Norazrina Azmi

Effects of synthetic chalcone derivatives on oxidised palmitoyl arachidonoyl phosphorylcholine-induced proinflammatory chemokines production

Oxidised 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine (OxPAPC) induces the production of proinflammatory chemokines has been widely studied for its role in vascular inflammation. There is increasing evidence on the role of chalcones as potential anti-inflammatory agents but less is known about its effects on OxPAPC-induced chemokines production and the involvement of unfolded protein response (UPR) signalling, particularly through XBP1 pathway. The present study sought to investigate the inhibitory potential of synthetic chalcone derivatives on the release of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), induced by OxPAPC through XBP1 signalling pathway on differentiated U-937 macrophages. The effects of synthetic chalcone derivatives on the chemokines productions were investigated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, while the inhibitions of XBP1 signalling were detected using western immunoblot. Results show that all the three tested synthetic chalcone derivatives inhibited OxPAPC-induced chemokines production in a concentration-dependent manner. Compound 1.5 exhibited the strongest inhibition of IL-8 and MCP-1 at 61.4 ± 4.23% and 63.8 ± 2.16%, respectively. Compound 1.5 also achieved the lowest IC50 values for both IL-8 (18.33 ± 1.59 μM) and MCP-1 (13.05 ± 1.37 μM) inhibitions. For XBP1 protein expression, both compound 1.4 and 1.5 exhibited significant concentration-dependent suppression of the protein expressions. The results suggest that synthetic chalcone derivatives may serve as potential alternatives for future development of anti-inflammatory agents, particularly in vascular inflammation.

Effects of intravenous palm oil-based lipid nanoemulsion on fat metabolism in rabbits

Abstract Objective To investigate the effects of a newly-developed nanoemulsion of palm oil in combination with medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil (NEMS®MCT/LCT20%) on fat metabolism in male New Zealand white rabbits. Methods Six rabbits were divided into two groups of three rabbits in each group. NEMS®MCT/LCT20%, Lipofundin®MCT/LCT 20% (a commercially-available lipid emulsion) and normal saline (control) were administered intravenously in these rabbits via the marginal ear vein for 6 h. Cross-over method was used in these rabbits with a wash-out period of two weeks in-between infusions. Triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein cholesterols were determined using enzymatic strip test at 0, 2, 4 and 6 h of infusion. Blood levels of free fatty acid (FFA) were measured at 0 and 6 h. Results Serum TG levels increased in these rabbits after 2 and 4 h infusion of NEMS®MCT/LCT20% but returned to normal after 6 h. Concentration of FFA increased in a dose-related manner but remained within the normal range (315-535 μmol/L). Similar results were obtained with Lipofundin®MCT/LCT20%. All parameters of fat metabolism in these rabbits remained unchanged from baseline when normal saline was administered. Changes in the parameters of fat metabolism measured between NEMS®MCT/LCT20% and Lipofundin®MCT/LCT20% did not show any significant difference. Significant difference ( P Conclusions Intravenous administration of NEMS®MCT/LCT20% did not cause a permanent increase in the TG level of rabbits while FFA remained within the normal range.

Insignificant influence of test order on cognitive behavior in Wistar rats

Objectives: The aim was to evaluate the effects of test order in behavioral performance of Wistar rats in cognitive performance tasks. Materials and Methods: The rats were tested with both object recognition and object location tasks in different test orders with an inter-test interval of 1-day. Results: An open field box sized 60 × 60 × 40 cm was associated with better experimental outcome compared with box sized 100 × 100 × 50 cm. Test order has insignificant effects on the exploration activity of rats with the 1-day inter-test interval. Conclusion: Test order of the cognitive performance tasks with inter-test interval of 1-day did not influence the performance of Wistar rats.

Effects of Durian Intake on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Healthy Individuals

The effect of durian on cardiovascular health remains controversial. This study investigated the correlation between durian intake and the elevation of blood pressure and heart rate in healthy males. Subjects consumed either placebo, 250 or 500 g durian flesh. The blood pressure and heart rate were measured at various intervals up to 24 h. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure remained normal for groups given durian. However, a significant increase in heart rate was observed in the group given 500 g of durian at 0.5–2 h. A modest amount of durian intake did not affect blood pressure and heart rate in healthy individuals.