Cadmium (Cd) is a significant ecotoxic heavy metal that adversely affects all biological processes of humans, animals and plants. Exposure to acute and chronic Cd damages many organs in humans and animals (e.g. lung, liver, brain, kidney, and testes). In humans, the Cd concentration at birth is zero, but because the biological half-life is long (about 30 years in humans), the concentration increases with age. The industrial developments of the last century have significantly increased the use of this metal. Especially in developing countries, this consumption is higher. Oxidative stress is the imbalance between antioxidants and oxidants. Cd increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and causes oxidative stress. Excess cellular levels of ROS cause damage to proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, membranes and organelles. This damage has been associated with various diseases. These include cancer, hypertension, ischemia/perfusion, cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, insulin resistance, acute respiratory distress syndrome, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, skin diseases, chronic kidney disease, eye diseases, neurodegenerative diseases (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Huntington disease). Natural antioxidants are popular drugs that are used by the majority of people and have few side effects. Natural antioxidants play an important role in reducing free radicals caused by Cd toxicity. Our goal in this review is to establish the relationship between Cd and oxidative stress and to discuss the role of natural antioxidants in reducing Cd toxicity.

Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of RCC and Ala16Val polymorphism in Turkish patients with RCC.Materials and Methods. A total of 41 patients with RCC who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy in our clinic and 50 healthy volunteers living in the same geographic area were included in this study. DNA samples from serum of RCC patients and controls were genotyped for MnSOD polymorphism analysis. Genotype ratios and allele frequencies were compared between two groups and odd ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated statistically. APvalue of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results. There was a significant difference in the MnSOD genotype distributions between the RCC patients and the controls in terms of Ala/Ala+Ala/Val and Val/Val genotypes (P=0.039). The Ala/Ala+Ala/Val genotypes were found significantly suspicious for RCC with an OR of 2.64 (95% CI = 1.06–6.69,P= 0.039). In addition, Ala allele was found significantly suspicious for RCC with an OR of 2.26 (95% CI = 1.24–4.12,P= 0.009).Conclusion. Our study indicated that MnSOD Ala16Val polymorphism may be one of the many genetic factors for renal cancer susceptibility in Turkish patients.

The study aimed to investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine against ischaemia‐reperfusion injury occurring after priapism in a model of induced‐priapism in rats. A total of 18 male rats were randomised into three groups. Group 1 was the control group. A priapism model was performed rats in Group 2 and then ischaemia‐reperfusion injury was evaluated. Group 3 had similar procedures to the rats in Group 2. Rats in Group 3 additionally had 100 μg/kg dexmedetomidine administered intraperitoneally immediately after reperfusion. Blood and tissue samples were analysed. Biochemical analysis of blood samples revealed a decrease in the levels of the pro‐inflammatory cytokines including interleukin‐1 beta (IL‐1 Beta), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), and tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐alpha) in Group 3 compared to Group 2 (p:.04, p:.009 and p:.009, respectively). Similarly, the highest malondialdehyde (MDA) level was in Group 2 (p:.002). The levels of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) activities were significantly higher in Group 3 than that of Group 2 (p:.037 and p:.045, respectively). Direct microscopic examinations revealed positive changes in desquamation, oedema, inflammation and vasocongestion scores in Group 3 compared to Group 2 (p:.007, p:.008, p:.007 and p:.006, respectively). Dexmedetomidine has a protective effect against ischaemia‐reperfusion injury in penile tissue.