Serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-2 concentrations in newly diagnosed ERBB2 (HER2/neu) positive breast cancer patients

Aim: Cytokines have been associated with symptoms and adverse outcomes in breast cancer. Overexpression of ERBB2 (c-erb-b2; formerly HER2/neu), which is a member of the epidermal growth receptor family, is associated with involvement of lymph nodes, large tumor size, high grade, steroid receptor negativity, aneuploidy, high proliferation rate, and low overall survival in breast cancer. The aim of the study was to examine whether ERBB2 amplification has any effect on circulating levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) in breast cancer patients

The effects of acute melatonin and ethanol treatment on antioxidant enzyme activities in rat testes

The pineal hormone melatonin (N-acetyl, 5-methoxytryptamine) was recently accepted to act as an antioxidant under both in vivo and in vitro conditions. In this study, we examined the possible preventive effect of melatonin on ethanol-induced lipid peroxidation in rat testes. Thirty-seven male Wistar albino rats, 5.5-6 months old, were randomly divided into four groups (9-10 animals in each). The first group (control animals) received 4% ethanol at similar intervals to the experimental groups to equalize the stress effect. The second group received only melatonin i.p. 7 mg kg(-1) bw three times over 1.5 h intervals. The third group received only 30% alcohol 3 g kg(-1) bw twice daily. The fourth group were treated with melatonin and ethanol according to the above protocole, melatonin injections preceeding ethanol treatments. The product of lipid peroxidation, malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) were measured in the post-mitochondrial fraction of the testes. MDA levels were significantly increased due to acute ethanol intoxication. GPx activity was higher in the three experimental groups than the control levels. The activity of CAT was increased significantly in the melatonin plus ethanol-treated group but the other groups appeared not to be influenced by acute ethanol treatment. Cu-Zn SOD activity remained unaltered. These results suggest that antioxidants may be a protective agent for the testicular injury caused by ethanol consumption. (C) 2001 Academic Press

Propargylglycine aggravates liver damage in LPS-treated rats: Possible relation of nitrosative stress with the inhibition of H2S formation

Background: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a naturally occurring gaseous transmitter, which may play important roles in normal physiology and disease. Here, we investigated the effect of endogenously formed H2S in the endotoxemic organ injury

Adiponectin Is a Link Among Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, and High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol But Is Not Associated With Paraoxonase Activity in Premenopausal Women

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether insulin sensitivity, inflammatory response, and plasma lipid profile are associated with circulating adiponectin levels in nondiabetic healthy women. The authors also assessed whether adiponectin has any effect on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol-linked paraoxonase 1 (PON-1) activity and on the susceptibility of low-density lipoproteins to oxidation. Plasma adiponectin was measured in 91 nondiabetic premenopausal women, and the patients were then divided into quartiles. Circulating adiponectin was found to be associated with body mass index (r = .55, P < .001). After adjustment for body mass index, adiponectin showed an inverse correlation with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (r = -.41, P < .001) and a positive correlation with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = .43, P < .001). In linear regression analysis, HOMA-IR, tumor necrosis factor a, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were found to be independently associated with adiponectin. However, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol-linked PON-1 activity and the susceptibility of low-density lipoproteins to in vitro oxidation did not seem to be related to plasma adiponectin concentrations. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2009;11:672-677. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Age-related changes in the activity and expression of manganese superoxide dismutase, and mitochondrial oxidant generation in female and male rats

