Effect of garlic on cardiovascular disorders: a review

Garlic and its preparations have been widely recognized as agents for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and other metabolic diseases, atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, thrombosis, hypertension and diabetes. Effectiveness of garlic in cardiovascular diseases was more encouraging in experimental studies, which prompted several clinical trials. Though many clinical trials showed a positive effect of garlic on almost all cardiovascular conditions mentioned above, however a number of negative studies have recently cast doubt on the efficary of garlic specially its cholesterol lowering effect of garlic. It is a great challenge for scientists all over the world to make a proper use of garlic and enjoy its maximum beneficial effect as it is the cheapest way to prevent cardiovascular disease. This review has attempted to make a bridge the gap between experimental and clinical study and to discuss the possible mechanisms of such therapeutic actions of garlic

Sample treatment for tissue proteomics in cancer, toxicology, and forensics

Since the birth of proteomics science in the 1990, the number of applications and of sample preparation methods has grown exponentially, making a huge contribution to the knowledge in life science disciplines. Continuous improvements in the sample treatment strategies unlock and reveal the fine details of disease mechanisms, drug potency, and toxicity as well as enable new disciplines to be investigated such as forensic science. This chapter will cover the most recent developments in sample preparation strategies for tissue proteomics in three areas, namely, cancer, toxicology, and forensics, thus also demonstrating breath of application within the domain of health and well-being, pharmaceuticals, and secure societies. In particular, in the area of cancer (human tumor biomarkers), the most efficient and multi-informative proteomic strategies will be covered in relation to the subsequent application of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) and liquid extraction surface analysis (LESA), due to their ability to provide molecular localization of tumor biomarkers albeit with different spatial resolution. With respect to toxicology, methodologies applied in toxicoproteomics will be illustrated with examples from its use in two important areas: the study of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and studies of effects of chemical and environmental insults on skin, i.e., the effects of irritants, sensitizers, and ionizing radiation. Within this chapter, mainly tissue proteomics sample preparation methods for LC-MS/MS analysis will be discussed as (i) the use of LC-MS/MS is majorly represented in the research efforts of the bioanalytical community in this area and (ii) LC-MS/MS still is the gold standard for quantification studies. Finally, the use of proteomics will also be discussed in forensic science with respect to the information that can be recovered from blood and fingerprint evidence which are commonly encountered at the scene of the crime. The application of proteomic strategies for the analysis of blood and fingerprints is novel and proteomic preparation methods will be reported in relation to the subsequent use of mass spectrometry without any hyphenation. While generally yielding more information, hyphenated methods are often more laborious and time-consuming; since forensic investigations need quick turnaround, without compromising validity of the information, the prospect to develop methods for the application of quick forensic mass spectrometry techniques such as MALDI-MS (in imaging or profiling mode) is of great interest

Hyperlipidemia and kidney disease: Concepts derived from histopathology and cell biology of the glomerulus

The association between hyperlipidemia and renal disease was noted by Virchow as earl y as the 19th ce ntury. Subseq ue ntl y, similar histopatho log ica l lipid depo siti o ns we re confirme d in diverse huma n a nd experimental renal diseases. Altho ugh, no studies have been established in man to suggest a causal re lationship between lipid s and the pathogenesis of rena l disease . compe llin g ev id e nce acc umul a te d in experimental animals suggests a direct role of lipids in the initiation and progression of glome rular disease. These studi es showed that cho lesterol-feed ing to various experimental animals induced the development of glomerul ar injury. Furthermore. the treatment of hype rlipidemic a nima ls with lipid lowering drugs prevented the deve lopment of glomenllosclerosis. In this article, we will rev iew recent advances made in understanding various aspects of lipid-mediated rena l injury inc ludin g bioc he mi ca l mec ha nisms of hype rlipidemia, a possible direct role of hyperlipidemi a in the pa th oge nesis o f ren a l disease, pathobiological acc umulation of lipids and lipoprote ins, biochemi cal and histological similarities between systemic atherosclerosis and glomerulosclerosis, and cellular processes invo lved in the development of glomerul ar disease. Furthermore, we will define cellular and mo lecul ar hypotheses that provide putative mechanisms by which hyperlipidemia a nd a theroge ni c lipo pro tei ns indu ce se ri es o f cy toregulatory peptide- med iated eve nts in vo lved in the development of glomerul ar disease

DISSOCIATION OF HYPOLIPIDEMIC AND ANTIPLATELET ACTIONS FROM ADVERS MYOTONIC EFFECTS OF CLOFIBRIC ACID RELATED ENANTIOMERS.

Enantiostructure-activity studies of chlorophenoxybutyric and propionic acids have provided evidence for the dissociation of serum cholesterol lowering and platelet antiaggregatory activities from the adverse chloride ion channel mediated myotonic effects of these compounds. R-(+) propionic and butyric acid enantiomers, unlike achiral clofibric acid and the S-(-) isomers, did not inhibit chloride conductance in rat extensor digitorum longus muscle fibers in vitro but, like clofibric acid and the S-(-) isomers, retained the serum cholesterol lowering activity in a cholesterol-fed rat model. Additionally, a stereoselective and greater inhibition was observed for the R-(+) isomers against adenosine diphosphate and arachidonic acid induced human platelet aggregatio