Neuroprotective properties of Betulin, Betulinic acid, and Ursolic acid as triterpenoids derivatives: a comprehensive review of mechanistic studies

Cognitive deficits are the main outcome of neurological disorders whose occurrence has risen over the past three decades. Although there are some pharmacologic approaches approved for managing neurological disorders, it remains largely ineffective. Hence, exploring novel nature-based nutraceuticals is a pressing need to alleviate the results of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. Some triterpenoids and their derivates can be considered potential therapeutics against neurological disorders due to their neuroprotective and cognitive-improving effects. Betulin (B), betulinic acid (BA), and ursolic acid (UA) are pentacyclic triterpenoid compounds with a variety of biological activities, including antioxidative, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties. This review focuses on the therapeutic efficacy and probable molecular mechanisms of triterpenoids in damage prevention to neurons and restoring cognition in neurodegenerative diseases. Considering few studies on this concept, the precise mechanisms that mediate the effect of these compounds in neurodegenerative disorders have remained unknown. The findings can provide sufficient information about the advantages of these compounds against neurodegenerative diseases.

Comparison of preventive and therapeutic effects of continuous exercise on acute lung injury induced with methotrexate

Methotrexate (Mtx) is used to treat various diseases, including cancer, arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. However, it induces oxidative stress and pulmonary inflammation by stimulating production of reactive oxygen species and cytokines. Considering the positive effects of physical activity, our goal was to investigate the preventive and therapeutic role of continuous training (CT) on Mtx-induced lung injury in rats. The rats were divided into five groups of 14 animals: a control group (C); a continuous exercise training group (CT; healthy rats that experienced CT); an acute lung injury with Mtx group (ALI); a pretreatment group with CT (the rats experienced CT before ALI induction), and a post-treatment group with CT (the rats experienced CT after ALI induction). One dose of 20 mg/kg Mtx intraperitoneal was administered in the Mtx and training groups. Forty-eight hours after the last exercise session all rats were sacrificed. According to our results, the levels of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), GATA binding protein 3 (GATA3) and caspase-3 in the ALI group significantly increased compared to the control group, and the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), interleukin-10 (IL-10), forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3), and T-bet decreased. In contrast, compared to the acute lung injury group, pretreatment and treatment with CT reduced TNF-α, MDA, MPO, GATA3 and caspase-3 and increased SOD, GPX, TAC, IL-10, FOXP3 and T-bet levels. The effects of CT pretreatment were more significant than the effects of CT post-treatment. Continuous exercise training effectively reduced oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines and ameliorated Mtx-induced injury, and the effects of CT pretreatment were more significant than the effects of CT post-treatment. NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Considering the high prevalence of lung injury in society, does exercise as a non-pharmacological intervention have ameliorating effects on lung injury? What is the main finding and its importance? Exercise can have healing effects on the lung after pulmonary injury through reducing inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis. Considering the lower side effects of exercise compared to drug treatments, the results of this study may be useful in the future.

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Association with Serum Inflammatory Factors Stress Oxidative and Appetite in COVID-19 Patients

Background and Objectives: The Mediterranean diet's bioactive components are suggested to strengthen the immune system and to exert anti-inflammatory actions. This study investigated the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet with serum inflammatory factors, total antioxidant capacity, appetite, and symptoms of COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 600 Iranian COVID-19 patients selected by a simple random method. The ten-item Mediterranean diet adherence questionnaire was used to assess diet adherence. At the beginning of the study, 5 cc of blood was taken from all patients for measurement of serum interleukin 1β) IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), malondialdehyde (MDA), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). A human ELISA kit with serial number 950.090.096 produced by the Diaclone Company was used to test this cytokine using the sandwich ELISA method. Results: One hundred and five patients presented a high adherence and 495 patients presented a low adherence to the Mediterranean diet. The incidence of fever, cough, diarrhea, taste changes, and pneumonia severity index were significantly lower in patients who adhered to the Mediterranean diet more than other patients. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor (5.7 ± 2.1 vs. 6.9 ± 2.8 p = 0.02), interleukin 1 beta (3.2 ± 0.02 vs. 4.9 ± 0.01 p = 0.02), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (17.08 ± 4.2 vs. 19.8 ± 2.5 p = 0.03), and malondialdehyde (5.7 ± 0.2 vs. 6.2 ± 0.3 p = 0.02) were significantly lower in patients who adhered more to the Mediterranean diet than other patients. Conclusion: The Mediterranean diet can improve the symptoms and elevated serum inflammatory factors in COVID-19 patients, so clinical trial studies are suggested to confirm this effect.

