fereshteh bahmani

Red blood cell distribution (RDW), an index of the size variability of erythrocytes, is significantly associated with coronary stenosis and can strongly predict the mortality risk in coronary artery disease (CAD). The biological mechanisms involved are not fully understood but may include oxidative stress. We sought to investigate the relationship between RDW and markers of oxidative stress in patients with CAD.

Participants were 112 consecutive patients referred to department of cardiac surgery for evaluation of chest pain. 32 patients had stable CAD, 40 patients had unstable CAD and 40 subjects were diagnosed as non-CAD. The levels of lipid peroxidation (TBARS) were measured in plasma and membrane samples by a fluorometric method. The plasma levels of glutathione (GSH) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were determined using spectrophotometric methods.

Lipid peroxidation levels were significantly higher in the erythrocyte membrane of stable CAD patients than non-CAD patients. The levels of TAC were significantly lower in both stable and unstable groups when compared to that of the control group (P< 0.019 and P< 0.001, respectively), but did not differ between stable and unstable CAD. In addition, there was no significant difference in the serum GSH levels among the study groups. Membrane TBARS was directly associated with RDW in three groups of study.

We found an independent association between RDW levels and membrane lipid peroxidation in patients with CAD. This finding suggests that oxidative stress may be a potential underlying biological mechanism for increased RDW in CAD patients.

Neuropathic pain is a common and painful somatosensory nervous system disease, and its treatment remains a medical challenge. Evidence demonstrates that gut microbiota alters in neuropathic pain and, therefore, improvement of the gut flora may affect the disease. The present study aimed to evaluate the antinociceptive effect of probiotics in neuropathic pain and oxidative biomarkers’ responsiveness to the probiotic treatment.

Using chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the rats' sciatic nerve, neuropathic pain was induced. Investigating the analgesic effect of the probiotics mixture, 40 male rats were randomly assigned to 4 groups (n=10 for each): Sham-operated (SM), and CCI model rats orally received 1 mL saline (CS), or 100 mg/kg gabapentin (CG) or 1 mL probiotics mixture (CP) Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Bifidobacterium bifidum (109 CFU of each) daily. Using behavioral tests, the pain was assessed on days 1, 4, 7, 14, and 21 of the study. Finally, the biochemical evaluation of sciatic nerve tissue was done.

Probiotics decreased cold and mechanic allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. Reducing lipid peroxidation levels and increasing total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity were also significant in the probiotics group.

These findings suggest that probiotics have analgesic effects on the CCI model of neuropathic pain via increasing the antioxidant capacity of the rats’ sciatic nerve.

Introduction. Data on the effects of melatonin administration on metabolic parameters in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) is limited and controversial. This study was performed to analyze the effects of melatonin administration on metabolic status in patients with DN. Methods. This randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed on 60 patients with DN. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups to take either 10 mg/d of melatonin (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) for 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and 12 weeks after intervention to quantify metabolic parameters. Results. Melatonin administration significantly reduced plasma fasting glucose (β = -10.64 mg/dL; 95% CI: -20.37 to -0.90; P < .05), insulin (β = -2.37 µIU/mL, 95% CI: -3.33 to -1.41; P < .001), insulin resistance (β = -0.67, 95% CI: -0.98 to -0.35; P < .001), significantly increased insulin sensitivity (β = 0.01, 95% CI: 0.006 to 0.01; P < .05), and plasma HDL-cholesterol levels (β = 2.75 mg/dL, 95% CI: 0.75 to 4.75; P < .05) when compared with the placebo. Melatonin also caused a significant increase in total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (β = 140.45 mmol/L; 95% CI: 80.48 to 200.41; P < .001), and glutathione (GSH) levels (β = 50.36 µmol/L, 95% CI: 94.08 to 0.02; P < .05) when compared with placebo. Ultimately, melatonin could upregulate gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) (P < .05) in comparison with placebo. Conclusion. Results of this study indicated that melatonin administration for 12 weeks in DN patients had beneficial effects on glycemic control, HDL-cholesterol, TAC and GSH levels, and gene expression of PPAR-γ, but did not affect other metabolic parameters.

This study evaluated the effects of nano-curcumin intake on metabolic status in patients with diabetes on hemodialysis (HD).

