Pelargonidin Protects Against Renal Injury in a Mouse Model of Sepsis.

Pelargonidin (PEL) is a well-known red pigment found in plants, and it has been reported to have important biological activities that are potentially beneficial for human health. This study was initiated to determine whether PEL could modulate renal functional damage in a mouse model of sepsis, and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. The potential of PEL treatment to reduce renal damage induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) surgery in mice was measured by assessment of serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), lipid peroxidation, total glutathione, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, catalase activity, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Treatment with PEL resulted in elevated plasma levels of BUN and creatinine, and of protein in urine in mice with CLP-induced renal damage. Moreover, PEL inhibited nuclear factor-κB activation and reduced the induction of nitric oxide synthase and excessive production of nitric acid. PEL treatment also reduced the plasma levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α reduced lethality due to CLP-induced sepsis, increased lipid peroxidation, and markedly enhanced the antioxidant defense system by restoring the levels of SOD, GSH-Px, and catalase in kidney tissues. These results suggested that PEL protects mice against sepsis-triggered renal injury.

Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein (StAR) Overexpression Reduces Inflammation and Insulin Resistance in Obese Mice.

Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), a mitochondrial cholesterol delivery protein, plays a beneficial role in hyperlipidemia, NAFLD, and endothelial inflammation. Elevated circulating fatty acids and low grade inflammation are known as key risk factors of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In the present study, C57BL/6J mice were fed with HFD and infected with recombinant adenovirus expressing StAR by tail-vein injection. Intraperitoneal glucose/insulin tolerance test was performed to assess the insulin sensitivity. Morphological analysis and intramuscular lipid determination were used to illustrate the adipose hypertrophy and ectopic fat accumulation in skeletal muscle. The levels of inflammatory factor and nitric oxide were determined by ELISA and classic Griess reagent methods, respectively. The fatty acids composition was analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The expression of genes associated with inflammation and insulin resistance were determined by Western blotting and qPCR to elucidate the underlying mechanism. We demonstrated that StAR overexpression ameliorated insulin resistance and systemic inflammatory response with the reduction of adipose hypertrophy and intramuscular lipid in HFD-fed mice. In addition, StAR overexpression increased serum unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) and PPARγ expression in muscle and adipose tissue of obese mice. In conclusion, StAR may activate PPARγ by increasing UFAs, which leads to a protective role in systemic inflammation and insulin resistance in obese mice. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 3932-3942, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Phase II study of pomegranate juice for men with rising prostate-specific antigen following surgery or radiation for prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: Phytochemicals in plants may have cancer preventive benefits through antioxidation and via gene-nutrient interactions. We sought to determine the effects of pomegranate juice (a major source of antioxidants) consumption on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression in men with a rising PSA following primary therapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: A phase II, Simon two-stage clinical trial for men with rising PSA after surgery or radiotherapy was conducted. Eligible patients had a detectable PSA > 0.2 and < 5 ng/mL and Gleason score < or = 7. Patients were treated with 8 ounces of pomegranate juice daily (Wonderful variety, 570 mg total polyphenol gallic acid equivalents) until disease progression. Clinical end points included safety and effect on serum PSA, serum-induced proliferation and apoptosis of LNCaP cells, serum lipid peroxidation, and serum nitric oxide levels. RESULTS: The study was fully accrued after efficacy criteria were met. There were no serious adverse events reported and the treatment was well tolerated. Mean PSA doubling time significantly increased with treatment from a mean of 15 months at baseline to 54 months posttreatment (P < 0.001). In vitro assays comparing pretreatment and posttreatment patient serum on the growth of LNCaP showed a 12% decrease in cell proliferation and a 17% increase in apoptosis (P = 0.0048 and 0.0004, respectively), a 23% increase in serum nitric oxide (P = 0.0085), and significant (P < 0.02) reductions in oxidative state and sensitivity to oxidation of serum lipids after versus before pomegranate juice consumption. CONCLUSIONS: We report the first clinical trial of pomegranate juice in patients with prostate cancer. The statistically significant prolongation of PSA doubling time, coupled with corresponding laboratory effects on prostate cancer in vitro cell proliferation and apoptosis as well as oxidative stress, warrant further testing in a placebo-controlled study.

[Protective effects of San Baoxin on injury induced by myocardical ischemic reperfusion and anti-thrombosis in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of San Baoxin on myocardial injury induced by ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) and thrombogenesis in rats in vivo and ex vivo. METHOD: The experimental model was established by ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 180 min. The Chandler method was used to produced ex vivo thrombosis and an electrical stimulation of common carotid artery was adopted to form in vivo thrombosis respectively, the effect of antithrombosis induced by San Baoxin was observed. RESULT: San Baoxin significantly decreased the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), obviously elevated the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and increased the amount of NO of the serum simultaneously. The San Baoxin at the dosage of 10 g x kg(-1) could remarkably lengthen the OT ( P < 0.05). All San Baoxin dosages could inhibit the formation of ex vivo thrombosis. CONCLUSION: San Baoxin protects the myocardium from injury of ischemic and reperfusion. The protective effect of San Baoxin may be due to that it can dilate vessels, increase the activity of clearance enzyme of free radical and inhibit lipid peroxidation and the formation of ex vivo and in vivo thrombosis.