Modulatory effect of moringa oleifera against gamma-radiation-induced oxidative stress in rats

Gallic acid rescues uranyl acetate induced-hepatic dysfunction in rats by its antioxidant and cytoprotective potentials

BACKGROUND

The liver was identified as a primary target organ for the chemo-radiological effects of uranyl acetate (UA). Although the anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic properties of gallic acid (GA) make it a promising phytochemical to resist its hazards, there is no available data in this area of research.

METHODS

To address this issue, eighteen rats were randomly and equally divided into three groups. One group was received carboxymethyl cellulose (vehicle of GA) and kept as a control. The UA group was injected intraperitoneally with UA at a single dose of 5 mg/kg body weight. The third group (GA + UA group) was treated with GA orally at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight for 14 days before UA exposure. UA was injected on the 15th day of the experiment in either the UA group or the GA + UA group. The biochemical, histological, and immunohistochemical findings in the GA + UA group were compared to both control and UA groups.

RESULTS

The results showed that UA exposure led to a range of adverse effects. These included elevated plasma levels of aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, total protein, globulin, glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and very-low-density lipoprotein and decreased plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The exposure also disrupted the redox balance, evident through decreased plasma total antioxidant capacity and hepatic nitric oxide, superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione peroxidase and increased hepatic oxidized glutathione and malondialdehyde. Plasma levels of albumin and alanine aminotransferase did not significantly change in all groups. Histopathological analysis revealed damage to liver tissue, characterized by deteriorations in tissue structure, excessive collagen accumulation, and depletion of glycogen. Furthermore, UA exposure up-regulated the immuno-expression of cleaved caspase-3 and down-regulated the immuno-expression of nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor 2 in hepatic tissues, indicating an induction of apoptosis and oxidative stress response. However, the pre-treatment with GA proved to be effective in mitigating these negative effects induced by UA exposure, except for the disturbances in the lipid profile.

CONCLUSIONS

The study suggests that GA has the potential to act as a protective agent against the adverse effects of UA exposure on the liver. Its ability to restore redox balance and inhibit apoptosis makes it a promising candidate for countering the harmful effects of chemo-radiological agents such as UA.

Investigation of the nephroprotective activity of Moringa peregrina leaves aqueous extract in mice

Traditional remedies for Moringa peregrina leaves have a variety of uses with confirmed biological and therapeutic effects, as per published reports. The current study aims to evaluate the ability of the leaves aqueous extract to protect from nephrotoxicity in gentamicin-treated mice. Phytochemical analysis for the aqueous extract was performed using DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay for antioxidants, Folin-Ciocalteu, AlCl3 and HPLC- MS/MS analysis, focusing on phenol and flavonoid content. The nephroprotective activity of the prepared extract was evaluated by means of variable biochemical parameters including Creatinine (Cr), Uric Acid (UA), and Urea (Ur). In addition, histological examination of renal tissues was performed in all mice groups (control, gentamicin-induced (150 mg/Kg i.p) and aqueous extract-orally treated groups (500 and 1000 mg/Kg)). Findings reveal that the prepared extract has total phenols (555.57±0.92mg/g, equivalent to gallic acid), flavonoids (40.08±1.56 mg/g, equivalent to quercetin), and DPPH IC50 (3.10 µg/ml). HPLC-MS/MS analysis revealed the presence of 10 phenols and flavonoids compounds. In vivo studies showed a significant (P < 0.05) reducing effect for the high-dose treatment, on serum and urine concentrations for UA, Cr, and U, among the nephrotoxicity induced mice. Low-dose treated group showed significant reduction on serum concentration of UA, Cr and U, but only for Cr concentration in urine. The histological examination showed an improvement in the image of the renal tissue among the induced-nephrotoxicity mice, which was treated with high-dose extract. In conclusion, leaves aqueous extract of M. peregrina have shown potential protective effect to counteract some of the gentamicin consequences on kidney functions.

