The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary sea-tangle extracts on blood glucose levels, serum lipid levels, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) and glutathione enzymes in diabetic rats treated with streptozotocin (STZ) Four groups of rats (Sprague-Dawley male rats, 180 - 200g) were consisted of normal rats fed control diet (C), diabetic rats fed control diet (CD), normal rats fed sea-tangl extracts diet (E), and diabetic rats fed sea-tangle extracts diet (ED). Diabetes was induced by single injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg B.W.). After 7 weeks, rats were sacrificed, serum glucose, serum total cholesterol, triglyceride levels and glutathione enzymes were measured. Urine was significantly higher in CD and ED groups than those of others (p < 0.05). Levels of amylase, calcium, uric acid, hemoglobin, cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol were different among four groups. But high density cholesterol (HDL)-cholesterol of ED group was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than other groups (C and E group) And the weekly change of serum glucose was decreased in the 3th,4th and 5th weeks. But serum triglyceride (TG) of diabetic rats fed sea-tangle extracts diet (ED) was lower than diabetic rats fed control diet (CD). Activity of hepatic microsomal G6Pase was significantly increased CD and ED groups higher than C and E group, but kidney was decreased ED group. Hepateic glutathione S-transferase (GST) of CD and ED group were significantly lower than C and E group (p<0.05), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) of E and ED group were significantly higher than C and CD group (p<0.05), glutathione reductase (GR) activities of ED group was significantly lower than other groups, malondialdehyde (MDA) of ED was lower than E and CD group, but kidney was increased significant in ED group compared to liver. These results suggested that dietary sea-tangle extracts reduce .hepatic disorders such as oxidant than kidney. In conclusion, dietary sea-tangle extracts groups reduced blood TG and hepatic MDA levels in STZ-induced diabetic rats.
Amylases ; Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Calcium ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Glucose ; Glutathione ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Glutathione Reductase ; Glutathione Transferase ; Humans ; Kidney ; Lipoproteins ; Liver ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; Rats* ; Streptozocin ; Triglycerides ; Uric Acid

OBJECTIVETo explore the anti-aging effect of artemisia burning products (ie. smoke of moxibustion) and its proper intervention parameters.

METHODSAccording to factorial experiment design, 70 SAMP8 mice were randomly divided into one model group (group M) and 6 intervention groups: low concentration with 15 min group (group A1), low concentration with 30 min group (group A2), middle concentration with 15 min group (group B1), middle concentration with 30 min group (group B2), high concentration with 15 min group (group C1), high concentration with 30 min group (group C1). There were 10 cases in each group. Ten age-matched SAMR1 mice were used as normal group (group Z). All the mice in the 6 intervention groups were fumed with artemisia burning products of different concentration and time. The content of serum malondialdehyde (MDA), the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione reductase (GSH-Px) were tested.

RESULTSMDA content in group M was significantly higher than that in group Z (both P < 0.05), while SOD and GSH-Px activity were significantly lower in group M than that in group Z (both P < 0.05). Results of MDA, SOD and GSH-Px in 6 intervention groups were either of no statistically significant differences, or better than that in group M. Among 6 intervention groups, results of MDA and GSH-Px were better in group B1, while the result of SOD was better in group B2. Time factor didn't make any difference, while concentration of artemisia burning products is meaningful. As to SOD and GSH-Px, there's a strong interaction between the two factors.

CONCLUSIONWith certain concentration and time period, the intervention of artemisia burning products can exert anti-aging effect by increasing antioxydative capability and reducing metabolites of free radicals. Middle concentration and 30 minutes are recommended when intervened with artemisia burning products.

