Objectives: Apigenin and parthenolide as natural products have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory outcomes that could make them a perfect option for endometriosis therapy. This study aimed to determine the effects of apigenin and parthenolide on created endometrial implants in a rat model of endometriosis. Methods: Thirty-nine mature, female Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned randomly to six experimental groups four weeks after endometriosis induction. Group 1 (n = 5): Control (CTRL) that opened and closed the abdomen; Group 2 (n = 6): Peritoneal and ovarian endometriosis (POE) + drug-free; Group 3 (n = 7): POE+ Apigenin (APG) (50 mg/kg); Group 4 (n = 7): POE+ Parthenolide (PTL) (10 mg/kg); Group 5 (n = 7): POE+ Apigenin (APG) (50 mg/kg) + Parthenolide (PTL) (10 mg/kg); Group 6 (n = 7): POE+ DMSO. An endometriosis model was created, and histopathological analysis and biochemical evaluation were performed. Serum and peritoneal levels of pro-and-anti-inflammatory cytokine, and oxidative stress of implant tissue were measured. Results: Serum IL-37 levels decreased significantly in the APG-treated group compared to the drug-free group (p = 0.016). The peritoneum and ovary endometriosis histopathologic scores were significantly lower in APG-treated (p = 0.001) and PTL-treated (p = 0.001) groups in comparison to the drug-free group. The oxidative stress index (OSI) values were increased statistically significantly in ovary endometriosis tissue in the drug-free group, (p = 0.001). However, compared to the drug-free group, OSI values decreased statistically significantly in the APG-treated group (p = 0.003).Conclusions: The application of apigenin caused a decrease in oxidative stress and an improvement in histopathological grade. Apigenin may be a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of endometriosis.

Mentha species are widely used in foods, cosmetics, and phytopharmaceuticals, and their functional value is closely linked to phenolic constituents, notably rosmarinic acid (RA) and eriocitrin. Comparative quantitative datasets across commercially relevant mint genotypes cultivated under uniform conditions are still limited. Here, aerial parts of nine Mentha × piperita cultivars (‘Piper-1’, ‘Chocolate’, ‘Citaro’, ‘Multimentha’, ‘Swiss’, ‘Yakima’, ‘Basilicuminze’, ‘Black Mitcham’, ‘Granada’), Mentha × dumetorum ‘Dume-1’, and Mentha arvensis ‘Arven-1’ were extracted with 70% (v/v) ethanol. Eleven phenolic compounds were quantified by HPLC–PDA using external calibration, and antioxidant capacity was evaluated by ABTS•⁺ and DPPH• radical-scavenging assays and FRAP and CUPRAC reducing-power assays. Total HPLC-summed phenolics (ΣHPLC) were highest in M. × piperita ‘Citaro’ and ‘Black Mitcham’, driven mainly by eriocitrin and RA, whereas ‘Arven-1’ showed markedly lower ΣHPLC. Antioxidant responses varied by assay: ‘Yakima’ displayed the strongest ABTS•⁺ scavenging and the highest FRAP values, while ‘Swiss’ also ranked highly across ABTS•⁺/FRAP and showed strong DPPH• performance; in contrast, ‘Arven-1’ generally exhibited weaker activity. Correlation analysis (Pearson and Spearman) and principal component analysis indicated that RA, eriocitrin, rutin, and apigenin-7-O-glucoside were key contributors to antioxidant behaviour and clearly discriminated M. × piperita cultivars from M. × dumetorum and M. arvensis . Overall, M. × piperita cultivars—particularly ‘Yakima’, ‘Swiss’, ‘Citaro’, and ‘Black Mitcham’—emerge as elite candidates for producing phenolic-rich extracts with strong in vitro antioxidant potential, supporting their valorisation as natural antioxidant ingredients and strategic resources for sustainable, circular bioeconomy-oriented value chains in Türkiye.

