Nickel (Ni), one of hazardous environmental chemicals, is known to cause liver injury. Accumulating evidence showed that puerarin (PU) possessed comprehensive biological effects. The purpose of the current study was to test the hypothesis that the puerarin protects against enhanced liver injury caused by Ni in mice. ICR mice received intraperitoneally nickel sulfate (20 mg/kg/body weight, daily) for 20 days, and puerarin (200 and 400 mg/kg/body weight) was applied before Ni exposure. The results indicated that puerarin markedly inhibited Ni-induced liver injury, which was characterized by decreased aminotransferase activities and inflammation. Puerarin also inhibited the oxidative stress and decreased the metallothionein (MT) levels. Puerarin decreased the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 in livers. Puerarin significantly inhibited the TLR4 activation and p38 MAPK phosphorylation, which in turn inhibited NF-κB activity. Likewise, Ni-induced inflammatory responses were diminished by puerarin as observed by a remarkable reduction in the levels of phosphorylated CREB. Furthermore, puerarin also reduced inflammatory mediators such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels in livers. Data from this study suggested that the inhibition of Ni-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory responses by puerarin is due to its ability to modulate the TLR4/p38/CREB signaling pathway.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cbi.2015.11.017 | DOI Listing |
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int
January 2025
Post-Graduation Program in Ecology, Conservation, and Biodiversity, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, 38408144, Brazil.
Since the establishment of the COVID-19 pandemic, a range of studies have been developed to understand the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, vaccine development, and therapeutic testing. However, the possible impacts that these viruses can have on non-target organisms have been explored little, and our knowledge of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for biota is still very limited. Thus, the current study aimed to address this knowledge gap by evaluating the possible impacts of oral exposure of C57Bl/6 J female mice to SARS-CoV-2 lysate protein (at 20 µg/L) for 30 days, using multiple methods, including behavioral assessments, biochemical analyses, and histopathological examinations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurophysiol
January 2025
Department of Anesthesiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Despite a significant genetic component to insomnia (heritability: 22-25%), the genetic loci that modulate insomnia risk remain limited. We employed the Unified Test for Molecular Markers (UTMOST) for transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) across various tissues, integrating summary statistics from a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) of 462,341 European participants with gene expression data from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. Three validation methods (FUSION, FOCUS, and MAGMA) were used to confirm important genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVet Med Sci
January 2025
Department of Medical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
The present study aimed to unveil the gastroprotective potential of Vaccinium macrocarpon (VM) extract and its mechanism of action against indomethacin (INDO)-induced gastric ulcers in rats. To achieve this goal, rats were pretreated with either omeprazole (20 mg/kg) or VM (100 mg/kg) orally for 14 consecutive days. Gastric tissue samples were collected and various parameters were evaluated to understand the mechanism of VM's action, including the levels of superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, glutathione, CAT and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), as well as the mRNA expression levels of tumour necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1 beta, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and inhibitor kappa B (IκB).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Environ Microbiol
December 2024
School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, Tianjin, China.
is a foodborne pathogen linked to severe infections in infants and often associated with contaminated powdered infant formula. The RecA protein, a key player in DNA repair and recombination, also influences bacterial resilience and virulence. This study investigated the impact of deletion on the pathogenicity and environmental stress tolerance of BAA-894.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobiol Spectr
December 2024
College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
Sugarcane smut caused by is a global sugarcane disease, and studying its molecular pathogenesis is crucial for discovering new prevention and control targets. This study was based on the transcriptome sequencing data of two isolates with different pathogenicities ( and ) of the and screened out a gene encoding the Major Facility Superfamily (MFS) sugar transporter protein and named it . Knockout mutants ( and ) and complementary mutants ( and ) were obtained through polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated protoplast transformation technology.
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