Plasma homocysteine and liver tissue S-adenosylmethionine, S-adenosylhomocysteine status in vitamin B6-deficient rats.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate plasma homocysteine (Hcy), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) levels, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities and liver tissue S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) levels in control and vitamin B6-deficient rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two male rats with a weight of 65-75 g were used for the experiment. The rats were divided into control (n=16) and vitamin B6-deficient groups. At the end of the experiment, the animals were anesthetized with ketamine-HCl (Ketalar, 20 mg/kg, i.p.), and the blood was collected by cardiac puncture after thoracotomy. Plasma Hcy, pyridoxal phosphate (PLP), liver SAM, SAH levels measured by an isocratic system with high performance liquid chromatography. Plasma GSH-Px, GSH activities and GSH, MDA levels were carried out using a spectrophotometer. RESULTS: Plasma Hcy, MDA, liver tissue SAH levels were significantly increased, whereas plasma GSH, PLP, liver tissue SAM levels, plasma GST, GSH-Px activities and SAM/SAH ratio were decreased compared to those of control group. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin B6 deficiency causes an increase in plasma homocysteine levels. Thus, we think that vitamin B6 supplementation could be used for therapeutic purposes in hyperhomocysteinemia condition.

Nigella sativa as a potential therapy for the treatment of lung injury caused by cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis model in rats.

We investigated the potential protective effects of Nigella sativa (NS) on mortality, serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress and histopathological changes in lung tissues, in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis model in rats. Sepsis induction by CLP, determination of serum cytokine levels by ELISA, spectrophotometric determination of oxidative stress parameters, and histological examination of lung tissues. The rat groups were: 1) CLP group, 2) sham group, 3) NS500-sham group, 4) NS125, 5) NS250, 6) NS500 groups. NS treatment significantly decreased proinflammatory cytokine levels in serum; LPO level, MPO activity, and pathological changes in lung tissues, in CLP-induced sepsis, while significantly increasing GSH levels and SOD activity in the lung tissue. NS treatment after CLP potentially reduced mortality and may exert effects through the reduction in tissue oxidative stress and serum cytokines. The histopathological changes were minimized in lung tissue by NS, under sepsis conditions. We can suggest that NS reverses the systemic inflammatory reaction to polymicrobial sepsis and thereby reduces multiple organ failure. It may be suggested that role of the NS ethanolic extract in preventing formation of CLP induced sepsis, is due to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of the different compounds of the black seeds.

The efficacy of spironolactone in the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome-induced rats.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to test the feasibility of spironolactone treatment in comparison with a surfactant in the early stage of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in rats, as assessed by the acute lung injury (ALI) score, blood gas, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). METHODS: A total of 40 rats were randomly allocated into one of five groups (n is eight). The baseline group (Group B) was subjected to neither tracheotomy nor ARDS induction, while the sham group (Group N) was subjected to tracheotomy upon ARDS induction by acid aspiration. The other three groups were administered either a single dose of spironolactone (100 mg/kg, Group Sp) or surfactant (100 mg/kg, Group S), or were untreated (Group A). Blood samples were collected from the femoral artery for blood gases, BNP and NT-proBNP measurements. RESULTS: ARDS induction decreased the blood PO2 /FiO2 ratio and increased the BNP and NT-proBNP levels (p is less than 0.001). Compared with the ARDS-untreated group, spironolactone treatment was more effective at reducing the elevated BNP (72 percent versus 37 percent) and NT-proBNP (53 percent versus 23 percent) levels and ALI score (28 percent versus 7 percent) than surfactant treatment. Moreover, the blood PO2 / FiO2 ratio was negatively correlated with the BNP (r is -0.79), NT-proBNP (r is -0.85) and ALI scores (r is -0.85). CONCLUSION: Spironolactone is an effective form of treatment for ARDS at an early stage, as reflected by an increased blood O2 /FiO2 ratio, decreased BNP and NT-proBNP levels, and ALI score.

Serum interleukin-2, interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and nitric oxide levels in patients with Behcet's disease.

INTRODUCTION: Behcet's disease (BD) is a chronic systemic disorder characterised by oral and genital ulcerative lesions, ocular and cutaneous manifestations. Cytokines are the major mediators of immunologic and inflammatory reactions. Nitric oxide is reactive nitrogen intermediate which plays a key role in pathogenesis of many inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases. The study was conducted to determine serum interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and nitric oxide levels in relation to the pathogenesis of Behcet's disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-alpha levels were measured with test kits by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, while serum nitric oxide levels were determined with a test kit by colorimetric method. Serum IL-2, IL-6, TNF-alpha and nitric oxide concentrations in 27 patients with Behcet's disease and in 16 healthy controls were determined by extrapolation from their standard curves. The significance of the mean differences between the 2 groups was assessed by the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: The serum levels of IL-2, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and nitric oxide concentrations in patients with BD were significantly higher than those of the controls (P <0.001). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that elevated levels of IL-2, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and nitric oxide in Behcet's disease appear to be related to the disease.

Effect of corticosteroid therapy on serum and CSF malondialdehyde and antioxidant proteins in multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease characterised by perivascular infiltrates and demyelination of the white matter in the central nervous system. Although the precise cause of MS remains unknown, some investigations have been carried out on antioxidant mechanisms in these patients. METHODS: In this study, malondialdehyde (MDA), as a lipid peroxidation marker, and ceruloplasmin (Cp) and transferrin (Trf), as antioxidant proteins, levels were determined in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of 30 MS patients before and after corticosteroid therapy and in 20 control subjects. Transferrin and Cp levels were measured by the nephelometric method and MDA was measured spectrophotometrically. RESULTS: Mean MDA(serum) and MDA(CSF) levels were found to be highest in the pretreatment group and lowest in the control group. Although there was no significant difference in terms of serum Trf level, serum Cp was found higher in pre- and posttreatment groups than in the control groups. Ceruloplasmin and Trf levels of CSF were not detectable using the nephelometric method. A significant correlation was found between MDA(CSF) and MDA(serum) in the pretreatment group (r=0.58). CONCLUSIONS: These data revealed that lipid peroxidation was increased in serum and particulary in CSF of MS patients and was reduced with corticosteroid therapy.