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This study has assessed the protective efficacy of Silybum marianum seed oil (SMSO) in the context of CCl4-induced injury and oxidative stress in murine liver. Based on the GC-MS analysis, linoleic and stearic acids, tocopherol, ascorbic acid 2,6 dihexadecanoate and other constituents were identified in SMSO. Swiss mice received oral doses of SMSO daily for 21 days (10 g/kg b.w.) and subsequently injected i.p. with CCl4 (50% v/v in olive oil; 1 ml/kg) on the 22nd day. CCl4 administration induced an elevation of serum amino- and glutamyl transferases activities and an increased peroxidation, as well as a decrease of SOD, CAT, GPx, GR and GST activities in liver. SMSO successfully prevented oxidative stress and restored the biochemical parameters, hepatic architecture and expression of TNF-alpha. These findings suggest that SMSO was effective in counteracting the damaging effects of CCl4-induced injury in hepatocytes, probably due to its inherent antioxidant properties.

The adsorption behaviour of caffeine and theophylline under hydrophilic interaction chromatography and purely aqueous conditions was investigated on four phosphodiester stationary phases. Solute adsorption isotherms were determined by frontal analysis or inverse method. The bi-Langmuir model was found to be the best choice to describe the behaviour of caffeine and theophylline adsorption in purely aqueous conditions, whereas the bi-Moreau model describes the adsorption phenomena in HILIC conditions. The results obtained demonstrate that the interaction of caffeine and theophylline with the stationary phase surface varies depending on the mobile phase composition. Both in pure aqueous mobile phase and in HILIC mode, the heterogeneity of the surface of the studied stationary phases is confirmed. In hydrophilic solutions, the sample molecules interact with the stationary phase only. In hydrophobic conditions, a lateral interaction occurs between caffeine or theophylline molecules, which are poorly soluble in acetonitrile-rich solvents. This confirms that the same compound on the same stationary phase can behave rather differently, depending on the mobile phase composition. Thus, the mobile phase may govern and control the retention mechanism., 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. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an efficacious and commonly used chemotherapeutic agent. However, its clinical use is limited due to dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. Several mechanisms have been proposed to play a role in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, such as free radical generation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, altered apoptosis, and autophagy dysregulation. BGP-15 has a wide range of cytoprotective effects, including mitochondrial protection, but up to now, there is no information about any of its beneficial effects on DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. In this study, we investigated whether the protective effects of BGP-15 pretreatment are predominantly via preserving mitochondrial function, reducing mitochondrial ROS production, and if it has an influence on autophagy processes. H9c2 cardiomyocytes were pretreated with 50 μM of BGP-15 prior to different concentrations (0.1; 1; 3 μM) of DOX exposure. We found that BGP-15 pretreatment significantly improved the cell viability after 12 and 24 h DOX exposure. BGP-15 ameliorated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and cell apoptosis induced by DOX. Additionally, BGP-15 pretreatment attenuated the level of mitochondrial oxidative stress and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Moreover, BGP-15 further slightly modulated the autophagic flux, which was measurably decreased by DOX treatment. Hence, our findings clearly revealed that BGP-15 might be a promising agent for alleviating the cardiotoxicity of DOX. This critical mechanism appears to be given by the protective effect of BGP-15 on mitochondria.

Thyroid autoimmunity in Graves’ disease (GD) is accompanied by Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) in 40% of the cases. Orbital fibroblasts (OF) play a key role in the pathogenesis and cigarette smoking is a known deteriorating factor. Alongside conventional cigarettes (CC) new alternatives became available for smokers, including heated tobacco products (HTP) and E-cigarettes (ECIG). We aimed to study the cellular effects of smoke extracts (SE) in orbital fibroblasts. Primary OF cultures from GO and NON-GO orbits were exposed to different concentrations of SE (1%, 50%) and the changes were followed using Real Time Cell Electronic Sensing (RT-CES). Untreated GO and NON-GO cells had different maximum cell index (CI) values of 3.3 and 2.79 respectively (p < 0.0001). CC, HTP and ECIG treated NON-GO fibroblasts exhibited peak CIs of 2.62, 3.32 and 3.41 while treated GO cells’ CIs were higher, 5.38, 6.25 and 6.33, respectively (p < 0.0001). The metabolic activity (MTT) decreased (p < 0.001) and hyaluronan production doubled (p < 0.02) after 50% of CC SE treatment in all cell cultures. GO fibroblasts were more sensitive to low concentration SE then NON-GO fibroblasts (p < 0.0001). The studied SEs exerted different effects. RT-CES is a sensitive technique to detect the effects of very low concentration of SE on fibroblasts.

