Impact of different processing methods on the phenolics and neuroprotective activity of Fragaria ananassa Duch. extracts in a D-galactose and aluminum chloride-induced rat model of aging

Piperazine ferulate impact on diabetes-induced testicular dysfunction: unveiling genetic insights, MAPK/ERK/JNK pathways, and TGF-β signaling

Diabetic testicular dysfunction (DTD) poses a significant threat to male reproductive health. This study delves into the potential of piperazine ferulate (PF), a natural phenolic compound, in alleviating DTD and sheds light on its underlying mechanisms in rats. Animals were divided into the control, PF, diabetic, and diabetic plus PF groups. Diabetes was induced in rats with a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of streptozotocin (STZ) at 50 mg/kg. PF was administered at 50 mg/kg/day via i.p. injection for four weeks. Significant changes in sexual behavior were observed in diabetic rats, which additionally revealed lower serum levels of testosterone, FSH, and LH. The abnormalities in sperm count, viability, motility, and morphology occurred along with the demonstrated suppression of genes and protein expression related to spermatogenesis. Atrophy of the seminiferous tubules and extensive degeneration and necrosis of the germ and Leydig cells were highlighted by histopathological examination. The testicular function of diabetic rats was significantly improved after PF administration, evidenced by normalized testicular histology, increased testosterone levels, and enhanced sperm quality. In addition to reducing inflammatory cytokines, COX2, and NF-κB expression, pf administration elevated the antioxidant levels and Nrf2/HO-1 expression. Furthermore, key signaling pathways involved in testicular degeneration are regulated by PF. It promoted cell survival and tissue repair by activating the protective TGF-β signaling pathway and attenuating the MAPK/ERK/JNK signaling cascade, which in turn reduced inflammation and apoptosis. PF suppressed the expression of INSL3, SPHK1, CD62E, ANGPTL2, and miR-148a-5p, while increasing the expression of testicular genes like HSD17B1, DAZL, and S1P, addressing DTD. This study highlights the potential of PF to restore testicular function and fertility in diabetic males by modulating genetic and signaling pathways.

Neuroprotective role of morin hydrate on 3-nitropropionic acid-elicited huntington's disease: in vivo investigation of RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL necroptosis signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare dominantly inheritable autosomal neurodegenerative disease with unclear pathophysiological pathways. In neurodegenerative disorders, including HD, necroptosis plays a significant role in neuronal death. Morin hydrate (MH), a natural bioactive flavonoid, has various pharmacological properties via orchestrating neuroinflammation, apoptosis, and necroptosis. Up to now, there is no extant data on the impact of MH on the necroptotic pathway in HD.

AIM

This research aimed to scrutinize the effect of MH on neurodegeneration initiated by 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) administration in rats via modulating necroptosis and apoptosis signaling pathways and compare it with necrosulfonamide (NSA) as a necroptosis inhibitor.

METHODS

HD was triggered in male wistar rats by intraperitoneal injection of 3-NP (10 mg/kg/day) for 14 days. Intraperitoneal injection of MH (20 mg/kg/day, i.p.) or NSA (1.65 mg/kg/day, i.p.) an hour prior to 3-NP administration for 14 days. At the end of study, rats were weighed, and their locomotor activity was assessed via grip strength and open field tests. Striata of rats were investigated histologically and immunohistochemically by evaluation the expression levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Striatal tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), caspase 3, and 8 levels were quantified through the ELISA technique, while striatal expression of necroptosis-associated proteins; phosphorylated form of receptor interacting protein kinase 1/3(p-RIPK1, p-RIPK3) and phosphorylated form of mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (p-MLKL) were assessed by the Western blot technique. Striatal succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity was assayed colorimetrically. Finally, gene enrichment analysis using ShinyGO was employed.

