Cardioprotective and renoprotective effects of venlafaxine on cisplatin-induced cardiotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in rats

Shikimic acid protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats

Doxorubicin (DOX) is used to treat a variety of malignancies; however, its cardiotoxicity limits its effectiveness. Shikimic acid (SA) showed several promising biomedical applications. This study investigated the protective effect of SA on DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in male rats. The ADMETlab 2.0 web server was used to predict the pharmacokinetic properties of SA. Molecular docking studies were conducted using AutoDock Vina. Fifty male rats were divided into 4 groups (n = 10); G1 was a negative control; G2 was injected with 4 mg/kg of DOX intraperitoneally (i.p.) once a week for a month; G3 was gavaged by 1/10 of SA LD50 (280 mg/kg) daily for a month, and G4 was injected with DOX as in G2 and with SA as in G3. After a month, hematological, biochemical, molecular, and histopathological investigations were assessed. The results showed that SA treatment led to significant amelioration of the DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in rats by restoring hematological, biochemical, inflammatory biomarkers, antioxidant gene expression, and cardiac histopathological alterations. Importantly, the impact of SA treatment against DOX-promoted cardiac deterioration is by targeting the Nrf-2/Keap-1/HO-1/NQO-1 signaling pathway, which in turn induces the antioxidant agents. These findings suggest that SA treatment could potentially mitigate cardiac toxicity during DOX-based chemotherapy.

Protective effect of thymoquinone against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and the underlying mechanism

BACKGROUND

Ferroptosis is a key process in doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiotoxicity and is a potentially important therapeutic target. Thymoquinone (TQ) is a monoterpenoid compound isolated from black cumin extract that exhibits antitumor effects and acts as a powerful mitochondrial-targeted antioxidant. In this study, we investigated the effect of TQ on DOX-induced cardiotoxicity and the potential underlying mechanisms.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Mice were randomly assigned to the control (CON) group, DOX (20 mg/kg) group, TQ10 (10 mg/kg/d) group, and TQ20 (20 mg/kg/d) group and intraperitoneally injected with DOX and different doses of TQ. The electrocardiogram, blood pressure, and cardiac ultrasound changes during the experiments showed that TQ exerted a protective effect against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. The glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) levels in the mouse heart tissue were significantly different from those in the CON group. Western blot analysis revealed that the expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), and ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1) in the DOX group was lower than that in the control group. TQ treatment decreased these changes, indicating that TQ alleviated DOX-induced cardiotoxicity and increased the antioxidant capacity of murine cardiomyocytes. The mechanism might involve activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway and reducing iron-mediated death. Immunohistochemical staining revealed similar effects on the expression levels of NQO1, COX-2, and NOX4. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy indicated that TQ protected murine cardiomyocytes against DOX-induced mitochondrial damage.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study suggested that TQ can decrease oxidative stress levels and DOX-induced cardiotoxicity by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway to alleviate ferroptosis in murine cardiomyocytes.

Protective effects of alpinetin against interleukin-1β-exposed nucleus pulposus cells: Involvement of the TLR4/MyD88 pathway in a cellular model of intervertebral disc degeneration

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) causes a variety of symptoms such as low back pain, disc herniation, and spinal stenosis, which can lead to high social and economic costs. Alpinetin has an anti-inflammatory potential, but its effect on IDD is unclear. Herein, we investigated the effect of alpinetin on IDD. To mimic an in vitro model of IDD, nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) were exposed to interleukin 1β (IL-1β). The viability of NPCs was assessed by CCK-8 assay. The expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88 (MyD88), aggrecan, collagen-2, and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) was examined by qRT-PCR and western blotting. The protein levels of B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated protein X (Bax), and cleaved caspase-3 were scrutinized by western blotting. The flow cytometry assay was performed to assess apoptosis of NPCs. The contents of inflammatory factors were examined by ELISA kits. Results showed that alpinetin repressed IL-1β-tempted activation of the TLR4/MyD88 pathway and apoptosis in NPCs. Alpinetin alleviated IL-1β-tempted inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in NPCs. Moreover, alpinetin lessened IL-1β-tempted extracellular matrix (ECM) degeneration in NPCs by enhancing the expression of aggrecan and collagen-2 and reducing the expression of MMP-3. The effects of alpinetin on IL-1β-exposed NPCs were neutralized by TLR4 upregulation. In conclusion, alpinetin repressed IL-1β-tempted apoptosis, inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and ECM degradation in NPCs through the inactivation of the TLR4/MyD88 pathway.

