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Fisetin, a naturally occurring flavonoid in fruits, nuts and vegetables possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study shows that fisetin exerts preventive and therapeutic effects on hypertension associated cardiac abnormalities in H9c2 cells and Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHRs). For In vitro analysis, H9c2 cells were challenged with AngII and Fisetin (50 µM/mL) was administered either before 2 h or after 12 h of AngII challenge. For In vivo studies, SHRs received oral fisetin (10 mg/kg, twice a week for 6 weeks) and their cardiac function was analyzed by echocardiography. Histological studies and Western blotting were performed to assess the severity and the mechanism of the underlying cardiac abnormality. Fisetin effectively suppressed calcineurin-NFATC3 involved cellular hypertrophic effects as observed in H9c2 cells and in SHR hearts. Fisetin also enhanced cardiac function and restored cardiac morphology and therefore, fisetin is a potential agent against hypertension associated hypertrophy and cardiac deterioration.

A total of 294 edible protein sequences and 5 commercial proteases listed in the BIOPEP database were analyzed in silico. The frequency (A), a parameter in silico described previously, was examined further to calculating the ratio of truncated peptides with Xaa-proline and/or Xaa-alanine to all peptide fragments in a protein hydrolyzed with a protease, using the BIOPEP database. Then the in vitro DPP-IV inhibitory activity was determined using the same 15 protein and protease combinations to evaluate their relationship. The result shows that A values considering the number of Xaa-proline+Xaa-alanine exhibited a strong correlation with in vitro DPP-IV inhibition rates by Pearson's correlation analysis (r=0.6993; P0.05). Therefore, the in silico approach is effective to predict DPP-IV inhibitory activities in vitro of protein hydrolysates.

Excessive intake of high fat diet (HFD) and associated obese conditions are critical contributors of cardiac diseases. In this study, an active metabolite andrographolide from Andrographis paniculata was found to ameliorate HFD-induced cardiac apoptosis. C57/BL6 mouse were grouped as control (n = 9), obese (n = 8), low dose (25 mg/kg/d) andrographolide treatment (n = 9), and high dose (50 mg/kg/d) andrographolide treatment (n = 9). The control group was provided with standard laboratory chow and the other groups were fed with HFD. Andrographolide was administered through oral gavage for 1 week. Histopathological analysis showed increase in apoptotic nuclei and considerable cardiac-damages in the obese group signifying cardiac remodeling effects. Further, Western blot results showed increase in pro-apoptotic proteins and decrease in the proteins of IGF-1R-survival signaling. However, feeding of andrographolide significantly reduced the cardiac effects of HFD. The results strongly suggest that andrographolide supplementation can be used for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease in obese patients.

Helioxanthin, an active compound from Taiwania cryptomerioides Hayata, has been shown to have various biological activities. However, their anticancer effect in oral squamous cell carcinoma has not been well established yet. Helioxanthin inhibited the proliferation of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells in a dose-dependent manner by inducing G2/M phase arrest. Similarly, helioxanthin inhibited cyclooxygenase-2, (COX-2), phosphorylated EGFR, and extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERK) protein level and further reduced the nuclear accumulation of phosphorylated epidermal growth factor receptor (pEGFR) and activator protein-1(AP-1) family protein, c-fos. Moreover, helioxanthin at the dose of 20 and 30 mg kg-1 for 15 days reduced the tumor growth in animal model. This study demonstrated that Helioxanthin exerts its anticancer activity against oral cancer cells by downregulating EGFR/ERK/c-fos signaling pathway to inhibit COX-2 level and by activating cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (p27) to further induce G2/M cell cycle arrest. This helioxanthin may serve as a novel candidate for oral cancer prevention. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 2045-2056, 2016.

In this study, the antitumor activity of KHC-4 was analyzed using human prostate cancer (CaP) cells and the underlining anticancer mechanisms of KHC-4 were identified. KHC-4 inhibited cell proliferation and induced cytotoxicity in the castration-resistant CaP DU145 cell line. The most effective concentration of KHC-4 was 0.1 μM. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated that KHC-4 treatment caused G2/M arrest and a subsequent increase in the sub-G1 population. Furthermore, KHC-4 is up-regulated p21, p27, and p53 in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. The exposure of cells to KHC-4 induced Cdk1/cyclin B1 complex activity, which led to cell cycle arrest. Moreover, KHC-4 inhibited the activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 to inhibit tumor cell metastasis. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1879-1887, 2016.

Magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄) ameliorates hypoxia/ischemia-induced neuronal apoptosis in a rat model. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms governing the anti-apoptotic effect of MgSO₄ on cobalt chloride (CoCl₂)-exposed NB41A3 mouse neuroblastoma cells. MgSO₄ increased the viability of NB41A3 cells treated with CoCl₂ in a dose-dependent manner. MgSO₄ treatment was shown to lead to an increase in the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins, with a concomitant decrease in the pro-apoptotic proteins. MgSO₄ also attenuated the CoCl₂-induced disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ(m)) and reduced the release of cytochrome c form the mitochondria to the cytosol. Furthermore, exposure to CoCl₂ caused activation of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α). On the other hand, MgSO₄ markedly reduced CoCl₂-induced HIF-1α activation and suppressed HIF-1α downstream protein BNIP3. MgSO₄ treatment induced ERK1/2 activation and attenuated CoCl₂-induced activation of p38 and JNK. Addition of the ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126 significantly reduced the ability of MgSO₄ to protect neurons from CoCl₂-induced mitochondrial apoptotic events. However, incubation of cultures with the p38 and JNK inhibitors did not significantly affect MgSO₄-mediated neuroprotection. MgSO₄ appears to suppress CoCl₂-induced NB41A3 cell death by activating ERK1/2/ MAPK pathways, which further modulates the role of Bcl-2 family proteins and mitochondria in NB41A3 cells. Our data suggest that MgSO₄ may act as a survival factor that preserves mitochondrial integrity and inhibits apoptotic pathways.

A series of 15 phenolic amides (PAs) have been synthesized (PA1–PA15) and examined in vitro by four different tests: (1) prevention of Cu2+-induced human low-density lipoprotein oxidation, (2) scavenging of stable radicals, (3) anti-inflammatory activity, (4) scavenging of superoxide radicals. We used PA1 and α-tocopherol for an in vivo study. The overall potential of the antioxidant system was significantly enhanced by the PA1 and α-tocopherol supplements as the hepatic TBARS levels were lowered while the hepatic SOD activities and GSH concentration were elevated in PA1 fed rats. Our results support that PA1 may exert antioxidant action through inhibiting superoxide generation. PA1 decreased the level of nitric oxide (NO) production, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). These results show that PA1 can inhibit lipid peroxidation, enhance the activities of antioxidant enzymes, and decrease the TNF-α/NF-κB level and nitric oxide production. Therefore, it was speculated that PA1 acts through its anti-inflammation capacity.

Secretion of multifunctional estrogen and its receptor has been widely considered as the reason for markedly higher frequency of heart disease in men than in women. 17β-Estradiol (E2), for instance, has been reported to prevent development of cardiac apoptosis via activation of estrogen receptors (ERs). In addition, protein phosphatase such as protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) and calcineurin (PP2B) are also involved in cardiac hypertrophy and cell apoptosis signaling. However, the mechanism by which E2/ERβ suppresses apoptosis is not fully understood, and the role of protein phosphatase in E2/ERβ action also needs further investigation. In this study, we observed that E2/ERβ inhibited isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial cell apoptosis, cytochrome c release and downstream apoptotic markers. Moreover, we found that E2/ERβ blocks ISO-induced apoptosis in H9c2 cells through the enhancement of calcineurin protein degradation through PI3K/Akt/MDM2 signaling pathway. Our results suggest that supplementation with estrogen and/or overexpression of estrogen receptor β gene may prove to be effective means to treat stress-induced myocardial damage.

