Compensatory Neuroprotective Response of Thioredoxin Reductase against Oxidative-Nitrosative Stress Induced by Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Rats: Modulation by Theta Burst Stimulation.

Cortical theta burst stimulation (TBS) structured as intermittent (iTBS) and continuous (cTBS) could prevent the progression of the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The interplay of brain antioxidant defense systems against free radicals (FRs) overproduction induced by EAE, as well as during iTBS or cTBS, have not been entirely investigated. This study aimed to examine whether oxidative-nitrogen stress (ONS) is one of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of EAE, which may be changed in terms of health improvement by iTBS or cTBS. Dark Agouti strain female rats were tested for the effects of EAE and TBS. The rats were randomly divided into the control group, rats specifically immunized for EAE and nonspecifically immuno-stimulated with Complete Freund's adjuvant. TBS or sham TBS was applied to EAE rats from 14th-24th post-immunization day. Superoxide dismutase activity, levels of superoxide anion (O2•-), lipid peroxidation, glutathione (GSH), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) activity were analyzed in rat spinal cords homogenates. The severity of EAE clinical coincided with the climax of ONS. The most critical result refers to TrxR, which immensely responded against the applied stressors of the central nervous system (CNS), including immunization and TBS. We found that the compensatory neuroprotective role of TrxR upregulation is a positive feedback mechanism that reduces the harmfulness of ONS. iTBS and cTBS both modulate the biochemical environment against ONS at a distance from the area of stimulation, alleviating symptoms of EAE. The results of our study increase the understanding of FRs' interplay and the role of Trx/TrxR in ONS-associated neuroinflammatory diseases, such as EAE. Also, our results might help the development of new ideas for designing more effective medical treatment, combining neuropsychological with noninvasive neurostimulation-neuromodulation techniques to patients living with MS.

A subpopulation that may correspond to granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells reflects the clinical stage and progression of cutaneous melanoma.

Seventy-eight melanoma patients and 10 healthy individuals were examined. Follow-up examinations of all melanoma patients were performed regularly every three months. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) were defined as lineage negative (CD3(-), CD19(-), CD56(-)), HLA-DR(-/low), CD11b(+) and CD33(+). Classification of granulocytic (GrMDSC) and monocytic (MoMDSC) subsets was based on the CD15 and CD14 expression, respectively. Unlike the MoMDSC, that were present in 60% of healthy controls and 15% of melanoma patients, the GrMDSC were present in all examined participants, and the melanoma patients were found to have statistically higher frequencies compared with healthy controls. Accordingly, we kept focused on GrMDSC frequencies in relation to the melanoma stages and course of the disease. The GrMDSC values are highest in stage IV melanoma patients, with statistical significance compared with stages IA, IB, IIA and IIB. Patients with progression had statistically higher GrMDSC counts comparing with those with stable disease (P = 0.0079). Patients who had progression-free interval (PFI) < 12 months showed significantly higher GrMDSC values compared with those with PFI > 12 months (P = 0.0333). GrMDSC showed significant negative correlation with PFI intervals (P = 0.0095). The GrMDSC subset was predominant in all our patients. We confirmed that GrMDSC do accumulate early in the peripheral blood of melanoma patients and their frequencies correlate narrowly with the clinical stage and the spread of the disease. The increase in GrMDSC frequencies correlates well with a progressive disease and could be considered a potential predictive biomarker of high-risk melanoma cases that are more likely to have a shorter PFI.

Antimycobacterial activity of novel hydrazide-hydrazone derivatives with 2H-chromene and coumarin scaffold.

This study reports the synthesis of new 2H-chromene or coumarin based acylhydrazones, which were evaluated for their in vitro antimycobacterial activity against reference strain Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and compared to the first-line antituberculosis drugs, isoniazid (INH) and ethambutol (EMB). The most active compounds 7m (MIC 0.13µM), 7o (MIC 0.15µM) and 7k (MIC 0.17µM) demonstrated antimycobacterial activity at submicromolar concentration level and remarkably minimal associated cytotoxicity in the human embryonic kidney cell line HEK-293T. Structure-activity relationship for this class of compounds has been established.

