AIMTo study the effects of different acute hypoxia on blood pressure, heart rate and microvessels and free radical in rabbits.

METHODSThe experiment model was carried out with acute hypoxia on two groups of rabbits, using artificial inspiration 12.5% O2 and 87.5% N2, 8.5% O2 and 91.5% N2 (equivalent to altitudes of some 4 000 m and 6 500 m) keeping hypoxia for 5, 10, 15, 20 min. During the course of it, the changes of blood pressure, heart rate and microvessels response, superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) were recorded accordingly.

RESULTS(1) systolic pressure was slightly up, then down in 5 mins. Diastolic pressure was significantly down (P < 0.05) in 20 min. (2) Heart rate showed reduced and prolonged, particularly in 8.5% hypoxia group (P < 0.05). (3) Vas bores of microvessle expanded (P < 0.05) and the blood stream became slow gradually (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) in following acute hypoxia time. (4) SOD was significantly down (P < 0.05), MDA was significantly increased (P < 0.05) in 20 mins.

CONCLUSIONAcute hypoxia could cause the blood pressure and heart rate to decrease, vas bore of microvessle to expand, the blood circulation to slow down and free radicals would increase.

Animals ; Blood Pressure ; Free Radicals ; metabolism ; Heart Rate ; Hypoxia ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Microvessels ; physiopathology ; Rabbits

Animals ; Brain ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Free Radicals ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Sports

Free radicals are atoms, molecules or ions with unpaired electrons. In biological systems, free radicals can have a dual role, being beneficial in some situations and deleterious in others. Free radicals are required for normal cellular metabolism, but they lead to cellular degeneration if overproduced. To prevent the excessive buildup of free radicals, cells have developed an elaborate series of antioxidant enzymes that counteract oxidative stress and protect cells by maintaining the proper balance of oxidation and anti-oxidation. Therefore, when there is an oxidant/anti-oxidant imbalance, no matter what direction, cells are likely to be damaged. Numerous reports in the literature indicate that free radicals play important roles in diseases of the inner ear as a result of noise exposure, ototoxic drugs, aging, and other pathological conditions. Therefore, there have been many attempts to employ antioxidants treat inner ear damage. However, antioxidant therapy could be harmful if the improper compound or dose is employed. Effective antioxidant therapy requires prior knowledge of the type(s) of oxidative stress occurring in real time in the inner ear. Since most techniques for detecting free radicals in the inner ear are not clinically feasible, systemic anti-oxidant therapy is generally performed "blindly" and therefore likely to disrupt normal antioxidant levels in the inner ear or elsewhere in the body. If only a single anti-oxidant is used to treat a disease, it may disturb subsequent steps the oxidative/anti-oxidative chain reaction. An alternative approach, hydrogen therapy represents a promising therapeutic tool because it can selectively scavenge the strongest oxidant species, the hydroxyl radical and peroxynitrite anion, without disturbing normal oxidant/anti-oxidant cellular processes. In addition, hydrogen has no cytotoxic effects to cells so that it provides a near ideal therapy to eliminate toxic free radicals.
Animals ; Ear, Inner ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Free Radicals ; metabolism ; Humans ; Oxidative Stress

Glutathione (GSH) is a well-known antioxidative cellular component which is ubiquitous in nature. Several enzymes involved in GSH metabolism and recycling have been found to play important roles in detoxification of xenobiotics and free radicals. In this study, total GSH content, activity of GSH peroxidase and GSH reductase were measured in liver and kidney of cisplatin treated rats. Total GSH content (mM/g protein) of liver was higher in cisplatin treated rats (1.51±0.28) than of nontreated control (0.95±0.28), and in kidney, it was also higher in cisplatin treated rats (0.87±0.20) than that of control (0.68±0.14). The activity of GSH peroxidase (µM/mg protein/min) was lower in liver of cisplatin treated rats (348.0±18.54) than that of control (415.5±53.15), in kidney it was increase din cisplatin treated rats (380.5±51.86) compared to control (327.3±20.36). The activity of GSH reductase (µM/mg protein/min) was higher in liver of cisplatin treated rats (3.09±0.88) than that of control (2.28±0.61), in kidney it was also higher in cisplatin treated rats (8.50±2.62) than that of control (3.30±1.10). In summary, detoxification of ciplatin was revealed lesser effect in kidney as show increasion of GSH peroxidase and reductase and detoxification of cisplatin was expressed effectively in liver by increasing of GSH content and decreasing GSH peroxidase.
Animals ; Cisplatin* ; Free Radicals ; Glutathione* ; Kidney* ; Liver* ; Metabolism* ; Oxidoreductases ; Peroxidase ; Rats* ; Recycling ; Xenobiotics

OBJECTIVETo estimate the oxidative stress and oxidative damage induced by abnormal free radical reactions in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients' bodies.

METHODSSeventy-two IgA N patients (IgANP) and 72 healthy adult volunteers (HAV) were enrolled in a random control study design, in which the levels of nitric oxide (NO) in plasma, lipoperoxide (LPO) in plasma and in erythrocytes, and vitamin C (VC), vitamin E (VE) and beta-carotene (beta-CAR) in plasma as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in erythrocytes were determined with spectrophotometric methods.

