Search

Objective: The dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet is a healthy dietary pattern that may have advantageous effects on oxidative stress and antioxidant status. This study evaluated the relationship between adherence to the dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet with total antioxidant capacity and markers of oxidative stress in healthy young women. Methods: In this study, 155 young girls were included. A validated food frequency questionnaire was employed to explore the dietary intake of participants. The total antioxidant capacity and free radical scavenging activity of serum and urine were quantified using the ferric reducing/antioxidant power and α, α-diphenyl -β-picrylhydrazyl methods, respectively. Malondialdehyde was measured through the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. A colorimetric assay was used to quantify pro-oxidant antioxidant balance. Results: Individuals with the greatest adherence to dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet consumed more fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, nuts, legumes, and seeds and lower intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and sodium compared to those with the lowest adherence. Women with the greatest adherence to the dietary approaches to stop hypertension style diet (those in the third tertile) were more likely to have a lower urinary ferric reducing/antioxidant power, α, α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl, and malondialdehyde than those in the first tertile (P < .05). In logistic regression, a higher adherence to a dietary approaches to stop hypertension pattern was associated with lower levels of urinary ferric reducing/antioxidant power (odds ratio = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.71-0.94, P = .005), urinary α, α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (odds ratio = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.28-0.78, P = .003), and urinary malondialdehyde (odds ratio = 0.13; 95% CI: 0.02-0.81, P = .029). Conclusion: Adherence to the dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet was related to better oxidative stress and antioxidant capacities in healthy young girls of an Iranian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): Ferula is a genus of the family Apiaceae and it includes around 170 species of flowering plants mostly native to the Mediterranean region and eastern to central Asia. In Iran, Ferula spp. are widely used in cuisine and traditional medicine. This review discusses the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory activities of different species of Ferula. Materials and Methods: To prepare the present review, Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science scientific databases were searched to retrieve relevant articles published from 1985 until December 2020. Results: Based on our literature review, Ferula plants and their derivatives decrease the levels of inflammatory mediators and exert anti-apoptotic effects. Under oxidative stress conditions, these plants and their constituents were shown to decrease oxidative markers such as malondialdehyde, reactive oxygen species, and nitric oxide but increase superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase activity, and glutathione level. Ferula plants and their constituents also showed immunomodulatory effects by affecting various cytokines. Besides, in vivo and in vitro studies showed hypotensive, neuroprotective, memory-enhancing, anti-oxidant, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, anticarcinogenic, anticytotoxic, antiobesity, and anthelmintic effects for various species of Ferula and their constituents. These plants also showed a healing effect on gynecological issues such as miscarriage, unusual pain, difficult menstruation, and leukorrhea. All these beneficial effects could have resulted from the antiinflammatory, anti-oxidant, and immunomodulatory effects of these plants and their constituents. Conclusion: Based on the available literature, members of the genus Ferula can be regarded as potential therapeutics against inflammatory conditions, oxidative stress, and immune dysregulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with oxidative stress-induced neuronal damage and death. In European and Persian Traditional Medicine, aerial parts (leaves, stems, and flowers) of Lavandula stoechas L. have been widely used for treating neurodegenerative disorders including PD. Aim of the study: Herein, the protective effects of L. stoechas methanol extract were investigated on 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative damage in PC12 cells. The cells were pretreated with a standardized L. stoechas methanol extract (2.5–20 μg/mL) for 24 h and exposed to 6-OHDA (200 μM) thereafter. The cell viability percentage was determined by AlamarBlue test. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was determined by a fluorimetric method using 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate and cellular apoptosis was assessed by the fluorescent probe propidium iodide test. Finally, the expression of proteins involved in apoptosis pathway (Phospho SAPK/JNK, SAPK/JNK, p44/42 MAPK (ERK1/2) and Poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP)) was measured via Western blot analysis. Treatment of PC12 cells with 6-OHDA could significantly increase cytotoxicity, ROS level, and cell apoptosis. Pretreatment of PC12 cells with the extract could significantly decrease 6-OHDA cytotoxicity, ROS production, (2.5 and 5 μg/mL) and cell apoptosis (5 μg/mL). Western blot analysis showed that 6-OHDA exposure could increase the expression of proteins involved in apoptosis signaling, while pretreatment with L. stoechas (5 μg/mL) reduced apoptotic proteins. The present study demonstrated that L. stoechas , which has been traditionally used in Persian Medicine for treating CNS diseases, is a valuable source of active compounds with neuroprotective, anti-oxidant, and anti-apoptotic activity. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]