Gastroprotective and microbiome-modulating effects of ubiquinol in rats with radiation-induced enteropathy.

Radiation enteritis is a frequently encountered issue for patients receiving radiotherapy and has a significant impact on cancer patients' quality of life. The gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in intestinal function, yet the impact of irradiation on gut microorganisms is not fully understood. This study explores the gastroprotective effect and gut microbiome-modulating potential of ubiquinol (Ubq), the reduced form of the powerful antioxidant CoQ-10. For this purpose, male albino rats were randomly assigned to four groups: Control, IRR (acute 7 Gy γ-radiation), Ubq_Post (Ubq for 7 days post-irradiation), and Ubq_Pre/Post (Ubq for 7 days pre and 7 days post-irradiation). The fecal microbiomes of all groups were profiled by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing followed by bioinformatics and statistical analysis. Histopathological examination of intestinal tissue indicated severe damage in the irradiated group, which was mitigated by ubiquinol with enhanced regeneration, goblet cells, and intestinal alkaline phosphatase expression. Compared to the irradiated group, the Ubq-treated groups had a significant recovery of intestinal interleukin-1ß, caspase-3, nitric oxide metabolites, and thio-barbituric reactive substances to near-healthy levels. Ubq_Pre/Post group displayed elevated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR-γ) level, suggesting heightened benefits. Serum insulin reduction in irradiated rats improved post-Ubq treatment, with a possible anti-inflammatory effect on the pancreatic tissue. Fecal microbiota profiling revealed a dysbiosis state with a reduction of bacterial diversity post-irradiation, which was re-modulated in the Ubq treated groups to profiles that are indistinguishable from the control group. These findings underscore Ubq's gastroprotective effects against radiation-induced enteritis and its potential in restoring the gut microbiota's diversity and balance.

Novel quinazoline sulfonamide-based scaffolds modulate methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia in immunodeficient irradiated model: Regulatory role of TGF-ß.

A library of new quinazoline pharmacophores bearing benzenesulfonamide moiety was designed and synthesized. Compounds 3a-n were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activity against eight multidrug-resistant clinical isolates. Compounds 3d and 3n exhibited prominent antibacterial activity, specifically against MRSA. After exhibiting relative in vitro and in vivo safety, compound 3n was selected to assess its anti-inflammatory activity displaying promising COX-2 inhibitory activity compared to Ibuprofen. In vivo experimental MRSA pneumonia model was conducted on immunodeficient (irradiated) mice to reveal the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory responses of compound 3n compared to azithromycin (AZ). Treatment with compound 3n (10 and 20 mg/kg) as well as AZ resulted in a significant decrease in bacterial counts in lung tissues, suppression of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), lung interleukin-6 (IL-6), myeloperoxidase activity (MPO) and transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß). Compound 3n showed a non-significant deviation of lung TGF-ß1 from normal values which in turn controlled the lung inflammatory status and impacted the histopathological results. Molecular docking of 3n showed promising interactions inside the active sites of TGF-ß and COX-2. Our findings present a new dual-target quinazoline benzenesulfonamide derivative 3n, which possesses significant potential for treating MRSA-induced pneumonia in an immunocompromised state.

Exploring the anti-osteoporosis potential of Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Fuss extract employing experimentally ovariectomized rat model and network pharmacology approach.

