Protective Effects of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. on Gentamicin-induced Oxidative Stress and Nephrotoxicity in Rats.

Development of a therapy providing protection from, or reversing gentamicin-sulfate (GS)-induced oxidative stress and nephrotoxicity would be of great clinical significance. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (HC) against gentamicin sulfate-induced renal damage in rats.

Evaluation of Oxidative DNA Damage Using an Alkaline Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis (SCGE) Comet Assay, and the Protective Effects of N-Acetylcysteine Amide on Zearalenone-induced Cytotoxicity in Chang Liver Cells.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a non-steroidal estrogenic mycotoxin produced by several species of Fusarium that are found in cereals and agricultural products. ZEN has been implicated in mycotoxicosis in farm animals and in humans. The toxic effects of ZEN are well known, but the ability of an alkaline Comet assay to assess ZEN-induced oxidative DNA damage in Chang liver cells has not been established.

Cytotoxicity and the induction of the stress protein Hsp 70 in Chang liver cells in response to zearalenone-induced oxidative stress.

Zearalenone (ZEN) has been implicated in several cases of mycotoxicosis in farm animals and humans. The toxic effects of ZEN have been well characterized, but little is known regarding the mechanisms of ZEN toxicity, including the involvement of the oxidative stress pathway. Using Chang liver cells as a model, the aim of this study was to determine if ZEN could elevate the expression of the heat shock protein Hsp 70, induce cytotoxicity and modulate the levels of glutathione (GSH) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS).

protective effect of tetracycline against dermal toxicity induced by Jellyfish venom.

Background: Previously, we have reported that most, if not all, of the Scyphozoan jellyfish venoms contain multiple components of metalloproteinases, which apparently linked to the venom toxicity. Further, it is also well known that there is a positive correlation between the inflammatory reaction of dermal tissues and their tissue metalloproteinase activity. Based on these, the use of metalloproteinase inhibitors appears to be a promising therapeutic alternative for the treatment of jellyfish envenomation.

Fucoidan from seaweed Fucus vesiculosus inhibits migration and invasion of human lung cancer cell via PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathways.

Background: Recently there has been an increased interest in the pharmacologically active natural products associated with remedies of various kinds of diseases, including cancer. Fucoidan is a polysaccharide derived from brown seaweeds and has long been used as an ingredient in some dietary supplement products. Although fucoidan has been known to have anti-cancer activity, the anti-metastatic effects and its detailed mechanism of actions have been poorly understood.

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) increases glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity in muscle cells via multipathway mechanisms.

Saffron (Crocus sativus Linn.) has been an important subject of research in the past two decades because of its various biological properties, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-atherosclerotic activities. On the other hand, the molecular bases of its actions have been scarcely understood.

Evaluation of the genotoxicity of extracts of Houttuynia cordata Thunb.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the activity of methanol extracts from Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (HC) in a reverse mutation assay in Salmonella typhimurium, and a chromosome aberration assay in the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line and to evaluate its effect on the occurrence of polychromatic erythrocytes in mice. In the reverse mutation assay using Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, and TA1537 and Escherichia coli WP2urvA(-), methanol extracts of HC (5, 2.

Target organ identification of jellyfish envenomation using systemic and integrative analyses in anesthetized dogs.

Proper treatment of jellyfish envenomed patients can be successfully achieved only from an understanding of the overall functional changes and alterations in physiological parameters under its envenomation. The majority of previous investigations on jellyfish venoms have covered only a couple of parameters at a time. Unlike most other fragmentary jellyfish studies, we employed an integrative toxicological approach, including hemodynamics, clinical chemistry and hematology analyses, using N.

Antimetastatic activity of polyphenol-rich extract of Ecklonia cava through the inhibition of the Akt pathway in A549 human lung cancer cells.

An ethyl acetate extract (ECE) of a brown alga, Ecklonia cava, was examined for its anti-metastatic effect, using A549 human lung carcinoma cells. ECE treatment significantly suppressed the migration and invasion of A549 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. It also strongly down-regulated the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 activity of the cancer cells by gelatin zymography assay.

Scyphozoan jellyfish venom metalloproteinases and their role in the cytotoxicity.

