Spatiotemporal variations, sources, pollution status and health risk assessment of dissolved trace elements in a major Arabian Sea draining river: insights from multivariate statistical and machine learning approaches.

River Mahi drains through semi-arid regions (Western India) and is a major Arabian Sea draining river. As the principal surface water source, its water quality is important to the regional population. Therefore, the river water was sampled extensively (n = 64, 16 locations, 4 seasons and 2 years) and analyzed for 11 trace elements (TEs; Sr, V, Cu, Ni, Zn, Cd, Ba, Cr, Mn, Fe, and Co). Machine learning (ML) and multivariate statistical analysis (MVSA) were applied to investigate their possible sources, spatial-temporal-annual variations, evaluate multiple water quality parameters [heavy metal pollution index (HPI), heavy metal evaluation index (HEI)], and health indices [hazard quotient (HQ), and hazard index (THI)] associated with TEs. TE levels were higher than their corresponding world average values in 100% (Sr, V and Zn), 78%(Cu), 41%(Ni), 27%(Cr), 9%(Cd), 8%(Ba), 8%(Co), 6%(Fe), and 0%(Mn), of the samples. Three principal components (PCs) accounted for 74.5% of the TE variance: PC-1 (Fe, Co, Mn and Cu) and PC-2 (Sr and Ba) are contributed from geogenic sources, while PC-3 (Cr, Ni and Zn) are derived from geogenic and anthropogenic sources. HPI, HEI, HQ and THI all indicate that water quality is good for domestic purposes and poses little hazard. ML identified Random forest as the most suitable model for predicting HEI class (accuracy: 92%, recall: 92% and precision: 94%). Even with a limited dataset, the study underscores the potential application of ML to predictive classification modeling.

Influence of trazodone on the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of pioglitazone.

BACKGROUND: These days, poly pharmacy is very common for the treatment of multiple diseases and majority of drugs were metabolized with CYP 450 enzymes. Diabetes mellitus is such a disorder, which requires continuous therapy for the control of blood glucose concentration. Depression was quite common in diabetic patients. Therefore, multiple drugs required to treat diabetes mellitus and depression. Simultaneous administration of these drugs leads to drug interaction. Pioglitazone and trazodone metabolized by CYP3A4 enzymes which may lead to potential drug interaction. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to find the influence of trazodone on the pharmacokinetics & pharmacodynamics of pioglitazone in normal & diabetic rats, also on rabbits and subsequently effectiveness and safety of the combination was evaluated. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Blood glucose concentration was determined by Glucose oxidase/peroxidase method in normal and diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced with Streptozotocin at a dose of 55 mg/kg body weight. Serum pioglitazone concentration was estimated by high performance liquid chromatography method for pharmacokinetic data. The values were expressed as Mean ± Standard Error Mean (SEM), GraphPad Prism 3.0 (San Diego, California, USA) software was used to express the data. Student's paired 't' test was used to determine the significance. RESULTS: Pioglitazone produces hypoglycaemia in normal rats with a maximum decrease of 36.78 % ± 0.81 at 3 hours interval and anti-hyperglycaemic activity in diabetic rats with maximum reduction of 45.13 % ± 1.52 at 2 hours interval. Trazodone altered the pharmacokinetics of pioglitazone and improved the pioglitazone hypoglycaemic effect. CONCLUSION: Trazodone apparently produced pharmacokinetic interaction with pioglitazone which might be by attenuating the metabolism of pioglitazone. Therefore, care should be taken in simultaneous therapy with pioglitazone and trazodone.

Assessment of aeolian dust concentration, elemental composition, and their wet and dry deposition fluxes over the Northeast Arabian Sea.