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed on 60 patients with diabetes on HD. Participants were randomly divided into two groups to take either 80 mg/d nano-curcumin (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) for 12 weeks.

Nano-curcumin significantly decreased fasting plasma glucose (β = -19.68 mg/dL, 95% CI: -33.48 to -5.88; P < .05) and serum insulin levels (β = -1.70 µIU/mL, 95% CI: -2.96 to -0.44; P < .05) when compared with patients who received placebo. Nanocurcumin treatment was associated with a significant reduction in triglycerides (β = -16.13 mg/dL, 95% CI: -31.51 to -0.75; P < .05), VLDL-cholesterol (β = -3.22 mg/dL, 95% CI: -6.30 to -0.15; P < .05), total cholesterol (β = -17.83 mg/dL, 95% CI: -29.22 to -6.45; P < .05), LDL-cholesterol (β = -15.20 mg/dL, 95% CI: -25.53 to -4.87; P < .05), and total-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio (β = -1.15, 95% CI: -0.2.10 to -0.21; P < .05) when compared with the placebo. Nanocurcumin also resulted in a significant reduction of serum high sensitivity CRP (β = -0.78 mg/L, 95% CI: -1.41 to -0.15; P < .05), and plasma malondialdehyde (β = -0.25 µmol/L, 95% CI: -0.45 to -0.04; P < .05); but also with a significant increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity (β = 52.43 mmol/L; 95% CI: 4.52 to 100.35; P < .05) and total nitrite levels (β = 3.62 µmol/L, 95% CI: 2.17 to 5.08; P < .001) when compared with placebo.

Nano-curcumin intake for 12 weeks had beneficial effects on metabolic profile in patients with diabetes on HD.

Data on the effects of omega‑3 fatty acid supplementation on clinical symptoms and metabolic profles in patients with endometrial hyperplasia (EH) are limited. This intervention was performed to assess the effects of omega‑3 fatty acid supplementation on clinical symptoms and metabolic profles in patients with endometrial hyperplasia (EH). This randomized, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled trial was conducted among 40 women diagnosed with simple endometrial hyperplasia (EH). EH diagnosis was performed based on specifc diagnostic procedures of biopsy. Participants were randomised into two groups to intake 1,000 mg omega‑3 fatty acid supplements from flaxseed oil (n = 20) or placebo (n = 20), twice a day for 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and after the 12‑week intervention to determine related markers. Compared with the placebo, omega‑3 fatty acid supplementation signifcantly decreased fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (‑7.1 ± 9.6 vs. +2.0 ± 4.9 mg/dL, P = 0.001), serum insulin levels (‑1.5 ± 4.6 vs. +1.6 ± 3.9 µIU/mL, P = 0.02) and homeostasis model of assessment‑insulin resistance (HOMA‑IR) (‑0.4 ± 1.1 vs. +0.4 ± 1.0, P = 0.02). In addition, a signifcant increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (+102.6 ± 69.6 vs. +5.0 ± 37.1 mmol/L, P < 0.001) and total glutathione (GSH) levels (+63.6 ± 84.9 vs. ‑3.0 ± 69.4 µmol/L, P = 0.01) were seen following the supplementation of omega‑3 fatty acid compared with the placebo. Omega‑3 fatty acid supplementation had no signifcant effect on regression, lipid profles, and other biomarkersof inflammation and oxidative. In conclusion, we found that omega‑3 fatty acid administration for 12 weeks to subjects with EH signifcantly improved FPG, insulin, HOMA‑IR, TAC and GSH levels, but did not influence regression, lipid profles, and other biomarkers of inflammatory and oxidative stress

