Effect Of Spermine Research Articles

Effects of exogenous spermidine and spermine on antioxidant metabolism associated with cold-induced leaf senescence in Zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.)

Zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.) leaves lose their green colour as they undergo cold acclimation (CA) in late fall in many regions, and delaying leaf senescence can extend their green period. The objective of this study was to investigate whether exogenous spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm) can delay leaf senescence by enhancing reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging antioxidant enzyme activity. Mature zoysiagrass (cv. Zenith) plants were treated with Spm (1 mM) or Spd (1 mM) or water (control). The treated plants were grown under normal conditions or subjected to cold acclimation CA for 35 days. CA treatment increased leaf electrolyte leakage (EL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) level, decreased chlorophyll (Chl) content, and induced leaf senescence. Foliar application of Spd and Spm reduced the decline in Chl content and reduced EL and MDA levels. CA treatment increased the ROS level and reduced antioxidant enzyme activity. Application of Spm and Spd reduced ROS accumulation and enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase under CA conditions. The results of this study indicated that exogenous Spd and Spm at 1 mM can delay CA-induced leaf senescence through enhancement of ROS-scavenging antioxidant activity in zoysiagrass.

Spermine as a porcine pancreatic elastase activator: spectroscopic and molecular simulation studies

The aim of this study was to investigate the spermine effect on the thermal denaturation, conformation and activity of elastase at three temperatures of 303, 313 and 323 K in the Tris buffer, at pH 8.5, using UV–vis spectrophotometry, spectrofluorometry and circular dichroism as well as molecular docking and molecular simulation. The increased absorption of elastase in the presence of spermine suggested a change in the environment of tryptophan. It was found that under the influence of spermine, the emission intensity of elastase extremely was reduced, and the use of the Stern-Volmer equation showed that some static quenching had occurred. The thermodynamic parameters values (enthalpy and entropy) and the molecular docking technique also revealed that van der Waals forces or hydrogen bonding interactions played an important role in the binding process. The spermine–elastase complex formation led to increasing the value of the catalytic constant (kcat). So it could be considered as an activator. Slight changes were observed in the second structure of elastase (1.06% increase for the α-helix and 0.048% decrease the β-sheet) and the thermal stability effect. Molecular docking results also demonstrated that spermine could bind to porcine pancreatic elastase, and van der Waals forces or hydrogen bonding interactions played the major role in the binding process. Overall, our results showed that spermine could induce structural alterations in elastase, acting as a partial stabilizer and an activator for the enzyme.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

The Regulatory Effect of Biogenic Polyamines Spermine and Spermidine in Men and Women

Background—The incidence and prevalence of infertility and sexual dysfunction in men and women is increasing. The biogenic polyamines spermine and spermidine are important for sexual function as well as fertility. Spermine and spermidine are present in plant foods and synthesized from ornithine and methionine in mammals. Stress and stress-associated hormone disruption are contributors to both poor sexual function and infertility. Spermine and spermidine are important in reducing the impact of stress on living organisms. Objective—This open-label pilot trial was designed to determine the impact of spermine and spermidine supplementation on hormone levels of otherwise healthy human subjects with no history of infertility or sexual dysfunction over a 30-day period. Pre and post supplement levels of cortisol, DHEAS, testosterone, progesterone and estradiol as well as 30-day post supplement levels of these hormones were performed on age/gender equivalent subjects. A total of 15 individuals participated in the study. Informed consent forms were executed along, with adverse events reporting information. Results—Clinically significant reductions (p-value less than 0.05) in cortisol were seen in 30 days among 83% of male participants and 37% of female participants. Sixty-six percent of male participants maintained lower cortisol levels 30 days after withdrawal of the study supplement. In women, the cumulative effect of the spermine and spermidine supplementation continued with 50% reporting a significant reduction in cortisol levels 30 days after withdrawal of the study supplement. There was an average of 3.3 pounds of weight loss during the first 30 days of supplementation without any dietary or metabolic intervention. Further, 7 out of 8 female participants demonstrated a moderate increase in DHEAS at 30 days, while 5 out of 7 male participants demonstrated a significant Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEAS) increase in 60 days. Eighty-three percent of men had a decrease in estradiol and 100% of men had a decrease of progesterone at 30 days while 75% of women in follicular phase experienced both an increase in estradiol and a significant increase in progesterone. In the men under 50 years age group, testosterone levels increased by an average of 48.9% (28.3 pg/mL), while in the over 50 age group, testosterone levels decreased by a mean average of 36.7% (33 pg/mL). In women, 75% had an average increase of 48.8% (10.6 pg/mL) in testosterone levels at 30 days while the same number (75%) had an average decrease of 32.7% (10.5 pg/mL) in testosterone levels at 60 days. Conclusion—For both fertility and sexual performance, it is important to reduce cortisol levels. Also important to fertility is the balancing of various hormone ratios during reproductive years. Likewise, it is important for sexual performance of women post-menopause and men post-andropause to achieve cortisol reduction and hormone balance. The biogenic polyamines spermine and spermidine appear to support a trend toward hormone balance, though a larger trial is needed to confirm this conclusion.