Atmospheric aerosol over the Arabian Sea is significantly impacted by the long-range transported mineral dust from the surrounding continents. This transported mineral dust is hypothesized and tested during several studies to see the impacts on the surface ocean biogeochemical processes and subsequently to the Carbon cycle. It is, thus important to quantify dust contributions and their fluxes to the Arabian Sea. Here we assess temporal variability of dust concentration, their elemental characteristics as well as quantify their dry and wet deposition fluxes over the North-eastern Arabian Sea. The dust concentrations were found to vary from 59 to 132 µg m-3 which accounts for 50% to 90% of total mass during dusty days. However, its contribution during pre and post dust storms ranges between 6% and 60%. Relatively higher dust dry deposition flux of 28 ± 7 mg m-2 day-1 (range: 20-44) is estimated for dusty days compared to pre and post dusty days (range: 0.4-22 mg m-2 day-1). In contrast to dry deposition fluxes, significantly higher fluxes are estimated from wet deposition, averaging around 240 ± 220 mg m-2 day-1. These values are five times higher than those reported from cruise samples collected over the Arabian Sea. The contribution of dust to aerosol mass is further ascertained using elemental composition, wherein a significant correlation was observed between Fe and Al (r2 = 0.77) for samples collected during the dusty period, highlighting their similar crustal sources. Our estimation of dust flux over this region has implications for the supply of nutrients associated with natural dust to the surface water of the Arabian Sea.Implications: The Arabian Sea, one of the productive oceanic regions among the global oceans, has been identified as a perennial source of atmospheric CO2. This basin is heavily impacted by atmospheric dust deposition/inputs owing to its geographical location being surrounded by arid and semi-arid regions. It has been hypothesized that aeolian dust plays a significant role in modulating surface water biogeochemical processes including primary productivity, in the Arabian Sea. Furthermore, modelling studies have highlighted on the role of dust (containing Fe) in fueling and enhancing primary productivity in the Arabian Sea. However, quantification of dust deposition fluxes (wet and dry) on seasonal time scale is missing in the literature. This paper aims to partially fulfil this research gap by providing a long-term data of wet and dry deposition fluxes over the northeastern Arabian Sea. We have also discussed their seasonal variability and factors affecting this flux. Thus, this study will be valuable contribution to the aeolian research community and have significant implication toward the role of aeolian deposition to the surface water biogeochemical processes in the Arabian Sea.

10Be depositional flux variation in the central Indian Ocean during the last 43 ka.

The advent of Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS) enhanced the application of meteoric 10Be (half-life of 1.39 Ma) as a tracer for understanding earth surface processes on thousand to million-year time scales. However, for the majority of applications, an adequate understanding of the 10Be depositional flux is a prerequisite. A number of efforts have been made to understand both spatial and temporal variation of 10Be depositional flux. Yet, due to the limited globally distributed dataset and modulation of the 10Be signal by local processes, a significant offset is observed between model-derived and measured deposition rates of 10Be. In this study, an attempt has been made to determine the 10Be depositional flux from a marine sediment core from the central Indian Ocean chronologically constrained with the AMS radiocarbon dating and 10Be concentration measured with AMS. The 10Be depositional flux estimates using weak leaching method are found to be nearly 44% lower compared to the strong leaching method. The calculated 10Be depositional flux during the Holocene varies between 9.63 and 13.01 × 105 atoms/cm2/yr, which is 2-28% lower compared to the modeled depositional flux for the region. The difference observed in 10Be depositional flux could be due to the local processes (such as boundary scavenging, changing rate of sediment deposition at the location) affecting 10Be deposition into the sediment column or offset associated with the model estimations. The changes in 10Be depositional flux and the 10Be/9Be ratio have been reconstructed up to 43 ka. An increase in the 10Be/9Be ratio during 28 to 43 ka is observed due to the lower geomagnetic field intensity during the period. A high-resolution 10Be/9Be ratio reconstruction shows a peak at 41.2 ka, which can be attributed to the Laschamp event.

Carbonaceous aerosols and their light absorption properties over the Bay of Bengal during continental outflow.

