Publications by authors named "Houda Zrelli"

This study was designed to investigate Saudis' attitudes toward mental distress and psychotropic medication, attribution of causes, expected side effects, and to analyze participants' expectations toward alternative or complementary medicine using aromatic and medicinal plants, through a survey. The study included 674 participants (citizens and residents in Saudi Arabia) who were randomly contacted via email and social media and gave their consent to complete a questionnaire dealing with 39 items that can be clustered in six parts. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square for cross-tabulation were generated using SPSS.

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Obesity is a multifactorial disease caused by complex interactions between genes and dietary factors. Salt-rich diet is related to the development and progression of several chronic diseases including obesity. However, the molecular basis of how salt sensitivity genes (SSG) contribute to adiposity in obesity patients remains unexplored.

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic synovial autoinflammatory disease that destructs the cartilage and bone, leading to disability. The functional regulation of major immunity-related pathways like nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), which is involved in the chronic inflammatory reactions underlying the development of RA, remains to be explored. Therefore, this study has adopted statistical and knowledge-based systemic investigations (like gene correlation, semantic similarity, and topological parameters based on graph theory) to study the gene expression status of NF-κB protein family (NK) and its regulators in synovial tissues to trace the molecular pathways through which these regulators contribute to RA.

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Obesity is a multifactorial metabolic disorder characterized by low grade chronic inflammation. Rare and novel mutations in genes which are vital in several key pathways have been reported to alter the energy expenditure which regulates body weight. The or gene plays a prominent role in regulating various metabolic activities such as glycolysis, lipolysis, and glycogen synthesis.

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Obesity is connected to the activation of chronic inflammatory pathways in both adipocytes and macrophages located in adipose tissues. The nuclear factor (NF)-κB is a central molecule involved in inflammatory pathways linked to the pathology of different complex metabolic disorders. Investigating the gene expression data in the adipose tissue would potentially unravel disease relevant gene interactions.

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Hydroxytyrosol (HT), an olive plant (Olea europaea L.) polyphenol, has proven atheroprotective effects. We previously demonstrated that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is involved in the HT dependent prevention of dysfunction induced by oxidative stress in vascular endothelial cells (VECs).

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This study investigated the atheroprotective properties of olive oil polyphenol, hydroxytyrosol (HT), in combination with carbon monoxide-releasing molecule-2 (CORM-2) that acts as a carbon monoxide donor using vascular endothelial cells (VECs). Our results showed that CORM-2 could strengthen the cytoprotective and anti-apoptotic effects of HT against TNFα-induced cellular damage by enhancing cell survival and the suppression of caspase-3 activation. While HT alone attenuated NFκBp65 phosphorylation and IκBα degradation triggered by TNFα in a dose-dependent manner, combined treatment of HT with CORM-2 but not iCORM-2 nearly completely blocked these TNFα effects.

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Aims: Indoxyl sulfate, a uremic toxin, is considered a risk factor for arteriosclerosis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We previously reported the actions of indoxyl sulfate including crosstalk with platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The present study examines whether indoxyl sulfate enhances angiotensin II (Ang II) signaling because serum levels of Ang II are elevated in patients with CKD.

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Olive oil has been shown to exhibit beneficial effects in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases although its molecular mechanism still remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effect of hydroxytyrosol (HT), a major phenolic component in olive oil and leaves from OLEA EUROPAEA L. (Oleaceae family), on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) survival, migration, and apoptosis.

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Reactive oxygen species are critically involved in the endothelial dysfunction that contributes to atherosclerosis development. Hydroxytyrosol (HT), a main phenolic compound in olive oil and leaves from Olea europaea L., has antiatherogenic properties with powerful antioxidant activity.

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Hydroxytyrosol (HT), a phenolic compound in olive oil and leaves, has been reported to prevent various human pathologies including cardiovascular diseases. This study investigated the effects of HT on proliferation and protection against oxidative stress-induced damage in vascular endothelial cells (VECs) and the molecular mechanism(s) involved. Treatment of VECs with HT increased cell proliferation, promoted wound repair, and protected cells against H(2)O(2) cytotoxicity through the activation of Akt and ERK1/2, but not p38 MAPK.

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