Retinol, proteínas transportadoras, carotenóides, proteínas de fase aguda e barreira funcional intestinal em crianças de uma comunidade urbana de Fortaleza / Retinol, transport proteins, carotenoids, acute phase proteins and intestinal barrier function in children from an urban community of Fortaleza

A deficiência de vitamina A (DVA) é considerada um importante problema de saúde pública em todo o mundo e o papel da DVA na integridade epitelial intestinal ainda não está bem compreendido. O objetivo do trabalho foi investigar a associação do retinol (vitamina A) e carotenóides com a barreira funcional intestinal em crianças de uma comunidade urbana em Fortaleza, no Nordeste do Brasil. Participaram do estudo 102 crianças de 2 meses a 9 anos de idade. O estado nutricional das crianças foi avaliado através do escore "z" de peso por altura (WHZ), mostrando que 19,6% (20/102) das crianças apresentaram desnutrição leve ("z" escore de -1 a -2). Todas as crianças tiveram as concentrações de retinol determinadas e nenhuma estava severamente deficiente (< 0,35 μM); 2,9% (3/102) das crianças apresentaram níveis moderados de deficiência de vitamina A (0,36 - 0,70 μM); 20,6% (21/102) apresentaram leve deficiência (0,71 - 1,05 μM) e 76,5% (78/102) apresentaram concentrações suficientes de retinol no sangue (> 1,05 μM). A razão de lactulose/manitol (L/M) estava anormal em 49% (47/97) das crianças quando comparadas com crianças saudáveis de uma mesma região geográfica. Os carotenóides, luteína, β-criptoxantina e beta-caroteno no soro das crianças do Parque Universitário, apresentaram correlações inversas significativas com a razão de L/M. As proteínas de fase aguda (proteína C reativa, CRP e glicoproteína α1-ácida, AGP) apresentaram correlações inversas com retinol. O retinol correlacionou-se significativamente com a proteína ligadora de retinol (RBP) e com a transtiretina (TTR)...

Ternatin, a flavonoid, prevents cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis in rats.

To compare the classical uroprotective efficacy of mesna (2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid) with ternatin (flavonoid isolated from Egletes viscosa Less.) in cyclophosphamide (CYP) and ifosfamide (IFS) induced hemorrhagic cystitis (HC). Male Wistar rats received an intraperitoneal injection of saline, CYP or IFS and were treated with saline or mesna, 5 min before, 4 and 8 h after CYP or IFS administration. In other animals, 1, 2 or 3 doses of mesna were replaced with ternatin or 3 doses of mesna were replaced with dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO), ternatin diluent. In an additional group, the last 2 doses of mesna were replaced with saline. HC was evaluated 24 h after CYP or IFS administration. CYP or IFS treatment induced marked changes in macroscopic and microscopic evaluation and in bladder wet weight (BWW), and these alterations were significantly inhibited by treatment with 3 doses of mesna, as well as by the replacement of 1 or 2 doses of mesna with ternatin. The replacement of 2 doses of mesna with saline or all doses of mesna with ternatin or DMSO did not prevent HC. In conclusion, the replacement of 1 or 2 doses of mesna with ternatin efficiently blocked CYP- or IFS-induced HC, however mesna is necessary for initial uroprotection.

Use of dexamethasone with mesna for the prevention of ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis.

AIM: Hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is a limiting side-effect of chemotherapy with ifosfamide (IFS). In the study presented here, we investigated the use of dexamethasone in combination with mesna for the prevention of IFS-induced HC. METHODS: Male Wistar rats (150-200 g; 6 rats per group) were treated with saline or mesna 5 min (i.p.) before and 2 and 6 h after (v.o.) administration of IFS. One, two or three doses of mesna were replaced with dexamethasone alone or with dexamethasone plus mesna. Cystitis was evaluated 24 h after its induction by the changes in bladder wet weight and by macroscopic and microscopic analysis. RESULTS: The replacement of the last dose or the last two doses of mesna with dexamethasone reduced the increase in bladder wet weight induced by IFS by 84.79% and 89.13%, respectively. In addition, it almost abolished the macroscopic and microscopic alterations induced by IFS. Moreover, the addition of dexamethasone to the last two doses of mesna was more efficient than three doses of mesna alone when evaluated microscopically. CONCLUSION: Dexamethasone in combination with mesna was efficient in blocking IFS-induced HC. However, the replacement of last two doses of mesna with saline or all of the mesna doses with dexamethasone did not prevent HC.