In this study, amylose- and cellulose-phenylcarbamate-based chiral columns with different chiral-selector (CS) chemistries were compared to each other for the separation of enantiomers of basic chiral analytes in acetonitrile and aqueous-acetonitrile mobile phases in HPLC. For two chemistries the amylose-based columns with coated and immobilized CSs were also compared. The comparison of CSs containing only electron-donating or electron-withdrawing substituents with those containing both electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents showed opposite results for the studied set of chiral analytes in the case of amylose and cellulose derivatives. Along with the chemistry of CS the focus was on the behavior of polysaccharide phenylcarbamates in acetonitrile versus aqueous acetonitrile as eluents. In agreement with earlier results, it was found that in contrast to the commonly accepted view, polysaccharide phenylcarbamates do not behave as typical reversed-phase materials for basic analytes either. In the range of water content in the mobile phase of up to 20-30% v/v the behavior of these CSs is similar to hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC)-type adsorbents. This means that with increasing water content in the mobile phase up to 20-30% v/v, the retention of analytes mostly decreases. The important finding of this study is that the separation efficiency improves for most analytes when switching from pure acetonitrile to aqueous acetonitrile. Therefore, in spite of reduced retention, the separation of enantiomers improves and thus, the HILIC-range of mobile phase composition, offering shorter analysis time and better peak resolution, is advantageous over pure polar-organic solvent mode. Interesting examples of enantiomer elution order (EEO) reversal were observed for some analytes based on the content of water in the mobile phase on Lux Cellulose-1 and Lux Amylose-2 columns., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Millions of people use mobile phones (MP) while drinking coffee or other caffeine containing beverages. Little is known about the potential combined effects of MP irradiation and caffeine on cognitive functions. Here we investigated whether caffeine intake and concurrent exposure to Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) MP-like irradiation may interactively influence neuro-cognitive function in an active visual oddball paradigm. In a full factorial experimental design, 25 participants performed a simple visual target detection task while reaction time (RT) and electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Target trials were divided into Low and High probability sets based on target-to-target distance. We analyzed single trial RT and alpha-band power (amplitude) in the pre-target interval. We found that RT was shorter in High vs. Low local probability trials, and caffeine further shortened RT in High probability trials relative to the baseline condition suggesting that caffeine improves the efficiency of implicit short-term memory. Caffeine also decreased pre-target alpha amplitude resulting in higher arousal level. Furthermore, pre-target gamma power positively correlated with RT, which may have facilitated target detection. However, in the present pharmacologically validated study UMTS exposure either alone or in combination with caffeine did not alter RT or pre-stimulus oscillatory brain activity.

The family Solanaceae includes several melliferous plants, which tend to produce copious amounts of nectar. Floral nectar is a chemically complex aqueous solution, dominated by sugars, but minor components such as amino acids, proteins, flavonoids and alkaloids are present as well. This study aimed at analysing the protein and alkaloid profile of the nectar in seven solanaceous species. Proteins were examined with SDS-PAGE and alkaloids were analyzed with HPLC. The investigation of protein profile revealed significant differences in nectar-protein patterns not only between different plant genera, but also between the three Nicotiana species investigated. SDS-PAGE suggested the presence of several Nectarin proteins with antimicrobial activity in Nicotiana species. The nectar of all tobacco species contained the alkaloid nicotine, N. tabacum having the highest nicotine content. The nectar of Brugmansia suaveolens, Datura stramonium, Hyoscyamus niger and Lycium barbarum contained scopolamine, the highest content of which was measured in B. suaveolens. The alkaloid concentrations in the nectars of most solanaceous species investigated can cause deterrence in honeybees, and the nectar of N. rustica and N. tabacum can be considered toxic for honeybees.

