The overexpression of human amylin in pancreatic β cells facilitate the appearance of amylin aggregates in the kidney contributing to diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy is one of the most frequent complications of diabetic patients and is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide. The complex physiopathology of this complication raises a challenge in the development of effective medical treatments. Therefore, a better understanding of this disease is necessary for producing more targeted therapies.

Physiological Doses of Oleic and Palmitic Acids Protect Human Endothelial Cells from Oxidative Stress.

Oxidative stress has been proposed to be a pathogenic mechanism to induce endothelial dysfunction and the onset of cardiovascular disease. Elevated levels of free fatty acids can cause oxidative stress by increasing mitochondrial uncoupling but, at physiological concentrations, they are essential for cell and tissue function and olive oil free fatty acids have proved to exhibit beneficial effects on risk factors for cardiovascular disease. We hypothesize that realistic concentrations within the physiological range of oleic (OA) and palmitic (PA) acids could be beneficial in the prevention of oxidative stress in vascular endothelium.

Biological Actions and Molecular Mechanisms of L. in Neurodegeneration: A Cell Culture Approach.

flowers (elderflower) have been widely used in traditional medicine for the relief of early symptoms of common cold. Its chemical composition mainly consists of polyphenolic compounds such as flavonoids, hydroxycinnamic acids, and triterpenes. Although the antioxidant properties of polyphenols are well known, the aim of this study is to assess the antioxidant and protective potentials of flowers in the human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cell line using different in vitro approaches.

Dietary Polyphenols in Metabolic and Neurodegenerative Diseases: Molecular Targets in Autophagy and Biological Effects.

Polyphenols represent a group of secondary metabolites of plants which have been analyzed as potent regulators of multiple biological processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy, among others. These natural compounds exhibit beneficial effects and protection against inflammation, oxidative stress, and related injuries including metabolic diseases, such as cardiovascular damage, obesity and diabetes, and neurodegeneration. This review aims to summarize the mechanisms of action of polyphenols in relation to the activation of autophagy, stimulation of mitochondrial function and antioxidant defenses, attenuation of oxidative stress, and reduction in cell apoptosis, which may be responsible of the health promoting properties of these compounds.

Identification of TRPV1 Ion Channels Agonists of Tropaeolum tuberosum in Human Skin Keratinocytes.

commonly known as Mashua, is an herbal remedy used in traditional Andean medicine for the relief of kidney and bladder pain, as well as contusions. This study aimed to evaluate the fractions and isolated compounds from with analgesic activity mediated by the transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 receptor. A bioguided phytochemical analysis based on NMR/MS was performed to identify the compounds of the -heptane fractions from samples of purple tubers of .

Cocoa Flavanols Protect Human Endothelial Cells from Oxidative Stress.

Oxidative stress may cause functional disorders of vascular endothelia which can lead to endothelial apoptosis and thus alter the function and structure of the vascular tissues. Plant antioxidants protect the endothelium against oxidative stress and then become an effective option to treat vascular diseases. Cocoa flavanols have been proven to protect against oxidative stress in cell culture and animal models.

Paronychia argentea Lam. protects renal endothelial cells against oxidative injury.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Paronychia argentea Lam. (Arabic tea), a species spontaneously growing in the Mediterranean area, has been used in folk medicine for renal diseases.

Aim Of The Study: To assess the antioxidant and protective potentials of different extracts from P.

Molecular Targets Involved in the Neuroprotection Mediated by Terpenoids.

Natural products and their derivatives represent the most consistently successful source of drug leads. Terpenoids, a structurally diverse group, are secondary metabolites widely distributed in nature, endowed with a wide range of biological activities such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, or neuroprotective effects, which consolidate their therapeutic value. During the last decades, and taking into consideration the prevalence of aging-related diseases, research activity into the neuroprotective effects of these types of compounds has increased enormously.

Vochysia rufa Stem Bark Extract Protects Endothelial Cells against High Glucose Damage.

Increased oxidative stress by persistent hyperglycemia is a widely accepted factor in vascular damage responsible for type 2 diabetes complications. The plant (Vr) has been used in folk medicine in Brazil for the treatment of diabetes. Thus; the protective effect of a Vr stem bark extract against a challenge by a high glucose concentration on EA.

Protective Effect of Silybum marianum and Silibinin on Endothelial Cells Submitted to High Glucose Concentration.

Gaertn. (Milk thistle) has been used since ancient times for the relief of liver diseases characterized by intense oxidative stress such as inflammatory liver disease and cirrhosis. As oxidative stress by hyperglycemia is involved in micro- and macrovascular complications of type 2 diabetes, our aim was to assess the protective effect of milk thistle seed extract against oxidative stress induced by a high glucose concentration on endothelial cells (EA.

