Beneficial effects of carnosine and carnosine plus vitamin E treatments on doxorubicin-induced oxidative stress and cardiac, hepatic, and renal toxicity in rats

Objective: Oxidative stress plays an important role in doxorubicin (DOX)-induced toxicity. Carnosine (CAR) is a dipeptide with antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the decreasing or preventive effect of CAR alone or combination with vitamin E (CAR + Vit E) on DOX-induced toxicity in heart, liver, and brain of rats

Switch-associated protein 70 antibodies in multiple sclerosis: relationship between increased serum levels and clinical relapse

WOS: 000307517300002PubMed ID: 22728961To identify an antibody biomarker for multiple sclerosis (MS) that can be used as a predictor of MS relapses. MS patients' sera were screened by a protein macroarray derived from human fetal brain cDNA library (hEX1). Sera of 90 consecutive relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) patients and age-matched 145 Beh double dagger et's disease (BD) patients, 40 infectious meningoencephalitis patients, and 70 healthy controls were screened by ELISA for serum antibodies against the selected clone. Sequencing of the clone with the highest signal intensity revealed switch-associated protein 70 (SWAP70) as a potential target autoantigen in RRMS. ELISA studies showed high-titer SWAP70-antibodies in 21 (23.3 %) RRMS and 7 (4.8 %) BD patients. SWAP70 antibodies were more likely to be found positive in sera obtained during or shortly after a relapse. Detection of SWAP70 antibodies during the attack period might suggest that SWAP70 is involved in MS relapse pathogenesis. Whether serum SWAP70 antibody detection may be utilized as an MS relapse predictor should be tested in prospective studies

Effect of carnosine alone or combined with α-tocopherol on hepatic steatosis and oxidative stress in fructose-induced insulin-resistant rats

A diet high in fructose (HFr) induces insulin resistance in animals. Free radicals are involved in the pathogenesis of HFr-induced insulin resistance. Carnosine (CAR) is a dipeptide with antioxidant properties. We investigated the effect of CAR alone or in combination with a-tocopherol (CAR+TOC) on HFr-induced insulin-resistant rats. Rats fed with HFr containing 60 % fructose received CAR (2 g/L in drinking water) with/without TOC (200 mg/kg, i.m. twice a week) for 8 weeks. Insulin resistance, serum lipids, inflammation markers, hepatic lipids, lipid peroxides, and glutathione (GSH) levels together with glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase 1 (CuZnSOD; SOD1) activities and their protein expressions were measured. Hepatic histopathological examinations were performed. HFr was observed to cause insulin resistance, inflammation and hypertriglyceridemia, and increased triglyceride and lipid peroxide levels in the liver. GSH-Px activity and expression decreased, but GSH levels and SOD1 activity and expression did not alter in HFr rats. Hepatic marker enzyme activities in serum increased and marked macro-and microvesicular steatosis were seen in the liver. CAR treatment did not alter insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia, but it decreased steatosis and lipid peroxidation without any change in the antioxidant system of the liver. However, CAR+TOC treatment decreased insulin resistance, inflammation, hepatic steatosis, and lipid peroxidation and increased GSH-Px activity and expression in the liver. Our results may indicate that CAR+ TOC treatment is more effective to decrease HFr-induced insulin resistance, inflammation, hepatic steatosis, and dysfunction and pro-oxidant status in rats than CAR alone