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Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is the basic raw material to produce chocolate and other derivatives such as cocoa butter, cocoa powder and cocoa liquor (cocoa paste), which requires a fermentation process that affects its chemical composition and sensory profile. The objective of this study was to monitor the biochemical, physical and sensory changes during fermentation of cocoa beans in cocoa bean processing plants in the department of Caquetá, Colombia. During fermentation, the temperature of the mass and the pH of the pulp and beans were monitored at the different cocoa bean processing plants (Sites ASOACASAN ASA, COMICACAO CMI, COMCAP COC). Also, at two points during fermentation (days 4 and 7), physical properties of the bean were determined, such as variables related to bromatological composition, polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant activity as sensory attributes at the different sites. An increase in dough temperature was found, however the pH of the cotyledon decreased during the fermentation process and the fat and moisture content varied with fermentation time. At the site level, total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoids (TF), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) contents were statistically different, with COC being different from the other sites. The TPC was higher at the COC site (507 mg gallic acid equivalent GAE/g Cocoa) with respect to the other sites (< 360 mg GAE/g Cocoa). The TF content followed a similar behavior to TPC, with significant differences between sites and differences between fermentation times for ASA. The TF was higher in COC (309.1 mg catechin/g cocoa) with respect to CMI (215.6 mg catechin/g cocoa) and ASA (185.7 mg catechin/g cocoa). Values in DPPH ranged from 5869.3 to 7781.8 μmol Trolox/g cocoa and for the FRAP assay ranged from 369.8 to 606.7 mg ascorbic acid AA/g cocoa among the sites. It was found that the time and management of the fermentation process has a significant impact on the parameters (biochemical, physical and sensory) of cocoa beans. Therefore, it is necessary to standardize the fermentation process to achieve a quality product that meets the needs of the market., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 González et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Organic sources of trace minerals (TM) in broiler diets are more bioavailable and stable than inorganic sources, making them particularly beneficial during challenging periods such as heat stress (HS) conditions. A 42-d study investigated the effects of using advanced chelate technology-based TM (ACTM) or adding varying amounts of ACTM to broiler diets during HS conditions. The study involved 672 male broiler chickens in 7 treatment groups, including a thermoneutral control (TNC) group and six HS treatments. There were 8 replicate pens per treatment and 12 birds per replicate. The six HS treatments included birds exposed to a cyclic HS environment (34°C) for 8 h and were as follows: HSC, which consisted of the same basal diet with the recommended ITM levels; ACTM50 and ACTM100, which replaced the basal diet with 50% and 100% ACTM instead of ITM; ITM+ACTM12.5 and ITM+ACTM25, which involved adding extra ACTM to the ITM basal diet at 12.5% and 25%, respectively; and ITM125, which used 125% of the recommended levels of ITM in the basal diet. Compared with the HSC treatment, the TNC, ACTM100, and ITM+ACTM25 treatments resulted in increased (P < 0.05) body weight; tibia weight; tibia ash, phosphorus, iron, and manganese contents; secondary antibody titers; and serum TAC and SOD values but decreased (P < 0.05) serum MDA concentrations and the expression levels of the hepatic genes IL-1β, IL-6, and INF-γ. The TNC and ACTM100 groups also showed greater (P < 0.05) feed efficiency, tibia length, tibia zinc content, and hepatic SOD1 expression but exhibited reduced (P < 0.05) hepatic NF-kB expression. Significant increases (P < 0.05) in primary anti-NDV titers, serum GPx1 activity, and Nrf2 and GPx1 gene expression levels were also detected in the ACTM100, ITM+ACTM12.5, and ITM+ACTM25 groups. In conclusion, the findings suggest that replacing ITM with ACTM or adding ACTM to ITM diets, especially at a 25% higher dose, can effectively protect broilers from heat stress by promoting growth, reducing inflammation, and increasing the expression of antioxidant proteins., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Mohammadizad et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The study investigated the impact of N-acetyl cysteine on growth, immune response, and antioxidant activity in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Fish were reared at three densities (1.50, 3.00, and 4.50 kg/m3) with four levels of N-acetyl cysteine supplementation (0, 2, 4, and 6 mg/kg) over 60 days. Better growth was observed at low density, but at all densities, fish fed the highest N-acetyl cysteine level (6 mg/kg) showed improved growth. Chemical composition of fish and activity of amylase, lipase and protease in all treatments were noted to be insignificant. The levels of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) and cortisol in HD treatments were high as compared to LD and MD treatment. However, fish fed with N3 diet in each density treatment showed the lowest level of antioxidant enzymes as well as cortisol. Similarly, the levels of malondialdehyde were noted to be high at HD treatments as compared to that in LD and MD. Its levels were lower in fish fed with N3 diets in all density treatments. Expression of somatostatins-1 did not increase in MD and HD treatments in response to high stocking density when compared with LD treatment. However, pro-opiomelanocortin-α level was reduced after N3 diet in HD treatment and interleukin 1-β expression increased after N3 supplement in HD treatment. In conclusion, N-acetyl cysteine supplementation improved growth and antioxidant response in tilapia. The most optimum dose of N-acetyl cysteine was noted to be 6 mg/kg at high stocking, suggesting the potential role of this nutraceutical in tilapia intensive culture., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Komal et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Antioxidant supplementation in critical periods may be useful for improvement of piglet early viability and development. We have evaluated the effects of maternal perinatal diet inclusion of a high vitamin E level (VE, 100 mg all-rac-α-tocopheryl acetate /kg), hydroxytyrosol (HT, 1.5 mg/kg), or their combination (VEHT), in comparison to a control diet (C, 30 mg all-rac-α-tocopheryl acetate /kg), on the offspring homeostasis and metabolism, analysing the weaned piglets' adipose tissue transcriptome and adipocyte morphology. Diets were provided to pregnant Iberian sows (n = 48, 12 per treatment) from gestation day 85 to weaning (28 days postpartum) and 48 piglets (n = 12 per treatment) were sampled 5 days postweaning for dorsal subcutaneous adipose tissue analyses. RNA obtained from 6 animals for each diet was used for paired-end RNA sequencing. Results show that supplementation of sows' diet with either vitamin E or hydroxytyrosol had substantial effects on weaned piglet adipose transcriptome, with 664 and 587 genes being differentially expressed, in comparison to C, respectively (q-value<0.10, Fold Change>1.5). Genes upregulated in C were mainly involved in inflammatory and immune response, as well as oxidative stress, and relevant canonical pathways and upstream regulators involved in these processes were predicted as activated, such as TNF, IFNB or NFKB. Vitamin E, when supplemented alone at high dose, activated lipid biosynthesis functions, pathways and regulators, this finding being accompanied by increased adipocyte size. Results suggest an improved metabolic and antioxidant status of adipose tissue in animals born from sows supplemented with individual antioxidants, while the combined supplementation barely affected gene expression, with VEHT showing a prooxidant/proinflamatory functional profile similar to C animals. Different hypothesis are proposed to explain this unexpected result. Findings allow a deeper understanding of the processes taking place in adipose tissue of genetically fat animals and the role of antioxidants in the regulation of fat cells function., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Laviano et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

This study evaluated the foliar antioxidant activity in nine Hevea brasiliensis genotypes from the ECC-1 (Élite Caquetá Colombia) selection and IAN 873 cultivar (control) in trees in the growth stage in two large-scale clonal trials in response to different climatic (semi-humid warm and humid warm sites) and seasonal (dry and rainy periods) conditions in the Colombian Amazon. The results indicated that Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production increased under conditions of lower water availability (dry period), leading to lipid peroxidation, high defense of photosynthetic pigments, and development of better osmotic adjustment capacity in the ECC 64, IAN 873, ECC 90, and ECC 35 genotypes due to high concentrations of carotenoids (0.40 mg g-1), reducing sugars (65.83 μg mg-1), and malondialdehyde (MDA) (2.44 nmol ml-1). In contrast, during the rainy period, a post-stress action was observed due to high contents of proline and total sugars (39.43 μg g-1 and 173.03 μg g-1, respectively). At the site level, with high Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) values (1143 moles photons m-2 s-1), temperature (32.11°C), and lower precipitation (135 mm), higher antioxidant activity (chlorophylls a, b and total, carotenoids, and proline) was recorded at the humid warm site, demonstrating that the ECC 90, ECC 64, and ECC 66 genotypes are tolerant to water deficit compared to IAN 873. The ECC 64 genotype, independent of seasonal changes and site conditions, presented the highest contents in Chl a, total Chl, reducing sugars, total sugars, and MDA, showing a tendency to adapt to fluctuating conditions. This study showed that water fluctuations do not cause the same metabolic responses, these vary within the same species, depending on their developmental stage and the climatic and seasonal variations characteristic of the Colombian Amazon., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist, (Copyright: © 2024 Guaca-Cruz et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Prolonged strenuous exercise induces oxidative stress, leading to oxidative damage, skeletal muscle fatigue, and reduced exercise performance. The body compensates for oxidative stress through antioxidant actions, while related enzymes alone may not overcome excessive oxidative stress during prolonged strenuous exercise. Phycocyanin is an important antioxidant supplement derived from blue-green algae, which may be helpful in this type of situation. This study determined the effects of phycocyanin on exercise performance from prolonged strenuous exercise. Forty Sprague Dawley male rats were divided into 5 groups (n = 8 /group); Control group (C), Exercise group (E), and Exercise with supplement groups receiving low dose (Phycocyanin = 100 mg/kg BW; ELP) and high dose (Phycocyanin = 200 mg/kg BW; EHP) or vitamin C (Vitamin C = 200 mg/kg BW; VC). Phycocyanin was found to decrease oxidative damage markers, muscle fatigue, and muscle atrophy through the activated AKT/mTOR pathway. This was also found to have greater increases in antioxidants via Nrf2 signaling and increases ATP synthesis, GLUT4 transporters, and insulin signaling due to increased IRS-1/AKT signaling. In conclusion, phycocyanin was found to reduce oxidative damage and muscle atrophy, including an increase in insulin signaling in skeletal muscles leading to increased exercise performance in rats., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Puengpan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Adzuki bean, an important legume crop, exhibits poor tolerance to low temperatures. To investigate the effect of exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) on the physiological metabolism and yield resistance of adzuki bean under low-temperature