BACKGROUND Male Wistar rats were divided into seven groups as follows: group A, basal diet; group B, basal diet with Cholestin at 0.1667 g kg−1 body weight (BW); groups C–F, oral feeding of ethanol at 7.9 g kg−1 BW; groups D–F, Cholestin in diet at 0.1667, 0.3333 and 0.5 g kg−1 BW respectively; group G, silymarin in diet at 200 mg kg−1 BW. RESULTS The results showed that treatment with Cholestin for 8 weeks reduced the impact of ethanol toxicity on serum markers of liver damage: aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). The antioxidant system was significantly enhanced: plasma and hepatic thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) levels were lowered while hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), ethanol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activities and non-enzymatic antioxidants (vitamin E, vitamin C and GSH) were elevated. CONCLUSION Cholestin shows a protective effect against hepatotoxicity indices in ethanol-fed rats comparable to that of silymarin, as supported by the evaluation of liver histopathology. The data suggest that Cholestin exerts its hepatoprotective effect by decreasing lipid peroxidation and improving antioxidants status, thus proving itself as an effective antioxidant in ethanol-induced oxidative damage in rats. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry

An inexpensive, efficient, and reliable molecular method of authenticating commercial puffer fish-based products was developed to determine the origin of adulterated fish products and for food regulatory control. This system is based on molecular trace evidence obtained using a specific primer set with a short gene marker located on the mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence region. The method was successfully tested and validated in 12 specimens of puffer fish, simulated products, and 50 commercial samples. Fourteen percent of the collected commercial products were found to be puffer fish-based. However, of these 14%, 28% were identified as toxic varieties by further analysis with forensically informative nucleotide sequencing (FINS) and BLAST methods. These results reveal that the developed method is a rapid and efficient tool to unequivocally identify puffer fish, which may aid in the prevention of consumer fraud or mislabeling of fish products.

The IGF-IR/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway inhibited GSK3-β activity by phosphorylation and this promoted β-catenin nuclear localization. Our previous study indicated that β-catenin mRNA level was significantly higher in tumor areas than in non-tumor ones, especially in late pathologic stage tumors. However, β-catenin inhibition resulted in significantly suppressed migration and invasion ability of HA22T cells. Thus, Wnt/β-catenin pathway over-activation might be involved in metastatic enhancement of apicidin-resistant HA22T cell metastasis. Apicidin-resistant (AR) HA22T cells showed higher β-catenin nuclear accumulation and significantly decreased GSK-3-β protein level, in relation to parental cells. Results also indicated that AR cells increased abundantly in Tbx3, a downstream target of Wnt/β-catenin that it is implicated in liver cancer. AR cells also inhibited the MEK/ERK/PEA3 pathway which promoted MMP-2 activation. But, apicidin-resistant effect was totally reversed by LY294002 and AG1024. In conclusion, Apicidin-R HA22T cells activated the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and induced, MMP-2 expression via IGF-IR/PI3K/Akt signaling further enhancing cell the metastatic effects.

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a well-known marine toxin, which is widely distributed in marine animals and originates from marine bacteria. To compare seasonal characteristics of aerobic bacteria in the toxic gastropod Oliva hirasei, the muscle and digestive gland of O. hirasei were collected from New Taipei City, and plated on ORI agar for aerobic plate count. Bacterial counts of the digestive gland were 7.10 and 8.89 log (CFU/g) from O. hirasei in August 2011 and March 2012, respectively, and those of the muscle were 6.84 and 8.20 log (CFU/g) in August 2011 and March 2012, respectively. The total bacterial counts in the March samples were higher than those in the August samples, but the amount of toxin showed an inverted pattern. The predominant genera from the muscle and digestive gland of O. hirasei were Vibrio, Pseudomonas, Shewanell, Pasteurella, Aeromonas, and others. Virio was 43 and 46% of the genera in August from the muscle and the digestive gland of O. hirasei and 70 and 82% in March. In addition, to detect the TTX-producing ability of isolated bacteria, the bacterial strains were cultured, extracted, and analyzed by HPLC and LC–MS/MS. The results showed that Vibrio, Pseudomonas, and Shewanella certainly produced TTX.

The frequency (A), a novel in silico parameter, was developed by calculating the ratio of the number of truncated peptides with Xaa-proline and Xaa-alanine to all peptide fragments from a protein hydrolyzed with a specific protease. The highest in vitro DPP-IV inhibitory activity (72.7%) was observed in the hydrolysate of sodium caseinate by bromelain (Cas/BRO), and the constituent proteins of bovine casein also had relatively high A values (0.10-0.17) with BRO hydrolysis. 1CBR (the