The passage of Lucifer Yellow across the Caco-2 intestinal model membrane has been studied for the para-sulphonato-calix[n]arenes, the results show that para-sulphonato-calix[4]arene and para-sulphonato-calix[8]arene activate membrane passage when used simultaneously with a transport probe, Lucifer Yellow, whereas para-sulphonato-calix[6]arene has no effect.

We investigate the impact of polydispersity of the sample molecules on the separation process and on the efficiency of size-exclusion chromatography. Polydispersity was integrated into the molecular (stochastic) model of chromatography; the characteristic function, the band profile and the most important moments of the elution profiles were calculated for several kind of pore structures. We investigated the parameters affected by polydispersity on the separation for a number of pore shapes. Our results demonstrate that even a small distribution in the molecular size (i.e. polydispersity) can contribute substantially to the total width of the chromatographic peak. The pure effect of polydispersity can only be investigated via mathematical modeling, because its contribution to an experimental chromatogram cannot be separated from other band-broadening effects., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The mesopore structure (pore size and its distribution) for the first and second generations of silica-based monolithic columns was determined by inverse size-exclusion chromatography. The effect of pore size distribution was considered via the molecular theory of size-exclusion chromatography. The molecular theory of chromatography allows taking into account the kinetics of the pore ingress and egress processes, the heterogeneity of the pore sizes and polymer polydispersity. Besides, the mesopore structure, the characteristic domain sizes of the macropores present in the first and second generations of silica-based monolithic columns were also characterized., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Caffeine affects information processing by acting predominantly on cortical activation, arousal and attention. Millions consume caffeine and simultaneously use their mobile phone (MP) during everyday activities. However, it is not known whether and how MP-emitted electromagnetic fields (EMFs) can modulate known psychoactive effects of caffeine. Here we investigated behavioral and neural correlates of caffeine and simultaneous MP exposure in a third generation (3G) Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) signal modulation scheme., Methods: We recorded electroencephalography (EEG) and event related potentials (ERP) in an oddball paradigm to frequent standard (p=0.8) and rare target (p=0.2) stimuli in a placebo controlled, double blind, within-subject protocol in four experimental sessions: 1) no caffeine and no MP, 2) caffeine only, 3) MP only, and 4) caffeine and MP. The subjects' task was to discriminate between standard and target stimuli and respond to the latter by pressing a button while reaction time (RT) and EEG were recorded. To provide a complete analysis of any possible caffeine and/or MP treatment effects that may have occurred, we analyzed the P300 ERP wave using four different ERP measures: 1) peak latency, 2) peak amplitude, 3) 50% fractional area latency (FAL) and 4) area under the curve (AUC)., Results: Caffeine significantly shortened RT and decreased AUC of the P300 component compared to the control or the UMTS MP alone conditions. However, no effects were observed on RT or P300 in the UMTS MP exposure sessions, neither alone nor in combination with caffeine., Conclusion: Overall, the present results did not demonstrate any interactive or synergistic effects of caffeine and UMTS MP like EMF exposure on basic neural or cognitive measures. However, we found that caffeine consistently enhanced behavioral and ERP measures of visual target detection, showing that present results were obtained using a pharmacologically validated, consistent and replicable methodology., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Stationary phases in liquid chromatography exhibit quite different pore structures. Whereas most of the fully porous packing materials possess a narrow pore size distribution, core-shell particles are usually of rather wide pore size distribution. Recently a novel theory of size exclusion chromatography was introduced to model the effect of pore size distribution. The molecular theory of chromatography allows taking into account the kinetics of the pore ingress and egress processes, the heterogeneity of the pore sizes and polymer polydispersity as well. The novel model was applied to inverse size exclusion chromatography data. In this study, we have determined the actual pore size distribution of a number of HPLC stationary phases. Our results agree well with the results obtained with the model introduced by Knox and Scott., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Chromatographic processes can conveniently be modeled at a microscopic level using the molecular theory of chromatography. This molecular or microscopic theory is completely general; therefore it can be used for any chromatographic process such as adsorption, partition, ion-exchange or size exclusion chromatography. The molecular theory of chromatography allows taking into account the kinetics of the pore ingress and egress processes, the heterogeneity of the pore sizes and polymer polydispersion. In this work, we assume that the pore size in the stationary phase of chromatographic columns is governed by a wide lognormal distribution. This property is integrated into the molecular model of size exclusion chromatography and the moments of the elution profiles were calculated for several kinds of pore structure. Our results demonstrate that wide pore size distributions have strong influence on the retention properties (retention time, peak width, and peak shape) of macromolecules. The novel model allows us to estimate the real pore size distribution of commonly used HPLC stationary phases, and the effect of this distribution on the size exclusion process., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The characterization of mass-transfer processes in a chromatographic column during a separation process is essential, since the influence of the mass-transfer kinetics on the shape of the chromatographic band profiles and on the efficiency of the separation is crucial. Several sources of mass transfer in a chromatographic bed have been identified and studied: the axial dispersion in the stream of mobile phase, the external mass-transfer resistance, intraparticle diffusion, and the kinetics of adsorption-desorption. We measured and compared the characteristics and performance of a new brand of shell particles and those of a conventional brand of totally porous silica particles. The shell stationary phase was made of 2.7-microm superficially porous particles (a 1.7-microm solid core is covered with a 0.5-microm-thick shell of porous silica). The other material consisted of totally porous particles of conventional 3.5-microm commercial silica. We measured the first and second central moments of the peaks of human insulin over a wide range of mobile phase velocities (from 0.02 to 1.3 mL/min) at 20 degrees C. The plate height equations were constructed and the axial dispersion, external mass transfer, as well as the intraparticle diffusion coefficients were calculated for the two stationary phases.

