Evaluating the effects of vanadyl sulfate on biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation in renal tissue of rats with diabetes type 2

Vanadyl sulfate (VS) is an ingredient in some food supplements and experimental drugs. This study was designed to assay the effects of VS on biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation in renal tissue of rats with diabetes type 2. 30 male Wistar rats were divided into three equal groups as follow: non-diabetics, non-treated diabetics and VS-treated diabetics. Diabetes type 2 has been induced through high fat diet and fructose in the animals. Diabetic rats were treated with 25 mg/kgBW of VS in water for 12 weeks. At the end of study, glucose and insulin were measured using commercially available kits in serum and biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation in renal homogenates of animals were measured by related methods. Compared to controls, glucose and insulin were increased significantly in non-treated diabetic rats (p-value <0.05) that showed the induction of diabetes type 2 in rats. The results showed that in VS-treated diabetic rats compared to the non-treated diabetic group, vanadyl sulfate significantly reduced the glucose and insulin secretion and changed renal inflammatory and oxidative markers, except protein carbonyl so that we couldn't find any significant changes. Our study showed that vanadyl supplementation had positive effects on oxidative stress and inflammation biomarkers in kidney of diabetic rats

[Eavaluation of antinociceptic effect of nano-emulsion gel conataining rosemary and peppermint essential oils in a rat model of osteoarthritis]

Background and Aim: despite identification of the antinociceptive effects of rosemary and peppermint essential oils, use of these essential oils has been limited due to its low solubility in water and low bioavailability. Use of nanoparticles is one of the ways to overcome these limitations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antinociceptive effect of nano-emulsions containing rosemary and peppermint essential oils in an animal model of osteoarthritis [OA]

Materials and Methods: in this experimental study nano-emulsions containing rosemary and peppermint essential oils were prepared by spontaneous emulsification. In order to investigate the analgesic effect, 30 male rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups: sham [receiving saline injection into the knee], osteoarthritis[receiving intra-articular injection of 2 mg monosodiumiodoacetate], OA [receiving gels containing nano-emulsion, or rosemary and peppermint essential oil or diclofenac sodium]. Treatments were administered topically at a dose of 1 ml daily. Mechanical and thermal allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia tests were performed on the 1 st, 4th, 7th and 14th days after injection. Data were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA

Results: OA group showed a significant increased behavioral response to the mechanical and thermal stimuli on all days of the experiment compared to the control group [P<0.001]. Use of nano-emulsion or diclofenac gel led to significant increase in the response threshold to vonFrey fillamets [P<0.001], decreased response to acetone [P<0.05], and increased paw withdrawal latency [P<0.05]. Histopathology of knee tissues confirmed the results of behavioral tests

Conclusion: nano-emulsion containing essential oils of rosemary and peppermint reduced pain of osteoarthritis in rats. The nano-emulsification process seems to enhance the antinociceptive effect of rosemary and peppermint essential oils

[Effects of synbiotic gaz consumption on lipid profile in pregnant women: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial]

Background and Objectives: Although several attempts have been made to decrease lipid profile through consumption of probiotic-containing products among pregnant women, limited data are available assessing the effects of synbiotic foods. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of daily consumption of a synbiotic Gaz on blood lipid profile and biomarkers of oxidative stress including plasma total antioxidant capacity [TAC] and total glutathione [GSH] in pregnant women

Materials and Methods: This randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial was performed on 52 primigravida pregnant women, aged 18-35 year old at their third trimester. After a 2 week run-in period, subjects were randomly assigned to consume either a synbiotic [n=26] or control food [n=26] for 9 weeks. The synbiotic Gaz consisted of a probiotic viable and heat-resistant Lactobacillus sporogenes [1×107 CFU] and 0.04 g inulin /g as the prebiotic. Patients were asked to consume the synbiotic and control Gaz twice a day. Biochemical measurements including blood lipid profile, plasma total antioxidant capacity [TAC] and total glutathione [GSH] were conducted before and after 9 weeks of intervention

Results: Consumption of synbiotic Gaz for 9 weeks resulted in a significant reduction in serum TAG [P=0.04], VLDL [P=0.04] and a significant rise in plasma GSH levels [P=0.004] compared to the control Gaz. No significant effect of the synbiotic Gaz consumption on serum TC, LDL, HDL or plasma TAC levels were observed

Conclusion: Consumption of synbiotic Gaz for 9 weeks resulted in decreased serum triglycerides, VLDLcholesterol and increased plasma total GSH levels compared with the control Gaz among pregnant women

[Assessment of oral glycine and lysine therapy on receptor for advanced glycation end products and transforming growth factor beta expression in the kidney of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats in comparison with normal rats]

Today, diabetic nephropathy is considered to be one of the most common causes of end stage renal disease. Uncontrolled hyperglycemia, and consequently, production of advanced glycation end products activate pathways which play key roles in diabetic nephropathy. Among these pathways, high expression of receptor for advanced glycation end products [RAGE] and transforming growth factor beta [TGFbeta] are notable. In this study, in order to find compounds which can prevent the incidence or progression of diabetic nephropathy, we examined the effects of glycine and lysine amino acids on expression of RAGE and TGFbeta in kidney tissue of diabetic rats. After rendering rats with diabetes with streptozotocin [STZ], they were divided into different groups and were treated with oral 1% glycine and 0.1% lysine in drinking water for 12 weeks. Blood glucose and serum AGEs were measured during this time. Changes in RAGE and TGFbeta expression were assessed by semi quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR] method. Results show that both glycine and lysine administration for 12 weeks not only caused a significant reduction in blood glucose and AGEs in diabetic rats, but also led to a significant reduction in RAGE and TGFbeta expression in comparison to non-treated diabetic rats. These results show that oral glycine and lysine, as chemical chaperones, have the ability to prevent diabetic nephropathy by decreasing RAGE and TGFbeta expression. This may be due to the effect of these chemical chaperones in the reduction of hyperglycemia and serum AGEs in diabetic rats. Since the positive effects of these amino acids in diabetic nephropathy have been observed in previous studies, the determination of their dose in future studies seems necessary