Effects of spermine on liver barrier function, amino acid transporters, immune status, and apoptosis in piglets.

This study investigated the effects of spermine supplementation and its extended duration on amino acid transporters, immune status, barrier function, and apoptosis in the liver. Eighty piglets were randomly assigned to a group receiving either a diet supplemented with spermine (0.4 mmol kg−1 of body weight) or a restricted nutrient intake supplemented with saline in pairs for 7 h, 3 days, 6 days, and 9 days. Regardless of treatment time, spermine increased the levels of amino acid transporters, immunoglobulin M, antimicrobial peptides, cellular immune components, anti-inflammatory cytokines, mammalian target of rapamycin, ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1, signal transducer and activator of transcription 2 and 3, Janus kinase 2, zonula occludens 1 and 2, occluding, claudin-1, claudin-2, claudin-16 and Bcl-2 mRNA levels, whereas it decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, inducible nitric oxide synthase, nuclear factor-kappa B P65, eukaryotic IF4E-binding protein 1, myosin light chain kinase, Bax, and caspase-3 mRNA in the liver (P < 0.05). These effects were also found in cases of prolonged spermine intake (P < 0.05). Spermine can decrease pro-inflammatory cytokines and caspase-3 levels. In conclusion, spermine may promote barrier function and improve amino acid transport, and can increase immune status and inhibit apoptosis in the liver.

Changes in some antioxidant enzymes and physiological indices of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L.) in response to water deficit and foliar application of salicylic acid and spermine under field condition

Echinacea purpurea is an important industrial and ornamental plant that its quality and physiological parameters may be negatively affected by drought, however, negative effects of drought could be reversed by application of plant growth regulators such as salicylic acid (SA) and spermine (SPM). Therefore, this experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of irrigation regimes (irrigation after 20, 40 and 60% soil water depletion) and, SA and SPM treatments (no spray, 75 mg L−1 SA, 150 mg L−1 SA, 70 mg L−1 SPM, 75 mg L−1 SA + 70 mg L−1 SPM and 150 mg L−1 SA + 70 mg L−1 SPM) on the activities of antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), shoot dry mass (SDM), chlorophyll (Chl), carotenoid (Caro), proline (Pro), phenol, flavonoid and Malondialdehyde (MDA) in purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L.). Water deficit increased the activities of enzymes, and the contents of carotenoids, proline, MDA, phenol and flavonoid while it decreased chlorophyll content and shoot dry mass. Among tested enzymes, CAT showed the highest increase in response to water deficit. SA and SPM application increased antioxidant enzymes activities, shoot dry mass and the contents of chlorophyll, carotenoid, proline and flavonoid (only by SA application), but decreased phenol and MDA contents. SOD was the most responsive enzyme to SA and SPM. However, the magnitude of SA and SPM effects was dependent on the level of soil available water. The positive effects of SA were greater than those of SPM. The superiority of SA over SPM was more pronounced at higher level of water deficit. The effects of SA application were greater at 150 than at 75 mg L−1. The highest plant biomass was produced under combined application of SA and SPM. These results indicated that SA and SPM improve purple coneflower growth under water deficit by stimulating antioxidant defense system, alleviating lipid peroxidation and increasing osmotic adjustment. The results also suggest that growers can use SA and SPM to increase productivity of purple coneflower under drought stress.

Spermine protects alpha-synuclein expressing dopaminergic neurons from manganese-induced degeneration.

