Effect of hesperetin on systemic inflammation and hepatic injury after blunt chest trauma in rats

Mixed micelles loaded with hesperidin protect against acetaminophen induced acute liver injury by inhibiting the mtDNA-cGAS-STING pathway

Excessive acetaminophen (APAP) is the main cause of drug-induced acute liver failure, and the pathogenesis has not been elucidated and there is a lack of effective drugs. Hesperidin (Hes), a rich flavanone in citrus peel with excellent biological activities, is a potential agent for treatment liver injury. Due to poor water solubility of Hes, this study prepared mixed micelles using polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP K17) and poloxamer 188, and encapsulated Hes (Hes-MMs). The results showed that Hes-MMs exhibited a uniform spherical shape with a particle size of 66.80 ± 0.83 nm, and Hes-MMs significantly improved the dispersibility, antioxidant activity, and cellular uptake of Hes. In vitro results showed that Hes-MMs protected the proliferation inhibition of HepG2 cells induced by APAP, inhibited the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the damage of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) induced by APAP. Furthermore, Hes-MMs exerted liver protective effects by inhibiting APAP induced mtDNA release and activating the cGAS-STING pathway. In vivo results demonstrated that Hes-MMs showed protective and therapeutic effects on APAP induced liver injury, and their mechanisms were related to the mtDNA-cGAS-STING signaling pathway. In summary, our study demonstrated that the mtDNA-cGAS-STING pathway was involved in APAP induced acute liver injury, and Hes-MMs might be a potential therapeutic agent for treating APAP induced acute liver injury.

Prenatal immobility stress: Relationship with oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and intrauterine growth restriction in rats

BACKGROUND

Prenatal stress is a significant risk factor affecting pregnant women and fetal health. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of immobility stress at different periods of pregnancy on oxidative stress, inflammation, placental apoptosis and intrauterine growth retardation in rats.

METHODS

Fifty adult virgin female Wistar albino rats were used. Pregnant rats were exposed to 6 h/day immobilization stress in a wire cage at different stages of pregnancy. Groups I and II (Day 1-10 stress group) were sacrificed on the 10th day of pregnancy, and Group III, Group IV (10-19th-day stress group), and Group V (1-19th-day stress group) were sacrificed on the 19th day of pregnancy. Inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), serum corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), and corticosterone levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) levels in the placenta were spectrophotometrically measured. Histopathological analyses of the placenta were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and caspase-3 immunoreactivity in placenta tissues were determined by the indirect immunohistochemical method. Placental apoptosis was determined by the TUNEL staining method.

RESULTS

We found that the immobility stress during pregnancy significantly increased serum corticosterone levels. Our results showed that the immobility stress diminished the number and weight of fetuses in rats compared to the non-stress group. The immobility stress caused significant histopathological changes in the connection zone and labyrinth zone and increased placental TNF-α and caspase-3 immunoreactivity and placental apoptosis. In addition, immobility stress significantly increased the levels of pro-inflammatory IL-6 and MDA and caused a significant decrease in the levels of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, CAT, and anti-inflammatory IL-10.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that immobility stress causes intrauterine growth retardation by activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and deteriorating placental histomorphology and deregulating inflammatory and oxidative processes.

Toxicological assessment of low-dose bisphenol A, lead and endosulfan combination: chronic toxicity study in male rats