This study was conducted to assess the effects of folate supplementation on carotid intima‑media thickness (CIMT), biomarkers of inflammation, and oxidative stress in carbamazepine‑treated epileptic children. This randomized, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled trial was carried out in 54 epileptic children aged 2–12 years old receiving carbamazepine monotherapy. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups to receive either 5 mg folate supplements or placebo (n = 27 in each group) for 12 weeks. After the 12‑week intervention, compared with the placebo, folate supplementation resulted in a signifcant reduction in plasma homocysteine (Hcy) (changes from baseline - 2.1 ± 2.5 vs. +0.1 ± 0.4 µmol/L, P < 0.001), serum high‑sensitivity C‑reactive protein (hs‑CRP) (changes from baseline - 1.5 ± 3.5 vs. +0.4 ± 1.4 mg/L, P = 0.01), a signifcant increase in plasma nitric oxide (NO) (changes from baseline + 1.9 ± 5.8 vs. -2.0 ± 6.4 µmol/L, P = 0.02), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) concentrations (changes from baseline + 88.6 ± 116.0 vs. +1.8 ± 77.4 mmol/L, P = 0.002). We did not observe any signifcant effects in mean levels of left and right CIMT, maximum levels of left and right CIMT, and total glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels following the supplementation of folate compared with the placebo. Overall, folate supplementation at a dosage of 5 mg/day for 12 weeks among epileptic children receiving carbamazepine had benefcial effects on Hcy, hs‑CRP, NO, and TAC levels, but did not affect CIMT, and GSH and MDA levels.

Data on the effects of folic acid supplementation on clinical symptoms and metabolic profiles of patients with endometrial hyperplasia (EH) are limited. This investigation was performed to evaluate the effects of folic acid supplementation on clinical symptoms and metabolic status of patients with EH. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted among 60 women diagnosed with EH. Diagnosis of EH was made based on biopsy results. Participants were randomly allocated to 2 groups to take 5 mg/d folic acid supplements (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) for 12 weeks. After the 12-week intervention, folic acid supplementation significantly decreased fasting plasma glucose (β -3.99 mg/ dL; 95% CI, -7.39, -0.59; P = 0.02), serum insulin levels (β -2.82 µIU/mL; 95% CI, -4.86, -0.77; P = 0.008), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (β -0.68; 95% CI, -1.20, -0.17; P = 0.009), triglycerides (β -16.47 mg/dL; 95% CI, -28.72, -4.22; P = 0.009) and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol (β -3.29 mg/dL; 95% CI, -5.74, -0.84; P = 0.009), and significantly increased the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (β 0.01; 95% CI, 0.004, 0.03; P = 0.01) compared with the placebo. Additionally, folic acid intake resulted in a significant reduction in serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (β -0.36 mg/L; 95% CI, -0.52, -0.21; P < 0.001) compared with the placebo. Folic acid supplementation did not affect other metabolic parameters. In conclusion, we found that folic acid administration for 12 weeks to subjects with EH improved glycemic control, triglycerides, VLDL-cholesterol and hs-CRP levels, but did not influence recurrence and other metabolic profiles

To the best of our knowledge, data on effects of probiotic administration on hormonal profiles, biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are scarce. This investigation was conducted to assess the effects of probiotic supplementation on hormonal profiles, biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in women with PCOS.
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 60 women with PCOS, aged 18-40 years old. Subjects were randomly assigned into 2 groups to receive either probiotics or placebo (n = 30 each group) for 12 weeks. Metabolic profiles were quantified at baseline and after a 12-week intervention.
After the 12-week intervention, compared with placebo, probiotic supplementation significantly increased serum sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) (.9 ± 32.5 vs. .5 ± 15.6 nmol/L, P Overall, probiotic supplementation of PCOS women for 12 weeks had beneficial effects on total testosterone, SHBG, mFG scores, hs-CRP, TAC and MDA levels but did not affect other metabolic profiles.

