Rumex dentatus L. phenolics ameliorate hyperglycemia by modulating hepatic key enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism, oxidative stress and PPARγ in diabetic rats

Rumex dentatus L. is a flowering plant with promising therapeutic effects. This study investigated the antioxidant efficacy of phenolic compounds isolated from R. dentatus L. in vitro and by conducting density function theory (DFT) studies to explore the mechanisms of action. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effects of polyphenols-rich R. dentatus extract (RDE) were investigated in type 2 diabetic rats. Phytochemical investigation of the aerial parts of R. dentatus resulted in the isolation of one new and seven known compounds isolated for the first time from this species. All isolated phenolics showed in vitro radical scavenging activity. The antioxidant activity of the compounds could be oriented by the hydrogen atom transfer and sequential proton loss electron transfer mechanisms in gas and water phases, respectively. In diabetic rats, RDE attenuated hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and liver injury and improved carbohydrate metabolism. RDE suppressed oxidative stress and inflammation and upregulated PPARγ. In silico molecular docking analysis revealed the binding affinity of the isolated compounds toward PPARγ. In conclusion, the computational calculations were correlated with the in vitro antioxidant activity of R. dentatus derived phenolics. R. dentatus attenuated hyperglycemia, liver injury, inflammation and oxidative stress, improved carbohydrate metabolism and upregulated PPARγ in diabetic ratsThis work has DGI Project no. CTQ2015-63997-C2, a generous allocation of computing time at the Centro de Computación Científica of the UAM is also acknowledge

Correction: Ameliorative Effect of Heat-Killed Lactobacillus plantarum L.137 and/or Aloe vera against Colitis in Mice (Processes, (2020), 8, 2, (225), 10.3390/pr8020225)

In the original publication [1], there was a mistake in Figure 5 where subfigure 5E was accidentally replaced by an incorrect image. The corrected Figure 5 appears below. The authors state that the scientific conclusions are unaffected. This correction was approved by the Academic Editor. The original publication has also been updated

Ameliorative effect of heat-killed lactobacillus plantarum L.137 and/or Aloe vera against colitis in mice

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is one of the predominant intestinal diseases associated with chronic inflammation and ulceration of the colon. This study explored the ameliorative effect of Aloe vera extract (Aloe) and/or heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum L.137 (HK L.137) on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. Aloe and/or HK L.137 were supplied for 9 days and the mice were challenged with DSS for 7 days. The DSS group demonstrated bloody diarrhea, colitis of high histologic grade, increased nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), myeloperoxidase (MPO), interleukin (IL)-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and decreased IL-10 expression. These alterations were dwindled in DSS-induced mice treated with Aloe and HK L.137 separately. Aloe and HK L.137 together have augmented the therapeutic e_ect of each other. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that Aloe and/or HK L.137 ameliorated DSS-induced colitis by promoting the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines and suppressing pro-inflammatory mediators. This study indicated that A. vera may function synergistically with HK L.137 to confer an e_ective strategy to prevent colitis

Antidiabetic Effect of Monolluma quadrangula Is Mediated via Modulation of Glucose Metabolizing Enzymes, Antioxidant Defenses, and Adiponectin in Type 2 Diabetic Rats

Monolluma quadrangula is a succulent bush traditionally used to treat diabetes and peptic ulcer. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of M. quadrangula hydroethanolic extract on glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolizing enzymes, lipid profile, and adiponectin expression in type 2 diabetic rats. In addition, the study evaluated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the M. quadrangula extract. Type 2 diabetes was induced by feeding rats a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks followed by 30 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). Diabetic rats received 300 or 600 mg/kg M. quadrangula extract for 4 weeks. HFD/STZ diabetic rats showed impaired glucose tolerance, reduced insulin secretion, and insulin resistance. HFD and STZ induced a significant increase in serum cholesterol, triglycerides and proinflammatory cytokines, and liver lipid peroxidation. Treatment with M. quadrangula extract ameliorated these metabolic disturbances and increased liver glycogen, hexokinase activity, and antioxidants. M. quadrangula declined the activity of liver glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose-1,6-biphosphatase. In addition, M. quadrangula extract increased serum adiponectin levels and hepatic adiponectin expression in HFD/STZ diabetic rats. In conclusion, M. quadrangula exerts antidiabetic effect mediated via ameliorating glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolizing enzymes, and antioxidant defenses. Increased adiponectin levels and expression seems to mediate, at least in part, the antidiabetic effect of M. quadrangula

Pathobiological Relationship of Excessive Dietary Intake of Choline/L-Carnitine: A TMAO Precursor-Associated Aggravation in Heart Failure in Sarcopenic Patients

