The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ortanique peel polymethoxylated flavones extract (PMF ort ) on antioxidant enzymes activities and lipid peroxide levels in organs of hypercholesterolemic and normal rats. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were fed high cholesterol diets supplemented with 1.5% PMF ort and niacin respectively for 49 days. Hypercholesterolemic rats fed PMF ort had significant reductions in malondialdehyde levels in the liver and brain compared to untreated hypercholesterolemic control rats. This reduction also occurred in the brain of the rats fed niacin. The activities of catalase, glutathione reductase, transferase and peroxidase were significantly reduced in the spleen, brain and liver of hypercholesterolemic rats fed PMF ort compared to control. The activities of these enzymes were only reduced in the brain and liver of rats fed niacin. The results would suggest that PMF ort modulates hypercholesterolemia-associated organ injury and oxidative stress in rat organs. PMF ort could therefore be a suitable candidate of natural origin for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of hypercholesterolemia-associated oxidative stress and organ injury.

A shortage of cysteine (CYS) is associated with low glutathione (GSH) synthesis in edematous childhood severe acute malnutrition (SAM). We investigated the effect of isonitrogenous (0.6 mmol/kg/d) supplementation of CYS precursor, methionine, (MET, n = 6) versus alanine (ALA, n = 6) as control on endogenous CYS production and erythrocyte GSH synthesis in edematous SAM.Measurements were made in children aged 8.8 ± 2.6 months 3 times during early treatment for SAM with infection using constant, intravenous infusions of stable isotopes of MET at ~ 2d (Stage 1),~7d, (Stage 2), and ~14 d(Stage 3) after admission. Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 ALA MET ALA MET ALA MET GSH ASR (mmol/l/d) CYS Kinetics (μmol/kg/h) 0.3 ± 0.1 0.2 ± 0.04 0.6 ± 0.08 0.6 ± 0.2 0.9 ± 0.6 0.9 ± 0.1 Dietary inflow 6.9 ± 0.2 7.3 ± 0.2 6.3 ± 0.02 6.4 ± 0.02 6.4 ± 0.02 6.3 ± 0.04 Total flux 41.3 ± 5.8 41.1 ± 7.9 44.95 ± 3.9 54.6 ± 4.6 49.7 ± 3.5 50.7 ± 3.6 Denovo Synthesis 11.8 ± 2.5 12.5 ± 2.1 10.0 ± 0.9 8.6 ± 1.4 8.5 ± 1.1 8.4 ± 1.6 Protein derived flux 21.1 ± 3.5 19.8 ± 6.8a 27.1 ± 3.1 38.15 ± 4.2 33.4 ± 2.5 34.5 ± 2.5 Mean ± SEM. ASR absolute synthesis rate; different from stages 2 and 3 in MET group, (p < 0.05) MET supplementation stimulated CYS supply from protein breakdown but did not significantly increase GSH synthesis. The increase in CYS supply might have contributed to CYS rich proteins associated with infection such as acute phase proteins.Supported by NIH grant # 2RO1DK056689