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The purpose of this research was to determine mitochondrial and lysosomal damage and oxidative stress status in blood lymphocytes of lead-zinc miners. This research was performed in 10 mine workers who have been in contact with lead and zinc in comparison to a control group containing 10 healthy volunteers. Lymphocytes were isolated from peripheral blood using the Ficoll standard method and then mitochondrial and lysosomal damage and oxidative stress were evaluated. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), collapse in the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) collapse, and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) content, and lysosomal damage in miners were higher than the control group. Also, viability and glutathione (GSH) content were decreased. The lymphocytes of workers of a lead-zinc mine are more susceptible to oxidative stress, mitochondrial and lysosomal damage. The proper use of safety equipment can reduce the risk of toxic agents and their subsequent hazards for mine workers.

Hippocampal synaptic dysfunction, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and neuronal loss play critical roles in the pathophysiology of diabetes‐associated cognitive decline (DACD). The study aimed to investigate the effects of vanillic acid (VA), a phenolic compound, against DACD and explore the potential underlying mechanisms. Following confirmation of diabetes, rats were treated with VA (50 mg/kg/day; P.O.) or insulin (6 IU/rat/day; S.C.) for 8 consecutive weeks. The cognitive performance of the rats was evaluated using passive‐avoidance and water‐maze tasks. Long‐term potentiation (LTP) was induced at hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) synapses in response to high‐frequency stimulation (HFS) applied to the perforant pathway (PP) to evaluate synaptic plasticity. Oxidative stress factors, inflammatory markers, and histological changes were evaluated in the rat hippocampus. This study showed that streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetes caused cognitive decline that was associated with inhibition of LTP induction, suppression of enzymatic antioxidant activities, enhanced lipid peroxidation, elevated levels of inflammatory proteins, and neuronal loss. Interestingly, chronic treatment with VA alleviated blood glucose levels, improved cognitive decline, ameliorated LTP impairment, modulated oxidative‐antioxidative status, inhibited inflammatory response, and prevented neuronal loss in diabetic rats at a level comparable to insulin therapy. The results suggest that the antihyperglycemic, antioxidative, anti‐inflammatory, and neuroplastic properties of VA may be the mechanisms behind its neuroprotective effect against DACD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: Hyperalgesia is one of the current complications of diabetes mellitus that Oxidative stress and inflammation have principal role in its development. Ellagic Acid (EA) as a herbal component, has some biological activities, including antioxidant and antiinflammatory effects. This study was designed to evaluate the possible beneficial effect of EA on hyperalgesia in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat. Materials and Methods: Rats were divided into control(vehicle received), diabetic, EA (25, 50 mg/kg)-treated control and EA(25, 50 mg/kg)-treated diabetic groups. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal (IP) injection of streptozotocin (STZ) (60 mg/Kg). EA was administered daily by oral gavage for 4 weeks. Hyperalgesia was assessed using tail flick (TF) and hot plate (HP) tests. Also, oxidative stress markers including malondialdehyde (MDA), total oxidant status (TOS) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in the serum were evaluated. Results: Diabetic animals showed marked reductions in TF and HP latencies, elevation of serum MDA level and TOS and diminution of serum TAC compared to controls significantly. Treatment of Diabetic rats with EA ameliorated reduction of TF latency at the dose of 25 mg/kg and HP latency at the dose of 50 mg/kg. Furthermore EA significantly increased TAC and decreased MDA level at dose of 50 mg/kg and reduced TOS at both doses in the serum of diabetic animals. In EA treated normal rats we could see no significant alterations in the parameters studied. Conclusion: These results displayed potent antinociceptive effect of EA in diabetic rats via attenuating oxidative stress. This proposes therapeutic potential of EA for damping diabetic hyperalgesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: The cardiac angiogenesis is one of the complications of diabetes. The oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between the production of free radicals and antioxidant defense of the body. In diabetes mellitus, hyperglycemia induces increased oxidative stress through biological processes. Diabetes is also associated with reduced antioxidant defense by reducing glutathione, catalase, and superoxide dismutase. Rosa damascena Mill has antioxidant properties. This study aimed to investigate the effects of hydroalcoholic extract of R. damascena Mill on cardiac angiogenesis in diabetic rats. Methods: In this experimental study carried out in 2016, a total of 48 adult male Wistar rats (190-200 g) were randomly divided into 8 groups (n = 6) including control, extracts (200, 400, and 1000 mg/kg), diabetic, and diabetic plus extracts (200, 400, and 1000 mg/kg). Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of streptozotocin (STZ) (50 mg/kg) and the rats were gavaged with different doses of extract for 30 days. At the end of the treatment, serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were determined by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay and the rat hearts were removed for immunohistochemistry study. Results: The treatment with hydroalcoholic extract of R. damascene Mill had no significant effect on cardiac capillary density [F (7, 40) = 0.5, P > 0.05] and the serum levels of VEGF [F (7, 40) = 0.406, P > 0.05]. However, there was no significant difference in blood glucose level in extract groups compared to control rats as well as diabetic plus extract groups compared to diabetic rats [F (7,40) = 0.787, P > 0.05]. Conclusion: According to our results, the hydroalcoholic extract of R. damascene Mill had no effect on cardiac angiogenesis in the normal and diabetic subjects. These findings were probably due to the insufficient amounts of effective ingredients, especially flavonoids, in this plant, or the duration of extract administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) such as perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) are stable chemicals that accumulate in biological matrix. Toxicity of these compounds including immunotoxicity has been demonstrated in experimental models and wildlife. Although limited number of studies examined the effects of PFOS on human lymphocytes but so far no research has investigated the complete mechanisms of PFOS cytotoxicity toward human lymphocytes. The main goal of this investigation was to find out the mechanisms underlying the cytotoxic effect of PFOS toward human lymphocytes using accelerated cytotoxicity mechanisms screening (ACMS) technique. Human lymphocytes were isolated from blood of healthy donors using Ficoll-paquePLUS standard method. Cell viability was determined following 12 h of incubation of human lymphocytes with 100-500 μM PFOS. Our results showed that IC50 concentration (163.5 μM) of PFOS reduced viability of human lymphocytes approximately 50% via increased ROS formation, lipid peroxidation, glutathione depletion and damage to cell sub organelles such as mitochondria and lysosomes. Besides, in this study we demonstrated involvement of cellular proteolysis and activation of caspase-3 in PFOS induced lymphocyte cytotoxicity. We finally concluded that at environmentally related concentration, PFOS can induce toxic effect toward human lymphocytes through induction of oxidative stress and damage to cell sub organelles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context:High-fat diet (HFD) can cause deficits in learning and memory through oxidative stress and increase Alzheimer disease risk.Rosa damascenaMill. (Rosaceae) extract possesses potent antioxidant properties. Objective:This study investigated the effects of the hydroalcoholic extracts of petals ofR. damascenaon learning and memory in male rats consuming an HFD. Materials and methods:Forty male Wistar rats (200–250 g) were randomly assigned to four groups: control,R. damascenaextract, HFD and HFD + extract. The extract (1 g/kg bw daily) was administered by oral gavage for 1 month. Animals were allowed free access to high-fat chow for 3 months. The Morris water maze and the passive avoidance learning tests were used to assess learning and memory. Results:In the passive avoidance learning test, the step-through latencies in the retention test (STLr) of the extract (147.4 ± 23.3) and HFD (150.3 ± 25.2) groups were significantly lower than those of the control group (270.4 ± 10.5) (respectively,p < 0.001 andp < 0.01). STLr was significantly higher in the HFD + extract group (265.3 ± 10.6) than in the HFD group (150.3 ± 25.2) (p < 0.01). Time spent in the dark compartment (TDC) in the HFD + extract group (5.3 ± 2.6) was significantly lower than that in the HFD group (85.8 ± 19.1) (p < 0.05). Discussion and conclusion:Our results indicate that, while HFD orR. damascenaextract alone leads to memory deficits,R. damascenaextract exerted a positive effect on HFD-induced memory deficits. We hypothesize that the observed effects ofR. damascenaextract are likely due to its strong antioxidant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are a member of nanomaterials family that have been produced on a large scale and their toxicity affected by their high surface-to-volume ratio. The hemolytic toxic effects of metal oxide NPs may be completely different from those observed in their bulk counterparts. So, the main purpose of this research was to measure the difference between the hemolytic effects of ZnO (NPs and bulk) on isolated human red blood cells (RBCs). Hemolysis was measured after incubation of human RBCs with 0.01–1 mM of ZnO (bulk and NPs) for 6 h. For measurement of other variables, human RBCs were treated with 0.1 mM of ZnO (NPs and bulk) for 1, 2, and 3 h. Our results demonstrate that bulk ZnO did not show any toxic effects in the concentrations tested, while ZnO NPs caused toxic hemolytic effects through formation of ROS, lipid peroxidation, and glutathione depletion.