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This study examined whether lead-induced alterations in selected parameters that are indicative of oxidative stress accompany the toxic effects of lead in red blood cells (RBCs) in vivo. It also explored the possibility that treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or succimer (meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid) was capable of reversing parameters indicative of lead-induced oxidative stress. Fisher 344 rats were given 2000 ppm lead acetate in their drinking water for 5 weeks. The lead was then removed and the animals were given NAC (800 mg/kg/day) or succimer (90 mg/kg/day) in their drinking water for 1 week, after which the RBCs were harvested. Animals not given lead and those given lead, but not NAC or succimer, served as negative and positive controls, respectively. At the end of the experiment, blood-lead levels were 35 +/- 4 microg/dl in lead-treated animals, which were reduced to 2.5 +/- 1 microg/dl by treatment with succimer and to 25 +/- 3 microg/dl by treatment with NAC. Lead-exposed animals demonstrated signs of anemia as evidenced by anisocytosis, poikilocytosis, and alterations in hemoglobin, hematocrit, and mean corpuscular volume. Lipid peroxidation, as evidenced by increased malondialdehyde (MDA) content, as well as decreases in reduced glutathione (GSH) and increases in catalase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity were noted in RBCs from lead-treated rats, suggesting that the lead induced oxidative stress. In addition, a significant reduction in blood delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity suggested that accumulation and autooxidation of delta-aminolevulinic acid might contribute to lead-induced oxidative stress. Treatment with either NAC or succimer reversed lead-induced alterations in MDA and GSH content, but only succimer appeared to partially restore ALAD activity. These results provide in vivo evidence supporting the hypothesis that lead induces oxidative stress in RBCs, which is reversible by treatment with a thiol antioxidant (NAC), as well as a chelating agent (succimer).

Abstract. Oxidative stress is proposed as a molecular mechanism in lead toxicity, which suggests that antioxidants might play a role in the treatment of lead poisoning. The present study was designed to investigate whether taurine has a beneficial effect both on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and on Fisher 344 (F344) rats following lead exposure. Therefore, oxidative stress parameters (glutathione, malondialdehyde levels, catalase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase [G6PD] activities) of lead-exposed CHO cells and F344 rats were determined following taurine treatment. Taurine was found to be effective in (1) increasing glutathione levels that had been diminished by lead; (2) reducing malondialdehyde levels, an end-product of lipid peroxidation; (3) decreasing catalase and erythrocyte G6PD activity, which had been increased by lead exposure; and (4) improving cell survival of CHO cells. However, taurine had no effect on blood and tissue lead levels when 1.1 g/kg/day taurine was administered to F344 rats for 7 days, following 5 weeks of lead exposure (2,000 ppm lead acetate). As a result, taurine seems to be capable of fortifying cells against lead-induced oxidative attack without decreasing lead levels. Therefore, administration of taurine, accompanied by a chelating agent, might increase its effectiveness in the treatment of lead poisoning.