stress, we conducted a potted experiment using Longxiaodou 4 (LXD 4) and Tianjinhong (TJH) as test materials and pre-sprayed with exogenous ABA at flowering stage continuously for 5 days with an average of 12°C and an average of 15°C, respectively. We found that, compared with spraying water, foliar spraying exogenous ABA increased the activities of antioxidants and the content of non-enzymatic antioxidants, effectively inhibited the increase of malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content, O2-· production rate. Exogenous ABA induced the activation of endogenous protective mechanisms by increasing antioxidant enzymes activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT), as well as elevated levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants including ascorbic acid (ASA) and glutathione (GSH). Moreover, the yield loss of 5.81%-39.84% caused by chilling stress was alleviated by spraying ABA. In conclusion, foliar spraying exogenous ABA can reduce the negative effects of low-temperature stress on the yield of Adzuki beans, which is essential to ensure stable production of Adzuki beans under low-temperature conditions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright: © 2024 Xiang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Peat is the main constituent of cultivation substrates and a precious non-renewable fossil material. Peatlands provide important ecosystem services and allow the absorption and storage of carbon. Protecting peatlands helps tackle climate change and contributes to biodiversity conservation. Due to its importance, it is necessary to implement strategies to reduce the use of peat, such as replacing it with biomass-based alternative growing media constituents, such as Sphagnum moss. In this study, we compared the metal release and binding properties at two different pH, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content of peat and Sphagnum moss from the Tierra del Fuego (TdF) region of southern Patagonia. Levels of the elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), while the types and amounts of functional groups were characterized and compared using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The total phenol level and antioxidant capacity were assessed using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl test. There are generally higher concentrations of leachable elements in peat than in Sphagnum moss at pH = 2, except Cs, Rb, Ti, and Zr. In contrast, at pH = 5, levels of all leached elements are highest in Sphagnum moss. Sphagnum moss shows a higher metal adsorption capacity than peat, except for Be, Mn, Tl, and Zn. Finally, the results showed that both matrices contained similar total phenolic contents: 0.018 ± 0.011 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) per gram dry sample for peat and 0.020 ± 0.007 mg GAE g-1 for Sphagnum moss. Instead, Sphagnum moss extracts showed a significantly higher antioxidant activity [0.026 ± 0.028 mmol Trolox equivalents (TE) g-1] than that estimated in peat (0.009 ± 0.005 mmol TE g-1). Humic acids, carboxylic acids, and phenolic and lignin groups were identified as the functional groups that mainly determined the antioxidant activity of the Sphagnum moss compared to peat. The present study resulted in an advancement of knowledge of these materials for more thoughtful future use and possible replacements., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Astolfi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Oxaliplatin (OXA) as the platinum-based agent induces the cumulative neuropathy including functional impairment and neuropathic pain. OXA treatment triggered oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction in the spinal cord. Puerarin as a natural product has the neuroprotective effect on neuropathic pain. Hence, the roles and mechanisms of Pue on OXA induced neuropathic pain were studied. In this study, OXA-induced neuropathic pain mouse model was constructed by oxaliplatin injection for 5 consecutive days and two cycles. Pue (10 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally for seven consecutive days. The changes of behavior, morphology and levels of related proteins were detected. As a result, OXA-induced mice exhibited as the increased pain hypersensitivity, the impaired motor coordination, the activated NLRP3 inflammasome mediated inflammation and the suppressed nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) mediated antioxidative reaction in the spinal cord (P<0.05 vs Control). After Pue administration, the mechanical pain threshold, thermal pain latency, spontaneous pain number and motor latency were improved (P<0.05 vs OXA). In the spinal cord, Pue administration reduced the levels of inflammatory elements, increased the levels of antioxidative elements and decreased the levels of oxidative factors (P<0.05 vs OXA). Furthermore, Pue also bind with Nrf2 and increased the association of Nrf2 to glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). In summary, Pue alleviates oxaliplatin induced neuropathic pain by enhancing Nrf2/GPX4-mediated antioxidant response and suppressing inflammatory reaction in the spinal cord., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © 2024 Dai et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Free Fatty Acids (FFAs) are vital for energy homeostasis and the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases, including diabetes. For the first time, we presumed and investigated the types and levels of FFAs and their links to Insulin Resistance (IR) and Oxidative Stress (OS) in T2DM. A case-control study was conducted on 60 individuals with diabetes, 60 prediabetics with IFG, and 60 control groups. A Gas Chromatography Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID) was used to estimate FFAs, which were then classified based on length and saturation. Indeed, antioxidant parameters such as TAC, MDA levels, PON-1, SOD-3, and CAT activity were assessed. Higher levels of LCFFA, SFFA, USFFA, and total FFA were found in people with diabetes and prediabetes. These levels were also linked to higher levels of HOMA-IR, BMI, FBS, HbA1C, and MDA, but lower levels of antioxidants. Furthermore, adjusting the above FFAs with age, sex, and antihypertensive medication increased T2DM development. SCFFA and ω3/6 fatty acids had a negative relationship with HOMA-IR, FBS, and insulin and a positive relationship with TAC. Adjusted SCFFA reduces T2DM risk. According to our models, total FFA is utilized to diagnose diabetes (AUC = 83.98, cut-off > 919 μM) and SCFFA for prediabetes (AUC = 82.32, cut-off < 39.56 μM). Total FFA (≥ 776 μM), LCFFA (≥ 613 μM), SFFA (≥ 471 μM), and USFFA (≥ 398 μM) all increase the risk of T2DM by increasing OS, BMI, and HOMA-IR. On the other hand, SCFFAs (≥ 38.7 μM) reduce the risk of T2DM by reducing BMI, HOMA-IR, and OS. SCFFAs and total FFAs can be used for the diagnosis of prediabetes and diabetes, respectively., Competing Interests: The authors state no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Shiri et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of selenium nanoparticle (Se-NP) supplementation on the growth performance, carcass composition, antioxidant status, hepatic enzyme activities, and immunity of Cirrhinus mrigala. For this purpose, fish with an average initial weight of 7.44 ± 0.04 g were fed five experimental diets containing 0 (control), 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg kg-1 Se-NPs diets for 90 days. The analysed selenium (Se) contents of the diets were 0.35, 0.64, 0.92, 1.43, and 2.39 mg kg-1. Twenty five fish were randomly distributed in each of 5 aquarium (36 × 23.7 × 24.3 inches) in triplicate. The results showed that supplementation with Se up to 0.92 mg/kg significantly increased (p<0.05) weight gain, weight gain% (WG%), and specific growth rate (SGR) by 34%, 33%, and 16%, respectively, compared to the control diet. Dietary Se concentrations up to 0.92 mg/kg significantly increased the crude protein and crude fat and reduced (p<0.05) the moisture content as compared to the control group. Fish fed 0.92 mg kg-1 Se had significantly lower malondialdehyde (MDA) contents and higher activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase in liver and serum as compared to other experimental diets. Moreover, a significant increase (p<0.05) in the level of serum immunoglobulin and lysozyme (LYZ) activity was recorded in fish fed 0.92 mg/kg Se diet. Moreover, the highest (p<0.05) values of aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) were recorded in fish fed 2.39 mg/kg Se level. However, serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity remained unaffected by dietary treatment. Broken-line regression analysis indicated that 0.83 mg/kg Se is required for the optimum growth performance of C. mrigala., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Nisa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The ovarian KGN granulosa-like tumour cell line is commonly used as a model for human granulosa cells, especially since it produces steroid hormones. To explore this further, we identified genes that were differentially expressed by KGN cells compared to primary human granulosa cells using three public RNA sequence datasets. Of significance, we identified that the expression of the antioxidant gene TXNRD1 (thioredoxin reductase 1) was extremely high in KGN cells. This is ominous since cytochrome P450 enzymes leak electrons and produce reactive oxygen species during the biosynthesis of steroid hormones. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis identified steroid biosynthetic and cholesterol metabolic processes were more active in primary granulosa cells, whilst in KGN cells, DNA processing, chromosome segregation and kinetochore pathways were more prominent. Expression of cytochrome P450 cholesterol side-chain cleavage (CYP11A1) and cytochrome P450 aromatase (CYP19A1), which are important for the biosynthesis of the steroid hormones progesterone and oestrogen, plus their electron transport chain members (FDXR, FDX1, POR) were measured in cultured KGN cells. KGN cells were treated with 1 mM dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP) or 10 μM forskolin, with or without siRNA knockdown of TXNRD1. We also examined expression of antioxidant genes, H2O2 production by Amplex Red assay and DNA damage by γH2Ax staining. Significant increases in CYP11A1 and CYP19A1 were observed by either dbcAMP or forskolin treatments. However, no significant changes in H2O2 levels or DNA damage were found. Knockdown of expression of TXNRD1 by siRNA blocked the stimulation of expression of CYP11A1 and CYP19A1 by dbcAMP. Thus, with TXNRD1 playing such a pivotal role in steroidogenesis in the KGN cells and it being so highly overexpressed, we conclude that KGN cells might not be the most appropriate model of primary granulosa cells for studying the interplay between ovarian steroidogenesis, reactive oxygen species and antioxidants., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Tang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The relationship between molybdenum and kidney-related disease outcomes, including hyperuricemia, is not well investigated. This study aims to determine whether molybdenum and its antioxidative property are associated with systemic inflammation and kidney-related disease parameters including hyperuricemia. Urinary molybdenum's epidemiological relationship to hyperuricemia and kidney-disease related outcomes was evaluated in 15,370 adult participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected between 1999 and 2016. Individuals' urinary molybdenum levels were corrected to their urinary creatinine concentrations. The association between urinary molybdenum-to-creatinine ratio and kidney-disease related outcomes were assessed by multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses, adjusting for covariates including age, sex, ethnicity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, body mass index, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Antimony and tungsten were used as control trace metals. Experimentally, HK-2 cell was used to assess molybdenum's antioxidative properties. HK-2 cells were challenged with H2O2-induced