Geographic origin influences the phenolic composition and antioxidant potential of wild Crataegus monogyna from Spain.

Context: Crataegus monogyna Jacq L. (Lind.) (Rosaceae) is used in folk medicine as a sedative, aerial parts being rich in polyphenols with antioxidant ability.

Current knowledge in Polypodium leucotomos effect on skin protection.

This article provides an overview of pharmacology, toxicity, pharmacokinetics and clinical data of Polypodium leucotomos L. (PL). PL aerial part has proven to exert antioxidant, photoprotective and immunomodulatory activities; its mechanism of action is complex and includes several activities: (1) PL diminishes the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS, RNS); (2) PL inhibits the photoisomerization of trans-urocanic acid (t-UCA); (3) PL inhibits apoptosis induced by ultraviolet radiation; (4) PL prevents damage to genetic material and (5) PL enhances DNA repair.

Effectiveness of Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil as antihypotensive agent in primary hypotensive patients and its influence on health-related quality of life.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: To study Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) essential oil effect on primary hypotension and its influence on both physical and psychological aspects responsible for health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients.

Methodology: Thirty-two patients with diagnosed hypotension were recruited between March 2007 and September 2008 for a prospective study for 72 weeks in a Spanish pharmacy. Clinical evaluation was carried out through the control of systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels (SBP and DBP, respectively) according to the International Standards from the American Society of Hypertension.

Ethnopharmacological study of medicinal plants used in the treatment of CNS disorders in Sinai Peninsula, Egypt.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: To provide ethnopharmacological information on the use of medicinal plants for central nervous system (CNS) disorders in the Sinai Peninsula region (Egypt). To collect, analyze and evaluate the ethnobotanical knowledge about these medicinal plants in the Sinai Peninsula region with 61,000 km (2) and 379,000 inhabitants.

Methodology: Field work was concluded between March 2006 and May 2011, using semi-structured questionnaire with 700 informants (mean age: 59; 100% men) from 117 settlements of 17 Bedouin tribes.

Effect of cooking and germination on phenolic composition and biological properties of dark beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

Legumes are the basés diet in several countries. They hold a high nutritional value, but other properties related to human health are nowadays being studied. The aim of this work was to study the influence of processes (boiling or germination) on the phenolic composition of dark beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.

A sweet potato gene index established by de novo assembly of pyrosequencing and Sanger sequences and mining for gene-based microsatellite markers.

Background: Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.), a hexaploid outcrossing crop, is an important staple and food security crop in developing countries in Africa and Asia.

Nigella sativa L. seed extract modulates the neurotransmitter amino acids release in cultured neurons in vitro.

Nigella sativa L. (NS) has been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times. This study aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity of NS dry methanolic extract on cultured cortical neurons and its influence on neurotransmitter release, as well as the presence of excitatory (glutamate and aspartate) and inhibitory amino acids (gamma-aminobutyric acid-GABA-and glycine) in NS extract.

HPLC isolation of antioxidant constituents from Xanthoparmelia spp.

A chromatographic method is described for the purification and characterization of secondary lichen substances with biological activity. A simple reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method with gradient elution has been developed that allows the determination and isolation of salazinic, usnic and stictic acids from lichen samples in a single run and the quantification of every acid in the tested extracts. The antioxidant activity of both the isolated compounds and the respective lichen belonging to Xanthoparmelia genus was determined by the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) assay; their effect as free radical scavengers, effect on cell survival by the 3(4,5-dimethyltiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium reduction assay and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate method were tested on U373 MG human astrocytome cell line.

Study of red wine neuroprotection on astrocytes.

Phenolic composition of wine depends not only on the grape variety from which it is made, but on some external factors such as winemaking technology. Red wine possesses the most antioxidant effect because of its high polyphenolic content. The aim of this work is to study for the first time, the neuroprotective activity of four monovarietal Spanish red wines (Merlot (ME), Tempranillo (T), Garnacha (G) and Cabernet-Sauvignon (CS)) through its antioxidant ability, and to relate this neuroprotection to its polyphenolic composition, if possible.

Study of polyphenols in grape berries by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

Several polyphenols have been tested in grape berries from Spain. The flavonoid content is important because of the pharmacological properties of these compounds, whereas resveratrol has been proved to be an antifungal, antiinflammatory and an anticarcinogenic compound. A reversed-phase HPLC method has been developed and applied to determine resveratrol, quercetine, quercitrine and rutine content in several grape berries samples in a single analysis.

Isoscutellarein 7-glucosyl(1-->2)xyloside from sixteen species of Sideritis.

A new flavone diglycoside isolated from the aerial parts of Sideritis lutoela was characterized as isoscutellarein 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->2) beta-D-xylopyranoside by means of spectral analyses, applying 2D NMR techniques and NOE experiments. Its presence in 15 other species of Sideritis is described.