RESULTS

MH and NSA significantly mitigated body weight loss and ameliorated locomotor deterioration, besides reversing histological abnormalities in the striatum of rats. Intriguingly, MH exerted similar effects on specific biomarkers and molecular signals as NSA. MH and NSA inhibited neuroinflammation, apoptosis, and necroptosis by significantly decreasing the striatal (TNF-α), caspase 3, and necroptosis-associated proteins (P-RIPK1, P-RIPK3, and P-MLKL) levels. Besides, MH and NSA also decreased striatal GFAP and increased SDH activity. Gene enrichment analysis revealed a significant interaction between genes. Together, MH exerts a neuroprotective action on 3-NP-elicited HD rats via reducing neuroinflammation, apoptosis, and necroptosis. This study highlights MH as a potential protection against HD, calling for further research to confirm its neuroprotective effects.

Ameliorative Effects of Raisin Polyphenol Extract on Oxidative Stress and Aging In Vitro and In Vivo via Regulation of Sirt1-Nrf2 Signaling Pathway

Raisins are an important source of polyphenolic compounds in plant foods, and polyphenols are associated with antioxidant and anti-aging activity. In this work, 628 polyphenols in raisin extracts were characterized using UPLC-MS/MS, mainly including tricetin 3'-glucuronide, diisobutyl phthalate, butyl isobutyl phthalate, isoquercitrin and 6-hydroxykaempferol-7-O-glucoside. The oxidative stress in H2O2-induced HepG2 cells and D-gal-induced aging mice was alleviated by raisin polyphenols (RPs) via increases in the cellular levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH), along with decreases in malonaldehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and advanced glycosylation end-products (AGEs) levels. In addition, it was observed that RPs enhanced Sirt1 and Sirt3 expression, initiating the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway, by upregulating the levels of nuclear Nrf2, facilitating the expressions of the antioxidant proteins NQO1 and HO-1, and downregulating Keap1 and cytoplasmic Nrf2 protein levels in H2O2-induced HepG2 cells and D-gal-induced aging mice. In summary, RP exerted antioxidant and anti-aging effects via regulating the Sirt1-Nrf2 signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo.

Impact of thermal processing on phytochemical profile and cardiovascular protection of Beta vulgaris L. in hyperlipidemic rats

Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) is globally recognized for its outstanding color and flavor. It has been acknowledged for its therapeutic value since the ancient Romans. It is used to treat cardiovascular disorders. The therapeutic benefits of red beetroot are due to the substantial amounts of various bioactive metabolites, such as ascorbic acid, carotenoids, nitrates, phenolics, and betalains. However, the bioavailability and shelf life of these substances are significantly affected by the considerable variations in their processing methods among different countries. The longevity of the extracts is prolonged by employing well-established preservation techniques, such as boiling and steaming, which involve the application of heat. Our study aimed to analyze and compare the phytochemical composition of raw and heat processed beetroot using UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. In addition, the study aimed to assess the effectiveness of processed beetroot in protecting against cardiovascular complications in a rat model of obesity induced by high-fat diet (HFD). UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS phytochemical profiling revealed the presence of 51 compounds, including organic acids, flavonoids, phenolics, betanins, and saponins. All the extracts demonstrated a significant decline in MDA, TNF- α, and IL-6 levels, suppressed the TGF-β expression, and restored the serum catalase level to normal. Among all the tested extracts, the steamed extract exhibited the slightest percentage change in body weight (10.2 ± 6.4) and effectively lowered the TNF-α level to normal levels. In contrast, the normal histological structure of heart muscle fibers was notably preserved in the cardiac sections of rats pretreated with steamed and boiled beetroot extracts. Additionally, mild caspase-3 immunoreactivity was observed in the cardiac muscles. The current study demonstrated that the steamed beetroot extract showed improved cardioprotective properties compared to the fresh and boiled extracts.

Epigenetic Mechanisms of Aluminum-Induced Neurotoxicity and Alzheimer's Disease: A Focus on Non-Coding RNAs