oxidative stress. Oxidative stress was measured using a fluorescent microplate assay for reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidation levels were assessed by measuring the expression of manganese superoxide dismutase. In the adult NHANES population, urinary molybdenum-to-creatinine ratio was significantly associated with decreased serum uric acid (β, -0.119; 95% CI, -0.148 to -0.090) concentrations, and decreased prevalence of hyperuricemia (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.64-0.83) and gout (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.52-0.94). Higher urinary molybdenum levels were associated with lower levels of systemic oxidative stress (gamma-glutamyltransferase levels; β, -0.052; 95% CI, -0.067 to -0.037) and inflammation (C-reactive protein levels; β, -0.184; 95% CI, -0.220 to -0.148). In HK-2 cells under H2O2-induced oxidative stress, molybdenum upregulated manganese superoxide dismutase expression and decreased oxidative stress. Urinary molybdenum levels are associated with decreased prevalence of hyperuricemia and gout in adult population. Molybdenum's antioxidative properties might have acted as an important mechanism for the reduction of systemic inflammation, ROS, and uric acid levels., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Joun et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Salicylic acid (SA) plays a crucial role as a hormone in plants and belongs to the group of phenolic compounds. Our objective was to determine the optimal concentration of SA for enhancing the production of bioactive compounds in Agastache rugosa plants while maintaining optimal plant growth. The plants underwent SA soaking treatments at different concentrations (i.e., 0, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600 μmol mol-1) for 10 min at 7 days after they were transplanted. We observed that elevated levels of SA at 800 and 1600 μmol mol-1 induced oxidative stress, leading to a significant reduction across many plant growth variables, including leaf length, width, number, area, shoot fresh weight (FW), stem FW and length, and whole plant dry weights (DW) compared with that in the control plants. Additionally, the treatment with 1600 μmol mol-1 SA resulted in the lowest values of flower branch number, FW and DW of flowers, and DW of leaf, stem, and root. Conversely, applying 400 μmol mol-1 SA resulted in the greatest increase of chlorophyll (Chl) a and b, total Chl, total flavonoid, total carotenoid, and SPAD values. The photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance decreased with increased SA concentrations (i.e., 800 and 1600 μmol mol-1). Furthermore, the higher SA treatments (i.e., 400, 800, and 1600 μmol mol-1) enhanced the phenolic contents, and almost all SA treatments increased the antioxidant capacity. The rosmarinic acid content peaked under 200 μmol mol-1 SA treatment. However, under 400 μmol mol-1 SA, tilianin and acacetin contents reached their highest levels. These findings demonstrate that immersing the roots in 200 and 400  μmol mol-1 SA enhances the production of bioactive compounds in hydroponically cultivated A. rugosa without compromising plant growth. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the impact of SA on A. rugosa and its potential implications for medicinal plant cultivation and phytochemical production., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Phong Lam et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

As most teleosts are unable to synthesize vitamin C, supplemental diets containing vitamin C diets play a crucial role in fish health. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary vitamin C on the intestinal enzyme activity and intestinal microbiota of silver pomfre (Pampus argenteus). Four experimental diets were supplemented with basic diets containing 300 mg of vitamin C/kg (group tjl3), 600 mg of vitamin C/kg (group tjl6), and 1200 mg of vitamin C/kg (group tjl12), as well as vitamin C-free supplemental basic diet (group tjl0), respectively. The four diets were fed to juvenile P. argenteus (average initial weight: 4.68 ± 0.93 g) for 6 weeks. The results showed that the activity of SOD (superoxide dismutase) and CAT (catalase) increased significantly while that of MDA (malondialdehyde) decreased significantly in group tjl3 compared to vitamin group tjl0. At the genus level, groups tjl0, tjl6, and tjl12 contained the same dominant microbial community, Stenotrophomonas, Photobacterium, and Vibrio, whereas group tjl3 was dominated by Stenotrophomonas, Delftia, and Bacteroides. Among the fish fed with a basic diet containing 300 mg of vitamin C/kg, the intestines exhibited a notable abundance of probiotic bacteria, including lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus) and Bacillus. The abundance of Aeromonas in groups tjl3 and tjl6 was lower than that of the vitamin C-free supplemental basic diet group, whereas Aeromonas was not detected in group tjl12. In addition, a causative agent of the disease outbreak in cultured P. argenteus, Photobacterium damselae subsp. Damselae (PDD) was the dominant microbiota community in groups tjl0, tjl6 and tjl12, whereas the abundance of PDD in group tjl3 was the lowest among the diets. Taken together, the diets supplied with vitamin C could influence the composition microbial community of P. argenteus. The low level of vitamin C (300 mg of vitamin C/kg per basic diet) supplementation could not only improve the antioxidant capacity but also resist the invasion of pathogenic bacteria., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Guo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Iodine deficiency in the diet globally continues to be a cause of many diseases and disabilities. Kale is a vegetable that has health-promoting potential because of many nutrients and bioactive compounds (ascorbic acid, carotenoids, glucosinolates and phenolic compounds). Brassica vegetables, including kale, have been strongly recommended as dietary adjuvants for improving health. The nutrient and health-promoting compounds in kale are significantly affected by thermal treatments. Changes in phytochemicals upon such activities may result from two contrary phenomena: breakdown of nutrients and bioactive compounds and a matrix softening effect, which increases the extractability of phytochemicals, which may be especially significant in the case of iodine-fortified kale. This study investigated changes of basic composition, iodine, vitamin C, total carotenoids and polyphenols contents as well as antioxidant activity caused by steaming, blanching and boiling processes in the levels of two cultivars of kale (green and red) non-biofortified and biofortified via the application to nutrient solutions in hydroponic of two iodoquinolines [8-hydroxy-7-iodo-5-quinolinesulfonic acid (8-OH-7-I-5QSA) and 5-chloro-7-iodo-8-quinoline (5-Cl-7-I-8-Q)] and KIO3. Thermal processes generally significantly reduced the content of the components in question and the antioxidant activity of kale, regardless of cultivar and enrichment. It was observed that the red cultivar of kale had a greater ability to accumulate and reduce iodine losses during the culinary processes. 8-hydroxy-7-iodo-5-quinolinesulfonic acid showed a protective effect against the treatments used, compared to other enrichments, thus contributing to the preservation of high iodine content., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Krzemińska et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

This study investigated the mitigating effects of spermidine on salinity-stressed yarrow plants (Achillea millefolium L.), an economically important medicinal crop. Plants were treated with four salinity levels (0, 30, 60, 90 mM NaCl) and three spermidine concentrations (0, 1.5, 3 μM). Salinity induced electrolyte leakage in a dose-dependent manner, increasing from 22% at 30 mM to 56% at 90 mM NaCl without spermidine. However, 1.5 μM spermidine significantly reduced leakage across salinities by 1.35-11.2% relative to untreated stressed plants. Photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids) also exhibited salinity- and spermidine-modulated responses. While salinity decreased chlorophyll a, both spermidine concentrations increased chlorophyll b and carotenoids under most saline conditions. Salinity and spermidine synergistically elevated osmoprotectants proline and total carbohydrates, with 3 μM spermidine augmenting proline and carbohydrates up to 14.4% and 13.1% at 90 mM NaCl, respectively. Antioxidant enzymes CAT, POD and APX displayed complex regulation influenced by treatment factors. Moreover, salinity stress and spermidine also influenced the expression of linalool and pinene synthetase genes, with the highest expression levels observed under 90 mM salt stress and the application of 3 μM spermidine. The findings provide valuable insights into the responses of yarrow plants to salinity stress and highlight the potential of spermidine in mitigating the adverse effects of salinity stress., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Alijani et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: The dual existence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and obesity within a single individual may describe a combined adverse health effects, including impaired quality of life and increased risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Oxidative stress is a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of obesity. Meanwhile, dietary antioxidants may improve the antioxidant defense system and thereby decrease oxidative injury. Dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) is usually used to investigate the potential health effects of dietary antioxidant intake on several oxidative stress induced chronic diseases. This study aimed to examine the association of dietary TAC with obesity-related features in T2DM patients., Methods: The present study included 254 type 2 diabetes outpatients with a mean (SD) age of 54.52 (7.21) years and mean (SD) diabetes duration of 8.2 (6.4) years. Data on dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Dietary TAC was estimated by ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) method. Anthropometric, clinical and lifestyle characteristics were all collected., Results: In linear regression analyses, dietary antioxidant capacity was inversely associated with body mass index (β = -0,231; 95% CI, -0,419 to -0,042), waist circumference (β = -0,427; 95% CI, -0,849 to -0,006) and fat mass percentage (β = -0,328; 95% CI, -0,545 to -0,112) independently of the assessed confounding variables. Interestingly, dietary TAC showed positive and significant associations with vitamin A, vitamin C, β-carotene, magnesium, folic acid and iron intakes, after adjusting for age and daily energy intake., Conclusions: Higher intake of dietary TAC was in association with lower indices of general and central obesity in T2DM patients. Therefore, dietary recommendations for counteracting obesity in patients with T2DM should take into account a high dietary TAC., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 El Frakchi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Increases in near-surface ozone (O3) concentrations is a global environmental problem. High-concentration O3 induces stress in plants, which can lead to visible damage to plants, reduced photosynthesis, accelerated aging, inhibited growth, and can even plant death. However, its impact has not been comprehensively evaluated because of the response differences between individual plant species, environmental O3 concentration, and duration of O3 stress in plants. We used a meta-analysis approach based on 31 studies 343 observations) to examine the effects of elevated O3 on malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) activities in herbaceous plants. Globally, important as they constitute the majority of the world's food crops. We partitioned the variation in effect size found in the meta-analysis according to the presence of plant species (ornamental herb, rice, and wheat), O3 concentration, and duration of O3 stress in plants. Our results showed that the effects of elevated O3 on plant membrane lipid peroxidation depending on plant species, O3 