ABSTRACT
Elevated free radical generation in inflamed joints and impaired antioxidant system has been implicated in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Green tea extracts (GTE) have been shown to reduce inflammation in inflammatory arthritis murine model. This study investigates possible mechanisms by which vitamin C and GTE protect joints in RA rat model. This study included forty adult male rats that were divided into four groups (10 rats each); control group, collagen II induced RA group (CII), CII treated with vitamin C (CII + Vit C) and CII treated with GTE (CII + GTE) in physiology laboratory, Assiut University, Egypt. After 45 days of treatment, plasma levels of lipid peroxides (LPO), nitric oxide (NO), ceruloplasmin (CP), superoxide dismutase (SOD), uric acid (UA) and glutathione (GSH) were detected using colorimetric methods, PGE(2) using ELISA and copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) using spectrometer. In CII group, levels of LPO, NO, PGE(2), UA, CP, Cu were higher while SOD, GSH, Zn were lower than controls. In groups treated with vitamin C and GTE, levels of SOD, GSH were increased while levels of LPO, NO, PGE(2), Cu, CP were decreased compared with CII group. Levels of UA were decreased and Zn increased in GTE treated group compared with CII group. GTE treated group showed higher Zn and low Cu levels compared with vitamin C treated group. This study suggests proper GTE and vitamin C intake may effectively normalize the impaired oxidant/antioxidant system and delaying complication of RA.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible correlation between hepatic flapping tremors and serum manganese Mn, iron Fe, zinc Zn, and copper Cu. METHODS: This case control study was carried out in Assiut University Hospital, Assiut, Egypt from June 2006 to June 2007. It included 100 patients with liver cirrhosis, 78 had flapping tremor, and 22 had not, and 60 healthy controls. All patients were subjected to assessment of serum Mn, total Fe, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), Zn, and Cu. Assessment of hepatic encephalopathy was carried out using a battery of cognitive function tests. All patients had electroencephalography and MRI of the brain. RESULTS: Compared to healthy controls, patients showed increase in Mn (p<0.0001), Cu (p<0.05) and decrease in TIBC (p<0.000), Zn (p<0.05). Eighty-two percent of patients had minimal hepatic encephalopathy (mHE). In 85%, MRI-brain showed bilateral hyperintense substantia nigra and globus pallidus on T1-weighted images. A significant positive correlation was present between tremors and severity of liver dysfunction, mHE and serum Cu, and negative correlation with total Fe, TIBC, and Zn. CONCLUSION: Altered homeostasis of Mn and other minerals could be responsible for the pathophysiology of cognitive deficits associated with liver cirrhosis, but not with flapping tremors. The exact pathogenic role and possibilities for therapeutic implications need further study.
