Demir, Yeliz; Ceylan, Hamid; Karağaç, Medine Sibel; Türkeş, Cüneyt; Karaman, Melike; Beydemir, Şükrü

Doxorubicin (DOX), although widely used as a potent chemotherapeutic agent, is limited by its dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. Esculetin (E), a naturally occurring coumarin derivative, has been reported to exert antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects in various tissues. This study aimed to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of esculetin against DOX-induced cardiac injury in rats by examining changes in the expression of genes related to apoptosis, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial function. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into six groups (Control, DOX, E50, E100, DOX + E50, DOX + E100). Cardiotoxicity was induced by administering DOX was administered as six intraperitoneal injections of 5 mg/kg each over 14 days (cumulative dose = 30 mg/kg). Serum cardiac markers (CK-MB, LDH, and cTn-I) were measured, and cardiac tissues were subjected to histopathological examination and RT-qPCR analysis for target gene expression. In addition, hierarchical clustering heatmap was employed to evaluate multidimensional gene expression patterns across groups. DOX treatment significantly elevated serum cardiac injury markers and upregulated pro-apoptotic genes (Casp3, Casp9, Anf, Bnp, β-Mhc), while downregulating genes associated with mitochondrial biogenesis (Pgc1α) and antioxidant response (Foxo1, Cox2). These findings suggest esculetin as a potential adjunctive candidate for cardioprotection during DOX chemotherapy. However, given the absence of protein-level validation, further studies are warranted to confirm whether the observed gene expression changes translate into corresponding alterations at the protein level.

Aydin, Suleyman; Dagli, Adile F.; Ozkan, Yusuf; Kendir, Yalcin; Sahin, Ibrahim; Aksoy, Aziz; Ozercan, Ibrahim H.

Ghrelin, an endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, has been identified in mammals, fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles and some plants. The present investigation was designed to determine whether ghrelin is present in the appetite-stimulating plants Syzygium aromaticum and Salvadora persica, using IHC (immunohistochemistry) to indicate the location of the peptide and ELISA to measure the concentration. ELISA demonstrated that a ghrelin-like substance was present at concentrations of 4070.75±664.67 and 75.25±24.49 pg/mg in the tissues of flower bud of S. aromaticum and branch of S. persica, respectively. The concentration of ghrelin in human salivary gland tissue was 436.00±95.83 pg/mg. Ghrelin was predominantly localized to the T (trachea) and PCs (parenchyma cells) in the flower bud of S. aromaticum. However, no ghrelin immunoreactivity was observed in the PC or T of the branch of S. persica. The evolutionary role of this peptide hormone in plants and animals suggests that they have evolved in a more similar way than previously thought.