concentration, and duration of O3 stress in plants. The wheat SOD and POD activity was significantly lower compared to the herbs and rice (P<0.01). The SOD activity of all herbaceous plants increased by 34.6%, 10.5%, and 26.3% for exposure times to elevated O3 environments of 1-12, 13-30, and 31-60 days, respectively. When the exposure time was more than 60 days, SOD activity did not increase but significantly decreased by 12.1%. However, the POD activity of herbaceous plants increased by 30.4%, 57.3%, 21.9% and 5.81%, respectively, when exposure time of herbaceous plants in elevated O3 environment was 1-12, 13-30, 31-60 and more than 60 days. Our meta-analysis revealed that (1) rice is more resistant to elevated O3 than wheat and ornamental herbs likely because of the higher activity of antioxidant components (e.g., POD) in the symplasts, (2) exposure to elevated O3 concentrations for >60 days, may result in antioxidant SOD lose its regulatory ability, and the antioxidant component POD in the symplast is mainly used to resist O3 damage, and (3) the important factors affected the activity of SOD and POD in plants were not consistent: the duration of O3 stress in plants was more important than plant species and O3 concentration for SOD activity. However, for POD activity, plant species was the most important factor., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Zhao et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Empagliflozin (EMPA) showed antiapoptotic, oxidative and anti-inflammatory potential effect. EMPA attenuates the inflammation and oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with heart failure while significantly decreases the malondialdehyde (a lipid peroxidation marker) levels in the plasma of diabetic patients. The present study examined the effects of moderate hyperglycemia on reproductive function. Sixty male Wister rats ‎ were divided and randomly allocated into four groups of 15 animals each‎‎. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of a prepared solution containing STZ diluted in 0.1 M sodium citrate buffer (pH 4.5) at a dosage of 40 mg/kg body weight in selected in groups II and III for seven days before starting the treatment with EMPA. The current study revealed that EMPA for eight weeks prevented testicular high glucose-induced oxidative stress markers such as penile nitric oxide (NO), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and total anti-oxidant capacity (TAC) in STZ-induced hyperglycemia in a rat model. In addition, EMPA ameliorated the high levels of endogenous Interleukin-6 (IL-6) present in gonads in response to an acute inflammatory found in the hyperglycemic STZ-induced rats. The present study further suggested the protective effects of EMPA and how it has a beneficial role and can effectively attenuate hyperglycemia-induced testicular oxidative damage and inflammatory markers as well as androgen dependent testicular enzymes activity as a protective role against the consequences of hyperglycemia and male sub-infertility., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Bdeir et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Preeclampsia is one of the three leading causes of worldwide maternal mortality. Oxidative stress-mediated endothelial damage is expected to be an ultimate common mechanism in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia. The role of bioamines is also well-established in the induction of preeclampsia. This project is aimed to understand the factors which may affect the induction, progression, and aggravation of preeclampsia and oxidative stress during pregnancy. This study will explore the methylation pattern of the Catechol-O-methyltransferase gene to determine its role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, association of Val158Met polymorphism with a wide range of oxidative stress biomarkers, major antioxidants vitamins, and blood pressure regulating amines in preeclamptic Pakistani women., Methods and Analysis: In this prospective case-control study, 85 preeclamptic and 85 normotensive pregnant women will be recruited in their third trimesters. DNA will be extracted from peripheral blood and Val158Met polymorphism in the Catechol-O-methyltransferase gene will be examined on PCR amplified product digested with Hin1II (NlaIII) restriction enzyme, further validated by Sanger sequencing. Methylation-sensitive PCR will also be performed. Oxidative stress biomarkers, antioxidant vitamins, bioamines, and catechol-O-methyltransferase levels will be measured by ELISA. The data will be used to correlate maternal and fetal outcomes in both groups., Discussion: This study will help to identify and understand the multifactorial path and cause-effect relationship of gene polymorphism, oxidative stress biomarkers, major antioxidants vitamins, and blood pressure regulating amines in the pathogenesis and aggravation of preeclampsia in the Pakistani population. The outcome of this project will be particularly helpful in reducing the incidence of preeclampsia and further improving its management., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Yousuf et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of solarium light therapy on selected biological and biochemical parameters of peripheral blood in recreational horses. The study involved 10 horses divided into two groups of young (aged 5 to 7 years) and old (aged 14 to 19 years) individuals. All animals participated in light therapy sessions every other day. Blood was sampled three times during the study: before the treatment, after five light sessions, and after ten light sessions. Morphological parameters, the activity of antioxidant enzymes, TAS values, and the levels of glutathione (GSH), vitamin D3, vitamin C, and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured in the whole blood. Light therapy contributed to an increase in MCV, HDW, MCVr, CHr and MPV indices, and simultaneously a decrease in the basophil counts, MCHC, RDW and CHCMr indices in both groups of horses (p ≤ 0.05). At the same time reticulocytes fell in older whereas white blood cells and monocytes counts expanded in younger individuals. The treatment also increased the activity of glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in young but decreased the activity of mentioned enzymes in blood plasma of old horses. The total antioxidant status (TAS) of the blood plasma rose progressively, whereas GSH levels declined in all individuals. Moreover, vitamin D3 levels did not change, whereas vitamin C levels gradually decreased during the experiment. The therapy also helped to reduce levels of MDA in the blood plasma, especially of older horses (p ≤ 0.05). In turn, GPx and GR activities as well as MDA levels significantly declined, whereas GSH levels notably elevated in erythrocytes (p ≤ 0.05). Solarium light therapy appears to have a beneficial impact on the morphological parameters and antioxidant status of blood in recreational horses in the winter season. However, the observed results could in part be attributed to the natural physiological adaptation of each individual organism to the treatment., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Orzołek et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

A 171-day long experimental trial was undertaken to study intricate physiological response of rohu (Labeo rohita) under stress caused by high stocking density in In-pond raceways system (IPRS). Fingerlings of rohu (initial body weight: 250 ± 1.20 g) were cultured at three different stocking densities; low density (LD) (2.27 kg/m3), medium density (MD) (3.79 kg/m3) and high density (HD) (5.30 kg/m3) in raceways of IPRS production system. Each treatment was in triplicate. Fish growth exhibited a decline in HD treatment statistically as its average weight gain/fish/day was 4.21 g as compared to MD (4.82 g) and LD (4.74 g). Nutritional profile of rohu indicated by the content of crude protein, fatty acids, and profile of amino acids was up to the set dietary benchmarks. Survival rate of fish in all the treatment groups was greater than 99%. The elevated cortisol levels observed in the HD treatment in contrast to the other treatments suggested the presence of stress. The levels of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were also higher in HD as compared to other treatments. However, there were no difference in the level of MDA between the three treatments. Activity of amylase, protease was significantly different in treatment whereas the difference in lipase activity was found to be insignificant. It can be concluded that medium stocking density i.e. 3.79 kg/m3 outperformed the high density (5.30 kg/m3) in different aspects of this study. Nevertheless, additional research is imperative to ascertain whether any intermediate stocking density between medium (3.79 kg/m3) and high (5.30 kg/m3) such as 4 kg/m3, 4.5 kg/m3, or 5 kg/m3, could potentially serve as suitable options for rohu. It is also suggested that brood stock of rohu should be genetically improved to obtain stress resilient fingerlings which will perform better at high stocking density at large scale production level., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Minahal et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Pigmented rice, especially black rice, is gaining popularity as it is rich in antioxidants such as anthocyanins and γ-oryzanol. At present, knowledge about temporal control of biosynthesis and accumulation of antioxidants during grain development is limited. To address this, the accumulation patterns of anthocyanins and γ-oryzanol were assessed in two distinct black rice genotypes over the course of grain development, and the expression of known regulatory genes for anthocyanin biosynthesis was examined. The results indicated that total γ-oryzanol content increased continuously throughout grain development, while total anthocyanins peaked at dough stage (15 to 21 days after flowering) followed by a decline until grain maturity in both genotypes. However, the rate of decrease in anthocyanin content differed between genotypes, and a more prominent decline in cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (C3G) relative to peonidin 3-O-glucoside (P3G) was observed for both. Anthocyanin content was closely linked with the expression of key regulatory genes in the MBW (MYB-bHLH-WD40) complex. This improved knowledge of the genotype-specific biosynthesis (anthocyanins only) and accumulation patterns of anthocyanins and γ-oryzanol can inform subsequent research efforts to increase concentrations of these key antioxidants in black rice grains., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist, (Copyright: © 2024 Thapa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The detrimental effects of ultraviolet C (UVC) radiation on living organisms, with a specific focus on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, were examined. This study investigated the impact of heightened UVC radiation exposure on D. melanogaster by assessing mortality and fertility rates, studying phenotypic mutations, and investigating the associated molecular mechanisms. The findings of this study revealed that UVC radiation increases mortality rates and decreases fertility rates in D. melanogaster. Additionally, phenotypic wing mutations were observed in the exposed flies. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that UVC radiation downregulates the expression of antioxidant genes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), zinc-dependent superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn-SOD), and the G protein-coupled receptor methuselah (MTH) gene. These results suggest that UVC radiation exerts a destructive effect on D. melanogaster by inducing oxidative stress, which is marked by the overexpression of harmful oxidative processes and a simultaneous reduction in antioxidant gene expression. In conclusion, this study underscores the critical importance of comprehending the deleterious effects of UVC radiation, not only to safeguard human health on Earth, but also to address the potential risks associated with space missions, such as the ongoing Emirate astronaut program., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Lotfy et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

