ABSTRACT
Objective To examine the brain metabolic changes in WD patients receiving copper chelation by us?ing 1H-MRS. Method Thirty-nine patients with WD was randomly divided into four groups: non-brain type group (18 cases), brain type prior-treatment group and short-term treatment group (21 cases), long-term treatment group (20 cases) from short-term treatment group, and 20 healthy volunteers served as a control group. 1H-MRS and MRI were performed on patients on 1.5/MR/MRS system to detect these above-mentioned items before and after treatment. Result The mean of NAA/Cr was significantly lower in the left putamen and head of the caudate nucleus than in the left basal ganglion in the 39 patients with WD. The mean of NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr in the left putamen and basal ganglion was significantly lower in non-brain type group than in control group(P0.05). The mean of NAA/Cr and NAA/Cho in the left putamen and basal ganglion was much higher in long-term treatment group than in brain type group(P<0.01 or P<0.05). The mean of Cho/Cr in the left head of caudate nucleus were much higher after treatment compared with prior-treatment group(P<0.05). The mean of NAA/Cr in the left putamen, head of the left caudate nucleus and basal ganglion in all groups was negatively correlated with course of the disease. Conclusion There are significant differences in brain metabolism among different type of WD. The long-term but not short-term copper chelation significantly improves brain metabolism. NAA/Cr may be used as a non-invasive indicator to examine the efficacy of treatment.
ABSTRACT
Leucoselect is a commercial dry product obtained from grape seeds and enriched in procyanidins, which display antioxidant activity in virtue to their ability to scavenge oxygen free radicals and to chelate transition metal ions. The hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase and Cu2+/ascorbate systems are capable of generating reactive oxygen species; the latter system can also promote non-specific binding of copper ions to proteins. Therefore, we assessed the ability of Leucoselect to inhibit oxidative phenomena elicited by both oxidative systems on rat liver microsomes: lipid peroxidation, oxidation of protein thiols, and inhibition of the cytochrome P450 system. The antioxidant activity of Leucoselect was a reflection of its ability to scavenge oxygen free radicals, chelate copper ions, and protect microsomal membranes through direct interaction. These mechanisms were displayed in a dependent manner with the type of biomolecule studied and also with the oxidative system employed, which is an interesting phenomenon to consider when evaluating the antioxidant activity of herbal products.
Leucoselect es un producto comercial seco obtenido de semillas de uva y enriquecido en procianidinas, las cuales presentan actividad antioxidante debido a su capacidad para atrapar radicales libres y quelar metales de transición. Los sistemas hipoxantina/xantina oxidasa y Cu2+/ascorbato generan especies reactivas del oxígeno; este último sistema también promueve la unión inespecífica de iones cobre a proteínas. Por lo tanto, evaluamos la capacidad de Leucoselect para inhibir los fenómenos oxidativos producidos por ambos sistemas oxidantes en microsomas hepáticos de rata: lipoperoxidación, oxidación de tioles proteicos e inhibición de la actividad del sistema citocromo P450. La actividad antioxidante de Leucoselect fue un reflejo de su capacidad de atrapar radicales libres del oxígeno, quelar iones cobre y proteger membranas microsómicas por interacción directa. Dichos mecanismos se manifestaron en forma dependiente del tipo de biomolécula estudiada y del sistema oxidante empleado, fenómeno interesante de considerar al evaluar la actividad antioxidante de preparados herbales.