The Protective Effect of Melatonin and Agomelatin against Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity and Oxidative Stress in the Rat Kidney

ALP, Hamit Hakan/0000-0002-9202-4944;WOS: 000331251400019Cisplatin is used to treat various types of cancers. Its use is limited, however, due to nephrotoxicity, which may result from free radical damage. Evidence exists that melatonin reduces oxidative stress-induced damage. This study investigated the protective effect of agomelatin, a melatonin receptor agonist, against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and oxidative stress in the rat kidney. Groups of rats were given cisplatin with or without agomelatin or melatonin, or distilled water for 14 days. MDA, tGSH, MPO and 8-OH Gua levels were measured to determine oxidative and DNA damage in renal tissue. Levels of MDA, MPO and 8-OH Gua were lower in the Mel+Cis and Ago+Cis groups than in the Cis group (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P < 0.05, respectively). the tGSH level in the Mel+Cis group was higher than that in the Cis group (P < 0.001). Agomelatin and melatonin thus reduced cisplatin-induced oxidative damage and DNA damage in the rat kidney. This suggests that melatonin may be effective in preventing cisplatin nephrotoxicity

The relationship between seropositivity and tissue cysts in sheep naturally infected with Toxoplasma gondii

Gencay, Yilmaz Emre/0000-0002-2154-9663; YILDIZ, Kader/0000-0001-5802-6156; Babur, Cahit/0000-0002-6524-3260; ATMACA, HASAN TARIK/0000-0001-8379-4114WOS: 000331515700009Skeletal muscles (tongue, masseter, leg, intercostal, and diaphragmatic muscles) and brain samples of 100 sheep at slaughter were analysed for the presence of T. gondii tissue cysts along with serum IgG titres. Two methods of isolation by percoll gradient centrifugation and tissue microarray (TMA) technique with immunoperoxidase staining were used. Seropositivity was detected in 88% (88/100) of sheep sera analysed by indirect fluorescent antibody test. Tissue cysts were observed in 46 (52.3%, 46/88) and 15 (17%, 15/88) of the seropositive sheep with the isolation technique and TMA and immunoperoxidase staining, respectively. The diameters of the tissue cysts were 25-58 x 25-62 (mean 34 x 36) mu m. The relationship between the presence of tissue cysts and seropositivity in sheep was statistically significant at 1/16 (P < 0.01) and at 1/64 and 1/128 (P < 0.001) serum dilutions.TUBITAKTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [TOVAG 110O497]This work was supported by a grant from TUBITAK (project no: TOVAG 110O497)

Damage induced by paracetamol compared with N-acetylcysteine

Background: This study investigated the effect of thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) on oxidative liver damage induced in rats with high-dose paracetamol. Methods: Rats for this experiment were divided into the following groups: healthy control, paracetamol control, thiamine + paracetamol, TPP + paracetamol, and N-acetylcysteine + paracetamol. Oxidant and antioxidant parameters and liver function test levels were compared between the groups. Results: The results show that TPP and N-acetylcysteine with paracetamol equally prevented a rise in oxidants such as malondialdehyde and nitric oxide. They also prevented a decrease in enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants such as glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutaredoxin, glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase in the rat liver. Conclusion: Thiamine pyrophosphate and N-acetylcysteine had a similar positive effect on oxidative damage caused by paracetamol hepatotoxicity. These findings show that TPP may be beneficial in paracetamol hepatotoxicity

Effects of Mirtazapine on Liver Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rats

Background and Objective: Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury begins with tissue oxygen deprivation and continues with oxidative stress and inflammatory response. Mirtazapine is an antidepressant drug with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The current study was to investigate the effect of mirtazapine against I/R induced liver injury in rats. Materials and Methods: Albino Wistar-type male rats were divided into sham operation (SHAM), I/R (IR) and I/R+mirtazapine administrated (IRM) groups. One hour before anaesthesia, 20 mg kg(-1) mirtazapine was administered to the IRM group of the animals and distilled water was applied to the SHAM and IR groups as a solvent. I/R was achieved by clamping the hepatic artery (except for the SHAM group). Following I/R, all rat groups were killed with high-dose anaesthesia. Malondialdehyde (MDA), total glutathione (tGSH), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were determined in liver tissues. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were measured in blood serum. In addition, histopathological examination was performed on liver tissue samples. Results: Mirtazapine prevented increased levels of MDA, NF-kappa B, IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, ALT and AST in liver tissue with I/R and a decrease in tGSH. Furthermore, mirtazapine has alleviated I/R-associated severe hepatocyte degeneration, necrosis and other structural disorders in the liver. Conclusion: Biochemical and histopathological experimental results suggest that mirtazapine may be useful in the treatment of I/R-induced liver injury