Protective effect of Nigella sativa oil against binge ethanol-induced oxidative stress and liver injury in rats

AIM: Nigella sativa L. (Ranunculaceae) is considered as a therapeutic plant-based medicine for liver damage. In this study, the aim was to study the effect of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) pretreatment on ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

Is thioredoxin reductase involved in the defense against DNA fragmentation in varicocele?

We aimed to investigate the role of thioredoxin reductase (TR) and inducible heat shock protein 70 (iHsp70) and their relationship with sperm quality in varicocele (VAR) patients. Semen samples were obtained from 16 subfertile men diagnosed as VAR and 10 fertile men who applied to the Andrology Laboratory of Istanbul Medical Faculty of Istanbul University. The sperm TR and iHsp 70 expression levels were determined using Western blot analysis. The TR activity of the sperm was assayed spectrophometrically. The sperm quality was evaluated both by conventional sperm analysis and by a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) technique that assayed DNA-fragmented spermatozoa in semen samples. The percentage of TUNEL-positive spermatozoa in the VAR group (16.3%+/- 5.6%) was higher than that in the fertile group (5.5%+/- 1.9%). Significant inverse correlations were detected between the percentage of TUNEL-positive cells and both the concentration (r=-0.609; P=0.001) and motility (r=-0.550; P=0.004) of spermatozoa. Both the TR expression and activity were increased significantly in the VAR group (U=22.0; P=0.001 and U=33.5; P=0.012, respectively) as analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U Wilcoxon rank sum W test. Furthermore, significant positive correlations were found between TR expression and activity (r=0.406; P=0.040) and between TR expression and the percentage of TUNEL-positive cells (r=0.665; P=0.001). Sperm iHsp70 expression did not differ between the VAR and fertile groups. In conclusion, increased sperm TR expression might be a defense mechanism against apoptosis in the spermatozoa of men with VAR

Mystery of idiopathic male infertility: is oxidative stress an actual risk?

Objective: To study the role of oxidative stress in sperm dysfunction in Turkish idiopathic infertile men

Effect of taurine treatment on pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance in livers and brains of old rats

The effect of taurine treatment on antioxidant defense in liver and brain tissues of old rats was investigated. Endogenous malondialdehyde (MDA) and diene conjugate (DC), ascorbic acid (AA)-and NADPH-induced lipid peroxide levels as well as non-enzymatic (glutathione - GSH, vitamin E and vitamin C) and enzymatic antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione transferase) were determined in livers and brains of young (5 months), old (22 months), and taurine-treated old rats. Taurine (2%, w/v; in drinking water) was administered to old rats for 6 weeks. Taurine levels decreased in the liver and brain of old rats compared to young rats. MDA and DC levels increased, GSH levels decreased, but induced lipid peroxidation remained unchanged in livers of aged rats. Oxidative stress parameters did not change in brains of aged rats. Taurine treatment resulted in significant increases in taurine levels, decreases in MDA and DC levels and increases in GSH levels in livers of old rats. Taurine treatment also increased brain taurine levels. However, no significant changes were detected in lipid peroxidation and antioxidant system in brains of old rats following taurine treatment. Accordingly, in old rats the liver seems more susceptible to age-related lipid peroxidation increases and taurine level changes than the brain. Thus, taurine supplementation seems to be useful for decreasing hepatic oxidative stress in aging