In the present study, an enzymatically hydrolyzed porcine plasma (EHPP) was nutritionally and molecularly characterized. EHPP molecular characterization showed, in contrast to spray-dried plasma (SDP), many peptides with relative molecular masses (Mr) below 8,000, constituting 73% of the protein relative abundance. IIAPPER, a well-known bioactive peptide with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, was identified. In vivo functionality of EHPP was tested in C. elegans and two different mouse models of intestinal inflammation. In C. elegans subjected to lipopolysaccharide exposure, EHPP displayed a substantial anti-inflammatory effect, enhancing survival and motility by 40% and 21.5%, respectively. Similarly, in mice challenged with Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B or Escherichia coli O42, EHPP and SDP supplementation (8%) increased body weight and average daily gain while reducing the percentage of regulatory Th lymphocytes. Furthermore, both products mitigated the increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines expression associated with these challenged mouse models. In contrast, some significant differences were observed in markers such as Il-6 and Tnf-α, suggesting that the products may present different action mechanisms. In conclusion, EHPP demonstrated similar beneficial health effects to SDP, potentially attributable to the immunomodulatory and antioxidant activity of its characteristic low Mr bioactive peptides., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Solà-Ginés et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

In the present study, we attempted to use melatonin combined with germination treatment to remove pesticide residues from contaminated grains. High levels of pesticide residues were detected in soybean seeds after soaking with chlorothalonil (10 mM) and malathion (1 mM) for 2 hours. Treatment with 50 μM melatonin for 5 days completely removed the pesticide residues, while in the control group, only 61-71% of pesticide residues were removed from soybean sprouts. Compared with the control, melatonin treatment for 7 days further increased the content of ascorbic acid (by 48-66%), total phenolics (by 52-68%), isoflavones (by 22-34%), the total antioxidant capacity (by 37-40%), and the accumulated levels of unsaturated fatty acids (C18:1, C18:2, and C18:3) (by 17-30%) in soybean sprouts. Moreover, melatonin treatment further increased the accumulation of ten components of phenols and isoflavones in soybean sprouts relative to those in the control. The ability of melatonin to accelerate the degradation of pesticide residues and promote the accumulation of antioxidant metabolites might be related to its ability to trigger the glutathione detoxification system in soybean sprouts. Melatonin promoted glutathione synthesis (by 49-139%) and elevated the activities of glutathione-S-transferase (by 24-78%) and glutathione reductase (by 38-61%). In summary, we report a new method in which combined treatment by melatonin and germination rapidly degrades pesticide residues in contaminated grains and improves the nutritional quality of food., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Li et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Parabens are being used as preservatives due to their antifungal and antimicrobial effects. They are emerging as aquatic pollutants due to their excessive use in many products. The purpose of this study was to determine the toxic effect of ethyl paraben (C9H10O3) on the hematobiochemical, histological, oxidative, and anti-oxidant enzymatic and non-enzymatic activity; the study also evaluates the potential of ethyl paraben to cause genotoxicity in Rohu Labeo rohita. A number of 15 fish with an average weight of 35.45±1.34g were placed in each group and exposed to ethyl paraben for 21 days. Three different concentrations of ethyl paraben, i.e., T1 (2000μg/L), T2 (4000 μg/L), andT3 (6000 μg/L) on which fish were exposed as compared to the control T0 (0.00 μg/L). Blood was used for hematobiochemical and comet assay. Gills, kidneys, and liver were removed for histological alterations. The results showed a significant rise in all hemato-biochemical parameters such as RBCs, WBCs, PLT count, blood sugar, albumin, globulin, and cholesterol. An increase in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels directed the hepatocytic damage. Histological alterations in the liver, gills and kidneys of fish were found. Ethylparaben induces oxidative stress by suppressing antioxidant enzyme activity such as SOD, GSH, CAT and POD. Based on the comet assay, DNA damage was also observed in blood cells, resulting in genotoxicity. Findings from the present study indicate that ethyl paraben induces hemato-biochemical alterations, tissue damage, oxidative stress, and genotoxicity., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Akmal et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The incorporation of phytoactive compounds in the management of malarial vectors holds promise for the development of innovative and efficient alternatives. Nevertheless, the molecular and physiological responses that these bioactive substances induce remain underexplored. This present study investigated the toxicity of different concentrations of aqueous and methanol extracts of Ocimum tenuiflorum against larvae of Anopheles gambiae (sensu stricto) and unraveled the possible underlying molecular pathways responsible for the observed physiological effects. FTIR and GCMS analyses of phytoactive compounds in aqueous and methanol crude extracts of O. tenuiflorum showed the presence of OH stretching vibration, C = C stretching modes of aromatics and methylene rocking vibration; ring deformation mode with high levels of trans-β-ocimene, 3,7-dimethyl-1,3,6-octatriene in aqueous extract and 4-methoxy-benzaldehyde, 1,3,5-trimethyl-cyclohexane and o-cymene in methanol extract. The percentage mortality upon exposure to methanol and aqueous extracts of O. tenuiflorum were 21.1% and 26.1% at 24 h, 27.8% and 36.1% at 48 h and 36.1% and 45% at 72 h respectively. Using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), down-regulation of ABC transporter, overexpression of CYP6M2, Hsp70, and α-esterase, coupled with significantly increased levels of SOD, CAT, and GSH, were observed in An. gambiae (s.s.) exposed to aqueous and methanol extracts of O. tenuiflorum as compared to the control. Findings from this study have significant implications for our understanding of how An. gambiae (s.s.) larvae detoxify phytoactive compounds., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Aremu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

This study examined the psychogenic stress (PS) effects on changes in oxidative stress and the antioxidant capacity of an organism at different growth stages. The experimental animals were male Wistar rats of five different ages from growth periods (GPs) to old age. The growth stages were randomly classified into control (C) and experimental (PS) groups. The PS was performed using restraint and water immersion once daily for 3 h for 4 weeks. Reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) and the biological antioxidant potential (BAP) were measured before and after the experiment. In addition, the liver and adrenal glands were removed, and the wet weight was measured. The d-ROM and BAP of all growth stages given PS increased significantly. The d-ROM in the C group without PS increased significantly in GPs while decreased significantly in old-aged rats. In addition, the BAP of the C group in GP and early adulthood were all significantly elevated. There were significant differences in organ weights between the C and PS groups at all growth stages. Oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity differed depending on the organism's developmental status and growth stage, and PS also showed different effects. In particular, the variability in oxidative stress was remarkable, suggesting that the effect of PS was more significant in the organism's immature organs., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest associated with this manuscript., (Copyright: © 2024 Lee et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world. Neurodegeneration of the substantia nigra (SN) and diminished release of dopamine are prominent causes of this progressive disease. The current study aims to evaluate the protective potential of ethanolic extract of Mentha piperita (EthMP) against rotenone-mediated PD features, dopaminergic neuronal degeneration, oxidative stress and neuronal survival in a mouse model. Swiss albino male mice were assigned to five groups: control (2.5% DMSO vehicle), PD (rotenone 2.5 mg/kg), EthMP and rotenone (200mg/kg and 2.5mg/kg, respectively), EthMP (200 mg/kg), and Sinemet, reference treatment containing levodopa and carbidopa (20 mg/kg and rotenone 2.5mg/kg). Behavioral tests for motor functional deficit analysis were performed. Anti-oxidant capacity was estimated using standard antioxidant markers. Histopathology of the mid-brain for neurodegeneration estimation was performed. HPLC based dopamine level analysis and modulation of gene expression using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed for the selected genes. EthMP administration significantly prevented the rotenone-mediated motor dysfunctions compared to PD group as assessed through open field, beam walk, pole climb down, stepping, tail suspension, and stride length tests. EthMP administration modulated the lipid peroxidation (LPO), reduced glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels, as well as glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT) activities in mouse brain. EthMP extract prevented neurodegeneration in the SN of mice and partially maintained dopamine levels. The expression of genes related to dopamine, anti-oxidant potential and synapses were modulated in M. piperita (MP) extract treated mice brains. Current data suggest therapeutic capacities of MP extract and neuroprotective capacities, possibly through antioxidant capacities. Therefore, it may have potential clinical applications for PD management., Competing Interests: Authors do not have competing or financial interests., (Copyright: © 2024 Anjum et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Testicular dysfunction is a prevalent health problem frequently reported in individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM). Oxidative-inflammatory reactions, hormonal and spermatic abnormalities often accompany this illness. Herbal remedies "particularly wild plants" including chicory (Chicorium Intybus) and purslane (Portulaca Oleracea) are emerging as popular agents for people dealing with these issues due to their ability to act as antioxidants, reduce inflammation, and exhibit antidiabetic effects. According to the collected data, the daily administration of chicory (Ch) seed-extract (250 mg/kg) or purslane (Pu) seed-extract (200 mg/kg) to streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats (50 mg/kg) for 30 days resulted in the normalization of fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum fructosamine, insulin levels, and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), as well as reducing lipid peroxidation end-product malondialdehyde (MDA) level, aldehyde oxidase (AO) and xanthene oxidase (XO) activities. While caused a considerable improvement in glutathione (GSH) content, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) activity, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) when compared to diabetic rats. Ch and Pu extracts had a substantial impact on testicular parameters including sperm characterization, testosterone level, vimentin expression along with improvements in body and testis weight. They also mitigated hyperlipidemia by reducing total lipids (TL), total cholesterol (TC) levels, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), while increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Furthermore, oral administration of either Ch or Pu notably attuned the elevated proinflammatory cytokines as tumor necrotic factor (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) together with reducing