We investigated the effect of Geloina eros extract against carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )-induced hepatotoxicity. Our results showed that treatment with Geloina eros extract for 8 weeks significantly reduced the impact of CCl 4 toxicity on the serum markers of liver damage, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) Antioxidant system was significantly enhanced in the plasma, and hepatic thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) levels were lowered while the hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) protein level and non-enzymatic antioxidants (vitamin E, vitamin C and GSH) were elevated. The results indicated that Geloina eros extract has a protective effect against acute hepatotoxicity induced by the administration of CCl 4 and was found to be comparable to that of silymarin and have been supported by the evaluation of the liver histopathology in rats. The hepatoprotective effects of Geloina eros extract may be due to both the inhibition of lipid peroxidation and the increase of antioxidant activity.

summary Background & aims: This study was designed to test the lipid-lowering and antioxidative activities of red yeast rice (RYR), in comparison to its components monasfluore A (MFA) and monasfluore B (MFB) in cholesterol-fed rats. Methods: The control group only received cholesterol supplemented diet, whereas the other three groups received the same diet added with 1% RYR, or 1% MFA, or 1% MFB. Results: All treatments (RYR, MFA and MFB) reduced the atherogenic index. Simply, MFA and MFB are statistically but slightly more effective than RYR (55e58% reduction versus 46% reduction). The MFA and MFB significantly lowered the atherogenic index compared to the RYR and control (P < 0.05). The hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity was significantly lower in the MFA group than in the RYR and MFB groups (P < 0.05), while the hepatic ACAT activity was significantly decreased by all treatments with respect to the high cholesterol fed group (P < 0.05). The overall potential of the antioxidant system was significantly enhanced by the RYR, MFA and MFB supplements as the plasma and hepatic TBARS levels were lowered while the hepatic superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione levels were increased by the treatments in comparison with the high cholesterol fed rats (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Collectively, these results suggest that the supplementation of RYR, MFA and MFB increased antioxidant activity in rats. Furthermore, we observed that all treatments promoted the excretion of neutral and acidic sterols (P < 0.05), that could contribute to explain lower plasma and, hepatic cholesterol levels found in treated animal.

A study was undertaken to investigate the effect of cholestin on the toxicity of vitamin A in male wistar rats. The rats were divided into six groups and fed different diets with or without supplement of 1% cholestin and 25,000-50,000 (IU) vitamin A for 2 months. Hence, the symptoms of vitamin A toxicity in rats included loss of body weight, hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. However, these toxic effects of vitamin A were significantly reduced when the rats fed a diet supplemented with cholestin. Furthermore, the level of vitamin A in the serum of rats treated with cholestin and vitamin A was higher than that of the rats treated with vitamin A alone. It indicated that cholestin might play a role in reducing the toxic effect of vitamin A in rats.

Summary Background & aims This study focused on the effects of dietary seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L. Elaeagnaceae) on the toxicity of oxidized cholesterol in rats. Methods The rats were divided into eight groups and fed with or without supplement of 0.1% seabuckthorn and 2% oxidized cholesterol in their diets for 8 weeks. Results It was found that seabuckthorn could improve the body weight decrease and the glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) level in the liver, and increase of liver and kidney weight to body weight ratio, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) level in the liver of rats caused by oxidized cholesterol (P Conclusions It was also found that seabuckthorn possessed recovering effect and a short-term protective effect on the toxicity of oxidized cholesterol in rats. Taking all these data together, seabuckthorn may play an important role in diminishing the toxic effects of oxidized cholesterol in rats.

summary Background & aims: To investigate the effect of Cholestin against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity. Methods: The male Wistar rats were randomly divided into seven groups with each consisting of 8 rats. Group A: basal diet, Group B: basal diet containing 1% cholestin, Groups CeF the rats with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver damage. Group C served as control CCl4. Groups DeF were administered orally the Cholestin in diet for 1%, 2%, 3%, Group G served as positive control and was given silymarin in diet for 12%. Results: During 8-weeks experimental period, treatment with Cholestin for 8-weeks significantly reduced the impact of CCl4 toxicity on the serum markers of liver damage, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). The overall potential of the antioxidant system was significantly enhanced by the Cholestin supplements as the plasma and hepatic thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels were lowered while the hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) protein level were elevated (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The results indicated that Cholestin has a protective effect against acute hepatotoxicity induced by the administration of CCl4 was found to be comparable to that of silymarin (200 mg/kg) and have been supported by the evaluation of the liver histopathology in rats. The hepatoprotective effects of Cholestin may be due to both the inhibition of lipid peroxidation and the increase of antioxidant activity. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism.

