Immunoregulatory role of hesperidin against ovalbumin (OVA)-induced bronchial asthma and depression in rats.

Links between bronchial asthma and depression have recently become a great subject of interest. The present study was carried out to assess the protective role of hesperidin against ovalbumin (OVA)-induced bronchial asthma that is associated with depression in rats, for this purpose, four groups. Rats were sensitized with intraperitoneal administration of 200 µg OVA/10 mg aluminum hydroxide (Al (OH) 3 for 3 consecutive days then at day 11 followed by intranasal challenge with OVA (1.5 mg/kg) at days 19, 20, and 21. Rats were pretreated with hesperidin (100 & 200 mg/kg) 1h before OVA challenge. At the end of the study, behavioral tests, biochemical indices, and histopathological architectures of lung and brain tissues were evaluated. Our findings showed that hesperidin significantly ameliorated the reduction in motor activity, motor coordination, forced swimming, CD4, CD25 and foxp3, interleukin-10 (IL-10), dopamine, serotonin, and neurotrophin-3 (NT3) as well as alleviated the elevation in transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), iL-5, and immunoglobulin E (IgE). In addition, hesperidin reduced cellular infiltration, alveolar sacs damage, the bronchioles wall disruption, and nuclei pyknosis in neuron cells. Finally, hesperidin may provide protection against OVA-induced asthma and depression. This impact could be mediated in part by its anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties.

Diminished CCl4 -induced hepatocellular carcinoma, oxidative stress, and apoptosis by co-administration of curcumin or selenium in mice.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal disease, and in HCC advanced stages, there is limited therapeutic efficacy. HCC results in a complication of fibrosis or cirrhosis. In this study, the protective effect of curcumin and selenium versus hepatocellular carcinoma caused by CCl4 in experimental animals was investigated. In all, 70 mice were divided into seven groups to study the effect of curcumin and selenium on CCl4 -induced hepatocellular carcinoma. After treatment time, different animal groups were sacrificed, serum and liver samples were collected and processed for assay of biochemical and molecular parameters. Our results showed that CCl4 administration induced various alterations such as significant elevation in the serum levels of ALT, AST, and hepatic contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), and depletion in the levels of antioxidant parameters. CCl4 induced apoptosis in the hepatic cells indicated by an increased level of p53, CD4, CD8, Bax, and Annexin V/PI in addition to significant decrease in the level of Bcl-2. Administration of curcumin and selenium restored this abnormal variation in these biochemical parameters to normal values. Our study addressed that curcumin or selenium may be helpful in the protection against liver damage induced by CCl4 . The hepatoprotective impact of curcumin or selenium might be mediated primarily by its potent antioxidant activity. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranked third common cause of death, primary liver cancer. Exposure to CCl4 was found to induce significant hepatotoxicity, characterized by fibrosis, bile duct proliferation, cirrhosis, and reduced hepatic function The work was prepared to investigate the protecting capacity of curcumin, selenium alone, and in combination against HCC induced by CCl4 in the experimental animal model. This study proved the protective effect of curcumin and selenium, alone and in combination with each other, where curcumin showed multiple pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammation and antioxidant, and have an essential role in inhibiting the progression of HCC.

Flow cytometric study of cell cycle and DNA ploidy in bilharzial bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Tumor grade and stage are currently the most important prognostic variables in bladder cancer but establishing additional criteria is still needed for effective treatment. In this study, we analyzed DNA ploidy and the cell cycle: gap one stage (GO/1), synthesis stage (S-phase%), and gap two stage (G2/M) in urine and blood cells of bilharzial bladder cancer patients. METHODS: The cell cycle and DNA ploidy were investigated using a flow cytometric technique for 150 bilharzial bladder cancer patients and 60 healthy normal controls. RESULTS: This study demonstrated that GO/1 levels were significantly decreased in urine and blood cells of bladder cancer patients compared to controls and these decreases were significant in urine cells compared to blood cells and at high grade and stage. In contrast, S-phase%, G2/M, coefficient variation (CV), and DNA index (DI) levels were increased in urine and blood cells of patients compared to those of controls. These levels were significantly increased in urine patients compared to their blood. Finally, the undetectable DNA aneuploidy in control cells was significantly increased in urine cells of patients compared to their blood cells at higher grade and stage. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the cell cycle and DNA aneuploidy analysis especially in urine cells of bilharzial bladder cancer patients may help in diagnosis, prognosis, and clinical treatment and can be considered as an additional marker for bladder cancer.

Quantitative changes in p53, Bcl-2 and apoptosis in blood and urine of bladder cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: While current pathological and clinical parameters provide important prognostic information, they still have a limited ability to predict the true malignant potential of most bladder tumors. Therefore, the present study was carried out to investigate the levels of anti-apoptotic proteins such as p53 and Bcl-2, and of apoptosis itself as reflected by the increase in sub-G1 peak staining, in the blood and urine of bladder cancer patients, and to thus determine the usefulness of these parameters as tools for early and accurate prediction of tumor growth and development of metastases, in order to assess treatment benefit potential. METHODS: A total of 80 bladder cancer patients and 50 healthy controls without malignancies were enrolled in this study. The levels of p53, Bcl-2 and apoptosis (sub-G1 peak) were evaluated by flow cytometry in the urine and blood of patients and controls. RESULTS: Levels of p53, Bcl-2 and apoptosis were significantly higher in the urine sediment than in the blood. Moreover, p53 levels in the blood and urine of bladder cancer patients were significantly higher than in controls, and were significantly increased during the development of tumor grades and in association with positive parameters of urine analysis. In contrast, Bcl-2 and apoptosis levels in the blood and urine of bladder cancer patients were significantly lower than in samples from controls, and were significantly decreased during the development of tumor grades and in association with positive parameters of urine analysis. Apoptosis levels were positively correlated with Bcl-2 levels but negatively correlated with p53 levels. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that quantitative analysis of p53, Bcl-2 and apoptosis, especially in the urine sediment, may be a useful tool in the diagnosis of bladder cancer.