apoptosis and DNA damage. This was achieved through the suppression of DNA-fragmentation marker 8OHdG, triggering of caspase-3 immuno-expression, and elevation of Bcl-2 protein. The histological studies provided evidence supporting the preventive effects of Ch and Pu against DM-induced testicular dysfunction. In conclusion, Ch and Pu seed-extracts mitigate testicular impairment during DM due to their antihyperglycemic, antilipidemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic properties., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Saad et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The commercial-scale production of Caralluma tuberculata faces significant challenges due to lower seed viability and sluggish rate of root growth in natural conditions. To overcome these obstacles, using phyto-mediated selenium nanomaterials as an in vitro rooting agent in plant in vitro cultures is a promising approach to facilitate rapid propagation and enhance the production of valuable therapeutic compounds. This study aimed to investigate the impact of phytosynthesized selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) on the morphological growth attributes, physiological status, and secondary metabolite fabrication in in vitro propagated Caralluma tuberculata. The results demonstrated that a lower dose of SeNPs (100 μg/L) along with plant growth regulators (IBA 1 mg/L) had an affirmative effect on growth parameters and promoted earliest root initiation (4.6±0.98 days), highest rooting frequency (68.21±5.12%), number of roots (6.3±1.8), maximum fresh weight (710±6.01 mg) and dry weight (549.89±6.77 mg). However, higher levels of SeNPs (200 and 400 μg/L) in the growth media proved detrimental to growth and development. Further, stress caused by SeNPs at 100 μg/L along with PGRs (IBA 1 mg/L) produced a higher level of total chlorophyll contents (32.66± 4.36 μg/ml), while cultures exposed to 200 μg/L SeNPs alone exhibited the maximum amount of proline contents (10.5± 1.32 μg/ml). Interestingly, exposure to 400 μg/L SeNPs induced a stress response in the cultures, leading to increased levels of total phenolic content (3.4 ± 0.052), total flavonoid content (1.8 ± 0.034), and antioxidant activity 82 ± 4.8%). Furthermore, the combination of 100 μg/L SeNPs and plant growth regulators (1 mg/L IBA) led to accelerated enzymatic antioxidant activities, including superoxide dismutase (SOD = 4.4 ± 0.067 U/mg), peroxidase dismutase (POD = 3.3 ± 0.043 U/mg), catalase (CAT = 2.8 ± 0.048 U/mg), and ascorbate peroxidase (APx = 1.6 ± 0.082 U/mg). This is the first report that highlights the efficacy of SeNPs in culture media and presents a promising approach for the commercial propagation of C. tuberculata with a strong antioxidant defense system in vitro., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Ali et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Syzygium heyneanum is a valuable source of flavonoids and phenols, known for their antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. This research aimed to explore the potential of Syzygium heyneanum ethanol extract (SHE) in countering Parkinson's disease. The presence of phenols and flavonoids results in SHE displaying an IC50 value of 42.13 when assessed in the DPPH scavenging assay. Rats' vital organs (lungs, heart, spleen, liver, and kidney) histopathology reveals little or almost no harmful effect. The study hypothesized that SHE possesses antioxidants that could mitigate Parkinson's symptoms by influencing α-synuclein, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), TNF-α, and IL-1β. Both in silico and in vivo investigations were conducted. The Parkinson's rat model was established using paraquat (1 mg/kg, i.p.), with rats divided into control, disease control, standard, and SHE-treated groups (150, 300, and 600 mg/kg) for 21 days. According to the ELISA statistics, the SHE treated group had lowers levels of IL-6 and TNF-α than the disease control group, which is a sign of neuroprotection. Behavioral and biochemical assessments were performed, alongside mRNA expression analyses using RT-PCR to assess SHE's impact on α-synuclein, AChE, TNF-α, and interleukins in brain homogenates. Behavioral observations demonstrated dose-dependent improvements in rats treated with SHE (600 > 300 > 150 mg/kg). Antioxidant enzyme levels (catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione) were significantly restored, particularly at a high dose, with notable reduction in malondialdehyde. The high dose of SHE notably lowered acetylcholinesterase levels. qRT-PCR results indicated reduced mRNA expression of IL-1β, α-synuclein, TNF-α, and AChE in SHE-treated groups compared to disease controls, suggesting neuroprotection. In conclusion, this study highlights Syzygium heyneanum potential to alleviate Parkinson's disease symptoms through its antioxidant and modulatory effects on relevant biomarkers., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Saadullah et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objective: To determine the effective dose and therapeutic potential of maropitant using through expression of mediators of oxidative stress, inflammatory and of the unfolded protein response (UPR) (bio) markers on spinal cord using a model of neuropathic pain induced through chronic constriction injury (CCI) in rats., Study Design: Randomized, blinded, prospective experimental study., Animals: 98 male Wistar rats., Methods: Rats were anesthetized with sevoflurane and after CCI, they were randomly assigned to the following groups that received: vehicle, 3, 6, 15, 30 e 50 mg/kg/24q of maropitant. The effect on inflammatory mediators (IL10, TNFα), oxidative stress (GPx, CAT, SOD), microglial (IBA-1) and neuronal (NeuN, TACR1) markers was evaluated though immunohistochemistry and expression levels of markers of hypoxia (HIF1α, Nrf2), antioxidant enzymes (Catalse, Sod1 and GPx1), and endoplasmic reticulum stress mediators (GRP78, CHOP and PERK) through qRT-PCR., Results: Intraperitoneal injection (IP) of maropitant inhibited nociception with ID50 values of 4,1 mg/kg (5,85-19,36) in a neuropathic pain model through CCI. A dose of 30 mg/kg/24q was significantly effective in reducing mechanical allodynia 1 to 4h after treatment with nociception inhibition (145,83%). A reduction in the expression of hypoxia factors (HIF1α, Nrf2) was observed, along with an increase in antioxidant activity (CAT, SOD and GPX). Additionally, there was a reduction in inflammatory markes (IL10, TNFα), microglial (IBA-1), and neuronal markers (NeuN, TACR1)., Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: These findings demonstrate that the determined dose, administered daily for seven days, had an antinociceptive effect, as well as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Niella et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Salidroside (SAL) is a phenol glycoside compound found in plants of the Rhodiola genus which has natural antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. SAL are able to protect against manganese-induced ototoxicity. However, the molecular mechanism by which SAL reduces levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is unclear. Here, we established an in vitro gentamicin (GM) ototoxicity model to observe the protective effect of SAL on GM-induced hair cells (HC) damage. Cochlear explants of postnatal day 4 rats were obtained and randomly divided into six groups: two model groups (treatment with 0.2 mM or 0.4 mM GM for 24 h); two 400 μmol/L SAL-pretreated groups pretreatment with SAL for 3 h followed by GM treatment (0.2 mM or 0.4 mM) for 24 h; 400 μmol/L SAL group (treatment with SAL for 24 h); control group (normal cultured cochlear explants). The protective effects of SAL on GM-induced HC damage, and on mRNA and protein levels of antioxidant enzymes were observed. HC loss occurred after 24 h of GM treatment. Pretreatment with SAL significantly reduced GM-induced OHC loss. In cochlear tissues, mRNA and protein levels of NRF2 and HO-1 were enhanced in the GM alone group compared with the SAL pretreatment GM treatment group. SAL may protect against GM-induced ototoxicity by regulating the antioxidant defense system of cochlear tissues; SAL can activate NRF2/HO-1 signaling, inhibit NF-κB activation, activate AKT, and increase inhibitory phosphorylation of GSK3β to decrease GSK3 activity, all of which exert antioxidant effects., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Zhang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

A 90-day study was conducted to investigate the effects of substituting sunflower oil (SFO) for fish oil (FO) on various parameters in Labeo rohita (initial weight 18.21 ± 0.22 g). Five experimental diets with different levels of SFO (up to 7%) substitution for FO (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) were formulated, ensuring equal levels of nitrogen and lipids. The results indicated that even with 100% substitution of SFO with FO, there were no significant differences (P>0.05) were observed in growth performance. The survival rate (SR), hepato-somatic index (HSI), and viscero-somatic index (VSI) as well as whole-body composition were also nonsignificant by SFO substitution. However, the fatty acid profiles in both muscle and liver were influenced (P<0.05) by dietary substitution. Saturated fats (SFA) decreased, while monounsaturated fats (MUFA), and linoleic acid (LA) increased (P<0.05). On the other hand, the contribution of linolenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) decreased (P<0.05) as the amount of SFO in the diet increased. Hematology parameters, including red blood cells (RBCs), hemoglobin (Hb), and hematocrit (Hct), were not affected. Globulin (GLO) levels decreased significantly (P<0.05), while alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) activity showed nonsignificant increases (P>0.05). Total protein (TP) increased (P<0.05) at 100% SFO inclusion in the diet, and albumin (ALB) levels increased (P<0.05) at 75% and 100% SFO inclusion in the diet. Cholesterol (CHOL), triacylglycerol (TG), and high-density lipids (HDL) were not significantly affected (P>0.05), while low-density lipids (LDL) were significantly increased (P<0.05) compared to the control group. Cortisol (CORT) and glucose (GLU) levels showed nonsignificant (P>0.05) changes. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT) activities in the liver and serum were not significantly (P>0.05) affected, while malondialdehyde (MDA) status was significantly (P<0.05) reduced. In conclusion, the fatty acid profile of the muscle and liver of fish was modified by the diets, and FO can be substituted with SFO up to 100% for L. rohita, which is beneficial for growth and immunity while marinating the lipid contents in fish. Our study revealed that fully replacing fish oil with SFO shows promise in fully replacing FO without compromising the growth and overall health status of the fish., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Asghar et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Gut dysbiosis induced by oxygen and reactive oxygen species may be related to the development of inflammation, resulting in metabolic syndrome and associated-conditions in the gut. Here we show that elemental iron can serve as an antioxidant and reverse the oxygen-induced dysbiosis. Fecal samples from three healthy donors were fermented with elemental iron and/or oxygen. 