Effects of long- and short-term darbepoetin-α treatment on oxidative stress, inflammation and endothelial injury in ApoE knockout mice.

Background: Atherosclerosis and atherosclerosis-related complications are the main cause of death in the world. Vascular injury in response to inflammation and enhanced oxidant stress promotes endothelial dysfunction and leads to atherosclerotic lesions.

Objectives: Low-dose treatment with darbepoetin-α may be a potential therapeutic tool for endothelial injury and atherosclerosis.

Redox Control of Multidrug Resistance and Its Possible Modulation by Antioxidants.

Clinical efficacy of anticancer chemotherapies is dramatically hampered by multidrug resistance (MDR) dependent on inherited traits, acquired defence against toxins, and adaptive mechanisms mounting in tumours. There is overwhelming evidence that molecular events leading to MDR are regulated by redox mechanisms. For example, chemotherapeutics which overrun the first obstacle of redox-regulated cellular uptake channels (MDR1, MDR2, and MDR3) induce a concerted action of phase I/II metabolic enzymes with a temporal redox-regulated axis.

Radiation triggering immune response and inflammation.

Radiation therapy (RT) is a well-established but still under optimization branch of Cancer Therapy (CT). RT uses electromagnetic waves or charged particles in order to kill malignant cells, by accumulating the energy onto these cells. The issue at stake for RT, as well as for any other Cancer Therapy technique, is always to kill only cancer cells, without affecting the surrounding healthy ones.

Epoxomicin Sensitizes Resistant Osteosarcoma Cells to TRAIL Induced Apoptosis.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the second most common primary malign bone neoplasm after multiple myeloma. Despite systemic chemotherapy, OS may give rise to local recurrences and metastases. Resistance to chemotherapy is not rare and is likely to occur in a high number of patients.

Natural product modulators to overcome multidrug resistance in cancer.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a condition that makes cells simultaneously unresponsive to different drugs, unrelated to their chemical structure and mechanism of action. MDR caused by the presence and overexpression of ABC transporters makes obstacles in cancer treatment and lower the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Natural products are investigated by many researchers as MDR modulators for their low toxicity and potent, selective behavior.

Bleomycin-induced trans lipid formation in cell membranes and in liposome models.

Cell cultures of NTera-2 cells incubated with bleomycin and liposomes as biomimetic models of cell membranes were used for examining some novel aspects of drug-metal induced reactivity with unsaturated lipids under oxidative conditions. In cell cultures, bleomycin was found for the first time to cause the formation of trans fatty acids. The chemical basis of this transformation was ascertained by liposome experiments, using bleomycin-iron complexes in the presence of thiol as a reducing agent that by incubation at 37 °C gave rise to the thiyl radical-catalysed double bond isomerisation of membrane phospholipids.

Advanced oxidation protein products and ischaemia-modified albumin in obstructive sleep apnea.

Background: Several studies have shown that obstructive sleep apnea increases incidence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The high systemic oxidative stress in obstructive sleep apnea has been considered as a major pathogenic mechanism leading to cardiovascular disease. Oxidative stress-related lipid and DNA oxidation in obstructive sleep apnea have been reported in the previous studies.

Increased plasma soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 and myeloperoxidase activity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Purpose/aim: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by recurrent respiratory disorders associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The increment of systemic inflammation in OSA has been considered as the major pathogenic mechanism leading to cardiovascular diseases. There is limited and conflicting information in the literature investigating myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (sTNF-R1) levels in OSA patients.

Bleomycin induced sensitivity to TRAIL/Apo-2L-mediated apoptosis in human seminomatous testicular cancer cells is correlated with upregulation of death receptors.

The most common solid tumor is testicular cancer among young men. Bleomycin is an antitumor antibiotic used for the therapy of testicular cancer. TRAIL is a proapoptotic cytokine that qualified as an apoptosis inducer in cancer cells.

Cisplatin loaded PMMA: mechanical properties, surface analysis and effects on Saos-2 cell culture.

Objective: Despite wide resection and systemic chemotherapy, bone tumors may present with local recurrences, metastases and pathological fractures. Application of bone cement containing antineoplastic drug to fill the defect after resection of metastatic lesions and to support implants has been suggested to prevent local tumor growth and implant failures. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the effects of the addition of cisplatin which is a widely used antineoplastic drug for osteosarcoma, on the mechanical properties of bone cement, and to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of eluted cisplatin on Saos-2 cell culture.

