Investigation of the Effect of Astaxanthin on Autophagy in Renal Ischemia-reperfusion Modeled Rats.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of various astaxanthin (ATX) doses on oxidative damage and autophagy in renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury-modeled rats. Methods: The rats were divided into five groups: sham group (n=8), I/R (n=8), I/R + 5 mg/kg ATX (n=8), I/R + 10 mg/kg ATX (n=8), and I/R + 25 mg/kg ATX (n=8) groups. ATX was dissolved in 5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, and 25 mg/kg olive oil for 7 days and administered to the rats in the experimental group. Sham and I/R groups were also administered ATX solution (olive oil) via oral gavage for 7 days. Renal ischemia reperfusion was induced in all rats except the sham group after the last dose was administered on the 7th day. Reperfusion was conducted for 24 hours after 45 minutes of ischemia. Results: Blood samples were collected, and kidney tissue were incised for biochemical and histological analyses. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant status (TAS) were significantly lower in the I/R group than in the sham group (p<0.05), whereas malondialdehyde (MDA) and total oxidant status (TOS) values were higher (p<0.05). It was determined that SOD and TAS increased and MDA and TOS decreased in the ATX-administration groups compared with the I/R group, independent of the dose (p<0.05). In the 25 mg/kg ATX + I/R group, Beclin-1 and LC3ß immunoreactivities were significantly higher than those in the other groups (p<0.05). The lowest p62 immunoreactivity was observed in the 25 mg/kg ATX + I/R group. Conclusions: ATX had a protective effect on kidney function and against oxidative damage. Furthermore, high-dose ATX administration protected kidney tissue via autophagy induction in this study.

Protective effect of astaxanthin on testis torsion/detorsion injury through modulation of autophagy.

A significant clinical condition known as testicular torsion leads to permanent ischemic damage to the testicular tissue and consequent loss of function in the testicles. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the protective effects of Astaxanthin (ASTX) on testicular damage in rats with testicular torsion/detorsion in the light of biochemical and histopathological data. Spraque Dawley rats of 21 were randomly divided into three groups; sham, testicular torsion/detorsion (TTD) and astaxanthin + testicular torsion/detorsion (ASTX + TTD). TTD and ASTX + TTD groups underwent testicular torsion for 2 hours and then detorsion for 4 hours. Rats in the ASTX + TTD group were given 1 mg/kg/day astaxanthin by oral gavage for 7 days before torsion. Following the detorsion process, oxidative stress parameters and histopathological changes in testicular tissue were evaluated. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and total oxidant status (TOS) levels were significantly decreased in the ASTX group compared to the TTD group, while superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and total antioxidant status (TAS) levels were increased (p < 0.05). Moreover, histopathological changes were significantly reduced in the group given ASTX (p < 0.0001). It was determined that ASTX administration increased Beclin-1 immunoreactivity in ischemic testicular tissue, while decreasing caspase-3 immunoreactivity (p < 0.0001). Our study is the first to investigate the antiautophagic and antiapoptotic properties of astaxanthin after testicular torsion/detorsion based on the close relationship of Beclin-1 and caspase-3 in ischemic tissues. Our results clearly demonstrate the protective effects of ASTX against ischemic damage in testicular tissue. In ischemic testicular tissue, ASTX contributes to the survival of cells by inducing autophagy and inhibiting the apoptosis.

Analysis of the effects of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in menstrual cycle on ankle proprioception, dynamic balance scores and visual-auditory reaction times in healthy young women.

OBJECTIVES: Menstrual cycle (MC) can affect not only the female reproductive system, but also functions such as neuromuscular performance. For this reason, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) activity in MC on proprioception, balance and reaction times. METHODS: For cortisol analysis, saliva samples were taken from the same women (n=43) in the four phases of MC. While State Trait Anxiety Inventory-I (STAI-I) was applied in each phase to support cortisol analysis, pain was measured with visual analogue scale (VAS). Proprioception, dynamic balance, visual and auditory reaction times (VRT-ART) measurements were made in the four phases of MC. RESULTS: Cortisol, STAI-I and VAS scores, angular deviations in proprioception measurements, dynamic balance scores, VRT and ART measurements were found to show statistically significant difference between MC phases (p<0.05). As a result of the post hoc test conducted to find out which MC phase the statistical difference resulted from, it was found that statistically significant difference was caused by the mensturation (M) phase (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It was found that neuromuscular performance and postural control was negatively affected by HPA axis activity in M phase of MC and by pain, which is a significant menstrual symptom.