The role of hydrogen sulfide in homocysteine-induced cardiodynamic effects and oxidative stress markers in the isolated rat heart

This study aimed to assess the role of H2S in homocysteine-induced cardiodynamic effects in the isolated rat heart. The hearts were retrogradely perfused according to the Langendorff technique. The maximum and minimum rates of pressure in the left ventricle (dp/dt max, dp/dt min), systolic and diastolic left ventricular pressures (SLVP, DLVP), heart rate (HR), and coronary flow (CF) were measured. A spectrophotometrical method was used to measure the following oxidative stress markers: index of lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS), nitrite level (NO2−), superoxide anion radicals (O2•−), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations. The administration of 10 µmol/l DL-homocysteine (DL-Hcy) alone decreased dp/dt max, SLVP, and CF but did not change any oxidative stress parameters. The administration of 10 µmol/l DL-propargylglycine (DL-PAG) decreased all cardiodynamic parameters and increased the concentration of O2•−. The co-administration of DL-Hcy and DL-PAG induced a significant decrease in all estimated cardiodynamic parameters and decreased the concentration of NO2− and O2•− but increased the levels of TBARS and H2O2. Homocysteine shows a lower pro-oxidative effect in the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which indicates a potential anti-oxidative capacity of H2S

Galectin-3: Roles in neurodevelopment, neuroinflammation, and behavior

© 2020 by the authors.  Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. There is a plethora of evidence to suggest that Galectin-3 plays an important role in normal functions of mammalian cells, as well as in different pathogenic conditions. This review highlights recent data published by researchers, including our own team, on roles of Galectin-3 in the nervous system. Here, we discuss the roles of Galectin-3 in brain development, its roles in glial cells, as well as the interactions of glial cells with other neural and invading cells in pathological conditions. Galectin-3 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. On the other hand, there is also evidence of the protective role of Galectin-3 due to its anti-apoptotic effect in target cells. Interestingly, genetic deletion of Galectin-3 affects behavioral patterns in maturing and adult mice. The results reviewed in this paper and recent development of highly specific inhibitors suggests that Galectin-3 may be an important therapeutic target in pathological conditions including the disorders of the central nervous system

The effects of acute and chronic Red Bull® consumption on cardiodynamics and oxidative stress in coronary effluent of trained rats

© 2021 Inst. Sci. inf., Univ. Defence in Belgrade. All rights reserved. Background/Aim. Energy drinks (EDs) are widely used by athletes as ergogenic agents and Red Bull® is one of the most consumed EDs among them. The aim of this study was to determine the acute and chronic effects of Red Bull® on cardiodynamics and parameters of oxidative stress in physically trained rats. Methods. Rats were subjected to a swimming practice (1h a day, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks). They were divided into 4 groups: Rats that did not consume ED either before swimming or prior to sacrificing; rats that did not consume ED before swimming but did consume ED 30 min prior to sacrificing; rats that consumed ED 30 min before every swimming training but did not consume ED prior to sacrificing; rats that consumed ED 30 min before every swimming training and 30 min before sacrificing. After sacrificing, the hearts of the rats were isolated and perfused according to the Langendorff technique. The parameters of cardiac function were recorded, and also the levels of prooxidants were measured in the coronary effluent during coronary autoregulation. Results. Acute administration of the ED had a positive inotropic effect (manifested as a significantly higher level of the maximum and minimum rate of pressure development in the left ventricle), while chronic administration affected the isolated increase in systolic left ventricular pressure. The prooxidative effect of the ED was observed, which was more pronounced in chronic consumption. Conclusion. The main conclusion of our study is that chronic consumption of ED changes the cardiovascular response and redox status in acute consumption ED

Effects of DL-homocysteine thiolactone on cardiac contractility, coronary flow, and oxidative stress markers in the isolated rat heart: The role of different gasotransmitters

