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Shrimp is a prevalent food in the Arabian Gulf that is known for its good sensory properties and high nutritional value. The aim of the present work was to assess the effects of diverse processing methods on the nutritional composition of shrimp and the antioxidant activity of shrimp powder. Shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus) flesh was treated using four processes (salting, frying, grilling, and boiling), following which its macronutrient content, fatty acid profile, vitamins and mineral contents were measured. Also, the antioxidant activity of all shrimp powder extracts was assessed using the 2, 2 diphenyl 1 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), linoleic acid oxidation inhibition, and reducing power methods. The results revealed that the fresh and processed shrimp flesh had significant nutritional value and the fresh and treated shrimp powders have high antioxidant activity, but the cooking processes have significant effects on the nutritional value and antioxidant activity of shrimp flesh. These effects were greater significantly in grilled shrimp followed by boiled shrimp and then fried shrimp. It is concluded that the high nutritional value and antioxidant activity of shrimp flesh make it an important food for nutritional health promotion for the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus induces testicular damage, increases sperm abnormalities, and impairs reproductive dysfunction due to induction of endocrine disturbance and testicular oxidative stress. This study evaluated the reproductive protective effect of ellagic acid (EA) against testicular damage and abnormalities in sperm parameters in Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats (T1DM) and examined some possible mechanisms of protection. Adult male rats were segregated into 5 groups (n = 12 rat/each) as control, control + EA (50 mg/kg/day), T1DM, T1DM + EA, and T1DM + EA + brusatol (an Nrf-2 inhibitor) (2 mg/twice/week). All treatments were conducted for 12 weeks, daily. EA preserved the structure of the seminiferous tubules, prevented the reduction in sperm count, motility, and viability, reduced sperm abnormalities, and downregulated testicular levels of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax in diabetic rats. In the control and diabetic rats, EA significantly increased the circulatory levels of testosterone, reduced serum levels of FSH and LH, and upregulated Bcl-2 and all steroidogenic genes (StAr, 3β-HSD1, and 11β-HSD1). Besides, it reduced levels of ROS and MDA but increased levels of GSH and MnSOD and the transactivation of Nrf2. All these biochemical alterations induced by EA were associated with increased activity and nuclear accumulation of Nrf2. However, all these effects afforded by EA were weakened in the presence of brusatol. In conclusion, EA could be an effective therapy to alleviated DM-induced reproductive toxicity and dysfunction in rats by a potent antioxidant potential mediated by the upregulation of Nrf2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ripe date fruits contain phenolic compounds which possess a high antioxidant activity. The current review was carried out to evaluate total phenolic content in ripe date fruits. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) was followed during the review process. Relevant studies published from inception up to March 2019 were retrieved from three databases. Study selection was performed based on specific inclusion criteria. A total of twenty-two articles were selected and included in the present review. Data collected from these studies were organized, pooled, and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Total phenolic content means and medians have been reported for the collected ripe date fruit samples for each included study and pooled data. The results suggested that ripe date fruits contain a potent total phenolic content that can contribute mainly to their antioxidant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of different cooking methods on fatty acid (FAs) composition of shrimp meat and the ability of these foods to protect against high cholesterol (HC) diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in rats. Shrimp were cooked for 10 min boiled, grilled, or fried in sunflower oil. Rats (n = 6/group) were fed a normal diet (ND)or high-cholesterol diet (HC) each containing boiled, grilled or fried shrimp powder (15% w/w) (NDBS, NDFS, NDGS for ND or HCBS, HCFS, HCDGS for HC diet). Frying alone significantly reduced total levels of saturated FAs (SFA) and increased total mono- and polyunsaturated FAs (MSFA, and PUFAs, respectively) in shrimp meat. It also increased levels of n-6 PUFAs and linoleic acid (LA) and decreased levels of n-3 PUFAs