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Objectives: Cell adhesion molecules play a major role in various pathological states. The aim of this study was to evaluate the tissue levels of selectins (E-, L-, and P-Selectins), activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM) and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) in intracranial meningiomas and compare with the levels in control tissues., Patients and Methods: 20 consecutive patients who were operated on meningiomas (grade-I: 17 and grade-II: 3) and 15 cerebral tissues obtained during the autopsy procedures as a resource for the healthy controls were included in this study., Results: All three selectins', ALCAM and PECAM-1 levels were found to be significantly higher in meningiomas when compared with the control tissues (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.05, p<0.001), respectively., Conclusions: According to our results, the adhesion molecules were found to be higher in meningiomas suggesting that they may be involved in the pathological process of this type of brain tumors. We conceive that developing alternate therapies such as immunotherapeutic approaches against brain tumors might be amendatory in the treatment. Since this is the first study performed in meningioma type brain tumors demonstrating and comparing the levels of various adhesion molecules with control tissues, further clinical and experimental studies are needed to support our current findings with higher number of patients., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess oxidant and antioxidant status in patients with common brain tumors; namely meningiomas, low-grade gliomas (LGG) and high-grade gliomas (HGG) and to compare with normal brain tissues., Patients and Methods: Almost nine biomarkers were measured in 59 brain tumors obtained during surgery and 15 normal brain tissues that were collected during autopsy. Results were compared between two groups., Results: In general, protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation increased while antioxidant capacity decreased significantly in tumors compared to the controls (p<0.05) and higher the grade of the tumor, higher the levels of oxidation and lower the anti-oxidation., Conclusions: Reactive oxygen species may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of these common brain tumors. As the processes at the molecular level understood, targeted-treatment adjunct to surgical removal will be possible to cope with these devastating brain tumors., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objectives: Elevated levels of lipid peroxidation and changes in the concentration of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems have been reported in various cancers, but there are very few reports available of lipid peroxidation due to oxidative stress in patients with intracranial neoplasms. The purpose of this study was to assess alterations in lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status in different types of tumors and to compare the results with their relative peritumoral tissues and compare the oxidative status in different grades of tumors., Patients and Methods: We investigated the extent of oxidative stress and the levels of antioxidants in 16 astrocytomas and 38 other different types intracranial tumors comparing the results with their corresponding peritumoral tissues and comparing the levels in between low-grade and high-grade tumors. The extent of lipid peroxidation as evidenced by the formation of thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances (TBARS), as well as the status of the antioxidant systems such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in tumor tissues and adjacent peritumoral tissues was estimated. The tumoral tissues were also compared as to their degrees of malignancy., Results: According to our results lipid peroxidation in brain tumor tissues was enhanced compared to the corresponding adjacent peritumoral tissues. This was accompanied by a significant tumoral decrease in both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. The low levels of antioxidants in tumor tissues, might be related to an increased use of antioxidant systems to scavenge lipid peroxides. Also a striking elevation in TBARS levels, and decrease in SOD activity and GSH levels were seen in high-grade tumors when compared with low grades., Conclusion: These findings emphasize a consistent difference in the level of antioxidants between the tumoral sample and its corresponding peritumoral tissue, independently of the tumoral type, and the most pivotal action would seem to minimise exposure to endogenous and exogenous sources of oxidative stress.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess oxidative DNA damage and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in patients with transitional meningioma (TM) and to compare the results with normal brain tissues., Patients and Methods: Oxidative DNA damage and TAC were evaluated in TM extracted from 22 patients and in normal brain tissues of 15 subjects who underwent autopsy within first 4h of death. Oxidative DNA damage was assessed by measuring 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) using the 8-OH-dG enzyme immunoassay kit, a quantitative assay for 8-OH-dG, and TAC was analyzed using the ImAnOx colorimetric test system for the determination of antioxidative capacity. The results were compared between two groups and any correlation between 8-OH-dG and TAC was sought., Results: The median level of TAC in TM (135nmol/gwet tissue) was remarkably lower than in normal brain tissue (298nmol/gwet tissue). The difference was statistically significant (p=0.00001). In contrast, oxidative DNA damage was significantly higher in patients with TM (71.61ng/gwet tissue) than in controls (34.71ng/gwet tissue). Again, the difference was statistically significant (p=0.00001). We also found a negative correlation between oxidative DNA damage and TAC (p<0.001)., Conclusion: These findings show that the degree of oxidative DNA damage is increased and TAC is decreased in TM and oxidative DNA damage is negatively correlated with the levels of TAC.

Susceptibility to epilepsy as well as BBB dysfunction in some pathological conditions varies depending on sex difference. It has recently been shown that systemically given NO donor and antagonists modify the nature of seizures induced by PTZ (pentylenetetrazol) differently in male and female rats. This study investigates the role of NO on BBB permeability in PTZ seizures with sex differences using NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), and NOS inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Nitrite+nitrate levels as indices of NO generation in the brain were also assessed. L-NAME prolonged seizure latency in male rats, seizure intensity and seizure duration were lessened. L-NAME depicted opposite effects in seizure nature in female rats. SNP prolonged seizure latency, while seizure intensity and duration were lessened only in female rats. L-NAME in male rats increased L-NAME use in female rats (not in male rats) which resulted in a more leaky BBB especially in midbrain, thalamus, hippocampus, corpus striatum and cerebellum whereas SNP use in male rats and not in female rats resulted in pronounced BBB opening in all brain regions studied than PTZ per se. L-NAME while decreasing nitrite+nitrate levels in male rat brains, acted in an opposite fashion in females. SNP use depicted an inverse picture with respect to L-NAME, with an opposite action in different sexes. This study reveals that NO effect on BBB in PTZ-induced seizures depends unequivocally on sex difference. The sex-dependent action of NO in seizures and in CNS pathologies warrants further investigation.