Considering the adverse effects of DL-homocysteine thiolactone hydrochloride (DL-Hcy TLHC) on vascular function and the possible role of oxidative stress in these mechanisms, the aim of this study was to assess the influence of DL-Hcy TLHC alone and in combination with specific inhibitors of important gasotransmitters, such as L-NAME, DL-PAG, and PPR IX, on cardiac contractility, coronary flow, and oxidative stress markers in an isolated rat heart. The hearts were retrogradely perfused according to the Langendorff technique at a 70 cm H and administered 10 M DL-Hcy TLHC alone or in combination with 30 M L-NAME, 10 M DL-PAG, or 10 M PPR IX. The following parameters were measured: dp/dt max, dp/dt min, SLVP, DLVP, MBP, HR, and CF. Oxidative stress markers were measured spectrophotometrically in coronary effluent through TBARS, NO O 2 -, and Hconcentrations. The administration of DL-Hcy TLHC alone decreased dp/dt max, SLVP, and CF but did not change any oxidative stress parameters. DL-Hcy TLHC with L-NAME decreased CF, O 2 -, H and TBARS. The administration of DL-Hcy TLHC with DL-PAG significantly increased dp/dt max but decreased DLVP, CF, and TBARS. Administration of DL-Hcy TLHC with PPR IX caused a decrease in dp/dt max, SLVP, HR, CF, and TBARS. © 2013 Vladimir Zivkovic et al

Effects of ischemic and proton pump inhibitors preconditioning on oxidative stress of isolated rat heart

© 2018, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. Aim of present study was to determine the participation of various biomarkers of oxidative damage: nitrite (NO2 -), superoxide anion radicals (O2 -), index of lipid peroxidation (TBARS) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in coronary circulation after application of the different models of preconditioning such as ischemic and preconditioning with proton pump inhibitors. Examining a biochemical markers of oxidative damage we did not notice any increased production values of any parameter, according to that we can hypothesize that possible occurrence of reperfusion injury after ischemia and PPIs preconditioning is not mediated by this mechanism. Due to the very difficult and controversial application of ischemic preconditioning in clinical practice, the results of this study suggest that in the future proton pump inhibitors can contribute to the prevention of myocardial damage following ischemia

The influence of different types of physical activity on the redox status of scuba divers

© 2017, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. The effect of scuba diving on ROS production and oxidative stress compared to that of other recreational activities is still poorly understood. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of different types of physical activity on the redox status of scuba divers by testing the pro- and anti-oxidative parameters immediately before and after different types of physical load. The prevalence study included 10 professional police divers. All examinees were male, 32 ± 5.1 years of age, well-trained, and with a minimum of five to a maximum of 20 years of diving experience. The study was divided into three experimental protocols: 1) an exercise test (at atmospheric pressure), 2) an at sea dive (30 meters for 30 minutes), and 3) a dive into river current (10 meters for 30 minutes). Immediately before and after the load test of the divers at atmospheric pressure and immediately before and after the dive, blood samples were taken to determine the values of the following pro-oxidant markers: O2-, H2O2, NO2- and TBARS, as well as antioxidant enzymes (SOD and CAT). A comparison of the results before and after physical activity for all three protocols revealed a significant increase in values for NO2-, O2-, H2O2 and CAT after physical activity. It can be concluded that the values of all oxidative stress markers depend on the season of the year in which the research is conducted or on the frequency of dives and degree of physical exertion during this period of the year

The platinum(II) complexes induced oxidative stress of isolated rat heart

© 2017, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. Interest for the clinical application of transition metal complexes as chemotherapeutic agents initially started with discovery of cisplatin. Despite the remarkable clinical success, cisplatin treatment is limited due to its resistance and side effects. Over the last 40 years, numerous transition metal complexes were synthesized and investigated in vitro and in vivo in order to establish a metallopharmaceutical that will exert less toxicity and equal or higher potency. We have compared the cardiotoxicity of 2 platinum complexes, one ligand, and a starting salt for complex synthesis using an experimental model of an isolated, perfused rat heart according to the Langendorff technique. The cardiotoxicity was assessed by comparison of oxidative stress induced following the perfusion of the following compounds: Dichloro(1,2-diaminocyclohexane)platinum(II), cisplatin, potassium-tetra-chloroplatinum(II) and 1,2-diaminocyclohexane, which were perfused at increasing concentrations from 10-8 to 10-4 M for 30 minutes. The oxidative stress was assessed by determination of superoxide anion radical, hydrogen peroxide, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and nitric oxide from the coronary venous effluent. Our results showed that the levels of oxidative stress parameters were not significantly affected by perfusion with all the tested compounds and were not dosedependent. These results could be of importance to further investigations concerning the effects of platinum-based potential anticancer drugs on the heart