The marine atmosphere of the Bay of Bengal (BoB) is prone to get impacted by anthropogenic aerosols from the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) and Southeast Asia (SEA), particularly during the northeast monsoon (NEM). In this study, we quantify and characterize carbonaceous aerosols and their absorption properties collected in two cruise campaigns onboard ORV Sindhu Sadhana during the continental outflow period over the BoB. Aerosol samples were classified based on the air mass back trajectory analyses, wherein samples were impacted by the continental air parcel (CAP), marine air parcel (MAP), and mix of both (CAP + MAP). Significant variability in the PM10 mass concentration (in µg m-3) is found with a maximum value for MAP samples (75.5 ± 36.4) followed by CAP + MAP (58.5 ± 27.3) and CAP (58.5 ± 27.3). The OC/EC ratio (>2) and diagnostic tracers i.e. nss-K+/EC (0.2-0.96) and nss-K+/OC (0.11-1.32) along with the absorption angstrom exponent (AAE: 4.31-6.02) and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) derived fire counts suggest the dominance of biomass burning emission sources. A positive correlation between OC and EC (i.e. r = 0.86, 0.70, and 0.42 for CAP, MAP, and CAP + MAP, respectively) further confirmed the similar emission sources of carbonaceous species. Similarly, a significant correlation between estimated secondary organic carbon (SOC) and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC; r = 0.99, 0.96, and 0.97 for CAP, MAP, and CAP + MAP, respectively) indicate their similar chemical nature as well as dominant contribution of SOC to WSOC. The absorption coefficient (babs-365) and mass absorption efficiency (MAEBrC-365) of the soluble fraction were estimated at 365 nm wherein, babs-365 showed a linear relationship with WSOC and nss-K+, signifying the contribution of water soluble brown carbon from biomass burning emissions. The estimated MAEBrC-365 (0.30-0.93 m2 g-1), during this study, was consistent with the earlier observations over the BoB, particularly during the continental outflow season.

Sources, controls, and probabilistic health risk assessment of fluoride contamination in groundwater from a semi-arid region in Gujarat, Western India: An isotope-hydrogeochemical perspective.

Fluoride contamination in groundwaters of a rural region in semi-arid Western India has been studied using combination of geochemical-and-isotopic techniques, in conjunction with Health Quotient assessment approach. The objective of this study is to determine the sources and controls on fluoride content and to evaluate probabilistic non-carcinogenic risk associated with its long-term consumption. F- ranges from 0.3 to 12 mg L-1, shows high spatial variability, and ~ 35% of the samples have F- > 1.5 mg L-1 (WHO maximum limit for drinking). Two sources are identified: high F- results from water-rock interaction of F-bearing minerals in granites and gneisses, while phosphate fertilizers can contribute up to ~ 0.46 mg L-1 of groundwater F- that can be significant for low F- samples. High F- samples are characterized by high pH, Na and alkalinity, and low Ca. Calcite precipitation drives the solubility of F-bearing minerals. Kinetic fractionation of water isotopes (18O and 2H) demonstrates that evaporation plays role in enriching groundwater F-. Non-carcinogenic risk, estimated by Hazard Quotient ([Formula: see text]), ranges from 0.13-5.72 to 0.26-11.86 for adult and children, respectively. Conservative estimate shows that ~ 0.467 million of adults and~0.073 million of children in four sub-districts are under the risk of fluorosis-while the residents of other five sub-districts remain safe from it. Finally, we suggest stakeholders to install F- treatment plants to ensure the health safety of local residents in the high-risk zones, create awareness in farmers for optimum use of fertilizers, and promote rainwater harvesting, for better management of groundwater resources and quality in the region.

Evidence for brown carbon absorption over the Bay of Bengal during the southwest monsoon season: a possible oceanic source.

