Effects of Different Concentrations of Melatonin on the Time-course of Nitrite–induced Oxidation of Hemoglobin: In vitro Study

         Melatonin is a potent scavenger of reactive oxygen species or free radicals like superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. The oxidation of hemoglobin to methemoglobin (meth-Hb) by oxidizing compounds has been widely studied. The present work was designed to evaluate the ability of different concentrations of melatonin to inhibit nitrite–induced oxidation of hemoglobin. Blood samples were obtained from apparently healthy individuals from which erythrocyte hemolysate was prepared. Different concentrations of melatonin (10-9-1.0 mg/ml) were incubated for 10 min with the hemolysate, then to the resultant mixture 1 ml of sodium nitrite (final concentration 0.6 mM) was added, and the formation of meth-Hb was measured by monitoring absorbance of light at 631 nm each min for 30 min. Control samples without melatonin were utilized for comparison. Nitrite caused rapid oxidation of hemoglobin to meth-Hb in control samples; in the presence of melatonin, the oxidation process was delayed in a dose–dependent manner. The effect of melatonin on the time course of nitrite-induced oxidation of Hb showed that melatonin has a protective effect initiated early after addition along with nitrite. Melatonin also affect the time required for the formation of meth-Hb, the   time required to convert 50% of the available Hb to meth-Hb was 4 min in the absence of melatonin, and became  17, 22, 26, 30, 114 and 383  min with increasing melatonin concentrations (10-9, 10-6, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 mg/ml  respectively). In conclusion, melatonin in a concentration  and time dependent manner can protect Hb from oxidation by nitrite; melatonin delays the onset of autocatalytic stage and the protective effect extended over long period of time. Key words: melatonin, erythrocytes oxidatio

The Efficacy of Topically Applied Silymarin in the Treatment of Herpes Labialis Ulcers

Herpes labialis is an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus, characterized by an eruption of small and usually painful blisters on the skin of the lips, mouth, gums, or the skin around the mouth. Although there is no successful treatment available, the local use of compounds with effective anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective effects may be of value in this respect. This project was designed to evaluate clinically the local use of silymarin, a group of flavonoids with powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective activity, in the treatment of herpes simplex ulcer. Fifty three patients with herpes labialis ulcers (HLU) were enrolled in this randomized, single blinded, placebo controlled clinical study, and they were allocated into 4 groups, treated with 1%, 3% and 5% silymarin paste and placebo formula respectively. Patient's responses to treatment were followed by clinical evaluation of healing time, size of the ulcers and pain sensation, in addition to evaluating biochemical and immunological markers of the oxidative stress and inflammatory response. HLU patients showed dose dependent improvement in the healing time, pain score and size of ulcer as a result of treatment with various concentrations (1%, 3% and 5%) of silymarin paste, associated with improvement in the oxidative stress state and immunological parameters. In conclusion, silymarin can be used locally as paste formula for the treatment of HLU, an effect which may be attributed to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective properties. Keywords: Herpes labialis, ulcers, silymari