Aging ; blood ; metabolism ; Animals ; Antioxidants ; metabolism ; Artemisia ; chemistry ; Disease Models, Animal ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; blood ; Glutathione Reductase ; blood ; Humans ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; Mice ; Moxibustion ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood

This study examined the anti-diabetic effect of onion (Allium cepa. Linn) in the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into normal rats fed control diet or supplemented with onion powder (7% w/w) and diabetic rats fed control diet or supplemented with onion powder. Diabetes was induced by a single injection of STZ (60 mg/kg, ip) in citrate buffer. The animals were fed each of the experimental diet for 5 weeks. Blood glucose levels of rats supplemented with onion were lower than those of rats fed control diet in the diabetic rats. Onion also decreased the total serum lipid, triglyceride, and atherogenic index and increased HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio in the diabetic rats. Glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glutathione S-transferase activities were high in the diabetic rats compared to normal rats and reverted to near-control values by onion. These results indicate that onion decreased blood glucose, serum lipid levels and reduced renal oxidative stress in STZ-induced diabetic rats and this effect might exert the anti-diabetic effect of onion.
Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Cholesterol ; Citric Acid ; Diet ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Glutathione Reductase ; Glutathione Transferase ; Humans ; Male ; Onions ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Streptozocin

This study was undertaken to investigate the antioxidant/oxidant status in recurrent miscarriage patients. Antioxidants including glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), reduced glutathione (GSH) and selenium (Se), as well as the oxidants hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), oxidised glutathione (GSSG) and lipid peroxidation were assayed in plasma, whole blood and placental tissue of non-pregnant women (NP), healthy pregnant women (HP), and recurrent miscarriage (RM) patients. Results indicated that all antioxidant activities and levels in plasma and whole blood of HP women were consistently moderately lower, and much more significantly lower in RM patients when both were compared to those seen in NP women (P<0.05 and P<0.001, respectively). Furthermore, whereas plasma antioxidant activities and levels were significantly lower in RM patients, those of whole blood and placental tissue were much more significantly lower when compared with HP women (P<0.001). Concurrent with these findings there were consistent increases of equal statistical significance and magnitude in the levels of all investigated oxidants assayed in all samples when compared in between subjects of the study as indicated above. Data thus illustrated a distinct shift in favor of oxidative reactions and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and very significant decreases in the GSH/GSSG ratios in whole blood and placental tissue of RM patients when compared to HP and NP women (P<0.001). The above noted oxidative stress could have been a major causative factor of recurrent miscarriage.
Abortion, Habitual/*blood/*epidemiology ; Adult ; Antioxidants/analysis ; Biomarkers/*blood ; Catalase/blood ; Female ; Glutathione/blood ; Glutathione Peroxidase/blood ; Glutathione Reductase/blood ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide/analysis ; Lipid Peroxidation ; *Oxidative Stress ; Placenta/metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism ; Saudi Arabia/epidemiology ; Selenium/blood

INTRODUCTIONHaemoglobin (Hb) E beta-thalassaemia is a common thalassaemic disorder in Southeast Asia and is very common in the eastern and north-eastern parts of India. The disease cause rapid erythrocyte destruction due to the free radical mediated injury but factors for the oxidative injury are not clearly known. We investigated the free reactive iron (non-haem) mediated insult in Hb E beta-thalassaemia.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThirty Hb E beta-thalassaemic patients (age range, 3 to 15 years) who had undergone blood transfusion at least 1 month prior to sampling and 32 normal healthy individuals (age range, 18 to 30 years) were included in this study. We estimated the ferrozine detected intracellular erythrocytic free reactive iron (nonhaem iron), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase activity, cellular damage marker serum thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS) and also serum ferritin using standard methods.

RESULTSWe found that the erythrocytic free reactive iron was significantly higher (P <0.001) in Hb E beta patients and was about 30% more than in controls. The elevated level of erythrocytic non-haem iron was associated with a high level of serum TBARS which was about 86% higher in patients than in controls. The serum ferritin level was also significantly higher (P <0.001) compared to controls. The erythrocytic reduced glutathione level was significantly lower (P <0.001) at about 65% less in the patients' group and the erythrocytic glutathione reductase enzyme was also found to be significantly lower (P <0.001) in Hb E beta-thalassaemia.

