The Importance of Antioxidant Enzymes and Oxidative Stress in Human Fascioliasis

Effects of puerarin as a feed additive on the laying performance, egg quality, endocrine hormones, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal morphology of aged laying hens

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of puerarin (Pue), a phytoestrogen, on the production performance, egg quality, endocrine hormones, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal morphology in aged laying hens. A total of 180 Hy-Line Brown hens aged 480 d were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 45 per group) and fed 0, 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg of Pue (Con, L-Pue, M-Pue, and H-Pue, respectively) during a 42-d experiment. Compared with the Con treatment, supplementation with H-Pue improved laying performance and egg quality by significantly increasing egg production, average egg weight, albumen height, yolk weight, and Haugh unit (P < 0.05) while decreasing the feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05). A diet supplemented with H-Pue significantly decreasing serum total triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase (P < 0.05), and significantly increasing serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and progesterone (P < 0.05). Antioxidant activity was improved by significantly increasing the activity of total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase and catalase but decreasing malondialdehyde levels in serum, jejunum, and ileum (P < 0.05), and superoxide dismutase activity exhibited a significantly increase in the jejunum and ileum (P < 0.05). Villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (P < 0.05) were significantly increased in the jejunum and ileum. In the jejunal and ileal mucosa, the three treatment groups increased the mRNA expression levels of Claudin-1 and Claudin-2 compared with Con (P < 0.05), and no significant effect was observed on the expression of Occludin and ZO-1. The results showed that dietary supplementation with Pue could improve the laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant capacity, hormonal profile, and intestinal morphology of aged laying hens.

Oxidative Stress in Parasitic Diseases-Reactive Oxygen Species as Mediators of Interactions between the Host and the Parasites

Oxidative stress plays a significant role in the development and course of parasitic infections, both in the attacked host organism and the parasite organism struggling to survive. The host uses large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mainly superoxide anion (O2•-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), to fight the developing parasitic disease. On the other hand, the parasite develops the most effective defense mechanisms and resistance to the effects of ROS and strives to survive in the host organism it has colonized, using the resources and living environment available for its development and causing the host's weakening. The paper reviews the literature on the role of oxidative stress in parasitic diseases, which are the most critical epidemiological problem worldwide. The most common parasitosis in the world is malaria, with 300-500 million new cases and about 1 million deaths reported annually. In Europe and Poland, the essential problem is intestinal parasites. Due to a parasitic infection, the concentration of antioxidants in the host decreases, and the concentration of products of cellular components oxidation increases. In response to the increased number of reactive oxygen species attacking it, the parasites have developed effective defense mechanisms, including primarily the action of antioxidant enzymes, especially superoxide dismutase and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate hydrogen (NADPH)-dependent complexes glutathione and thioredoxin.

The effect of Abrus cantoniensis Hance on liver damage in mice

The liver is a well-known organ contributing to digestion, hemostasis and detoxification, while liver injury is a world-widely distributed health problem with limited treatment choices. We detected the protective effect of Abrus cantoniensis Hance (ACH) on Carbon tetrachloride-induced (CCl4) liver injury in mice. Fifty ICR (Institute of Cancer Research) animals were grouped into five groups of control (a), CCl4 (d), ACH (25 mg/kg) treated group (c), ACH (50 mg/kg) treated group (b), and ACH (100 mg/kg) treated group (e). Mice in groups d, c, b, and e were given CCl4 every four days, and treated animals received daily ACH supplementation. The results showed that the daily body weights in CCl4-induced animals were slightly lower; however, the weight of ACH-treated mice increased, particularly in the higher dose group. Treatment with CCl4 led to increased liver weight and liver indices in mice, whereas supplementation with ACH reduced both liver weights and liver indices in animals. Histo-pathological analysis indicated that CCl4 led to inflammatory cell infiltration and hepatocellular degeneration, with collagenous fibers proliferation in ICR animals. In contrast, supplementation with ACH prominently decreased inflammatory cells and degeneration of hepatocytes and inhibited collagen fiber hyperplasia. Furthermore, the levels or concentrations of AST (p < 0.0001), ALT (p < 0.0001), MDA (p < 0.0001), IL-1β (p < 0.01), TNF-α (p < 0.01) and IL-6 (p < 0.01) were significantly higher in CCl4 induced ICR animals in group d. However, mice treated with ACH showed lower levels or concentrations of those indices in dose dependent manner. The levels of GSH-px (p < 0.0001), CAT (p < 0.0001) and SOD (p < 0.0001) were significantly reduced in CCl4 group; however, all these three enzymes exhibited significant (p < 0.05) increase in animals supplemented with ACH in dose dependent manner. The microbiome sequencing generated 1,168,327 filtered reads in the mice samples. A notable difference was observed in the composition of 6 phyla and 37 genera among the five ICR animal groups. Supplementation with ACH increased the abundance of beneficial genera of Coprococcus, Blautia and Clostridium, while concurrently decreased the presence of pathogenic genera of Mycoplasma and Helicobacter. In conclusion, we revealed that Abrus cantoniensis Hance has the potential to relieve liver damage induced by CCl4, through the reduction of inflammation, enhancement of antioxidant capacity, and regulation of intestinal microbiota.