Oxygen Free Radicals and Endotoxic Shock: Effect of Flaxseed

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cardiac dysfunction and tissue injury during endotoxemia may be caused by increased levels of oxygen free radicals. METHODS AND RESULTS: We therefore investigated the effects of endotoxic shock on cardiac function and contractility, plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity and lactate concentration, oxyradical-producing activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL-CL) and white blood corpuscles, antioxidant reserve (cardiac chemiluminescence [LV-CL]), antioxidant enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase), cardiac malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, a lipid peroxidation product, and hemodynamics in the absence or presence of flaxseed treatment in anesthetized dogs. Flaxseed contains lignans that have antioxidant activites and inhibit platelet-activating factor (PAF). The dogs were assigned to three groups: group I, sham control; group II, endotoxin (ET) treated (5 mg/kg intravenously); group III, ET + flaxseed (2 gm/kg/day orally) for 6 days. ET produced a decrease in cardiac function and contractility and antioxidant enzyme levels, and an increase in cardiac MDA and LV-CL, PMNL-CL, and plasma CK and lactate. Pretreatment with flaxseed attenuated the ET-induced cardiac dysfunction and cellular damage. Protection was incomplete for cardiovascular function, plasma CK, and lactate. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that oxyradicals and/or PAF may be involved in the deterioration of cardiovascular function and cellular integrity during ET shock and that antioxidant and anti-PAF agents may be effective in the treatment of ET shock.

Effects of dietary flaxseed on vascular contractile function and atherosclerosis during prolonged hypercholesterolemia in rabbits

“…Alternatively, the lignan SDG in flaxseed has been shown to possess potent hypocholesterolemic and anti-atherogenic properties (52,54,57) and is the most likely component within flaxseed to be responsible for these beneficial effects. SDG is also a potent antioxidant (50,51,55). Our results extend these findings to demonstrate that the protection afforded by dietary flaxseed was also observed in an important resistance artery, the carotid (Fig.…”

“…For example, statins can improve endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation in hypercholesterolemic patients by decreasing oxidative stress (33). It is possible, therefore, that the potent antioxidant capacity of flaxseed was responsible for its beneficial action on atherosclerosis and vascular relaxation (50,54). The lignan SDG found in flaxseed is thought to be responsible for this antioxidant action (34,51,54,55,58) and may also have contributed to its protective effect against the cholesterolinduced defects in vascular relaxation.…”

Elenoside, a New Cytotoxic Drug, with Cardiac and Extracardiac Activity.

“…19) Thus, pretreatment with flaxseed attenuated the endotoxin-induced cardiac dysfunction and cellular damage. 20) Also, a traditional Asiatic phytoestrogenrich diet is associated with a reduction of cholesterol. Therefore, the estrogenic effects of phyto-estrogens can be useful in preventing cardiovascular disease.…”

Homocysteine and Malondialdehyde as Predictors of Restenosis Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

“…Reactive oxygen species (ROS) also termed oxygen radicals (ORs) such as hydrogen peroxide and hyperchlorous acids are derived from molecular oxygen, and they contain an even quantity of electrons in their outer shell (Lindqvist and Nordstrom, 2001). Many ROS exist, and they have been shown to contribute to the development of various human diseases such as hypercholesterolemic atherosclerosis, ischemia-reperfusion injury, peripheral vascular disease, heart failure, diabetes mellitus, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), hemorrhagic and endotoxic shock, burns, cataracts, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and cancer (Prasad, 1999;; Pattanaik and Prasad, 1998;Kapoor and Prasad, 1996;Babior, 1984;Baynes, 1991;Lindquist and Nordstrom, 2001). The oxidative hypothesis of atherosclerosis is based upon endothelial injury from oxidation of LDL (Henriksen et al 1981).…”

“…HOCl is the most potent and abundant hypophalous acid and it is produced primarily by PMNLs. HOCl can induce the chlorination of an abundance of oxidizing species such as endogenous and exogenous amino acids, amines, thioesters and aromatic carbon group (Pattanaik and Prasad, 1998;Prasad et al 1990). The enzyme substrate complex (MPO + H 2 O)…”