Crocodile oil has been traditionally used for its medicinal properties, including wound healing and antimicrobial effects. However, scientific validation of its antimicrobial activity remains limited. Although its potential to induce microbial resistance and its safety profile have been proposed in previous literature, these aspects were not addressed experimentally in the current study. This study aimed solely to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of crocodile oil using dip solution and standard microbiological approaches. Standard bacterial and fungal strains, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans, were tested using disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) methods. Fatty acid composition was analyzed using GC-FID. The results demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300 (methicillin-resistant), Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. No inhibition was observed against Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228 and Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 4352, as confirmed by both disk diffusion and MIC methods. MIC values ranged from 187.5 to 500 µL/Ml. The lowest MIC was observed for Escherichia coli (187.5 µL/mL), while MICs of 375 µL/mL were recorded for Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. The highest MIC (500 µL/mL) was observed for Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213. While the results are promising, further studies are necessary to evaluate safety, resistance development potential, and in vivo efficacy.

This study investigated early inflammatory and apoptotic molecular responses in heart and lung tissues following flattening filter (FF) and flattening filter-free (FFF) radiotherapy in a murine MCF-7 xenograft breast cancer model. Mice received a single 20 Gy fraction in FF (400 MU/min) or FFF (1820 MU/min) mode, and cardiopulmonary tissues were analyzed 48 h post-irradiation. Gene expression of Tnf, Il1b, Nfkb and p53 was assessed by RT-qPCR, while NF-κB p65 activation and caspase-3–mediated apoptosis were evaluated by western blot. Both irradiation modalities significantly increased inflammatory cytokine expression and NF-κB signaling compared with controls (P < 0.05), with consistently stronger responses following FFF irradiation. Lung p53 expression increased progressively across tumor-bearing and irradiated groups, indicating enhanced DNA damage signaling, while elevated cleaved caspase-3 levels reflected apoptotic activation, particularly in irradiated groups. Overall, high–dose-rate FFF radiotherapy elicits more pronounced early inflammatory and apoptotic responses in non-target heart and lung tissues than conventional FF delivery, highlighting the importance of incorporating normal tissue radiobiological effects into high-dose-rate radiotherapy strategies.

Background/Aims: It was aimed to investigate the biochemical and histopathological effects of resveratrol and melatonin, via histone H4 and -defensin 1, in diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley male rats were categorized into 4 groups, with 6 rats in each group (control, diabetes mellitus, melatonin - diabetes mellitus, and resveratrol+diabetes mellitus). Diabetes was formed by giving streptozotocin to all groups except the control group. Melatonin, 5 mg/kg/day, was given to the melatonin - diabetes mellitus group, and resveratrol, 5 mg/kg/day, was given to the resveratrol+diabetes mellitus group via intraperitoneally for 3 weeks. Interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor alpha, histone H4, and -defensin 1 levels were measured in the blood of all rats. The lung, liver, and kidney tissue of all rats were performed as histopathological examinations. Results: Whereas there was no difference between the other groups (P .05), interleukin-1 beta levels of the diabetes mellitus group were found to be significantly higher compared with the control group (5.02 +- 2.15 vs. 2.38 +- 0.72 ng/mL; P < .05). Whereas histone H4 levels of the diabetes mellitus group were higher compared with the control and resveratrol+diabetes mellitus groups (7.53 +- 3.30 vs. 2.97 +- 1.57 and 3.06 +- 1.57 ng/mL; P < .05), the -defensin 1 levels of the diabetes mellitus group were lower compared with control and resveratrol+diabetes mellitus groups (7.6 +- 2.8 vs. 21.6 +- 5.5 and 18.8 +- 7.4 ng/mL; P < .05). -Defensin 1 levels were moderately inversely correlated with interleukin-1 beta and histone H4 levels (rs 0.50, P .01). Histopathological changes found in favor of target cell damage in the diabetes mellitus group were not observed in resveratrol+diabetes mellitus group. Conclusion: Resveratrol may be used as a biotherapeutic agent, which significantly reduces diabetes-induced histone H4 and interleukin-1 beta-mediated liver and other target organ damage Cite this article as: Tanoğlu A, özÇelik F, Hacımustafaoğlu F, Coşkun G, Sapmaz T, Gzel Tanoğlu E. Resveratrol has histone 4 and beta-defensin 1-mediated favorable biotherapeutic effects on liver and other target organs in diabetic rats. Turk J Gastroenterol. 2024;35(3):223-231.