Bioactive extract of Morchella esculenta ameliorates cyclophosphamide-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and cardiotoxicity by modulating KEAP1/NRF2 and pro-inflammatory genes expression

Prevention of anticancer drugs-induced cardiotoxicity remains an imperative area of oncology research as it continues to be a major challenge in cancer chemotherapy. This study was undertaken to investigate the protective effect of methanol extract of Morchella esculenta (ME) against cyclophosphamide (CP)-induced cardiotoxicity. Myocardial damage was assessed by biochemical and histopathological methods. Proinflammatory cytokines gene expression was determined by RT-PCR analysis. To assess the mitochondrial dysfunction, TCA cycle and electron transport chain complexes enzymes activities were determined. Chemical finger print of ME was accomplished by HPTLC. CP (200 mg/kg) treated animals showed elevation in cardiac injury markers which was attenuated by ME (p < 0.05). CP-induced decline of antioxidant status and expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 were restored by ME. CP-induced expression of NF-ĸB, IL1-β, IL-6, TNF-α, COX-2 and iNOS (p < 0.05) was attenuated by ME (500 mg/kg). Bioactive compounds namely, 5-eicosapentaenoicacid (C20H30O2), 8-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (C18H32O3), 4,4-dipo-zetacarotene (C30H44), CynarosideA (C21H32O10) present in the extract might be responsible for cardioprotection. The findings reveal the protective effect of ME against CP-induced cardiomyopathy.

Effect of mesenchymal stem cells and melatonin on experimentally induced peripheral nerve injury in rats

Injury of a peripheral nerve (PNI) leads to both ischemic and inflammatory alterations. Sciatic nerve injury (SNI) represents the most widely used model for PNI. Mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy (MSCs) has convenient properties on PNI by stimulating the nerve regeneration. Melatonin has cytoprotective activity. The neuroprotective characteristics of MSCs and melatonin separately or in combination remain a knowledge need. In the rats-challenged SNI, therapeutic roles of intralesional MSCs and intraperitoneal melatonin injections were evaluated by functional assessment of peripheral nerve regeneration by walking track analysis involving sciatic function index (SFI) and two electrophysiological tests, electromyography and nerve conduction velocity, as well as measurement of antioxidant markers in serum, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and malondialdehyde, and mRNA expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in nerve tissues in addition to the histopathological evaluation of nerve tissue. Both individual and combination therapy with MSCs and melatonin therapies could effectively ameliorate this SNI and promote its regeneration as evidenced by improving the SFI and two electrophysiological tests and remarkable elevation of TAC with decline in lipid peroxidation and upregulation of BDNF levels. All of these led to functional improvement of the damaged nerve tissues and good recovery of the histopathological sections of sciatic nerve tissues suggesting multifactorial synergistic approach of the concurrent usage of melatonin and MSCs in PNI. The combination regimen has the most synergistic neuro-beneficial effects in PNI that should be used as therapeutic option in patients with PNI to boost their quality of life.

Re-positioning of low dose paclitaxel against depressive-like behavior and neuroinflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide in rats: Crosstalk between NLRP3/caspase-1/IL-1β and Sphk1/S1P/ NF-κB signaling pathways

AIMS

Depression is a potentially fatal illness affecting millions of individuals worldwide, across all age groups. Neuroinflammation is a key factor in depression development. Paclitaxel (PXL), a well-known chemotherapeutic agent has been used as therapy for several types of cancer. This study aims to evaluate the ameliorative effect of low-dose PXL against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced depression in rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were administrated a single dose of LPS (5 mg/kg, i.p.); 2 h later, rats received PXL (0.3 mg/kg, i.p. three times/week) for one week.

KEY FINDINGS

Low-dose PXL alleviated LPS-induced depressive-like behavior in rats as evidenced by significantly improving behavioral changes in both forced swim test (FST) and open field test (OFT), successfully mitigated depletion of monoamines (serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine), in addition to markedly decreasing lipid peroxidation with antioxidant levels elevation in brain tissues. Low-dose PXL substantially decreased inflammation triggered by LPS in brain tissue via repressing the expression of NLRP3 and its downstream markers level, caspase-1 and IL-1β jointly with a corresponding decrease in proinflammatory cytokine levels (TNF-α). Furthermore, low-dose PXL remarkably down-regulated Sphk1/S1P signaling pathway. Concurrent with these biochemical findings, there was a noticeable improvement in the brain tissue's histological changes.