CONCLUSIONSWe concluded that a significantly elevated level of erythrocytic free reactive iron and lipid peroxidation end product was associated with low erythrocytic GSH level. This reflects non-haem iron mediated cellular damage in Hb E beta-thalassaemia.

Adolescent ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Erythrocytes ; metabolism ; Ferritins ; blood ; Glutathione ; blood ; Glutathione Reductase ; blood ; Hemoglobin E ; Humans ; Iron ; blood ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Oxidative Stress ; physiology ; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances ; metabolism ; beta-Thalassemia ; blood ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVETo study the time dependent antioxidation changes of serum and sciatic nerve in rats intoxicated with acrylamide.

METHODSMale Wistar rats weighing 180 to 220 g were given acrylamide dissolved in physiological saline (40 mg/kg ip 3 days/week). The control groups received normal saline. The gait was observed and antioxidant indexes of rat serum and sciatic nerve were determined on 0, second, fourth, sixth, 10th week.

RESULTSWith the extension of the intoxication period, compared with the control, the contents of glutathione in serum and sciatic nerve gradually decreased (P < 0.05; after 6 and 10 weeks to 92% and 77%; after 2, 4, 6 and 10 weeks to 92%, 82%, 67% and 66%); the levels of malondialdehyde gradually increased (P < 0.05; after 4, 6 and 10 weeks to 113%, 118% and 120%; after 4, 6 and 10 weeks to 153%, 167%, 174%); the abilities of the resistance to reactive oxygen species gradually decreased (P < 0.05; after 10 weeks to 82%; after 6 and 10 weeks to 76% and 71%); the activities of glutathione peroxidase gradually increased (P < 0.05; after 2, 4, 6 and 10 weeks to 122%, 130%, 160% and 124%; after 4, 6 and 10 weeks to 134%, 152% 164%); the activities of glutathione reductase increased at early stage (P < 0.01; after 4 and 6 weeks to 300% and 217%; after 4 weeks to 142%) and decreased later (P < 0.01; 6 and 10 weeks to 59% and 33% in sciatic nerve); the activities of superoxide dismutase increased primitively (P < 0.05; after 2 weeks to 110%; after 4 weeks to 124%) and decreased later (P < 0.05; after 10 weeks to 85% in serum). The changes of antioxidant indexes in serum and sciatic nerve according to gait score were similar. The level of MDA in serum was in high correlation (P < 0.01) with that in sciatic nerve. The regression coefficients were 0.99 and 0.96 according to the administration time and gait score respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe changes of the antioxidant indexes in serum and sciatic nerve of rat treated with acrylamide are time dependent. The changes in serum and sciatic nerve are similar but those in sciatic nerve are more remarkable.

Acrylamide ; toxicity ; Animals ; Glutathione ; blood ; metabolism ; Glutathione Reductase ; blood ; metabolism ; Lipid Peroxidation ; drug effects ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; blood ; metabolism ; Sciatic Nerve ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood ; metabolism

