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Acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC) by-product (ABP) has bioactive compounds that can provide antioxidant and hypolipidemic effects in vivo. In this study we aimed to evaluate the antioxidant potential of ABP on oxidative damage along the enterohepatic axis of rats fed a high-fat diet for 7 weeks. In addition, we analysed the phenolic compound profile in the enterohepatic axis, and the lipid accumulation in the liver, colon and liver tissue structure of high-fat diet-fed rats treated with fenofibrate drug (100 mg/kg) or ABP (400 mg/kg) via orogastric administration in the 4th to 7th weeks of the experiment. ABP had increased antioxidant potential in vitro and presented ascorbic acid (2022.06 μg/g), carotenoid (2.63 μg/g), and total phenolic compound (5366.44 μg/g) contents. The high-fat diet-fed rats that received ABP (compared to fenofibrate treatment) presented a non-significant reduction of 9.87% in guanine oxidation product, lower relative liver weight, degree of hepatic steatosis, and aspartate aminotransferase level in their blood. ABP also provided high-fat diet-fed rats: an increased amount of total phenolic compounds in caecal digesta (946.42 µg/g), faeces (3299.07 µg/g), colon (256.15 µg/g) and hepatic tissues (454.80 µg/g); higher total antioxidant capacity in plasma and colon; and lower lipid peroxidation in plasma, colonic and hepatic tissues. The results point to the potential antioxidant activity of ABP against oxidative damage along the enterohepatic axis caused by high-fat diet intake. The ABP had a greater protective effect on the healthy liver compared to fenofibrate treatment due to its bioactive compound content., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest 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 © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Oxidative stress is an undesirable effect of in vitro culture, which requires antioxidant supplementation. This study investigated the analogue of resveratrol (RA33) as an alternative to resveratrol, an antioxidant molecule, for the in vitro culture of in vitro -fertilized bovine embryos. The effect of different concentrations of RA33 on embryo development was evaluated and a comparison between RA33 and resveratrol was performed. The cleavage rate was higher ( P < 0.05) with 2.5 μM (69.0 ± 4.4%) than at 0, 0.1 or 0.5 μM RA33 (62.1 ± 2.0%, 60.7 ± 5.9% and 56.7 ± 5.8%, respectively). The blastocyst rates on days 7 and 8 post-fertilization with 2.5 μM RA33 (19.4 ± 3.3% and 24.6 ± 3.3%, respectively) were higher ( P < 0.05) than for 0 μM (12.4 ± 2.5% and 15.2±2.5%, respectively). When 2.5 μM RA33 was compared with 0.5 μM resveratrol, similar ( P > 0.05) cleavage and blastocyst rates were found between them, but the cleavage rate was higher ( P < 0.05) in the control (80.8 ± 3.4%) than for the resveratrol treatment (76.4 ± 3.6%). The numbers of apoptotic cells and the apoptotic index were lower ( P < 0.05) with RA33 (6.5 ± 0.6 cells and 6.4 ± 0.7%, respectively) and resveratrol (5 ± 0.8 cells and 5.5 ± 1.0%, respectively) than in the control group (9.8 ± 1.2 cells and 8.9 ± 1.1%, respectively). In conclusion, RA33 can enhance the preimplantation development of in vitro -fertilized bovine embryos and be an alternative to resveratrol in embryo culture medium.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Among all native Brazilian plant species, Plinia cauliflora (DC.) Kausel (Jaboticaba), is well known for producing "superfruits", due to their high phenolic content and antioxidant property. The fruit has astringent characteristics, and it is popularly known for the treatment of diarrhea, rash, and intestinal inflammation. However, there are only a few studies on the use of leaves and branches of this species in the literature, mainly to treat oxidative stress and inflammation., Aim of the Study: The present study aimed to investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of leaves and branches extracts from P. cauliflora., Material and Methods: The phytochemical analysis of P. cauliflora extracts was performed by the total phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin dosage method. Moreover, the compounds were identified by HPLC-MS-Q-TOF. Antioxidant capacity was determined by DPPH, β-carotene/linoleic acid system, MDA formation, and phosphomolybdenum assays. In vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory activities of P. cauliflora were evaluated by the reduction of nitric oxide in the J774A.1 cell line and inhibition of ear edema in mice, respectively., Results: The ethanolic extract of the leaves exhibited greater flavonoid content whereas the ethanolic extract of the branches showed higher tannins content. Twenty-two and seventeen compounds were identified by HPLC-MS-Q-TOF in the leaves and branches, respectively, being tellimagrandin I, castalagin, and valoneic acid dilactone reported for the first time in P. cauliflora. The antioxidant potential of extracts was confirmed through different oxidation pathways from oxidizing radicals, which might be related to the presence of phenolic compounds. For the anti-inflammatory assay, the leaves and branches extracts showed promising results, with a reduction of nitric oxide ear edema inhibition around 95% and 80%, respectively., Conclusions: Herein, the great biological potential of leaves and branches extracts from P. cauliflora was highlighted. These parts of the plant are underused and poorly reported in the literature, especially for the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Carnosic acid (CA; C 20 H 28 O 4 ), which is also called salvin, is a major phenolic diterpene found in Rosmarinus officinalis L. and exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative properties. CA activates the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) transcription factor, leading to the upregulation of antioxidant and phase II detoxification enzymes, such as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), glutathione reductase (GR), γ-glutamate-cysteine ligase (γ-GCL), and glutathione S-transferase (GST), among others. We have previously demonstrated that CA upregulates the total and mitochondrial synthesis of glutathione (GSH), causing mitochondrial protection against paraquat (PQ) and methylglyoxal (MG). Nonetheless, the complete mechanism by which CA prevented mitochondrial dysfunction was not clear yet. Here, we examine whether HO-1 would be involved in the CA-induced mechanism of mitochondrial protection in SH-SY5Y-treated cells. SH-SY5Y cells were pretreated with CA (1 μM) for 12 h prior to a challenge with PQ at 100 μM for additional 24 h. Zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP IX; a specific inhibitor of HO-1; 10 μM) was utilized prior to exposure to CA in order to investigate whether HO-1 was involved in the cytoprotective effects elicited by CA. We found that the CA-induced Nrf2-dependent HO-1 upregulation ameliorated, at least in part, the mitochondrial function in PQ-treated cells. Therefore, CA protected mitochondria of SH-SY5Y cells and exerted anti-apoptotic effects by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 axis.

