Nutraceutical agents with anti-inflammatory properties prevent dietary saturated-fat induced disturbances in blood-brain barrier function in wild-type mice

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that disturbances in the blood–brain barrier (BBB) may be pivotal to the pathogenesis and pathology of vascular-based neurodegenerative disorders. Studies suggest that heightened systemic and central inflammations are associated with BBB dysfunction. This study investigated the effect of the anti-inflammatory nutraceuticals garlic extract-aged (GEA), alpha lipoic acid (ALA), niacin, and nicotinamide (NA) in a murine dietary-induced model of BBB dysfunction. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were fed a diet enriched in saturated fatty acids (SFA, 40% fat of total energy) for nine months to induce systemic inflammation and BBB disturbances. Nutraceutical treatment groups included the provision of either GEA, ALA, niacin or NA in the positive control SFA-group and in low-fat fed controls. Brain parenchymal extravasation of plasma derived immunoglobulin G (IgG) and large macromolecules (apolipoprotein (apo) B lipoproteins) measured by quantitative immunofluorescent microscopy, were used as markers of disturbed BBB integrity. Parenchymal glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were considered in the context of surrogate markers of neurovascular inflammation and oxidative stress. Total anti-oxidant status and glutathione reductase activity were determined in plasma.Results: Brain parenchymal abundance of IgG and apoB lipoproteins was markedly exaggerated in mice maintained on the SFA diet concomitant with significantly increased GFAP and COX-2, and reduced systemic antioxidative status. The nutraceutical GEA, ALA, niacin, and NA completely prevented the SFA-induced disturbances of BBB and normalized the measures of neurovascular inflammation and oxidative stress. Conclusions: The anti-inflammatory nutraceutical agents GEA, ALA, niacin, or NA are potent inhibitors of dietary fat-induced disturbances of BBB induced by systemic inflammations

Iron Behaving Badly: Inappropriate Iron Chelation as a Major Contributor to the Aetiology of Vascular and Other Progressive Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases

The production of peroxide and superoxide is an inevitable consequence of aerobic metabolism, and while these particular "reactive oxygen species" (ROSs) can exhibit a number of biological effects, they are not of themselves excessively reactive and thus they are not especially damaging at physiological concentrations. However, their reactions with poorly liganded iron species can lead to the catalytic production of the very reactive and dangerous hydroxyl radical, which is exceptionally damaging, and a major cause of chronic inflammation. We review the considerable and wide-ranging evidence for the involvement of this combination of (su)peroxide and poorly liganded iron in a large number of physiological and indeed pathological processes and inflammatory disorders, especially those involving the progressive degradation of cellular and organismal performance. These diseases share a great many similarities and thus might be considered to have a common cause (i.e. iron-catalysed free radical and especially hydroxyl radical generation). The studies reviewed include those focused on a series of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological diseases, where iron can be found at the sites of plaques and lesions, as well as studies showing the significance of iron to aging and longevity. The effective chelation of iron by natural or synthetic ligands is thus of major physiological (and potentially therapeutic) importance. As systems properties, we need to recognise that physiological observables have multiple molecular causes, and studying them in isolation leads to inconsistent patterns of apparent causality when it is the simultaneous combination of multiple factors that is responsible. This explains, for instance, the decidedly mixed effects of antioxidants that have been observed, etc...Comment: 159 pages, including 9 Figs and 2184 reference

Possibilities of application of modified carbon powders into pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries

Najnowsze badania dotyczące nanomateriałów węglowych dla zastosowań w medycynie ujawniły, że modyfikowane nanoproszki węglowe są o wiele bardziej biozgodne niż wiele innych nanomateriałów. Ich nietoksyczny charakter oraz właściwości przeciwzapalne czynią je atrakcyjnymi dla różnych zastosowań zarówno w farmacji, jak i w kosmetologii. W naszej pracy przedstawiliśmy jedną z ważniejszych właściwości proszków węglowych otrzymywanych metodami: MW/ RFPACVD, RFPACVD oraz detonacyjną, mianowicie: sposób rozproszenia w przygotowanych podłożach do podania na skórę oraz doustnie. Sprawdziliśmy, czy istnieje możliwość zastosowania ich nie tylko w preparatach mających wpływ na płaszcz hydro-lipidowy skóry, ale również w preparatach do podania doustnego jako nośniki leków. Przygotowano odpowiednie rodzaje podłoża, w których umieszczono poszczególne proszki węglowe. Uzyskane wyniki badań właściwości proszków węglowych otrzymanych różnymi metodami świadczą o ich szerokich możliwościach aplikacyjnych. Właściwości te w głównej mierze kształtowane są poprzez metodę syntezy. Hydrofobowe proszki wytwarzane metodami CVDi hydrofilowyproszek wytwarzany metodą detonacyjną mogą w różny sposób wpływać na płaszcz hydro-lipidowy skóry. Hydrofilowy proszek osiada na dno w badanym podłożu, a hydrofobowy występuje na powierzchni podłoża. W podłożu z 1 % roztworem metylocelulozy przeznaczonym do podania doustnego, proszek tworzy jednolitą zawiesinę. Istnieje zatem możliwość szerszego zastosowania proszków węglowych w przemyśle farmaceutyczno - kosmetycznym w preparatach mogących oddziaływać na płaszcz hydro-lipidowy skóry i do podawania doustnego jako nośniki leków.Recent studies on carbon nanomaterials for biomedical applications revealed that modification carbon powders are much more biocompatible than most other carbon nanomaterials. Noncytotoxic nature of carbon powders and their anti - inflammatory properties makes carbon powders attractive for various pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. In the study we present one of the most important properties of carbon powders produced by detonation, RF PACVD and MW/RF PACVD methods, namely: a distraction in the prepared surfaces to give "per os" and on the skin. We checked whether it is possible to use them not only in the preparations of the skin affecting the functions of the hydro-lipid skin coat, but also in the "per os" preparations as delivery drugs. Prepared the types of substrates, in which each placed carbon powders. On the basis of obtained research results it can be stated that carbon powders obtained by different methods of synthesis show their broad application possibilities. Different properties of carbon powders are mainly shaped by the method of synthesis and process parameters. The hydrophobic powders produced by CVD methods and the hydrophilic powder produced by detonation method may differently affect the hydro-lipid skin coat. The hydrophilic powder settles to the bottom in the test substrate, and the hydrophobic surface of the substrate occurs. In the substrate with 1% methylcellulose solution intended for oral administration, the powder forms a uniform suspension. Therefore there is a possibility of wider application of carbon powders in the pharmaceutical- cosmetic industry in the new group of preparations affecting the hydro-lipid skin coat properly matched to the particular skin type and condition and in the "per os" preparations as delivery drugs

Changes of GaP: N Defect Structure under Hydrostatic Pressure

The changes of defect structure of GaP:N epitaxial layers subjected to hydrostatic pressures up to 1.8 GPa are investigated by X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence. The observed changes are more pronounced at higher pressures and depend on the nitrogen concentration, c$\text{}_{N}$, and on initial defect structure. Especially complex hydrostatic pressure induced properties are observed for the sample with c$\text{}_{N}$ > 10$\text{}^{20}$ at. cm$\text{}^{-3}$. The model explaining the hydrostatic pressure induced defect structure changes is proposed