Disulfiram moderately restores impaired hepatic redox status of rats subchronically exposed to cadmium.

Examination of cadmium (Cd) toxicity and disulfiram (DSF) effect on liver was focused on oxidative stress (OS), bioelements status, morphological and functional changes. Male Wistar rats were intraperitoneally treated with 1 mg CdCl2/kg BW/day; orally with 178.5 mg DSF/kg BW/day for 1, 3, 10 and 21 days; and co-exposed from 22nd to 42nd day. The co-exposure nearly restored previously suppressed total superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and increased glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities; increased previously reduced glutathione reductase (GR) and total glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities; reduced previously increased superoxide anion radical (O2·-) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels; increased zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe), and decreased copper (Cu) (yet above control value), while magnesium (Mg) was not affected; and decreased serum alanine aminotransferases (ALT) levels. Histopathological examination showed signs of inflammation process as previously demonstrated by exposure to Cd. Overall, we ascertained partial liver redox status improvement, compared with the formerly Cd-induced impact.

The Role of Oxidative Stress in the Clinical Manifestations of Childhood Asthma.

INTRODUCTION: The significance of oxidative stress in pathogenesis of childhood asthma was recognized, but its role in the clinical manifestations of disease is still unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in 96 asthmatic children. The urinary biomarker of oxidative stress, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG/creatinine) was determined by using HPLC-MS/MS. ELISA was performed to measure myeloperoxidase (MPO) and Cu,Zn- superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD) in serum. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis revealed that female gender, tobacco smoke exposure, and increased 8-oxodG/creatinine were associated with risk for intermittent asthma, while the positive allergy test and increased Cu,Zn-SOD were associated with eczema in asthmatic children. Higher MPO (p = 0.033), and percent of granulocytes (p = 0.030) were found in severe persistent asthma in comparison to intermittent or mild persistent asthma. CONCLUSION: The main findings that TSE-induced oxidative stress is a risk for intermittent asthma and eczema may be clinically significant for the disease prevention and therapeutic improvements.

Association of locally produced IL10 and TGFb1 with tumor size, histological type and presence of metastases in patients with lung carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Advanced lung carcinoma is charasterized with fast disease progression. Interleukin (IL)10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)b1 are immunosuppressive mediators and their role in lung carcinoma pathogenesis and in the antitumor response has not yet been elucidated. The purpose of this study was to correlate IL10 and TGFb1 levels in the serum and lung tumor microcirculation with clinical stage, disease extent, histological features and TNM stage. METHODS: The study included 41 lung cancer patients in clinical stage III and IV. Histological type was determined immunohistochemically, while tumor size, localization and dissemination were determined radiologically by multislice computerized tomography (MSCT). IL10 and TGFb1 levels were quantified with commercial flow cytometric test in serum and lung tumor microcirculation samples. RESULTS: Non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients had significantly elevated TGFb1 while small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients had significantly increased IL10 in tumor microcirculation. IL10 was significantly elevated in patients with the largest tumors, as well as in patients with III clinical stage and without metastases, both in the serum and tumor microcirculation. TGFb1 was significantly increased in serum and tumor microcirculation in patients with larger tumors. We found significant correlation between these two immunosuppressive cytokines, IL10 and TGFb1, in tumor microcirculation but not in patient serum samples. CONCLUSION: IL10 and TGFb1 in systemic and tumor microcirculation are significantly associated with particular histological type of lung cancer, tumor size and degree of disease extent.

Structural re-arrangement and peroxidase activation of cytochrome c by anionic analogues of vitamin E, tocopherol succinate and tocopherol phosphate.