Taurine is an agent for treating the heavy metal intoxication and presence of metals such as zinc, copper, and iron may have a role in heavy metal toxicity, a study was undertaken to investigate the effect of taurine on the toxicity of zinc in male Wistar rats. The rats were divided into 8 groups and fed different diets with or without supplement of 5% taurine and 150 to 600 ppm zinc for 2 mo. It was found that the body weight of rats, the ratios of liver and kidney weight to body weight, and the level of glutathione in the liver were decreased with increasing the dose of zinc. The levels of zinc in the liver, kidney, and plasma, the levels of malondialdehyde in the plasma, the levels of thiobarbiture acid-reactive substances in the liver, the activities of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase in the plasma, the levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine in the plasma of rats were increased with the increasing dose of zinc. Hence, symptoms of zinc toxicity in rats included loss of body weight, hepatotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity. However, these toxic effects of zinc were significantly reduced when the rats fed diet with supplement of taurine. Furthermore, the level of zinc in the feces of rats treated with taurine and zinc was higher than that of rats treated with zinc alone. It indicated that taurine thereby leading to a decreased absorption of dietary zinc and promoted excretion.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees (Acanthaceae) has a considerable medicinal reputation in most parts of Asia as a potent medicine in the treatment of Endocrine disorders, inflammation and hypertension. Aim of the study Water extract of A. paniculata and its active constituent andrographolide are known to possess anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects. Our aim is to identify whether A. paniculata extract could protect myocardial damage in high-fat diet induced obese mice. Materials and Methods The test mice were divided into three groups fed either with normal chow or with high fat diet (obese) or with high fat diet treated with A. paniculata extract (2 g/kg/day, through gavage, for a week). Results We found that the myocardial inflammation pathway related proteins were increased in the obese mouse which potentially contributes to cardiac hypertrophy and myocardial apoptosis. But feeding with A. paniculata extract showed significant inhibition on the effects of high fat diet. Conclusion Our study strongly suggests that supplementation of A. paniculata extract can be used for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease in obese patients.

Prolyl endopeptidase (PEP) has been associated with neurodegenerative disorders, and the PEP inhibitors can restore the memory loss caused by amnesic compounds. In this study, we investigated the PEP inhibitory activity of the enzymatic hydrolysates from various food protein sources, and isolated and identified the PEP inhibitory peptides. The hydrolysate obtained from sodium caseinate using bromelain (SC/BML) displayed the highest inhibitory activity of 86.8% at 5 mg mL(-1) in the present study, and its IC50 value against PEP was 0.77 mg mL(-1). The F-5 fraction by RP-HPLC (reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography) from SC/BML showed the highest PEP inhibition rate of 88.4%, and 9 peptide sequences were identified. The synthetic peptides (1245.63-1787.94 Da) showed dose-dependent inhibition effects on PEP as competitive inhibitors with IC50 values between 29.8 and 650.5 μM. The results suggest that the peptides derived from sodium caseinate have the potential to be PEP inhibitors.

Magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄) ameliorates hypoxia/ischemia-induced neuronal apoptosis in a rat model. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms governing the anti-apoptotic effect of MgSO₄ on cobalt chloride (CoCl₂)-exposed NB41A3 mouse neuroblastoma cells. MgSO₄ increased the viability of NB41A3 cells treated with CoCl₂ in a dose-dependent manner. MgSO₄ treatment was shown to lead to an increase in the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins, with a concomitant decrease in the pro-apoptotic proteins. MgSO₄ also attenuated the CoCl₂-induced disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ(m)) and reduced the release of cytochrome c form the mitochondria to the cytosol. Furthermore, exposure to CoCl₂ caused activation of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α). On the other hand, MgSO₄ markedly reduced CoCl₂-induced HIF-1α activation and suppressed HIF-1α downstream protein BNIP3. MgSO₄ treatment induced ERK1/2 activation and attenuated CoCl₂-induced activation of p38 and JNK. Addition of the ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126 significantly reduced the ability of MgSO₄ to protect neurons from CoCl₂-induced mitochondrial apoptotic events. However, incubation of cultures with the p38 and JNK inhibitors did not significantly affect MgSO₄-mediated neuroprotection. MgSO₄ appears to suppress CoCl₂-induced NB41A3 cell death by activating ERK1/2/ MAPK pathways, which further modulates the role of Bcl-2 family proteins and mitochondria in NB41A3 cells. Our data suggest that MgSO₄ may act as a survival factor that preserves mitochondrial integrity and inhibits apoptotic pathways.

