Attenuation of atherogenic apo B-48-dependent hyperlipidemia and high density lipoprotein remodeling induced by vitamin C and E combination and their beneficial effect on lethal ischemic heart disease in mice

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is highly prevalent and its underlying pathogenesis involves dyslipidemia including pro-atherogenic high density lipoprotein (HDL) remodeling. Vitamins C and E have been proposed as atheroprotective agents for cardiovascular disease management. However, their effects and benefits on high density lipoprotein function and remodeling are unknown. In this study, we evaluated the role of vitamin C and E on non HDL lipoproteins as well as HDL function and remodeling, along with their effects on inflammation/ oxidation biomarkers and atherosclerosis in atherogenic diet-fed SR-B1 KO/ApoER61h/h mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mice were pre-treated for 5 weeks before and during atherogenic diet feeding with vitamin C and E added to water and diet, respectively. Compared to a control group, combined vitamin C and E administration reduced serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels by decreasing apo B-48-containing lipoproteins, remodeled HDL particles by reducing phospholipid as well as increasing PON1 and apo D content, and diminished PLTP activity and levels. Vitamin supplementation improved HDL antioxidant function and lowered serum TNF-α levels. Vitamin C and E combination attenuated atherogenesis and increased lifespan in atherogenic diet-fed SR-B1 KO/ApoER61h/h mice. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin C and E administration showed significant lipid metabolism regulating effects, including HDL remodeling and decreased levels of apoB-containing lipoproteins, in mice. In addition, this vitamin supplementation generated a cardioprotective effect in a murine model of severe and lethal atherosclerotic ischemic heart disease.

The Hepatotoxicity and Testicular Toxicity Induced by Arecoline in Mice and Protective Effects of Vitamins C and E

Arecoline is a major alkaloid of areca nuts which are widely chewed by southeast Asian and it manifests various toxic effects in different organs of human and animals. In this work, mature mice were treated by vitamins C plus E, arecoline, or both daily for four weeks. The results showed that arecoline significantly increased the levels of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) and significantly decreased the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in the liver tissues. Additionally, the body weight, testis weight, sperm counts, motility and normal sperms also were significantly decreased. The supplement of vitamins C and E can bring the activities of ALP and GPT to normal levels and partially restore the sperm counts compared to the arecoline-treated group but have no other positive effects. In conclusion, the vitamins C and E partially attenuated the arecoline-induced hepatotoxiciy but basically had on protective effects against the arecoline-induced testicular toxicity.

Antioxidant interactions of Pefloxacin, garlic, vitamins C and E on lipid profile level of Albino wistar rats.

The lipid profile studies of garlic, antioxidant vitamins C and E on pefloxacin-induced toxicity in wistar rat was evaluated. Method: One hundred adult wistar rats (120-180), of either sex were randomly selected into five study groups. Each group comprised of 10 pairs (ten males and ten females) were not allowed to mate, with group 1 as control. Group 11 were pefloxacin treated only while group 111 to 1V were pefloxacin treated with either garlic, vitamins C and E. Pefloxacin, garlic vitamin C and E in doses 11.43mg/kg, 4.28mg/kg, 14.29mg/kg body weight in normal saline (vehicle) was administered orally by intubation to male and female of groups 11 to V for 14 days. Control animals received 0.5ml of normal saline. In life observation measurements were taken and at the end of drug, garlic, antioxidant vitamins C and E combined administration animals were sacrificed and tissues obtained for biochemical assessment. Result: Physical signs of toxicity and ameliorating effects of antioxidant vitamins and garlic were also expressed in rats, pefloxacin treatment induced significant (P<0.05) increase in total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, very low density lipoprotein, triacylglycerol and decrease in high density lipoprotein relative to control but PF exposed and antioxidant vitamins C, E and garlic treated groups produced significant (P<O.O5) reduction in TC, LDL, VLDL, TG and with an increase in HDL levels relative to PF only treated groups were observed. Conclusion: These results suggest adverse effect of pefloxacin and ameliorating role of garlic, vitamins C and E on wistar rats’.

Haematological studies of antioxidant vitamins C, E and garlic on Pefloxacin Induced Toxicity in Wistar Rats.