For the correct description of a chromatographic process, the determination of mass-transfer kinetics in the column is required because the influence of the mass-transfer kinetics on the shape of chromatographic band profiles is crucial. Several sources of mass transfer in a chromatographic bed have been identified and studied: the axial dispersion in the stream of mobile phase, the external mass-transfer resistance, intraparticle diffusion, and the kinetics of adsorption-desorption In this study we compare mass-transfer coefficients obtained in a reversed phase chromatographic column using macroscopic and microscopic approaches. The general rate model, the plate height equation, moment analysis, and stochastic analysis were used to assess chromatographic process during the separation of alkylbenzenes.

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are widely used materials and still in the focus of drug development. In spite of the extensive studies, there is limited information about the cytotoxic effect of different derivatives. This study compares the cytotoxic effect of methylated beta-CDs and some ionic derivatives. The methylated CDs involved in this study differ in the number and position of the methyl substituents. Heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-CD (DIMEB) with a degree of substitution (DS) of 14 has two methyl groups in all of the seven glucose subunits mostly at O-2 and O-6 position, each OH group is methylated in heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-beta-CD (TRIMEB) (DS = 21), and an unsystematic substitution is realized in randomly methylated beta-CD (RAMEB). DS is defined as the number of substituents per cyclodextrin ring. Using the above definition, the DS for RAMEB is 12.6. To see the effect of the ionic groups an anionic and a cationic CD derivative were also investigated: (2-hydroxy-3-N,N,N-trimethylamino)propyl beta-CD (QABCD) (DS = 2) and carboxymethylated beta-CD (CMBCD) (DS = 3,5). The in vitro cell toxicity decreases in the order of DIMEB > TRIMEB > or = RAMEB > QABCD > CMBCD. Ionic beta-CDs were less toxic than the methylated derivatives.