One of the most prevalent secondary osteoporosis is ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis. Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) has potent estrogenic and antioxidant properties and was used traditionally in the treatment of amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea. The present study aimed to characterize parsley leaf extract (PLE) employing RP-HPLC-MS-MS/MS-based method and possible protective effect in ovariectomized (OVX)-induced osteoporosis in rats was assessed. Rats were randomly assigned into SHAM group, OVX group, PLE + OVX group (150 mg/kg/day, p.o), and estradiol benzoate (E2) + OVX group (30 µg/kg/day, s.c). After eight weeks following ovariectomy, biomarkers of bone strength, bone resorption, oxidative stress and histopathology were carried out. A network pharmacology approach investigated the key targets and potential mechanisms by of PLE metabolites against osteoporosis using databases: PubChem, BindingDB server, DisGeNET, ShinyGO, and KEGG Pathway. Moreover, FunRich 3.1.3, Cytoscape 3.10.0, and MOE 2019.0102 softwares were used for network pharmacology analysis and molecular docking studies. Flavones and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives were predominant among 38 metabolites in PLE. It significantly restored bone strength and bone resorption biomarkers, osteocalcin (OST), oxidative stress biomarkers and histopathological alterations. The employed network pharmacology approach revealed that 14 primary target genes were associated with decreasing the severity of osteoporosis. Molecular docking revealed that cGMP-PKG signaling pathway has the highest fold enrichment and its downstream PDE5A. Luteolin, diosmetin, and isorhamnetin derivatives affected mostly osteoporosis targets. PLE exhibited protective action against ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in rats and may be a promising therapy for premenopausal bone loss. cGMP-PKG signaling pathway could be a promising target for PLE in treating osteoporosis.

Ubiquinol attenuates γ-radiation induced coronary and aortic changes via PDGF/p38 MAPK/ICAM-1 related pathway.

Endothelial vascular injury is one of the most pivotal disorders emerging during radiotherapy. It is crucial to rely on strong antioxidants to defend against vascular damage. The current study was carried out to investigate the ameliorative effect of ubiquinol (Ubq) against gamma (γ)-radiation induced aortic and coronary changes, with highlighting its role in suppression of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK). Exposure to γ-radiation was adopted as a potent detrimental model that induces vascular tissue damage. Concisely, male albino rats were irradiated at a dose level of 7 Gy and treated daily with Ubq (10 mg/kg/day, p.o.) for 7 days pre-and post-irradiation. At the end of the experiment, lipid profile, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), gene expression of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), p38 MAPK and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were estimated. Exposure to radiation significantly deteriorates aortic and coronary tissues. Conversely, administration of Ubq significantly reduced serum t-cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides (p = 0.001). In addition, Ubq prevented oxidative DNA damage (8-OHdG) (p = 0.1) and reduced serum MMP-9 (p = 0.001) which contributed to the endothelial cells damage. The positive impact of Ubq was more apparent in suppression of both PDGF (p = 0.001) and p38 MAPK (p = 0.1) protein concentrations, leading subsequently in reduction of ICAM-1 (p = 0.001) gene expression. As a conclusion, vascular endothelial damage brought on by γ-radiation is one of the leading causes of coronary and aortic deteriorations which could be successfully mitigated by Ubq.

Novel VEGFR2 inhibitors with thiazoloquinoxaline scaffold targeting hepatocellular carcinoma with lower cardiotoxic impact.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a fatal tumor which is usually diagnosed at advanced stage. Molecular targeted drugs were used recently to treat HCC, however, due to serious side effects, mainly cardiotoxicity and emergence of resistance, there is demanding to explore new chemotherapeutics. 10 novel thiazoloquinoxaline derivatives coupled with different sulfonamide moieties 4(a-j) were designed and synthesized fulfilling pharmacophoric features of VEGFR-2 inhibition. Structures of all new compounds were verified via spectral and microanalytical data. After carrying in-vitro VEGFR-2 assay for compounds 4(a-j); sulfapyridine and sulfamethoxazole derivatives 4d and 4f showed potential inhibitory effect [61.04 and 83.35 nM], respectively, comparable to standard sorafenib [51.41 nM]. Both were then further evaluated for their cytocidal activity against HepG2 cell-line and against myocardium cells using H9C2 cell-line. As a result, only sulfapyridine derivative 4d exhibited a significant inhibition of HepG2 cells viability [IC50 = 4.31 µM]. Furthermore, it showed relatively lower cytotoxic impact against normal H9C2 myocardium cells [IC50, 33.47 µM] compared to that of sorafenib [IC50, 98.07 µM]. In-vivo study was carried out to determine myocardium safety of compound 4d on irradiated mice (8 Gy). In-vivo results of sulfapyridine derivative 4d showed normal cardiac enzyme function (CK) and serum catalase activity with significant reductions in LDH, cardiac TNF-α and caspase-9 levels, alongside with its efficacy in suppressing the expression of hepatic VEGF. In conclusion, sulfapyridine derivative 4d could be considered a promising candidate as VEGFR-2 inhibitor with less myocardium side effect.