including eicosapentaenoic FAs (EPA) and docosahexaenoic fatty acid (DHA). When fed to HC rats, only diets containing the grilled and boiled shrimp powders significantly prevented the weight loss, lowered fasting and glucose levels, improved glucose and insulin tolerance, and prevented the increase in serum liver markers, ALT and AST. They also reduced hepatic fat accumulation, reduced serum levels and hepatic levels of cholesterol and triglycerides (TGs), reduced hepatic levels of MDA, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and IL-6, and increased those of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). No alterations in all these parameters were observed in HC-fed rats which fed fried shrimp. In conclusion, boiling and grilling but not frying are the best method to cook shrimp to preserve their fatty acid content and its nutritional value in ameliorating NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined if the Fisetin against streptozotocin-induced diabetic cardiomyopathy (DC) in rats involves regulating cardiac metabolism and suppressing protein kinase R (PKR). Male rats were divided (12/groups) as control (non-diabetic), control + Fisetin, T1DM, and T1DM + Fisetin. Fisetin was administered orally at a final dose of 2.5 mg/kg for 12 weeks. In T1DM1-induced rats, Fisetin prevented heart and final body weights loss, lowered circulatory levels troponin I and creatinine kinase-MB (CK-MB), increased fasting insulin levels, and improved ventricular systolic and diastolic functions. It also preserved the structure of the cardiomyocytes and reduced oxidative stress, fibrosis, protein levels of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), collagenase 1A, caspase-3, and the activation of JNK, p53, and p38 MAPK. In the control and diabetic rats, Fisetin attenuated fasting hyperglycaemia, the increases in glucose levels after the oral and insulin tolerance tests, and HOMA-IR. It also increased cardiac glucose oxidation by increasing the activity of private dehydrogenase (PDH), phosphofructokinase (PFK), protein levels of PPAR-α and suppressed cardiac inflammation by inhibiting NF-κB. These effects were associated with a reduction in the activity of PKR and subsequent increase in the activity of eeukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2) with a parallel increase in protein levels of p67, a cellular inhibitor of PKR. In cultured cardiomyocytes, Fisetin, prevented high glucose (HG)-induced activation of PKR and reduction in p67, in a dose-dependent manner. However, the effect of Fisetin on PKR was diminished in LG and HG-treated cardiomyocytes with p67-siRNA. In conclusion, Fisetin protects against DC in rats by improving cardiac glucose metabolism and suppressing PKR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An UPLC- mass spectrometry method has been proposed for the screening of carbaryl residues in fresh vegetables. Carbaryl treated samples of lettuce, cucumber and spinach were procured and analyzed for a time period of fifteen days to find out the amount of carbaryl residue. A simple and effective liquid–liquid sample extraction technique has been implemented for extraction of carbaryl. Multiple reactions monitoring analysis mode considering two daughter transitions was used for quantitation and confirmation analysis of carbaryl. The developed method has been authenticated by establishing various validation parameters including, linear ranges (0.001–5.0 µg/mL), percent recovery, reproducibility (precision), limits of detection (0.0003 µg/mL) and limits of quantification (0.0009 µg/mL). The recoveries were obtained in the range of 96.0 and 99.5% (RSD < 3.8%, n = 3). All fresh vegetable samples have shown unlike carbaryl contamination for a certain time interval. The results were clearly designated that the residue quantities of the inspected pesticide does not cross the established maximum residue limits (MRLs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic syndrome distinguished with glucose increasing in blood, insulin resistance, and hyperlipidemia. It results in decease of millions of people yearly. Duvalia corderoyi is a traditional diabetes and hypertension medicine from the Arabian region. D. corderoyi extract was administered to diabetes rats for estimate its anti-diabetic and antihyperlipidemic activities in Wistar rats were induced using (60 mg/kg) of streptozotocin (STZ) intraperitoneally. The rats were randomly divided into five groups: control, diabetic, diabetic receiving glibenclamide, and two diabetic D. corderoyi -treatment groups. Rats were weighted weekly, and the biochemical analysis were carried out in serum, and liver homogenate samples. Body weight of diabetic rats was lessening significantly D. corderoyi improved body weight, glucose concentration, lipid