Free radicals are constructed by natural physiological activities in the human cells as well as in the environment. They may be produced as a result of diet, smoking, exercise, inflammation, exposure to sunlight, air pollutants, stress, alcohol and drugs. Imbalanced redox status may lead to cellular oxidative stress, which can damage the cells of the body, resulting in an incidence of various diseases. If the endogenous antioxidants do not stop the production of reactive metabolites, they will be needed to bring about a balance in redox status. Natural antioxidants, for example plants, play an important part in this context. This paper seeks to report the available evidence about oxidative stress and the application of plants as antioxidant agents to fight free radicals in the human body. For this purpose, to better understand oxidative stress, the principles of free radical production, the role of free radicals in diseases, antioxidant defense mechanisms, and the role of herbs and diet in oxidative stress are discussed.

Background: Nephrotoxicity is one of the most important limitations of cisplatin-based chemotherapies which associated with many complications and high mortality rate. Objectives: To investigate the effect of lycopene on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in patients with cancer. Patients and Methods: In this double-blind, randomized clinical trial, 120 patients were randomly assigned to two groups, case (treated with lycopene + standard regimen of kidney injury prevention) and control (treated with only the standard regimen of kidney injury prevention). Lycopene was orally taken from 24 hours before to 72 hours after cisplatin administration. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Cr), and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were measured and recorded. The data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: Changes in Cr were not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.131). However, a significant decreasing trend was seen in GFR during the study, which was more marked in the control group (P = 0.004). BUN significantly decreased during the study (P = 0.002), and a significant decrease of BUN on the day three in both groups was seen (P = 0.001). However, BUN increased in the case group on the day 21 of treatment. The corresponding increase was less marked in the control group. Conclusions: Lycopene can be considered a useful adjuvant therapy to decrease the complications due to cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in patients with cancer.

Chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) is a disorder of mineral and bone metabolism due to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Bone disease and mortality are more common in patients with CKD. In addition of antidiabetic properties of metformin (MET), it possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic properties and increases the markers of osteogenic effects. Therefore, it improves bone quality and decreases the risk of fractures in patients with type 2 diabetes. Metformin can also inhibit arterial calcification, maintain calcium-phosphorus balance, decrease cellular infiltration, fibrosis, and inflammation in kidney. Based on evidence, the prevalence of lactic acidosis due to metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and renal dysfunction is lower compared to other oral antidiabetic agents. Metformin decreases all-cause mortality in patients with diabetic nephropathy. The administration of metformin showed no difference in the prevalence of lactic acidosis in patients with T2D who had normal, mild, moderate, or severe renal dysfunction. Therefore, metformin can be used in patients with significant CKD to inhibit CKD-MBD due to its osteogenic effects.

In renal transplant patients, increased ferritin is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, transplant rejection, and mortality. Serum ferritin elevates in renal transplant patients due to blood product transfusion, inflammation, and malignancies. Hepcidin is also a peptide hormone produced in the liver in response to anemia, hypoxia, or inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between ferritin, hepcidin, iron, TIBC, and serum inflammatory markers in renal transplant patients. The cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 60 renal transplant patients referred to Hazrat-Rasool and Imam-Ali clinics and Al-Mahdi Laboratory of Shahrekord selected by convenience sampling method. Serum ferritin, hepcidin, iron, TIBC, and inflammatory markers levels were determined by standard kits by ELISA. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. Serum iron had a significant negative correlation with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (r= -0.418, P=0.001) and a negative correlation with C reactive protein (CRP) (r= - 0.243, P=0.061). TIBC had a significantly negative association with ferritin (r= - 0.27, P=0.037). Ferritin, hepcidin, and TIBC were not significantly correlated with inflammatory factors. The results of the study showed no significant relationship between ferritin, hepcidin, and TIBC with inflammatory factors in renal transplant patients.