Reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defense in human gastrointestinal diseases.

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, known together as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), and celiac disease are the most common disorders affecting not only adults but also children. Both IBDs and celiac disease are associated with oxidative stress, which may play a significant role in their etiologies. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide radicals (O•), hydroxyl radicals (•OH), hydrogen peroxide (HO), and singlet oxygen (O) are responsible for cell death via oxidation of DNA, proteins, lipids, and almost any other cellular constituent.

Prenatal effects of retinoic acid on lumbar spinal cord development and liver antioxidants in rats.

During embryonic and early postnatal development, retinoic acid (RA) regulates genes that control neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth from the neural tube. The effects of high levels of RA on the CNS can be detected via nitric oxide (NO), which plays a crucial role in neural transmission. The aim of the study was to investigate the prenatal influence of high levels of RA on postnatal development of nitrergic structures in lumbar spinal cord and antioxidant status.

Postnatal development of spinal cord and liver antioxidant status in the young of retinol-overdosed female rats.

The metabolic form of vitamin A, retinol, has a pivotal role in the nervous system development and neuronal differentiation, both during embryogenesis through maternal-fetal support and in the early postnatal life. Retinoic acid was administered orally at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight to pregnant female rats through days 8-10 of gestation. Spinal cord sections were processed for histochemical visualization one day after birth and on day 21, when weaning is expected.