Preventive effects of systemic Pistacia eurycarpa Yalt. administration on alveolar bone loss and oxidative stress in rats with experimental periodontitis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of systemic administration of P. eurycarpa Yalt. plant extract on alveolar bone loss and oxidative stress biomarkers in gingival tissue in a rat model of experimental periodontitis. METHODOLOGY: 32 male Wistar albino rats, weighing 200-250 g, were divided into four groups (n=8): Healthy control (HC), Experimental periodontitis control (EPC), Experimental periodontitis 400 mg/kg (EP400), Experimental periodontitis 800 mg/kg (EP800). Experimental periodontitis was induced using the ligating method. Distilled water was administered to the HC and EPC groups and the plant extract was administered to the EP400 and EP800 groups by oral gavage at doses of 400 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg, respectively. The rats were sacrificed on the 15th day. The values of glutathione peroxidase GSH-Px, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismustase (SOD), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-10 (IL-10), total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI) in the gingival tissues were analyzed by ELISA tests. Alveolar bone loss was assessed using micro-CT images of the maxilla. RESULTS: Although the IL-1ß, TOS, OSI results of the healthy control group were lower than those of the other groups, the TAS values were higher (p<0.05). No significant difference was found in the biochemical parameters among the EPC, EP400, and EP800 groups (p>0.05). Alveolar bone loss was significantly reduced in the extract groups compared to the EPC group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this study, it was observed that the systemic P. eurycarpa extract application reduced alveolar bone loss in a rat model of experimental periodontitis. Further studies are needed to elucidate the beneficial effects of P. eurycarpa.

Cucurbitacin E shows synergistic effect with sorafenib by inducing apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and regulates Jak/Stat3, ERK/MAPK, PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways.

OBJECTIVE: Cucurbitacin E (CuE), a natural compound found in medicinal plants such as Ecballium Elaterium, has demonstrated antiproliferative and apoptotic effects in various cancer cell types due to its tetracyclic triterpenoid structure. Sorafenib, a multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is commonly used in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment. This study aimed to investigate the anticancer effect of CuE alone and in combination with sorafenib on HepG2 cells. METHODS: CuE was extracted from Ecballium Elaterium fruit juice and quantitatively evaluated using HPLC. The effect of sorafenib and CuE on cell growth inhibition was determined using the MTT test. Cell cycle progression and apoptosis were assessed using flow cytometry. Mitochondrial damage was evaluated with ΔΨm, and DNA damage was assessed using the comet assay. The expression of Jak2/Stat3, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, MAPK, and Bcl-2 family-related genes and proteins were analyzed using western blot and qRT-PCR, respectively. RESULTS: Both CuE (0.1-5 µM) and sorafenib (0.5-10 µM) exhibited dose- and time-dependent antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects against the HepG2 cell line. Both compounds induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells and halted the cell cycle in the G2/M phase while causing mitochondrial and DNA damage. Both compounds down-regulated Jak2/Stat3, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, MAPK signaling pathway proteins, and Bcl-xL levels, while up-regulated Caspase-9 and Bax protein levels. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that CuE alone or in combination with sorafenib has the potential to be an effective therapeutic option for the treatment of HCC by inducing apoptosis and regulating multiple signaling pathways.

Linalool exhibits therapeutic and protective effects in a rat model of doxorubicin-induced kidney injury by modulating oxidative stress.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic and protective effects of linalool against doxorubicin (DOX)-induced kidney injury. Forty-eight Wistar rats were divided into 8 groups as follows; Control, DOX [20 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (ip) single dose DOX], linalool (LIN50 and LIN100; 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg linalool via ip for 5 days, respectively), DOX + LIN50 and DOX + LIN100 (20 mg/kg single dose of DOX via ip on first day and 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg linalool via ip, respectively), LIN50 + DOX and LIN100 + DOX (50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg linalool via ip for 5 days, respectively and 20 mg/kg single dose of DOX via ip on fifth day). Doxorubicin led to a significant increase in the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the kidney, whereas superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels decreased remarkably when compared with control. On the other hand, LIN supplementation before and after DOX treatment led to a significant decrease in MDA and also increases in SOD, CAT and GSH levels. DOX caused significant increases in the levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) levels in the plasma, while LIN supplementation as a therapeutic and preventive agent led to significant decreases in BUN and Cr levels. The current study demonstrated that LIN supplementation after or before DOX treatment can led to therapeutic and preventive effects against DOX-induced renal damage.