SIGNIFICANCE

These findings prove the role of low-dose PXL in treatment of LPS-induced neuroinflammation and depressive-like behavior through their anti-depressant, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. The suggested molecular mechanism may entail focusing the interconnection among Sphk1/S1P, and NLRP3/caspase-1/IL-1β signaling pathways. Hence PXL could be used as a novel treatment against LPS-induced depression.

Cardioprotective effect of oleuropein in a cisplatin-induced cardiotoxicity model in rats

This study investigated the cardioprotective effect of oleuropein against cisplatin-induced cardiac damage in terms of inflammatory, oxidative stress and cardiac parameters. In this study, 40 female Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups: control, cisplatin, oleuropein and cisplatin+oleuropein. To establish the experimental model, oleuropein (200 mg/kg) was administered for 14 days and cisplatin (7 mg/kg) was administered as a single dose on the seventh day. Cisplatin increased MDA cardiac parameters (CK, CK-MB and cTnI) and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6) in cardiac tissue and decreased GSH, GSH-Px and catalase levels. On the other hand, oleuropein improved cardiac parameters and decreased inflammatory cytokine and oxidative stress levels in cardiac tissue.

miR-29b-1-5p exacerbates myocardial injury induced by sepsis in a mouse model by targeting TERF2

Myocardial damage is a critical complication and a significant contributor to mortality in sepsis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key players in sepsis pathogenesis. In this study, we explore the effect and mechanisms of miR-29b-1-5p on sepsis-induced myocardial damage. Sepsis-associated Gene Expression Omnibus datasets (GSE72380 and GSE29914) are examined for differential miRNAs. The mouse sepsis-induced cardiac injury was established by Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). LPS-treated HL-1 mouse cardiomyocytes simulate myocardial injury in vitro. miR-29b-1-5p is co-upregulated in both datasets and in cardiac tissue from sepsis mouse and HL-1 cell models. miR-29b-1-5p expression downregulation was achieved by antagomir transduction and confirmed by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Survival analysis and echocardiography examination show that miR-29b-1-5p inhibition improves mice survival cardiac function in LPS- and CLP-induced sepsis mice. Hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome staining and Immunohistochemistry analysis of mouse myocardial α-smooth muscle actin show that miR-29b-1-5p inhibition reduces myocardial tissue injury and fibrosis. The inflammatory cytokines and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels in mouse serum and HL-1 cells are also decreased by miR-29b-1-5p inhibition, as revealed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expressions of autophagy-lysosomal pathway-related and apoptosis-related proteins in the mouse cardiac tissues and HL-1 cells are evaluated by western blot analysis. The sepsis-induced activation of the autophagy-lysosomal pathway and apoptosis are also reversed by miR-29b-1-5p antagomir. MTT and flow cytometry measurement further confirm the protective role of miR-29b-1-5p antagomir in HL-1 cells by increasing cell viability and suppressing cell apoptosis. Metascape functionally enriches TargetScan-predicted miR-29b-1-5p target genes. TargetScan prediction and dual luciferase assay validate the targeting relationship between miR-29b-1-5p and telomeric repeat-binding factor 2 (TERF2). The expression and function of TERF2 in HL-1 cells and mice are also evaluated. MiR-29b-1-5p negatively regulates the target gene TERF2. TERF2 knockdown partly restores miR-29b-1-5p antagomir function in LPS-stimulated HL-1 cells. In summary, miR-29b-1-5p targetedly inhibits TERF2, thereby enhancing sepsis-induced myocardial injury.

Stattic ameliorates the cecal ligation and puncture-induced cardiac injury in septic mice via IL-6-gp130-STAT3 signaling pathway

AIM

Sepsis-induced cardiac dysfunction is the leading cause of higher morbidity and mortality with poor prognosis in septic patients. Our recent previous investigation provides evidence of the hallmarks of signal transducer and activator of transcription3 (STAT3) activation in sepsis and targeting of STAT3 with Stattic, a small-molecule inhibitor of STAT3, has beneficial effects in various septic tissues. We investigated the possible cardioprotective effects of Stattic on cardiac inflammation and dysfunction in mice with cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis.

