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The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of lipoic acid on lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide production, and visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in rats exposed to chronic restraint stress and to examine whether lipoic acid could prevent VEP alterations that occurred in stress together with lipid peroxidation. Forty male wistar rats, aged three months, were used in the present study. They were equally divided into four groups: control (C), the group treated with lipoic acid (L), the group exposed to restraint stress (S), and the group exposed to stress and treated with lipoic acid (LS). Chronic restraint stress was applied for 21 days (1 h/day) and lipoic acid (100 mg/kg/day) was injected intraperitonally to the L and LS groups for the same period. Brain and retina TBARS levels were significantly increased in the S group compared with the C group. Lipoic acid reduced retina and brain TBARS levels in the L and LS groups compared with their corresponding control groups. Restraint stress significantly increased nitrite and nitrate levels in both brain and retina in the stress group with respect to the control group. Lipoic acid produced a significant decrease in brain and retina nitrite and nitrate levels of the L and LS groups comparing with their corresponding control groups. All latencies of VEP components were prolonged in the S group with respect to the C group. The study found significant correlations between VEPs latencies and TBARS and nitrite and nitrate levels of retina and brain. Lipoic acid decreased the latencies of all VEP components in the LS group whereas it did not affect them in the L group with respect to their control groups. In summary, lipoic acid treatment was found effective in preventing VEP and TBARS alterations caused by stress.

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OBJECTIVES: We investigated the changes in the IL-6 and STAT3 expression levels in cachectic and noncachectic patients with gastric, lung and breast cancer and evaluated the association between IL-6 and STAT3 levels and cancer types in terms of cachexia condition. BACKGROUND: Cancer-associated cachexia, observed in nearly 50-80 % of cancer patients, has drawn attention in advanced patients. IL-6/JAK/STAT pathway plays an essential role in the progression of cancer cachexia through the regulation of the infl ammatory response. METHODS: This study consisted of 48 gastric, breast and lung cancer patients (18 cachectic and 30 noncachectic) and healthy individuals. Total RNA isolation and cDNA synthesis was performed after the collection of blood samples. IL-6 and STAT3 expression levels were analyzed by RT-PCR analysis. RESULTS: Our fi ndings demonstrated that IL-6 mRNA levels considerably increased 19.89 ± 8.25, 5.18 ± 2.81 and 15.33±9.54-fold in gastric, lung and breast cancer patients with cachexia, respectively. Additionally, a 16.67±7.13, 14.21 ± 11.72 and 8.85 ± 3.89-fold increase in the STAT3 expression level was detected in cachectic gastric, lung and breast cancer patients, respectively (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: STAT3 may be considered as a therapeutic target for cachectic patients with gastric, lung and breast cancer. Furthermore, IL-6 mediates STAT3 activation in cachectic gastric and breast cancer patients (Tab. 5, Fig. 2, Ref. 62).

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The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of extremely low-frequency electric field (ELF EF) on visual evoked potential (VEP), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidant stress index (OSI). Thirty female Wistar rats, aged 3 months, were divided into three equal groups: Control (C), the group exposed to EF at 12 kV/m strength (E12), and the group exposed to EF at 18 kV/m strength (E18). Electric field was applied to the E12 and E18 groups for 14 days (1 h/day). Brain and retina TBARS, TOS, and OSI were significantly increased in the E12 and E18 groups with respect to the control group. Also, TBARS levels were significantly increased in the E18 group compared with the E12 group. Electric fields significantly decreased TAS levels in both brain and retina in E12 and E18 groups with respect to the control group. All VEP components were significantly prolonged in rats exposed to electric fields compared to control group. In addition, all latencies of VEP components were increased in the E18 group with respect to the E12 group. It is conceivable to suggest that EF-induced lipid peroxidation may play an important role in changes of VEP parameters.

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