Vol 21, No 1 (2021)

Relevance. Currently, the role of persistent infections in the atherogenesis development mechanism is not fully understood. Therefore, it’s important to analyze the role of viral infection against the background of the pro-inflammatory cytokines expression in atherosclerotic plaque destabilization.

The aim of the work was a comparative immunohistochemical study of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and IL-8 in different types of human atherosclerotic lesions during their destabilization.

Materials and methods. The study was carried out on 130 autopsy samples of human aorta. CMV was detected by direct immunofluorescent antibody staining. IL-8 was detected by two-stage streptavidin-biotin antibody staining.

Results. It has been shown that active detection of both CMV and IL-8 is characteristic of atherogenesis foci of the arterial intima with the most intense immune-inflammatory changes. The obtained results indicate the synergism of the cellular response to CMV and IL-8 in the vascular wall during the destabilization atherosclerotic lesions process.

Conclusion. According to the results of the work, it can be concluded that both the presence of CMV in atherosclerotic lesions and the high production of IL-8 play a significant role in the formation of unstable atherosclerotic plaques in the vascular wall.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the anti-cytokine effects of chalcon analogues in an experimental “cytokine storm”.

Materials and methods. The “cytokine storm” was modeled in rats by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide at a dose of 10 mg / kg. The test compounds and the reference drug dexamethasone were administered intraperitoneal 60 minutes after lipopolysaccharide injection at doses of 20 mg / kg and 3 mg / kg, respectively. After 24 hours, changes of the cytokines concentration in blood serum (IL-1â, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-á), body temperature, and the severity of pulmonary edema were evaluated.

Results. In the study, it was found that the administration of all the test-compounds reduced symptoms of hypercytokinemia, reflected in the decrease in the concentration of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1â, IL-6, and TNF-á with high content of IL-10 in serum. At the same time, the body temperature and pulmonary edema in rats against the background of the injection of the test chalcon analogues relative to animals that did not receive pharmacological support also decreased. Against the background of the administration of dexamethasone to animals, the concentration of IL-6, IL-1â and TNF-á decreased by 25.0% (p < 0.05); 44.1% (p < 0.05) and 33.3% (p < 0.05), as well as an increase in the content of IL-10 by 60.0% (p < 0.05), with a decrease in pulmonary edema and body temperature. It should be noted that there were no statistically significant differences between the groups of animals that were received the studied chalcon analogues and the reference drug.

Conclusion. The study showed the relevance of further study of representatives of a number of chalcon derivatives as non-hormonal means of correcting the “cytokine storm” with a high therapeutic potential.

Relevance. Long-term smoke from forest fires cause a wide range of health disorders, including somatic state, emotional status, and cognitive functions. The question of the consequences of exposure to combustion products of peat and wood during pregnancy for offspring remains open.

Intention. The goal is to explore the disorders (anxiety, reflex behavior, aggression, etc.) that occur in the offspring of rats exposed to peat smoke in the early and late postnatal periods and the effect of fabomotizole on these disorders.

Methodology. The research was conducted on the offspring of rats of both sexes from females forcibly exposed to peat smoke (1-20 days). The effect of peat smoke on rats and the protective effect of fabomotizole (1 and 10 mg / kg / 20 days of gestation) were studied in the early (5 days) and late (60-80 days) postnatal periods. The formation of the sensory-motor reflex, anxiety, aggression, and motor activity were assessed.

Results and discussion. Exposure to peat smoke of pregnant females (from 1-20 days of gestation) causes a perturb in the formation of a sensory-motor reflex in the early postnatal period ( 5 days), a decrease in the level of natural adaptive reactions and intraspecific aggression, as well as an increase in locomotor activity in mature animals (60-80 days). Fabomotizole, when administered prenatally (1-20 days of gestation) at doses of 1 and 10 mg / kg, corrected the formation of a conditioned sensory-motor reflex in male and female rat pups, data of the emotional status and motor activity of sexually mature animals.

Conclusion. The protective effect of fabomotizole on the offspring of rats prenatally exposed to peat smoke from the toxic effects of peat combustion products was revealed. Fabomotizole returns the studied behavioral reactions, disturbed by peat, to the level of the physiological norm, which confirms the previously established cyto- and neuroprotective properties of the drug.

Mitral regurgitation followed by acute coronary syndrome is a dangerous pathological condition which can to threat patient. Precise evaluating severity of mitral regurgitation followed by acute coronary syndrome could be difficult. Management of patients depends on severity of mitral regurgitation. Current review describes role of echocardiographic parameters in assessment of severity of mitral regurgitation.

Despite the huge amount of accumulated data, the study of the main mechanisms of interaction between proteins and epigenetic mechanisms in health and various pathologies remains one of the most important problems of molecular biology. The search for various endogenous and exogenous factors affecting the epigenome of eukaryotes continues to be relevant. Lactoferrin is the second most abundant milk protein and has proven to be a very promising anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-cancer agent. This protein can act as a transcription factor regulating the expression of some genes. However, little attention has been paid to the use of lactoferrin as an epigenetic modulating factor. This review demonstrates that lactoferrin can directly and/or indirectly influence epigenetic mechanisms (DNA methylation, histone modification, chromatin compaction, and microRNA pathways) in different types of cells, in particular cancer cells.