Status of oxidants and antioxidants in rheumatoid arthritis patients of north Karnataka

Background: Oxidant stress as a result of increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or a reduction in the body’s endogenous antioxidant defense system is a hallmark of chronic inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The objective of the study was to establish the status of oxidative/nitrosative stress in RA patients of north Karnataka.Methods: Thirty RA patients and equal number of healthy individuals (controls) were included in the study. The morning stiffness (MS) and disease activity score 28 (DAS28) of RA patients were examined. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels were estimated. Biochemical parameters uric acid, lipid peroxide (LPO), nitric oxide (NOx), vitamin C & E, erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were measured.Results: Significant increased ESR (11.20 mm/hr vs. 40.97 mm/hr, 265.80%), uric acid (3.85 mg/dL vs. 6.73 mg/dL, 74.81%), LPO (1.12 μmol/L vs. 2.35 μmol/L, 109.82%) and NOx (16.19 μmol/L vs. 45.43 μmol/L, 180.61%) levels with significant decreased of the levels of Hb (12.59 g/dL vs. 10.16 g/dL, 19.30%), vitamin C & E (11.20.mg/L vs. 3.87.mg/dL, 65.45% and 13.01 mg/L vs. 7.05 mg/dL, 45.81%), SOD (3757.90 U/g Hb vs. 2201.20 U/g Hb, 41.42%) and GSH-Px (1.81 U/g Hb vs. 0.92 U/g Hb, 49.17%) were observed in RA. There was direct correlation found between MS, DAS-28 and ESR with serum LPO and NOx in RA patients. A significant negative correlation was detected between activity parameters with biochemical parameters in RA patients.Conclusions: Increased oxidants level and decreased non-enzymatic/enzymatic antioxidants level in RA patients of north Karnataka confirm an association between oxidative/nitrosative stress and rheumatoid arthritis.

Hypoglycemic activity of curcumin synthetic analogues in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

The currently available therapies for type 2 diabetes have been unable to achieve normoglycemic status in the majority of patients. The reason may be attributed to the limitations of the drug itself or its side effects. In an effort to develop potent and safe oral antidiabetic agents, we evaluated the in vitro and in vivo hypoglycemic effects of 10 synthetic polyphenolic curcumin analogues on alloxan-induced male diabetic albino rats. In vitro studies showed 7-bis(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)hepta-1,6-diene-3,5-dione (4) to be the most potential hypoglycemic agent followed by 1,5-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)penta-1,4-dien-3-one (10). Structure activity relationship (SAR) of the tested compounds was elucidated and the results were interpreted in terms of in vitro hypoglycemic activities. Furthermore, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) with compounds 4, 10 and reference hypoglycemic drug glipizide showed that compound 4 and glipizide had relatively similar effects on the reduction of blood glucose levels within 2 h. Thus, compound 4 might be regarded as a potential hypoglycemic agent being able to reduce glucose concentration both in vitro and in vivo

Assaying Environmental Nickel Toxicity Using Model Nematodes

Although nickel exposure results in allergic reactions, respiratory conditions, and cancer in humans and rodents, the ramifications of excess nickel in the environment for animal and human health remain largely undescribed. Nickel and other cationic metals travel through waterways and bind to soils and sediments. To evaluate the potential toxic effects of nickel at environmental contaminant levels (8.9-7,600 µg Ni/g dry weight of sediment and 50-800 µg NiCl2/L of water), we conducted assays using two cosmopolitan nematodes, Caenorhabditis elegans and Pristionchus pacificus. We assayed the effects of both sediment-bound and aqueous nickel upon animal growth, developmental survival, lifespan, and fecundity. Uncontaminated sediments were collected from sites in the Midwestern United States and spiked with a range of nickel concentrations. We found that nickel-spiked sediment substantially impairs both survival from larval to adult stages and adult longevity in a concentration-dependent manner. Further, while aqueous nickel showed no adverse effects on either survivorship or longevity, we observed a significant decrease in fecundity, indicating that aqueous nickel could have a negative impact on nematode physiology. Intriguingly, C. elegans and P. pacificus exhibit similar, but not identical, responses to nickel exposure. Moreover, P. pacificus could be tested successfully in sediments inhospitable to C. elegans. Our results add to a growing body of literature documenting the impact of nickel on animal physiology, and suggest that environmental toxicological studies could gain an advantage by widening their repertoire of nematode species