profiles, hepatic enzymes, urea, creatinine, insulin, and HDL-C. These results are the first to indicate the potential antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic activities of D. corderoyi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A liquid–liquid extraction based high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence method has been proposed for the quantitation of naturally producing aflatoxins in nuts and nut based products. Aflatoxins extraction from nuts and nut products was involved methanol – water extraction, immunoaffinity column cleanup followed by post column derivatization technique. The gel contents of monoclonal antibody of the column are very specific to the toxins of interest, which makes the extraction experiment rapid, simple, highly specific and sensitive. Additionally, the improve concentration of toxins from complex nuts and nut product matrices helps to reduced chromatography interference and lower limit of detection. The proposed method was authenticated to evaluate the performance in terms of linearity of the calibration, limit of detection, recovery, run-to-run (repeatability) and day-to-day precision (reproducibility). Good quality parameters with LOD between 0.003 and 0.007 ppb, recovery from 89 to 98%, linearity in the range of 0.02 to 100 ppb (r2 > 0.989) and precisions with RSDs were achieved below 4.5% at concentration level of 1.0 and 30.0 ppb. The developed method was effectively used to the analysis of aflatoxins (AFB 1, AFB 2, AFG 1, and AFG 2) in twenty nuts and nut products and were found up to 120.1 ng/mL AFB 1 and 11.2 ppb AFB 2 in few of the samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of Duvalia corderoyi (D. corderoyi) extracts in oxidative stress status and histopathology of liver and kidney tissues in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Fifty male Wistar albino rats were injected intraperitoneally (IP) with STZ. Rats with fasting blood glucose levels of 250 mg/dl and above were considered diabetic. Rats were subsequently fed orally with D. corderoyi extracts (100,200 mg/kg bw) for 30 days. Fasting blood glucose, insulin, and oxidative status in liver and kidney tissues were measured and histopathological analysis was performed. The blood glucose and malondialdehyde levels were decreased and the insulin, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase levels were increased in D. corderoyi treated diabetic rats in comparison to those in untreated diabetic rats. Moreover, D. corderoyi relieved the injury in liver and kidney tissues of treated diabetic rats. Administration of D. corderoyi led to significant ameliorative effects on the oxidative stress and histopathology of liver and kidney tissues of D. corderoyi treated diabetic rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN) involves cellular activation of oxidative stress and inflammation. Eriodictyol is a citrus-derived flavonoid with multiple pharmacological and protective effects in various conditions. The protective role of Eriodictyol against diabetes and diabetic nephropathy is less investigated. The current research aimed to explore the role of eriodictyol in protecting against DN prompted by streptozotocin in male rats and investigate some possible mechanisms of action. Diabetes was brought about in rats by an i.p injection of a lone dose (65 mg/kg). Five groups of rats were included (n = 8 each) as control (non-diabetic), eriodictyol (20 mg/kg, orally), STZ-diabetic, STZ + eriodictyol (20 mg/kg, orally), and STZ + eriodictyol (20 mg/kg, orally) + ML385 (30 µg/kg, i.p.). Kidney histology and the levels of some markers of kidney function, renal oxidative stress, and renal inflammation were analyzed in all groups of rats. Treatment with eriodictyol prevented the damage in the renal glomeruli and tubules and reduced renal immune cell infiltration in STZ-treated animals. It also spiked urinary creatinine excretion and reduced urine volume and urinary levels of albumin, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), urinary kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), and nephrin in these diabetic rats. In addition, eriodictyol stimulated the nuclear protein accumulation of Nrf2 and boosted the expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and catalase (CAT) in the diabetic rat kidneys. In concomitance, it reduced the nuclear levels of NF-κB and levels of interleukine-6 (IL-6), malondialdehyde (MDA), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and attenuated the reduction in renal ATP levels and the increase in the mitochondria transition pore opening (mtTPT). However, the administration of eriodictyol did not affect rats' body weights and fasting glucose and insulin levels but significantly reduced serum levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-c, and