LC-ESI-MS/MS Chemical Characterization, Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Properties of Propolis Extracted with Organic Solvents from Eastern Anatolia Region

Geographic conditions (altitude, climate, and local flora) lead to significant differences in the chemical composition of propolis. Therefore, more research is needed for propolis in different geographical regions. So, the aim of this study was to evaluate the phenolic profile, total phenolic content, antioxidant, and antidiabetic properties of Pülümür propolis from Turkey. Methanol (MeOH), chloroform (CHCl3), and hexane extracts of propolis were analyzed. LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of the extracts showed that the most abundant phenolic compound is caffeic acid in the MeOH extract (2943.12±11.12 µg phenolics/g extract), while on the other hand, CHCl3 extract had the highest total phenolic content (125.75±1.02 mg GAE/g extract). Antioxidant activity was measured using ABTS and DPPH assays, whereas CHCl3 extract (IC50=6.35±0.11 and 28.84±0.10 µg/mL, respectively) and MeOH extracts  (IC50=5.04±0.07 and 28.80±0.09 µg/mL, respectively) showed relatively high antioxidant activity.  The MeOH extract showed better antidiabetic activity than the standard compound, acarbose (IC50=0.544 and 0.805 mg/mL, respectively).

Effects of MMP-1 and MMP-3 gene polymorphisms on gene expression and protein level in lumbar disc herniation

The aim of this study was to identify the possible correlation between polymorphisms in matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and MMP-3 and their corresponding protein levels in disc tissues obtained from patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) using biochemical and immunohistochemical analyses. Blood and disc samples were obtained from 100 patients with LDH who underwent a lumbar microdiscectomy. Based on the radiological degeneration, the patients were diagnosed with grade 2, 3, or 4 LDH. MMP-1 -1607 1G/2G and MMP-3 -1171 5A/6A were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The expressions of MMP-1 and MMP- 3 were detected by biochemical and immunohistochemical analyses. We found no association between the MMP-1 polymorphism and disc degeneration and MMP-1 expression. However, patients expressing the 6A/6A and 5A/6A alleles of MMP-3 -11715A/6A showed higher MMP-3 expression, compared to those expressing the 5A/5A genotype. Additionally, the radiological degeneration grades were correlated with the histological degeneration scoring. Protein levels and immunopositive cell rates of MMP-1 and MMP-3 were associated with disc degeneration grades. Moreover, the MMP-1 and MMP-3 expression and the histological and radiological scores were positively correlated and the MMP-3 -11715A/6A polymorphism was associated with MMP-3 expression in herniated disc tissues. This study is the first to investigate polymorphisms in MMP-1 and MMP-3, as well as their corresponding protein expressions. We also quantified an association between the radiological degeneration grades and MMP-1 and MMP- 3 expression. Further genomic studies on MMPs could focus on the utilization of MMP-1 and MMP-3 as markers for the prevention and treatment of this disease.

Evaluation of oxidative stress via total antioxidant status, sialic acid, malondialdehyde and RT-PCR findings in sheep affected with bluetongue

INTRODUCTION

Bluetongue (BT) is a non-contagious infectious disease of ruminants. The disease agent bluetongue virus (BTV) is classified in the Reoviridae family Orbivirus.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine serum malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidative stres (TAS), total sialic acid (TSA), ceruloplasmin, triglyceride, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), cholesterol, creatinine, albumin, and total protein levels in sheep with and without bluetongue (BT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included 13 Sakiz crossbreed sheep, aged 1-4 years and usually in the last stage of pregnancy, as the BT group and a control group consisting of 10 healthy sheep. All sheep were clinically examined before collecting blood samples. Serum ALT, AST, cholesterol, triglyceride, albumin, GGT, total protein, creatinine and TAS levels were measured using commercially available kits as per manufacturer's recommendations using a Biochemistry Auto Analyzer (Sinnowa D280, China). Serum lipid peroxidation was estimated through a previously described method in which MDA reacts with thiobarbituric acid (TBA) to form a coloured complex at a maximum absorbance of 535 nm. The TSA value was measured at 549 nm using the method described by Warren (1959): sialic acid was oxidised to formyl-pyruvic acid, which reacts with TBA to form a pink product. The ceruloplasmin concentration was measured according to Sunderman and Nomoto (1970): ceruloplasmin and p-phenylenediamine formed a coloured oxidation product that was proportional to the concentration of serum ceruloplasmin. Real time RT-PCR and conventional RT-PCR were performed as described by Shaw and others (2007).

RESULTS

Biochemistry analysis of serum showed that in the BT group, TSA, MDA, triglyceride and ALT and AST were higher and that ceruloplasmin and TAS were lower than in the control group. Serum albumin, cholesterol, creatinine, total protein and GGT did not differ significantly between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum triglyceride, ceruloplasmin, TSA, MDA and TAS concentrations may prove beneficial to the diagnosis, prognosis and biochemical analysis of BT.

Inhalation of formaldehyde and xylene induces apoptotic cell death in the lung tissue

The aim of this study was to determine the localization and number of apoptotic cells in lung tissue and bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) of newborns, young, and adult rats exposed to formaldehyde (6 ppm) or technical xylene (300 ppm) for 6 weeks (8 h/day). A total of 27 female Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Apoptotic cells were mainly localized around the bronchus and bronchioles and relatively less frequently on the walls of alveoli and interalveolar septa both in control and experimental groups. In the BALT, reactive cells were localized in the area under the epithelium and distributed homogenously within the lymphoid follicles. The numbers of apoptotic cells in the lung tissue including the BALT were significantly higher in young and adult rats exposed to formaldehyde and xylene than those detected in control groups.