The effects of n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor blockade on oxidative status in heart during conditioning maneuvers

© 2019, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) belongs to ionotropic glutamate receptor family. The most prominent roles of the NMDAR are related to the physiological and pathophysiological processes of the central nervous system (CNS). The link between NMDAR and cardiovascular pathology came into focus due to detrimental effects of homocysteine on the cardiovascular system. Regarding the fact that NMDAR affects Ca2+ homeostasis in cells, one of the main mechanisms which mediate adverse effects of glutamate dyshomeostasis and abnormal NMDAR activity is oxidative stress. Both in ischemia and during reperfusion, there are imbalance in Ca2+ and production of reactive species, which remains one of the basic mechanisms underlining the overall cardiomyocyte death due to myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of blockade of NMDAR in heart using MK-801, in preconditioning and postconditioning fashion and to compare the values of oxidative stress biomarkers. We used Langendorff technique of isolated heart. In the control group, all isolated rat hearts were subjected to global ischemia after stabilization period (perfusion of the whole heart with Krebs-Henseleit solution was stopped) for 20 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of reperfusion. In the preconditioning group, after stabilization period, hearts were perfused with MK-801 for 5 minutes, before global ischemia of 20 minutes which was followed by 30 minutes reperfusion. In the postconditioning group, hearts were perfused with MK-801 during the first 3 minutes of reperfusion. Results of this study showed antioxidative effects of NMDAR inhibition in pre-and postconditioning of the isolated rat heart

Modulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in isolated rat heart

© 2017, Canadian Science Publishing. All rights reserved. Considering the limited data on the role of NMDA-Rs in the cardiovascular system, the aim of the present study was to examine the effects of NMDA and DL-Hcy TLHC, alone and in combination with glycine, memantine, and ifenprodil, in the isolated rat heart. The hearts of Wistar albino rats were retrogradely perfused according to the Langendorff technique at a constant perfusion pressure. The experimental protocol for all experimental groups included the stabilization period, application of estimated substance for 5 min, followed by a washout period of 10 min. Using a sensor placed in the left ventricle, we registered the following parameters of myocardial function: dp/dtmax, dp/dtmin, SLVP, DVLP, HR; CF was measured using flowmetry). We estimated the following oxidative stress biomarkers in the coronary venous effluent using spectrophotometry: TBARS, NO2−, O2−, and H2O2. NMDAalone did not induce any change in any of the observed parameters, while DL-Hcy TLHC alone, as well as a combined application of NMDA and DL-Hcy TLHC with glycine, induced a reduction of most cardiodynamic parameters. Memantine and ifenprodil induced a reduction of cardiodynamic parameters and CF, as well as some oxidative stress biomarkers

The effects of chronic administration of cisplatin on oxidative stress in the isolated rat heart

© 2018, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. Taken into consideration that molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in cardiotoxicity are still not clear the aim of this study was to compare the production of oxidative stress parameters in the isolated rat heart between animals chronically treated with cisplatin and saline. The hearts of male Wistar albino rats (n = 24, 12 per group, age 8 weeks, body mass 250±50 g) were excised and perfused according to the Langendorff technique at gradually increased coronary perfusion pressures (40-120 cmH2O). We followed the production of superoxide anion radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and nitrites and also index of lipid peroxidation during the changes of coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) (from 40 to 120 cm H2O) in coronary venous effluent. Modifications CPP were performed in order to determined if oxidative stress is involved in coronary endothelium response in conditions of hypoxia (lower than 60 cm H2O) and hyperoxia (higher than 80 cm H2O). Based on the results of this research we can conclude that with enhancement of CPP the values of oxidative stress statistically increased. However, this increment is more prominent in control group as a result of preserved endothelium and its more powerful response to hyperoxia. On the other hand, damaged endothelium of cisplatin-treated animals had weaker response to hyperoxia, and also lower antioxidant capacity