The near UV-visible light-absorbing organic carbon (OC) of ambient aerosols, referred to here as brown carbon (BrC), significantly influences the atmospheric radiative forcing on both regional and global scales. Here, we documented BrC absorption in the aqueous and methanol extracts of marine aerosols collected over the Bay of Bengal (BoB: September-October 2017) and a city, Visakhapatnam (May-June 2018), in southern India during the southwest monsoon (i.e., a transition period with weak continental impact). The absorption spectra of BrC over the BoB showed several peaks around 300-400 nm and differ from those observed over Visakhapatnam. The absorption coefficient of BrC over the BoB, unlike Visakhapatnam data, does not seem to covary with other chemical proxies of biomass burning (non-sea-salt or nss-K+) and coal combustion (nss-SO42-) in the continental outflows, suggesting a different source of BrC over the BoB. Besides, we observed higher proportions of water-insoluble organic carbon (WIOC/OC: 0.89 ± 0.02) and significant enrichment of Mg2+ over Na+ (i.e., relative to seawater) in BoB aerosols. This result and the backward air mass trajectories both hinted their major source of OC from marine-derived organic matter. In contrast, the absorption spectra of BrC over Visakhapatnam are like those from biomass burning emissions in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This observation is further supported by the satellite-based fire counts and backward air mass trajectories. Therefore, our study underscores the BrC aerosols from the oceanic sources and southern India, hitherto unknown, and can improve our understanding of the regional climate effects of carbonaceous aerosols if included in models.

Pulmonary delivery of liposomal dry powder inhaler formulation for effective treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Dry powder inhaler Liposomes were prepared to investigate the effectiveness of pulmonary delivery of Colchicine and Budesonide for Idiopathic Pulmonary fibrosis. Budesonide (BUD) and Colchicine (COL) liposomes were prepared by thin layer film hydration method (TFH) using 1,2-Dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3- phosphoglycerol sodium (DPPG), Hydrogenated Soyaphosphotidylcholine (HSPC), Soyaphosphatidylcholine (SPC), cholesterol (CHOL) and drug in different weight ratios. The optimum lipid composition for BUD (74.22 ± 0.97%) was DPPG: HSPC: CHOL (4:5:1) and for COL (50.94 ± 2.04%) was DPPG: SPC: CHOL (3:6:1). These compositions retained drug for a longer period of time so selected for further study. Liposomes were found to be spherical in shape with mean size below 100 nm. Liposomes lyophilized using Mannitol as carrier and cryoprotectant showed high entrapment efficiency (97.89 - 98.6%). The powder was dispersed through an Andersen cascade impactor to evaluate the performance of the aerosolized powder. It was found that prepared liposomal dry powder inhaler (DPIs) sustained the drug release up to 24 hours. Optimized Budesonide DPI Formulation B2 (86.53 ± 1.9%), Colchicine DPI Formulation C2 (90.54 ± 2.3 %) and BUD and COL DPI Combination M2 (89.91 ± 1.8%, 91.23 ± 1.9%). Histopathological results, measurements of lung hydroxyproline content, Myeloperoxidase activity indicated that liposomal dry powder inhaler administration attenuates lung fibrosis induced by bleomycin. Long term stability studies indicated that lyophilised BUD and COL liposomes were stable for 6 months at (25 °C ± 2 °C, 60% ± 5% RH) and refrigerated conditions (2 - 8 °C). These results supported that combination of budesonide and colchicine liposomal dry powder inhaler pulmonary drug delivery for treatment of idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis exhibits prolonged drug retention at targeted site and reduces the systemic exposure.

Non-hypotensive dose of telmisartan and nimodipine produced synergistic neuroprotective effect in cerebral ischemic model by attenuating brain cytokine levels.

