scholarly journals Protective Effect of Low Molecular Weight Peptides from Solenocera crassicornis Head against Cyclophosphamide-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Mice via the Keap1/Nrf2 Pathway

Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 745
Author(s):  
Shuoqi Jiang ◽  
Zhuangwei Zhang ◽  
FangFang Huang ◽  
Zuisu Yang ◽  
Fangmiao Yu ◽  
...  

The major component of the Solenocera crassicornis head protein hydrolysates-fraction 1 (SCHPs-F1) are low molecular weight peptides (MW < 1 kDa). In this study, we investigated the potential renoprotective effects of SCHPs-F1 in a cyclophosphamide (CTX) toxicity mouse model. In brief, 40 male mice were randomly divided into 5 groups and received either saline or 80 mg/kg body weight (BW) CTX by intraperitoneal injection for 5 days, followed by either saline or SCHPs-F1 (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW) by intragastric administration for 15 days. SCHPs-F1 treatment significantly reversed the CTX-induced decreases in the levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CRE), and cytochrome P450 (CYP450), as well as the renal histological lesions. Furthermore, the results indicated that SCHPs-F1 potentially alleviated CTX-induced nephrotoxicity through mitigating inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and apoptosis status of the kidneys, as evidenced by decreased levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interferon (IFN)-γ and increased levels of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). Moreover, overexpression of pro-apoptotic proteins pair B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)-associated X (Bax)/Bcl-2, cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase (caspase)-3 and caspase-9 in renal tissues were suppressed by treatment with SCHPs-F1. In addition, the protein levels of the antioxidant factor nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) and the expression levels of its downstream target genes heme-oxygenase (HO-1), glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit (GCLM) and NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (quinone) 1 (NQO-1) were stimulated by treatment with SCHPs-F1 in the CTX-induced renal injury model. Taken together, our data suggested that SCHPs-F1 could provide a novel potential strategy in mitigating the nephrotoxicity caused by CTX.

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Koç Öztürk ◽  
A Yarat ◽  
S Akyuz ◽  
H Furuncuoglu ◽  
K Ulucan

ABSTRACTHuman low-molecular weight salivary mucin (MUC7) is a small, secreted glycoprotein coded by MUC7. In the oral cavity, they inhibit the colonization of oral bacteria, including cariogenic ones, by masking their surface adhesions, thus helping saliva to avoid dental caries. The N-terminal domain is important for low-molecular weight (MG2) mucins to contact with oral microorganisms. In this study, we aimed to identify the N-terminal coding region of the MUC7 gene between individuals with and without caries. Forty-four healthy dental students were enrolled in this study; 24 of them were classified to have caries [decayed, missing, filled-teeth (DMFT) = 5.6] according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, and 20 of them were caries-free (DMFT = 0). Simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S) and gingival index (GI) were used to determine the oral hygiene and gingival conditions. Total protein levels and salivary total protein levels and salivary buffer capacity (SBC) were determined by Lowry and Ericsson methods. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood cells of all the participants and genotyping was carried out by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-sequencing method. No statistical differences were found between two groups in the terms of salivary parameters, oral hygiene and gingival conditions. We detected one common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) that leads to a change of asparagine to lysine at codon 80. This substitution was found in 29.0 and 40.0%, respectively, of the groups with and without caries. No other sequence variations were detected. The SNP found in this study may be a specific polymorphism affecting the Turkish population. Further studies with extended numbers are necessary in order to clarify this finding.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Stav Gazal ◽  
Eyal Lebel ◽  
Yosef Kalish ◽  
Chen Makranz ◽  
Moshe E. Gatt ◽  
...  

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent, potentially lethal complication in individuals with cancer. Patients with brain tumors are at particularly high risk for VTE. Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare subtype of diffuse large B cell lymphoma, involving the craniospinal axis. The incidence of VTE in patients with PCNSL was reported as very high, occurring mostly in the early period of therapy. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of prophylactic low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) throughout the treatment of PCNSL. <b><i>Patients:</i></b> All patients &#x3e;18 years of age diagnosed and treated for PCNSL at our institution in 2005–2017 were included. <b><i>Results:</i></b> There were 44 patients; mean age at diagnosis was 61.5 years. Three patients (6.8%) had a personal history of thrombosis, 11 (25%) had a history of diabetes or smoking, and 32 (72%) had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–1 at diagnosis. During treatment with LMWH, no VTE events were recorded; 2 (4.5%) patients experienced a minor bleeding event and 1 (2.3%) a major bleeding event. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Among our 44 patients with PCNSL treated with prophylactic LMWH, no VTE events were recorded, and only 1 (asymptomatic) intracranial bleed was recorded. Within the limitations of a retrospective nonrandomized study, our findings suggest that VTE prophylaxis may be beneficial for individuals with PCNSL.


