ABSTRACT
The risk of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer's disease is growing as a result of the continuous increasing average life span of the world population, a syndrome characterized by the presence of intraneural neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques composed mainly by beta-amyloid protein, changes that may cause a number of progressive disorders in the elderly, causing, in its most advanced stage, difficulty in performing normal daily activities, among other manifestations. Therefore, it is important to understand the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of this syndrome. Nevertheless, despite intensive effort to access the physiopathological pathways of the disease, it remains poorly understood. In that context, some hypotheses have arisen, including the recent oxidative stress hypothesis, theory supported by the involvement of oxidative stress in aging, and the vulnerability of neurons to oxidative attack. In the present revision, oxidative changes and redox mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease will be further stressed, as well as the grounds for antioxidant supplementation as adjuvant therapy for the disease will be addressed.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Antioxidants/therapeutic use , Oxidative Stress , Alzheimer Disease/physiopathology , Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism , Animals , Antioxidants/pharmacology , Dietary Supplements , Humans , Models, Biological , Oxidative Stress/drug effectsABSTRACT
Little information is available on the lipid changes caused by Schistosoma mansoni reinfection. In this work it was evaluated alteration in the plasma lipids due to one reinfection by Schistosoma mansoni in the non human primate Callithrix jacchus (sagüi). Blood samples from C. jacchus, prior and after 60 days infection and reinfection, were collected by intravenous puncture, anticoagulated with EDTA (1mg/mL) and centrifuged at 2,500 xg, in order to obtain the plasma. Total cholesterol, cholesteryl ester, total phospholipid and triglyceride levels were determined by spectrophotometer methods. The results showed that there are significant reduction in cholesterol total, cholesteryl ester, total phospholipid and triglyceride concentrations in plasma of animals reinfected by Schistosoma mansoni, in comparison to the same animals prior and after one infection. This study showed that a second infection of Callithrix jacchus by Schistosoma mansoni causes plasma lipid alterations, which are more significant than after a single infection.