In the present study, toxic effects, both alone and combined, of bisphenol A (BPA), lead (Pb) and endosulfan (ES) in the low doses were investigated in rat liver and kidney functions. In the study, bisphenol A (BPA), lead (Pb) and endosulfan (ES) were chosen because although they are the chemicals people are most frequently exposed to, no combined toxic effect studies were conducted with these chemicals. Sixty-four male Wistar albino rats were used in the study, and they were randomly divided into eight groups (n = 8 per group); control, BPA (5 mg/kg), Pb (100 ppm), ES (0.61 mg/kg), BPA+Pb, BPA+ES, Pb+ES and BPA+P+ES. The rats were sacrificed after 65 days of treatment. Severe histopathological changes in the liver and kidney tissues were observed in the rats exposed to BPA+Pb+ES combination. Elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver and decreased superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) in the kidney tissue were detected in the BPA+Pb+ES group compared to those of the control group. It was found that serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (CREA) levels were higher in the BPA+Pb+ES combination group than the control group. Also, combined exposure of BPA, Pb and ES caused apoptotic cell numbers and inducible nitric oxide (iNOS) to increase in the liver and kidney tissues. The results of the present study suggested that the BPA, Pb and ES caused more dramatic changes to both histological architecture and cell apoptosis in the liver and kidney tissues when there was a combined exposure.

Flavonoids from Aurantii Fructus Immaturus and Aurantii Fructus: promising phytomedicines for the treatment of liver diseases

Background

Liver diseases and related complications are major sources of morbidity and mortality, which places a huge financial burden on patients and lead to nonnegligible social problems. Therefore, the discovery of novel therapeutic drugs for the treatment of liver diseases is urgently required. Aurantii Fructus Immaturus (AFI) and Aurantii Fructus (AF) are frequently used herbal medicines in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulas for the treatment of diverse ailments. A variety of bioactive ingredients have been isolated and identified from AFI and AF, including alkaloids, flavonoids, coumarins and volatile oils.

Main body

Emerging evidence suggests that flavonoids, especially hesperidin (HD), naringenin (NIN), nobiletin (NOB), naringin (NRG), tangeretin (TN), hesperetin (HT) and eriodictyol (ED) are major representative bioactive ingredients that alleviate diseases through multi-targeting mechanisms, including anti-oxidative stress, anti-cytotoxicity, anti-inflammation, anti-fibrosis and anti-tumor mechanisms. In the current review, we summarize the recent progress in the research of hepatoprotective effects of HD, NIN, NOB, NRG, TN, HT and ED and highlight the potential underlying molecular mechanisms. We also point out the limitations of the current studies and shed light on further in-depth pharmacological and pharmacokinetic studies of these bioactive flavonoids.

Conclusion

This review outlines the recent advances in the literature and highlights the potential of these flavonoids isolated from AFI and AF as therapeutic agents for the treatment of liver diseases. Further pharmacological studies will accelerate the development of natural products in AFI and AF and their derivatives as medicines with tantalizing prospects in the clinical application.

Hesperidin and SARS-CoV-2: New Light on the Healthy Function of Citrus Fruits

Among the many approaches to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention, the possible role of nutrition has so far been rather underestimated. Foods are very rich in substances, with a potential beneficial effect on health, and some of these could have an antiviral action or be important in modulating the immune system and in defending cells from the oxidative stress associated with infection. This short review draws the attention on some components of citrus fruits, and especially of the orange (Citrus sinensis), well known for its vitamin and flavonoid content. Among the flavonoids, hesperidin has recently attracted the attention of researchers, because it binds to the key proteins of the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Several computational methods, independently applied by different researchers, showed that hesperidin has a low binding energy, both with the coronavirus "spike" protein, and with the main protease that transforms the early proteins of the virus (pp1a and ppa1b) into the complex responsible for viral replication. The binding energy of hesperidin to these important components is lower than that of lopinavir, ritonavir, and indinavir, suggesting that it could perform an effective antiviral action. Furthermore, both hesperidin and ascorbic acid counteract the cell damaging effects of the oxygen free radicals triggered by virus infection and inflammation. There is discussion about the preventive efficacy of vitamin C, at the dose achievable by the diet, but recent reviews suggest that this substance can be useful in the case of strong immune system burden caused by viral disease. Computational methods and laboratory studies support the need to undertake apposite preclinical, epidemiological, and experimental studies on the potential benefits of citrus fruit components for the prevention of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.