The mitochondria have a fundamental role in both cellular energy supply and oxidative stress regulation and are target of the effects of sex steroids, particularly the neuroprotective ones. Aging is associated with a decline in the levels of different steroid hormones, and this decrease may underline some neural dysfunctions. Besides, modifications in mitochondrial functions associated with agi...

The role for mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) in neurogenic hypertension is unidentified. We evaluated the hypothesis that feedforward depression of mitochondrial ETC functions by superoxide anion (O(2)(.-)) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) in rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), a brain stem site that maintains sympathetic vasomotor tone and contributes to oxidative stress and neu...

The roles of oxidative stress and structural alterations in the cerebrovascular dysfunctions associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) were investigated in transgenic mice overexpressing amyloid precusor protein (APP ) or transforming growth factor1 (TGF ). Age-related impairments and their in vitro reversibility were evaluated, and underlying pathogenic mechanisms were assessed and compared wit...

UNLABELLED A recent controversial hypothesis suggested that the bactericidal action of antibiotics is due to the generation of endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS), a process requiring the citric acid cycle (tricarboxylic acid [TCA] cycle). To test this hypothesis, we assessed the ability of oxacillin to induce ROS production and cell death in Staphylococcus epidermidis strain 1457 and an i...

Loss-of-function mutations in the KRIT1 gene (CCM1) have been associated with the pathogenesis of cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM), a major cerebrovascular disease. However, KRIT1 functions and CCM pathogenetic mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Indeed, recent experiments in animal models have clearly demonstrated that the homozygous loss of KRIT1 is not sufficient to induce CCM l...

Adjudge the neuroprotective ability of Ellagic acid (EA) as a constructive herbal drug to impede cholinergic dysfunctions and oxidative stress in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in chronically administered scopolamine induced Alzheimer’s type dementia in rats. Alzheimer’s type dementia was induced by chronically administered intraperitoneal injection of scopolamine (0.7 mg/kg) to rats for period of 7 ...

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) has been classified as a disease of the central nervous system by the WHO since 1969. Many patients carrying this diagnosis do demonstrate an almost bewildering array of biological abnormalities particularly the presence of oxidative and nitrosative stress (O&NS) and a chronically activated innate immune system. The proposal made h...

Chronic hepatitis C is characterized by metabolic disorders and by a microenvironment in the liver dominated by oxidative stress, inflammation and regeneration processes that can in the long term lead to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Several lines of evidence suggest that mitochondrial dysfunctions play a central role in these processes. However, how these dysfunctions are induc...

The environmental soot and carbon blacks (CBs) cause many diseases in humans, but their underlying mechanisms of toxicity are still poorly understood. Both are formed after the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons but differ in their constituents and percent carbon contents. For the first time, "Sir Percival Pott" described soot as a carcinogen, which was subsequently confirmed by many others....