oxidized LDL-c (ox-LDL-c). In conclusion, eriodictyol prevents STZ-induced nephropathy by a hypolipidemic effect and concomitant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects mediated by activating Nrf2/NF-κB/antioxidant axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was undertaken to validate the low dosages of γ-radiation of sorghum to examine the efficiency of gamma irradiation doses in quality attributes and storability of sorghum grain. Infested sorghum grains with the red flour beetle at the adult stage were irradiated at 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, and 2.0 kGy emitted by 60CO. Subsequently, the mortality rate of the red flour beetle as affected by gamma doses was estimated and the storability characteristics and nutritional value of sorghum grains were measured. Eventually, the Partial Least Squares regression (PLS) analysis was executed to confirm the optimum dose of gamma which eliminate the red flour beetle and enhanced the grain quality. Results provide that the storability characteristics were enhanced after treatments. However, the changes in the germination rate of the grains were not different significantly after radiation. On the other hand, the radiation process enhanced sorghum grins' nutritional quality. Both tannins and phytic acid content dropped significantly and the digestibility and solubility of protein were gradually incremented in the grains. The PLS results indicated that using 1 and 2 kGy reflect the utmost effective dosage for sorghum. It can be concluded that this method is a potent rapid and operative preservation process to the alternate smoking chemical procedure for improving sorghum's nutritional and functional quality and prolong its shelf life. Possibility of providing effective and rapid quarantine security as an alternative to chemical fumigation protocol to extend shelf life and enhance the nutritional and functional quality of sorghum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This examination studied if Esculeoside A (ESA) alleviates reproductive toxicity in a type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) rat model and if activating Nrf2 underlies this protection. T1DM was established by a single injection of STZ. Aged-matched adult control and STZ-DM rats were administered either the vehicle (5% carboxymethyl cellulose) or ESA (100 mg/kg). An additional group [STZ-DM + ESA (100 mg) + brusatol (2 m/kg] was added. All treatments were conducted for 16 weeks. ESA failed to attenuate weight loss, hyperglycemia, and hypoinsulinemia but significantly attenuated the associated dyslipidemia in STZ-DM rats. In parallel, ESA also enhanced total sperm count, motility, survival, reduced head and tail sperm abnormalities, increased circulatory concentrations of follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, and Luteinizing hormone (LH), and stimulated the testicular expression of several steroidogenic enzymes (StAR, CYP11A1, CYP17A1, 3β-HSD1) in STZ-DM rats. These observations were associated with a higher testicular increase in the transcription, protein levels, and nuclear activities of Nrf2 that coincided with a reduction in the total levels of MDA and keap1 and a significant increase in the total levels of some antioxidants such as HO-1, SOD, and GSH. In concomitance, ESA reduced the testicular mRNA and nuclear concentrations of NF-κB and depressed the levels of TNF-α and IL-6. Brusatol prevented all these protective effects of ESA. In conclusion, activation of Nrf2 triggers the protective potential of ESA against reproductive toxicity in STZ-DM rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the phytochemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial properties, and molecular docking of different solvents extracts (methanol and water) of two medicinal plants, namely, Capparis spinosa L (CS) and Rumex nervosus (RN). Phytochemical analysis showed that total phenol, flavonoids, alkaloids, and vitamin C were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher in the methanolic extract of both plants than in other solvents. However, tannin content was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) high in the water extract for both plants. Chloroform and acetone extracts were significantly lower in phytochemicals than other solvents, therefore excluded in this study. GC–MS analysis showed one dominant compound in CS (isopropyl isothiocyanate) and two in RN (pyrogallol and palmitic acid). The antioxidant methods applied (DPPH, ABTS, β-Carotene/linoleic acid assay, and reducing the power) showed that the methanolic extract of CS exerted higher activity in methanolic extract but lower than that of BHA standard. The methanolic extract of both plants inhibited the bacterial pathogens when