Effect of octreotide on oxidative stress in the erythrocyte and kidney tissue in adriamycin-induced experimental nephrotic syndrome model

INTRODUCTION

Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is one of the reasons of end-stage kidney disease, and elucidating the pathogenesis and offer new treatment options is important. Oxidative stress might trigger pathogenesis systemically or isolated in the kidneys. Octreotide (OCT) has beneficial antioxidant effects. We aimed to investigate the source of oxidative stress and the effect of OCT on experimental NS model.

METHODS

Twenty-four non-uremic Wistar albino rats were divided into 3 groups. Control group, 2 mL saline intramuscular (im); NS group, adriamycin 5 mg/kg intravenous (iv); NS treatment group, adriamycin 5 mg/kg (iv) and OCT 200 mcg/kg (im) were administered at baseline (Day 0). At the end of 21 days, creatinine and protein levels were measured in 24-hour urine samples. Erythrocyte and renal catalase (CAT) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) were measured. Renal histology was also evaluated.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference among the 3 groups in terms of CAT and TBARS in erythrocytes. Renal CAT level was lowest in NS group, and significantly lower than the control group. In treatment group, CAT level significantly increased compared with NS group. In terms of renal histology, tubular and interstitial evaluations were similar in all groups. Glomerular score was significantly higher in NS group compared with control group and it was significantly decreased in treatment group compared to NS group.

CONCLUSIONS

Oxidative stress in NS might be due to the decrease in antioxidant protection mechanism in kidney. Octreotide improves antioxidant levels and histology in renal tissue and might be a treatment option.

Chitotriosidase as a possible marker of clinically evidenced atherosclerosis in dyslipidemic children

A correlation has been clearly shown between inflammation markers and subclinical atherosclerosis markers in the early stages of atherogenesis in subjects with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). The aim of this study was to investigate potential inflammation markers in the diagnosis of atherosclerosis in children with FH. A total of 48 dyslipidemic children and 24 healthy age-matched control subjects were taken into study. Inflammation and macrophage activation markers (hsCRP, myeloperoxidase, chitotriosidase, YKL-40, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-18, MMP-1 and MMP-9) and lipid parameters of all patients were measured. Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) levels were determined. Our data suggested that clinically evidenced (by cIMT and FMD levels) atherosclerosis starts in the early ages in hypercholesterolemic children. Higher cholesterol levels strongly correlated with macrophage activation markers (ChT, YKL-40 and myeloperoxidase). ChT and YKL-40 seem to be the more predictable markers of atherosclerosis even in early ages (<6 years old) than other classical inflammation markers such as hs-CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α.

Low-Dose Fluvastatin Prevents the Functional Alterations of Endothelium Induced by Short-Term Cholesterol Feeding in Rabbit Carotid Artery

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, commonly known as statins, are the medical treatment of choice for hypercholesterolemia. In addition to lowering serum-cholesterol levels, statins appear to promote pleiotropic effects that are independent of changes in serum cholesterol. In this study, we investigated the effects of low-dose fluvastatin on antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase), total nitrite/nitrate levels, and vascular reactivity in 2% cholesterol-fed rabbits. This diet did not generate any fatty streak lesions on carotid artery wall. However, SOD activity significantly increased with cholesterol feeding whereas the catalase activities decreased. The levels of nitrite/nitrate, stable products of NO degradation, diminished. Moreover, dietary cholesterol reduced vascular responses to acetylcholine, but contractions to serotonin were augmented. Fluvastatin treatment abrogated the cholesterol-induced increase in SOD, increased the levels of nitric oxide metabolites in tissue, and restored both the impaired vascular responses to acetylcholine and the augmented contractile responses to serotonin without affecting plasma-cholesterol levels. Phenylephrine contractions and nitroglycerine vasodilatations did not change in all groups. This study indicated that fluvastatin treatment performed early enough to improve impaired vascular responses may delay cardiovascular complications associated with several cardiovascular diseases.

The effect of melatonin on lipid peroxidation and nitrite/nitrate levels, and on superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in kainic acid-induced injury

Kainic acid (KA) initiates neuronal injury and death by inducing oxidative stress and nitric oxide release from various regions of the brain. It was recently shown that melatonin has free radical-scavenging action and may protect against kainate-induced toxicity. In order to assess the possible supportive effect of melatonin treatment in KA-induced injury in the rat brain cortex, we determined malondialdehyde (MDA) levels as an index of lipid peroxidation, and assessed the activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the levels of nitrite/nitrate 35 male rats were divided into five groups, each receiving a different intraperitoneal treatment: saline solution (0.2 ml), kainic acid (15 mg/kg), melatonin (20 mg/kg), KA then melatonin (each as above, 15 min apart), or melatonin then KA (each as above, 30 min apart). Administration of KA caused an about five-fold increase in the catalase activity and an increase in the SOD activity in the cortex relative to the activities for the controls. Treatment with melatonin 15 min after KA injection kept malondialdehyde levels and catalase and superoxide dismutase activities at the normal levels, and led to an increase in the levels of nitrite/nitrate. Our data suggests that melatonin treatment following KA administration has a protective effect on antioxidant enzyme activities and thus supports the role of melatonin and oxidative stress in the regulation of antioxidative enzyme activity.