Topiramate is an anticonvulsant drug effective against a wide range of seizures and epilepsies. The present study was conducted to investigate the possible protective effect of topiramate on indomethacin‐induced gastric mucosal damage in rats. The animals were randomly distributed into four experimental groups with 10 animals in each group. Group 1 was the control group received vehicle only (DMSO at 1:4 (w/v)), group 2 was the model group received indomethacin (50 mg/kg; i.p.), and groups 3 and 4 received topiramate (100 mg/kg; i.p.) and ranitidine (100 mg/kg; i.p.), respectively, 1 h before indomethacin (50 mg/kg; i.p.). The efficacy of topiramate was compared with ranitidine. Animals were euthanized 4 h after indomethacin administration, and gastric tissues were collected for macroscopical, histopathological, and biochemical analyses. The mucosal lesions in the gastric corpus were evaluated by pathological examinations. The results revealed that the administration of indomethacin caused evident gastric mucosal damage with morphological and histological manifestation, whereas topiramate pretreatment extensively ameliorated the gastric injuries. Topiramate pretreatment also reduced the contents of tissue malonaldehyde, enhanced ferric reducing antioxidant power value and glutathione levels, and increased the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase in gastric mucosa compared to the model group. Our results indicate that topiramate might possess a protective role against indomethacin‐induced gastric ulcers by inhibition of oxidative stress in gastric tissue.

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The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has been caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). It is a global problem that humanity has not yet found a definitive solution for it. In this regard, a global effort has been done to find effective or potential adjuvant therapies in order to fight this infection. Genistein is a small, biologically active phytoestrogen flavonoid that is found in high amounts in soy and plants of the Fabaceae family. This important compound is known due to its anti‐cancer, anti‐inflammatory, and antioxidant effects. Additionally, protective effects of genistein have been reported in different pathological conditions through modulating intracellular pathways such as PI3K, Akt, mTOR, NF‐κB, PPARγ, AMPK, and Nrf2. Scientific evidence suggests that genistein could have a potential role to treat COVID‐19 through its anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidant effects. Furthermore, it appears to interfere with intracellular pathways involved in viral entry into the cell. This review provides a basis for further research and development of clinical applications of genistein as a potential alternative therapy to decrease inflammation and oxidative stress in COVID‐19 patients. Practical applications The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), the etiological agent for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19), has brought unprecedented untold hardship to both developing and developed countries. The inflammation, cytokine storm, and oxidative stress have an important role in the pathogenesis of this infection. In this regard, finding plant‐derived compounds with anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidative effects would be very beneficial in reducing the mortality induced by this infection. Genistein an isoflavone derived from soy‐rich products possesses versatile biological activities. It has potent anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidative and immunomodulatory effects. Furthermore, this compound may prevent viral entry to host cells and reduce SARS‐CoV2‐induced lung injury. Therefore, we suggest further studies on the effects of genistein on SARS‐Cov‐2 infection.

Ulcerative colitis is an intestinal inflammatory condition characterized by rise of inflammatory mediators’ production and oxidative stress. Topiramate is an anticonvulsant agent with effectiveness on a wide range of seizures, which its anti-oxidative. This study aims to examine the protective effects of topiramate on acetic acid-induced ulcerative colitis in rats. Rats were randomly divided into four groups as follows: control, acetic acid, acetic acid + topiramate, and acetic acid + dexamethasone groups. Topiramate (100 mg/kg/day) or dexamethasone (2 mg/kg/day) was administered for six consecutive days, and ulcerative colitis induced at the first day of study by transrectal administration of 4% acetic acid. Four hours after the last dose of treatments, animals of each group were sacrificed and colon tissues removed for further macroscopic, histopathologic, and biochemical analysis. Treatment with topiramate markedly decreased colonic lesions and macroscopic scores as well as improvement of histopathologic changes. Topiramate also effectively decreased the levels of malondialdehyde and up-regulated the activity of anti-oxidative enzymes, including catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase. Our results reveal that administration of topiramate ameliorates acetic acid-induced colitis in rats via anti-oxidative properties and further studies may introduce it as an effective therapeutic candidate to decrease ulcerative colitis severity.