Helioxanthin, an active compound from Taiwania cryptomerioides Hayata, has been shown to have various biological activities. However, their anticancer effect in oral squamous cell carcinoma has not been well established yet. Helioxanthin inhibited the proliferation of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells in a dose-dependent manner by inducing G2/M phase arrest. Similarly, helioxanthin inhibited cyclooxygenase-2, (COX-2), phosphorylated EGFR, and extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERK) protein level and further reduced the nuclear accumulation of phosphorylated epidermal growth factor receptor (pEGFR) and activator protein-1(AP-1) family protein, c-fos. Moreover, helioxanthin at the dose of 20 and 30 mg kg

Hypercholesterol diets are the major causes of cardiac hypertrophy and various cardiac disorders. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of garlic oil on cardiac hypertrophy induced by hypercholesterol diets. Golden Syrian hamsters were fed with 2% cholesterol or 2% cholesterol plus 1% garlic oil for 2 months. Heart architecture changes were measured by hematoxylin-eosin staining and the molecular mechanism was determined by western blotting. Garlic oil reduced whole-heart weight to bone weight ratio, and left ventricle weight to bone weight ratio in the cholesterol-fed group. Moreover, the garlic oil group showed significantly reduced interleukin-6, phosphorylated (p)-extracellular signal-regulated kinase-5, p-mitogen-activated protein kinase-5, calcineurin, nuclear transcription factor of nuclear factor of activated T-cells-3 and p-GATA binding protein 4 when compared with the cholesterol group. However, no changes were observed in gp-130, signal transducer and activator of transcription-3, p-P38 and p-Jun N-terminal kinases protein levels in all groups. The results show that garlic oil may be useful in the treatment of hypertrophy-associated cardiovascular diseases.

Hypercholesterol diets are the major causes of cardiac hypertrophy and various cardiac disorders. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of garlic oil on cardiac hypertrophy induced by hypercholesterol diets. Golden Syrian hamsters were fed with 2% cholesterol or 2% cholesterol plus 1% garlic oil for 2 months. Heart architecture changes were measured by hematoxylin-eosin staining and the molecular mechanism was determined by western blotting. Garlic oil reduced whole-heart weight to bone weight ratio, and left ventricle weight to bone weight ratio in the cholesterol-fed group. Moreover, the garlic oil group showed significantly reduced interleukin-6, phosphorylated (p)-extracellular signal-regulated kinase-5, p-mitogen-activated protein kinase-5, calcineurin, nuclear transcription factor of nuclear factor of activated T-cells-3 and p-GATA binding protein 4 when compared with the cholesterol group. However, no changes were observed in gp-130, signal transducer and activator of transcription-3, p-P38 and p-Jun N-terminal kinases protein levels in all groups. The results show that garlic oil may be useful in the treatment of hypertrophy-associated cardiovascular diseases.

In this study, the antitumor activity of KHC-4 was analyzed using human prostate cancer (CaP) cells and the underlining anticancer mechanisms of KHC-4 were identified. KHC-4 inhibited cell proliferation and induced cytotoxicity in the castration-resistant CaP DU145 cell line. The most effective concentration of KHC-4 was 0.1 μM. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated that KHC-4 treatment caused G2/M arrest and a subsequent increase in the sub-G1 population. Furthermore, KHC-4 is up-regulated p21, p27, and p53 in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. The exposure of cells to KHC-4 induced Cdk1/cyclin B1 complex activity, which led to cell cycle arrest. Moreover, KHC-4 inhibited the activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 to inhibit tumor cell metastasis. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1879-1887, 2016.

Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy is an adaptive response of heart to various stress conditions. During the period of stress accumulation, transition from physiological hypertrophy to pathological hypertrophy results in the promotion of heart failure. Our previous studies found that ZAK, a sterile alpha motif and leucine zipper containing kinase, was highly expressed in infarcted human hearts and demonstrated that overexpression of ZAK induced cardiac hypertrophy. This study evaluates, cellular events associated with the expression of two doxycycline (Dox) inducible Tet-on ZAK expression systems, a Tet-on ZAK WT (wild-type), and a Tet-on ZAK DN (mutant, Dominant-negative form) in H9c2 myoblast cells; Tet-on ZAK WT was found to increase cell size and hypertrophic marker BNP in a dose-dependent manner. To ascertain the mechanism of ZAK-mediated hypertrophy, expression analysis with various inhibitors of the related upstream and downstream proteins was performed. Tet-on ZAK WT expression triggered the p38 and JNK pathway and also activated the expression and nuclear translocation of p-GATA4 and p-c-Jun transcription factors, without the involvement of p-ERK or NFATc3. However, Tet-on ZAK DN showed no effect on the p38 and JNK signaling cascade. The results showed that the inhibitors of JNK1/2 and p38 significantly suppressed ZAK-induced BNP expression. The results show the role of ZAK and/or the ZAK downstream events such as JNK and p38 phosphorylation, c-Jun, and GATA-4 nuclear translocation in cardiac hypertrophy. ZAK and/or the ZAK downstream p38, and JNK pathway could therefore be potential targets to ameliorate cardiac hypertrophy symptoms in ZAK-overexpressed patients.

A study was undertaken to investigate the dietary effect of taurine in chronic alcoholic patients. The 30 chronic alcoholic patients with 2 to 5 times greater than normal activities of aspartate transaminase (AST) or alanine transaminase (ALT) were selected and equally divided into taurine and control groups. In the taurine group, each patient took 6 g taurine per day, divided into 3 doses, for three months, and then stopped treatment for 1 month. In the control group, patients took a placebo without taurine for 4 months. It was found that the AST and ALT activities and levels of cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), bilirubin, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) of serum plasma in the taurine group were all decreased, but increased alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activities and serum vitamins concentrations. Except for the level of TG, all were significantly different after taking taurine for 2 or 3 months. It indicated that taurine plays an important role in the properties of antioxidation and has some improvement on the liver tests of chronic alcoholic patients.

This study was designed to test the lipid-lowering and antioxidative activities of Pracparatum mungo extract (PME), in comparison to its components berberine and glycyrrhizin in cholesterol-fed hamsters. The PME and berberine significantly lowered the atherogenic index compared to glycyrrhizin and the control (P < 0.05). The hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity was significantly lower in the PME and berberine groups than in the glycyrrhizin group (P < 0.05), while the hepatic ACAT activity was significantly decreased by all treatments with respect to the high cholesterol fed group (P < 0.05). The overall potential of the antioxidant system was significantly enhanced by the PME, berberine and glycyrrhizin supplements as the plasma and hepatic TBARS levels were lowered while the hepatic superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione levels, HMG-CoA reductase, LDL receptor, PPAR, SREBP-2 and CYP7A1 mRNA expressions were increased by the treatments of PME and berberine in comparison with the high cholesterol fed hamsters (P < 0.05). Collectively, these results suggest that the supplementation of PME, berberine and glycyrrhizin increased antioxidant activity in hamsters. Furthermore, we observed that PME and berberine groups promoted the excretion of neutral and acidic sterols (P < 0.05), that could contribute to explain the lower plasma and hepatic cholesterol levels found in the treated animals.

Male Wistar rats were divided into seven groups as follows: group A, basal diet; group B, basal diet with Cholestin at 0.1667 g kg⁻¹ body weight (BW); groups C-F, oral feeding of ethanol at 7.9 g kg⁻¹ BW; groups D-F, Cholestin in diet at 0.1667, 0.3333 and 0.5 g kg⁻¹ BW respectively; group G, silymarin in diet at 200 mg kg⁻¹ BW.The results showed that treatment with Cholestin for 8 weeks reduced the impact of ethanol toxicity on serum markers of liver damage: aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). The antioxidant system was significantly enhanced: plasma and hepatic thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) levels were lowered while hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), ethanol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activities and non-enzymatic antioxidants (vitamin E, vitamin C and GSH) were elevated.Cholestin shows a protective effect against hepatotoxicity indices in ethanol-fed rats comparable to that of silymarin, as supported by the evaluation of liver histopathology. The data suggest that Cholestin exerts its hepatoprotective effect by decreasing lipid peroxidation and improving antioxidants status, thus proving itself as an effective antioxidant in ethanol-induced oxidative damage in rats.