The protective effects of single dose of garlic oil (GO) on acute ethanol-induced fatty liver were investigated. Mice were treated with ethanol (4.8 g/kg bw) to induce acute fatty liver. The liver index, the serum and hepatic triglyceride (TG) levels and the histological changeswere examined to evaluate the protective effects. Hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities were determined for the antioxidant capacity assay. Acute ethanol exposure resulted in the enlargement of the liver index and the increase of the serum and hepatic TG levels (P<0.01), which were dramatically attenuated by GO pretreatment in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.01). GO treatment (simultaneously with ethanol exposure) exhibited similar effects to those of pretreatment, while no obviously protective effects were displayed when it was used at 2h after ethanol intake. Histological changes were paralleled to these indices. Beside this, GO dramatically prolonged the drunken time and shortened thewaking time, and these effects were superior to those of silymarin and tea polyphenol. In addition, GO dose-dependently suppressed the elevation of MDA levels, restored the GSH levels and enhanced the SOD, GR and GST activities. Compared with the ethanol group, the MDA levels decreased by 14.2% (P<0.05), 29.9% and 32.8% (P<0.01) in GO groups 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, respectively. The GST activity increased by 9.97%, 19.94% (P<0.05) and 42.12% (P<0.01) of the ethanol group in GO groups 50, 100 and 200mg/kg, espectively, while the GR activity increased by 28.57% (P<0.05), 37.97% (P<0.01), 50.45% (P<0.01) of the ethanol group in GO groups 50, 100 and 200mg/kg, respectively. These data indicated that single dose ofGOpossessed ability to prevent acute ethanol-induced fatty liver, but may lose its capacity when used after ethanol exposure. The protective effects should be associated with its antioxidative activities.

To investigate the mechanisms and biomarker of the neuropathy induced by 2,5-hexanedione (HD), male Wistar rats were administrated HD at dosage of 200 or 400 mg/kg for 8 weeks (five-times per week). All rats were sacrificed after 8 weeks of treatment and the cerebrum cortex (CC), spinal cord (SC) and sciatic nerves (SN) were dissected, homogenized and used for the determination of cytoskeletal proteins by western blotting. The levels of neurofilaments (NFs) subunits (NF-L, NF-M and NF-H) in nerve tissues of 200 and 400 mg/kg HD rats significantly decreased in both the supernatant and pellet fractions. Furthermore, significant negative correlations between NFs levels and gait abnormality were observed. As for microtubule (MT) and microfilament (MF) proteins, the levels of-tubulin-tubulin and-actin in the supernatant and pellet fraction of SN significantly decreased in 200 and 400 mg/kg HD rats and correlated negatively with gait abnormality. However, the contents of MT and MF proteins in CC and SC were inconsistently affected and had no significant correlation with gait abnormality. The levels of NF-L and NF-H in serum significantly increased, while NF-M-tubulin-tubulin and-actin contents remain unchanged. A significant positive correlation (R=0.9427, P<0.01) was observed between gait abnormality and NF-H level in serum as the intoxication went on. These findings suggested that HD intoxication resulted in a progressive decline of cytoskeletal protein contents, which might be relevant to the mechanisms of HD-induced neuropathy. NF-H was the most sensitive index, which may serve as a good indicator for neurotoxicity of n-hexane or HD.

Occupational exposure to n-hexane produces a neuropathy characterized as a central-peripheral distal axonopathy, which is mediated by 2,5-hexanedione (HD). To investigate the mechanisms of the neuropathy induced by HD, the contents and activities of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) and activators (p35 precursor, p35 and p25) in rats’ cerebrum cortex (CC), spinal cord (SC) and sciatic nerve (SN) were determined. The results showed that the levels and activities of CDK5 in CC of 200 or 400 mg/kg HD-treated rats were significantly decreased in both the cytosolic and membrane fractions and negatively correlated with gait abnormality in the cytosolic fraction. However, CDK5 contents and activities in SN of rats treated with 200 or 400 mg/kg HD were significantly increased and positively correlated with gait abnormality in both the cytosolic and membrane fractions. Although increases of CDK5 contents in both the cytosolic and membrane fractions of SC in 200 and 400 mg/kg HD-treated rats were also observed, CDK5 activities were significantly decreased in the cytosolic fraction and negatively correlated with gait abnormality. The changes of p35 precursor, p35 and p25 contents in CC, SC and SN showed the same pattern with that of CDK5 activities. Thus, HD intoxication was associated with deregulation of CDK5 and its activator p35 or p25 in nerve tissues. The inconsistent changes of CDK5 activities in CNS and PNS might delegate the different mechanisms of HD-induced peripheral neuropathy.

The protective effects of diallyl trisulfide (DATS) on acute ethanol-induced liver injury were investigated. Mice were pretreated with DATS (30mg/kg bw) for 7d before being exposed to ethanol (4.8 g/kg bw). The biochemical indices (aspartate amino transferase, AST; alanine amino transferase, ALT; triglyceride, TG) were examined to evaluate the protective effects. Mitochondria were isolated for the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT), membrane potential (m) and adenosine nucleotide pool assay. The lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde, MDA), non-enzymatic antioxidant (glutathione, GSH) and enzymatic antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; glutathione reductase, GR; glutathione peroxidase, GSH-Px) were measured both in the liver homogenate and isolated mitochondria. Acute ethanol exposure resulted in the significant increase of the ALT, AST and TG levels and hepatic mitochondria dysfunction shown as MPT, and the decreases of m, ATP and energy charge (EC). However, DATS pretreatment dramatically attenuated these adverse effects. Beside this, DATS was found to significantly inhibit the increase of the hepatic and mitochondrial MDA levels, which were decreased by 33.3% (P<0.01) and 39.0% (P<0.01), respectively. In addition,DATS pretreatment markedly suppressed the ethanol-induced decrease of the hepatic GSH level and increased the mitochondrial GSH level. Moreover, the activities of the hepatic antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GR) and the mitochondrial antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GR, and GSH-Px) were significantly boosted. Thus, we concluded that DATS dramatically attenuated acute ethanol-induced liver injury and mitochondrial dysfunction. The increase of the hepatic and mitochondrial GSH levels and the elevation of the antioxidant enzymes activities should account for the preventive effects.