2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehrnaz Mehrabani ◽  
Mohammad Hadi Nematollahi ◽  
Mojde Esmaeili Tarzi ◽  
Kobra Bahrampour Juybari ◽  
Moslem Abolhassani ◽  
...  

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease accompanied by a low expression level of cerebral hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1α). Hence, activating the hypoxia-signaling pathway may be a favorable therapeutic approach for curing PD. This study explored the efficacy of hydralazine, a well-known antihypertensive agent, for restoring the impaired HIF-1 signaling in PD, with the aid of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-exposed SH-SY5Y cells. The cytotoxicity of hydralazine and 6-OHDA on the SH-SY5Y cells were evaluated by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] and apoptosis detection assays. The activities of malondialdehyde, nitric oxide (NO), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were also measured. Expression levels of HIF-1α and its downstream genes at the protein level were assessed by Western blotting. Hydralazine showed no toxic effects on SH-SY5Y cells, at the concentration of ≤50 μmol/L. Hydralazine decreased the levels of apoptosis, malondialdehyde, and NO, and increased the activities of FRAP and SOD in cells exposed to 6-OHDA. Furthermore, hydralazine up-regulated the protein expression levels of HIF-1α, vascular endothelial growth factor, tyrosine hydroxylase, and dopamine transporter in the cells also exposed to 6-OHDA, by comparison with the cells exposed to 6-OHDA alone. In summary, hydralazine priming could attenuate the deleterious effects of 6-OHDA on SH-SY5Y cells by increasing cellular antioxidant capacity, as well as the protein levels of HIF-1α and its downstream target genes.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Zhang ◽  
Jiangang Song ◽  
Jin Xu ◽  
Xuemei Chen ◽  
Peihao Yin ◽  
...  

Early growth response- (Egr-) 1 is an upstream master switch in controlling inflammatory responses following myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). Activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase-1 and kinase-2 (ERK1/2) signaling is known to upregulate Egr-1. ERK1/2 pathway has been previously shown to mediate the therapeutic action of electroacupucture (EA). Thus, we hypothesized that EA would reduce myocardial I/R injury and inflammatory responses through inhibiting Egr-1 expression via the ERK1/2 pathway. Mice were pretreated with EA, U0126, or combination of EA and U0126 and then underwent 1 h myocardial ischemia and 3 h reperfusion. We investigated that EA significantly attenuated the I/R-induced upregulation of both Egr-1 and phosporylated-ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2), decreased myocardial inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and interleukin-1β(IL-1β), and reduced the infarct size and the release of cardiac troponin I (cTnI). U0126 treatment also exhibited the same effect as EA on Egr-1 level and subsequent cardioprotective effects. There was no additive effect of cotreatment with EA and U0126 on the expression of Egr-1 and its downstream target genes (TNF-α, IL-1β) or serum cTnI level. Collectively, these observations suggested that EA attenuates myocardial I/R injury, possibly through inhibiting the ERK1/2-Egr-1 signaling pathway and reducing the release of proinflammatory cytokines.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zou ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
Jian Peng ◽  
Hongkui Wei