RESULTSCompared with the HAV group, the averages of NO in plasma, and LPO in plasma and in erythrocytes in the IgANP group were significantly increased (P<0.0001), while those of VC, VE and beta-CAR in plasma as well as those of SOD, CAT and GPX in erythrocytes in the IgANP group were significantly decreased (P<0.0001). Linear correlation analysis showed that with the increase of the values of NO, and LPO in plasma and in erythrocytes, and with the decrease of those of VC, VE, beta-CAR, SOD, CAT and GPX in the IgAN patients, the degree of histological damage of tubulointerstitial regions was increased gradually (P<0.0001); and that with the prolongation of the duration of disease the values of NO, and LPO in plasma and erythrocytes were increased gradually, while those of VC, VE, beta-CAR, SOD, CAT and GPX were decreased gradually (P<0.005). The discriminatory correct rates of the above biochemical parameters reflecting oxidative damage of the IgAN patients were 73.8%-92.5%, and the correct rates for the HAV were 70.0%-91.3% when independent discriminant analysis was used; and the correct rate for the IgAN patients was increased to 98.8%, the correct rate for the HAV was increased to 100% when stepwise discriminant analysis was used. The above biochemical parameters' reliability coefficient (alpha) were used to estimate the oxidative damage of the IgAN patients as 0.8145, the standardized item alpha=0.9730, F=53273.5681, P<0.0001.

CONCLUSIONSA series of free radical chain reactions caused serious pathological aggravation in the IgANP' bodies, thus resulting in oxidative damage in their bodies. In treating IgANP, therefore, it is necessary that suitable dose antioxidants should be supplemented to them so as to alleviate the oxidative damage in their bodies.

Adult ; Antioxidants ; metabolism ; Female ; Free Radicals ; blood ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA ; blood ; Humans ; Male ; Oxidative Stress

Adolescent ; Adult ; Altitude ; Exercise ; Free Radicals ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Placebos ; Tyrosine ; pharmacology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo examine changes of blood oxidative-antiovidative level in schizophrenic patients and its relationship with clinical symptoms.

METHODSForty-six Chinese patients met DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV) criteria for schizophrenia and fifty age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the present study. Baseline psychiatric symptom severity was assessed with brief psychiatric rating scale, positive and negative syndrome scale on the blood draw day. Fresh blood samples were collected to measure levels of nitric oxide and lipid peroxide in plasma as well as activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase in red blood cells by spectrophotometric assays simultaneously.

RESULTSComparison of the biochemical parameters indicated that the level of nitric oxide and lipid peroxide increased in patient group, which represented a positive correlation with positive scale scores; while the activities of three critical enzymes decreased and showed a negative linear correlation.

CONCLUSIONThis study showed that there are dysregulation of free radical metabolism and poor activities of the antioxidant defense systems in schizophrenic patients. Excess free radicals formation may play a critical role in the etiology of schizophrenia. Using antioxidants might be an effective therapeutic approach to partially alleviate or prevent the symptoms of schizophrenia.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Antioxidants ; metabolism ; Female ; Free Radicals ; Humans ; Lipid Peroxides ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Schizophrenia ; etiology ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate whether pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) may increase oxidative stress in women with PIH, and to explore the mechanisms by which PIH may increase oxidative stress and potential free radical damage.

METHODSSeventy women with PIH and seventy women with uncomplicated normotensive pregnancy (UNP) whose age, nutritional conditions, levels of hemoglobin and albumin were all matched, were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial. Their plasma concentrations of nitric oxide (NO), vitamin C (VC), vitamin E (VE), and beta-carotene (beta-CAR) as well as their erythrocyte malondialdehyde (MDA), and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were determined by spectrophotometry.

RESULTSCompared with average values of the above experimental parameters in the women with UNP, the average value of erythrocyte MDA in the women with PIH significantly increased (P<0.0001), while the average values of plasma NO, VC, VE, and beta-CAR as well as those of erythrocyte SOD, CAT, and GPX in the women with PIH significantly decreased (P<0.0005-0.0001). The findings from partial correlation analysis (controlling for age) for 70 women with PIH showed that with elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), MDA value gradually increased (P<0.001), and NO, VC, VE, beta-CAR, SOD, CAT, and GPX values gradually decreased (P<0.02-0.001). The findings from reliability analysis for NO, VC, VE, beta-CAR, SOD, CAT, GPX, and MDA values used to reflect increased oxidative stress and potential free radical damage in women with PIH showed that the reliability coefficients (alpha, 8 items) = 0.7062, P<0.0001, and the standardized item alpha = 0.9116, P<0.0001.

CONCLUSIONThe findings in the present research suggest that pregnancy-induced hypertension can increase oxidative stress and potential free radical damage in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Free Radicals ; metabolism ; Humans ; Hypertension ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular ; metabolism

Animals ; Bone and Bones ; metabolism ; Free Radicals ; metabolism ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal ; metabolism ; Physical Conditioning, Animal ; physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of hippophae juice on free radical metabolism of rat skeletal muscle and partial biomarkers in blood.

METHODSRandomly dividing the 30 SD rats into 3 groups (n = 10): sedentary group, training group and hippophae training group. Measuring related indices of skeletal muscle and blood in rat after 6 week training and hippophae juice supplement.

RESULTSCompared with training group, hippophae training group showed obviously longer exhaustive time, significantly increased antioxidant enzyme in skeletal muscle, remarkably decreased malonaldehyde (MDA) content in skeletal muscle, obviously increased testosterone (T) and hemoglobin (Hb) content in blood, significantly decreased creatine kinase (CK).

CONCLUSIONHippophae juice can impove the antioxidant ability of rat skeletal muscle, the level of T and Hb in blood, delay fatigue, therefore effectively enhance the aerobic stamina of rat.

Animals ; Creatine Kinase ; blood ; Free Radicals ; metabolism ; Hemoglobins ; metabolism ; Hippophae ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Testosterone ; blood