The microecological environment of the gastrointestinal tract is altered if there is an imbalance between the gut microbiota phylases, resulting in a variety of diseases. Moreover, progressive age not only slows down physical activity but also reduces the fat metabolism pathway, which may lead to a reduction in the variety of bacterial strains and bacteroidetes’ abundance, promoting firmicutes and proteobacteria growth. As a result, dysbiosis reduces physiological adaptability, boosts inflammatory markers, generates ROS, and induces the destruction of free radical macromolecules, leading to sarcopenia in older patients. Research conducted at various levels indicates that the microbiota of the gut is involved in pathogenesis and can be considered as the causative agent of several cardiovascular diseases. Local and systematic inflammatory reactions are caused in patients with heart failure, as ischemia and edema are caused by splanchnic hypoperfusion and enable both bacterial metabolites and bacteria translocation to enter from an intestinal barrier, which is already weakened, to the blood circulation. Multiple diseases, such as HF, include healthy microbe-derived metabolites. These key findings demonstrate that the gut microbiota modulates the host’s metabolism, either specifically or indirectly, by generating multiple metabolites. Currently, the real procedures that are an analogy to the symptoms in cardiac pathologies, such as cardiac mass dysfunctions and modifications, are investigated at a minimum level in older patients. Thus, the purpose of this review is to summarize the existing knowledge about a particular diet, including trimethylamine, which usually seems to be effective for the improvement of cardiac and skeletal muscle, such as choline and L-carnitine, which may aggravate the HF process in sarcopenic patients

Monolluma quadrangula Protects against Oxidative Stress and Modulates LDL Receptor and Fatty Acid Synthase Gene Expression in Hypercholesterolemic Rats

Hypercholesterolemia is a metabolic disorder associated with oxidative stress. The present study investigated the protective effect of Monolluma quadrangula extract on hypercholesterolemia-induced oxidative stress in the liver and heart of high-cholesterol-diet- (HCD-) fed rats. The experimental animals received HCD for 10 weeks and were concurrently treated with 300 or 600 mg/kg M. quadrangula extract. HCD-fed rats showed a significant increase in serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, vLDL-cholesterol, and cardiovascular risk indices along with decreased HDL-cholesterol and antiatherogenic index. The M. quadrangula extract significantly improved dyslipidemia and atherogenesis in HCD-fed rats. HCD induced a significant increase in serum transaminases, creatine kinase-MB, and proinflammatory cytokines. In addition, HDC induced a significant increase in hepatic and cardiac lipid peroxidation and decreased antioxidant enzymes. Treatment with the M. quadrangula extract significantly alleviated liver and heart function markers, decreased proinflammatory cytokines and lipid peroxidation, and enhanced the antioxidant defenses. Also, the M. quadrangula extract significantly reduced the expression of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and increased the expression of LDL receptor in the liver of HCD-fed rats. In conclusion, the M. quadrangula extract has a potent antihyperlipidemic and cholesterol-lowering effect on HCD-fed rats. The beneficial effects of the M. quadrangula extract were mediated through the increased antioxidant defenses, decreased inflammation and lipid peroxidation, and modulated hepatic FAS and LDL receptor gene expression

Exploration of Cadmium Dioxide Nanoparticles on Bioaccumulation, Oxidative Stress, and Carcinogenic Potential in Oreochromis mossambicus L.

The field of nanotechnology is rapidly expanding with the advancement of novel nanopesticide and nanofertilizers that have the potential for revolutionizing applications in the agricultural industry. Here, we have done chronic toxicity of cadmium dioxide nanoparticles (CdONPs) on fish Oreochromis mossambicus (O. mossambicus) using oxidative stress and genotoxic biomarkers. In this current study, the value of LC50-96 hr of CdONPs has observed 40 μg/ml for O. mossambicus. The three sublethal concentrations, e.g., 4, 10, and 20 μg/ml were selected based on the LC50 value. The fishes were treated to the above concentration of CdONPs for 21 days and were harvested at 1, 7, 14, and 21 days for evaluation of clastogenicity, mutagenicity, and genotoxicity of NPs. Generally, significant effects (p<0.01) were observed as a dose and duration of exposure. It was observed that lipid peroxidation (LPO) was increased and glutathione was decreased in both tissues. Micronuclei (MNi) were produced significantly in peripheral blood on 21 days at maximum concentration. A similar trend was seen in the damage of DNA with the same manner in terms of the percentage of tail DNA in the lymphocyte, gills, and kidney cells. This study explored the application oxidative stress, comet assay, and micronucleus assay for in situ aquatic laboratory studies using fish O. mossambicus for screening the ecomutagenic and genotoxic potential of environmental pollutants

Cadmium cardiotoxicity is associated with oxidative stress and upregulated TLR-4/NF-kB pathway in rats; protective role of agomelatine

Cardiotoxicity is one of the hazardous effects of the exposure to the heavy metal cadmium (Cd). Inflammation and oxidative injury are implicated in the cardiotoxic mechanism of Cd. The melatonin receptor agonist agomelatine (AGM) showed promising effects against oxidative and inflammatory responses. This study evaluated the effect of AGM on Cd-induced cardiotoxicity in rats, pointing to its modulatory effect on TLR-4/NF-kB pathway and HSP70. Rats received AGM for 14 days and a single dose of Cd on day 7 and blood and heart samples were collected for analyses. Cd increased serum CK-MB, AST and LDH and caused cardiac tissue injury. Cardiac malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and MPO were elevated and GSH, SOD and GST decreased in Cd-administered rats. AGM ameliorated serum CK-MB, AST and LDH and cardiac MDA, NO and MPO, prevented tissue injury and enhanced antioxidants. AGM downregulated serum CRP and cardiac TLR-4, NF-kB, iNOS, IL-6, TNF-α and COX-2 in Cd-administered rats. HSP70 was upregulated in the heart of Cd-challenged rats treated with AGM. In silico findings revealed the binding affinity of AGM with TLR-4 and NF-kB. In conclusion, AGM protected against Cd cardiotoxicity by preventing myocardial injury and oxidative stress and modulating HSP70 and TLR-4/NF-kB pathway