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Nickel exposure is known to induce oxidative stress and inflammation and disrupt critical metabolic pathways, leading to hepatic dysfunction and impaired glucose regulation. This study aimed to evaluate the biochemical effects of nickel‐induced metabolic impairments in an animal model, using a variety of techniques, including ELISA and instrumental analysis, with a specific focus on the expression of key genes involved in insulin regulation and glucose homeostasis. The experiment included four groups: Control, Nickel‐exposed, Nickel‐exposed with standard treatment (ascorbic acid, AA), and Nickel‐exposed with resveratrol (RSV). Serum nickel levels, measured via ICP‐MS, showed a significant increase in the exposed group, with a mean value of 125.74 ± 6.20 ppb. The analysis of various metabolic biomarkers demonstrated that nickel exposure resulted in hyperglycemia, elevated HOMA‐IR, HbA1c, and DPP‐4, increased level of inflammatory cytokines, altered lipid profiles, and impaired liver and kidney function. Nickel exposure triggered inflammation, disrupted carbohydrate metabolism, induced oxidative stress, and altered the expression of genes related to hepatic inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and glucose and lipid metabolism. These changes culminated in mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired glucose metabolism, and insulin resistance, as evidenced by reduced expression of GLUT‐2 and GCK—genes critical for glucose uptake and insulin secretion. Elevated serum levels of amino acids, such as glutamate and valine, further indicated disruptions in amino acid metabolism and oxidative stress. Therapeutic interventions with AA and RSV demonstrated significant protective effects: Both compounds mitigated oxidative stress, reduced inflammatory cytokines, and restored normal expression levels of GCK and GLUT‐2, improving glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Additionally, AA and RSV alleviated mitochondrial dysfunction, suppressing the overexpression of UCP2, a protein linked to impaired energy metabolism. Serum amino acid levels were also normalized, highlighting their role in reestablishing metabolic balance. In conclusion, this study highlights the therapeutic potential of AA and RSV in mitigating nickel‐induced hepatic and metabolic disturbances. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing oxidative stress and inflammation in metabolic disorders and position RSV as promising candidate for restoring metabolic homeostasis. Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise molecular mechanisms underlying their protective effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major cause of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) relapse, therapeutic failure, and a poor prognosis. However, Agaricus blazei Murill (AbM) is a mushroom that might have anticancer and other medicinal properties. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effects of combining the acidic RNA protein complex FA‐2‐b‐β extracted from AbM with imatinib (IM) on MDR in the K562/ADR leukemia cell line in vitro and in xenograft mouse models. The combination of FA‐2‐b‐β and IM significantly inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis in K562/ADR cells compared with either alone. Western blotting (WB) revealed that the combination significantly reduced p‐PI3K, p‐AKT, and p‐mTOR protein expression. The combination also inhibited tumor growth in mice with K562/ADR xenografts. These findings suggested that FA‐2‐b‐β enhances the effects of IM on K562/ADR cell proliferation and apoptosis, potentially by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and downregulating P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Losses provoked by insect pests on stored cereals and legumes contribute immensely to reduce food security, especially in rural communities in Sub‐Saharan Africa. The application of integrated control strategies, involving the use of synthetic pesticides, is often expensive and hazardous to humans and the environment. This study was conducted to optimize the production and use of biosilica from rice husk ashes, for the control of Sitophilus zeamais and Acanthoscelides obtectus, major insect pests of stored maize and common bean grains. The amorphous nature of the derived silica molecules coupled with the silanol and siloxane groups on their surfaces seemed to account for silica's insecticidal effects on the pests, which were more on A. obtectus on common beans than S. zeamais on maize grains, with full mortalities obtained at doses of about 1.25 g per 50 g bean seeds and about 2.25 g per 50 g maize seeds, within 3 and 12 days, respectively. Similarly, the daily lethal dose (LD50) of silica powder required to obtain the mortality of half of the insects was lower on common beans than on maize seeds. The reduced phytotoxic activity of the biosilica on the stored common bean and maize grains indicates therefore that it could make an ecofriendly alternative to conventional protectants for small quantities of stored grains. However, large‐scale studies are needed in order to evaluate its potential use in grain storage systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Kaempferol is a natural flavonoid with a wide range of pharmacological effects. The current study tested whether kaempferol prevents hypertension‐induced renal remodelling in rats. During the 5 weeks of experiments, rats (n = 7/group) were administered Nω‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L‐NAME) (40 mg/kg/day) with either vehicle or kaempferol (20 mg/kg/day) or kaempferol (40 mg/kg/day) or lisinopril (5 mg/kg/day). Results. Kaempferol treatment alleviated haemodynamic changes occurring in hypertensive rats, including increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate (p < 0.05). Kaempferol treatment prevented glomerular hypertrophy by reducing the increased glomerular cross‐sectional area, glomerular tuft area, Bowman's space area, glomerular volume, and the extent of renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis induced by hypertension (p < 0.05). Furthermore, animals in the L‐NAME group showed elevated angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) activity and angiotensin II (Ang II) levels compared to those in the kaempferol‐treated group (p < 0.05). Kaempferol treatment also reverted the elevations in levels of superoxide anions and malondialdehyde and reduced catalase and superoxide dismutase activity in hypertensive rats (p < 0.05). L‐NAME‐treated rats showed overexpression of angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 (NOX4), and matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9) proteins; conversely, the expression of these proteins was reduced in the kaempferol‐treated group (p < 0.05). Conclusion. Kaempferol treatment alleviated renal remodelling induced in rats by chronic hypertension. These mechanisms may be associated with the inhibition of ACE activity and suppression of the Ang II/AT1 receptor/NOX4/MMP‐9 cell signalling pathway in renal tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propolis comprises a complex resinous product composed of plant's parts or exudates, pollen, bee wax, and enzymes. Brazilian brown propolis from Araucaria sp displays several biological activities. Considering the lack of validated analytical methods for its analysis, we are reporting the development of a validated high‐performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector method to analyze Araucaria brown propolis. The crude propolis were extracted and chromatographed, furnishing six main diterpenes. The isolated standards were used to draw the analytical curves, allowing the studies of selectivity, precision, accuracy, recovery, robustness, the determination of limits of detection and limits of quantification. The mobile phase consisted of 0.1% acetic acid in water and acetonitrile, using an octadecylsilane column, 1 mL/min flow rate and detection at 200 or 241 nm. Relative standard deviation values obtained for intra‐day and inter‐day precision were lower than 4% for all diterpenes. From the five parameters for robustness, wavelength detection and flow rate were the critical ones. Limits of detection and quantification ranged from 0.808 to 10.359 μg/mL and from 2.448 to 31.392 μg/mL, respectively. The recoveries were between 105.03 and 108.13%, with relative standard deviation values around 5.0%. The developed method is precise, sensitive, and reliable for analyzing Araucaria brown propolis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]