Effects of selenium on oxidative damage and antioxidant enzymes of eukaryotic cells: wine Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

AIM: To clarify the effects of selenium (Se), parameters related to oxidative issues, as well as the antioxidant response were investigated on an autochthonous wine yeast strain. METHODS AND RESULTS: Antioxidant enzyme activity, gel electrophoresis, Western blot and MDA level were used to investigate the effects of different concentration of Se in wine yeast. We found that Se is able to affect the enzymatic activities of catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). An increase in lipid peroxidation was observed in a dose-dependent manner of (Se), thus, indicating the occurrence of cell membrane damage. Additionally, Se induced post-translational oxidative modifications of proteins, especially oxidation of thiol groups (both reversible and irreversible) and protein carbonylation (irreversible oxidation). CONCLUSION: These results obtained could further the understanding the effect of different concentration of Se in wine yeast strain with which Se affect the enzymatic activities and induces some post-translational modifications of proteins. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The understanding of mechanisms regulating the response of wine yeast to Se is important for future work using selenized yeast as enriched Se supplements in human nutrition.

Inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in alkaptonuria: data from the DevelopAKUre project.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to assess baseline serum levels of established biomarkers related to inflammation and oxidative stress in samples from alkaptonuric subjects enrolled in SONIA1 (n = 40) and SONIA2 (n = 138) clinical trials (DevelopAKUre project). METHODS: Baseline serum levels of Serum Amyloid A (SAA), IL-6, IL-1ß, TNFα, CRP, cathepsin D (CATD), IL-1ra, and MMP-3 were determined through commercial ELISA assays. Chitotriosidase activity was assessed through a fluorimetric method. Advanced Oxidation Protein Products (AOPP) were determined by spectrophotometry. Thiols, S-thiolated proteins and Protein Thiolation Index (PTI) were determined by spectrophotometry and HPLC. Patients' quality of life was assessed through validated questionnaires. RESULTS: We found that SAA serum levels were significantly increased compared to reference threshold in 57.5% and 86% of SONIA1 and SONIA2 samples, respectively. Similarly, chitotriosidase activity was above the reference threshold in half of SONIA2 samples, whereas CRP levels were increased only in a minority of samples. CATD, IL-1ß, IL-6, TNFα, MMP-3, AOPP, thiols, S-thiolated protein and PTI showed no statistically significant differences from control population. We provided evidence that alkaptonuric patients presenting with significantly higher SAA, chitotriosidase activity and PTI reported more often a decreased quality of life. This suggests that worsening of symptoms in alkaptonuria (AKU) is paralleled by increased inflammation and oxidative stress, which might play a role in disease progression. CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring of SAA may be suggested in AKU to evaluate inflammation. Though further evidence is needed, SAA, chitotriosidase activity and PTI might be proposed as disease activity markers in AKU.

Antibacterial activity of grape extracts on cagA-positive and -negative Helicobacter pylori clinical isolates.

There is considerable interest in alternative/adjuvant approaches for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori using biologically active compounds, especially antioxidants from plants. In the present work, we tested the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of hydro-alcoholic extracts from Colorino, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon grape cultivars against H. pylori G21 (cagA-negative, cagA-) and 10K, (cagApositive, cagA+) clinical isolates. We determined the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) by incubating strain suspensions in Brucella broth with fetal bovine serum and samples at different concentrations in a final volume of 100 microl in a microaerobic atmosphere. After incubation, subcultures were carried out on Brucella agar plates which were incubated for 3-5 days in a microaerobic environment. The lowest concentration in broth, where the subculture on agar showed complete absence of growth, was considered the MBC.The Colorino extract showed the highest antibacterial activity against G21 strain (MBC=1.35 mg/ml), while Sangiovese and Carbernet MBCs were 4.0 mg/ml ca. H. pylori 10K was only susceptible to Colorino after 48 hours (MBC = 3.57 mg/ml). Resveratrol exhibited the highest antibacterial activity. interestingly, the most pathogenic strain (10K) was less susceptible to both the grape extracts and the isolated compounds. These results suggest that the administration of grape extracts and wine constituents, in addition to antibiotics, might be useful in the treatment of H. pylori infection. Should the reduced susceptibility of 10K strain be extended to all the cagA+ H. pylori isolates, which are endowed with cancer promoter activity, this observation may help explain why the organisms expressing CagA are more closely associated with atrophic gastritis and gastric carcinoma development.