Commiphora molmol Modulates Glutamate-Nitric Oxide-cGMP and Nrf2/ARE/HO-1 Pathways and Attenuates Oxidative Stress and Hematological Alterations in Hyperammonemic Rats

Myrrh Essential Oil Mitigates Renal Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Injury

BACKGROUND

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced renal injury is a common reason for kidney injury in clinical settings; therefore, continuous investigation of novel nephroprotective agents is crucial. Myrrh, the oleoresin exudates generated by the genus Commiphora, display numerous pharmacological actions. This study tried to assess the preventive effects of myrrh essential oil against I/R-induced renal damage.

METHODS

Rats were randomized into five groups. In the sham group, the animals were subjected to bilateral renal artery separation with no occlusion. In the sham + myrrh group; the rats were administered myrrh essential oil and then treated similarly to the sham group. Renal I/R group: the animals were challenged with renal I/R. In the myrrh + renal I/R groups, rats were administered 50 or 100 mg/kg of myrrh essential oil orally for three weeks before being confronted with I/R.

RESULTS

Serum levels of renal function tests and renal injury biomarkers, including NGAL, KIM-1, and CysC, were amplified in the renal I/R group. Animals that experienced renal I/R exhibited elevated lipid peroxidation (MDA); declined SOD, CAT, and GPx activity; declined GSH content; augmented TLR4/NFκB gene expression; and subsequent enhancement of inflammatory mediators (TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, and IL-6). Myrrh reduced renal function tests and injury biomarkers and amended renal histological alterations. Pretreatment with myrrh reduced MDA, elevated the antioxidant enzymes' activities and GSH content, and reduced the TLR4 and NFκB gene expression, leading to subsequent inflammation and apoptosis alleviation.

CONCLUSIONS

The outcomes of the present investigation established the protective effect of myrrh essential oil against renal I/R via pointing out the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects of myrrh.

Commiphora myrrh Supplementation Protects and Cures Ethanol-Induced Oxidative Alterations of Gastric Ulceration in Rats

Gastric ulceration is a multifactorial disease defined as a defect in the gastric wall that extends through the muscularis mucosae into the deeper layers of the wall. The most common cause of gastric ulceration is alcohol consumption. In the current study, rats were gavaged by ethanol to investigate the protective (before ethanol) and curative (after ethanol) ability of Commiphora myrrh (myrrh) oil and extract against gastric ulcer oxidative alterations induced by ethanol. Myrrh significantly improved ulcer index, histomorphology, and periodic acid Schiff (PAS) impaired by ethanol. In addition, myrrh improved the antioxidant potential of gastric mucosa through enhancement of nuclear factor related to erythroid 2 (Nrf2), total glutathione (GSH), reduced GSH, and oxidized glutathione (GSSG), along with significant reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Amelioration of gastric oxidative stress by myrrh enables gastric mucosa to counteract the ethanol’s inflammatory and apoptotic processes leading to improved gastric proliferation and healing. Interestingly, myrrh extract showed better protective and curative effects than myrrh oil against gastric ulceration.

The effects of Commiphora mukul extract on spermatogenesis and testosterone levels in male diabetic rats

Objective

The strong antioxidant activity of Commiphora mukul prompted us to conduct the present study to explore whether treatment with C. mukul extract (CME) would have any protective influence on sperm parameters, testosterone levels, and plasma glucose levels in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.

Methods

Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: control, control animals treated with CME, diabetic animals, and diabetic animals treated with CME. CME extract (300 mg/kg) was administered for 60 days by daily gavage. Diabetes was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg/kg STZ. The epididymal sperm count, weight, motility, morphology, viability, and serum testosterone and glucose levels were determined.

Results

In the diabetic animals, CME decreased blood glucose levels (p<0.05), increased the total sperm count (p<0.05), and decreased the proportion of sperm with abnormal morphology (p<0.05). Diabetes reduced sperm motility (p<0.001), and CME supplementation partially reversed this effect of diabetes (p=0.003). Furthermore, in diabetic animals, CME decreased the proportion of immotile sperm (p<0.001). In rats, diabetes caused a significant decrease (p<0.05) in serum testosterone levels (F[3, 28]=3.283, p=0.035), but treatment of diabetic animals with CME increased serum testosterone levels.

Conclusion

The present study demonstrated that C. mukul possesses proandrogenic activity and exerts a beneficial effect on sperm parameters in diabetic rats.

