The social significance of diabetes mellitus lies in the fact that in addition to significant prevalence, this disease is associated with many complications. To facilitate the course of diabetes and its complications medicinal plants are widely used in traditional medicine. One of such plants is kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). This plant is used in traditional medicine, especially for the secondary complications of diabetes. Since complications of diabetes are often associated with increased oxidative stress, the study of antioxidant properties of P. vulgaris is important to clarify the mechanism of its therapeutic effect. Present investigation shows that long-term oral administration of aqueous P. vulgaris pods extract in dose of 200mg/kg b.w. besides its pronounced hypoglycemic action also has a positive influence on the liver and kidney function markers in STZ-treated diabetic rats. The extract also inhibits free radical production and lipid peroxidation and activates antioxidant enzymes in liver and kidneys of rats with STZ-induced diabetes. Thus, our data reveal antioxidant properties of aqueous P. vulgaris pods extract that might have beneficial effect in treatment of diabetes.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a widespread pathology of the musculoskeletal system. OA may associate with a wide range of disorders, that lead to the development of various strategies on how to prevent and treat the disease. recent studies discussed interactions between the microbiome and a wide range of pathologies, including OA. In this study, we investigated the effect of probiotic cultures on oxidative/antioxidant balance in blood of rats during OA. Experimental OA was induced by a single injection of sodium monoiodoacetate into the knee joint. A probiotic composition (Multiprobiotic Simbiter®) was administered by peroral catheter once per day for 14 days. We investigated the next parameters: expression of Nos2 gene in the blood, superoxide dismutase activity, catalase activity, glutathione peroxidase activity, glutathione transferase activity, glutathione reductase activity, contents of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, TBA-reactive compounds, oxidized and reduced glutathione in the serum of the blood. Monoiodoacetate-induced OA caused significant changes on oxidative/antioxidant balance in the blood of rats: increasing of the contents of superoxide anion radical, hydrogen peroxide, thiobarbituric acid-reactive compounds, oxidized glutathione, upregulating of Nos2 expression, increasing of catalase activity; conversely, superoxide dismutase activity, glutathione peroxidize activity, glutathione transferase activity, glutathione reductase activity, the content of reduced glutathione were significantly decreased, compared to control group. Administration of probiotics to animals with OA led to positive changes in the studied parameters approaching the values of control group (some of them were statistically significant). K e y w o r d s: experimental osteoarthritis, microbiome, free radical processes, glutathione.

Background: Fibrinolysis and thrombosis alterations include important parts of stroke pathophysiology. At the same time fibrinolytic system disorders are a common feature of patients with metabolic syndrome and diabetes. So it may increase the possibility of developing atherosclerotic lesions and occlusive intravascular thrombi. The present study investigated the influence of type 2 diabetes mellitus presence on the indicators of fibrinolytic parameters (plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) content, streptokinase-activated plasminogen and α 2antiplasmin activities, euglobulin clot lysis time (ECLT) and Hagemanfactor-dependent fibrinolysis time) under ischemic stroke (IS). Materials and methods: Participants were 87 subjects with IS, 22 of them had diabetes mellitus. Blood samples besides for aforementioned parameters were analyzed for glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin content. Results: The research established increase of plasma PAI-1 and tPA levels, ECLT, Hageman-factor-dependent fibrinolysis time in IS and IS with diabetes mellitus patient groups in comparison with the control. PAI-1 concentration in plasma was positively correlated with both lysis time tests but tPA content was negative correlated with glucose level and PAI-1 for only IS patients. But there was a high negative correlation between tPA and ECLT as well as Hageman-factor-dependent fibrinolysis time for both investigated IS forms. Conclusions: The results showed important differences in the characteristics of the fibrinolytic mechanism in IS patients compared with healthy population. The major differences were elevated PAI-1 and t-PA contents and prolonged ECLT in IS patients but no significant differences in these parameters were observed between the patients with IS and IS with diabetes.

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Aim. To determine the activity of glutathione transferase (GT) and the content of reduced glutathione (GSH) in the cytosol of the gastric mucosa cells in experimental gastrocarcinogenesis. Methods. The activity of GT was determined spectrophotometrically, the content of GSH was measured spectrofluorimetrically. Gastrocarcinogenesis was initiated by 10-week replacement of drinking water by 0.01 % solution of carcinogen N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, at the same time the rats were given a diet containing 5 % NaCl. Results. It was established that at the end of the 4th and 6th weeks of consumption of carcino- gen and NaCl, the activity of GT increased by 26 and 94 %, whereas the content of GSH increased by 135 and 85 %, respectively. After 12 weeks there was a decrease in the activity of GT by 50 % and the maximum decrease in the GSH concentration by 69 %. At the end of the 18th and 24th weeks it was recorded the increase in the activity of GT by 44 and 47 % and the decrease in the GSH content by 55 and 52 %. Conclusions. The changes in the activity of GT and GSH-content are evidence of the violation of glutathione homeostasis, which may cause the delay as well as initiation of development of the pathology. The reduction of GSH is established at the early stages of tumors formation