a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method was applied, compared to water extract with RN-methanolic extract had a lower inhibition concentration than CS-methanolic extract. The molecular interactions study revealed that the palmitic acid and pyrogallol interacted with the receptors' active site. This work concluded that CS and RN showed a remarkable antioxidant and antibacterial effect with the high antimicrobial activity of RN extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a part of our continued effort to isolate and identify the pharmacological properties of polyphenols from Malus Sikkimensis , here in this work we have evaluated the neuroprotective effects of these polyphenols along with their antioxidant and antiplasmodial properties. The antioxidant potential of these bioactives was estimated using enzymatic and non-enzymatic methods of free radical generation, where phloretin (PT) displayed better antioxidant potential under both the conditions. Additionally, PT also exhibited significant antiplasmodial activity. Phloridzin (PZ) and phloretin (PT) were also studied for their effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced neuro-inflammation in rat (C6) glioma cells. Our results showed that pre-treatment of PZ and PT at 5 and 10 µg/ml concentrations significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) in a dose dependent manner. Additionally, PT exhibited more potent anti-inflammatory activity than PZ without any cytotoxic effects, as estimated using MTT assay. These findings suggest that PT possessed promising anti-neuroinflammatory potential along with antioxidant and antiplasmodial activities, which may be enhanced further by structural modification and chemical derivatization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract demonstrating the role of SIRT1 in the mechanism of protection of kaempferol against doxorubicin (DOX)-induced renal damage. Abbreviations: GSH (glutathione), SOD (superoxide dismutase), ROS (reactive oxygen species), TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, IL-6 (interleukin-6), MDA (malondialdehyde). [Display omitted] • Kaempferol effectively attenuated renal damage and dysfunction in DOX-treated rats. • Mechanisms of protection involve suppressing oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. • Activation and upregulation of SIRT1 underlie the protection afforded by kaempferol. This study examined if sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) signaling mediates the nephroprotective effect of kaempferol in doxorubicin (DOX)-treated rats. Rats were divided into control, kaempferol, DOX, kaempferol + DOX, and kaempferol + DOX + EX-527 (a SIRT1 inhibitor). Kaempferol preserved the kidney structure and function in DOX-treated rats by attenuating the impairment in urine volume, albumin/creatinine excretion, and creatinine clearance. It also reduced the renal expression of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 and the generation of the reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6 but stimulated levels of glutathione and superoxide dismutase and mRNA of Bcl2. Kaempferol also increased renal mRNA, protein levels, and nuclear activities of SIRT1 that was associated with increased acetylation of both the nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2) and the nuclear factor-kappa beta (NF-κB). These effects were prevented by co-treatment with EX-527. In conclusion, kaempferol alleviated DOX-induced nephropathy, at least by upregulating and activating SIRT1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ellagic acid protects against diabetic nephropathy. • EA suppressed the production of the reactive oxygen species (ROS). • EA increased the phosphorylation of Akt and GS3Kβ. This study examined if the protective effect of Ellagic acid (EA) against streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic nephropathy (DN) in rats involves activation of Nrf2. Diabetes mellitus was induced by a single i.p dose of STZ (65 mg/kg). The Rats were divided into 5 groups (n = 12/each) and treated for 8 weeks as control, control + EA (100 mg/kg), STZ, STZ + EA (100 mg/kg), and STZ + EA + trigonelline (Nrf2 inhibitor/0.2 mg/kg). EA prevented renal damage, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. These effects were associated with reduced activity of NF-κB, upregulated GSH, γ-GCL, and SOD, and increased the nuclear translocation of Nrf2. Besides, EA suppressed the cytoplasmic expression of keap1 and its interaction with Nrf2, increased the phosphorylation of Akt and GS3Kβ, and reduced the phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation of Fyn. All these alterations were abolished by trigonelline. In conclusion, EA ameliorates DN in rats by antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]