Protective Effects of Carvacrol against Oxidative Stress Induced by Chronic Stress in Rat’s Brain, Liver, and Kidney

Restraint stress may be associated with elevated free radicals, and thus, chronic exposure to oxidative stress may cause tissue damage. Several studies have reported that carvacrol (CAR) has a protective effect against oxidative stress. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects of CAR on restraint stress induced oxidative stress damage in the brain, liver, and kidney. For chronic restraint stress, rats were kept in the restrainers for 6 h every day, for 21 consecutive days. The animals received systemic administrations of CAR daily for 21 days. To evaluate the changes of the oxidative stress parameters following restraint stress, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and catalase (CAT) activities were measured in the brain, liver, and kidney. In the stressed animals that received vehicle, the MDA level was significantly higher (P<0.001) and the levels of GSH and antioxidant enzymes were significantly lower than the nonstressed animals (P<0.001). CAR ameliorated the changes in the stressed animals as compared with the control group (P<0.001). This study indicates that CAR can prevent restraint stress induced oxidative damage

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy on Healthy Quality of Life in Women with Breast Cancer

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) in promoting quality of life in Neyshabur women with breast cancer. Methods: This study was an interventional design that was conducted on 124 women with breast cancer (any stage) in Iran 2018. One hundred and fourteen women with breast cancer were paired by age and randomized to either 12-week MBAT intervention group or a wait-list-control group. One hundred and fourteen women with breast cancer completed both the pre-and post-study measurements. As compared to the control group, the MBAT group demonstrated a significant decrease in symptoms of distress and significant improvements in key aspects of the health-related quality of life (as measured by the World Health Organization Quality-of-Life - BREF questionnaire). Results: The MBAT interventions had a significant effect on improving quality of life behaviors (P < 0.05). Among the dimensions of quality of life, the highest mean score was for subpsychological (18.14 ± 2.35), and the lowest score was achieved by the subdomains of social relationships (13.54 ± 1.12). The mean (standard deviation) scores of physical health and environment were 17.19 ± 3.55 and 16.10 ± 1.87, respectively. Conclusions: This investigation of MBAT provides initial encouraging data that support a possible future role for the intervention as a psychosocial option for decrease in symptoms of women with breast cancer and quality of life

Examining the effect of mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) on stress and lifestyle of Iranian pregnant women

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) in decreasing stress and improving on pregnant women’s life style in Neyshabur, Iran 2018. The participants of the present quasi-experimental study were 84 pregnant women. The findings showed that the MBAT group demonstrated a significant decrease in symptoms of distress and significant improvements in key aspects of the health-related style of life as measured by Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II questionnaire. Moreover, it was found that the MBAT intervention had a significant effect on improving lifestyle behaviours (p < .05). The highest mean score of lifestyle was for the sub-domain of nutrition (31.35 ± 5.34), while the lowest score was achieved by the sub-domains of physical activity (13.55 ± 1.89).The mean (SD) score of stress management was (19.12 ± 1.54). This investigation of MBAT provides initial encouraging data that support a possible future role for the intervention as a psychosocial option for decreasing symptoms of distress in pregnant women and improving their lifestyle.Impact statement What is already known on this subject? Mindfulness-based art therapy is a blend of basic meditation principles and art therapy. The results of this study showed that mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) could decrease the stress and improve lifestyle behaviours in pregnant women. What do the results of this study add? The results of the present study showed that mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) during pregnancy decreased the stress and improved life style. It is believed that changing lifestyle to include mind-body medicine such as MBAT in pregnant women will greatly reduce stress responses, and help protect pregnant women from disease during pregnancy. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The study showed the important role of mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) during pregnancy in reducing stress and improving life style

Mutation in alkylhydroperoxidase D gene dramatically decreases persistence of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus calmette-guerin in infected macrophage

Background and Objectives: Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the leading cause of death from a single bacterial species in the world and is subjected to a highly oxidative environment in its host macrophage and consequently has evolved protective mechanisms against reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates. Alkyl hydroperoxidase D (AhpD) is a molecule from these mycobacterial defense systems that has a dual function. It not only works with Alkyl hydroperoxidase C (AhpC) in mycobacterial defense system against oxidative stress but also has a role in oxidation/reduction of succinyltransferase B (SucB), dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (LPD) and AhpC. The present study was undertaken to find out the effects of inactivation of ahpD gene in the intra-macrophage persistence of resulted BCG mutant. Materials and Methods: We did allelic exchange mutagenesis in Mycobacterium bovis BCG and evaluate the effects of this mutagenesis in intracellular persistence of wild type BCG strains and ahpD mutant ones by comparing colony forming units (CFU) in infected macrophage. Results: Our findings showed that after producing allelic exchange mutagenesis in ahpD gene of M.bovis BCG a sever decrease in the CFU′s of ahpD mutant BCG strains has been observed and intracellular persistence of ahpD mutant BCG strains decreased significantly. Conclusion: Mutagenesis in ahpD gene will cause significant decrease in intracellular survival of ahpD mutant strains than wild type M.bovis BCG strains and could leads to an inefficiency in pyruvate dehydrogenase pathway and could also impair impairs mycobacterial defense system against oxidative and nitrosative stress