Cytochrome c is a multifunctional hemoprotein in the mitochondrial intermembrane space whereby its participation in electron shuttling between respiratory complexes III and IV is alternative to its role in apoptosis as a peroxidase activated by interaction with cardiolipin (CL), and resulting in selective CL peroxidation. The switch from electron transfer to peroxidase function requires partial unfolding of the protein upon binding of CL, whose specific features combine negative charges of the two phosphate groups with four hydrophobic fatty acid residues. Assuming that other endogenous small molecule ligands with a hydrophobic chain and a negatively charged functionality may activate cytochrome c into a peroxidase, we investigated two hydrophobic anionic analogues of vitamin E, α-tocopherol succinate (α-TOS) and α-tocopherol phosphate (α-TOP), as potential inducers of peroxidase activity of cytochrome c. NMR studies and computational modeling indicate that they interact with cytochrome c at similar sites previously proposed for CL. Absorption spectroscopy showed that both analogues effectively disrupt the Fe-S(Met(80)) bond associated with unfolding of cytochrome c. We found that α-TOS and α-TOP stimulate peroxidase activity of cytochrome c. Enhanced peroxidase activity was also observed in isolated rat liver mitochondria incubated with α-TOS and tBOOH. A mitochondria-targeted derivative of TOS, triphenylphosphonium-TOS (mito-VES), was more efficient in inducing H2O2-dependent apoptosis in mouse embryonic cytochrome c(+/+) cells than in cytochrome c(-/-) cells. Essential for execution of the apoptotic program peroxidase activation of cytochrome c by α-TOS may contribute to its known anti-cancer pharmacological activity.

Diagnostic characteristics and application of alcohol biomarkers.

Alcohol biomarkers play a significant role in the early diagnosis of alcohol intoxication/abuse, alcohol-related organ damages, assessment of alcoholism therapy outcomes, and in forensic medicine. Laboratory detection of excessive alcohol consumption can be carried out by direct measuring of the ethanol and/or metabolites in biological samples which is of particular importance in the cases of acute ethanol intoxication/controlling and/or monitoring of alcohol consumption, or indirectly, by using biomarkers. Preferred diagnostic characteristics of alcohol biomarkers, specificity and sensitivity dependent on the particular demands such as: prevention and treatment of alcoholism in primary and social care, criminal justice, workplace health and safety screening, trafficking control, etc. Alcohol biomarkers traditionally used in clinical practice [blood alcohol concentration (BAC), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), the ratio GGT/CDT, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), the rati. AST/ALT, mean cbrpuscular volume (MCV), phosphatidylethanol (PEth)] are well validated. They are used as screening/monitoring markers of acute/chronic excessive alcohol intake, alcoholism in pregnancy, and other disorders/conditions related to alcohol abuse. Numerous potential alcohol biomarkers have been discovered, but few are validated. Potential alcohol biomarkers (ethanol and serotonin metabolites, sialic acids, etc.) have good diagnostic characteristics, but their application in clinical practice is limited due to the costly equipment necessary for their measurement. Significant progress has been made in the development of sensitive and practical alcohol transdermal devices that can instantly/continuously measure BAC through human skin. Transdermal sensing of alcohol may become a valuable method for monitoring abstinence. A special aspect of alcoholism is genetic predisposition to alcohol abuse and alcoholism, or alcohol-related organ damage. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have proposed several susceptibility loci for alcohol dependence.

Estimating the Effects of Dental Caries and Its Restorative Treatment on Periodontal Inflammatory and Oxidative Status: A Short Controlled Longitudinal Study.

