Effect of the natural antioxidant 2"-O-glycosylisovitexin on superoxide and hydroxyl radical generation

Effect of feeding hydroponic barley seedlings to lactating ewes on blood biochemical indexes and growth performance of lambs

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of replacing different ratios of basal diets with hydroponically barley seedlings (HBS) on the serum biochemical indexes and growth performance of lambs. It provides a theoretical basis for the use of HBS in ruminant health and scientific feeding management. In total, 30 ewes were randomly categorized into six groups (two control groups, 4 treatment groups, and 8 replicates in each group). All experiments were conducted under the same feeding and management conditions, on this basis the control group was CK1 and CK2 groups, which CK1 group added 15% corn silage, the treatment groups replacing 5% (group A), 10% (group B), 15% (group C) and 20% (group D) of the basal diet (dry matter basis) with HBS, and the experimental period lasted for 36 days, and the lambs were lactating with their mothers throughout the experimental period. Key results. The contents of total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), milk fat percentage and total solids (TS) in group C were significantly higher than CK1 and CK2 groups (p < 0.05) in milk samples; malondialdehyde (MDA) content in groups A and C was significantly lower than groups CK1 and CK2 (p < 0.05), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and azelaic transaminase (AST) contents in groups A and B were significantly higher than CK1 group (p < 0.05), TC content in groups A and D was significantly higher than CK1 and CK2 groups (p < 0.05), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-c) content in group D was significantly higher than CK1 and CK2 groups (p < 0.01) in blood samples; Body height in C group was significantly higher than CK2 group (p < 0.05), ear width in group B was significantly higher than CK1 group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, under the conditions of this experiment, HBS instead of 5-15% of the basal diet could improve the milk quality of lactating Hu ewes and alleviate the oxidative stress of the body.

Therapeutic Potential of Young Green Barley Leaves in Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases: An Overview

Medicinal plants have played a major role as a functional food and pharmacological source of active substances. Barley grass (BG) is young green barley leaves. It is the young grass of the common barley plant Hordeum vulgare L. of the family Poeaceae (Graminae). It is a type of green grasses, and the only vegetation on the earth that can supply sole nutritional support from birth to old age. It contains a wide spectrum of vitamins, minerals, as well as eight essential amino acids that we must get from our diets. BG possesses several pharmacological activities as anticancer activity, anti-oxidant activity and anti-inflammatory activity. It has been argued that BG helps blood flow, digestion and general detoxification of the body. The major pharmacologic interest of BG is its use in the treatment of chronic diseases. The beneficial effects observed in chronic disease may be related to bioactive compounds contained in BG such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and bioflavonoids (lutonarin and saponarin). Thus, this paper is focused on the various studies that emphasize the therapeutic potential of BG in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.

Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive activities and composition of Lythrum salicaria L. extracts

Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) known as "Tibbi hevhulma" in Turkish is used for its several beneficial health effects against as diarrhea, chronic intestinal catarrh, hemorrhoid and eczema in the form of a decoction or a fluid extract and to treat varicose veins, bleeding of the gums, hemorrhoid and eczema, externally. Dried herbal parts of Lythrum salicaria L. (Lythraceae) were sequentially extracted with different solvents such as petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, methanol and 50% aqueous methanol. Water extract of Lythrum salicaria was also prepared under reflux. Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activities of all the extracts were investigated using in vitro and in vivo methods, respectively. Free radical scavenging activity (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH* assay), iron(III) reductive activity, capacity of the inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation and MDA formation, anti-nociceptive activity (p-benzoquinone-induced abdominal constriction test) and anti-inflammatory activity (carrageenan-induced hind paw edema model) were used for all the extracts. In addition, the content of total phenolics, flavonoids and flavonols in all the extracts were determined with spectrophotometric methods. Results were compared with reference antioxidants via ascorbic acid, butylated hydroxytoluene, and gallic acid. Qualitative and quantitative compositions of all the extracts were analysed using a HPLC-PDA system. Polar fractions were found to be rich in flavonoids such as isovitexin and isoorientin.

Thymoquinone is a potent superoxide anion scavenger

The antioxidant and pro-oxidant effects of thymoquinone (TQ), a natural main constituent of the volatile oil of Nigella saliva seeds, and a synthetic structurally-related tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), were examined in vitro. Both TQ and TBHQ efficiently inhibited iron-dependent microsomal lipid peroxidation in a concentration-dependent manner with median inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 16.8 and 14.9 microM, respectively. TBHQ was stronger than TQ as a scavenger of 2,2'-diphenyl-p-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) (IC50 = 5 microM, 200 times more active than TQ) and as a scavenger of hydroxyl radical (OH*) with an IC50 of 4.6 microM (approximately 10 times more active than TQ). TQ was more active than TBHQ as a superoxide anion scavenger with IC50 of 3.35 microM compared to 18.1 microM for TBHQ. Only TBHQ significantly promoted DNA damage in the bleomycin-Fe(III) system. The results suggest that both TQ and TBHQ have strong antioxidant potentials through scavenging ability of different free radicals. Moreover, the data indicate that TQ is acting mainly as a potent superoxide anion scavenger.