Author Correction: Assessment of the cardioprotective effect of liraglutide on methotrexate induced cardiac dysfunction through suppression of inflammation and enhancement of angiogenesis in rats

Correction to: European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences 2021; 25 (19): 6013-6024-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202110_26879-PMID: 34661261, published online on 15 October 2021. After publication, the authors applied to add some corrections to the paper. They wanted to change the second affiliation of one co-author Dr. Eman Said. The second affiliation will be "Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia", instead of "College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia". There are amendments to this paper. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.  https://www.europeanreview.org/article/26879.

Assessment of the cardioprotective effect of liraglutide on methotrexate induced cardiac dysfunction through suppression of inflammation and enhancement of angiogenesis in rats

OBJECTIVE

Methotrexate (MTX) is one of the most commonly used anti-cancer drugs for various types of neoplasms. It is associated with multiple cytotoxic effects including nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and cardiotoxicity. Liraglutide (LIR) is a potent anti-diabetic drug and also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we tried to investigate the protective effect of LIR on MTX induced cardiotoxicity and to identify the molecular mechanisms for this protection.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 Rats were divided into 4 groups, including control group, LIR group, MTX group and LIR + MTX group. ECG was measured then blood samples were taken, and hearts were excised for biochemical and histological investigations.

RESULTS

MTX group exhibited a mild non-significant irregular bradycardia, an increase of CK-MB besides a decrease of total antioxidant capacity. MTX administration also resulted in downregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), while caused upregulation of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1B) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in comparison to the control group. Also, MTX group showed histological abnormalities besides negative VEGF and positive iNOS as detected by immunohistochemical staining compared to the control group. LIR administration could reverse these results.

CONCLUSIONS

LIR prevented MTX induced cardiotoxicity through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells for peripheral artery disease in a rat model of hindlimb ischemia

OBJECTIVES

Mesenchymal stem cells are viewed as the first choice in regenerative medicine. This study aimed to elucidate the influence of BM-MSCs transplantation on angiogenesis in a rat model of unilateral peripheral vascular disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-one rats were arbitrarily allocated into three groups (7/group). Group I: control sham-operated rats, Group II: control ischemic group: Rats were subjected to unilateral surgical ligation of the femoral artery, and Group III: ischemia group: Rats were induced as in group II, 24 hr after ligation, they were intramuscularly injected with BM-MSCs. After scarification, gastrocnemius muscle gene expression of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), von Willebrand factor (vWF), and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. Muscle regeneration and angiogenesis evaluation was assessed through H&E staining of the tissue. Furthermore, Pax3 and Pax7 nuclear expression was immunohistochemically assessed.

RESULTS

Rats treated with BM-MSCs showed significantly raised gene expression levels of SDF-1, CXCR4, VEGFR2, and vWF compared with control and ischemia groups. H&E staining of the gastrocnemius showed prominent new vessel formation. Granulation tissue within muscles of the ischemic treated group by BM-MSCs showed cells demonstrating nuclear expression of Pax3 and Pax7.

CONCLUSION

BM-MSCs transplantation has an ameliorating effect on muscle ischemia through promoting angiogenesis, detected by normal muscle architecture restoration and new blood vessel formations observed by H&E, confirmed by increased gene expression levels of SDF-1, CXCR4, VEGFR2, and vWF, decreased HIF-1α gene expression, and increased myogenic Pax7 gene expression.

N-acetylcysteine protects against cuprizone-induced demyelination: histological and immunohistochemical study

Myelination is a sequential process that is tightly controlled by a number of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Any CNS disease in which the neuronal myelin sheath is damaged is referred to as demyelinating disease. The present work was designed to study the histopathological, ultrastructural and immunohistochemical changes in rat brain, mainly corpus callosum (CC), following oral administration of cuprizone (CPZ), and the role of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in reducing these changes. Demyelination was induced by CPZ administration for short (4Ws) and long (8Ws) periods. NAC was given concomitantly and sequentially for similar periods. Spontaneous recovery after cessation of CPZ followed by no medication was also investigated. At the end of each experimental period, both cerebral hemispheres were extracted and prepared for light and electron microscopic examination and immuno-histochemical study. The obtained results showed a direct proportion between the duration of CPZ administration and the severity of demyelination. The co-administration of CPZ and NAC, had a fair protective impact that was stronger than the sequential administration of the two drugs. Incomplete spontaneous remyelination was observed after cessation of CPZ, being more evident in short than in long period group, indicating that when CPZ administration is prolonged, remyelination is delayed. In the light of the above results, it could be concluded that NAC has neuroprotective effects and has the potential to be a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis; however, treatment should begin as soon as the disease manifests.

Neurocognitive dysfunction in children with β thalassemia major: psychometric, neurophysiologic and radiologic evaluation

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of iron chelating drugs and serum ferritin on the neurocognitive functions of patients with β thalassemia major (β-TM), using psychometric, neurophysiologic and radiologic tests.

METHODS

Eighty children with β-TM were enrolled into the study and were compared to 40 healthy controls. All participants were evaluated by measuring serum ferritin, neurocognitive assessment by Benton Visual Retention Test, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Wisconsin Card Sort Test, P300 and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).

RESULTS

WISC in our study showed that 40% of cases were borderline mental function as regards total IQ. Neurophysiologic tests were significantly impaired in patients compared to control group, with significant impairment in those receiving desferrioxamine (DFO). P300 amplitude was significantly lower in cases compared to controls (2.24 and 4.66 uv, respectively), recording the shortest amplitude in patients receiving DFO. Altered metabolic markers in the brain were detected by MRS in the form of reduced N-acetylaspartate to creatine ratio in 78.3% of our cases. There were significant correlations between psychometric tests and both neurophysiologic (P300) and radiologic (MRS) tests.

CONCLUSION

β-TM is associated with neurocognitive impairment that can be assessed by psychometric, neurophysiologic and radiologic tests. The role of hemosiderosis and iron chelation therapy on cognitive functioning still need more research.

ABBREVIATIONS

β-TM: beta thalassemia major; DFO: Dysferal; DFP: Deferiprone; DFX: Deferasirox; WISC: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; VIQ: verbal IQ; PIQ: performance IQ; TIQ: total IQ; BVRT: Benton Visual Retention Test; WCST: Wisconsin Card Sort Test; MRS: Magnetic resonant spectroscopy; NAA/Cr ratio: N-acetylaspartate to creatine ratio.