Aim: To investigate the neuroprotective effect of glycyrrhizin (Gly) against the ischemic injury of rat spinal cord and the possible role of the nuclear protein high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in the process. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 45 min aortic occlusion to induce transient lumbar spinal cord ischemia. The motor functions of the animals were assessed according to the modified Tarlov scale. The animals were sacrificed 72 h after reperfusion and the lumbar spinal cord segment (L2-L4) was taken out for histopathological examination and Western blotting analysis. Serum inflammatory cytokine and HMGB1 levels were analyzed using ELISA. Results: Gly (6 mg/kg) administered intravenously 30 min before inducing the transient lumbar spinal cord ischemia significantly improved the hind-limb motor function scores, and reduced the number of apoptotic neurons, which was accompanied by reduced levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the plasma and injured spinal cord. Moreover, the serum HMGB1 level correlated well with the serum TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 levels during the time period of reperfusion.
Conclusion:The results suggest that Gly can attenuate the transient spinal cord ischemic injury in rats via reducing inflammatory cytokines and inhibiting the release of HMGB1.
ABSTRCT: A novel redox system, potassium diperiodatocuprate [Cu (III)-chitosan], was employed to initiate the graft copolymerization of methyl acrylate (MA) onto chitosan in alkali aqueous solution. The effects of reaction variables such as monomer concentration, initiator concentration, pH and temperature were investigated. By means of a series of copolymerization reactions, the grafting conditions were optimized. Cu (III)-chitosan system was found to be an efficient redox initiator for this graft copolymerization. The structures and the thermal stability of chitosan and chitosan-g-poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA) were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In this article, a mechanism is proposed to explain the formation of radicals and the initiation. Finally, the graft copolymer was used as the compatibilizer in blends of poly-(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and chitosan. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) photographs and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermograms indicate that the graft copolymer improved the compatibility of the blend.
Septic cardiomyopathy is a life-threatening complication of severe sepsis and septic shock. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction have been identified as significant abnormalities in septic cardiomyopathy. However, specific treatments are rare. This study aims to investigate the impact of β-hydroxybutyrate (β-OHB) on septic cardiomyopathy and explore the underlying mechanism(s). We found that pretreatment of D-β-hydroxybutyrate-(R)-1,3 butanediol monoester (ketone ester, 3 mg/g body weight, once daily) by gavage for three days elevated the levels of ketone bodies, especially that of β-hydroxybutyrate (β-OHB) in the circulation and mouse hearts, which exerted a protective effect against lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 20 mg/kg)-induced septic cardiomyopathy in mice. In addition, an LPS-stimulated macrophage-conditioned medium (MCM) was used to mimic the pathological process of septic cardiomyopathy. Mechanistically, β-OHB alleviated myocardial oxidative stress and improved mitochondrial respiratory function through the antioxidant FoxO3a/MT2 pathway activated via histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition, which ultimately enhanced heart performance in septic cardiomyopathy. Our results, therefore, suggested an unappreciated critical role of β-OHB in septic heart protection as well as highlighted the potential of β-OHB as a simple remedy for the septic cardiomyopathy population.
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