The prototypical xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitor allopurinol, has been the cornerstone of the clinical management of gout and conditions associated with hyperuricemia for several decades. More recent data indicate that XO also plays an important role in various forms of ischemic and other types of tissue and vascular injuries, inflammatory diseases, and chronic heart failure. Allopurinol and its active metabolite oxypurinol showed considerable promise in the treatment of these conditions both in experimental animals and in small-scale human clinical trials. Although some of the beneficial effects of these compounds may be unrelated to the inhibition of the XO, the encouraging findings rekindled significant interest in the development of additional, novel series of XO inhibitors for various therapeutic indications. Here we present a critical overview of the effects of XO inhibitors in various pathophysiological conditions and also review the various emerging therapeutic strategies offered by this approach.

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Therapeutic Effects of Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitors: Renaissance Half a Century after the Discovery of Allopurinol

The role of boron (B) as a structural element of plant cell walls and its implications for plant growth have been well established. However, increasing evidence suggests one or more functions of boron beyond cell-wall structure. This evidence arises from studies conducted with a large variety of organisms, such as plants, animals, and bacteria. In animals, embryogenic development seems to depend on adequate boron supply, and cell lines with a knockout of the Na+-coupled boron transporter NaBC1, the mammalian homolog of Arabidopsis thaliana boron transporter AtBor1, stop to develop and proliferate. In bacteria, boron is an essential part of a signal molecule required for quorum sensing. This review aims to summarize some recent advances from plant, animal, and microbiological research related to the functions of boron and to highlight open questions for further research.

Boron in plants and animals: Is there a role beyond cell-wall structure?

Background: Cadmium and lead are widespread and non-biodegradable pollutants of great concern to human health. In real life scenarios, we are exposed to mixtures of chemicals rather than single chemicals, and it is therefore of paramount importance to assess their toxicity. In this study, we investigated the toxicity of Cd and Pb alone and as a mixture in an animal model of acute exposure. Methods: Experimental groups received a single treatment of aqueous solution of Cd-chloride (15 and 30 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) and Pb-acetate (150 mg/kg b.w.), while the mixture group received 15 mg Cd/kg b.w. and 150 mg Pb/kg b.w. Toxic effects of individual metals and their mixture were investigated on hematological and biochemical parameters, and the redox status in the plasma, liver, and kidneys of treated Wistar rats. Results: Tissue-specific changes were recorded in various parameters of oxidative damage, while the accumulation of metals in tissues accompanied the disturbances of both hematological and biochemical parameters. It was observed that the level of toxic metals in tissues had a different distribution pattern after mixture and single exposure. Conclusions: Comprehensive observations suggest that exposure to Cd and Pb mixtures produces more pronounced effects compared to the response observed after exposure to single metal solutions. However, further research is needed to confirm toxicokinetic or toxicodynamic interactions between these two toxic metals in the organisms.

Toxic Effect of Acute Cadmium and Lead Exposure in Rat Blood, Liver, and Kidney.

Tissue repair is a dynamic compensatory cell proliferation and tissue regeneration response stimulated in order to overcome acute toxicity and recover organ/tissue structure and function. Extensive evidence in rodent models using structurally and mechanistically diverse hepatotoxicants such as acetaminophen (APAP), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), chloroform (CHCl3), thioacetamide (TA), trichloroethylene (TCE), and allyl alcohol (AA) have demonstrated that tissue repair plays a critical role in determining the final outcome of toxicity, i.e., recovery from injury and survival or progression of injury leading to liver failure and death. Tissue repair is a complex process governed by intricate cellular signaling involving a number of chemokines, cytokines, growth factors, and nuclear receptors leading to promitogenic gene expression and cell division. Tissue repair also encompasses regeneration of hepatic extracellular matrix and angiogenesis, the processes necessary to completely restore the structure and function of the liver tissue lost to toxicant-induced initiation followed by progression of injury. New insights have emerged over the last quarter century indicating that tissue repair follows a dose response. Tissue repair increases with dose until a threshold dose, beyond which it is delayed and impaired due to inhibition of cellular signaling resulting in runaway secondary events causing tissue destruction, organ failure, and death. Prompt and adequately stimulated tissue repair response to toxic injury is critical for recovery from toxic injury. Tissue repair is modulated by a variety of factors including species, strain, age, nutrition, and disease condition causing marked changes in susceptibility and toxic outcome. This review focuses on the properties of tissue repair, different factors affecting tissue repair, and the mechanisms that govern tissue repair and progression of injury. It also highlights the significance of tissue repair as a target for drug development strategies and an important consideration in the assessment of risk from exposure to toxicants.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01926230590881808

Sonica Pawa

Papers

Boron ameliorates fulminant hepatic failure by counteracting the changes associated with the oxidative stress.

Liver necrosis and fulminant hepatic failure in rats: protection by oxyanionic form of tungsten.

Xanthine oxidase-derived reactive oxygen metabolites contribute to liver necrosis: protection by 4-hydroxypyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine.

Paraquat induces different pulmonary biochemical responses in Wistar rats and Swiss mice.

Role of mammalian cytosolic molybdenum Fe-S flavin hydroxylases in hepatic injury