The hypothesis of the present study is that the anti-inflammatory property of telmisartan (TM), an AT1 blocker that may exert neuroprotection through attenuation of excitatory amino acids by controlling cytokines and reactive oxygen species, release during ischemia. The neuroprotective effect of TM and its combination with nimodipine (NM) were studied in rats by using middle cerebral artery occlusion method followed by ischemic reperfusion (IR) after 2 h of occlusion. The drugs were administered 30 min prior to the surgery and continued throughout the study period. After 24 h of IR the neurological deficit was assessed, and the locomotor activity and open field behaviour were assessed on the seventh day. On the ninth day, the brains were isolated for neurochemical and cytokine measurements and histopathological studies. The results have shown that treatment of TM (5 & 10 mg/kg) gradually reduced the glutamate, aspartate and glutamine synthetase levels. It also restored the ATP, Na(+)K(+)ATPase, glutathione and synapse integrity in the different regions of the brain in comparison to ischemic brain. TM ameliorated the pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α), lipid peroxide and nitric oxide levels. Anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 level was found to be concurrently increased. Combination therapy of TM with NM (5 mg/kg) has shown additive effects in the above said parameters. Further a positive correlation between glutamate and cytokine release was observed, and it indicated that synaptic clearance of glutamate can be regulated by cytokines. It can be concluded that TM induces neuroprotective activity through amelioration of pro-inflammatory cytokine release during cerebral ischemia. The additive effect of NM on TM neuroprotective effect would be through controlling cytokine release, ATP restoration by cerebrovasodilation, and along with prevention of Ca(2+) dependent glutamate toxicity in neurons. The advantage of TM therapy in ischemic state can be explored clinically due to its dual effect in hypertension.

Comparative analysis of rationale used by dentists and patient for final esthetic outcome of dental treatment.

AIM: To compare and evaluate the perceptions of esthetics among dentists and patients regarding the final esthetic outcome of a dental treatment. BACKGROUND: Esthetics is a matter of perception and is associated with the way different people look at an object. What constitutes esthetic for a particular person may not be acceptable for another. Hence it is subjective in nature. This becomes more obvious during the post-treatment evaluation of esthetics by dentist and the concerned patient. Opinion seldom matches. Hence, the study is a necessary part of the process of understanding the mind of dentist and patient regarding what constitutes esthetics. TECHNIQUE: A survey has been conducted by means of a questionnaire consisting of 10 questions, on two groups of people. First group consists of 100 dentists picked at random in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. Second group consisted of 100 patients who required complete denture prosthesis. The second group was divided into two subgroups A and B. Subgroup A consisting of 50 men and subgroup B consisting of 50 women. In each subgroup 25 patients were selected in age group of 40 to 50 and 25 patients were selected in the age group of 50 to 60. The questionnaire was given to both the groups and asked to fill up, which was then statistically analyzed to look for patterns of thought process among them. RESULTS: Results were subjected to statistical analysis by Student's t-test. CONCLUSION: Perceptions of esthetics differs from dentist who is educated regarding esthetic principles of treatment and a patient who is not subjected to such education. Since, the questions were formulated such that patients could better understand the underlying problem, the final outcome of survey is a proof that dentists need to take into account what the patient regards as esthetics in order to provide a satisfactory treatment. CLINICAL AND ACADEMIC SIGNIFICANCE: The current study helps the dentist to better educate the patient regarding esthetics so that patient appreciates the final scientifically based esthetic outcome of treatment. It also helps the dental students to understand the underlying patient's thought process regarding esthetics.

DiaTreat: a new method of communication for better diagnosis and treatment of dental problems.

AIM: The aim of this article is to present a simple method of communication between two oral health professionals so that the problem can be conveyed easily and treatment options obtained equally easily and quickly, using current electronic communication technologies. BACKGROUND: Treatment of dental problems involves a thorough understanding of the underlying dental and medical conditions. The arena of dentistry being ever changing, with new specialties arising each year, it has become virtually impossible for an average dentist to keep track of all the treatment modalities available for various problems at a given time. It is the duty of a dentist, however, to treat his patients to the best of his ability. Professional ethics bind the other health professionals to render their opinion to the dentist so that the patient will ultimately get the best possible treatment. Method of communication is the only problem remaining in the path to achieving a total oral health care. TECHNIQUE: DiaTreat is a unique method of clinical charting by which a dentist can incorporate all the ailments affecting his patient, and by withholding the patients name and address, can communicate with any of his colleagues for their opinion on the best treatment option for his patient. CONCLUSION: It is a new and innovative method of communication between a dentist and specialist. Even though it has some shortcomings of its own, on a wider range, the advantages far outweigh the drawbacks of the system. CLINICAL AND ACADEMIC SIGNIFICANCE: This can also be used by educational institutes for easy communication during interdisciplinary exchanges. Improvements need to be made yet to incorporate all the ailments known in dental discipline and make communication a comprehensive one.