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect of LD-RT and some novel thiadiazole derivatives through COX-2 inhibition.

Generally, highly selective COX-2 inhibitors cause cardiovascular side effects. Celecoxib is the highly marketed coxib, so there is still a need for the synthesis of COX-2 inhibitors with less adverse effects. Moreover, low-dose radiotherapy (LD-RT) is clinically used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of a novel series of 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives alone or combined with LD-RT with a single dose of 0.5 Gy. Initially, in vitro COX-1/COX-2 inhibition assays were performed, identifying the sulfonamide-containing compounds 5-10 as the most potent candidates, with IC50 values in the range of 0.32-0.37 µM and the highest selectivity indices. These compounds and celecoxib were subjected to in vivo examination after their safety was assessed through the acute toxicity test. Treatment with compounds 5-10 inhibited carrageenan-induced edema by nearly 47-56%, which was nearly equivalent to celecoxib. Compounds 7 and 8 and celecoxib showed an analgesic activity of 64.15%, 49.05%, and 84.90%, respectively, whereas compounds 5, 6, 9, and 10 did not show any analgesic activity unless combined with LD-RT. Ulcerogenic activity, histological paw examination, and docking studies were performed. Compounds 5-10 were nearly similar to celecoxib, showing normal histological features with no ulcerogenic activity.

Micellar solubilization enhances the anti-inflammatory effect of xanthohumol.

BACKGROUND: Xanthohumol is known to exert anti-inflammatory properties but has poor oral bioavailability. Using advanced micellization technology, it has been possible to markedly enhance its bioavailability. PURPOSE: In the present study, we compared the chronic anti-inflammatory activities of native and micellar xanthohumol in the rat adjuvant arthritis model, using diclofenac as a reference drug. METHODS: Adjuvant arthritis was induced by injecting Freund's complete adjuvant into the right hind paw of rats and monitoring paw volume over 3 weeks. The drugs were given daily for 3 weeks, starting from the day of adjuvant inoculation. Serum was collected at the end of the experiment to measure inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters. Statistical comparisons between different groups were carried out by one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey-Kramer multiple comparison test. RESULTS: Micellar solubilized xanthohumol showed a better anti-inflammatory activity than its native form. The reduction in paw volume was reflected in corresponding changes in relevant mediators of inflammation like tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein, myloperoxidase and lipid peroxidation markers. CONCLUSION: The findings confirm that micellar solubilization of xanthohumol enhances its anti-inflammatory activity, probably as a result of improving its bioavailabilty. The solubilized xanthohumol may prove to be a promising adjuvant tool for anti-inflammatory treatment and a potential anti-inflammatory alternative to synthetic drugs.

Effectiveness of deferiprone-loaded nanocarrier in experimentally induced rhabdomyolysis: A dose-comparison study.

Herein, the efficacy of free deferiprone (DFP) and DFP-loaded starch/polyethylene glycol/polyacrylic acid (St/PEG/PAAc) nanogel [Nano-DFP] in modulating the biochemical changes induced by glycerol model of rhabdomyolysis (RBD) in male rats was investigated. In this respect, gamma radiation-induced crosslinking was used to produce St/PEG/PAAc nanogel particles, and then, it was used as a nanocarrier for DFP as an attempt to overcome the poor bioavailability and short half-life of DFP. St/PEG/PAAc nanogel was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, dynamic light scattering and Transmission electron microscopy. Free DFP was administered to rats in two doses; 25 and 50 mg following RBD induction, while the loaded nanogel was administered at a dose of 25 mg. The liver and kidney functions were then fully assessed in association with the histological tissue examination of both organs and the femur muscle. Both doses of DFP significantly antagonized the RBD-induced changes in most of the assessed organs functions. The higher dose of DFP, however, showed a statistically more pronounced modulation of RBD effects on each of kidney, liver and skeletal muscles. Nano-DFP; at 25 mg dose, resulted in a statistically significant correction of most of the RBD-related biomarkers with a comparable magnitude to the higher DFP dose rather than the corresponding lower one.