There is increasing evidence corroborating a protective role of carbon monoxide releasing molecules (CORMs) in injured tissues. Carbon monoxide (CO) carriers have been recently developed as a pharmacological tool to simulate the effect of heme oxygenase-1-derived CO. The effects of CORM-3, a water-soluble CO releaser, on the incidence of reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation (VF) and tachycardia (VT) were studied in isolated rat hearts. Hearts were treated with different doses of CORM-3 before the induction of 30 min global ischemia followed by 120 min reperfusion. We found that at concentrations of 25 microM and 50 microM of CORM-3 promoted a significant reduction in the incidence of VF and VT. Thus, the incidence of VF was reduced by 67% (p<0.05) and 92% (p<0.05) with 25 microM and 50 microM of CORM-3, respectively. The protective effect of CORM-3 on the incidence of VT followed the same pattern. The antiarrhythmic protection was associated with a marked attenuation in infarct size, significant decreases in cellular Na(+) and Ca(2+) gains and K(+) loss. Consequently, the recovery of post-ischemic function was significantly improved. In conclusion, CORM-3 exerts beneficial effects against ischemia/reperfusion-induced injury through its abilities to release CO which mediates a cardioprotective action by regulating tissue Na(+), K(+), and Ca(2+) levels.

Artificial antibodies in the form of gel granules were synthesized from the monomers acrylamide and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide by the imprinting method in the presence of Echerichia coli bacteria as template. The electrophoretic migration velocities of the gel antibodies (i) saturated with the antigen (Escherichia coli MRE-600), (ii) freed of the antigen, and (iii) resaturated with bacteria, were determinated by electrophoresis in a rotating narrow-bore tube of 245 mm length and the 2.5 and 9.6 mm inner and outer diameters, respectively. Removal of bacteria from the gel antibodies was made by treatment with enzymes, followed by washing with SDS and buffer. Gel granules becoming charged by adsorption of bacteria move in an electrical field. We obtained a significant selectivity of gel antibodies for E. coli MRE-600, since the granules did not interact with Lactococcus lactis; and when E. coli BL21 bacteria were added to the gels selective for E. coli MRE-600, a significant difference in the migration rate of the complexes formed with the two strains was observed indicating the ability of differentiation between the two strains. The gel antibodies can be used repeatedly. The new imprinting method for the synthesis of artificial gel antibodies against bioparticles described herein, and the classical electrophoretic analysis technique employed, thus represent - when combined - a new approach to distinguish between different types and strains of bacteria. The application area can certainly be extended to cover other classes of cells.

A simple synthesis of 1,2-dithiolan-3-ones from alpha,beta-unsaturated thiophenyl esters is reported. Introduction of the biologically active 1,2-dithiolan-3-one-1-oxide moiety of leinamycin into aldehydo-d-arabinose 11, the uridine derivative 16, and the deoxythymidine 21 was established. An extended bioactive part of leinamycin carrying a carbon-carbon triple bond was also synthesized. All of these analogues of leinamycin showed cytotoxic activity against HeLa3 tumor cells. Interestingly, the lipophilic, silyl group-containing derivatives proved to be more active than the hydrophilic counterparts.

The effects of kernel extract obtained from sour cherry (Prunus cerasus) seed on the postischemic cardiac recovery were studied in isolated working rat hearts. Rats were treated with various daily doses of the extract for 14 days, and hearts were then isolated and subjected to 30 min of global ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion. The incidence of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and tachycardia (VT) fell from their control values of 92% and 100% to 50% (not significant) and 58% (not significant), 17% (P<0.05), and 25% (P<0.05) with the doses of 10 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg of the extract, respectively. Lower concentrations of the extract (1 and 5 mg/kg) failed to significantly reduce the incidence of VF and VT during reperfusion. Sour cherry seed kernel extract (10 and 30 mg/kg) significantly improved the postischemic recovery of cardiac function (coronary flow, aortic flow, and left ventricular developed pressure) during reperfusion. We have also demonstrated that the extract-induced protection in cardiac function significantly reflected in a reduction of infarct size. Immunohistochemistry indicates that a reduction in caspase-3 activity and apoptotic cells by the extract, beside other potential action mechanisms of proanthocyanidin, trans-resveratrol, and flavonoid components of the extract, could be responsible for the cardioprotection in ischemic-reperfused myocardium.

