Beneficial effects of arthrocen on neuroinflammation and behavior like depression in stroke in a murine model

Anti-psoriatic characteristics of ROCEN (topical Arthrocen) in comparison with Cyclosporine A in a murine model

Topical ROCEN (Roc), liposomal arthrocen hydrogel, is a robust anti-inflammatory formulation which has been developed for skin diseases such as eczema. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Roc 2% on the healing of imiquimod (Imiq)-induced psoriasis in a mouse model. Psoriasis was induced by applying Imiq topically to the mice's back skin once daily for five consecutive days. Moreover, a group of animal experiments was treated with Cyclosporine A (CsA), as a standard drug, for comparison with Roc treated group. The efficacy of Roc on skin lesions was evaluated by employing Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores. Subsequently, the skin samples were assessed using Baker's scoring system and Masson's trichrome staining, immunohistochemistry, and real-time PCR analysis. The observational and histopathological results indicated that topical application of Roc significantly reduced the PASI and Baker's scores in the plaque-type psoriasis model. Moreover, biochemical assessments showed that Roc suppressed significantly the increase of IL-17, IL-23, and TNF-α cytokines gene expression in the lesion site of psoriatic animals. In conclusion topical Roc 2% could significantly alleviate major pathological aspects of Imiq-induced psoriasis through inflammation inhibition which was comparable to the CsA drug. The beneficial outcomes of Roc application in the psoriasis model suggest its potential usage in complementary medicine.

Hesperidin reduces depressive symptoms in post-coronary artery bypass graft patients with mild depression

Previous studies have shown that hesperidin may have beneficial effects on depression; however, to the best of our knowledge, no clinical trial has yet been conducted in this area. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to determine the effects of hesperidin on depression, serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and serum cortisol levels in post-coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients. Toward this goal, 73 post-CABG patients with depression symptoms were enrolled. The participants were randomly divided into two groups to receive either 200 mg/day hesperidin (n = 38) or placebo (n = 35) for 12 weeks. Depressive symptoms, serum BDNF, and cortisol levels were then assessed at the baseline and after intervention. Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was also used to determine the severity of depression. Sixty-six patients completed the trial. Hesperidin decreased depression severity after 12 weeks, as compared to placebo (p = .004), but serum BDNF and cortisol were not statistically significantly different in the two groups after the intervention. Subgroup analyses also showed that, while in the patients with mild depression, the score of BDI-II was significantly different in the hesperidin and placebo groups after intervention; there was no difference in the severity of depression between the two groups in patients with moderate-to-severe depression. To conclude, a dose of 200 mg/day hesperidin may reduce depressive symptoms after 12 weeks in post-CABG patients with mild depression.