Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Crocin Ameliorate Doxorubicin-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Rats

Doxorubicin is a drug that belongs to the anthracycline antibiotics. Nephrotoxicity is one of the serious side effects of doxorubicin treatment. Crocin, which is one of the most bioactive components of saffron, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor effects. The current study was aimed at investigating the possible protective effects of crocin against doxorubicin-induced nephrotoxicity to elucidate the underlying mechanism of this effect. The study included four groups, six rats in each group: normal control, crocin control, doxorubicin, and crocin/doxorubicin. Doxorubicin and crocin/doxorubicin groups received intraperitoneal injections of doxorubicin (3.5 mg/kg twice weekly for 3 weeks). Rats in the crocin control group and the crocin/doxorubicin group were treated with intraperitoneal injections of crocin (100 mg/kg body weight per day) for 3 weeks. Biomarkers of kidney function and oxidative stress as well as the abundance of mRNA for nuclear factor-κβ and inducible nitric oxide synthase were evaluated. In addition, the abundance of cyclooxygenase 2 and tumor necrosis factor α immunoreactivity was evaluated. Crocin treatment had renoprotective effects manifested by significant improvement in kidney function as well as a reduction in the abundance of biomarkers of oxidative stress markers and inflammatory mediators. In conclusion, crocin has a protective effect against doxorubicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats by serving as an antioxidant and attenuating the expression of NF-κB, iNOS, COX2, and TNFα

Soy Isoflavones Ameliorate Metabolic and Immunological Alterations of Ovariectomy in Female Wistar Rats: Antioxidant and Estrogen Sparing Potential

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can alleviate estrogen deficiency symptoms especially during menopause. The present study aimed at investigating the effect of soy isoflavones as HRT on immunological and bone health-related parameters with a special focus on the interactions between immunological status and metabolism. Thirty healthy cyclic female Wistar rats were used in this experiment. Ten females were sham-operated, and 20 females were subjected to ovariectomy. Overiectomized (OVX) female rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: the control group (G1, OVX/casein) was fed a casein-based diet, and the second group (G2, OVX/soy) was fed a high soy isoflavone diet. Both groups were compared to a sham-operated group (G3, sham/casein). Treatments continued for 7 weeks. Feed intake, weight gain, and lymphoid organ relative weights were recorded. Some metabolic, immunological, and bone health-related parameters were measured. Moreover, nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were determined. Bone histopathology and immunohistochemistry to estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) were done. Feeding soy to OVX females reduced feed intake, weight gain, relative lymphoid organ weight, and T-lymphocytes transformation. Soy isoflavone administration normalized nearly all metabolic and immunological parameters to a level comparable to the sham group via oxidative stress amelioration and bone ERα promotion. Soy isoflavones seemed to be good HRT in estrogen deprivation which modulated the appetite, weight gain, lipid profile, proinflammation, and bone turnover