gamma-sitosterol and Reperfusion-Injury

This research is the first to use β-sitosterol on myocardial and renal tissues in renal ischemia/reperfusion (IR) damage. Female Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: control (sham), renal IR (50 min ischemia - 3 h reperfusion), and renal IR + 150 mg/kg/p.o. β-sitosterol (the rats were treated with β-sitosterol orally once 1 h before the IR procedure). β-Sitosterol pretreatment caused an increase in superoxide dismutase and glutathione activities and a decrease in malondialdehyde levels in the kidney and heart. Moreover, it alleviated histopathological changes and downregulated the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 and upregulated the levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase. As conclusion, the potential of β-sitosterol for renal and cardiac necrosis and apoptosis appears to act by limiting inflammatory response and oxidative stress. Thus, the potential of this compound is noteworthy and may serve as a potential therapeutic in the treatment of acute organ damages due to renal IR.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Apoptosis; Female; Glutathione; Hypolipidemic Agents; Interleukin-6; Ischemia; Kidney; Kidney Diseases; Malondialdehyde; Myocardium; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; Protective Agents; Rats, Wistar; Reperfusion Injury; Sitosterols; Superoxide Dismutase; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Aloe vera continues to be used for wound healing as a folk medicine. We previously reported that A. vera gel has angiogenic activity. In this study, we report upon the isolation of an angiogenic component beta-sitosterol from A. vera and examination of its effect upon damaged blood vessels of the Mongolian gerbil. In a chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane assay, beta-sitosterol was found to have an angiogenic effect. It enhanced new vessel formation in gerbil brains damaged by ischaemia/reperfusion, especially in the cingulated cortex and septal regions, in a dose-dependent fashion (up to 500 microg/kg, p < 0.05, n = 34 - 40). beta-Sitosterol also enhanced the expressions of proteins related to angiogenesis, namely von Willebrand factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF receptor Flk-1, and blood vessel matrix laminin (p < 0.05, n = 6). In addition, the intraperitoneal administration of beta-sitosterol at 500 microg/kg/day for a period of 19 days significantly improved the motion recovery of ischaemia/reperfusion-damaged gerbils as assessed by rota-rod testing (p < 0.001, n = 10). Our results suggest that beta-sitosterol has therapeutic angiogenic effects on damaged blood vessels.

Topics: Aloe; Angiogenesis Inducing Agents; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Blood Vessels; Blotting, Western; Brain; Chick Embryo; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Endothelial Growth Factors; Gerbillinae; Immunohistochemistry; Laminin; Lymphokines; Plant Extracts; Plant Leaves; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; Receptors, Growth Factor; Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor; Reperfusion Injury; Sitosterols; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors; von Willebrand Factor