Dental caries and periodontitis are among the most common health conditions that are currently recognized as growing socio-economic problems relating to their increasing prevalence, negative socio-economic impact, and harmful effects on systemic health. So far, the exact effects of caries and standard restorative materials on periodontal inflammatory and oxidative status are not established. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of caries and its restoration using standard temporary and permanent filling materials on a panel of 16 inflammatory and oxidative markers in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of periodontally healthy individuals, 7 (D7) and 30 (D30) days post-restoration, while the intact teeth represented the control. One hundred ninety systemically and periodontally healthy patients with occlusal caries underwent standard cavity preparation and restorations with one of six standard temporary or permanent restorative material according to indication and randomization scheme. Interleukin (IL)-2, IFN- γ, IL-12, IL-17A, IL-13, IL-9, IL-10, IL-6, IL-5, IL-4, IL-22, TNF-α, IL1- ß, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, superoxide dismutase, and reduced form of glutathione were measured in GCF samples by flowcytometry and spectrophotometry in aid of commercial diagnostic assays. Caries affected teeth exhibited significantly increased IL-1 ß, IL-17, IL-22, and TBARS and decreased IL-9 concentrations compared to healthy controls. Treatment generally resulted in an increased antioxidant capacity with exception of zinc-polycarboxylate cement showing distinctive inflammatory pattern. Comparison of inflammatory and oxidative profiles in temporary and permanent restorations showed material-specific patterning which was particularly expressed in temporary materials plausibly related to greater caries extension. Caries affected teeth exhibited a balanced inflammatory pattern in GCF, with a general tendency of homeostatic re-establishment following treatment. Restorative materials did not provide specific pathological effects, although some material groups did exhibit significantly elevated levels of inflammatory and oxidative markers compared to healthy controls, while the material-specific patterning was observed as well.

Association Between Oxidative Stress and Melanoma Progression.

BACKGROUND: Overproduction of free radicals accompanied with their insufficient removal/neutralization by antioxidative defense system impairs redox hemostasis in living organisms. Oxidative stress has been shown to be involved in all the stages of carcinogenesis and malignant melanocyte transformation. The aim of this study was to examine association between oxidative stress development and different stages of melanoma. METHODS: The measured oxidative stress parameters included: superoxide anion radical, total and manganese superoxide dismutase, catalase and malondialdehyde. Oxidative stress parameters were measured spectrophotometrically in serum samples from melanoma patients (n=72) and healthy control subjects (n=30). Patients were classified according to AJCC clinical stage. RESULTS: Average superoxide anion and malondialdehyde concentrations were significantly higher in melanoma patients than in control group, with the highest value of superoxide anion in stage III, while malondialdehyde highest value was in stage IV. The activity of total and manganese superoxide dismutase was insignificantly higher in melanoma patients than in control group, while catalase activity was significantly higher. The highest activity of total activity of manganese superoxide dismutase was in stage IV. Catalase activity was increasing with the disease progression achieving the maximum in stage III. CONCLUSION: Results of our study suggest that melanoma is oxidative stress associated disease, as well as deteriorated cell functioning at mitochondrial level.

Tissue and urinary KIM-1 relate to tumor characteristics in patients with clear renal cell carcinoma.

The objective of this prospective follow-up trial was to ascertain whether the urinary kidney injury molecule-1 (uKIM-1) associates with tumor tissue (tKIM-1) expression and with the pathological characteristics of clear renal cell carcinoma (cRCC) in radically nephrectomized (RN) and/or in partially nephrectomized (PN) patients with cRCC, pre- and postoperatively. This clinical study included 40 patients subjected to RN/PN (cRCC group) and 30 healthy volunteers (control group). Urinary KIM-1 was determined by ELISA TIM-1/KIM-1 kit and normalized by urinary creatinine. Immunohistochemical staining (monoclonal anti-human anti-TIM-1/KIM-1/HAVCR antibody) was used for semiquantitative analysis of the tKIM-1 expression and expressed as a score (% KIM-1 positively stained tubules). Both markers were interpreted in terms of the tumor characteristics comprising tumor size, Fuhrman grade, pathological (pT) stage, tumor/nodes/metastasis (TNM) stage, lymphovascular invasion and type of surgery RN/PN. Preoperative uKIM-1 was significantly higher in the cRCC group compared to controls, such as uKIM-1 was statistically higher in RN than in PN patients. Postoperatively, uKIM-1 decreased to control values. Expression of tKIM-1 was documented in all nephrectomized patients. Significant associations were achieved between uKIM-1 and tKIM-1 and with considered tumor characteristics, especially with tumor size and grade. Based on the accomplished associations, we found uKIM-1 as a highly sensitive marker for cRCC diagnosis. The clinical trial registration number: 1110-2012.

Influence of Dental Restorations on Oxidative Stress in Gingival Crevicular Fluid.

