Heena Tabassum

Nephrotoxicity and its prevention by taurine in tamoxifen induced oxidative stress in mice

Tamoxifen (TAM) is an anti-neoplastic drug used for the treatment of breast cancer. It decreases the hexose monophosphate shunt and thereby increasing the incidence of oxidative stress in cells leading to tissue injury. The present study was undertaken to investigate modulatory effects of taurine on the nephrotoxicity of TAM with special reference to protection against disruption of nonenzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants. Oxidative stress was measured by renal lipid peroxidation (LPO) level, protein carbonyl (PC) content, reduced glutathione (GSH), activities of phase I and II drug metabolizing and antioxidant enzymes. TAM treatment resulted in a significant (P < 0.001) increase in LPO in kidney tissues as compared to control, while taurine pretreatment showed a significant decrease (P < 0.01) in the LPO in kidneys when compared with the TAM-treated group. Taurine + TAM group animals showed restoration in the level of cytochrome P450 content, activities of glutathione metabolizing enzymes viz., glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Pretreatment of animals with taurine markedly attenuated, PC content, restored the depleted nonenzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants. These results clearly demonstrate the role of oxidative stress, and suggest a protective effect of taurine on TAM-induced nephrotoxicity in mice. Human & Experimental Toxicology (2007) 26 : 509—518

Cisplatin hepatotoxicity mediated by mitochondrial stress

Abstract Context: Chemotherapy has long been the keystone of cancer regimen, and comprehensive research has been done on the development of more potent and less toxic anti-cancer agents. Cisplatin (CP) is a potent and extensively used chemotherapeutic agent. There is paucity of literature involving role of mitochondria in mediating CP-induced hepatic toxicity, and its underlying mechanism remains unclear. Oxidative stress is a well-established biomarker of the mitochondrial toxicity. Objective: This study evaluates the dose-dependent effects of CP-induced mitotoxicity under in vitro conditions, using mitochondria from rat liver. Materials and methods: The aim of our study was to determine the effect of CP with different concentrations in isolated liver mitochondria as an in vitro model. Results: CP exposure showed significantly compromised level of non enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants with higher extent of lipid and protein oxidation. CP also caused significant alterations in the activity of respiratory chain enzymes (complex I–III and V) in liver mitochondria. Discussion and conclusion: It is suggested that mitochondria can be employed as a model for future investigations of anticancer drug-induced hepatotoxicity under in vitro conditions. Studies with selected pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals might certainly play a definite role in deciphering cellular and molecular mechanisms of CP-induced hepatotoxicity and its amelioration.

Mitochondrial permeability transition pore: a promising target for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease

Among the neurodegenerative diseases (ND), Parkinson’s disease affects 6.3 million people worldwide characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra. The mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mtPTP) is a non-selective voltage-dependent mitochondrial channel whose opening modifies the permeability properties of the mitochondrial inner membrane. It is recognized as a potent pharmacological target for diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and excessive cell death including ND such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). Imbalance in Ca2+ concentration, change in mitochondrial membrane potential, overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), or mutation in mitochondrial genome has been implicated in the pathophysiology of the opening of the mtPTP. Different proteins are released by permeability transition including cytochrome c which is responsible for apoptosis. This review aims to discuss the importance of PTP in the pathophysiology of PD and puts together different positive as well as negative aspects of drugs such as pramipexole, ropinirole, minocyclin, rasagilin, and safinamide which act as a blocker or modifier for mtPTP. Some of them may be detrimental in their neuroprotective nature.

Melatonin and Ischemic Stroke: Mechanistic Roles and Action.

Stroke is one of the most devastating neurological disabilities and brains vulnerability towards it proves to be fatal and socio-economic loss of millions of people worldwide. Ischemic stroke remains at the center stage of it, because of its prevalence amongst the several other types attacking the brain. The various cascades of events that have been associated with stroke involve oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, upregulation of Ca2+ level, and so forth. Melatonin is a neurohormone secreted by pineal and extra pineal tissues responsible for various physiological processes like sleep and mood behaviour. Melatonin has been implicated in various neurological diseases because of its antioxidative, antiapoptotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. We have previously reviewed the neuroprotective effect of melatonin in various models of brain injury like traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. In this review, we have put together the various causes and consequence of stroke and protective role of melatonin in ischemic stroke.