Restoring strategy of ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera leaves against Tilmicosin-induced cardiac injury in rats: Targeting cell apoptosis-mediated pathways

Tilmicosin (Til), an effective macrolide antibiotic, is widely used against respiratory diseases in livestock; however, its treatment is associated with cardiac tissue impairments. In this study, the ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera (MO) leaves was investigated at two doses (400 and 800 mg/kg body weight [bw], orally) to determine its role in counteracting the effects of Til treatment (75 mg/kg bw) on the cardiac tissue in rats, exploring the oxidative stress-mediated damage and apoptosis. A high dose of MO ethanolic extract elicits considerable changes in the body weight, reduces the mortality rate, neutralizes the impaired cardiac injury markers, improves antioxidant endpoints (total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, catalase activity, and reduced glutathione level). Also it attenuates the oxidative stress indices (total reactive oxygen species, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, lipid peroxides [malondialdehyde], and protein carbonyl levels) that are associated with Til injection. The co-administration of MO ethanolic extract with Til considerably modulates the expression of apoptosis pathway-encoding genes (Bcl-2, caspase-3, Bax, p53, apoptosis-inducing factor, and Apaf-1), particularly in the high-dose group. Our results support that the concurrent administration of MO ethanolic extract with Til at a dose of 800 mg/kg bw increases the protective activity of the antioxidant system and delays or slows the pathological development of cardiotoxicity mediated by Til injection.

Antioxidant activities of Moringa oleifera leaf extract against pendimethalin-induced oxidative stress and genotoxicity in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.)

To assess the ameliorative effects of Moringa oleifera (MO) leaf extract on haematological and biochemical changes, liver DNA damage and oxidative stress biomarkers in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) exposed to a sublethal concentration (0.52 mg/l) of pendimethalin (PM). Tilapia fish were allocated into four equal groups in tri-replicates as follows: first group was the control group, second group was treated with MO (20 ml/30 l water), third group was exposed to 0.52 mg PM/l and fourth group was exposed to 0.52 mg PM/l and treated with MO leaf extract (20 ml/30 l water) for 28 days. At the end of this period, blood and liver tissue samples were collected and haematological and biochemical changes, hepatic DNA fragmentation and oxidative stress biomarkers were analysed. Pendimethalin caused significant reduction in haematological profile [White blood cells (WBCs) and red blood cells (RBCs) counts, haemoglobin (Hb) concentration and haematocrit (Ht) level]; meanwhile, serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatinine, uric acid, glucose, cortisol, cholesterol and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were significantly increased. On the other hand, serum total protein, albumin, globulin and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were decreased. Significant reduction in hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels and marked increments of hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) and DNA fragmentation were observed in PM-exposed fish compared to the control group. The addition of Moringa oleifera leaf extract into the water could overcome the negative impacts of pendimethalin and normalise the examined parameters nearly to the control values. Moringa oleifera was used for the first time to protect tilapia fish against PM-induced toxicity. The present study revealed that Moringa oleifera has potent antioxidant and antigenotoxic actions against pendimethalin toxicity.

Radioprotective effect of Date syrup on radiation- induced damage in Rats

Ionizing radiation has cytotoxic and genotoxic effects caused mainly by the oxidative damage induced by free radical release. The need for radioprotectives is increasing to protect normal tissues during radiotherapy. In the present study, we investigated the radioprotective effect of Date syrup in rats subjected to whole body radiation at 6 Gy through biochemical, molecular and histopathological analysis. Significant elevations were recorded in the activities of serum ALT, AST, ALP and LDH and in the levels of all lipid profiles parameters, while the level of HDL-C was reduced. The concentration of liver MDA was elevated with depletion of hepatic glutathione (GSH) and catalase. DNA damage was evidenced by increased DNA strand breakage and DNA-protein crosslinks. Significant elevations were observed in the expression of liver TNF-α and serum activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9). Pretreatment of rats with Date syrup ameliorated the tissue damage induced by radiation as evidenced by the improvement of liver function, antioxidant status and reduction of DNA damage. Besides, liver TNF-α expression and serum MMP-9 activity were reduced. In conclusion, Date syrup could alleviate the toxic effects of ionizing radiation and thus is useful as a radioprotective in radiotherapy regimen.