Pre- and post-treatment of α-Tocopherol on cognitive, synaptic plasticity, and mitochondrial disorders of the hippocampus in icv-streptozotocin-induced sporadic Alzheimer's-like disease in male Wistar rat

Objective

Most dementia cases in the elderly are caused by Alzheimer's disease (AD), a complex, progressive neurological disease. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of streptozotocin (STZ) in rat's results in aberrant brain insulin signaling, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction that impair cognition change neural plasticity, and eventually lead to neuronal death. The current study aims to define the neuroprotective action of alpha-tocopherol in enhancing mitochondrial function and the function of synapses in memory-impaired rats brought on by icv-STZ.

Methods

Male Wistar rats were pre-treated with (α-Tocopherol 150 mg/kg) orally once daily for 7 days before and 14 days after being bilaterally injected with icv-STZ (3 mg/kg), while sham group rats received the same volume of STZ solvent. After 2 weeks of icv-STZ infusion, rats were tested for cognitive performance using a behaviors test and then were prepared electrophysiology recordings or sacrificed for biochemical and histopathological assays.

Results

The cognitive impairment was significantly minimized in the behavioral paradigms for those who had taken α-Tocopherol. In the hippocampus of icv-STZ rat brains, α-Tocopherol ocopherol effectively prevented the loss of glutathione levels and superoxide dismutase enzyme activity, lowered mitochondrial ROS and mitochondrial membrane potential, and also brought about a decrease in Aβ aggregation and neuronal death.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrated that by lowering neurobehavioral impairments caused by icv-STZ, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction, α-Tocopherol enhanced intracellular calcium homeostasis and corrected neurodegenerative defects in the brain. These findings examine the available approach for delaying AD connected to mitochondrial malfunction and plasticity issues.

Selective cytotoxicity mechanisms and biodistribution of diamond nanoparticles on the skin cancer in C57 mouse

The cytotoxicity of diamond nanoparticles (DNs) to various cell lines has been on focus by numerous scientists. The cellular toxicity system of DNs has not been fully understood or explained in skin cancer, at this point. This research was carried out to discover and reveal the potential impacts of DNs on the secluded brain, heart, liver, kidney, and skin in addition to evaluation of their cytotoxicity mechanism under test conditions. Their biological activities, for example cell viability, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation, cytochrome c release and Apoptosis/Necrosis were evaluated. Additionally, the bio-distribution of these nanomaterials in tissues was examined in the C57 mouse. Relying on the findings of the investigation, DNs were found to increase the ROS level, Malondialdehyde (MDA) content, release of cytochrome c, and cell death in skin significantly compared to other groups. In the C57 mouse, DNs were observed to have accumulated in skin tissue more intensively than they did in other organs. The present study presents for the proof that DNs can completely induce cell death signaling in skin cancer without bringing about a high cytotoxicity in other tissues. Results suggest that DNs can be valuable in recognition of skin cancer.

The effects of ozone and melatonin on busulfan-induced testicular damage in mice

Objective:

Busulfan is one of the most common chemotherapeutic drugs and has the ability to induce apoptosis in testicular germ cells, which leads to infertility. In this study, the effects of ozone therapy and melatonin were evaluated on testicular disorders induced by busulfan.

Methods:

In this study, we divided 24 male mice into four groups: control group, groups treated with busulfan, busulfan/melatonin, and busulfan/ozone. At the end of a 35-day period, blood samples were taken from the mice and their testosterone levels were measured. Both of the mice’s testes were removed and weighed, afterwards, each one of them was used for evaluation of morphology by Johnson’s score, as well as for measuring the diameter and thickness of seminiferous tubules. The other testis was homogenized for measuring Malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant status using Catalase (CAT), Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD), and Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) levels. Epididymis spermatozoa were also used to evaluate motility, morphology, and sperm count.