The present study, for the first time, comparatively investigated the enzymatic activities (proteases and hyaluronidases) in the venoms of four Scyphozoan jellyfish species, including Nemopilema nomurai, Rhopilema esculenta, Cyanea nozakii, and Aurelia aurita. For this, various zymographic analyses were performed using assay specific substrates. Interestingly, all the four jellyfish venoms showed gelatinolytic, caseinolytic, and fibrinolytic activities, each of which contains a multitude of enzyme components with molecular weights between 17 and 130 kDa.

Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of the methanol extracts from 8 traditional medicinal plants.

The methanol extract of 12 medicinal plants were evaluated for its antibacterial activity against Gram-positive (5 strains) and Gram-negative bacteria (10 strains) by assay for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bacterial concentration (MBC) . The antibacterial activity was determined by an agar dilution method (according to the guidelines of Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute) . All the compounds (12 extracts) of the 8 medicinal plants (leaf or root) were active against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.

Evaluation of Antioxidative Activity of Leaves on Non-lipid Oxidative Damage.

Present study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidative activity of the leaves on non-lipid oxidative damage. The antioxidative activity of methanolic (MeOH) extract of the leaves on non-lipid oxidation, including liposome oxidation, deoxyribose oxidation, protein oxidation, chelating activity against metal ions, scavenging activity against hydrogen peroxide, scavenging activity against hydroxyl radical and 2'-deoxyguanosine (2'-dG) oxidation were investigated. The MeOH extract of the leaves exhibited high antioxidative activity in the liposome model system.

Brown alga Ecklonia cava attenuates type 1 diabetes by activating AMPK and Akt signaling pathways.

The antidiabetic therapeutic effect of Ecklonia cava, a brown alga, was investigated using streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes mellitus rats and C2C12 myoblasts. The methanol extract of E. cava (ECM), having a strong radical scavenging activity, significantly reduced plasma glucose level and increased insulin concentration in type 1 diabetes mellitus rats.

Proteinaceous cytotoxic component of Allium sativum induces apoptosis of INT-407 intestinal cells.

Garlic has long been known for its wide array of therapeutic effects, including hypolipidemic, antihypertensive, antimicrobial, and possibly anticancer effects; conversely, some adverse effects of garlic, such as acute pain and neurogenic inflammation, have also been reported. However, information detailing the toxicological significance of garlic is scarce. In this study, the cytotoxicities of fresh garlic extract (FGE) and boiled garlic extract (BGE) and their underlying toxic mechanisms were investigated using INT-407 intestinal epithelial cells.

Cytotoxicity and hemolytic activity of jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) venom.

The recent bloom of a giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai has caused a danger to sea bathers and fishery damages in the waters of China, Korea, and Japan. The present study investigated the cytotoxic and hemolytic activities of crude venom extract of N. nomurai using a number of in vitro assays.

Mutual synergistic toxicity between environmental toxicants: A study of mercury chloride and 4-nonylphenol.

Mercury chloride (HgCl(2)) and 4-nonylphenol (NP) are widespread environmental and industrial pollutants that are known to have toxic effects as well as endocrine disrupting activities. Although the individual effects of HgCl(2) and NP in liver have been relatively well recognized, little is known about the interaction of NP and HgCl(2) during the induction of their toxicity. In the current study, we investigated the synergism between HgCl(2) and NP using HepG2 cells.

Cleavage of focal adhesion kinase is an early marker and modulator of oxidative stress-induced apoptosis.

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a signaling molecule associated with cell survival. Previously, we showed that thimerosal, a reactive oxygen species (ROS) generator, can acutely induce FAK tyrosine phosphorylation (within minutes) and chronically induce apoptosis (within days) by redox modulation in HeLa S cells. In the present study, we report that a prolonged oxidative stress by thimerosal induces a remarkable cleavage of FAK, which is accompanied with apoptosis.

Cardiovascular effects of Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) jellyfish venom in rats.

Over the past few years, populations of the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) have increased dramatically in the waters of China, Korea, and Japan without any definitive reason. This has resulted in severe damage to fisheries in the areas. During a pilot study, we observed that the venom of N.

Thimerosal induces oxidative stress in HeLa S epithelial cells.

Thimerosal is one of the most widely used preservatives and is found in a variety of biological products, including vaccines, contact lens cleaning solutions, and cosmetics. It has been reported to have harmful effects on epithelial tissues, such as causing conjunctivitis or contact dermatitis. However, the molecular mechanism of its toxicity has not been characterized using epithelial tissues.