Protective effects of Hammada scoparia flavonoid-enriched fraction on liver injury induced by warm ischemia/reperfusion

Evaluation of anti-inflammatory, diuretic and oral glucose tolerance activities of phenolic compound-rich fractions of Hammada articulata in Albino Wistar rats

Hammada articulata is a plant widely used by the locals of the Algerian Sahara for multiple medicinal purposes. However, little was known about its chemical composition and the mechanisms of its bioactivity. For this purpose, the derived extracts [chloroform (CHCl₃), ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and n-butanol (n-BuOH)] of the 80% ethanol extract of its aerial parts, were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and anti-hyperglycemic activities in vivo. A preliminary phytochemical screening of H. articulata extracts showed the presence of a variety of secondary metabolites. RP-HPLC/DAD was used to analyze some fractions obtained by fractionation of the three derived extracts, by column chromatography and chosen because of the abundance and simplicity of their chemical composition. The fractions obtained from EtOAc and n-BuOH extracts showed a particular richness in phenolic compounds mainly naringenin, quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, and rutin, which were known for their many interesting biological activities. The three derived extracts from H. articulata were assessed for their anti-inflammatory activity in the carrageenan-induced edema model in rats and their diuretic activity using hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) as a diuretic reference. All extracts showed considerable anti-inflammatory activity; the highest was registered in the group treated with the n-BuOH extract. However, for the diuretic activity, only the chloroform extract was active, with a diuretic spectrum similar to that of the standard diuretic HCTZ. The anti-hyperglycemic effect was carried out on the three derived extracts administered orally at a dose of 200 mg/kg, using the glucose tolerance test after gavage with the extracts. The EtOAc and n-BuOH extracts showed significant anti-hyperglycemic activity, improving oral glucose tolerance in normal rats.

Short-term inhalation of isoflurane improves the outcomes of intraportal hepatocyte transplantation

Clinical hepatocyte transplantation (HTx) is only performed without general anesthesia, while inhalation anesthetics are usually used in animal experiments. We hypothesized that isoflurane may be a possible reason for the discrepancy between the results of animal experiments and the clinical outcomes of HTx. Syngeneic rat hepatocytes (1.0 × 10⁷) were transplanted to analbuminemic rats with (ISO group) and without (AW group) isoflurane. The serum albumin, AST, ALT, LDH levels and several inflammatory mediators were analyzed. Immunohistochemical staining and ex vivo imaging were also performed. The serum albumin levels of the ISO group were significantly higher in comparison to the AW group (p < 0.05). The serum AST, ALT, LDH levels of the ISO group were significantly suppressed in comparison to the AW group (p < 0.0001, respectively). The serum IL-1β, IL-10, IL-18, MCP-1, RNTES, Fractalkine and LIX levels were significantly suppressed in the ISO group. The ischemic regions of the recipient livers in the ISO group tended to be smaller than the AW group; however, the distribution of transplanted hepatocytes in the liver parenchyma was comparable between the two groups. Isoflurane may at least in part be a reason for the discrepancy between the results of animal experiments and the clinical outcomes of HTx.

Liver injury following small intestinal ischemia reperfusion in rats is attenuated by Pistacia lentiscus oil: antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects

CONTEXT

Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (IIR) not only leads to severe intestine damage but also induced subsequent destruction of remote organs.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the protective effect of Pistascia lentiscus L. (Anacardiaceae) oil on IIR.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Wistar rats were divided into three groups: sham, intestinal IR and P. lentiscus pretreatment (n = 18 each). In the pretreatment group, oil was administered 1 h before induction of warm ischemia.

RESULTS

IIR led to severe liver damage manifested as a significant (p < .05) increase of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. Pistacia lentiscus oil decreased the visible intestinal damage, as well as a significant decrease in serum AST and ALT levels. In addition, Pistacia lentiscus reduce liver injury, as evidenced by the decrease in liver tissue myeloperoxidase activity and lipoperoxidation (MDA) level.

CONCLUSION

Pistascia lentiscus attenuates liver injury induced by IIR, attributable to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect.

MiR-136 controls neurocytes apoptosis by regulating Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases-3 in spinal cord ischemic injury

BACKGROUND

Spinal cord ischemia is a serious injury that threatens human health and life. Furthermore, it was widely accepted that miR-136 was mediated in the spinal injury, while whether it regulated neurocytes apoptosis in I/R-induced spinal cord injury remains unclear.

METHODS

Spinal cord ischemia injury (SCII) rats were induced by clamping the nontraumatic vascular clip on the abdominal aorta. Real-time PCR was conducted to determine the mRNA expression, and western blot was carried out to measure protein expression. TUNEL assay was used to measure cell apoptosis.

RESULTS

MiR-136 was up-regulated, while Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases-3 (TIMP3) was down-regulated in both SCII rats and hypoxic neurocytes. MiR-136 overexpression protected neurocytes against injury that induced by hypoxia. TIMP3 was the target gene of miR-136. Hypoxia supplementation decreased the expression of miR-136, promoted TIMP3 expression, and urged cell apoptosis, cells transfected with miR-136 mimic reversed the effect that induced by hypoxia, while cells co-transfected with pcDNA-TIMP3 abolished the results that induced by overexpressed miR-136.

CONCLUSION

MiR-136 regulated neurocytes apoptosis of SCII by mediating TIMP3.