The Haematological studies of garlic, antioxidant vitamins C and E on pefloxacin-induced toxicity in wistar rat was evaluated. Method: One hundred adult wistar rats (120-180), of either sex were randomly selected into five study groups. Each group comprised of 10 pairs (ten males and ten females) were not allowed to mate, with group 1 as control. Group 11 were pefloxacin treated only while group 111 to 1V were pefloxacin treated with either garlic, vitamins C and E. Pefloxacin, garlic vitamin C and E in doses 11.43mg/kg, 4.28mg/kg, 14.29mg/kg body weight in normal saline (vehicle) was administered orally by intubation to both male and female of groups 11 to V for 14 days. Control animals received 0.5ml of normal saline. In life observation measurements were taken and at the end of drug, garlic, antioxidant vitamins C and E combined administration animals were sacrificed and tissues obtained for biochemical assessment. Result: Physical signs of toxicity and ameliorating effects of antioxidant vitamins and garlic were also expressed in rats, significant (p<0.05) decrease in Hb, PCV, RBC and Total WBC were observed. Conclusion: These results suggest adverse effect of pefloxacin and ameliorating role of garlic, vitamins C and E on wistar rats’.

Rat testicular impairment induced by electromagnetic radiation from a conventional cellular telephone and the protective effects of the antioxidants vitamins C and E

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible effects of electromagnetic radiation from conventional cellular phone use on the oxidant and antioxidant status in rat blood and testicular tissue and determine the possible protective role of vitamins C and E in preventing the detrimental effects of electromagnetic radiation on the testes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The treatment groups were exposed to an electromagnetic field, electromagnetic field plus vitamin C (40 mg/kg/day) or electromagnetic field plus vitamin E (2.7 mg/kg/day). All groups were exposed to the same electromagnetic frequency for 15, 30, and 60 min daily for two weeks. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in the diameter of the seminiferous tubules with a disorganized seminiferous tubule sperm cycle interruption in the electromagnetism-exposed group. The serum and testicular tissue conjugated diene, lipid hydroperoxide, and catalase activities increased 3-fold, whereas the total serum and testicular tissue glutathione and glutathione peroxidase levels decreased 3-5 fold in the electromagnetism-exposed animals. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the adverse effect of the generated electromagnetic frequency had a negative impact on testicular architecture and enzymatic activity. This finding also indicated the possible role of vitamins C and E in mitigating the oxidative stress imposed on the testes and restoring normality to the testes.

Supplementation of vitamins C, E and its combination on paraquat-intoxicated rats: effects on some biochemical and markers of oxidative stress parameters.

Paraquat (PQ) is a toxic chemical that is widely used as an herbicide in developing countries. It has been described as a major suicide agent, thus leading to its ban or restriction in use by Environmental Protection Agency in some countries. There is no known chelating agent or antidote for PQ. This study investigated protective effects of antioxidant vitamins C, E and its combination in both pre-treatments and post-treatments. Pre-treatment of rats with vitamins C, E and C+E gave survival rates of 40%, 20%and 20% respectively while post-treatment gave 80%, 20% and 20% respectively when lethal dose (150mg/Kg) of PQ was administered. However, when sub-lethal dose (75mg/Kg) was administered, biochemical investigations revealed a significant (p<0.05) increase in cholesterol, SOD, CAT, POD and GPx activities, decreased total protein and triglyceride in PQ treated rats. The extent of lipid peroxidation as measured by malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration was more pronounced in the lung than in the liver. Histopathological investigations revealed proliferation of the bile duct and severe centrilobular necrosis in the liver and severe haemorrhage in the lungs of rats treated with PQ alone compared to the control. No visible lesion except hepatic regeneration and mild congestion of the liver and kidney of vitamin C post-treated rats were observed. The results also provided some evidence in respect of the potency of vitamin C post-treatment in conferring some level of protection against PQ-induced oxidative stress by modulating the extent of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activities.

Effect of antioxidant vitamins A, C, E and their analogues on azo-dye binding protein in liver of rats treated with p-dimethylaminoazobenzene.

p-Dimethylaminoazobenzene (DAB) is an azo-dye and known to cause liver tumour in rats. Azo-dye binding protein is a specific cytosolic protein involved in the translocation of azo-dye carcinogen metabolites from liver cytoplasm into the nucleus. Administration of vitamin A (40,000 and 50,000 IU), L-ascorbic acid (500 and 1,000 mg) and vitamin E succinate (200–500 mg) reduced the amount of azo-dye binding protein in liver of rats treated with DAB. Supplementation of high doses of vitamin A acetate, vitamin A palmitate, sodium ascorbate, ascorbyl palmitate and vitamin E acetate had no effect on the quantity of azo-dye binding protein in liver. When the vitamin mixture was given, the level of azo-dye binding protein decreased in the liver at all the studied doses, which may be due to their synergistic effect.