A starter's guide to preclinical teeth arrangement: simplified clinometer.

UNLABELLED: Arrangement of artificial teeth in a bilaterally symmetrical fashion with proper inclinations of teeth had been a challenging task for beginners. A variety of tools and guiding equipment have been developed to help students to learn teeth arrangement. Unfortunately, those tools were either costly or unsuitable for use with mean value articulators. This article attempts to introduce a simplified clinometer which can be attached to mean value articulator and can be used as a guide to arrange teeth in a bilaterally symmetrical manner by the undergraduates in both clinical and preclinical set-up. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Training of the future dentists in sound esthetic principles in a preclinical environment, using this device, will increase the final clinical efficacy of their work. AIM: The aim of this article is to provide a simple but effective device to undergraduate students to help them learn teeth arrangement easily and systematically.

Behavior shaping of complete denture patient: a theoretical approach.

The psychological status of a geriatric patient undergoing complete denture treatment is one of the key determinants of the success of prosthesis. Hence, the understanding and behavior management of such patients is of paramount importance for any clinician aspiring to be a successful in practice. Even though several attempts have been made to understand the effects of psychology of patients undergoing this particular treatment on the final outcome of treatment, no single theory or classification has been proposed so far as to be able to completely understand the thought process of geriatric patients. The aim of this paper is to propose a theoretical approach, a step by step guide to clinicians to better understand the thoughts, aspirations and expectations of complete denture patients and their effects and consequences in different patients, when not met with.

Pneumococcusuria: From bench to bedside.

The present study highlights six cases of pneumococcusuria during the time period of May 2008 to May 2010. All the patients had a co-existing predisposing factor with the isolation of Streptococcus pneumoniae in urine. Five of the six patients having signs and symptoms of urinary tract infections (UTI) were treated and cured of the same. It becomes essential to consider pneumococcal UTI in the presence of clinical signs and symptoms associated with urinary tract abnormalities like hydronephrosis and renal stones. S. pneumoniae may be regarded as an emerging pathogen in UTI. Precise microbiological diagnosis must correlate with the clinical signs and symptoms for the administration of appropriate antibiotic therapy.

Effect of curcumin analog on gamma-radiation-induced cellular changes in primary culture of isolated rat hepatocytes in vitro.

The present study was aimed to evaluate the radioprotective effect of curcumin analog, on gamma-radiation-induced toxicity in primary cultures of isolated rat hepatocytes. Hepatocytes were isolated from the liver of rats by collagenase perfusion. The DNA damage was analysed by single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay). An increase in the severity of DNA damage was observed with the increase in gamma-radiation dose at 1-4 Gy in cultured rat hepatocytes. The levels of lipid peroxidative indices like thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARSs) were increased significantly, whereas the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and antioxidant enzymes were significantly decreased in gamma-irradiated groups. The maximum damage to hepatocytes was observed at 4Gy gamma-irradiation. Pretreatment with different concentrations of curcumin analog (1.38, 6.91 and 13.82 microM) shows a significant decrease in the levels of TBARS and DNA damage. Pretreatment with curcumin analog prevents the loss of enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidants like GSH upon gamma-irradiation. The maximum protection of hepatocytes was observed at 6.91 microM of curcumin analog pretreatment. Thus, our result shows that pretreatment with curcumin analog protects the hepatocytes against gamma-radiation-induced cellular damage.

Effect of ellagic acid, a natural polyphenol, on alcohol-induced prooxidant and antioxidant imbalance: a drug dose dependent study.