16S rRNA analysis revealed that elemental iron reversed the oxygen-induced disruption of Shannon index diversity of the gut microbiota.The bacteria lacking enzymatic antioxidant systems also increased after iron treatment. Inter-individual differences, which corresponded to iron oxidation patterns, were observed for the tested donors. Gut bacteria responding to oxygen and iron treatments were identified as guilds, among which, Escherichia-Shigella was promoted by oxygen and depressed by elemental iron, while changes in bacteria such as Bifidobacterium, Blautia, Eubacterium, Ruminococcaceae, Flavonifractor, Oscillibacter, and Lachnospiraceae were reversed by elemental iron after oxygen treatment. Short-chain fatty acid production was inhibited by oxygen and this effect was partially reversed by elemental iron. These results suggested that elemental iron can regulate the oxygen/ROS state and protect the gut microbiota from oxidative stress., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Ostrov et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Agomelatine (AGO) is an antidepressant with unique pharmacological effects; however, its underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we examined agomelatine's effects on catalase activity, oxidative stress, and inflammation., Methods: Chronic restraint stress (CRS) model mice were established over 4 weeks, and AGO 50 mg/kg was administered to different groups alongside a deferasirox (DFX) 10 mg/kg gavage treatment. Behavioral tests were performed to assess the effect of AGO on the remission of depression-like behaviors. Meanwhile, the expression of CAT, the oxidative stress signaling pathway and inflammatory protein markers were assessed using ELISA, qRT-PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry., Results: Four weeks of AGO treatment significantly improved depression-like behavior in mice through the activation of catalase in the hippocampus and serum of the model mice, increased superoxide dismutase expression, reduced malondialdehyde expression, and reduced oxidative stress damage. Deferasirox was found to offset this therapeutic effect partially. In addition, the inflammatory pathway (including nuclear factor-κB and nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B cells inhibitor, alpha) was not significantly altered., Conclusions: AGO can exert antidepressant effects by altering oxidative stress by modulating catalase activity., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Xu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: Intestinal ischemia and reperfusion (IIR) injury is closely associated with oxidative stress. Evidence shows that oral supplementation with glutamine and citrulline alleviates IIR-induced jejunal damage. We investigated the effects of a combination of glutamine, citrulline, and antioxidant vitamins on IIR-induced jejunal damage, oxidative stress, and inflammation., Method: Male Wistar rats that underwent 60 min of superior mesenteric artery occlusion were orally administered glutamine plus citrulline (GC), vitamin C plus E (CE), or a combination of GC and CE 15 min before and 3, 9, and 21 h after reperfusion. Healthy rats without IIR were used as controls., Results: After reperfusion for 24 h, rats with IIR showed lower levels of red blood cells, hemoglobin, serum glucose, and jejunal DNA and increased white blood cell counts compared to controls (1-way ANOVA with the least significant difference, P < 0.05). The IIR-induced decrease in serum albumin and increase in plasma interleukin-6 and jejunal thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) were significantly reversed by GC and/or CE. The results of the 2-way ANOVA indicated that GC was the main factor that increased jejunal villus height and muscularis DNA, and CE was the main factor that increased jejunal muscularis protein and decreased jejunal proinflammatory cytokine levels and myeloperoxidase activity. In addition, GC and CE are the main factors that decrease plasma proinflammatory cytokine levels and the jejunal apoptotic index., Conclusion: Oral post-treatment supplementation with glutamine and citrulline, combined with vitamins C and E, may alleviate IIR-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and jejunal damage., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Chiu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the acute toxicity, gastroprotective, therapeutic, anti-inflammatory and anti H. pylori activities of T. vulgaris total plant extract against ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in Sprague Dawley rats. Animals were divided into five groups i.e G-1 (Normal Control), Group 2 (ulcer control) were administered orally with 0.5% Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), Group 3 (omeprazole treated) was administered orally with 20 mg/kg of omeprazole and Groups 4 and 5 (Low dose and High dose of the extract) were administered orally with 250, and 500 mg/ kg of Thymus vulgaris extract, respectively. After 1 hour, the normal group was orally administered with 0.5% CMC (5 ml/kg), whereas absolute alcohol (5ml/ kg) was orally administered to the ulcer control group, omeprazole group, and experimental groups. Stomachs were examined macroscopically and microscopically. Grossly, rats pre-treated with T. vulgaris demonstrated significantly decreased ulcer area and an increase in mucus secretion and pH of gastric content compared with the ulcer control group. Microscopy of gastric mucosa in the ulcer control group showed severe damage to gastric mucosa with edema and leukocytes infiltration of the submucosal layer. However, rats pretreated with omeprazole or Thyme vulgaris exhibited a mild to moderate disruption of the surface epithelium and lower level of edema and leukocyte infiltration of the submucosal layer. The T. vulgaris extract caused up-regulation of Hsp70 protein, down-regulation of Bax protein, and intense periodic acid Schiff uptake of the glandular portion of the stomach. Gastric mucosal homogenate of rats pre-treated with T. vulgaris exhibited significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities while malondialdehyde (MDA) level was significantly decreased. Based on the results showed in this study, Thymus vulgaris extract can be proposed as the safe medicinal plants for use and it has considerable gastroprotective potential via stomach epithelium protection against gastric ulcers and stomach lesions., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Salah Tofik Jalal Balaky. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: We evaluated the effect of Tucum-do-Cerrado on glucose metabolism homeostasis and its relationship with redox-inflammatory responses in a high-fat (HF) diet-induced obesity model., Results: The HF diet increased energy intake, feed efficiency, body weight, muscle and hepatic glycogen, insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA IR) and beta (β)-cell function, and gut catalase (CAT) activity, and decreased food intake, hepatic glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, hepatic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (Pck1), and intestinal solute carrier family 5 member 1 (Slc5a1) mRNA levels compared with the control diet. However, the HF diet with Tucum-do-Cerrado decreased hepatic glycogen, and increased hepatic GR activity, hepatic Slc2a2 mRNA levels and serum Tnfa compared with the HF diet. Tucum-do-Cerrado decreased muscle glycogen, intestinal CAT and GPX activities, muscle PFK-1 and HK activities, and increased hepatic protein (CARB) and intestinal lipid (MDA) oxidation, hepatic GST activity, serum antioxidant potential, hepatic phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK-1) activity, intestinal solute carrier family 2 member 2 (Slc2a2), tumor necrosis factor (Tnf), interleukin-1 beta (Il1b), muscle protein kinase AMP-activated alpha 1 (Prkaa1), solute carrier family 2 member 2 (Slc2a2) mRNA levels, and serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, regardless of diet type., Conclusion: Tucum-do-Cerrado consumption may ameliorate impaired glucose utilization in a HF diet-induced obesity model by increasing liver and muscle glucose uptake and oxidation. These data suggest that Tucum-do-Cerrado consumption improves muscle glucose oxidation in non-obese and obese rats. This response may be related to the improvement in the total antioxidant capacity of rats., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Araújo, Arruda. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is characterized by the occurrence of two or more consecutive spontaneous abortions, with a rising prevalence among pregnant women and significant implications for their physical and mental well-being. The multifaceted etiology of RSA has posed challenges in unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying that underlie its pathogenesis. Oxidative stress and immune response have been identified as pivotal factors in the development of its condition., Methods: Eleven serum samples from healthy pregnant women and 17 from RSA were subjected to liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. Multivariate statistical analysis was employed to excavate system-level characterization of the serum metabolome. The measurement of seven oxidative stress products, namely superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malonaldehyde (MDA), glutathione (GPx), glutathione peroxidase (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), heme oxygenase (HO-1), was carried out using ELISA., Results: Through the monitoring of metabolic and lipid alternations during RSA events, we have identified 816 biomarkers that were implicated in various metabolic pathways, including glutathione metabolism, phosphonate and phosphinate metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, lysine degradation and purine metabolism, etc. These pathways have been found to be closely associated with the progression of the disease. Our finding indicated that the levels of MDA and HO-1 were elevated in the RSA group compared to the control group, whereas SOD, CAT and GPx exhibited a contrary pattern. However, no slight difference was observed in GSH and GSSG levels between the RSA group and the control group., Conclusion: The manifestation of RSA elicited discernible temporal alternations in the serum metabolome and biochemical markers linked to the metabolic pathways of oxidative stress and immune response. Our investigation furnished a more comprehensive analytical framework encompassing metabolites and enzymes associated with oxidative stress. This inquiry furnished a more nuanced comprehension of the pathogenesis of RSA and established the ground work for prognostication and prophylaxis., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Wu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Diabetes increases the production of free radicals and inflammatory agents in the heart tissue and alters the expression of genes associated with the induction of apoptosis. Considering the importance of common cardiovascular disorders in diabetes, this study investigated the effect of eight weeks of aerobic exercise and crocin use, as well as tissue damage and oxidative stress caused by diabetes in the hearts of adult rats. Streptozotocin 50 mg/kg was injected as a single dose intraperitoneally to cause the diabetes. After 72 hours, a glucometer monitored blood glucose levels, and blood glucose above 250 mg/dl was considered diabetes. Continuous treadmill exercise was performed for eight weeks by placing the animal on the treadmill. Next, the animals were anesthetized, and samples were taken from the hearts and frozen in liquid nitrogen. Then, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured in the cardiac tissue. Finally, the hearts of half of the animals were immediately immersed in a formalin solution for histological changes. According to our findings, diabetes increased lipid peroxidation, characterized by increased MDA levels in the control diabetes group and decreased SOD and GPx levels (P <0.05). It also changes the balance of expression of genes associated with apoptosis control, increased Bcl-2-associated X (Bax) expression, and decreased Bcl-2 expression (P <0.05). Also, we observed the induction of apoptosis in cardiac tissue. Using eight weeks of continuous exercise and administration of crocin significantly reduced blood sugar levels and lipid peroxidation and increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes and Bcl-2 gene expression compared to the diabetes control group. In addition, continuous exercise and crocin improved the oxidative stress parameters in the control group. This study showed that diabetes could cause oxidative stress and heart dysfunction. Moreover, simultaneously and separately, aerobic exercise with a treadmill and crocin administration can reduce these disorders and prevent apoptosis in the heart tissue., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Pourmousavi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Carotenoids are antioxidants, which