Amaç: Çalışmamızda, 12 ve 24 aylık Wistar cinsi sıçanların karaciğer mitokondrilerinde yaş ve cinsiyet ile ilişkili olarak peroksit üretimi, mangan süperoksit dismutaz (MnSOD) aktivitesi ve ekspresyonundaki ortaya çıkan değişikliklerin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Yöntemler: Peroksit üretimi kemilümünometrik, malondialdehit (MDA) düzeyi florometrik, glutatyon peroksidaz (GPx) kümen hidroperoksit, MnSOD aktivitesi nitroblue tetrazolium yöntemleri ile MnSOD ekspresyonu ise western blotting yöntemi ile ölçülmüştür. Bulgular: Her iki cinsiyette de yaş ilerledikçe SOD ve GPx aktivitelerinde anlamlı bir değişiklik oluşmadığı, mitokondriyal peroksit üretiminin ise anlamlı şekilde arttığı ve bu artışın dişi sıçanlarda daha belirgin olduğu saptanmıştır. MnSOD ekspresyonun da yaş ve cinsiyete bağlı olarak değişiklikler gösterdiği (p<0.01) ve eksprese edilen enzim proteini başına düşen enzim aktivitesinin 24 aylık sıçanlarda her iki cinsiyette de anlamlı olarak azalmakla birlikte (p<0.01) bu azalmanın dişi sıçanlarda erkek sıçanlara göre daha belirgin (p<0.05) olduğu görülmüştür. Erkek sıçanlarda MnSOD aktivitesi ile ekspresyonu arasında pozitif bir korelasyon (r=0.573, p=0.001) olduğu saptanmış, dişi sıçanlarda ise böyle bir ilişki saptanmamıştır. Sonuç: 12 ve 24 aylık sıçanlar karşılaştırıldığında dişi sıçanların MnSOD ekspresyonunun akranı olan erkek sıçanlara göre anlamlı olarak yüksek olduğu, karaciğer mitokondrilerinin oksidatif strese duyarlılığının ise daha az olduğu görülmüştür. Yaş ilerledikçe iki cinsiyet arasında MnSOD aktivitesi ve ekspresyon paterninde ortaya çıkan bu değişikliklerin sadece östrojen etkisi ile açıklanamayacağı, başka faktörlerin de katkısının olduğu sonucuna varılmıştırObjective: The aim of this study was to examine the age- and gender-related differences in peroxide production, manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) activity and expression in liver mitochondria of Wistar rats at 12 and 24 months of age. Methods: The chemiluminometric method for peroxide production, fluorometric method for malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, cumene hydroperoxide assay for glutathione peroxidase (GPx), the nitroblue tetrazolium assay for MnSOD activity, and Western-blotting for MnSOD expression were used. Results: Mitochondrial peroxides are increased significantly in both genders as aging proceeded, and females exhibited more profound increment than the males. Mitochondrial SOD and GPx activities remained unaltered between 12 and 24 months of age, with no difference between two genders. The gender- and age-related differences were observed in MnSOD expression (p<0.01). The SOD activity per expressed enzyme protein was significantly decreased in 24-month-old animals of both genders (p<0.01). Female rats had a significantly lower ratio than their male counterparts (p<0.05). In females, the expression was not associated with the activity of MnSOD, while a positive correlation existed between these parameters in males (r=0.573, p=0.001). Enzyme expression was found to be significantly higher in female rats as compared to their male counterparts. Liver mitochondria are less prone to oxidative damage in female rats compared to males as observed at 12 and 24 months of age Conclusions: An involvement of factors other than estrogen seems to be relevant for the difference in the MnSOD activity and expression pattern between two gender

Serum levels of arginase I are associated with left ventricular function after myocardial infarction

Objectives: Upregulation of arginase redirects the arginine metabolism from nitric oxide (NO) synthesis to the formation of polyamine and proline, thus causing cardiac dysfunction. NO synthesis is also impaired by asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor. We aimed to evaluate the impact of arginase and ADMA levels on left ventricular function after myocardial infarction (MI)

Coadministration of melatonin and estradiol in rats: Effects on oxidant status

This study was designed to investigate the effects of melatonin and estradiol (E2) on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defense enzymes in blood and liver tissue when administered in vivo. Wistar albino rats were divided into three experimental groups and treated with either estradiol (25 mg/kg bw, s.c.), melatonin (i. p.), or melatonin plus E2, whereas control animals had diluent injections only. Melatonin was given 10 mg/kg bw x 2 intraperitoneally 30 min before and 60 min after E2 treatment to the melatonin plus E2 group. Animals were sacrificed three hours after the estradiol injection, and their blood and liver tissues were prepared for biochemical analyses. Tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and antioxidant enzyme activities superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) - were determined in the postmitochondrial fraction, and the results were compared. Estradiol injection caused significant increases in both MDA levels and GPx activity in liver. When melatonin was administered in combination with E2, the effect of estradiol on MDA levels was abolished. A significant decrement in SOD activity occurred in melatonin-treated animals. GPx activity in the blood of E2 plus melatonin-injected animals was significantly higher than those in control animals. Melatonin-treated animals exhibited relatively lower levels of SOD activity than those from the control and E2 plus melatonin groups. This indicates that estradiol could exert oxidant action resulting in an increment in tissue malondialdehyde levels. Enhanced activity of GPx in both liver and blood following melatonin injection may indicate the contribution of this neurohormone on the antioxidant defense