Attenuation of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation by in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

The present study was designed to investigate the protective effect of the aqueous extract of Portulaca oleracea against hyperglycemic, oxidative damage and inflammation in the serum of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. In the present study, the rats were divided into the following groups of 8 animals each: control, untreated diabetic, 3 Portulaca oleracea (100, 200, 400 mg/kg/d)–treated diabetic groups. At the end of the 4-week period, glucose, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and total antioxidant status (TAS) levels were measured. STZ caused an elevation in the serum levels of glucose, MDA, IL-6, and TNF-α with reduction in the levels of GSH and TAS ( P < .01). Portulaca oleracea ameliorated glucose, MDA, IL-6, TNF-α, GSH, and TAS levels in diabetic groups versus to the untreated groups ( P < .05). Taken together, Portulaca oleracea prevented hyperglycemia by preventing the oxidative stress and inflammation

Effect of cadmium on glucose, lipid profile and oxidative stress in streptozotocin-induced diabetic and non-diabetic rats

Cadmium (Cd), highly toxic heavy metal, has been considered as a possible risk factor for diabetes and its complications. However, the underlying mechanisms of Cd-induced diabetes are not clear. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of Cd on the oxidative system in the diabetic and non-diabetic rats. Rats were divided into the following groups of 8 animals each: control (C), diabetic (D), Cd-exposed (1 mg/kg/bw) and diabetic-exposed to Cd (1 mg/kg/bw) (D + Cd-exposed) groups. Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (intraperitoneally (i.p.)) at a single dose of 60 mg/kg. Cd (i.p.) was administered 3 days after streptozotocin (STZ) administration to the end of the study. After 4-weeks, blood was drawn to determine the changes of glucose, serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione-S-transfrase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities as well as the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and lipid profile. The results indicated that Cd exposure aggravated increased blood glucose, MDA, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-C as well as decreased GSH levels and the activities of antioxidant enzymes in diabetic rats (p<0.001). These results suggest that Cd exposure deteriorates diabetic effect and its complications in STZ-diabetic model by induction of oxidative stress. Effect of cadmium on glucose, lipid profile and oxidative stress in streptozotocin-induced diabetic and non-diabetic rats. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319245711_Effect_of_cadmium_on_glucose_lipid_profile_and_oxidative_stress_in_streptozotocin-induced_diabetic_and_non-diabetic_rats [accessed Sep 19, 2017]

Antihyperlipidemic Effect of a Polyherbal Mixture in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

The effects of a polyherbal mixture containing Allium sativum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Citrullus colocynthis, Juglans regia, Nigella sativa, Olea europaea, Punica granatum, Salvia officinalis, Teucrium polium, Trigonella foenum, Urtica dioica, and Vaccinium arctostaphylos were tested on biochemical parameters in diabetic rats. The animals were randomized into three groups: (1) normal control, (2) diabetic control, and (3) diabetic rats which received diet containing 15% (w/w) of this mixture for 4 weeks. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg). At the end of experiment, the mixture had no significant effect on serum hepatic enzymes, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase activities. However, the level of fasting blood glucose, water intake, and urine output in treated group was lower than that in diabetic control rats ( &lt; 0.01). Also, the levels of triglyceride and total cholesterol in polyherbal mixture treated rats were significantly lower than those in diabetic control group ( &lt; 0.05). Our results demonstrated that this polyherbal mixture has beneficial effects on blood glucose and lipid profile and it has the potential to be used as a dietary supplement for the management of diabetes

Antihyperlipidemic Effect of a Polyherbal Mixture in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

The effects of a polyherbal mixture containing Allium sativum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Citrullus colocynthis, Juglans regia, Nigella sativa, Olea europaea, Punica granatum, Salvia officinalis, Teucrium polium, Trigonella foenum, Urtica dioica, and Vaccinium arctostaphylos were tested on biochemical parameters in diabetic rats. The animals were randomized into three groups: (1) normal control, (2) diabetic control, and (3) diabetic rats which received diet containing 15% (w/w) of this mixture for 4 weeks. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg). At the end of experiment, the mixture had no significant effect on serum hepatic enzymes, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase activities. However, the level of fasting blood glucose, water intake, and urine output in treated group was lower than that in diabetic control rats (P<0.01). Also, the levels of triglyceride and total cholesterol in polyherbal mixture treated rats were significantly lower than those in diabetic control group (P<0.05). Our results demonstrated that this polyherbal mixture has beneficial effects on blood glucose and lipid profile and it has the potential to be used as a dietary supplement for the management of diabetes