reduce various chronic diseases of human, and have many industrial applications. The halophilic Dunaliella parva (D. parva) is rich in carotenoids. The compounds CaCl2 and PEG are the popular metabolic enhancers. To further enhance carotenogenesis, D. parva was treated with two compounds polyethylene glycol (PEG) and CaCl2. Application of CaCl2 and PEG enhanced the carotenoids contents and the antioxidant activities of carotenoids compared to control group (no treatment of CaCl2 or PEG). The highest carotenoids contents were obtained by treating D. parva with 40 ppm CaCl2 (3.11 mg/g dry weight, DW) and 80 ppm PEG (2.78 mg/g DW) compared with control group (1.96 mg/g DW). When D. parva was treated with 40 ppm CaCl2 and 80 ppm PEG, protein contents reached the highest values (90.28 mg/g DW and 89.57 mg/g DW) compared to that of control group (73.42 mg/g DW). The antioxidant activities of carotenoids samples were determined. Generally, the antioxidant activities of carotenoids from D. parva treated with PEG and CaCl2 were superior to that of control group. The antioxidant activities of carotenoids mainly contained reducing power, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and superoxide radical scavenging activity. The reducing powers of carotenoids extracts from 20 ppm CaCl2 group (2.07%/mg carotenoids) and 120 ppm PEG group (1.59%/mg carotenoids) were significantly higher than that of control group (<1.25%/mg carotenoids). The superoxide radical scavenging activities of carotenoids extracts from 40 ppm CaCl2 group (70.33%/mg carotenoids) and 80 ppm PEG group (65.94%/mg carotenoids) were significantly higher than that of control group (<55%/mg carotenoids). This paper laid a foundation for massive accumulation of carotenoids in microalga D. parva., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Zou et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Sisal is a leaf fiber crop with a high integrated value and a wide range of uses in the application of soil remediation of heavy metal contamination. This study provides a preliminary understanding of how sisal responds to Cd stress and presents a theoretical basis for exploring the potential of sisal in the remediation of Cd-contaminated soils. In this work, the activities of the antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, and CAT) of sisal were measured by hydroponics with the addition of CdCl2·2.5H2O and different concentrations of Cd stress. Whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis was performed with lllumina sequencing technology, and qRT-PCR was conducted to verify the differential genes. The results obtained were as follows: (1) Short-term low concentration of Cd stress (20 mg/kg) had a transient promotion effect on the growth of sisal roots, but Cd showed a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of sisal roots over time. (2) Under different concentrations of Cd stress, the Cd content in sisal root was greater than that in sisal leaf, and Cd accumulated mainly in sisal roots. (3) With the increase of Cd stress concentration, the antioxidant enzyme catalase activity increased, peroxidase activity showed a decreasing trend, and superoxide dismutase showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing. (4) Transcriptome sequencing analysis detected 123 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), among which 85 genes were up-regulated and 38 genes were down-regulated. The DEGs were mainly concentrated in flavonoid biosynthesis and glutathione metabolism, and both processes had some regulatory effects on the Cd tolerance characteristics of sisal. This study elucidated the physiological, biochemical and transcriptomic responses of sisal under cadmium stress, and provided a theoretical basis for the ecological restoration function of sisal., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Li et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The current study evaluates the cytotoxicity, mode of cell death and chemical analysis of selected beauty products and evaluation of the protective effect of Tamarix articulata (TA) extract against toxicity induced by beauty products in skin fibroblasts (Hs27). MTT and Crystal violet (CV) assays were used to determine the dose-dependent cytotoxic effects of beauty products against Hs27 fibroblasts. DNA fragmentation assay and annexin-V staining were conducted to determine the mode of cell killing induced by evaluated beauty products. Quantification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant enzyme levels were used to evaluate the oxidative stress. Chemical analysis and heavy metals were evaluated to determine beauty products. Pre-treatment with TA extract for different time points followed by time-dependent exposure with beauty products to assess the protective effect of TA extract in Hs27 cells was analyzed by MTT and CV assays. Owing to the presence of various harmful heavy metals such as arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) in beauty products, our results revealed that all beauty products induce significant cytotoxicity over time (1, 4 h) in a dose-dependent (125, 250, 500 μg/mL) manner. DNA fragmentation assay, quantification of apoptosis by annexin-V staining, determination of ROS and antioxidant enzymes (CAT, GSH-Px and SOD) revealed that the induced cytotoxicity was caused by oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis. However, pre-incubation with a safe dose (50 μg/mL) of TA for different times (24, 48 h) followed by exposure to various doses (62.5, 125, 250, 500 μg/mL) of beauty products for different times (1, 4 h) revealed significant (*p≤0.05, **p≤0.01) protection against beauty product-mediated cytotoxicity. The effect was more pronounced for 1 h exposure to beauty products compared to 4 h. Our study demonstrates that the due to the presence of heavy metals in synthetic beauty products exhibit marked toxicity to skin fibroblasts due to oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis. However, the presence of abundant bioactive polyphenols with promising antiscavenging activity in TA extracts significantly nullifies cytotoxicity promoted by examined beauty products in skin fibroblasts (Hs27)., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Alnuqaydan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: Anethole is the main compound of the essential oil of anise and several other plants, which has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties. Oxidative stress is considered as an important factor in the pathogenesis of PD. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of anethole against rotenone-induced PD., Methods: Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups. Control group received DMSO + sunflower oil, model group received rotenone (2 mg/kg, s.c, daily for 35 days), positive control group received L-Dopa, and test groups received anethole (62.5, 125, and 250 mg/kg, i.g, daily for 35 days) 1 hour before each rotenone injection. Body weight changes, rotarod test, stride length test, and extracellular single unit recording were performed after treatment. After behavioral test, Brain water content and blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability were evaluated, and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutases (SOD), alpha-synuclein and MAO-B were measured in the striatum., Results: Chronic administration of rotenone induced body weight loss and caused significant dysfunction in locomotor activity, neuronl firing rate, and BBB. Rotenone also decreased SOD activity, increased MDA level, and elevated the expression of alpha-synuclein and MAO-B in the striatum. However, treatment with anethole attenuated body weight loss, motor function, neuronal activity, and BBB function. Furthermore, Anethole treatment attenuated oxidative stress and decreased the expression of alpha-synuclein and MAO-B compared to the rotenone group., Conclusion: Our results show that through its antioxidant properties, aethole can improve the cellular, molecular and behavioral characteristics of rotenone-induced Parkinson's disease., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Moradi Vastegani et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Herbicides cause oxidative stress in nontarget microorganisms, which may exhibit adaptive responses to substances they have not previously encountered. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether these characteristics occur in bacteria isolated from agricultural soil. Two possible adaptation strategies of Stenotrophomonas sp. CMA26 was evaluated in agricultural soil in Brazil, which is considered stressful due to the intense use of pesticides. The study focused on degradation and antioxidant enzymes in response to the herbicide Heat, which was absent at the isolation site. The results indicated that higher concentrations of herbicide led to more intense stress conditions during the initial periods of growth. This was evidenced by elevated levels of malondialdehyde and peroxide, as well as a significant reduction in growth. Our data show that herbicide degradation is a selection-dependent process, as none of the 35 isolates from the same environment in our collection were able to degrade the herbicide. The stress was controlled by changes in the enzymatic modulation of catalase activity in response to peroxide and glutathione S-transferase activity in response to malondialdehyde, especially at higher herbicide concentrations. This modulation pattern is related to the bacterial growth phases and herbicide concentration, with a specific recovery response observed during the mid phase for higher herbicide concentrations. The metabolic systems that contributed to tolerance did not depend on the specific prior selection of saflufenacil. Instead, they were related to general stress responses, regardless of the stress-generating substance. This system may have evolved in response to reactive oxygen species, regardless of the substance that caused oxidative stress, by modulating of the activities of various antioxidant enzymes. Bacterial communities possessing these plastic tolerance mechanisms can survive without necessarily degrading herbicides. However, their presence can lead to changes in biodiversity, compromise the functionality of agricultural soils, and contribute to environmental contamination through drift., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Silva et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Aquatic environments face frequent exposure to organophosphate pesticides, such as diazinon, which are frequently utilized in agriculture. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of diazinon exposure on fish and to investigate the potential of the HSP inducer (HSPi) in developing a defense mechanism. To achieve this, several factors were analyzed, including the HSP70 gene expression, levels of immunity markers (lysozyme, IgM, and C3), antioxidant status, and the activity of acetylcholine esterase (AChE). Stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus) fry, was exposed to diazinon (25, 50, and 75% of 96h-LC50) for 6 days after pre-treatment with an HSP inducer (HSPi), TEX-OE® (a prickly pear cactus extract), for 4 hours. Two HSPi concentrations, 100 and 200 mg.L-1, were used. Pre-treatment with HSPi significantly enhanced HSP70 gene expression in the gill and liver, as well as immune markers in the blood of Acipenser stellatus. Diazinon-treated groups exhibited higher antioxidant activities of SOD, CAT, and T-AOC. Increased activity also observed in control fish pre-treated with HSPi. However, stellate sturgeon receiving both diazinon and HSPi+diazinon experienced a significant decrease in AChE activity in comparison with control group. Cortisol levels were elevated in the fish that were subjected to diazinon. Those subjected to diazinon after receiving HSPi showed a significant decrease in cortisol levels. In conclusion, the study suggests that HSPi-mediated HSP70 induction may have a protective effect. The presence of an HSP inducer offers a potential strategy to mitigate the consequences of diazinon exposure in stellate sturgeon., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Vahdatiraad et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)