Progesterone induces neuroprotection following reperfusion-promoted mitochondrial dysfunction after focal cerebral ischemia in rats

ABSTRACT Organelle damage and increases in mitochondrial permeabilization are key events in the development of cerebral ischemic tissue injury because they cause both modifications in ATP turnover and cellular apoptosis/necrosis. Early restoration of blood flow and improvement of mitochondrial function might reverse the situation and help in recovery following an onset of stroke. Mitochondria and related bioenergetic processes can be effectively used as pharmacological targets. Progesterone (P4), one of the promising neurosteroids, has been found to be neuroprotective in various models of neurological diseases, through a number of mechanisms. This influenced us to investigate the possible role of P4 in the mitochondria-mediated neuroprotective mechanism in an ischemic stroke model of rat. In this study, we have shown the positive effect of P4 administration on behavioral deficits and mitochondrial health in an ischemic stroke injury model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). After induction of tMCAO, the rats received an initial intraperitoneal injection of P4 (8 mg/kg body weight) or vehicle at 1 h post-occlusion followed by subcutaneous injections at 6, 12 and 18 h. Behavioral assessment for functional deficits included grip strength, motor coordination and gait analysis. Findings revealed a significant improvement with P4 treatment in tMCAO animals. Staining of isolated brain slices from P4-treated rats with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) showed a reduction in the infarct area in comparison to the vehicle group, indicating the presence of an increased number of viable mitochondria. P4 treatment was also able to attenuate mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, as well as block the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), in the tMCAO injury model. In addition, it was also able to ameliorate the altered mitochondrial membrane potential and respiration ratio in the ischemic animals, thereby suggesting that P4 has a positive effect on mitochondrial bioenergetics. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that P4 treatment is beneficial in preserving the mitochondrial functions that are altered in cerebral ischemic injury and thus can help in defining better therapies. Summary: Progesterone treatment is beneficial in preserving the altered mitochondrial functions in cerebral ischemic injury and thus can help in defining better therapies.

Role of melatonin in mitigating nonylphenol-induced toxicity in frontal cortex and hippocampus of rat brain

ABSTRACT Nonylphenol (NP), an environmental endocrine disruptor mimics estrogen and is a potential toxicant both under in vitro and in vivo conditions. In this study, the effect of melatonin on NP‐ induced neurotoxicity and cognitive alteration was investigated in adult male Wistar rats. Melatonin supplementation has been known to protect cells from neurotoxic injury. The animals were divided into three groups namely, control (vehicle) which received olive oil orally and treated rats received NP (25 mg/kg, per os) thrice a week for 45 days while the third group i.e., NP + melatonin, animals were co‐administered melatonin (10 mg/kg, i.p.) along with NP. On the 46th day, rats were assessed for anxiety, motor co‐ordination, grip strength and cognitive performance using Morris water maze test and then sacrificed for biochemical and histopathological assays in brain tissues. Melatonin improved the behavioral performance in NP exposed group. The results showed that NP significantly decreased the activity of acetylcholine esterase (AchE), monoamine oxidase (MAO) and Na+/K+‐ATPase, in rat brain tissue along with other enzymes of antioxidant milieu. The outcome of the study shows that NP, like other persistent endocrine disrupting pollutants, creates a potential risk of cognitive, neurochemical and histopathological perturbations as a result of environmental exposure. Taken together, our study demonstrates that melatonin is protective against NP‐induced neurotoxicity. HighlightsThe neurotoxic effect of nonylphenol was evaluated in a rodent model.Neuroprotective effects of melatonin was investigated.Melatonin improved the behavioral performance against nonylphenol exposure.Melatonin was able to inhibit ROS generation.Our results emphasize the potential use of melatonin as a nutraceutical.

Tannic acid alleviates lead acetate-induced neurochemical perturbations in rat brain

Oxidative stress has been projected as a promising mechanism involved in lead exposure. The lead predisposition catalyzes oxidative reactions and generates reactive oxygen species. The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of oral administration of tannic acid (TA) on behavioral deficit, antioxidative deterioration induced by lead acetate (LA) exposure on experimental rat brain. Male Wistar rats were treated with 50mg/kg body weight of LA and TA for three times a week for two weeks. Our data showed LA-induced profound elevation of ROS production and oxidative stress, as evidenced by increased levels of oxidative stress markers such as lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyl observed in LA treated rats, whereas significant depletion in the activity of non-enzymatic antioxidants, enzymatic antioxidants, neurotoxicity biomarker and histological changes were observed in LA treated rat brain. However, TA administration restored antioxidant status of brain significantly when compared to control. Our results demonstrate that TA exhibits potent antioxidant properties and suppresses oxidative damages in rat brain induced by LA treatment. These findings were further supported by the neurotoxicity biomarker and histopathological findings in the brain tissue showed that TA protected tissue from deleterious effects of LA exposure. It is concluded, these data suggest that LA induces oxidative stress and supplementation of TA has a powerful antioxidant effect, and it protected rat brain from poisonous effect of LA exposure in experimental rat.