BACKGROUN/OBJECTIVES: Although studies have revealed that black garlic is a potent antioxidant, its antioxidant mechanism remains unclear. The objective of this study was to determine black garlic's antioxidant activities and possible antioxidant mechanisms related to nuclear factor erythroid 2-like factor 2 (Nrf2)-Keap1 complex. METHODS/MATERIALS: After four weeks of feeding rats with a normal fat diet (NF), a high-fat diet (HF), a high-fat diet with 0.5% black garlic extract (HF+BGE 0.5), a high-fat diet with 1.0% black garlic extract (HF+BGE 1.0), or a high-fat diet with 1.5% black garlic extract (HF+BGE 1.5), plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin,homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were determined. As oxidative stress indices, plasma concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and 8-isoprostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF) were determined. To measure antioxidant capacities, plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and activities of antioxidant enzymes in plasma and liver were determined. The mRNA expression levels of antioxidant related proteins such as Nrf2, NAD(P)H: quinone-oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione S-transferase alpha 2 (GSTA2) were examined. RESULTS: Plasma glucose level, plasma insulin level, and HOMA-IR in black garlic supplemented groups were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than those in the HF group without dose-dependent effect. Plasma TBARS concentration and TAC in the HF+BGE 1.5 group were significantly decreased compared to those of the HF group. The activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase were significantly (P < 0.05) increased in the HF+BGE 1.0 and HF+BGE 1.5 groups compared to those of the HF group. The mRNA expression levels of hepatic Nrf2, NQO1, HO-1, and GSTA2 were significantly (P < 0.05) increased in the HF with BGE groups compared to those in the HF group. CONCLUSIONS: The improvements of blood glucose homeostasis and antioxidant systems in rats fed with black garlic extract were related to mRNA expression levels of Nrf2 related genes.
Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Catalase ; Diet ; Diet, High-Fat ; Garlic* ; Glucose ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Glutathione Reductase ; Glutathione Transferase ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; Homeostasis ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Liver ; Oxidative Stress ; Plasma ; Rats ; RNA, Messenger ; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of fluoride on the oxidative stress of the rats in endemic fluorosis of coal burning and Mn-SOD expression at mRNA and protein levels.

METHODSSD rats were divided into 2 groups (the number of female and male in each group was the same): control group and fluorosis group. All rats of the fluorosis group were fed corn dried by burning coal from endemic fluorosis areas with high fluoride content (fluoride 17 mg/kg in feed) to establish an animal model of fluorosis. In these rats, dental fluorosis was evaluated. The fluoride content in the urine was measured by fluorine ion-elective electrode method. The hepatic tissue and serum level of malonaldehyde (MDA) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathion reductase (GR) were measured by biochemical methods. The index signs of liver function were also measured from the serum. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot were performed to detect the alterations of Mn-SOD expression in the liver at mRNA and protein levels.

RESULTSThe dental fluorosis was observed in the fluorosis group, and the incidence was 11/11. The fluoride contents [(3.50 ± 2.58) mg/L] in the urine of fluorosis rats were increased as compared with the control [(1.42 ± 0.38) mg/L] (P < 0.05). AST [(223.74 ± 71.51) U/L] and total protein [(72.43 ± 5.59) g/L] of the hepatic function index in fluorosis rats showed obviously abnormal as compared with the control [(169.28 ± 53.74) U/L and (82.36 ± 7.31) g/L], respectively (P < 0.05). In the liver the content of MDA [(10.41 ± 0.59) µmol/g protein] increased as compared to the control [(5.80 ± 1.31) µmol/g protein, P < 0.01], and the activities of SOD [(62.60 ± 8.65) U/mg protein] and GR [ (1.17 ± 0.66) U/g protein] markedly decreased in the fluorosis group compared to the control [SOD (117.28 ± 8.64) U/mg protein and GR [(8.80 ± 1.59) U/g protein; P < 0.05, P < 0.01]. The level of Mn-SOD in the liver was markedly decreased in the fluorosis group [(14.83 ± 2.50) U/mg protein] as compared with the control [(34.05 ± 5.22) U/mg protein, P < 0.01]. The levels of mRNA (0.64 ± 0.15) and protein (0.84 ± 0.13) of Mn-SOD were markedly decreased in the fluorosis group as compared with the control [(0.86 ± 0.21) and (1.04 ± 0.14)], respectively (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSFluorosis can decrease the activities of Mn-SOD, which is associated with decreased levels of mRNA and protein of Mn-SOD. Down-regulation of Mn-SOD expression may play an important role in the aggravation of oxidative stress in endemic fluorosis.

Animals ; Coal ; Down-Regulation ; Female ; Fluorides ; urine ; Fluorosis, Dental ; metabolism ; Glutathione Reductase ; blood ; metabolism ; Liver ; metabolism ; Liver Function Tests ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood ; genetics ; metabolism