Possible ameliorative effects of kolaviron against reproductive toxicity in sub-lethally whole body gamma-irradiated rats

Protective effects of chlorogenic acid against ionizing radiation-induced testicular toxicity

Background

Testicular tissues could damage by ionizing radiation (IR) during the treatment of pelvic cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate both the protective and therapeutic effects of chlorogenic acid (CGA) on IR-induced mouse testis tissue damage.

Methods

In this experimental study, 70 mice were divided into 3 groups, including group 1 (normal saline), group 2 (IR + normal saline), and group 3 (IR + 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg) CGA via I.P injection. Animals in groups 2 and 3 received a dose of 2.0 Gy total-body irradiation in a single fraction. At two determined time points (16 h and 35 days after exposure), the testis and caudal part of both epididymis were isolated and underwent subsequent analyses.

Results

The results showed that irradiation of mice caused massive damage to spermatogenesis, seminiferous tubules, basal lamina, Leydig cells, and sperm parameters. Further biochemical assessment of the data demonstrated that 40 mg/kg CGA almost restored MDA to a normal level. In addition, the level of SOD, TAC, and GSH were significantly increased in the 40 mg/kg CGA treated group. Molecular evidence confirmed the protective effects of CGA and also revealed that the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 in the presence of 40 mg/kg CGA was significantly decreased compared to IR and some treated groups.

Conclusion

The protective and therapeutic effects of CGA on testis were found to be positively correlated with the dose level.

Kolaviron attenuates cardiovascular injury in fructose-streptozotocin induced type-2 diabetic male rats by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and improving cardiovascular risk markers

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease among type-2 diabetic patients has become a source of major concern world over. This study explored the protective effect of kolaviron, a bioflavonoid, against oxidative cardiovascular injury in fructose- streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic male Sprague Dawley rats. After acclimatization, induction, and confirmation of type-2 diabetes, kolaviron was administered for 28days, after which the animals were anesthetized with Isofor and euthanized. Blood from each rat were collected, and blood samples were then centrifuged for serum and plasma. Cardiac troponin I (cTnI), creatine kinase myocardial band (CK-MB), Creatine phosphokinase (CK), and insulin levels were immediately determined in serum, while remaining samples (serum, plasma, and organs) were stored in the bio-freezer at - 80 °C and 10% formalin for enzyme-link immunosorbent assay (ELISA), biochemical, molecular, and histopathological studies. The results show that type-2 diabetes induction with fructose and streptozotocin led to increased blood glucose levels, decreased insulin levels and cardiac antioxidant enzyme activities, increased malondialdehyde levels, cardiac biomarkers and pro-inflammatory cytokines levels, resulted in abnormal lipid profile, increased blood pressure and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity, and decreased plasma endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) concentration. The histopathological examination of the cardiac tissue revealed severe lesion, hypertrophy, and myofibrils degeneration. However, administration of kolaviron for 28days remarkably improved these conditions. Hence the result from the study validates the potency of kolaviron, and suggests it could serve as an alternative to existing remedy in ameliorating or protecting against cardiovascular injury in type-2 diabetes.

Kolaviron: A Biflavonoid with Numerous Health Benefits

BACKGROUND

The increasing interests on the healing properties of medicinal plants have led to a paradigm shift from the use of synthetic drug to the search of natural medicines for the treatment and management of several diseases. Like other phenolics flavonoids have been continuously explored for their medicinal benefits, with their potent antioxidant activity being a major interest. Kolaviron (KVN) is a biflavonoid isolated from Garcinia kola Heckel, which has been reported for its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These properties have been explored in several disease models including reproductive toxicity, cardiotoxicity, diabetes mellitus, gastrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity.

OBJECTIVES

The present study was aimed to review the reported medicinal properties of KVN in order to provide some guidelines and direction to researchers on KVN research.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted with the aim of identifying peer-reviewed published data on KVN and their biological activities. Different academic and/or scientific search engines were utilized including but not limited to Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect and so on.

RESULTS

Among all the studied disease models obtained from the literatures, the effect of KVN on reproductive toxicity was the most studied as it represented 25% of all the studies, followed by neuroprotective, cardioprotective and hepatoprotective activities of Kolaviron. From our identified studies, KVN has been shown to have antidiabetic, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, hematoprotective, nephroprotective, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective activities. KVN also has effects on malaria and reproductive health, which can be explored for novel drug and nutraceutical developments for related ailments. Unfortunately, while toxicity data are lacking, most studies are limited to in vitro and/or in vivo models, which may impede translation in this area of research.

CONCLUSION

Based on data gathered from the literature search, it is evident that KVN possesses numerous health benefits, which can be attributed to its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. However, more studies are required in this area of research to validate the medicinal value of kolaviron, which may positively influence the economic value of plant, Garcinia kola.

Study on characteristics of biflavanones distribution in Garcinia kola seeds and identification of compounds in gum resin exuded from fresh slices

Garcinia kola seeds play an important role in African traditional medicine, which are widely used to treat stomachache, gastritis, malaria, venereal diseases and laryngitis. The habitats, specification, different parts of seeds and slicing process are important factors that affect the quality of Garcinia kola seeds. Interestingly, brownish yellow or brownish red spots were derived from gum resin exuded during slicing, whose chemical constituents have not been elucidated. A rapid high performance liquid chromatography method was established for quantitative study of four main biflavanones (GB-2, GB-1, kolaflavanone and GB-1a) in Garcinia kola seeds. We found that the content of the tested biflavanones was slightly different in Garcinia kola seeds from different habitats, while the seeds weight showed no obvious influence on the biflavanones content from the same habitat. With the aid of "spider-web" mode, we unveiled that the accumulation of biflavanones mainly occurred in seed kernels. Furthermore, slices thickness (1-2 mm) was optimized by comprehensive evaluation of biflavanones' content, moisture, cutting-time and drying-time to efficiently dry the slices. By employing of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC/ESI Q-Orbitrap MS), garcinoic acid and its derivatives were successfully identified in gum resin, conducing to the interesting finding about the distribution of biflavanones and derivatives of garcinoic acid in Garcinia kola seeds. Generally, our findings in this research could contribute to standardizing the process of harvesting, processing and quality control for Garcinia kola seeds, and help better development and utilization of this important medicinal plant.

