Amelioration of iron overload-induced oxidative stress in rats using a natural antioxidant and iron chelating agent

The present study, investigated oxidative stress of chronic iron intoxication on some antioxidants, enzymatic and non-enzymatic in the liver and spleen homogenates of treated and control rats. In addition, it investigated the effect of iron overload on DNA, total protein contents, lipid peroxidation, hydroxyl radicals [*OH] and nitric oxide [NO] formation in the hepatic and splenetic homogenates. Materials and The antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT], ceruloplasmin [Cp] and the concentrations of reduced glutathione [GSH], ascorbic acid [AsA], DNA, total protein, nitric oxide [NO], thiobarbituric acid reactive substance [TBARS] and hydroxyl radicals [*OH] were measured by spectrophotometric methods in the liver and spleen homogenates of rats. The mean activities of SOD, CAT and Cp as well as the average concentrations of GSH, AsA, DNA, and total protein contents were highly significant [p < 0.001] decreased while copper level was significantly [P<0.01] decreased in chronic iron intoxicated rats in comparison to the control group. In contrast, the average values of TBARS, iron level, NO and *OH radicals were highly significant [p < 0.001] elevated in iron-overloaded rats compared to controls. In vitro studies showed that catechin, as an iron. chelating agent, exhibits SOD and CAT- like activities as well as *OH radicals scavenger. The administration of catechin ameliorated the oxidative stress of iron overload either by decreasing iron level or by scavenging the reactive oxygen intermediates, which could be useful clinically. It appears that iron overloading increases the production of reactive oxygen species, which may lead to lipid peroxidation, depletion of antioxidants and accelerates liver and spleen damage. The administration of catechin, as an iron chelator, has a great potential for protecting tissues against oxidative stress resulting from iron overloading

potent hepatoprotective agent from group fruit

The protective effect of naringin, a flavonoid from Citrus decumana, family Rutaceae has been studied against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Naringin was found to possess a marked protective effect as evidenced by low serum values of gamma-glutamyl transferase [GGT], alanine aminotransferase [ALT], aspartate aminotransferase [AST] and bilirubin in rats treated with naringin and carbon tetrachloride compared to those receiving carbon tetrachloride alone. Furthermore, the histopathological changes, induced by carbon tetrachloride, which showed a balooning of the hepatocytes and accumulation of lipids in the cytoplasm, was markedly ameliorated by treatment with naringin

Caulerpine: an antitumorindele alkaloid from caulerpa racemase

The presence of an antitumor compound has been revealed in the ethanolic extract of Caulerpa racemosa collected from Hurghada, Egypt. The physicochemical study [IR, MS, 1H- and 13C-NMR] resulted in full assignment of the antitumor compound as caulerpine [I]. Caulerpine exhibited a moderate in vitro antitumor activity against crown gall tumor