Biocompatibility of dental materials (DM) can be evaluated by gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) oxidative stress (OS) status. The goal of the study was to ascertain influence of dental caries degree, teeth position, and type and amount of applied DM on GCF OS profile. For this purpose, we tested six DMs that were sealed in one session: amalgam (Amg), composites: Tetric EvoCeram and Beautifil (BF), phosphate cement-zinc phosphate and polycarboxylate cements-zinc polycarboxylate cements, and glass ionomer cement (GIC). The study included 88 dental outpatients. Follow-up was scheduled at 7th and 30th day. Oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels and total superoxide dismutase (tSOD) activity) were measured before (0th day) and after the treatment (7th and 30th day) in GCF. Control teeth were mirror-positioned healthy teeth. The DM accomplished the following effects (listed in descending order): increase of GSH in GCF was realized by ZPoC > BF > GIC > Amg; tSOD activity increase by ZPoC > BF > Amg; and MDA decrease by ZPoC > ZPhC > Amg > TEC. Dental caries provokes insignificant rise of OS in GCF. ZPoC and ZPhC showed the highest antioxidant effect, contrary to GIC. Restorations with antioxidant properties may reduce gum diseases initiated by caries lesion, what is of great clinical relevance in dentistry.

In vitro antioxidant activity of thiazolidinone derivatives of 1,3-thiazole and 1,3,4-thiadiazole.

The initial steps in preclinical drug developing research concern the synthesis of new compounds for specific therapeutic use which needs to be confirmed by in vitro and then in vivo testing. Nine thiazolidinone derivatives (numerically labeled 1-9) classified as follows: 1,3-thiazole-based compounds (1 and 2); 1,3,4-thiadiazole based compounds (3 and 4); substituted 5-benzylideno-2-adamantylthiazol[3,2-b][1,2,4]triazol-6(5H)ones (5-8); and an ethylaminothiazole-based chalcone (9), were tested for antioxidant activity (AOA) by using three in vitro assays: DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging capacity test); FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power test); and TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances test). Compounds 1-4 and 9 in particular are newly synthesized compounds. Also, traditional antioxidants Vitamins E and C and α-lipoic acid (α-LA) were tested. The results of DPPH testing: Vitamin C 94.35%, Vitamin E 2.99% and α-LA 1.57%; compounds: 4 33.98%; 2 18.73%; 1 15.62%; 5 6.59%; 3 4.99%; 6-9 demonstrated almost no AOA. The results of TBARS testing (% of LPO inhibition): Vitamin C 62.32%; Vitamin E 36.29%; α-LA 51.36%; compounds: 1 62.11%; 5 66.71%; 9 60.93%; 4, 6 and 7 demonstrated ∼50%; 3 and 8 displayed ∼38%; 2 23.51%. By FRAP method, Vitamins E and C showed equal AOA, ∼100%, unlike α-LA (no AOA), and AOA of the tested compounds (expressed as a fraction of the AOA of Vitamin C) were: 2 and 4-75%; 8, 3 and 1-45%; 5-7 and 9-27%. Different red-ox reaction principles between these assays dictate different AOA outcomes for a single compound. Vitamin C appeared to be the superior antioxidant out of the traditional antioxidants; and compound 4 was superior to other tested thiazolidinone derivatives. Vitamin C appeared to be the superior antioxidant out of the traditional antioxidants; and compound 4 was superior to other tested thiazolidinone derivatives. Phenyl-functionalized benzylidene, amino-carbonyl functional domains and chelating ligand properties of the thiazolidinone derivatives correlated with AOA.

The role of nitric oxide in paraquat-induced oxidative stress in rat striatum.

The role of nitric oxide (NO) in paraquat (PQ)-induced neurotoxicity is still not fully understood. In this study we used NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a non-selective nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, in order to examine the effects of NO, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and lipid peroxidation (LPO) development during PQ-mediated neurotoxicity. Oxidative stress development in the striatum of Wistar rats intrastriatally (i.s.) poisoned with PQ (and in some cases pre-treated with L-NAME) was investigated by measuring superoxide anion (O2.-), malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitrate (NO3-), 30 min, 24 hours and 7 days after treatment. L-NAME pre-treatment provided the possibility to distinguish the role of ROS from reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in oxidative stress development induced by PQ. Our results confirm the involvement of NO in PQ-mediated neurotoxicity and reduced LPO by L-NAME pre-treatment implying that the latter has a protective role.