Alpha-lipoic acid effectively attenuates ionizing radiation-mediated testicular dysfunction in rats: Crosstalk of NF-ĸB, TGF-β, and PPAR-ϒ pathways

Radiotherapy is one of the principal approaches employed in the treatment of pelvic cancers. Nevertheless, testicular dysfunction and infertility are among the most common adverse effects in young adult cancer survivors. Clinically, alpha-lipoic acid (LA) has been applied to improve the quality of sperm with a satisfactory effect. Therefore, the present study investigated the underlying mechanisms of the radioprotective effects of LA against testicular damage. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 10 Gy of whole-body ϒ-radiation and LA (50 mg/kg, P.O.) was administered one week before and three days post-irradiation. LA showed remarkable capacity in preserving testicular tissue against radiation damage by improving histological and ultrastructural changes of disorganized seminiferous tubules, besides enhancing its diameter, germinal epithelial thickness, and Johnsen's score. Radiation instigated a significant decrease in sperm quality and quantity associated with depletion of serum testosterone levels, while the LA administration maintained spermatogenesis. Strikingly, LA exhibited antioxidant properties by restoring reduced glutathione levels and antioxidant enzyme activities such as catalase and glutathione-s-transferase, besides diminishing malondialdehyde levels in the testis of irradiated group. Furthermore, LA alleviated testicular inflammation through downregulation of nuclear factor-ĸB (NF-ĸB) expression with a subsequent reduction in interleukin (IL)-6 and cyclooxygenase-2 expression, accompanied by the augmented expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Additionally, testicular fibrosis markers including Masson's trichrome and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β expression were noticeably declined in LA-treated irradiated rats, together with the upregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-ϒ expression. Collectively, LA ameliorates radiation-mediated spermatogenesis-defects and testicular-damage via suppression of oxidative stress/NF-ĸB/TGF-β signaling.

Quercetin attenuates di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate-induced testicular toxicity in adult rats

The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential oxidative damage of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in the rat testis and to further elucidate the potential modulatory effect of quercetin. DEHP was diluted in corn oil and given to rats by oral gavage at doses 0, 300, 600, and 900 mg/kg/day (groups I, III, IV, or V, respectively) for 15 consecutive days. Group VI was pretreated with quercetin (90 mg/kg), 24 h before starting the experiment and then treated with DEHP (900 mg/kg/day) for 15 consecutive days. Group II was treated with quercetin (90 mg/kg/day). The relative testes weight and sperm motility were significantly decreased by treatment with 900 mg/kg of DEHP. Both sperm count and daily sperm production were significantly decreased by DEHP treatment at doses of 600 and 900 mg/kg. Serum testosterone level and prostatic acid phosphatase (ACP) activity and testicular lactate dehydrogenase-X (LDH-X) activity were significantly decreased in animals treated with 900 mg/kg. Serum total ACP activity was significantly increased in animals treated with 600 and 900 mg/kg of DEHP. DEHP treatment induced oxidative stress and histopathological abnormality. These abnormalities were effectively normalized by pretreatment with quercetin except for LDH-X near normalcy. In conclusion, the findings of this study demonstrate that DEHP impairs testicular function at least, in part, by inducing oxidative stress and quercetin has a potent protective effect against DEHP-induced testicular toxicity in rats.

Kolaviron, a biflavonoid fraction from Garcinia kola, protects against isoproterenol-induced injury by mitigating cardiac dysfunction and oxidative stress in rats

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of kolaviron (KV), a biflavonoid from Garcinia kola seeds, in rats intoxicated with isoproterenol chloride (ISO) while quercetin (QUE) served as standard.

METHODS

Forty-two male Wistar rats (180-200 g) were randomly divided into seven groups of six rats each. Group 1 served as control; group 2 received ISO (85 mg/kg subcutaneously); groups 3, 4 and 5 received ISO and KV1 [100 mg/kg orally (p.o.)], KV2 (200 mg/kg, p.o.) and QUE (25 mg/kg, p.o.), respectively; and groups 6 and 7 received QUE and KV2, respectively.

RESULTS

Administration of ISO caused significant (p<0.05) elevation of serum creatine phosphokinase, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase by 2.2-, 1.9-, 2.1-, 1.9- and 1.7-fold, respectively, relative to controls, with a concomitant decrease in cardiac activities of these enzymes. Administration of ISO led to significant decrease (p<0.05) in the levels of cardiac superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S-transferase, reduced glutathione and increase in malondialdehyde (MDA). Also, ISO-treated rats had significantly higher values of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol relative to controls. Supplementation with KV2 and QUE caused significant elevation of cardiac antioxidant enzymes, normalized the marker enzymes and reduced MDA levels.

CONCLUSIONS

KV protects against ISO-induced cardiotoxicity in vivo, suggesting its usefulness as a possible chemoprophylactic agent against cardiotoxic drugs.