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol abuse, alcohol intolerance and other alcohol-related disabilities are some of the most challenging public health problems. Alcohol, by its property of generating free radicals, causes severe damage to the membrane and affects almost all organs of the human body. Ellagic acid (EA), a natural polyphenolic compound found in fruits and nuts, possess several biological properties. Our aim was to investigate, in vivo, the antioxidant potential of ellagic acid against oxidative stress induced by alcohol intoxication. METHODS: Female albino Wistar rats were used for the study. The toxicity was induced by administering 20 percent alcohol orally (7.9 g/kg body weight) for 45 days. Rats were treated with EA at three different doses (30, 60 and 90 mg/kg body weight) via intragastric intubations. The antioxidant property of EA was studied by assessing the activities of liver marker enzymes (gamma-glutamyl transferase and alkaline phosphatase), superoxide dismutase and catalase and the levels of vitamin E, vitamin C and reduced glutathione, nitric oxide (NO), protein carbonyl content (PCC), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and hydroperoxides. RESULTS: Oxidative stress was effectively modulated by EA co-administration. EA significantly improved the status of antioxidants and decreased TBARS, hydroperoxides, NO, PCC and liver marker enzymes at the dose of 60 mg/kg body weight when compared with the alcohol-treated group. CONCLUSION: The study provides the antioxidant and cytoprotective properties of EA at a dose of 60 mg/kg body weight against oxidative stress induced by alcohol.

Comparative effects of curcumin and its synthetic analogue on tissue lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status during nicotine-induced toxicity.

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco consumption is one of the leading preventable causes of death and disease worldwide. Nicotine, a major toxic component of tobacco, has been identified as an important risk factor for lung-related diseases. Increasing evidence demonstrates that oxidative stress plays a crucial aetiological role in the development of lung-related diseases. The present study aims at evaluating the protective role of curcumin and a synthetic analogue of curcumin (BDMC-A) on nicotine-induced oxidative stress. METHODS: Male albino rats of Wistar strain were used for the experimental study. Lung toxicity was induced by subcutaneous injection of nicotine at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg body weight (five days a week, for 22 weeks) and curcuminoids were given simultaneously by intragastric intubation for 22 weeks. Measurement of lipid peroxidation indices, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and hydroperoxides, nitric oxide and antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, reduced glutathione, vitamin E and vitamin C, were used as biomarkers for testing the antioxidant potential of the drugs. RESULTS: Oxidative stress, as evidenced by lipid peroxidation indices, was significantly increased in nicotine-treated groups. Administration of curcumin and BDMC-A abrogated this effect. The antioxidant status which was decreased in nicotine was effectively modulated by both curcumin and BDMC-A treatment. However, the reduction in oxidative stress was more pronounced in BDMC-A treatment groups compared to those treated with curcumin. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that BDMC-A exerts its protective effect by modulating the extent of lipid peroxidation and augmenting the antioxidant defence system.

Effect of Ellagic Acid, a Plant Polyphenol, on Fibrotic Markers (MMPs and TIMPs) during Alcohol-Induced Hepatotoxicity.

ABSTRACT Alcoholic fibrosis and its end-stage cirrhosis occur when the rate of matrix synthesis exceeds matrix degradation. Hepatic fibroproliferation is associated with alterations of hepatic tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMPs) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs/matrixins) expressions. The alteration of hepatic matrixins and TIMPs expression to disease stage and inflammatory activity underlines their potential diagnostic markers in chronic liver disease. Ellagic acid (EA), a natural phenolic compound found in fruits and nuts, has potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancerous properties. The aim of our study was to gain further insight into the effect of EA on fibrotic markers (MMPs and TIMPs) during alcohol-induced tissue injury. To elucidate the effect on the MMPs/TIMPs balance by EA, gelatin zymography, multiwell zymography, succinylated gelatin assay, and ELISA technique (for TIMPs) were carried out. Coadministration of EA with alcohol decreased the expression of MMP-2 and -9 and TIMP-2 in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that EA at the dosage of 60 mg/kg body weight effectively decreased the expression pattern of fibrotic markers during alcohol-induced toxicity. Hence, it can be developed as an antifibrotic compound in near future.