The role of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp 70) in male infertility: is it a line of defense against sperm DNA fragmentation?

Objective: To clarify the role of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp 70) and its relation with DNA damage in male infer tility

Nitrotyrosine formation and heme oxygenase-1 expression in endotoxemic cirrhotic rats

Background. Endotoxemia increases hepatic toxicity and mortality in cirrhosis. Because the mechanism of augmented hepatotoxicity in endotoxemic cirrhotic rats is still unclear, we wanted to investigate whether oxidative and nitrosative stress play a causative role in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated cirrhotic rats

I405V and TaqIB polymorphisms of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein and their relation to serum lipid and lipoprotein levels in a Turkish population

Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) plays a central role in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism. Genetic polymorphisms of the CETP gene can influence levels of serum lipoproteins. It has been reported that mean HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations are low in Turkish population. Thus, we investigated the frequencies of the common I405V and 7aqIB polymorphisms of the CETP gene and their relation to serum lipid and lipoprotein levels in a Turkish population. The variant allele frequencies of 1405V and TaqIB polymorphisms of the CETP gene were found to be 0.38 and 0.46, respectively and similar to some of the European populations. Subjects for the VV genotype of 1405V polymorphism had higher HDL-C levels than did II subjects. The covariance analysis showed that gender and triglyceride (TG) levels have an effect on the association of HDL-C and 1405V polymorphism. In conclusion, our results indicate that 1405V polymorphism may affect the HDL-C levels in Turkish population. The association of this polymorphism and HDL-C levels could be modified by other factors, such as gender and TG levels. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

The effect of octreotide on pancreatic damage in TNBS-induced colitis

Inflammatory bowel disease, a chronic condition of the intestine, is associated with numerous extraintestinal manifestations, including pancreatitis. This study investigated the effect of octreotide administration on oxidative damage in a rat model of colitis induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic (TNBS) acid. Colonic and pancreatic malondialdehyde and glutathione levels are indicators of oxidative damage, and TNBS-induced colitis significantly increased the colonic and pancreatic malondialdehyde levels and decreased glutathione levels. Octreotide treatment was associated with decreased malondialdehyde levels and increased glutathione levels in the colonic and pancreatic tissue. The colonic mucosal structure was preserved and pancreatic inflammation decreased in rats treated with octreotide. Octreotide also significantly decreased nuclear factor-kB expression by immunohistochemistry in the colonic and pancreatic tissue compared with TNBS-induced colitis group. Octreotide appears to have protective effects against TNBS-induced colonic and pancreatic damage. These results imply the reduction in mucosal damage owing to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of octreotide

Effect of heme oxygenase-1 induction by octreotide on TNBS-induced colitis

Background and Aim: Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon and rectum. Although the precise etiology of ulcerative colitis remains unknown, it is believed to involve an abnormal host response to endogenous or environmental antigens, genetic factors, and oxidative damage. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) induction by octreotide could protect against oxidative and inflammatory damage from induced colitis