Oregano essential oil (OEO) has long been used to improve the health of animals, particularly their intestinal health. The health benefits of OEO are generally attributed to antioxidative actions, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigate the antioxidative effects of OEO and their underlying molecular mechanisms in porcine small intestinal epithelial (IPEC-J2) cells. We found that OEO treatment prior to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) exposure increased cell viability and prevented lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release into the medium. H2O2-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were remarkably suppressed by OEO. OEO dose-dependently increased mRNA and protein levels of the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) target genes Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) and g-glutamylcysteine ligase (GCLC, GLCM), as well as intracellular concentrations of SOD1 and glutathione. OEO also increased intranuclear expression of Nrf2 and the activity of an antioxidant response element reporter plasmid in IPEC-J2 cells. The OEO-induced expression of Nrf2-regulated genes and increased SOD1 and glutathione concentrations in IPEC-J2 cells were reduced by Nrf2 small interfering (si) RNAs, counteracting the protective effects of OEO against oxidative stress in IPEC-J2 cells. Our results suggest that OEO protects against H2O2-induced IPEC-J2 cell damage by inducing Nrf2 and related antioxidant enzymes.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 926-926
Author(s):  
Anna Scuto ◽  
Maciej Kujawski ◽  
Claudia Kowolik ◽  
Hua Yu ◽  
Stephen Forman ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 926 Among the non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, the diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) represents the most frequent (30%) of the aggressive lymphomas. Persistent STAT3 signaling contributes to malignant progression in many diverse human tumors. IL-6 and IL-10 are major activators of STAT3 signaling and are important in the pathophysiology of DLBCL. STAT3 has been found to be persistently active in activated B cells (ABC), which are non-germinal center-derived DLBCL cells. We studied the consequences of STAT3 inhibition on multiple biological functions in two representative human cell lines of this group, Ly3 and Ly10 cells. For this purpose, we established stably transduced STAT3 shRNA-expressing lentivirus Ly3 cells, control lentivirus Ly3 cells, STAT3 shRNA-expressing lentivirus Ly10 cells and control lentivirus Ly10 cells. The stable expression of STAT3 shRNA results in 40-50% reduction of total STAT3 protein levels in the STAT3 shRNA lentivirus Ly3 cells compared to the control lentivirus cells. STAT3 down-regulation induced inhibition of cell proliferation (approximately 40%). Ly3 cells respond to IL-10 more than to IL-6 in terms of proliferation; both cytokines induced less proliferation in the STAT3 shRNA lentivirus Ly3 cells compared to the control lentivirus Ly3 cells. Similar results were obtained in Ly10 cells, which respond more to IL-6 than to IL-10 in terms of proliferation. We analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR the mRNA levels of different STAT3 target genes and observed significant reduction in mRNA levels of Mcl-1, Bcl-xL and Survivin in STAT3 shRNA lentivirus Ly3 cells, as well as significant reduction of Cyclin D2 and up-regulation of STAT1 in shRNA lentivirus Ly10 cells. Comparison of these gene expression profiles with data obtained from other B-cell lymphoma cell lines revealed that silencing of STAT3 resulted in down-regulation of different STAT3 target genes in a cell-dependent manner. We also observed that both STAT3 and control lentivirus Ly3 cells have the same protein levels of c-Myc; nevertheless STAT3 silencing resulted in inhibition of IL-10-inducible upregulation of c-Myc. We next investigated the effect of STAT3 inhibition on adhesion to bone marrow stroma and chemotaxis. STAT3 shRNA lentivirus Ly3 cells adhered less to the stroma layer than control cells, and the longer they were cocultured with the stroma cells in the presence of serum-free media the more they lost the ability to adhere. Moreover, STAT3 shRNA lentivirus Ly3 cells had decreased capacity to migrate toward SDF-1 alpha, an important factor that mediates proliferation, survival, chemotaxis, migration and adhesion into bone marrow stroma. Radiation, in combination with chemotherapy, is one of the therapies used for DLBCL patients. We therefore investigated whether STAT3 down-regulation sensitized Ly3 cells to radiation. Radiation induced a higher accumulation of phospho-H2A.X (first sentinel event following DNA damage such as DSBs) and apoptosis in STAT3 shRNA lentivirus cells compared to control cells. Moreover, IL-6 and IL-10 protected the STAT3 shRNA lentivirus Ly3 cells less than the control cells from the induction of phospho-H2A.X following radiation. We further investigated the effect of STAT3 silencing in animal models of Ly3 lymphoma (Nude or NOD-SCID mice). Tumors in control lentivirus Ly3-bearing mice grew robustly, whereas tumors in STAT3 shRNA lentivirus Ly3-bearing mice regressed 5 days after injection. This tumor regression was associated with Caspase-3-dependent apoptosis, significant reduction of STAT3 target genes at the protein level such as Mcl-1, c-Myc and Survivin (approximately 40% to 60% inhibition), and reduction of cytokine production such as IL-10, IL-15, Leptin and Thrombopoietin. Taken together, these results suggest that inhibition of STAT3 is a potential promising approach in the therapy of ABC-type DLBCL. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2010 ◽  
Vol 298 (3) ◽  
pp. E548-E554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rickard Westergren ◽  
Daniel Nilsson ◽  
Mikael Heglind ◽  
Zahra Arani ◽  
Mats Grände ◽  
...  