Introduction. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of mulberry extract administration on markers of insulin metabolism, lipid concentrations, and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN).
Materials and Methods. Sixty patients were randomly allocated into 2 groups to receive either 300 mg/d of mulberry extract (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30), twice per day for 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken at the onset of the study and 12 weeks after supplementation to examine markers of insulin metabolism, lipid concentrations, and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress.
Results. Mulberry extract, compared to placebo, resulted in significant reductions in serum triglycerides (-37.3 ± 64.7 mg/dL versus .0 ± 78.8 mg/dL, P = .03) and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-7.4 ± 12.9 mg/dL versus .6 ± 15.8 mg/dL, P = .03), and a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration (.5 ± 4.0 mg/dL versus -2.0 ± 5.0 mg/dL, P = .03). Other significant changes were in serum high-sensitivity C-reaction protein (-2.3 ± 4.5 µg/mL versus -0.1 ± 2.2 µg/mL, P = .02), plasma glutathione (.8 ± 159.7 µmol/L versus -24.2 ± 138.8 µmol/L, P = .005) and malondialdehyde (-0.03 ± 0.5 µmol/L versus .7 ± 1.0 µmol/L, P Conclusions. These findings showed that mulberry extract administration had favorable effects on serum lipids, HSCRP, glutathione, and malondialdehyde levels in DN patients; however, it did not affect markers of insulin metabolism or biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation is increased in diabetes mellitus, leading to microvascular and macrovascular complications. Recently, much attention has been focused on natural and synthetic inhibitors to delay the onset or progression of diabetes and its comorbidities. In this study, an in vitro glycation model containing albumin as a model protein together with glucose as glycating agent was used to study antiglycation activity of AA.
Bovine serum albumin was incubated with 0.5 M of glucose with or without AA in 37°C for 4 weeks. The formation of fluorescent AGEs was determined to indicate protein glycation, whereas the level of protein carbonyl content and thiol group were examined for protein oxidation. Glycation is known to induce aggregation and fibrillation of proteins. To determine the inhibitory effect of AA on aggregation and fibrillation of albumin, amyloid specific dyes such as Thioflavin T was used.
The results found that AA significantly inhibited the formation of fluorescent AGEs (P Thus, these findings indicated that AA has high potential for decreasing protein glycation and oxidation that may delay or prevent AGEs-related diabetic complications.

This study was conducted to establish the comparative effects of carbohydrate versus fat restriction on metabolic indices in Type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).
This randomized, clinical trial was done among 56 overweight persons with T2D and CHD aged 40-85 years old. The patients were randomly allocated to take either a high-carbohydrate (HC) diet (60-65% carbohydrates and 20-25% fats) (n = 28) or a restricted carbohydrate (RC) diet (43-49% carbohydrate and 36-40% fats) (n = 28) for 8 weeks to determine metabolic status.
After 8 weeks of treatment, RC diet decreased fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (−11.5 ± 28.3 vs. .0 ± 26.9 mg/dl, P = 0.010) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (−564.3 ± 1280.1 vs. �.1 ± 1789.2 ng/ml, P = 0.040) compared with a HC diet. Moreover, compared with a HC diet, RC diet increased total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (�.8 ± 111.5 vs. .2 ± 82.5 mmol/l, P RC diet in overweight T2D with CHD had beneficial effects on FPG, hs-CRP, TAC, and GSH values.

Limited data is available on the effects of multispecies probiotic supplementation on metabolic status in pregnant women in the first half of pregnancy. The current study was carried out to determine the effects of multispecies probiotic capsule supplementation on metabolic status among pregnant women in the first half of pregnancy.
A randomized clinical trial was conducted among 60 pregnant women aged 18–37 years. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: group A (n = 30) received multispecies probiotic supplements containing three probiotic bacteria spices Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium bifidum (2 × 109 CFU/g each) and group B (n = 30) received placebo from 9 weeks of gestation for a duration of 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken at the beginning of the study and after 12 weeks of intervention to determine metabolic profiles, inflammatory cytokines and biomarkers of oxidative stress.
After 12 weeks of intervention, compared to the placebo group, the pregnant women who consumed probiotic capsule had significantly decreased serum insulin concentrations (-1.5 ± 4.8 vs. .3 ± 5.2 µIU/mL, P = 0.03), the homeostasis model of assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (-0.3 ± 0.9 vs. .3 ± 1.1, P = 0.04), the homeostasis model of assessment-estimated b cell function (HOMA-B) (-7.2 ± 23.1 vs. .3 ± 22.6, P = 0.03) and increased quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) (.01 ± 0.05 vs. -0.01 ± 0.02, P = 0.03). In addition, changes in serum triglycerides levels (-14.7 ± 46.5 vs. .3 ± 74.2 mg/dL, P = 0.002), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (-1.0 ± 2.6 vs. .7 ± 4.3 mg/L, P = 0.004), plasma nitric oxide (NO) (.8 ± 9.3 vs. -4.7 ± 7.4 µmol/L, P Overall, probiotic supplementation for 12 weeks among pregnant women in the first half of pregnancy had beneficial effects on markers of insulin metabolism, triglycerides, biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress.

