Cardiotoxicity is an imperative issue in the assessment of heavy metal consumption and inorganic arsenic (As). These have a cardiotoxic effect which is evaluated by biochemical, and ...oxidative-antioxidant tests, and by the Nrf2- HO-1 pathway. Dried ginger powder is recognized for its efficient antioxidant activities and as a protector of the cardiovascular system from toxic damage caused by heavy metals. However, the possible function of ginger against As in heart via heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) is unclear. A total of 120 White Pekin ducks were randomly distributed into groups comprising 24 birds in each. Each group comprised 3 replicates having 8 birds in each replicate. The time period of this study was 90 days. The groups were the control Group I whereas groups II to IV were fed a basal diet including arsenic at 28 mg/L. Dried ginger powder as an ameliorative agent was mixed with the basal diet and fed at 0.1, 0.3 and 1 g/kg feed to groups III, IV and V, respectively. In the current experiment, dried ginger powder decreased As-induced reactive oxygen species (ROSs) production, oxidative injury and pathological modifications. In addition, cardiac dysfunction factors, intracellular calcium (Ca2+), As accumulation and cAMP deficiency levels were noticed in ducks; these alternations were attenuated by ginger. Furthermore, ginger significantly altered the down regulation of both HO-1 and Nrf2 gene expressions caused by As. Thus, the proven protective role of ginger against As-induced cardiotoxicity may be a consequence of the maintenance of redox homeostasis, i.e. the Nrf2-HO-1 pathway and by enabling As efflux.
Kardiotoksičnost je vrlo važna u procjeni problema koji nastaju konzumacijom teških metala. Anorganski arsen
(As) ima kardiotoksičan učinak koji se procjenjuje na temelju biokemijskih, ...oksidacijsko-antioksidacijskih nalaza te na
temelju puta Nrf2-HO-1. Sušeni đumbirov prah poznat je po svojoj učinkovitoj antioksidacijskoj aktivnosti i zaštitnom
djelovanju u slučaju intoksikacije kardiovaskularnog sustava teškim metalima. Nejasna je međutim uloga đumbira u
odnosu na arsen u srčanom mišiću putem hem-oksigenaze 1 (HO-1) i faktora 2 povezanog s nuklearnim eritroidnim
faktorom. Ukupno je 120 bijelih pataka pasmine pekinška patka nasumično podijeljeno u skupine koje su sadržavale
po 24 jedinke. U svakoj skupini provedena su 3 ponovljena postupka (replikacije) na po 8 jedinki. Ukupno je vrijeme
istraživanja bilo 90 dana. Skupina I bila je kontrolna skupina koja nije primila ni arsen ni đumbir. Pokusnim skupinama
od II do V je, uz osnovnu prehranu, u različitim kombinacijama dodavan arsen u dozi od 28mg/L i sušeni đumbirov prah u dozama od 0,1g/kg 0,3g/kg i 1 g/kg. Rezultati su pokazali da je sušeni đumbirov prah smanjio prisutnost reaktivnih vrsta kisika (ROS) uzrokovanu arsenom, oksidacijsko oštećenje i patološke promjene. Osim toga uočene promjene, kao što su su faktori srčane disfunkcije, unutarstanični kalcij (Ca2+), nakupljanje arsena i deficijencija razine cAMP-a, ublažene su đumbirovim prahom. Đumbir je, nadalje, znakovito utjecao na smanjenje genske ekspresije i HO-1 i Nrf2 uzrokovane arsenom. Zaključeno je da bi zaštitna uloga đumbira u slučaju kardiotoksičnosti uzrokovane arsenom mogla biti posljedica održavanja redoks homeostaze, odnosno puta Nrf2-HO-1 i omogućavanja eliminacije arsena.
Malaria parasite lacks canonical pathways for amino acid biosynthesis and depends primarily on hemoglobin degradation and extracellular resources for amino acids. Interestingly, a putative gene for ...glutamine synthetase (GS) is retained despite glutamine being an abundant amino acid in human and mosquito hosts. Here we show Plasmodium GS has evolved as a unique type I enzyme with distinct structural and regulatory properties to adapt to the asexual niche. Methionine sulfoximine (MSO) and phosphinothricin (PPT) inhibit parasite GS activity. GS is localized to the parasite cytosol and abundantly expressed in all the life cycle stages. Parasite GS displays species-specific requirement in Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) having asparagine-rich proteome. Targeting PfGS affects asparagine levels and inhibits protein synthesis through eIF2α phosphorylation leading to parasite death. Exposure of artemisinin-resistant Pf parasites to MSO and PPT inhibits the emergence of viable parasites upon artemisinin treatment.
