Phytochemical analysis and protective effects of Vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry) in rats (Rattus norvegicus) following ethylene oxide-induced oxidative insult.

The Vaccinium genus comprises more than 126 genera of perennial flowering plants that are commonly adapted to poor and acidic soils or epiphytic environments. Their molecular and genomic characterization is a result of the recent advent in next-generation sequencing technology. In the current research, extracts were prepared in different media, such as petroleum ether, methanol and ethanol. An extract of Vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry) was used at a dose of 200-400 mg/kg by weight (B.wt). Levels of oxidative stress markers, i.e., superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) and malondialdehyde (MDA), were measured. A histopathological study of six vital organs in rats was also conducted. The results indicated that the antioxidant levels were lower in the group given only ethylene oxide (EtO) but higher in the groups receiving cranberry extract as a treatment. Major improvements were also observed in stress markers such as advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) and MDA following cranberry treatment. Histopathological changes induced by EtO were observed in the heart, kidney, liver, lung, stomach and testis and were reversed following cranberry treatment. The major toxic effects of EtO were oxidative stress and organ degeneration, as observed from various stress markers and histopathological changes. Our study showed that this extract contains strong antioxidant properties, which may contribute to the amelioration of the observed toxic effects.

Role of diagnostic factors associated with antioxidative status and expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in patients with cancer therapy induced ocular disorders.

BACKGROUND: Cancer patients when treated with different chemotherapeutic drugs often develop mild to severe sight threatening diseases during or after chemotherapy. The mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of ocular toxicities is poorly understood. Oxidative stress, inflammation and MMPs (angiogenic factor) are involved in the progression of chemotherapy related ocular disorders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The concentration of oxidative stress markers such as MDA, NO and levels of different antioxidant molecules such as SOD, CAT, GSH, GPx, GPr, VIT A, VIT E and VIT C present in the serum of chemotherapy treated patients (n = 50) and in normal persons (n = 20) were estimated by the direct spectrophotometric method while the concentration of TNF-α and MMP-9 activity were determined using human TNF-α and MMP-9 ELISA kits. RESULTS: The concentration of SOD and CAT (0.356 ±â€¯0.05 µg/dl and 1.26 ±â€¯0.01 µmol/mol of protein) was significantly lower as compared to that (1.09 ±â€¯0.03 µg/dl and 3.99 ±â€¯0.04 µmol/mol of protein) in controls. The levels of GPx (0.06 ±â€¯0.01 mmol/dl) in the cancer patients were much lower than those in the controls (0.78 ±â€¯0.06 mmol/dl). Lower level of GSH (0.96 ±â€¯0.003 µg/dl) in serum of the diseased group was observed as compared to healthy group (7.26 ±â€¯1.40 µg/dl). The level of Vit A, Vit C and Vit E was lower in systemic circulation of cancer patients (109.99 ±â€¯6.35 µg/ml, 1.26 ±â€¯0.36 µg/ml and 1.29 ±â€¯0.191 µg/ml) as compared to control subjects (166.35 ±â€¯14.26 µg/ml, 3.25 ±â€¯0.099 µg/ml and 6.354 ±â€¯2.26 µg/ml) respectively. The concentration of nitric oxide was significantly higher in the cancer patients (45.26 ±â€¯6.35 ng/ml) than that in the normal subjects (16.35 ±â€¯3.26 ng/ml). The higher concentration of MDA (8.65 ±â€¯3.26 nmol/ml) was observed in the patients than normal ones (1.254 ±â€¯0.065 nmol/ml). The quantity of TNF-α was significantly higher in chemotherapy treated patients (32.68 ±â€¯4.33 pg/ml) as compared to the control group (20.979 ±â€¯1.98 pg/ml). Significantly higher concentration of MMP-9 (40.26 ±â€¯3.26 ng/ml) was observed in the cancer patients than the controls (7.256 ±â€¯1.95 ng/ml). CONCLUSION: Lower levels of antioxidant enzymes and non-enzymatic small molecules and higher levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory clinical parameters such as NO, MDA, TNF-α and MMP-9 may be involved in the pathogenesis of systemic chemotherapy related ocular complications such as cataract, glaucoma, blepharitis, retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, pterygium and retinal degeneration.

Efficient hepatoprotective activity of cranberry extract against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar albino rat model: Down-regulation of liver enzymes and strong antioxidant activity.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the hepatoprotective efficacy of cranberry extract (CBE) against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic injury using in-vivo animal model. METHODS: The hepatoprotective efficacy of CBE (200 and 400 mg/kg) was investigated against CCl4 (4 mL/kg)-induced hepatotoxicity, elevated liver enzymes [ALT (alanine aminotransferase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)], and total protein (TP) contents in the serum. Moreover, CBE-aided antioxidant defense against hepatotoxic insult of CCl4 was measured by evaluating a number of anti-oxidative biomarkers including reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum by using spectrophotometric analyses. RESULTS: Results showed that the exposure of experimental animals to CCl4 did induce significant hepatotoxicity compared to the non-induced (untreated) group. The oral administration of CBE demonstrated a significant dose-dependent alleviation in the liver enzymes (AST, ALT, and ALP), increased antioxidant defense (GSH, SOD, and CAT), and reduced MDA levels in the serum of treated animals compared to the animals without treatment. The resulting data showed that the administration of CBE decreased the serum levels of ALT, AST, and ALP compared to the CCl4-induced group. CONCLUSIONS: The resulting data evidenced that CBE exhibits promising hepatoprotective potential against the chemical induced hepatotoxicity, maintains homeostasis in liver enzymes, and can provide significant antioxidant defense against free radicals-induced oxidative stress.