MAIN METHODS

A polymicrobial sepsis model was induced by CLP in mice and Stattic (25 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally given at one and twelve hours after CLP operation. The cecum was exposed in sham-control mice without CLP. After 18 h of surgery, electrocardiogram (ECG) for anaesthized mice was registered followed by collecting of samples of blood and tissues for bimolecular and histopathological assessments. Myeloperoxidase, a marker of neutrophil infiltration, was assessed immunohistochemically.

KEY FINDINGS

CLP profoundly impaired cardiac functions as evidenced by ECG changes in septic mice as well as elevation of cardiac enzymes, and inflammatory markers with myocardial histopathological and immunohistochemical alterations. While, Stattic markedly reversed the CLP-induced cardiac abnormalities and restored the cardiac function by its anti-inflammatory activities.

SIGNIFICANCE

Stattic treatment had potential beneficial effects against sepsis-induced cardiac inflammation, dysfunction and damage. Its cardioprotective effects were possibly attributed to its anti-inflammatory activities by targeting STAT3 and downregulation of IL-6 and gp130. Our investigations suggest that Stattic could be a promising target for management of cardiac sepsis and inflammation-related cardiac damage.

The immunomodulatory effects of probiotics and azithromycin in dextran sodium sulfate-induced ulcerative colitis in rats via TLR4-NF-κB and p38-MAPK pathway

Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic autoimmune disease of the gut with a relapsing and remitting nature, considers a major health-care problem. DSS is a well-studied pharmacologically-induced model for UC. Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) and its close association with p-38-Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (p-38 MAPK) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) has important regulatory roles in inflammation and developing UC. Probiotics are gaining popularity for their potential in UC therapy. The immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory role of azithromycin in UC remains a knowledge need. In the present rats-established UC, the therapeutic roles of oral probiotics (60 billion probiotic bacteria per kg per day) and azithromycin (40 mg per kg per day) regimens were evaluated by measuring changes in disease activity index, macroscopic damage index, oxidative stress markers, TLR4, p-38 MAPK, NF-κB signaling pathway in addition to their molecular downstream; tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin (IL)1β, IL6, IL10 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). After individual and combination therapy with probiotics and azithromycin regimens, the histological architecture of the UC improved with restoration of intestinal tissue normal architecture. These findings were consistent with the histopathological score of colon tissues. Each separate regimen lowered the remarkable TLR4, p-38 MAPK, iNOS, NF-κB as well as TNFα, IL1β, IL6 and MDA expressions and elevated the low IL10, glutathione and superoxide dismutase expressions in UC tissues. The combination regimen possesses the most synergistic beneficial effects in UC that, following thorough research, should be incorporated into the therapeutic approach in UC to boost the patients' quality of life.

Inhalation exposure to crude oil vapor induces behavioural deficits by increasing oxidative stress and histopathological changes in rat hippocampus: Quercetin therapeutic approach

OBJECTIVE

Inhalation exposure to crude oil vapor (COV) and petroleum products is considered responsible for neurobehavioral toxicity in human and animal models. The antioxidant activity of quercetin (Que) and its derivatives are promising for protecting the hippocampus. This study aimed to evaluate the neuroprotective role of Que against COV-induced behavioral alterations and hippocampus damage.

METHODS

Eighteen adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the following three groups (n = 6): the control, the COV, and the COV + Que group. The inhalation method was used to expose the rats to crude oil vapors for 5 h daily, and Que (50 mg/kg) was administered orally. After 30 days of treatment, the spatial working memory and anxiety levels were evaluated using the cross-arm maze and elevated plus maze (EPM), respectively. TUNEL assay and hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining were used to identify the necrosis, normal and apoptotic cells in the hippocampus. Moreover, the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers including malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were investigated in the hippocampus tissue.

RESULTS

The results indicated that exposure to COV was associated with a significant decrease in spatial working memory and activity of CAT, TAC, SOD, and GPx enzymes compared to the control (P < 0.05). Moreover, COV significantly increased the level of anxiety, MDA, and hippocampal apoptosis (P < 0.05). The simultaneous administration of quercetin along with exposure to COV improved the behavioral alterations, activity of antioxidant enzymes, and hippocampal apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that quercetin prevents COV-induced hippocampal damage by enhancing the antioxidant system and preventing cell apoptosis.