Perinatal Exposure to Tartrazine Triggers Oxidative Stress and Neurobehavioral Alterations in Mice Offspring

The use of synthetic azo dyes as coloring agents in food products has dramatically increased. This study evaluated the effect of perinatal exposure to tartrazine (TZ) on mice offspring, focusing on neurobehavioral alterations and oxidative stress. The female mice received TZ (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) via oral gavage during pregnancy and the first 15 days after birth. At days 21 and 35 after birth, male mice were sacrificed, and samples were collected for analyses. Perinatal exposure to TZ triggered tissue injury evidenced by the histological alterations and neuronal damage in the cerebrum, medulla oblongata, and cerebellum. TZ provoked lipid peroxidation and diminished cellular antioxidants in different brain regions of the newborns. In addition, TZ increased hemoglobin content, as well as erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets count at days 21 and 35 after birth. Both the locomotor behavior and anxiety reflex were significantly altered in mice exposed to TZ. In conclusion, perinatal exposure to TZ within an adequate daily intake range induced oxidative stress and neurobehavioral and hematological alterations in mice offspring. Therefore, consuming foods containing TZ during pregnancy and lactation warrants public awareness.

Stingless bee honey protects against lipopolysaccharide induced-chronic subclinical systemic inflammation and oxidative stress by modulating Nrf2, NF-κB and p38 MAPK

Background

Epidemiological and experimental studies have extensively indicated that chronic subclinical systemic inflammation (CSSI) and oxidative stress are risk factors for several chronic diseases, including cancer, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. This study examined the protective effect of stingless bee honey (SBH) supplementation against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced CSSI, pointing to the possible involvement of NF-κB, p38 MAPK and Nrf2 signaling.

Methods

CSSI was induced in male Sprague Dawley rats by intraperitoneal injection of LPS three times per week for 28 days, and SBH (4.6 and 9.3 g/kg/day) was supplemented for 30 days.

Results

LPS-induced rats showed significant leukocytosis, and elevated serum levels of CRP, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), accompanied with diminished antioxidants. Treatment with SBH significantly ameliorated inflammatory markers, MDA and 8-OHdG, and enhanced antioxidants in LPS-induced rats. In addition, SBH decreased NF-κB p65 and p38 MAPK, and increased Nrf2 expression in the liver, kidney, heart and lung of LPS-induced rats. Furthermore, SBH prevented LPS-induced histological and functional alterations in the liver, kidney, heart and lung of rats.

Conclusion

SBH has a substantial protective role against LPS-induced CSSI in rats mediated via amelioration of inflammation, oxidative stress and NF-κB, p38 MAPK and Nrf2 signaling.

Umbelliferone prevents oxidative stress, inflammation and hematological alterations, and modulates glutamate-nitric oxide-cGMP signaling in hyperammonemic rats

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a serious neuropsychiatric complication that occurs as a result of liver failure. Umbelliferone (UMB; 7-hydroxycoumarin) is a natural product with proven hepatoprotective activity; however, nothing has yet been reported on its protective effect against hyperammonemia, the main culprit behind the symptoms of HE. Here, we evaluated the effect of UMB against ammonium chloride (NH₄Cl)-induced hyperammonemia, oxidative stress, inflammation and hematological alterations in rats. We demonstrated the modulatory role of UMB on the glutamate-nitric oxide (NO)-cGMP pathways in the cerebrum of rats. Rats received intraperitoneal injections of NH₄Cl (3 times/week) for 8 weeks and concomitantly received 50 mg/kg UMB. NH₄Cl-induced rats showed significantly elevated blood ammonia and liver function markers. Lipid peroxidation and NO were increased in the liver and cerebrum of rats while the antioxidant defenses were declined. UMB significantly reduced blood ammonia, liver function markers, lipid peroxidation and NO, and enhanced the antioxidant defenses in NH₄Cl-induced rats. UMB significantly prevented anemia, leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia and prolongation of PT and aPTT. Hyperammonemic rats showed elevated levels of cerebral TNF-α, IL-1β and glutamine as well as increased activity and expression of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase, effects that were significantly reversed by UMB. In addition, UMB down-regulated nitric oxide synthase and soluble guanylate cyclase in the cerebrum of hyperammonemic rats. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that UMB protects against hyperammonemia via attenuation of oxidative stress and inflammation. UMB prevents hyperammonemia associated hematological alterations and therefore represents a promising protective agent against the deleterious effects of excess ammonia.

Health-related effects and improving extractability of cereal arabinoxylans

Arabinoxylans (AXs) are major dietary fibers. They are composed of backbone chains of β-(1-4)-linked xylose residues to which α-l-arabinose are linked in the second and/or third carbon positions. Recently, AXs have attracted a great deal of attention because of their biological activities such as their immunomodulatory potential. Extraction of AXs has some difficulties; therefore, various methods have been used to increase the extractability of AXs with varying degrees of success, such as alkaline, enzymatic, mechanical extraction. However, some of these treatments have been reported to be either expensive, such as enzymatic treatments, or produce hazardous wastes and are non-environmentally friendly, such as alkaline treatments. On the other hand, mechanical assisted extraction, especially extrusion cooking, is an innovative pre-treatment that has been used to increase the solubility of AXs. The aim of the current review article is to point out the health-related effects and to discuss the current research on the extraction methods of AXs.