We studied the effects of various cycles of preconditioning (PC) (one cycle, 1 x PC; two cycles, 2 x PC; three cycles, 3 x PC; and four cycles, 4 x PC) on cardiac function, infarct size, and the incidence of reperfusion-induced arrhythmias in isolated hearts obtained from rabbits with hypercholesterolemia. After 8 weeks of hypercholesterolemia, hearts were subjected to 30 min of ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion. Various cycles of PC resulted in a "cycle-dependent" reduction in infarct size in the age-matched nonhypercholesterolemic group. In the 8-week hypercholesterolemic group, increasing cycles of PC resulted in a significant increase in infarct size from their nonpreconditioned ischemic/reperfused control value of 44 +/- 5% to 45 +/- 6%, 49 +/- 5%, 59 +/- 6% (p < 0.05), and 58 +/- 5% (p < 0.05), respectively. PC increased the vulnerability of the myocardium to reperfusion-induced arrhythmias in hypercholesterolemics indicating that PC may be an "intact heart" phenomenon. The effects of PC appear currently to be a dilemma in laboratories and clinics. The solution to the problem of PC in intact and diseased myocardium requires further data from two different sources: (a) previously "diseased" animals, and (b) diseased human myocardium from clinics. Once these data are available, then the effects under which PC will be beneficial rather than harmful could be established and the dilemma solved.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1)-dependent carbon monoxide (CO) production related to reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation (VF) was studied in HO-1 wild-type (+/+), heterozygous (+/-), and homozygous (-/-) isolated ischemic/reperfused mouse heart. In HO-1 homozygous myocardium, under aerobic conditions, HO-1 enzyme activity, HO-1 mRNA, and protein expression were not detected in comparison with aerobically perfused wild-type and heterozygous myocardium. In wild-type, HO-1 hetero- and homozygous hearts subjected to 20 min ischemia followed by 2 h of reperfusion, the expression of HO-1 mRNA, protein, and HO-1 enzyme activity was detected in various degrees. A reduction in the expression of HO-1 mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity in fibrillated wild-type and heterozygous myocardium was observed. In reperfused/nonfibrillated wild-type and heterozygous hearts, a reduction in HO-1 mRNA, protein expression, and HO-1 enzyme activity was not observed, indicating that changes in HO-1 mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity could be related to the development of VF. These changes were reflected in the HO-1-related endogenous CO production measured by gas chromatography. In HO-1 knockout ischemic/reperfused myocardium, all hearts showed VF, and no detection in HO-1 mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity was observed. Thus, interventions that are able to increase endogenous CO may prevent the development of VF.

The contribution of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) treatment, an active fragment of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), to the recovery of postischemic cardiac function, infarct size, the incidence of reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation and apoptotic cell death was studied in ischemic/reperfused isolated rat hearts. Rats were subcutaneously injected with 40, 200 and 400 microg/kg of alpha-MSH, and 12 h later, hearts were isolated, perfused and subjected to 30 min of ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion. Thus, after 120 min of reperfusion, with the concentration of 200 microg/kg alpha-MSH, coronary flow, aortic flow and left ventricular developed pressure were significantly improved from their control values of 14.6+/-0.6 ml/min, 7.5+/-0.5 ml/min and 9.1+/-0.4 kPa to 20.2+/-0.4 ml/min (p<0.05), 31.5+/-0.9 ml/min (p<0.05) and 15.9+/-0.6 (p<0.05) kPa, respectively. With the doses of 40, 200 and 400 microg/kg of alpha-MSH, infarct size was reduced from its control value of 38+/-5% to 33+/-6% (NS), 17+/-3% (p<0.05) and 19+/-4% (p<0.05), respectively. The reduction in the incidence of reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation followed the same pattern. It is reasonable to assume that a reduction in infarct size, in the alpha-MSH-treated myocardium, resulted in a reduction as well in apoptotic cell death. Although we did not specifically study the exact mechanism(s) of alpha-MSH-afforded postischemic protection, we assume that this protection may be related to alpha-MSH-induced corticosterone release and corticosterone-induced de novo protein synthesis, which reflected in the recovery of postischemic cardiac function in isolated hearts. Thus, interventions that are able to increase plasma corticosterone or glucocorticoid release may prevent the development of ischemia/reperfusion-induced damage.