A comparative study of the effects of molsidomine and 3-morpholinosydnonimine on the redox status of rat erythrocytes and reticulocytes

Molsidomine ameliorates diabetic peripheral neuropathy complications in Wistar rats

Diabetic neuropathy is a disorder that affects various regions of the nervous system and there is no specific treatment available for it. This study evaluated the protective effect of molsidomine in diabetic neuropathy in rats. Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by administrating streptozotocin (52 mg/kg ip). Diabetic rats were treated with molsidomine 5 mg/kg po and 10 mg/kg po. After 8 weeks of treatment, motor coordination, mechanical allodynia, mechanical hyperalgesia, nerve conduction velocity, and glycosylated hemoglobin were assessed. Thereafter, animals were killed and the sciatic nerve was isolated for measurement of reduced glutathione and lipid peroxidation, and histopathological analysis. Treatment with molsidomine significantly improved motor coordination, paw withdrawal threshold, mechanical threshold, and nerve conduction velocity. Furthermore, molsidomine treatment also reduced malondialdehyde levels and prevented depletion of reduced glutathione in the sciatic nerve homogenate. Histopathology revealed that molsidomine treatment maintained normal architecture of the sciatic nerve. The results of our study strengthen the alternative use of molsidomine in diabetic neuropathy.

Energy production and redox status of rat red blood cells after reticulocytosis induced by various treatments

Stimulated erythropoiesis and reticulocytosis can be induced by daily bleeding, or by phenylhydrazine (PHZ) treatment. We compared the in vivo effects of PHZ and bleeding treatment on haematological, energy and redox status parameters in red blood cells (RBC) of rats. The results showed that all followed haematological parameters were significantly lower in bleeding, compared to PHZ-treated rats. PHZ induced even 2.58-fold higher reticulocytosis as compared to bleeding treatment. Although PHZ induced higher reticulocytosis, respiration intensity and energy production was lower than in bleeding-induced reticulocytes. These alterations were the consequence of increased superoxide anion and peroxynitrite concentrations in PHZ-treated rats. Bleeding treatment resulted in increased activity of an antioxidative enzyme, superoxide dismutase. In conclusion, differences in these two experimental models for reticulocytosis may be used as tools for appropriate pharmacological testing of redox-active substances considering energy and redox processes, as well as apoptosis pathways.

Glutathione status in the blood of rats after reticulocytosis induced by phenylhydrazine and bleeding

In this experiment, we compared the in vivo effects of phenylhydrazine (PHZ) and bleeding treatment on the redox status and glutathione antioxidative mechanism parameters in the plasma and red blood cells (RBC) of rats. Results showed a lower level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), a higher level of lipid peroxidation and the effective antioxidative role of the glutathione system in the blood of bleeding rats. PHZ-treatment induced higher concentrations of ROS and an accumulation of oxidized glutathione in the plasma, while the glutathione system showed a satisfactory antioxidative capacity in the RBC of rats. When comparing the two anemic groups, the PHZ-treated rats showed marked oxidative stress in the plasma. .

Time course of hematological parameters in bleeding-induced anemia

In order to investigate daily changes of hematological parameters in bleeding-induced anemia, we treated Wistar albino male rats by daily bleeding (1.5-2 mL of blood from the tail vein for eight days). Blood samples were taken before (on day zero) and on the first to eighth days of bleeding. The values of hematocrit, hemoglobin, and erythrocyte count decreased significantly after the second, sixth, and second days of bleeding, respectively. The number of leuko?cytes and platelets, as well as Heinz body levels, increased significantly after the third and second days of treatment. The percentage of reticulocytes increased significantly from the second day and attained the maximum level (32.55 ? 0.96%) on the eighth day.