Role of N-Acetylcysteine and Coenzyme Q10 in the Amelioration of Myocardial Energy Expenditure and Oxidative Stress, Induced by Carbon Tetrachloride Intoxication in Rats

Potential of CME@ZIF-8 MOF Nanoformulation: Smart Delivery of Silymarin for Enhanced Performance and Mechanism in Albino Rats

Silymarin, an antioxidant, is locally used for kidney and heart ailments. However, its limited water solubility and less oral bioavailability limit its therapeutic efficiency. The present study investigated the enhancement of solubility and bioavailability of silymarin by loading it in Cordia myxa plant extract-coated zeolitic imidazole framework (CME@ZIF-8) against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced nephrotoxicity and cardiac toxicity in albino rats. The synthesized PEG-coated silymarin drug-loaded CME@ZIF-8 MOFs (PEG-Sily@CME@ZIF-8) were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and zeta potential. The average crystal size of CME@ZIF-8 and PEG-Sily@CME@ZIF-8 was 12.69 and 16.81 nm, respectively. The silymarin drug loading percentage in PEG-Sily@CME@ZIF-8 was 33.05% (w/w). In the animal model with CCl4 treatment, different parameters like serum profile, enzymatic level, genotoxicity, and histopathology were assessed. Treatment with PEG-Sily@CME@ZIF-8 with different doses of 500, 1000, and 1500 μg/kg body weight efficiently ameliorated the alterations in the antioxidant defenses, biochemical parameters, and histopathological alterations and DNA damage in comparison to silymarin drug in a CCl4-induced toxicity rat model via alleviating the cellular abnormalities and attenuation of normal antioxidant enzymes levels. Moreover, the molecular mechanism of drug-silymarin interaction with the target protein was investigated. It involves the binding pockets of silymarin molecules with VEGFR, TNF-α, NLRP3, AT1R, NOX1, RIPK1, Caspase-3, CHOP, and MMP-9 proteins, elucidating the silymarin-protein interactions by the formation of hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. This study suggests that the nanodrug PEG-Sily@CME@ZIF-8 MOFs protect the kidneys and heart possibly by mitigating oxidative stress more efficiently than the conventional drug silymarin.

D-limonene (5 (one-methyl-four-[1-methylethenyl]) cyclohexane) diminishes CCl4-induced cardiac toxicity by alleviating oxidative stress, inflammatory and cardiac markers

Background: The cardiovascular crisis is advancing rapidly throughout the world. A large number of studies have shown that plant polyphenols affect major mechanisms involved in cardiovascular events through their action on the antioxidant system, signaling, and transcription pathways. D-limonene, a monocyclic monoterpene obtained from citrus fruits, is reported to possess many pharmacological activities.Methods: The experiment was designed to determine the protective effect of D-limonene against cardiac injury induced by CCl4 in Wistar rats. Rats were treated with two doses of D-limonene against cardiac injury induced by CCl4. Serum toxicity markers, cardiac toxicity biomarker enzymes, inflammatory mediators, anti-oxidant armory, lipid peroxidation, lipid profile, and histology were done.Results: CCl4 intoxication resulted in a substantial rise in FFA, TC, TG, PL, LDL, VLDL, and a reduction in HDL, restoring these changes with the administration of D-limonene at a dosage of 200 mg/kg. CCl4 administration also resulted in lipid oxidation and decreased antioxidant activity. At the same time, D-limonene at a dosage of 200 mg/kg body weight inhibited LPO and restored in vivo antioxidant components to normal. CCl4 intoxication also resulted in a significant increase in inflammatory markers like IL-6, TNF-α, high sensitivity Corticotropin Releasing Factor (Hs-CRF), and biomarkers of cardiac toxicity like alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase MB (CKMB), and Troponin I & troponin-t activities. D-limonene reversed all these changes to normal. Histology further confirmed our obtained results.Conclusion: These findings indicate that D-limonene can ameliorate cardiac injury at a 200 mg/kg body weight dosage. Henceforth, D-Limonene intervenes in mediating CCl4 induced toxicity by various signaling pathways.

Melatonin modulates acute cardiac muscle damage induced by carbon tetrachloride - involvement of oxidative damage, glutathione, and arginine and nitric oxide metabolism

The present study was designed to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of melatonin (a single dose of 50 mg·kg-1), a naturally occurring polypharmacological molecule, in Wistar rats acutely exposed to carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). This was done for the first time by tracking different biochemical parameters that reflect rat heart antioxidative and oxidative capacities, nitric oxide and arginine metabolism, and the glutathione cycle. Additionally, the extrinsic apoptosis pathway related parameters were studied. Acute exposure to CCl4 led to an increase in the studied tissue oxidant parameters (hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde, and carbonylated protein content), as well as the activity alteration of antioxidant (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase) and glutathione-metabolizing (glutathione peroxidase, S-transferase, and reductase) enzymes. Furthermore, CCl4 caused a disturbance in the tissue myeloperoxidase, nitric oxide, citrulline, arginase, and inducible nitric oxide synthase content and activities and in two apoptosis-related parameters, caspase-3 and FAS ligand. Melatonin as a post-treatment prevented the changes induced by CCl4 to a differing extent, and in some cases, it was so potent that it completely abolished any tissue disturbances. This study is a promising starting point for further research directed to the development of melatonin treatment in cardiac tissue associated diseases.

