Aumento dos níveis de LDLox induzem maior formação de células espumosas in vitro / Increased levels of oxLDL induce higher foam cells formation in vitro

Inúmeras evidências sustentam a hipótese de que a modificação oxidativa da LDL contribui para o desenvolvimento e progressão da aterosclerose em uma variedade de modelos animais e que as células espumosas constituem um evento crucial no desenvolvimento da lesão aterosclerótica. A LDL oxidada tem uma ação quimioatraente sobre os monócitos, induzindo a transformaçãode macrófagos em células espumosas. Neste trabalho, foi desenvolvido um protocolo simples e reproduzível de cultura de células mononucleares humanas, o qual foi utilizado para avaliação da capacidade aterogênica da LDL oxidada comparada à LDL nativa naformação de células espumosas com ativação espontânea dos macrófagos. A partir do sangue de 10 indivíduos normolipidêmicos, obteve-se a LDL por processo de ultracentrifugação sendo a mesma oxidada in vitro na presença de íons cobre. Monócitos diferenciaram-se em macrófagos e foram incubados com LDL nativa e oxidada em diferentes concentrações. Houve formação decélulas espumosas apenas em macrófagos estimulados com LDL oxidada, variando quantitativamente de acordo com a sua concentração.Concluiu-se que este protocolo de estudo, além de possibilitar a utilização de macrófagos humanos, permitiu a redução do tempo de incubação da cultura. Paralelamente, demonstrou-se que a formação de células espumosas é dependente da extensão do grau deoxidação da LDL

Much evidence sustains the hypothesis that oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) contributes to the development and progression of atherosclerosis and that foam cells constitute a crucial event in the development of the atheroscleroticlesion. Oxidized LDL (oxLDL) presents a chemotatic action on monocytes, inducing the transformation of macrophages into foam cells. In this work, a simple reproducible protocol for culturing human mononuclear cells was developed to evaluate the atherogeniccapacity of oxLDL compared to native LDL in the formation of foam cells. Monocytes differentiate into macrophages when stimulatedwith native and oxidized LDL at different concentrations. Foam cell formation only occurred in macrophages stimulated by oxLDL, which varied quantitatively according to its concentration. This study protocol, besides making the use of human macrophages possible, permitted a reduction in culture incubation time. Moreover, the study demonstrated that foam cell formation is dependent on the degree of LDL oxidation

Efeitos do ramipril, captopril e sinvastatina na injúria da preservação a frio de rins de ratos / Effects of ramipril, captopril, and simvastatin on cold-storage damage in rat kidneys

Introdução: A preservação a frio geralmente é utilizada para minimizar a injúria renal durante a preservação. Testamos se a adição de sinvastatina, captopril, e ramipril à solução de Euro-Collins (EC) ou o pré-tratamento de rins de ratos doadores com ramipril e/ou sinvastatina poderia reduzir a injúria da preservação renal. Métodos: Inicialmente, adicionamos ramipril e sinvastatina à solução de EC, contendo fragmentos de rins de ratos que foram preservados a frio por 24 horas (n=6). O dano tecidual foi avaliado pela liberação de desidrogenase lática (DHL). In vivo, ramipril, por gavagem, e/ou sinvastatina, intraperitonealmente, foram administrados aos ratos doadores 18h antes da nefrectomia.Fragmentos renais foram estocados a frio em EC durante 24h ou 48h. O dano tecidual foi avaliado, utilizando a liberação de DHL, substâncias reativas ao ácido tiobarbitúrico (TBARS), teste do MTT e pelo exame morfológico após 0, 24, e 48h (n=10). Concomitantemente, captopril foi acrescentado à solução de EC e fragmentos adicionais dos rins de ratos controles foram estocados a frio durante 24h e 48h, com dano tecidual avaliado por liberação de DHL e exame histológico. Resultados: A adição de ramipril e sinvastatina à solução de EC não afetou a viabilidade dos fragmentos renais (p>0,05). A adução de captopril na solução de EC também não melhorou a viabilidade durante a preservação a frio, avaliada pela liberação de desidrogenase lática e pelo escore histológico (p>0,05). O pré-tratamento dos doadores renais com ramipril e/ou sinvastatina não alterou significativamente o MTT, MDA, DHL ou escores histológicos. Discussão: Inibidores da ECA e estatinas protegem contra a injúria da isquemia-reperfusão (I/R) após pré-tratamento por alguns dias e reduzem o estresse oxidativo e marcadores inflamatórios e poderiam melhorar a capacidade antioxidante da solução de EC...

Background: Cold storage is generally used to minimize kidney injury during preservation. We tested whether or not addition of simvastatin, captopril, and ramipril in the Euro-Collins solution (EC) or pre-treatment of rat kidney donors with ramipril and/or simvastatin reduced preserved kidney injury.Methods: We first added ramipril and simvastatin to EC with rat kidney fragments that were cold-stored for 24 hours (n=6). Tissue damage was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). In vivo, ramipril, by gavage, and/or intraperitoneal simvastatin , were administered to donor rats 18h before nephrectomy. Kidney fragments were cold-stored in EC for 24h or 48h. Tissue damage was assessed by LDH release, TBARS, MTT-assay, and by morphologic assessment at 0, 24, and 48h (n=10). Concomitantly, captopril was added to EC and additional fragments of control rat kidneys were coldstored for 24 and 48h, with damage assessed by LDH release and histology. Results: The addition of ramipril and simvastatin to EC solution did not change the viability of rat kidney fragments (p>0.05). The addition of captopril in the EC solution also did not improve cold-storage viability, as assessed by LDH release levels and histological scores (p>0.05). Pre-treatment of kidney donors with ramipril and/or simvastatin did not significantly change MTT, MDA, LDH levels or histological scores.Discussion: ACEIs and statins protect against organ I/R injury after donor pre-treatment for a few days and reduce oxidant stress and inflammatory markers, and could improve the antioxidant capacity of EC solution. In the tested concentrations, inclusion of captopril, ramipril, and simvastatin in the EC solution did not improve the preservation quality of cold-stored rat kidney fragments...