Promising role of filgrastim and α-tocopherol succinate in amelioration of gastrointestinal acute radiation syndrome (GI-ARS) in mice.

The protective role of α-tocopherol succinate (α-TCS) and the therapeutic efficacy of filgrastim were investigated in gastrointestinal acute radiation syndrome (GI-ARS) induced following 10 Gy whole-body γ-irradiation. Mice were randomly allocated into 5 groups: [1] normal-control, [2] irradiated-control, [3] subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of filgrastim (5 µg/kg/day) for 4 consecutive days given 1 h post-irradiation, [4] s.c. injection with α-TCS (400 mg/kg) 1 day prior to irradiation, [5] s.c. injection with α-TCS (400 mg/kg) 1 day prior to irradiation and filgrastim (5 µg/kg/day) for 4 consecutive days 1 h post-irradiation. Histopathological analysis, serum citrulline level, intestinal interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), reduced glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents as well as myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were measured. Intestinal caspase-3, p53, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) immunopositivity were examined. In irradiated-control, MDA increased (249%) and GSH decreased (25%) compared to normal and were unaffected by filgrastim. α-TCS alone significantly reduced MDA (84.5%) and normalized GSH. The combination significantly reduced MDA (59%) and dramatically increased GSH (1573%), pointing to a possible synergistic action. In irradiated-control, MPO and IL-1ß significantly increased (111% and 613%, respectively) compared to normal-control and both were significantly decreased in all treated groups. Compared to normal-control, citrulline significantly declined (68%) in irradiated-control; a significant elevation was achieved by treatments with α-TCS alone or combined with filgrastim (88% and 94%, respectively). The combination therapy significantly decreased the degree of irradiation-induced injury of the epithelium and cellular infiltration and showed the lowest histopathological scoring compared to the other groups (p ≤ 0.05). In irradiated-control, immune-reactive expressions of iNOS, COX-2, caspase-3, and p53 were remarkable (18.62%, 34.27%, 31.19%, and 27.44%, respectively) and after combination therapy were reduced (1.04%, 22.39%, 8.76%, and 4.91%, respectively). The current findings represent a first-hand strategy in dealing with GI-ARS with a potential preference to using a combined therapy of filgrastim and α-TCS.

Micellar solubilisation enhances the antiinflammatory activities of curcumin and boswellic acids in rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Native extracts of curcumin and boswellia are known to exert antiinflammatory properties but have poor bioavailability when given orally. Using advanced micellation technology, it has been possible to produce stable solubilisates of these extracts with markedly enhanced bioavailability. In the present study, we compared the chronic antiinflammatory activities of native and micellar curcumin in the rat adjuvant arthritis model, using diclofenac as a reference drug. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Adjuvant arthritis was induced by injecting Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) into the right hind paw of rats and monitoring paw volume over 3 wk. The drugs were given daily for 3 wk, starting from the day of adjuvant inoculation. The serum was collected at end of the experiment for the assay of inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters. Statistical comparisons between different groups were carried out by one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey-Kramer multiple comparison test. RESULTS: Solubilized curcumin showed better antiinflammatory activity than its native form. The reduction in paw volume was reflected in corresponding changes in relevant mediators of inflammation like tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and lipid peroxidation markers. The combination of curcumin and boswellia solubilisates synergistically produced an even more potent therapeutic effect. CONCLUSION: The findings confirm that micellar solubilisation of curcumin and boswellia not only increases their bioavailability, but also enhances their biological activity. Micellar curcumin, in particular in combination with micellar boswellia, may thus represent a promising concomitant tool for antiinflammatory treatment and a potential antiinflammatory alternative to synthetic drugs.