Radioprotectors.org: an open database of known and predicted radioprotectors

The search for radioprotectors is an ambitious goal with many practical applications. Particularly, the improvement of human radioresistance for space is an important task, which comes into view with the recent successes in the space industry. Currently, all radioprotective drugs can be divided into two large groups differing in their effectiveness depending on the type of exposure. The first of these is radioprotectors, highly effective for pulsed, and some types of relatively short exposure to irradiation. The second group consists of long-acting radioprotectors. These drugs are effective for prolonged and fractionated irradiation. They also protect against impulse exposure to ionizing radiation, but to a lesser extent than short-acting radioprotectors. Creating a database on radioprotectors is a necessity dictated by the modern development of science and technology. We have created an open database, Radioprotectors.org, containing an up-to-date list of substances with proven radioprotective properties. All radioprotectors are annotated with relevant chemical and biological information, including transcriptomic data, and can be filtered according to their properties. Additionally, the performed transcriptomics analysis has revealed specific transcriptomic profiles of radioprotectors, which should facilitate the search for potent radioprotectors.

Natural Bioactive Compounds As Protectors Of Mitochondrial Dysfunction In Cardiovascular Diseases And Aging

Diet, particularly the Mediterranean diet, has been considered as a protective factor against the development of cardiovascular diseases, the main cause of death in the world. Aging is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, which have an oxidative pathophysiological component, being the mitochondria one of the key organelles in the regulation of oxidative stress. Certain natural bioactive compounds have the ability to regulate oxidative phosphorylation, the production of reactive oxygen species and the expression of mitochondrial proteins; but their efficacy within the mitochondrial physiopathology of cardiovascular diseases has not been clarified yet. The following review has the purpose of evaluating several natural compounds with evidence of mitochondrial effect in cardiovascular disease models, ascertaining the main cellular mechanisms and their potential use as functional foods for prevention of cardiovascular disease and healthy aging.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) alleviates the peripheral neuropathy associated with liver cirrhosis via modulation of neural MEG3/PAR2/ NF-ҡB axis

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Oxidative stress (OS) is accused in pathogenesis of many diseases, including liver cirrhosis by many mechanisms. One of them is the disturbance of long non coding maternally expressed 3 (MEG3)/protease activated receptor 2 (PAR2) downstream pathway. We aimed to investigate the role of this axis in cirrhotic neuropathy and whether an antioxidant compound such as N-acetylcysteine (NAC) could improve the peripheral nerve function through repression of MEG3/PAR2.

METHODS

Thirty Wistar rats were used and divided into 5 groups; naive, thiacetamide (TAA) (200 mg/kg 3 times/week. i.p. for 8 weeks) and TAA+NAC (50 or 100 or 200 mg/kg/day) groups. Von Frey (VF) test for mechanical nociceptive responses, hepatic& neural MEG3, NF-ҡB and neural PAR2 expression by PCR, histological studies for liver and sciatic nerve together with the dorsopedal skin thickness were done.

RESULTS

TAA induced significant decrease in liver function, negative VF test, an increase in the expression of hepatic& neural MEG3, NF-ҡB and neural PAR2. The histological studies showed cirrhotic changes with atrophy of the sciatic nerve and the dorsal skin. NAC improved the liver function together with reversal of the neural: functional, biochemical and histological changes in a dose dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONS

NAC could improve the peripheral neuropathy in cirrhotic rat through suppression of MEG3/PAR2 expression.

N-Acetyl cysteine ameliorates hyperglycemia-induced cardiomyocyte toxicity by improving mitochondrial energetics and enhancing endogenous Coenzyme Q9/10 levels

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Hyperglycemia is known to accelerate oxidative stress-induced myocardial injury.

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Mitochondrial energetics is an important mechanism to explore in the diabetic heart.

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NAC protects against hyperglycemia-induced cardiomyocyte toxicity.

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NAC improves mitochondrial energetics and enhances endogenous CoQ levels.

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CoQ supports the process of bioenergetics in addition to its antioxidant activities.

The diabetic heart has been linked with reduced endogenous levels of coenzyme Q_9/10 (CoQ), an important antioxidant and component of the electron transport chain. Although CoQ has displayed cardioprotective potential in experimental models of diabetes, the impact of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) on mitochondrial energetics and endogenous levels of CoQ remains to be clarified. To explore these effects, high glucose-exposed H9c2 cardiomyocytes were used as an experimental model of hyperglycemia-induced cardiac injury. The results showed that high glucose exposure caused an increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which was associated with impaired mitochondrial energetics as confirmed by a reduction of maximal respiration rate and depleted ATP levels. These detrimental effects were consistent with significantly reduced endogenous CoQ levels and accelerated cell toxicity. Although metformin demonstrated similar effects on mitochondrial energetics and cell viability, NAC demonstrated a more pronounced effect in ameliorating cytosolic and mitochondrial ROS production. Interestingly, the ameliorative effects of NAC against hyperglycemia-induced injury were linked with its capability to enhance endogenous CoQ levels. Although such data are to be confirmed in other models, especially in vivo studies, the overall findings provide additional evidence on the therapeutic mechanisms by which NAC protects against diabetes-induced cardiac injury.

Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in the chemotherapy treatment of breast cancer: Preventive strategies and treatment

Anthracyclines are highly effective chemotherapeutic agents, used for a wide variety of malignancies. Cardiotoxicity is a well-recognized side effect of anthracycline therapy that limits the total amount of drug administered and can cause heart failure in some patients. Most experimental data support oxidative stress as the etiology of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity. The objective of this paper was to provide a review of the clinical classification, risk factors, monitoring and prevention of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer.