Yerba mate aqueous extract improves the oxidative and inflammatory states of rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis.

Healthy and adjuvant-induced arthritic rats were treated for 23 days with daily doses of 400 and 800 mg kg-1Ilex paraguariensis extract. This treatment (a) diminished the ROS levels in the liver and brain, (b) decreased oxidative protein and lipid damage in liver and brain, (c) increased the plasma antioxidant capacity, (d) increased the GSH levels and the GSH/GSSH ratio in both the liver and the brain, (e) almost restored the enzymatic activities linked to the metabolism of GSH-GSSG, and (f) reversed the modified activities of xanthine oxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase. The anti-inflammatory actions (firstly) and the antioxidant actions (in the second place) of the yerba mate constituents (e.g., chlorogenic acid derivatives) are the causes of these beneficial effects. Daily ingestion of traditional yerba mate beverages may be effective in attenuating the symptoms of inflammatory diseases, especially in older adults.

Antioxidant Action of an Aqueous Extract of Royal Sun Medicinal Mushroom, Agaricus brasiliensis (Agaricomycetes), in Rats with Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate possible effects of the administration of an aqueous Agaricus brasiliensis extract on the oxidative state of the liver, brain, and plasma in adjuvant-induced arthritic rats, a model for human rheumatoid arthritis. Daily doses of 400 mg · kg-1 were administered by gavage for 23 days. This treatment produced significant diminutions in protein carbonylation and lipid damage in the liver, brain, and plasma. It also diminished the tissue reactive oxygen species and increased the antioxidant capacity of the plasma. Antioxidant defenses, which are diminished by arthritis, were improved by treatment with the A. brasiliensis extract, as revealed by preservation of the reduced glutathione and protein thiol levels and by the tendency of the activities of some antioxidant enzymes to normalize. The increased glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity was also almost normalized by the treatment. In addition, there were indications that A. brasiliensis can inhibit the initiation of structural events that can lead to hepatocyte necrosis. In conclusion, A. brasiliensis aqueous preparations can, in principle, be visualized as potential auxiliaries in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis as a result of their capacity to reduce oxidative stress. This effect was exerted in multiple organs, as can be judged from the results obtained in the liver, brain, and plasma. The continuous ingestion of A. brasiliensis as specific preparations or as a food supplement can possibly help to attenuate the systemic effects of rheumatoid arthritis and improve the quality of life of patients affected by this disease.

Water soluble compounds of Rosmarinus officinalis L. improve the oxidative and inflammatory states of rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis.

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties have been attributed to constituents of Rosmarinus officinalis. Considering the inflammatory nature of arthritis and the oxidative stress induced by the disease, this work aimed to investigate if R. officinalis is able to attenuate oxidative and inflammatory injuries caused by the disease. Rats with complete Freund's adjuvant induced arthritis were used. An aqueous extract of the rosemary leaves was administered orally. The parameters related to oxidative stress were measured in the liver, brain and plasma. The administration of the rosemary extract (RE) to arthritic rats diminished oxidative damage (e.g., less carbonylated proteins), improved the oxidative state (e.g., less reactive oxygen species) and also increased the antioxidant capacity by increasing the GSH level and the GSH/GSSG ratio and by almost normalizing the activity of several antioxidant enzymes. The treatment of arthritic rats with the extract also diminished paw edema, the number of leukocytes recruited in the femoro-tibial joint cavities and the weight of the lymph nodes and delayed the appearance of secondary lesions. Twelve phenolic compounds were identified and quantified in the aqueous RE, rosmarinic acid being the most abundant one. In addition, the extract also contains polysaccharides and proteins. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of the RE can be attributed, partly at least, to its content of polyphenolics with the strong possibility of synergistic interactions as well as metabolic activations. The results corroborate and amplify the general notion that rosemary aqueous extracts possess efficient anti-inflammatory agents and suggest that they are able to attenuate the oxidative stress inherent to arthritis.

Effects of in vitro digestion and in vitro colonic fermentation on stability and functional properties of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis A. St. Hil.) beverages.

Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a plant that grows naturally in South America. From its leaves and thin stems different kinds of beverages are prepared (chimarrão, tererê and tea mate), all of them rich in bioactive substances. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation on the stability of the polyphenols and on the antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumoral activities of the yerba mate beverages. The phenolic chromatographic profile revealed that both the in vitro digestion and the colonic fermentation caused a pronounced decrease in 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid and 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid in the preparations. However, 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid and salvianolic acid I were only barely affected in all preparations. Despite the decrease in the phytochemicals content, yerba mate beverages maintain their functional properties such as antioxidant, antibacterial and antitumoral activities.

Effects of the continuous administration of an Agaricus blazei extract to rats on oxidative parameters of the brain and liver during aging.

An investigation of the effects of an aqueous extract of Agaricus blazei, a medicinal mushroom, on the oxidative state of the brain and liver of rats during aging (7 to 23 months) was conducted. The treatment consisted in the daily intragastric administration of 50 mg/kg of the extract. The A. blazei treatment tended to maintain the ROS contents of the brain and liver at lower levels, but a significant difference was found only at the age of 23 months and in the brain. The TBARS levels in the brain were maintained at lower levels by the A. blazei treatment during the whole aging process with a specially pronounced difference at the age of 12 months. The total antioxidant capacity in the brain was higher in treated rats only at the age of 12 months. Compared with previous studies in which old rats (21 months) were treated during a short period of 21 days with 200 mg/kg, the effects of the A. blazei extract in the present study tended to be less pronounced. The results also indicate that the long and constant treatment presented a tendency of becoming less effective at ages above 12 months.

Effects of treating old rats with an aqueous Agaricus blazei extract on oxidative and functional parameters of the brain tissue and brain mitochondria.

Dysfunction of the mitochondrial respiratory chain and increased oxidative stress is a striking phenomenon in the brain of aged individuals. For this reason there has been a constant search for drugs and natural products able to prevent or at least to mitigate these problems. In the present study the effects of an aqueous extract of Agaricus blazei, a medicinal mushroom, on the oxidative state and on the functionality of mitochondria from the brain of old rats (21 months) were conducted. The extract was administered intragastrically during 21 days at doses of 200 mg/kg. The administration of the A. blazei extract was protective to the brain of old rats against oxidative stress by decreasing the lipid peroxidation levels and the reactive oxygen species content and by increasing the nonenzymic and enzymic antioxidant capacities. Administration of the A. blazei extract also increased the activity of several mitochondrial respiratory enzymes and, depending on the substrate, the mitochondrial coupled respiration.