Baccharis trimera Improves the Antioxidant Defense System and Inhibits iNOS and NADPH Oxidase Expression in a Rat Model of Inflammation

The acclimation mechanism of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to nitric oxide (NO) was studied by exposure to S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), a NO donor. Treatment with 0.1 or 0.3 mM SNAP transiently inhibited photosynthesis within 1 h, followed by a recovery without growth impairment, while 1.0 mM SNAP treatment caused irreversible photosynthesis inhibition and mortality. The SNAP effects are avoided in the presence of the NO scavenger, 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-l-oxyl-3-oxide (cPTIO). RNA-seq, qPCR, and biochemical analyses were conducted to decode the metabolic shifts under sub-lethal NO stress by exposure to 0.3 mM SNAP in the presence or absence of 0.4 mM cPTIO. These findings revealed that the acclimation to NO stress comprises a temporally orchestrated implementation of metabolic processes: 1. trigger of NO scavenging elements to reduce NO level; 2. prevention of photo-oxidative risk through photosynthesis inhibition and antioxidant defense system induction; 3. acclimation to nitrogen and sulfur shortage; 4. degradation of damaged proteins through protein trafficking machinery (ubiquitin, SNARE, and autophagy) and molecular chaperone system for dynamic regulation of protein homeostasis. NO increased NADPH oxidase activity and respiratory burst oxidase-like 2 (RBOL2) transcript abundance, which were not observed in the rbol2 insertion mutant. Changes in gene expression in the rbol2 mutant and increased mortality under NO stress demonstrate that NADPH oxidase (RBOL2) is involved in the modulation of some acclimation processes (NO scavenging, antioxidant defense system, autophagy, and heat shock proteins) for Chlamydomonas to cope with NO stress. Our findings provide insight into the molecular events underlying acclimation mechanisms in Chlamydomonas to sub-lethal NO stress.

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Effect of Germinated Pigmented Rice “Superjami” on the Glucose Level, Antioxidant Defense System, and Bone Metabolism in Menopausal Rat Model

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu11092184 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 2184

Author(s):

Soo Im Chung ◽

Tae-ho Ham ◽

Mi Young Kang

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Bone Metabolism ◽

Glucose Level ◽

Rat Model ◽

Antioxidant Defense ◽

Antioxidant Defense System ◽

Rice Cultivar ◽

The Body ◽

Defense System ◽

Pigmented Rice

Women experience physical, mental, and social changes during menopause. It is important to maintain a healthy diet for effective menopause management. The effect of germinated Superjami, a deep violet colored rice cultivar, on the body weight, glucose level, antioxidant defense system, and bone metabolism in a menopausal rat model was investigated. The animals were randomly divided into three groups and fed with a normal diet (ND), a control diet supplemented with 20% (w/w) non-germinated Superjami flour (NGSF), or germinated Superjami flour (GSF) for eight weeks. The NGSF and GSF groups exhibited significantly lower body weight and fat, glucose and insulin contents, adipokine concentrations, and bone resorption biomarker levels, and higher antioxidant enzyme activities and 17-β-estradiol content than the ND group (p < 0.05). The GSF group showed greater glucose homeostasis, antioxidative, and bone metabolism-improving effects compared with the NGSF group. These findings demonstrate that germination could further improve the health-promoting properties of Superjami and that this germinated pigmented rice cultivar could be useful in the treatment and management of menopause-induced hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, and bone turnover imbalance.

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