Onion and its active constituents against aging

Aging is the normal transition time after a flurry of activity. Although there are quite a few age-related changes that tax the body, disability is not necessarily a part of aging. Health and lifestyle factors together with the genetic makeup of the individual, determine the response to these changes. In this study, we try to ameliorate the abnormalities accompanying aging by natural products known by their highly antioxidant effect.In this pilot study thirty male aged rats (1.5-2 years old) (measured according to length of tail and weight of rats) were divided into three groups (10/each group); a control aged group, onion oil treated group and dipropyl disulphide (DPDS) treated group. Another thirty male adult rats (≈ 6 months old), had the same division as the aged ones. Biochemical measurements were done at the end of the experiment (4 weeks) to study the treatments effect on liver function, kidney function, metabolic effect, monoamines and fertility.All the liver function indicators; AST, ALT, GGT, LDH, ALP and total bilirubin were significantly high (p<0.001) in the aged group and decreased significantly after treatments, while the adult groups were non-significantly changed. The measured kidney function biomarkers showed also the change only with aged and aged treated groups with a significant (p<0.001) decrease in total protein and albumin and an increase in urea and creatinine concentration, these changes ameliorated in the same manner with either onion oil or DPDS. The lipid profile showed a high  cholesterol, triglyceride concentration (p<0.05) and HDL and LDL concentration (p<0.001) but a nonsignificant increase in HDL concentration. The tested treatments succeed to improve (p<0.001) this lipid profile changes except HDL concentration. The monoamines level was decreased in the aged rats then increased significantly after treatments (p<0.05 with norepinephrine & serotonin and p<0.001 with dopamine). Taking testosterone as indicators for fertility, the treatments had a significant increment effect (p<0.001) on the decreased testosterone level of the aged rats.The present pilot study demonstrate that onion oil and its active constituent are good fighters for aging while it do change on liver function, Kidney function, Protein, Lipid profile, monoamines and fertility hormones and need more study to prevent earlier aging.Keywords: Onion oil, liver function, Kidney function, Protein, Lipid profile, monoamines.(dopamine, nor epinephrine, serotonin), testosterone, DPD

Ulva lactuca polysaccharides prevent Wistar rat breast carcinogenesis through the augmentation of apoptosis, enhancement of antioxidant defense system, and suppression of inflammation

Gamal-Eldein F Abd-Ellatef,1 Osama M Ahmed,2 Eman S Abdel-Reheim,2 Abdel-Hamid Z Abdel-Hamid,1 1Pharmaceutical and Drug Industries Research Division, Therapeutic Chemistry Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt; 2Division of Physiology, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt Background: Recently, several research studies have been focused on the isolation and function of the polysaccharides derived from different algal species, which revealed multiple biological activities such as antioxidant and antitumor activities. This study assesses the possible breast cancer chemopreventive properties of common seaweeds, sea lettuce, Ulva lactuca (ulvan) polysaccharides using in vitro bioassays on human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) and an in vivo animal model of breast carcinogenesis. Methods: Cytotoxic effect of ulvan polysaccharides on MCF-7 was tested in vitro. For an in vivo investigation, a single dose of 25 mg/kg body weight 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and ulvan polysaccharides (50 mg/kg body weight every other day) for 10 weeks were administered orally to the Wistar rats. Results: Deleterious histopathological alterations in breast tissues including papillary cyst adenoma and hyperplasia of ductal epithelial lining with intraluminal necrotic materials and calcifications were observed in the DMBA-administered group. These lesions were prevented in the DMBA-administered group treated with ulvan polysaccharides. The immunohistochemical sections depicted that the treatment of DMBA-administered rats with ulvan polysaccharides markedly increased the lowered pro-apoptotic protein, p53, and decreased the elevated anti-apoptotic marker, bcl2, expression in the breast tissue. The elevated lipid peroxidation and the suppressed antioxidant enzyme activities in DMBA-administered control were significantly prevented by the treatment with ulvan polysaccharides. The elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and nitric oxide were significantly ameliorated in DMBA-administered rats treated with ulvan polysaccharides as compared to DMBA-administered control. Conclusion: In conclusion, ulvan polysaccharides at the level of initiation and promotion might have potential chemopreventive effects against breast carcinogenesis. These preventive effects may be mediated through the augmentation of apoptosis, suppression of oxidative stress and inflammation, and enhancement of antioxidant defense system. Keywords: breast carcinogenesis, cancer initiation, cancer promotion, Ulva lactuca polysaccharides, DMBA, oxidative stress, apoptosi