Curcumin suppresses inflammatory cytokines and heat shock protein 70 release and improves metabolic parameters during experimental sepsis.

Context: Curcumin has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and hypoglycaemic properties, besides reducing mortality in sepsis.

Objective: This study evaluates the biological activities of a curcumin dispersion formulated by spray-drying in experimental sepsis.

Materials And Methods: Male Wistar rats were subjected to sepsis by caecal ligation and puncture (CLP), controls were sham operated.

Bone quality associated with daily intake of coffee: a biochemical, radiographic and histometric study.

Caffeine induces loss of calcium and influences the normal development of bone. This study investigated the effects of coffee on bone metabolism in rats by biochemical measurement of calcium, bone densitometry and histometry. Male rats, born of female treated daily with coffee and with coffee intake since born, were anesthetized, subjected to extraction of the upper right incisor, and sacrificed 7, 21 and 42 days after surgery.

Streptozotocin-induced diabetes influences the activity of ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 1 of rat osseous plate membranes.

We report the kinetic characterization of an ecto-nucleosidetriphosphate diphosphohydrolase 1 from rat osseous plate membranes in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, which arises during ectopic mineralization twenty days after a subcutaneous implantation of demineralized bone matrix, Insulin deficiency decreased the ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase activity from 1293.1 +/- 39.8 (control rats) to 556.

Comparison between two experimental protocols to promote osteoporosis in the maxilla and proximal tibia of female rats.

The effects of two experimental protocols (ovariectomy associated or not with a low calcium diet) used to promote osteoporosis in the rat maxilla and proximal tibia were compared 5 and 11 weeks after surgery. Female Wistar rats were ovariectomized or sham-operated. Half of the ovariectomized rats were fed a low Ca++ diet (ovx*) and the remaining ovariectomized (ovx) and sham animals received a standard chow.