L-Carnitine ameliorates knee lesions in mono-iodoacetate induced osteoarthritis in rats

Objective: To evaluate the chondroprotective effect of L-carnitine in relation to glucosamine sulfate and in an experimental model of osteoarthritis (OA).Materials and methods: Thirty-two adult male Wister albino rats weighing 150–210 g were assigned randomly into 4 groups: 8 rats in each group, group I (control group), group II (MIA induced OA group), group III (MIA induced OA +glucosamine sulfate treated group), and group IV (MIA induced OA +L-carnitine treated group). Weight, knee diameter, and knee bend score were recorded on days 0, 1, 7, 14 and 28. On day 28 all animals were sacrificed. Synovial fluid of left knee was collected, and the interleukin-1b (IL-1b), Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) levels were measured by ELISA. The knee joints were removed and stained with H&E for histological evaluation.Results: The pathological abnormalities attributed to MIA induced arthritis was dramatically lowered in rats treated with glucosamine or L-carnitine. Synovial fluid levels of IL-1b, COMP and MMP-13 were increased in OA group, and significantly reduced with glucosamine or L-carnitine treated groups.Conclusion: L-Carnitine has a potential chondroprotective effect in this animal model of OA

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level and Breast Cancer Risk in Egyptian Females

Vitamin D has potent antiproliferative, prodifferentiative, and immune-modulatory effects. Vitamin D deficiency has been suggested to be very prevalent and there is growing evidence for the association between vitamin D deficiency and risk of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level with breast cancer risk among Egyptian women. The current study included 40 breast cancer cases and 40 healthy control women. Serum 25(OH)D levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for all women and together with other clinical factors were correlated to the risk of breast cancer. A total of 80 women including 40 breast cancer cases and 40 controls were included in this analysis. The clinical characteristics were well balanced with no significant difference between cases and controls regarding age, menopausal status, weight, height, body mass index, serum calcium, and phosphorus levels. The mean serum 25(OH)D level in cases (12.11 ng/mL) was significantly lower than in controls (19.77 ng/mL). Ninety percent of cases had 25(OH)D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) compared with 57.5% of the controls. After adjustment for potentially confounding variables, women with vitamin D deficiency were associated with a high significant risk of breast cancer compared to women with sufficient vitamin D with OR of 6.99 (95% CI = 2.01–24.32, p = 0.002). A significant association exists between vitamin D deficiency and the risk of breast cancer in Egyptian women

Extracellular cystine influences human preadipocyte differentiation and correlates with fat mass in healthy adults

Abstract Plasma cysteine is associated with human obesity, but it is unknown whether this is mediated by reduced, disulfide (cystine and mixed-disulfides) or protein-bound (bCys) fractions. We investigated which cysteine fractions are associated with adiposity in vivo and if a relevant fraction influences human adipogenesis in vitro. In the current study, plasma cysteine fractions were correlated with body fat mass in 35 adults. Strong positive correlations with fat mass were observed for cystine and mixed disulfides ( r  ≥ 0.61, P  &lt; 0.001), but not the quantitatively major form, bCys. Primary human preadipocytes were differentiated in media containing cystine concentrations varying from 10–50 μM, a range similar to that in plasma. Increasing extracellular cystine (10–50 μM) enhanced mRNA expression of PPARG2 (to sixfold ) , PPARG1 , PLIN1 , SCD1 and CDO1 ( P  = 0.042– &lt; 0.001). Adipocyte lipid accumulation and lipid-droplet size showed dose-dependent increases from lowest to highest cystine concentrations ( P  &lt; 0.001), and the malonedialdehyde/total antioxidant capacity increased, suggesting increased oxidative stress. In conclusion, increased cystine concentrations, within the physiological range, are positively associated with both fat mass in healthy adults and human adipogenic differentiation in vitro. The potential role of cystine as a modifiable factor regulating human adipocyte turnover and metabolism deserves further study

l-Carnitine ameliorates knee lesions in mono-iodoacetate induced osteoart

Objective: To evaluate the chondroprotective effect of l-carnitine in relation to glucosamine sulfate and in an experimental model of osteoarthritis (OA). Materials and methods: Thirty-two adult male Wister albino rats weighing 150–210 g were assigned randomly into 4 groups: 8 rats in each group, group I (control group), group II (MIA induced OA group), group III (MIA induced OA + glucosamine sulfate treated group), and group IV (MIA induced OA + l-carnitine treated group). Weight, knee diameter, and knee bend score were recorded on days 0, 1, 7, 14 and 28. On day 28 all animals were sacrificed. Synovial fluid of left knee was collected, and the interleukin-1β (IL-1β), Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) levels were measured by ELISA. The knee joints were removed and stained with H&E for histological evaluation. Results: The pathological abnormalities attributed to MIA induced arthritis was dramatically lowered in rats treated with glucosamine or l-carnitine. Synovial fluid levels of IL-1β, COMP and MMP-13 were increased in OA group, and significantly reduced with glucosamine or l-carnitine treated groups. Conclusion: l-Carnitine has a potential chondroprotective effect in this animal model of OA