Although several attempts have been made to decrease lipid profile through consumption of probiotic-containing products among pregnant women, limited data are available assessing the effects of synbiotic foods. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of daily consumption of a synbiotic Gaz on blood lipid profile and biomarkers of oxidative stress including plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total glutathione (GSH) in pregnant women.

This randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial was performed on 52 primigravida pregnant women, aged 18-35 year old at their third trimester. After a 2 week run-in period, subjects were randomly assigned to consume either a synbiotic (n=26) or control food (n=26) for 9 weeks. The synbiotic Gaz consisted of a probiotic viable and heat-resistant Lactobacillus sporogenes (1×107 CFU) and 0.04 g inulin /g as the prebiotic. Patients were asked to consume the synbiotic and control Gaz twice a day. Biochemical measurements including blood lipid profile, plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total glutathione (GSH) were conducted before and after 9 weeks of intervention.

Consumption of synbiotic Gaz for 9 weeks resulted in a significant reduction in serum TAG (P=0.04), VLDL (P=0.04) and a significant rise in plasma GSH levels (P=0.004) compared to the control Gaz. No significant effect of the synbiotic Gaz consumption on serum TC, LDL, HDL or plasma TAC levels were observed.

Consumption of synbiotic Gaz for 9 weeks resulted in decreased serum triglycerides, VLDL-cholesterol and increased plasma total GSH levels compared with the control Gaz among pregnant women.

Today, diabetic nephropathy is considered to be one of the most common causes of end stage renal disease. Uncontrolled hyperglycemia, and consequently, production of advanced glycation end products activate pathways which play key roles in diabetic nephropathy. Among these pathways, high expression of receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF?) are notable. In this study, in order to find compounds which can prevent the incidence or progression of diabetic nephropathy, we examined the effects of glycine and lysine amino acids on expression of RAGE and TGF? in kidney tissue of diabetic rats. After rendering rats with diabetes with streptozotocin (STZ), they were divided into different groups and were treated with oral 1% glycine and 0.1% lysine in drinking water for 12 weeks. Blood glucose and serum AGEs were measured during this time. Changes in RAGE and TGF? expression were assessed by semi quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. Results show that both glycine and lysine administration for 12 weeks not only caused a significant reduction in blood glucose and AGEs in diabetic rats, but also led to a significant reduction in RAGE and TGF? expression in comparison to non-treated diabetic rats. These results show that oral glycine and lysine, as chemical chaperones, have the ability to prevent diabetic nephropathy by decreasing RAGE and TGF? expression. This may be due to the effect of these chemical chaperones in the reduction of hyperglycemia and serum AGEs in diabetic rats. Since the positive effects of these amino acids in diabetic nephropathy have been observed in previous studies, the determination of their dose in future studies seems necessary.

This study was designed to determine the effects of calcium-vitamin D supplementation on insulin resistance، inflammatory factor and biomarkers of oxidative stress among healthy pregnant women and pregnancy outcomes. This randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial was performed among 42 p regnant women، aged 18-40 year old who were carrying singleton pregnancy at 25 weeks of gestation. Pregnant women were randomly assigned to receive either 500 mg calcium-200 IU vitamin D supplements (n=21) or placebo (n=21) for 9 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and after 9-wk intervention to measure insulin resistance، high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and biomarkers of oxidative stress including plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total glutathione (GSH). Newborn''s weight، length and head circumference were measured during the first 24 h after birth. Consumption of calcium-vitamin D supplements compared with the placebo resulted in a significant reduction of serum hs-CRP levels (-1856. 76 vs. 707. 13 µg/mL، P=0. 006)، a significant elevation of plasma TAC (89. 29 vs. -9. 37 mmol/L، P=0. 03)، serum vitamin D (2. 49 vs. -1. 72 ng/mL، P<0. 0001) and calcium levels (0. 6 vs. -0. 1 mg/dL، P<0. 0001). The supplementation led to a significant decrease in DBP (-1. 9 vs. 3. 1 mmHg، P=0. 02) compared to placebo. In conclusion، consumption of calcium-vitamin D supplements for 9 weeks among pregnant women had the beneficial effects on metabolic profiles.