Subacute alcohol and/or disulfiram intake affects bioelements and redox status in rat testes.

The aim of the study was to investigate if alcohol and disulfiram (DSF) individually and in combination affect bioelements' and red-ox homeostasis in testes of the exposed rats. The animals were divided into groups according to the duration of treatments (21 and/or 42 days): C21/C42 groups (controls); OL21 and OL22-42 groups (0.5 mL olive oil intake); A1-21 groups (3 mL 20% ethanol intake); DSF1-21 groups (178.5 mg DSF/kg/day intake); and A21+DSF22-42 groups (the DSF ingestion followed previous 21 days' treatment with alcohol). The measured parameters in testes included metals: zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg) and selenium (Se); as well as oxidative stress (OS) parameters: superoxide anion radical (O2•-), glutathione reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG), malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) decomposition and activities of total superoxide dismutase (tSOD), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR). Metal status was changed in all experimental groups (Fe rose, Zn fell, while Cu increased in A21+DSF24-32 groups). Development of OS was demonstrated in A1-21 groups, but not in DSF1-21 groups. In A21+DSF22-42 groups, OS was partially reduced compared to A groups (A1-21>MDA>C; A1-21

High Interleukin 27 Production is Associated with Early Clinical Stage and Localized Disease in Patients with Melanoma.

BACKGROUND: The immune response in patients with melanoma is an important focus of research due to the tumor's resistance and immunotherapy possibilities. IL-27 is one of the cytokines with antitumor properties. The role of IL-27 in the pathogenesis of melanoma is still unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the association between serum IL-27 levels and the clinical parameters of melanoma patients. METHODS: The IL-27 concentration was determined by com mercial ELISA in serum samples from melanoma patients (n=72) and healthy control subjects (n=44). Patients were classified according to AJCC clinical stage, TNM stage, the length of progression-free interval (PFI) and the extent of the disease (localized or widespread). RESULTS: Average IL-27 values were increased in patients with early stages of melanoma compared to patients with terminal stages and control values. The highest IL-27 concentration was found in stage IIa. Patients in stages III and IV had significantly lower values of IL-27 compared to control. Patients with localized melanoma and shorter PFI had insignificantly increased IL-27 levels compared to patients with widespread disease and longer PFI. Patients with metastatic disease and stage TNM4 had significantly lower average IL-27 values compared to control. Patients with high production of IL-27 (>1000 pg/mL) were most numerous in IIa AJCC stage, with initial tumor size TNM2 and in the group of patients with localized disease. CONCLUSIONS: High levels of IL-27 in patients with melanoma are associated with the initial stages and lo calized disease.

Urinary KIM-1 and AQP-1 in patients with clear renal cell carcinoma: Potential noninvasive biomarkers.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and aquaporin-1 (AQP-1) are potential early urinary biomarkers of clear renal cell carcinoma (cRCC). The aim of this study was to ascertain relationship between the urine concentrations KIM-1 and AQP-1 with tumor size, grade, pT stage and type of operation (radical or partial nephrectomy) in patients with cRCC. METHODS: Urinary concentrations of urinary KIM-1 (uKIM-1) and urinary AQP-1 (uAQP-1) were determined by commercially available ELISA kits. The analysis included 40 patients undergoing partial or radical nephrectomy for cRCC and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy adult volunteers. RESULTS: The median preoperative concentrations of KIM-1 in the cRCC group [0.724 ? 1.120 ng/mg urinary creatinine (Ucr)] were significantly greater compared with controls (healthy volunteers) (0.210 +/- 0.082 ng/mgUcr) (p = 0.0227). Postoperatively, uKIM-1 concentration decreased significantly to control values (0.177 +/- 0.099 ng/mgUcr vs 0.210 + 0.082 ng/mgUcr, respectively). The size, grade and stage of tumor were correlated positively with preoperative uKIM-1 concentrations. Contrary to these results, concentrations of uAQP-1 in the cRCC group were significantly lower (0.111 +/- 0.092 ng/mgUcr) compared with the control group (0.202 +/- 0.078 ng/mgUcr) (p = 0.0014). Postoperatively, the concentrations of uAQP-1 increased progressively up to control values, approximately. We find no significant correlation between preoperative uAQP-1 concentrations and tumor size, grade and stage. CONCLUSION: uKIM-1 was found to be a reliable diagnostic marker of cRCC, based on its significantly increased values before and decreased values after the nephrectomy.

