Exploring the relationship between oxidative stress status and inflammatory markers during primary Sjögren's syndrome: A new approach for patient monitoring.

INTRODUCTION: Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a chronic inflammatory disease primarily affects exocrine glands dysfunction. Oxidative stress (OS) is a phenomenon occurring as a result of an imbalance between the generation of free radicals and antioxidant defense system. Hence, we aimed to establish the status of OS and inflammatory response according to the pSS disease activity index. In this context, we investigated malondialdehyde (MDA), and antioxidant enzymes during pSS. The possible association between MDA and nitric oxide (NO) levels and between MDA and some pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-33). METHODS: The study has been conducted on 53 pSS patients. The antioxidant enzymes, represented by glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), were estimated by a colorimetric activity kit. Whereas, MDA value was assessed by measuring thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. Moreover, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-33) and NO were respectively quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and the modified Griess. RESULTS: Interestingly, we report a notable reduction in our pSS patients' antioxidant enzyme activity, while NO, MDA and proinflammatory cytokines values were significantly increased. pSS patients with higher disease activity had much stronger increases in NO and MDA levels. No significant difference was assessed in CRP level. Additionally, substantial significant correlations between plasmatic NO and MDA levels and between MDA, NO and IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α cytokines were reported. However, no significant association was found between NO, MDA and IL-33 concentrations. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our data showed altered oxidant-antioxidant balance in pSS patients. MDA, NO, IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α seem to be good indicators in monitoring disease activity. Oxidative stress was closely related to inflammation in pSS. Exploiting this relationship might provide valuable indicators in the follow-up and prognosis of pSS with a potential therapeutic value.

Argan oil improves surrogate markers of CVD in humans.

Limited - though increasing - evidence suggests that argan oil might be endowed with potential healthful properties, mostly in the areas of CVD and prostate cancer. We sought to comprehensively determine the effects of argan oil supplementation on the plasma lipid profile and antioxidant status of a group of healthy Algerian subjects, compared with matched controls. A total of twenty healthy subjects consumed 15 g/d of argan oil - with toasted bread - for breakfast, during 4 weeks (intervention group), whereas twenty matched controls followed their habitual diet, but did not consume argan oil. The study lasted 30 d. At the end of the study, argan oil-supplemented subjects exhibited higher plasma vitamin E concentrations, lower total and LDL-cholesterol, lower TAG and improved plasma and cellular antioxidant profile, when compared with controls. In conclusion, we showed that Algerian argan oil is able to positively modulate some surrogate markers of CVD, through mechanisms which warrant further investigation.

Oleaster oil positively modulates plasma lipids in humans.

The olive tree had been domesticated during the early Neolithic in the Near East, and more than 1000 different cultivars have been identified to date. However, examples of wild olive trees (Olea europaea oleaster) can still be found in the Mediterranean basin. Evidence of oleaster use for oil production can be found in historical and sacred texts, such as the Odyssey, the Holey Koran, and the Holey Bible. While the nutritional and healthful properties of olive oil are actively being explored, there are no data on the human actions of oleaster oil. Therefore, we investigated the effect of prolonged, i.e., 1 month, consumption of oleaster oil on the lipid profile of a 40 healthy Algerian subjects (aged 27.9 ± 3.85 years), as compared to nonconsumers from the same area. Plasma urea, creatinine, and uric acid concentrations and glycemia did not significantly differ, at the end of the study, between controls and oleaster-oil-supplemented subjects. Conversely, we recorded significant decreases of plasma triglyceride concentration (-24.8%; p < 0.05), total cholesterol (-12.13%; p < 0.05), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) (-24.39%; p < 0.05) in oleaster-oil-treated subjects. Concomitantly, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations were significantly increased (17.94%; p < 0.05) by oleaster oil administration. In conclusion, we show that oil obtained from feral olive trees, i.e., oleasters, improves the plasma lipid profile of healthy volunteers.