During the holly month of Ramadan, Muslims fast every day from dawn to sunset. Although the effect of Ramadan fasting on general health has been widely studied, the impact of fasting on oral health and possible changes in salivary biochemicals, such as glucose, has not received much attentiom. The aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of fasting on the level of glucose in the saliva of healthy individuals. Salivary glucose was measured using an enzymatic method based on oxidation of glucose by glucoseoxidase followed by determination of resulting H2O2 in the presence of peroxidase. A reduction in mean concentration of glucose was observed in the saliva of all fasting subjects as compared to the control group. It was concluded that reduction in salivary glucose is mostly due to reduced food intake and may be beneficial to dental health
Muslims abstain from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to sunset during the holy month of Ramadan. Prolonged fasting is thought to be among risk factors for many diseases, e.g., cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and various infectious diseases. It could also play a part in several eye diseases, including dry eye syndrome, glaucoma, and cataract. Toxic and oxidative effects due to increased concentrations of some biochemicals as a result of reduction in tear volume thought to play an important role in damaging ocular tissue. Human tear is an important biological fluid similar to blood in many aspects. Tear film is composed of three basic layers i.e. lipid, aqueous and mucin. The tear film covering the ocular surface presents a mechanical and antimicrobial barrier, and endures an optical refractive surface. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare tear protein of volunteers during fasting. Using two reliable analytical methods, i.e. electrophoresis and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), we compared tear protein content of sixty volunteers (35 males and 25 females, 23–27 years old) during fasting in holly month of Ramadan (FAST: n=62) and one month before Ramadan (CTRL: n=60). The results showed that some identified tear proteins decreased during fasting. On the other hand, the activity of some enzymes such as lysozyme, lactoferrin and alpha amylase also decreased in fasting samples. Electrophoresis results showed that tear protein patterns in FAST (P<0.05) were different from those of CTRL. There were a few more protein peaks in the FAST group (P<0.005) than in CTRL.
Introduction: Peroxidase (POD) is an important antioxidant enzyme that catalyzes oxidation of a number of organic and non-organic substrates using hydrogen peroxide as the electron acceptor. At physiological low levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) can act as redox messengers in the regulation of intracellular signaling. However, in excess amounts they can suppress the immune system and cause oxidative stress. Considering the high consumption of tea and coffee as the most common drink in the world, in the present study the effect of caffeine and theophylline on the activity of POD has been investigated. Materials and Methods: The activity of POD was measured by following absorption at 510 nm due to the oxidation of 4-aminoantipyrine in the absence and presence of caffeine and theophylline. The enzyme kinetic parameters were then measured and compared in each case. Results: It was shown that both methylxanthines acted as inhibitors with IC 50 , the amount of inhibitor to reduce the enzyme activity by 50%, of 0.6 and mM 0.55 mM for caffeine and theophylline respectively. The kinetic constants, K m and V max , indicated that both inhibitors worked by an un-competitive mechanism on POD activity. The values of K i were calculated as 0.08 and 0.045 mM for caffeine and theophylline respectively. Conclusions: Lower values of IC 50 and Ki for theophylline compared to caffeine, led us to a final conclusion that theophylline is a stronger inhibitor of POD than caffeine.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.