Platelet-rich plasma-induced feedback inhibition of activin A/follistatin signaling: A mechanism for tumor-low risk skin rejuvenation in irradiated rats.

BACKGROUND: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a source of natural growth factors and is emerging as a treatment modality to mitigate radiotherapy- induced adverse effects. Activin A (ACTA) is a member of the transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) superfamily, which has been shown to modulate the inflammatory response and macrophages polarization between different phenotypes. The aim of this study is to determine the value of PRP in preventing radiation-induced malignancies in light of the cross-talk between PRP and activin A type II receptors (ActR-IIA)/follistatin (FST) signaling pathways where the inflammatory responses at 2 different time points were evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Male albino rats were exposed to radiation and given PRP over the course of 6 days. Rats were sacrificed on day 7 or day 28 post radiation. RESULTS: Quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) and western-blot showed that after 7 days of administrating of PRP, ActR-IIA/FST signaling was markedly induced and was associated with the expressions of inflammatory, natural killer and M1 macrophages markers, TNF-α, IL-1ß, IFN-γ and IL-12. By contrast, on day 28 of PRP administration, ActR-IIA/FST signaling and the expressions of proinflammatory cytokines were downregulated in parallel with inducing M2 macrophages phenotype as indicated by arginase-1, IL-10 and dectin-1. CONCLUSION: The suppression of inflammation and induction of M2 macrophages phenotype in response to PRP administration were found significantly linked to ActR-IIA/FST signaling downregulation. Furthermore, the specific M2 macrophage subtype was found to express dectin-1 receptors which have high affinity for tumor cells thereby is expected to reduce the potential for developing tumors after radiotherapy.

Anti-inflammatory, analgesic and COX-2 inhibitory activity of novel thiadiazoles in irradiated rats.

In this work, novel series of pyran, thiophene and thienopyrimidine derivatives based on 2-acetamide-thiadiazole scaffold were designed and synthesized for evaluation as selective COX-2 inhibitors in-vitro and investigated in-vivo as anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents against carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema model in irradiated rats, since its well-known that ionizing radiation plays an important role in exaggerating the inflammatory responses and in enhancing the release of inflammatory mediators in experimental animals. Toxicological studies were carried out to evaluate the ulcerogenic activity, acute toxicity and kidney and liver functions for the most potent compounds. In order to understand the binding mode of the synthesized compounds into the active site of COX-2, docking study was performed. Most of the tested compounds showed high inhibitory ability to COX-2. Among them, thiadiazole derivatives bearing thiophene and thienopyrimidine moieties were the most active derivatives, compound 26 showed extremely high selectivity index (SI) of >555.5µM which is nearly two folds better than celecoxib (>277.7µM), in addition to compounds 3, 16, 17, 21 and 26 with SI in the range of >308.6- >384.6µM. The 4-chlorothieno[2.3-d]pyrimidine derivative of thiadiazole 21 showed the highest anti-inflammatory activity in this study having 24.49% of oedema compared to celecoxib (18.61%) in addition to compounds 17 and 26 with 24.70 and 25.40% of oedema, respectively, while the thiadiazol-2-acetamide derivative 2 was the most potent analgesic compound with the highest nociceptive threshold (85.72g) very close to that of celecoxib (90.23g). These compounds showed high safety margin on gastric mucosa with no ulceration effect. Also the most active in-vivo anti-inflammatory compounds 17, 21 and 26 were found to be non-toxic in experimental rats with normal kidney and liver functions. Docking study of the synthesized compounds showed similar orientation as celecoxib within the active site of COX-2 enzyme and similar ability to emerge deeply in the additional pocket and binding with Arg513 and His90 the key amino acids responsible for selectivity.