Low serum copeptin levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Purpose: Copeptin, the C-terminal fragment of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), is a new biomarker that has been found to be elevated in several cardiovascular disorders and is related with prognosis. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea demonstrate a tendency to develop coronary and cerebral atherosclerotic disease. Our aim was to investigate copeptin levels in untreated new diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea patients without manifest cardiovascular disorders in order to determine whether copeptin could be used as a biomarker in this group.

N-acetyl-L-cysteine inhibits bleomycin induced apoptosis in malignant testicular germ cell tumors.

Antioxidants may prevent apoptosis of cancer cells via inhibiting reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, to date no study has been carried out to elucidate the effects of strong antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on Bleomycin induced apoptosis in human testicular cancer (NTERA-2, NT2) cells. For this reason, we studied the effects of Bleomycin and NAC alone and in combination on apoptotic signaling pathways in NT2 cell line.

Effects of N-acetyl-L-cysteine on bleomycin induced oxidative stress in malignant testicular germ cell tumors.

Testicular cancer is a very common cancer in males aged 15-44 years. Bleomycin is used in chemotherapy regimens in the treatment of patients having testicular germ-cell tumor. Bleomycin generates oxygen radicals, induces oxidative cleavage of DNA strand and induces apoptosis in cancer cells.

Effects of curcumin on bleomycin‑induced oxidative stress in malignant testicular germ cell tumors.

Bleomycin is commonly used in the treatment of testicular cancer. Bleomycin generates oxygen radicals, induces the oxidative cleavage of DNA strands and induces cancer cell apoptosis. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is a potent antioxidant and chief component of the spice turmeric.

Synergistic anticancer activity of curcumin and bleomycin: an in vitro study using human malignant testicular germ cells.

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer among young men of reproductive age. Bleomycin is a frequently used drug for the treatment of several malignancies and is part of the chemotherapy protocols used for testicular cancer; however, side-effects are common. Bleomycin causes an increase in oxidative stress which has been shown to induce apoptosis in cancer cells.

Oxidases and oxygenases in regulation of neutrophil redox pathways in Behçet's disease patients.

This study aimed to determine plasma and neutrophil oxidase activities that may contribute to vascular inflammation in Behçet's disease (BD) patients. Cyclooxygenase (COX), NADPH oxidase and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was determined in neutrophils isolated from BD patients and healthy controls. Functional assay of NADPH oxidase was significantly increased in BD patients, both at basal conditions and in response to fMLP stimulation.

Manganese porphyrin reduces retinal injury induced by ocular hypertension in rats.

This study aimed to clarify the possible therapeutic benefit of preferential nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition and catalytic antioxidant Mn (III) meso-tetrakis (N-n-hexylpyridinium-2-yl) porphyrin (MnTnHex-2-PyP(5+)) treatment in a rat model of elevated intraocular pressure (EIOP). Rats were randomly divided into different experimental groups which received either intraperitoneal MnTnHex-2-PyP(5+) (0.1 mg/kg/day), intragastric NOS inhibitor (S-methylthiourea: SMT; 5 mg/kg/day) or both agents for a period of 6 weeks.

Suppressive effect of astaxanthin on retinal injury induced by elevated intraocular pressure.

The aim of this study was to clarify the possible protective effect of astaxanthin (ASX) on the retina in rats with elevated intraocular pressure (EIOP). Rats were randomly divided into two groups which received olive oil or 5mg/kg/day ASX for a period of 8 weeks. Elevated intraocular pressure was induced by unilaterally cauterizing three episcleral vessels and the unoperated eye served as control.

Effect of astaxanthin on hepatocellular injury following ischemia/reperfusion.

This study investigated the effect of astaxanthin (ASX; 3,3-dihydroxybeta, beta-carotene-4,4-dione), a water-dispersible synthetic carotenoid, on liver ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Astaxanthin (5 mg/kg/day) or olive oil was administered to rats via intragastric intubation for 14 consecutive days before the induction of hepatic IR. On the 15th day, blood vessels supplying the median and left lateral hepatic lobes were occluded with an arterial clamp for 60 min, followed by 60 min reperfusion.

Oxidative and nitrative stress markers in glaucoma.

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy and is the leading cause of blindness in the United States and other industrialized countries. Elevated pressure in the eye is a risk factor for glaucoma and indeed experimental studies of induced pressure elevation in nonhuman primate's results in typical glaucomatous optic nerve damage. However, normal intraocular pressure can also lead to loss of vision in glaucoma.