Results:

Busulfan significantly reduced the testis quality (weight, sperm parameters, testosterone, CAT, SOD, and TAC levels) and increased MDA and destruction of seminiferous tubules compared to the control group. Ozone and melatonin treatments significantly increased testis quality, sperm parameters, MDA, and antioxidant status, but they did not affect the TAC level.

Conclusions:

This study showed that similar to melatonin, ozone can reduce the effect of busulfan toxicity on mice testis. However, further studies are needed to understand the precise mechanism of ozone function on testis.

The comparison of the effect of Origanum vulgare L. extract and vitamin C on the gentamycin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats

The gentamicin renal toxicity has been the focal point for much discussion. The objective of this study was to investigate the impacts of Origanum vulgare L. extract and vitamin C on gentamicin dose-dependent toxicity in rats' kidney. The present study was conducted on 60 male Wistar rats divided into ten experimental groups: control (untreated), G1, G2, G3 (100, 200, 300 mg/kg gentamicin), M1, M2 and M3 (500 mg/kg marjoram extract) + 100, 200 and 300 gentamicin, V1, V2 and V3 (Vitamin C 500 mg/kg) + 100, 200 and 300 of gentamicin. On the last day, the serum was separated from heart blood and the kidney tissues were extracted to measure the biochemical and oxidative stress parameters and histological changes. Kidney damage was confirmed as dose-dependent gentamicin by biochemical and pathological parameters. Urea, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine showed a significant increase in the G3 group compared to the control, M1, and V1 groups (p < 0.01). Catalase (CAT), Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) showed a significant reduction in renal tissue in the G3 group compared to the other groups (p < 0.001). Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in the kidney tissue of the G3 group also showed a significant increase compared to other groups (p < 0.001). Furthermore, TNFα and IL-1 levels were the highest in the G3 group, and serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) concentration had the lowest amount compared to other groups. Moreover, histopathological lesions of the kidney showed significant statistical differences among the groups that received gentamicin with the control and M1 group. Marjoram extract at the dose of 500 mg/kg had a desirable effect on controlling gentamicin damage in the kidneys compared with vitamin C. In particular, controlling gentamicin-induced oxidative stress and inflammation by the consumption of marjoram extract and vitamin C plays an important role in protecting the kidneys.

The ameliorating effects of Vitamin E on hepatotoxicity of ecstasy

Background:

The production of stress oxidative condition in body which is caused by consumption of ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA]) leads to a liver damage. As an antioxidant, Vitamin E can protect cells and tissues against the deleterious effects of free radicals. This study evaluates the protective effects of Vitamin E on MDMA induced liver toxicity.

Materials and Methods:

Twenty-eight male albino mice were randomly assigned to four equal groups. Group 1 received saline (control), Group 2 received MDMA and saline, Group 3 received MDMA, and Vitamin E and Group 4 received Vitamin E. MDMA was injected with single daily dose, three sequential days/week for 5 weeks. At the end of the period, blood samples were collected for a biochemical analysis and then the mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation for histopathological and biochemical examinations of liver.

Results:

The administration of Vitamin E attenuated the increased levels of alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase enzymes in serum. Vitamin E treatments significantly restored endogenous antioxidant enzymes (reduced glutathione and superoxide dismutase enzyme) activities as compared with MDMA-treated animals. Histological examination of liver revealed significant morphological tissue injuries in hepatocytes after MDMA being used, but in coadministration of vitamin E and MDMA, these morphological alterations reduced.

Conclusion:

The study showed that MDMA administration has adverse effects on the liver. Vitamin E lessened the deleterious impact considerably.