Carnosic acid (CA; C20H28O4) is a phenolic diterpene found in rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and exhibits protective properties, e.g., antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antimicrobial activities. In this context, CA has been viewed as a neuroprotective agent due to its ability in rescuing neuronal cells from pro-oxidant and pro-apoptotic challenges. In the present work, we found that CA pretreatment at 1 µM for 12 h suppressed the mitochondria-related pro-oxidant and mitochondria-dependent pro-apoptotic effects of chlorpyrifos (CPF) in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. CA prevented mitochondrial membrane potential disruption and decreased the levels of oxidative stress markers in mitochondrial membranes obtained from cells exposed to CPF. CA also inhibited cytochrome c release and activation of the caspases-9 and -3, as well as decreased DNA fragmentation, in CPF-treated cells. CA upregulated the content of glutathione (GSH) in mitochondria by a mechanism involving the activation of the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway, since inhibition of PI3K/Akt or silencing of Nrf2 using siRNA strategy abolished the protection exerted by CA in SH-SY5Y cells. Therefore, CA protected mitochondria of SH-SY5Y cells through the activation of the PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 axis, causing upregulation of the mitochondrial GSH content and consequent antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects.

Glycation, a process that occurs endogenously and generates advanced glycation end products (AGEs), presents an important role in cases of neurodegeneration, as for instance Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methylglyoxal (MG), a dicarbonyl compound, is the most potent inducer of AGEs, whose levels have been found increased in samples obtained from subjects suffering from AD. Moreover, MG induces protein cross-linking and redox impairment in vitro and in vivo. Carnosic acid (CA), a phenolic diterpene isolated from Rosmarinus officinalis, exerts protective effects in neuronal cells by increasing antioxidant defenses and detoxification systems. In the present work, we aimed to investigate whether there is a role for CA against MG-induced neurotoxicity. Data obtained here clearly demonstrate that CA pretreatment (1 μM for 12 h) caused cytoprotective effects and counteracted the damage elicited by MG in SH-SY5Y cells. CA inhibited loss of mitochondrial membrane polarity (MMP) and cytochrome c release from mitochondria, consequently blocking activation of pro-apoptotic caspase enzymes. Furthermore, CA alleviated MG-induced oxidative and nitrosative damage. CA prevented MG-dependent neurotoxicity by activating the PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 signaling pathway and the antioxidant enzymes modulated by Nrf2 transcription factor. Overall, the data presented here show the protective role of CA by its ability to counteract MG negative effects., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of selenium and copper on oxidative stress and its performance in lambs experimentally infected with Haemonchus contortus. Twenty-eight five-months old lambs were experimentally infected by the oral route with 5000 third-stage infective larvae and allocated into four groups, i.e., untreated animals, animals treated intramuscularly with sodium selenite (0.2 mg kg(-1)), animals treated subcutaneously with copper (3.5 mg kg(-1)), and animals treated with sodium selenite (IM; 0.2 mg kg(-1)) and copper (SC; 3.5 mg kg(-1)). These animals received oat hay (Avena sativa) and commercial concentrate, totaling 15% of crude protein, 30% being derived from oat hay and 70% of the concentrate. Lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzymes, eggs per gram of feces (EPG) and body weight were assessed on the day of infection and after 20, 40, 60 and 80 days post-infection. The number of H. contortus adults was assessed at the end of the experiment. The selenium associated or not with copper reduced the effects of oxidative stress caused by infection. The groups supplemented with copper had increased body weight, and the combination of these two minerals reduced the EPG and number of H. contortus adults in lambs. The use of selenium associated with copper may help the control of infection by H. contortus., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)