Effect of 5-aminolevulinic Acid on Mitochondrial Activity.

BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of various diseases. Therefore, mitochondria are currently being considered as subjects for targeted therapies, particularly, phototherapy using 5-aminolevulinic acid. This study aimed to investigate the activity of mitochondria in cells with different mutation loads. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted using 11 cybrid lines obtained from the THP-1 cell line (a human monocytic leukemia cell line) and platelets of patients with different mitochondrial mutations. RESULTS: Our results illustrate that 5-aminolevulinic acid was metabolized equally in all cell lines, however, there was a significant decrease in mitochondrial potential, which differed among lines. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study can be used to develop a personalized therapeutic approach based on different mitochondrial activities.

Atheroprotective Effects of Glycyrrhiza glabra L.

Cardiovascular diseases associated with atherosclerosis are the major cause of death in developed countries. Early prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis are considered to be an important aspect of the therapy of cardiovascular disease. Preparations based on natural products affect the main pathogenetic steps of atherogenesis, and so represent a perspective for the long-term prevention of atherosclerosis development. Numerous experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated the multiple beneficial effects of licorice and its bioactive compounds-anti-inflammatory, anti-cytokine, antioxidant, anti-atherogenic, and anti-platelet action-which allow us to consider licorice as a promising atheroprotective agent. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge on the licorice anti-atherosclerotic mechanisms of action based on the results of experimental studies, including the results of the in vitro study demonstrating licorice effect on the ability of blood serum to reduce intracellular cholesterol accumulation in cultured macrophages, and presented the results of clinical studies confirming the ameliorating activity of licorice in regard to traditional cardiovascular risk factors as well as the direct anti-atherosclerotic effect of licorice.

Medicinal Plants as a Potential and Successful Treatment Option in the Context of Atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic multifactorial disease characterized by mainly changes of blood lipids profile and inflammation in vessel wall. The cardiovascular disease based on atherosclerosis is currently the leading cause of mortality in developed countries. Therefore, timely prevention and therapy of atherosclerosis are able to reduce the risk of the development of its clinical manifestations. Anti-atherosclerotic activity of medicinal plants mainly appears in their multiple effects such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-atherogenic, hypotensive, lipid-lowering, anti-thrombotic. Moreover, most of medicinal plants are characterized by their pleiotropic anti-atherosclerotic action. In addition, the medicinal plants-derived pharmacological substances and/or compounds are characterized by relative safety and fewer side effects that allows considering them as one of potential anti-atherosclerotic effective agents. The direct anti-atherosclerotic effect of some medicinal plants was confirmed in clinical trials of carotid Intima-media thickness (IMT) progression during long-term medication with medicinal plants. This review attempted to determine the current status of the databases PubMed and Scopus (until November, 2019) to investigate the medicinal plants possessing anti-atherosclerotic activity in experimental and clinical studies.