Sulforaphane exhibits potent renoprotective effects in preclinical models of kidney diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIMS

Sulforaphane (SFN), a naturally occurring isothiocyanate found in cruciferous vegetables, has received extensive attention as a natural activator of the Nrf2/Keap1 cytoprotective pathway. In this review, a meta-analysis and systematic review of the renoprotective effects of SFN were performed in various preclinical models of kidney diseases.

MAIN METHODS

The primary outcome was the impact of SFN on renal function biomarkers (uremia, creatininemia, proteinuria or creatinine clearance) and secondary outcomes were kidney lesion histological indices/kidney injury molecular biomarkers. The effects of SFN were evaluated according to the standardized mean differences (SMDs). A random-effects model was applied to estimate the overall summary effect.

KEY FINDINGS

Twenty-five articles (out of 209 studies) were selected from the literature. SFN administration significantly increased creatinine clearance (SMD +1.88 95 % CI: [1.09; 2.68], P < 0.0001, I² = 0 %) and decreased the plasma creatinine (SMD -1.24, [-1.59; -0.88], P < 0.0001, I² = 36.0 %) and urea (SMD -3.22 [-4.42, -2.01], P < 0.0001, I² = 72.4 %) levels. SFN administration (median dose: 2.5 mg/kg, median duration: 3 weeks) significantly decreased urinary protein excretion (SMD -2.20 [-2.68; -1.73], P < 0.0001, I² = 34.1 %). It further improved two kidney lesion histological indices namely kidney fibrosis (SMD -3.08 [-4.53; -1.63], P < 0.0001, I² = 73.7 %) and glomerulosclerosis (SMD -2.24 [-2.96; -1.53], P < 0.0001, I² = 9.7 %) and decreased kidney injury molecular biomarkers (SMD -1.51 [-2.00; -1.02], P < 0.0001, I² = 0 %).

SIGNIFICANCE

These findings provide new insights concerning preclinical strategies for treating kidney disease or kidney failure with SFN supplements and should stimulate interest in clinical evaluations of SFN in patients with kidney disease.

Jaboticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba) powder consumption improves the metabolic profile and regulates gut microbiome composition in high-fat diet-fed mice

The consumption of a high-fat diet can cause metabolic syndrome and induces host gut microbial dysbiosis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We evaluated the effect of polyphenol-rich jaboticaba peel and seed powder (JPSP) on the gut microbial community composition and liver health in a mouse model of NAFLD. Three-month-old C57BL/6 J male mice, received either a control (C, 10% of lipids as energy, n = 16) or high-fat (HF, 50% of lipids as energy, n = 64) diet for nine weeks. The HF mice were randomly subdivided into four groups (n = 16 in each group), three of which (HF-J5, HF-J10, and HF-J15) were supplemented with dietary JPSP for four weeks (5%, 10%, and 15%, respectively). In addition to attenuating weight gain, JPSP consumption improved dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. In a dose-dependent manner, JPSP consumption ameliorated the expression of hepatic lipogenesis genes (AMPK, SREBP-1, HGMCoA, and ABCG8). The effects on the microbial community structure were determined in all JPSP-supplemented groups; however, the HF-J10 and HF-J15 diets led to a drastic depletion in the species of numerous bacterial families (Bifidobacteriaceae, Mogibacteriaceae, Christensenellaceae, Clostridiaceae, Dehalobacteriaceae, Peptococcaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae, and Ruminococcaceae) compared to the HF diet, some of which represented a reversal of increases associated with HF. The Lachnospiraceae and Enterobacteriaceae families and the Parabacteroides, Sutterella, Allobaculum, and Akkermansia genera were enriched more in the HF-J10 and HF-J15 groups than in the HF group. In conclusion, JPSP consumption improved obesity-related metabolic profiles and had a strong impact on the microbial community structure, thereby reversing NAFLD and decreasing its severity.

The beetle Costalimaita ferruginea (Coleoptera: Chysomelidae) in Eucalyptus plantations in transition area of Amazon and Cerrado Biomes

Costalimaita ferruginea (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) attacks Eucalyptus plants causing severe damage through netting of the leaves. Recently, this Coleoptera has been reported attacking Myrtaceae in Mato Grosso State and, studies about the occurrence of this beetle in commercial plantations of eucalypts has been the subject of researchers through monitoring programmes in the forest protection area. With the beginning of the rainy season, adults were observed causing damage in eucalypt plantations in four cities that are part of the transition region of Amazon and Cerrado Biomes. The spots where these insects were observed are located in Feliz Natal, Lucas do Rio Verde, Sorriso and Vera. The purpose of this study was to report the new occurrences and to characterize the attack period of the beetle C. ferruginea in Eucalyptus plantations in Middle-North region of Mato Grosso State, region of Biomes Transition.

Systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in hemodialysis patients are associated with down-regulation of Nrf2

BACKGROUND

Oxidative stress and inflammation are common features and the main mediators of progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its cardiovascular complications. Under normal conditions, oxidative stress activates the transcription factor, nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which is the master regulator of genes encoding antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes and related proteins. The available data on expression of Nrf2 and its key target gene products in CKD patients is limited. We therefore investigated this topic in a group of CKD patients on hemodialysis.

METHODS

Twenty adult hemodialysis (HD) patients (aged 54.9 ± 15.2 years) and 11 healthy individuals (aged 50.9 ± 8.0 years) were enrolled. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated and processed for expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), Nrf2, heme oxygenase-1 and NADPH: quinoneoxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. Plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels were measured.

RESULTS

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from HD patients had significantly lower NQO1 and Nrf2 mRNA expressions (0.58 ± 0.35 vs. 1.13 ± 0.64, p = 0.005), and significantly higher NF-κB expression (2.18 ± 0.8 vs. 1.04 ± 0.22, p = 0.0001) compared to the healthy individuals. The NF-κB expression was inversely correlated with Nrf2 levels (r = -0.54, p < 0.01) in CKD patients. Plasma MDA and TNF-α levels were significantly higher in CKD patients than in the healthy individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

Up-regulation of NFκB in the CKD patients' PBMC is coupled to down-regulation of Nrf2 and NQO1 expression. These observations are consistent with recent findings in CKD animals and point to the contribution of the impaired Nrf2 system in the pathogenesis of oxidative stress and inflammation in hemodialysis patients.

[Psychological aspects of orthodontic treatment]

Psychical factors are often contributory determinants of success or failure of treatment. The orthodontist should therefore dispose of basic psychological knowledge to give his patients help in an entire sense. The psychosocial impact of malocclosion should represent a major factor in the decision to obtain treatment, because what is most important in terms of psychosocial response to malocclusion is not the absolute degree of disfigurement that results from malocclusion, but rather how the individual perceives and evaluates the esthetic effects of these dentofacial problems and their orthodontic correction.