Neuroprotective effects of melatonin as evidenced by abrogation of oxaliplatin induced behavioral alterations, mitochondrial dysfunction and neurotoxicity in rat brain

Neurotoxicity is a burdensome consequence of platinum-based chemotherapy that neutralizes the administration of effective dosage and often prompts treatment withdrawal. Oxaliplatin (Oxa), a third-era platinum analogue that is active against both early-organize and progressed colorectal growth, produces critical neurotoxicity. It has been reported that the Melatonin (Mel) is a pineal hormone its metabolites display important antioxidant properties in nervous system. There is dearth of literature involving the role of mitochondria and cytosolic compartments mediated Oxa-induced neurotoxicity and its underlying mechanisms are still debatable. Rats were pre-treated with Mel (10mg/kg b.wt., i.p.) and treated with Oxa (4mg/kg b.wt. i.p.) for 5 consecutive days. For neurobehavioral performances, decreased locomotor activity and muscular strength were observed in rats. Treatment with Mel in Oxa treated rats could protect the Oxa induced alterations in motor activity and muscular strength. For painful neuropathy, thermal hyperalgesia/nociceptive tests were evaluated. In addition, pre-treatment of Mel could block or alter the inactivation of Bcl-2, caspase 3 apoptotic protein and alterations Cytochrome c (Cyt c) release in an Oxa rich environment. Pre-treatment of Mel have shown an alteration in hyperalgesia behaviour in Oxa treated rats. Oxidative stress biomarkers, levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants and mitochondrial complexes were evaluated against neurotoxicity induced by Oxa. Mel pre-treatment replenished the mitochondrial lipid peroxidation levels and protein carbonyl content induced by Oxa. Mel also modulated altered non-enzymatic, enzymatic antioxidants and complex enzymes of mitochondria. Futures studies are also required to identify other molecular markers involved in neurotoxicity induced by Oxa and possible action of Mel in its modulation.

Melatonin pre-treatment mitigates SHSY-5Y cells against oxaliplatin induced mitochondrial stress and apoptotic cell death

Oxaliplatin (Oxa) treatment to SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells has been shown by previous studies to induce oxidative stress, which in turn modulates intracellular signaling cascades resulting in cell death. While this phenomenon of Oxa-induced neurotoxicity is known, the underlying mechanisms involved in this cell death cascade must be clarified. Moreover, there is still little known regarding the roles of neuronal mitochondria and cytosolic compartments in mediating Oxa-induced neurotoxicity. With a better grasp of the mechanisms driving neurotoxicity in Oxa-treated SH-SY5Y cells, we can then identify certain pathways to target in protecting against neurotoxic cell damage. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether one such agent, melatonin (Mel), could confer protection against Oxa-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. Results from the present study found Oxa to significantly reduce SH-SY5Y cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. Alternatively, we found Mel pre-treatment to SH-SY5Y cells to attenuate Oxa-induced toxicity, resulting in a markedly increased cell viability. Mel exerted its protective effects by regulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and reducing superoxide radicals inside Oxa-exposed. In addition, we observed pre-treatment with Mel to rescue Oxa-treated cells by protecting mitochondria. As Oxa-treatment alone decreases mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), resulting in an altered Bcl-2/Bax ratio and release of sequestered cytochrome c, so Mel was shown to inhibit these pathways. Mel was also found to inhibit proteolytic activation of caspase 3, inactivation of Poly (ADP Ribose) polymerase, and DNA damage, thereby allowing SH-SY5Y cells to resist apoptotic cell death. Collectively, our results suggest a role for melatonin in reducing Oxa induced neurotoxicity. Further studies exploring melatonin’s protective effects may prove successful in eliciting pathways to further alter the neurotoxic pathways of platinum compounds in cancer treatment.

Melatonin modulates permeability transition pore and 5-hydroxydecanoate induced KATP channel inhibition in isolated brain mitochondria

There is increasing recognition of the magnitude of mitochondria in neurodegenerative disorders. Mitochondria play a key role in apoptotic and necrotic cell death. Melatonin (Mel), an indoleamine produced in several organs including the pineal gland has been known for its neuroprotective actions. In our study, we have investigated whether the mitochondrial ATP sensitive potassium (mtKATP) channel blocker 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD) and calcium (Ca2+) affects permeability transition pore (PTP) alterations in isolated brain mitochondria treated with melatonin (Mel) and cyclosporin A (CsA). Mitochondrial swelling, mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), ROS measurement and mitochondrial respiration were evaluated in isolated brain mitochondria. In our results, mitochondrial swelling stimulated by exposing Ca2+ ions and 5-HD associated by mPTP opening as depicted by modulation of CsA and Mel. In addition, Ca2+ and 5-HD decreased Δψm, depleted intracellular ROS, and inhibition of mitochondrial respiration (state 3 and state 4) in isolated brain mitochondria. Addition of Mel and CsA has shown significant restoration in mitochondrial swelling, Δψm, intracellular ROS measurement and mitochondrial respiration in isolated brain mitochondria. Therefore, we speculate the modulatory effect of Mel and CsA in mitochondria treated with 5-HD and Ca2+ hinders the mPTP-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular oxidative stress. We conclude that inhibition of mPT is one likely mechanism of CsAs and its neuroprotective actions. Development of neuroprotective agents including Mel targeting the mPTP therefore bears hope for future treatment of severe neurodegenerative diseases.