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BackgroundTo examine the effect of carnosine on liver function and histological findings in experimental septic shock model, 24 Sprague-Dawley rats were used.Material/MethodsRats were divided into control, septic shock, and carnosine-treated septic shock groups. Femoral vein and artery catheterization were performed on all rats. Rats in the control group underwent laparotomy and catheterization; in the test groups, cecal ligation-perforation and bladder cannulation were added. Rats in the treatment group received a single intraperitoneal (IP) injection of 250 mg/kg carnosine 60 minutes after cecal ligation-perforation. Rats were monitored for blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature to assess the postoperative septic response, and body fluids were replaced as necessary. At the end of 24 hours, rats were sacrificed and liver samples were collected.ResultsStatistically significant improvements were observed in liver function, tissue and serum MDA levels, and histological findings in rats treated with carnosine, compared to rats with untreated sepsis. HB and HCT values did not change significantly during the course of the experiment. Rats exposed to septic shock and treated with carnosine exhibited decreased sinusoidal dilatation and cellular inflammation into the portal region, compared to the sepsis group; the livers of rats in this group had near-normal histological structure.ConclusionsWe conclude that carnosine may be an effective treatment for oxidative damage due to liver tissue perfusion defects in cases of septic shock.

Objective: Quercetin is a phytoestrogen that exerts both in vitro agonistic and antagonistic activities on estrogen receptors. The present study evaluated the in vivo estrogen-like activity of quercetin on the reproductive organs of female rats. For this purpose, a partial estrogen agonist tamoxifen (TMX) and an estrogen antagonist fulvestrant (FLV) were used to mimic and antagonize the effects of estrogen on uterine tissue, respectively. 4-Vinylcyclohexene dioxide (VCD) was used to induce primary ovarian failure in rats. Materials and Methods:In experiment 1, immature female rats (21-22 days old) were treated with a vehicle (control), quercetin (10, 30, and 90 mg/kg), 10 mg/kg of quercetin (Q10)+TMX, Q10+ FLV, 17β-estradiol (17βE), 17βE+TMX, or 17βE+FLV. In experiment 2, prepubertal female rats (28-29 days old) were treated with a vehicle (dimethyl sulfoxide), VCD-alone, VCD+Q10, or VCD+17βE. A uterotrophic assay and histological analysis of uteri were performed. The partial estrogen agonist TMX and the estrogen antagonist FLV were used to mimic and antagonize the effects of estrogen on uterine tissue, respectively. VCD was used to induce primary ovarian failure in rats.Results: In immature female rats, the uterine weight was significantly higher in animals treated with Q10 compared to those treated with the vehicle. Although TMX did not result in a significant change, FLV significantly decreased the uterine weight in Q10-treated rats. In prepubertal female rats, the uterine weight significantly decreased in VCD±Q10-or 17βE-treated animals compared that in VCD-treated animals. Although the endometrial thickness was unchanged in Q10-treated animals, it was significantly decreased in the Q10+FLV-treated animals. VCD significantly decreased the endometrial thickness, which was prevented by Q10. Conclusion:Quercetin may have a dose-dependent and biphasic effect on the uterus by modulating estrogen receptors.

The aim of this study was to evaluate HRV in children requiring intensive care unit stays due to TCA poisoning between March 2009 and July 2010. In the time-domain nonspectral evaluation, the SDNN (P < 0.001), SDNNi (P < 0.05), RMSDD (P < 0.01), and pNN50 (P < 0.01) were found to be significantly lower in the TCA intoxication group. The spectral analysis of the data recorded during the first 5 minutes after intensive care unit admission showed that the values of the nLF (P < 0.05) and the LF/HF ratio (P = 0.001) were significantly higher in the TCA intoxication group, while the nHF (P = 0.001) values were significantly lower. The frequency-domain spectral analysis of the data recorded during the last 5 minutes showed a lower nHF (P = 0.001) in the TCA intoxication group than in the controls, and the LF/HF ratio was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the intoxication group. The LF/HF ratio was higher in the seven children with seizures (P < 0.001). These findings provided us with a starting point for the value of HRV analysis in determining the risk of arrhythmia and convulsion in TCA poisoning patients. HRV can be used as a noninvasive testing method in determining the treatment and prognosis of TCA poisoning patients.

Our results suggest that NAC prevents experimental acute hepatic failure by preventing oxidative stress.

BackgroundAcute kidney injury (AKI) secondary to sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the human intensive care unit (ICU). Kidney function and the histological findings of AKI were investigated in an experimental rat model with sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and compared with and without treatment with carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine).Material/MethodsTwenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups consisting eight rats in each: Group 1 – control; Group 2 – septic shock; and Group 3 – septic shock treated with carnosine. Femoral vein and artery catheterization were applied in all rats. Rats in Group 1 underwent laparotomy and catheterization. The other two groups with septic shock underwent laparotomy, CLP, catheterization, and bladder cannulation. Rats in Group 3 received an intraperitoneal (IP) injection of 250 mg/kg carnosine, 60 min following CLP. Rats were monitored for blood pressure, pulse rate, and body temperature to assess responses to postoperative sepsis, and 10 mL/kg saline replacement was administered. Twenty-four hours following CLP, rats were sacrificed, and blood and renal tissue samples were collected.ResultsStatistically significant improvements were observed in kidney function, tissue and serum malondialdehyde levels, routine blood values, biochemical indices, and in histopathological findings in rats in Group 3 who were treated with carnosine, compared with Group 2 exposed to septic shock without carnosine treatment.ConclusionsCarnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) has been shown to have beneficial effects in reducing AKI due to septic shock in a rat model of septicemia.

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