Effects of heat stress on some blood parameters and egg production of Shika Brown layer chickens transported by road

The effects of vitamins C and E on layer chickens transported by road for 6 h during the hot dry season were investigated. Two experimental groups consisting of thirty Shika Brown layers were separately administered vitamins C and E orally just before transportation, while another 30 layers, which were only given sterile water, served as control. Blood samples analyzed before and after transportation in the control layers showed a decrease (p<0.05) in total white blood cell, (p<0.01) lymphocyte and monocyte values, and a signifcant (p<0.05) and (p<0.001) increase in the values of eosinophils and heterophils post-transportation, respectively. In the experimental groups, post-transportation values of total white blood cells, eosinophils and monocytes were not different (p>0.05) from those obtained before transportation. Heterophil/lymphocyte values were highest in the control group. The result showed that transportation was stressful for the control layers. Post-transportation egg production was not signifcantly (p>0.05) different in the vitamin E treated group, but values recorded for the vitamin C and control groups were signifcantly (p<0.05) and (p<0.001) reduced compared to pre-transportation. In conclusion, vitamins C and E administration ameliorated the adverse effect of road transportation stress during the hot dry season.

Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire for Assessment of Energy, Total Fat, Fatty Acids, and Vitamin A, C and E Intake among Malaysian Women: Comparison with Three Days 24-Hour Diet Recalls / Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia

Food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is a practical tool for the measurement of usual food intake in large surveys because it gives a quick approximation to ‘true’ dietary intake. This study was carried out to compare the semiquantitative FFQ with three day 24-hour diet recalls (24-hr DR) in assessing intake of energy, total fat, fatty acids and vitamin A, C and E among Malaysian women. This semi-quantitative FFQ which was developed specifically for the Malay and Indian ethnicities has 200 food items and categorized according to three mealtimes namely breakfast, lunch or dinner and morning or afternoon snacks. A total of 51 Malay and 28 Indian women aged between 30 to 60 years were selected as study subjects. The result of the study shows that majority of study subjects were within the normal EI/BMR ratio when their energy intake was assessed by semi-quantitative FFQ (70%) and 24-hr DR (74%). However, 10% of study subjects became over-reporters when their intakes were assessed using the semi-quantitative FFQ. Analysis of t-test shows there is no significant difference (p > 0.05) on the mean intake of energy, total fats, saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin A, C and E between semi-quantitative FFQ and 24-hr DR. Percent mean differences were also less than 10% for all nutrients included in this study. This indicates that the semi-quantitative FFQ can produce comparable results with 24-hr DR. Energy adjusted correlation coefficient values for all studied nutrients were total fat (r = 0.64, p = 0.02), saturated fatty acids (r = 0.59, p = 0.01), monounsaturated fatty acids (r = 0.52, p = 0.03), polyunsaturated fatty acids (r = 0.57, p = 0.02), vitamin A (r = 0.69, p = 0.01), retinol (r = 0.55, p = 0.01), beta carotene (r = 0.74, p = 0.01), vitamin C (r = 0.64, p = 0.02) and vitamin E (r = 0.69, p = 0.01). Cross-classification for both methods into quartiles of intake resulted in correct classification into the same or adjacent quartile from 82% to 96% of the study subjects. Only 3% of the subjects were grossly misclassified. As a conclusion, this semi-quantitative FFQ gives estimation as good as 24-hr DR for intakes of energy, total fat, fatty acids and vitamin A, C and E among Malaysian women specifically for the Malay and Indian ethnicities. This semi-quantitative FFQ is a useful tool in dietary intake assessment for research use especially for epidemiological study on diet and disease relationship such as cardiovascular, cancer and diabetes.

The ramification of oral vitamin B-1, C and E on oxidative stress and haematological parameters in normal red blood cells.

Oxidative stress is the state that intimates a causative factor in accelerated cell aging and premature cell death. Our purpose was to study the ability of vitamin B1, C and E in reducing the oxidative stress. In this experiment, we divided the normal subjects into three groups. The first group was supplemented with vitamin B1 (30 mg/day). We found that the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and amount of malonyldialdehyde (MDA) reduced significantly when compared with controls (pre-treatment). However, these values increased gradually after supplemented vitamin B1 cessation. The determination of plasma vitamin C and E was also performed and found that vitamin C content increased significantly, but vitamin E level remained constant throughout the experiment. The second group was supplemented with vitamin C (300 mg/day). The enzyme SOD activity, MDA and vitamin E contents were not statistically different during the period of experiment. Nevertheless, the level of plasma vitamin C increased significantly. The last group was supplemented with vitamin E (100 mg/day) with their results equivalent to vitamin B1’s. In addition to these findings, we found that these three vitamins have not effect on hematological data of normal subjects. These results signified that the appropriate antioxidants to prevent oxidant stress were vitamin B1 and E. For vitamin C, it could not reduce oxidative stress, but tended to enhance oxidant stress in the cells.