Eugenol (C 10 H 12 O 2 or CH 3 C 6 H 3) is a volatile phenolic constituent of clove essential oil obtained from Eugenia caryophyllata buds and leaves, mainly harvested in Indonesia, India and Madagascar. The name supposedly is derived from the scientific name for clove E. caryophyllata tree which has large leaves and flower buds which turn to red color when they are ready for collection. 1,2 Eugenol is the main extracted constituent (70-90%) of cloves and is responsible for clove aroma. 1 Eugenol, a phenylpropanoid, is pale yellow oil with a spicy aroma with the molecular weight of 164.2 g/mol. This molecule is a weak acid which is soluble in organic solvents and specially extracted from clove oil, nutmeg, cinnamon, basil and bay leaf. There are different types of essential oil extracted from parts of clove. The oil derived from the flower buds of clove mainly consists of eugenol (60-90%), eugenyl acetate, caryophyllene and other substances, whereas oil derived from the leaves of the clove tree consists of eugenol (82-88%) and very little eugenyl acetate, and other minor constituents. The oil derived from the twigs of cloves consists of 90-95% of eugenol. Eugenol also can be produced synthetically by the allylation of guaiacol with allylchlorid. 3,4 Since ancient times, clove oil has been used as an antimicrobial, antiseptic and antispasmodic in Chinese traditional medicine. Nowadays, there is also a wide range of use of eugenol for several purposes such as household products, fragrance in soaps and cosmetics, skin care products, flavoring substance for food, dental and pharmaceutical products. 1 Eugenol causes an enhancement in skin penetration of diverse drugs. It is also used in agricultural applications to protect foods from microorganisms such as Listeria monocytogenes and Lactobacillus during storage, as a pesticide and fumigant. 5 Eugenol is useful for treatment of skin infections, skin lesions and inflammatory disorders. However, some reports show Öjenol, Eugenia caryophyllata'nın yaprak ve tomurcuklarından elde edilen, karanfil yağının fenolik yapıdaki uçucu bir bileşiğidir. İlaç, gıda ve kozmetik endüstrisinde sınırlı miktarlarda kullanılan, çok sayıda ürünün işlevsel bir bileşenidir. Türevlerinin lokal antiseptik ve anestezik olarak tıpta kullanımı bulunmaktadır. Geniş aralıktaki farmakolojik etkileri arasında antimikrobiyal, antiinflamatuvar, analjezik, antioksidan ve antikanser etkiler yer almaktadır. Öjenol genel olarak güvenli bir bileşik olarak değerlendirilir ancak çok farklı uygulamaları ve yaygın kullanım alanları nedeniyle, toksisitesi son yıllarda ilgi odağı olmuştur. Öjenolün sitotoksisitesi ve genotoksisitesi konusundaki çalışmalar da yetersiz ve çelişkilidir. Bu derlemede öjenolün farmakolojik ve toksikolojik özellikleri tartışılacaktır. Anahtar kelimeler: Öjenol, karanfil yağı, farmakolojik aktivite, toksisite, sitotoksisite, genotoksisite Eugenol is a volatile phenolic constituent of clove essential oil obtained from Eugenia caryophyllata buds and leaves. It is a functional ingredient of...

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Fourteen male patients with periodontitis and 10 patients free of periodontitis were included in the study. The concentrations of testosterone (T), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and zinc (Zn) were measured in serum and parotid saliva. Patients with periodontitis had increased Ca and decreased Zn serum levels, and they had decreased Ca and increased T levels in parotid saliva. Furthermore, there was a low correlation between parotid saliva T and Mg levels in the patients with periodontitis (r = 0.61, n = 14, t = 2.663, p less than 0.005), and there is an inverse relationship between serum and parotid saliva Mg levels (r = - 0.58, n = 14, t = 2.468, p less than 0.05).

Conditioning regimens preceding hematopoietic SCT (HSCT) usually consist of high-dose chemotherapy. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are associated with increased formation of free radicals and depletion of critical plasma and tissue antioxidants. Oxidative stress and antioxidant depletion have been described during the transplantation period in HSCT patients. In a limited number of studies, it was observed that the conditioning regimen resulted in oxidative stress and antioxidant depletion in HSCT patients. The objective of this study was to look for further evidence of oxidative stress and antioxidant status in pediatric HSCT patients. In this study, blood samples were collected from 21 pediatric allo-HSCT patients before and after conditioning therapy. Erythrocyte and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, erythrocyte reduced and oxidized glutathione (GSH) levels, erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes activities, plasma a-tocopherol and b-carotene levels were determined. After high-dose chemotherapy, erythrocyte and plasma MDA levels increased. Reduced GSH levels decreased whereas oxidized GSH levels increased first and then decreased significantly compared with the values before the chemotherapy regimen. It was also observed that catalase, superoxide dismutase and GSH-S-transferase activities decreased, but there was no change in GSH peroxidase activity. On the other hand, plasma a-tocopherol levels increased, but b-carotene levels did not change.