Aluminum (Al) is known to induce neurotoxic effects, potentially contributing to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Recent studies suggest that epigenetic modification may contribute to Al neurotoxicity, although the mechanisms are still debatable. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to summarize existing data on the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in Al-induced neurotoxicity, especially AD-type pathology. Existing data demonstrate that Al exposure induces disruption in DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA expression in brains. Alterations in DNA methylation following Al exposure were shown to be mediated by changes in expression and activity of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and ten-eleven translocation proteins (TETs). Al exposure was shown to reduce histone acetylation by up-regulating expression of histone deacetylases (HDACs) and impair histone methylation, ultimately contributing to down-regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling. Neurotoxic effects of Al exposure were also associated with aberrant expression of non-coding RNAs, especially microRNAs (miR). Al-induced patterns of miR expression were involved in development of AD-type pathology by increasing amyloid β (Aβ) production through up-regulation of Aβ precursor protein (APP) and β secretase (BACE1) expression (down-regulation of miR-29a/b, miR-101, miR-124, and Let-7c expression), increasing in neuroinflammation through NF-κB signaling (up-regulation of miR-9, miR-125b, miR-128, and 146a), as well as modulating other signaling pathways. Furthermore, reduced global DNA methylation, altered histone modification, and aberrant miRNA expression were associated with cognitive decline in Al-exposed subjects. However, further studies are required to evaluate the contribution of epigenetic mechanisms to Al-induced neurotoxicity and/or AD development.

Activation of alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor by tropisetron mitigates 3-nitropropionic acid-induced Huntington's disease in rats: Role of PI3K/Akt and JAK2/NF-κB signaling pathways

Huntington's disease (HD) is an inheritable autosomal-dominant disorder that targets mainly the striatum. 3-Nitropropionic acid (3-NP) induces obvious deleterious behavioral, neurochemical, and histological effects similar to the symptoms of HD. Our study aimed to examine the neuroprotective activity of tropisetron, an alpha-7 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α-7nAChR) agonist, against neurotoxic events associated with 3-NP-induced HD in rats. Forty-eight rats were randomly allocated into four groups. Group I received normal saline, while Groups II, III and IV received 3-NP for 2 weeks. In addition, Group III and IV were treated with tropisetron 1 h after 3-NP administration. Meanwhile, Group IV received methyllycaconitine (MLA), an α-7nAChR antagonist, 30 min before tropisetron administration. Treatment with tropisetron improved motor deficits as confirmed by the behavioral tests and restored normal histopathological features of the striatum. Moreover, tropisetron showed an anti-oxidant activity via increasing the activities of SDH and HO-1 as well as Nrf2 expression along with reducing MDA level. Tropisetron also markedly upregulated the protein expression of p-PI3K and p-Akt which in turn hampered JAK2/NF-κB inflammatory cascade. In addition, tropisetron showed an anti-apoptotic activity through boosting the expression of Bcl-2 and reducing Bax expression and caspase-3 level. Interestingly, all the aforementioned effects of tropisetron were blocked by pre-administration of MLA, which confirms that such neuroprotective effects are mediated via activating of α-7nAChR. In conclusion, tropisetron showed a neuroprotective activity against 3-NP-induced HD via activating PI3K/Akt signaling and suppressing JAK2/NF-κB inflammatory axis. Thus, repositioning of tropisetron could represent a promising therapeutic strategy in management of HD.

Protective role of hesperetin in sorafenib-induced hepato- and neurotoxicity in mice via modulating apoptotic pathways and mitochondrial reprogramming

INTRODUCTION

Sorafenib, an FDA-approved standard chemotherapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, is associated with numerous adverse effects that significantly impact patients' physiological well-being. Consequently, identifying agents that mitigate these side effects while enhancing efficacy is crucial. Hesperetin, a flavone present in fruits and vegetables, possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. This study aimed to investigate the hepatotoxic and neurotoxic effects of sorafenib and the potential protective role of hesperetin.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Swiss albino mice were orally administered sorafenib (100 mg/kg) alone or in combination with hesperetin (50 mg/kg) over 21 days. Behavioral assessments for anxiety and depressive-like behaviors were conducted. Additionally, evaluations encompassed apoptotic activity, mitochondrial integrity, liver enzyme levels, proliferation rates, and histopathological changes.

RESULTS

Combining hesperetin with sorafenib showed improvements in behavioral alterations, liver damage, brain mitochondrial dysfunction, and liver apoptosis compared to the sorafenib-only group in mice.

CONCLUSION

Hesperetin exhibits potential as an adjunct to sorafenib, mitigating its side effects by attenuating its toxicity, enhancing efficacy, and potentially reducing the occurrence of sorafenib-induced resistance through the downregulation of hepatocyte growth factor levels.