Many members of the forkhead genes family of transcription factors have been implicated as important regulators of metabolism, in particular, glucose homeostasis, e.g., Foxo1, Foxa3, and Foxc2. The purpose of this study was to exploit the possibility that yet unknown members of this gene family play a role in regulating glucose tolerance in adipocytes. We identified Foxf2 in a screen for adipose-expressed forkhead genes. In vivo overexpression of Foxf2 in an adipose tissue-restricted fashion demonstrated that such mice display a significantly induced insulin secretion in response to an intravenous glucose load compared with wild-type littermates. In response to increased Foxf2 expression, insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) mRNA and protein levels are significantly downregulated in adipocytes; however, the ratio of serine vs. tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS1 seems to remain unaffected. Furthermore, adipocytes overexpressing Foxf2 have a significantly lower insulin-mediated glucose uptake compared with wild-type adipocytes. These findings argue that Foxf2 is a previously unrecognized regulator of cellular and systemic whole body glucose tolerance, at least in part, due to lower levels of IRS1. Foxf2 and its downstream target genes can provide new insights with regard to identification of novel therapeutic targets.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 812
Author(s):  
Weslley Souza de Paiva ◽  
Moacir Fernandes Queiroz ◽  
Diego Araujo Sabry ◽  
André Luiz Cabral Monteiro de Azevedo Santiago ◽  
Guilherme Lanzi Sassaki ◽  
...  

Oxidative stress is the cause of numerous diseases in humans; therefore, there has been a continuous search for novel antioxidant molecules. Fungal chitosan is an attractive molecule that has several applications (antifungal, antibacterial, anticancer and antiparasitic action) owing to its unique characteristics; however, it exhibits low antioxidant activity. The aim of this study was to obtain fungal chitosan (Chit-F) from the fungus Rhizopus arrhizus and synthesize its derivative, fungal chitosan-gallic acid (Chit-FGal), as a novel antioxidant chitosan derivative for biomedical use. A low molecular weight Chi-F (~3.0 kDa) with a degree of deacetylation of 86% was obtained from this fungus. Chit-FGal (3.0 kDa) was synthesized by an efficient free radical-mediated method using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and ascorbic acid. Both Chit-F and Chit-FGal showed similar copper chelating activities; however, Chit-FGal was more efficient as an antioxidant, exhibiting twice the total antioxidant capacity than Chi-F (p < 0.05). Furthermore, H2O2 (0.06 M) promoted a 50% decrease in the viabilities of the 3T3 fibroblast cells. However, this effect was abolished in the presence of Chit-FGal (0.05–0.25 mg/mL), indicating that Chit-FGal protected the cells from oxidative damage. These results suggest that Chit-FGal may be a promising agent to combat oxidative stress.


2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Shen ◽  
W Wang ◽  
L Ding ◽  
Y Sao ◽  
Y Huang ◽  
...  

Aim: This study aimed to determine whether nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 antagonized the oxidative stress induced by di- N-butylphthalate (DBP) in testicular Leydig cells. Methods: Mouse TM3 testicular Leydig cells were treated with Nrf2 knockdown (KD) or overexpression in the presence and absence of DBP. Oxidative profiles were examined. Nrf2 target antioxidant genes were studied, and the effects of Nrf2 inducer sulphoraphane (SFN) were tested. Results: DBP induced intracellular oxidative stress to a similar extent with Nrf2 KD. Expression and protein levels of Nrf2 were increased together with its target genes, namely heme oxygenase 1, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate quinone oxidoreductase 1 and peroxiredoxin 6, following DBP stimulation. Use of SFN not only restored the intracellular oxidative toxicity but also cell proliferation and testosterone secretion in response to DBP. Conclusion: Increased Nrf2 activity, for example, by SFN can effectively antagonize the oxidative stress in testicular Leydig cells caused by DBP.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document