Randomized double-blind clinical trial examining the Ellagic acid effects on glycemic status, insulin resistance, antioxidant, and inflammatory factors in patients with type 2 diabetes

Oxidative stress can worsen glycemic status. Considering the antioxidant properties of Ellagic acid (EA), this study was designed to evaluate the effect of EA on glycemic indices, lipid profile, oxidative stress, and inflammation status in type 2 diabetic patients. Overall, 44 patients were recruited and were randomly allocated consumed 180 mg of EA per day (n = 22) or placebo (n = 22) for 8 weeks. The blood sugar (BS), insulin, insulin resistance (IR), hemoglobin A1c (HbA₁ c), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), C-reactive protein (CRP), TNF-α and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were measured at the beginning and end of the study. At the end of the study, the mean of BS, insulin, IR, HbA₁ c, TC, TG, LDL, MDA, CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6 were significantly decreased in the intervention group (p < .05). Also, the mean of TAC (+0.8 ± 0.01) and activity of GPx (+10.26 ± 0.22) and SOD enzymes (+459.6 ± 9.76) significantly increased in the intervention group (p < .05). EA supplementation can be helpful as a diet supplement in patients with type 2 diabetes through improvement in chronic adverse effects.

Circadian variation in murine hepatotoxicity to the antituberculosis agent «Isoniazide»

The circadian time is an important process affecting both pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs. Consequently, the desired and/or undesired effects vary according to the time of drug administration in the 24 h scale. This study investigates whether the toxicity in liver as well as oxidative stress varies according to the circadian dosing-time of isoniazid (INH) in mice. A potentially toxic INH dose (120 mg/kg) was injected by i.p. route to different groups of animals at three different circadian times: 1, 9, and 17 Zeitgeber time (ZT). INH administration at 1 ZT resulted in a maximum hepatotoxicity assessed by the significant increase in both serum transaminase (ALAT: alanine aminotransferase) and (ASAT: aspartate aminotransferase) and antioxidant enzyme activities (catalase: CAT and superoxide dismutase: SOD). The highest malondialdehyde (MDA) level indicating an induction of lipid peroxidation resulting in oxidative damage was also observed at 1 ZT. Liver histopathology from INH groups at 9 ZT and at 1 ZT showed moderate to severe cytoplasma vacuolation, hepatocyte hypertrophy, ballooning, and necrosis. The circadian variation in INH toxicity may help realize a chronotherapy protocol in humans based on the selection of the best time associated to optimal tolerance or least side effects.

Overview of Nrf2 as Therapeutic Target in Epilepsy

Oxidative stress is a biochemical state of imbalance in the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and antioxidant defenses. It is involved in the physiopathology of degenerative and chronic neuronal disorders, such as epilepsy. Experimental evidence in humans and animals support the involvement of oxidative stress before and after seizures. In the past few years, research has increasingly focused on the molecular pathways of this process, such as that involving transcription factor nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which plays a central role in the regulation of antioxidant response elements (ARE) and modulates cellular redox status. The aim of this review is to present experimental evidence on the role of Nrf2 in this neurological disorder and to further determine the therapeutic impact of Nrf2 in epilepsy.

Development of rapid and highly sensitive HSPA1A promoter-driven luciferase reporter system for assessing oxidative stress associated with low-dose photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a regulatory-approved modality for treating a variety of malignant tumors. It induces tumor tissue damage via photosensitizer-mediated oxidative cytotoxicity. The heat shock protein 70 (HSP70-1) is a stress protein encoded by the HSPA1A gene and is significantly induced by oxidative stress associated with PDT. The aim of this study was to identify the functional region of the HSPA1A promoter that responds to PDT-induced oxidative stress and uses the stress responsiveness of HSPA1A expression to establish a rapid and cost-effective photocytotoxic assessment bioassay to evaluate the photodynamic potential of photosensitizers. By constructing luciferase vectors with a variety of hspa1a promoter fractions and examining their relative luciferase activity, we demonstrated that the DNA sequence from -218 to +87 of the HSPA1A gene could be used as a functional promoter to detect the PDT-induced oxidative stress. The maximal relative luciferase activity level of HSPA1A (HSP70-1) induced by hypericin-PDT was nearly nine times that of the control. Our results suggest that the novel reporter gene assay using a functional region of the HSP70A1A promoter has significant advantages for the detection of photoactivity in terms of both speed and sensitivity, when compared with a cell viability test based on ATP quantification and ROS levels. Furthermore, phthalocyanine zinc and methylene blue both induced significantly elevated levels of relative luciferase activity in a dose-dependent manner.