Anti-inflammatory effects of royal jelly on ethylene glycol induced renal inflammation in rats

ABSTRACT Objective: In this study, anti-inflammatory effects of Royal Jelly were investigated by inducing renal inflammation in rats with the use of ethylene glycol. For this purpose, the calcium oxalate urolithiasis model was obtained by feeding rats with ethylene glycol in drinking water. Materials and Methods: The rats were divided in five study groups. The 1st group was determined as the control group. The rats in the 2nd group received ethylene glycol (1%) in drinking water. The rats in the 3rd group were daily fed with Royal Jelly by using oral gavage. The 4th group was determined as the preventive group and the rats were fed with ethylene glycol (1%) in drinking water while receiving Royal Jelly via oral gavage. The 5th group was determined as the therapeutic group and received ethylene glycol in drinking water during the first 2 weeks of the study and Royal Jelly via oral gavage during the last 2 weeks of the study. Results: At the end of the study, proinflammatory/anti-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-18 levels in blood and renal tissue samples from the rats used in the application were measured. Conclusion: The results have shown that ethylene glycol does induce inflammation and renal damage. This can cause the formation of reactive oxygen species. Royal Jelly is also considered to have anti-inflammatory effects due to its possible antiradical and antioxidative effects. It can have positive effects on both the prevention of urolithiasis and possible inflammation during the existing urolithiasis and support the medical treatment.

Efecto protector del factor de crecimiento epidérmico ante la nefritis tóxica causada por kanamicina / Protective effect of epidermal growth factor in Kanamycin-induced toxic nephritis

Se estableció como objetivo conocer si el factor de crecimiento epidérmico, por su función regeneradora y protectora, protegía al riñón del efecto tóxico de la kanamicina. Para esto se diseñó una investigación experimental, prospectiva con animales. Se dividieron en 3 grupos, a uno se le administró el antibiótico semejante al esquema en humanos, al segundo, el antibiótico más una monodosis profiláctica de factor, y un tercer grupo se tomó como control negativo; se les midió a los 3, al principio y al final del estudio, la función renal más un estudio histológico. Todas las variables cuantitativas fueron sometidas a análisis estadístico para buscar significación entre los grupos. Se comportaron de forma similar el control negativo y el que recibió el factor, no así el que tomó solo el antibiótico. El factor resultó un protector de la nefrona proximal.

The objective was to determine if epidermal growth factor with its regenerating and protective function, was capable of protecting kidneys from toxic effect of kanamycin. To this end, a prospective experimental research study on animals was designed. They were divided into three groups, one was administered antibiotic in a way similar to humans; the second group was given the antibiotic plus a prophylactic one-dose of the factor, and the third group was the negative control. At the beginning and at the end of the study, renal function was assessed and a histological study was performed on the three groups. All the quantitative variables were statistically analyzed to find significance among the groups. It was observed that the negative control and the group receiving the factor had a similar behaviour, but the group under antibiotic treatment behaved differently. The factor was a protector of proximal nephrone.

Individual or combined effects of enalapril and verapamil on chronic cyclosporine nephrotoxicity in rats

Previous studies have demonstrated that enalapril and verapamil seem to attenuate the cyclosporine nephrotoxicity. However, the mechanisms have not been completely understood, especially on molecular events. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of individual or combined treatment on osteopontin, TGF-beta, endothelin-1 and procollagen alpha 1(I) mRNA expressions. Enalapril (50 mg/L in drinking water) and verapamil (0.5 mg/kg/day, subcutaneously), alone or in combination, were administered to rats with chronic cyclosporine nephrotoxicity (cyclosporine, 25 mg/kg/day, subcutaneously) (n = 5 each). Five rats treated with olive oil vehicle were used as control. After 4 weeks, biochemical parameters were measured, and renal cortical mRNA levels were evaluated by Northern blot analysis. Cyclosporine reduced renal creatinine clearance significantly and induced renal cortical osteopontin, TGF-beta, endothelin-1 and procollagen alpha 1(I) gene expressions around 13.5 +/- 1.3, 2.4 +/- 0.2, 1.5 +/- 0.1, 1.9 +/- 0.1 folds, respectively. Individual treatment with enalapril or verapamil significantly suppressed the osteopontin and TGF-beta mRNA expression, but not endothelin-1 and procollagen alpha 1(I). Combined treatment also inhibited the osteopontin and TGF-beta mRNA expression but there was no difference between combined and individual treatment. In conclusion, enalapril or verapamil significantly blunted the cyclosporine-induced osteopontin and TGF-beta gene expressions. However, combined treatment did not show any additive effect.

Nefritis autóloga experimental: estudio morfológico y de permeabilidad capilar en las lesiones glomerulares de ratas / Experimental autologous nephritis: morphological and capilary permeability study in glomerular lesions in rats

En ratas de la cepa Lewis con nefritis autóloga activa (nefritis de Heymann) se estudiaron en secuencia las lesiones ultraestructurales de la pared capilar glomerular. En 19 animales nefríticos inyectados in vivo por vía IV con ferritina aniónica o catiónica se exploraron las modificaciones de permeabilidad de la membrana basal glomerular (MBG) y las modificaciones de las cargas aniónicas negativas de la lámina rara externa. En animales sacrificados a las 8 semanas post-inmunización con leve proteinuria (8.70 mg/24 horas) se observaron aislados depósitos electrodensos en la lámina rara externa con pérdida focal de las cargas negativas en dichos sitios. En animales con proteinuria intensa (60 mg/24 horas) sacrificados entre las 10 y 12 semanas post-inmunización se observaron abundantísimos depósitos electrodensos subepiteliales en la MBG, abundante IgG en patrón granular a la inmunofluorescencia, neoformación "espicular" de membrana y rechazamiento de los diafragmas de filtración. Este grupo de animales mostró incremento de permeabilidad de la MBG a la ferritina aniónica alrededor de los depósitos y diferentes alteraciones (pérdida, distorsión, regeneración y reacomodo) de las cargas negativas fijas de la lámina rara externa de la membrana basal glomerular. La incubación in vitro con ferritina catiónica de glomérulos expuestos en los animales inmunizados, mostró un marcaje adicional de la cubierta polianiónica podocitaria con total integridad de la misma y similar a la de los animales controles