Oxidative stress, bioelements and androgen status in testes of rats subacutely exposed to cadmium.

The objective of our study was to examine testicular toxicity of cadmium (Cd), focusing on oxidative stress (OS), essential metals and androgenic status and morphological changes. Male Wistar rats [controls and four Cd-subgroups (n = 6) organized according to the exposure (1, 3, 10 and 21 days)] were intraperitoneally (i.p.) treated with 1 mg CdCl2/kg/day. Testicular Cd deposition was noticed from the 1st day. After 10 and 21 days, copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) increased by 60-109% and 43-67%, respectively, while zinc (Zn) decreased by 24-33%. During 1-21 days of the exposure, decrease in testicular total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total glutathione-s-transferase (GST) activities occurred gradually by 30-78% and 15-84%, respectively, while superoxide anion radical (O2(-)) increased gradually by 114-271%. After 10-21 days, decrease in testicular catalase (CAT) activity appeared by 13-31%. After 21 days, malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased by 44% and the ratio of oxidized glutathione/reduced glutathione (GSSG/GSH) increased by 130% in testes of the rats exposed to Cd. Additionally, decreased testicular testosterone level and the relative testes mass, along with induced microscopic and macroscopic changes were occured, what can be explained as the consequence of instantly developed OS, impaired essential metals status and Cd testicular deposition.

Vitamin E inhibits anti-Fas-induced phosphatidylserine oxidation but does not affect its externalization during apoptosis in Jurkat T cells and their phagocytosis by J774A.1 macrophages.

Apoptosis and phagocytosis of apoptotic cells provide for effective and harmless clearance of unwanted or damaged cells in the body. Preferential oxidation of one particular class of phospholipids, phosphatidylserine (PS), is a typical trait of both oxidant- and nonoxidant-induced apoptosis. PS oxidation is likely to play an important role in phagocytosis either by affecting PS externalization acting as an "eat me" signal or by more effective recognition of apoptotic cells by macrophage receptors. This implies that antioxidants effective in inhibiting PS oxidation may affect PS externalization and/or effective removal of apoptotic cells. Therefore, it is essential to determine whether vitamin E, the major lipid-soluble antioxidant of membranes, inhibits PS oxidation, and hence blocks apoptosis/phagocytosis. To test this, we studied the effects of vitamin E on PS oxidation and signaling using a model of anti-Fas-triggered apoptosis in Jurkat T cells. We found that incubation of cells with vitamin E (0.25-50 micro M) resulted in its integration into cells to reach physiologically relevant concentrations. Using labeling of cell phospholipids with oxidation-sensitive and fluorescent cis-parinaric acid (PnA), we found that anti-Fas exposure caused significant and selective oxidation of PnA-PS in Jurkat T cells (22 +/- 2.1% of its content in nonexposed cells). Vitamin E protected PnA-PS against oxidation in a concentration-dependent way such that at 25 micro M and 50 micro M, a complete inhibition of anti-Fas-induced PS oxidation was achieved. At all concentrations used, vitamin E had no effect on either biomarkers of anti-Fas-induced apoptosis (PS externalization, nuclear fragmentation) or phagocytosis of anti-Fas-induced apoptotic cells by J774A.1 macrophages. We conclude that vitamin E does not significantly interfere with extrinsic (death receptor-triggered) pathways of apoptosis and does not affect phagocytosis of anti-Fas-triggered apoptotic cells.