Manganese exposure is among the many environmental risk factors linked to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, such as manganese-induced parkinsonism. In animal models, chronic exposure to manganese causes loss of cell viability, neurodegeneration, and functional deficits. Polyamines, such as spermine, have been shown to rescue animals from age-induced neurodegeneration in an autophagy-dependent manner; nonetheless, it is not understood whether polyamines can prevent manganese-induced toxicity. In this study, we used two model systems, the Caenorhabditis elegans UA44 strain and SK-MEL-28 cells, both expressing the protein alpha-synuclein (α-syn) to determine whether spermine could ameliorate manganese-induced toxicity. Manganese caused a substantial reduction in the viability of SK-MEL-28 cells and hastened neurodegeneration in the UA44 strain. Spermine protected both the SK-MEL-28 cells and the UA44 strain from manganese-induced toxicity. Spermine also reduced the age-associated neurodegeneration observed in the UA44 strain compared with a control strain without α-syn expression and led to improved avoidance behavior in a functional assay. Treatment with berenil, an inhibitor of polyamine catabolism, which leads to increased intracellular polyamine levels, also showed similar cellular protection against manganese toxicity. While both translation blocker cycloheximide and autophagy blocker chloroquine caused a reduction in the cytoprotective effect of spermine, transcription blocker actinomycin D had no effect. This study provides new insights on the effect of spermine in preventing manganese-induced toxicity, which is most likely via translational regulation of several candidate genes, including those of autophagy. Thus, our results indicate that polyamines positively influence neuronal health, even when exposed to high levels of manganese and α-syn, and supplementing polyamines through diet might delay the onset of diseases involving degeneration of dopaminergic neurons.

Spermine increases bactericidal activity of silver-nanoparticles against clinical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged worldwide as a major multidrug-resistant pathogen that causes notable morbidity and mortality. Fast emerging of MRSA prevalence requires special attention for strengthening the inventory of antimicrobial compounds. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been widely used to treat multi-drug resistant pathogens due to the unique antibacterial properties, meanwhile spermine has been proven to exert outstanding inhibition effect to S. aureus with not yet fully understood mechanisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the synergistic effect of AgNPs and spermine as well as to determine the antibacterial activity of their combination against MRSA strains. Several clinical MRSA isolates and ATCC BAA-1026 were used to determine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and fractional inhibitory concentration indices (FICI) of AgNPs and spermine, and a synergistic effect was observed. This phenomenon was further confirmed by growth curve and time-killing assays, showed that spermine could be used as an adjuvant for AgNPs in the treatment of MRSA infections.

Effect of exogenous spermine on chilling injury and antioxidant defense system of immature vegetable soybean during cold storage.

The effect of exogenous spermine on chilling injury (CI) and antioxidant defense system of immature vegetable soybean (Glycine max L.) during cold storage were investigated. Freshly harvested immature soybeans were treated with 0.8mmol/L spermine at room temperature for 20min and then stored at 5 ± 1°C or 1 ± 1°C and 85-95% relative humidity for up to 60days. Results showed that exogenous spermine alleviated the CI, delayed the gradual decreasing activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, and maintained a favourable balance in reactive oxygen species levels at storage period. Although cold temperature (1 ± 1°C) inhibited the synthesis of l-(malonylamino)-cyclopropane-l-carboxylic acid (MACC), raised ethylene production, and resulted in membrane damage, exogenous spermine obviously hindered the accumulation of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC). It was concluded that exogenous spermine alleviated CI of cold-stored immature soybeans through regulating the antioxidant system and ACC metabolism.

Effect of exogenous spermine on hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in suckling rats and its mechanism

Effect of exogenous spermine on hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in suckling rats and its mechanism

Spermine Alleviates Acute Liver Injury by Inhibiting Liver-Resident Macrophage Pro-Inflammatory Response Through ATG5-Dependent Autophagy.

Liver-resident macrophages (Kupffer cells, KCs) and autophagy play critical roles in the pathogenesis of toxin-induced liver injury. Recent evidence indicates that autophagy can regulate macrophage M1/M2 polarization under different inflammatory conditions. Polyamines, including putrescine, spermidine, and spermine (SPM), are polycations with anti-oxidative, anti-aging, and cell autophagy induction properties. This study aimed to determine the mechanisms by which SPM protects against thioacetamide (TAA)-induced acute liver injury in a mouse model. Pretreatment with SPM significantly alleviated liver injury and reduced intrahepatic inflammation in TAA-induced liver injury compared to controls. SPM markedly inhibited M1 polarization, but promoted M2 polarization of KCs obtained from TAA-exposed livers, as evidenced by decreased IL-1β and iNOS gene induction but increased Arg-1 and Mrc-1 gene induction accompanied by decreased STAT1 activation and increased STAT6 activation. Furthermore, pretreatment with SPM enhanced autophagy, as revealed by increased LC3B-II levels, decreased p62 protein expression, and increased ATG5 protein expression in TAA-treated KCs. Knockdown of ATG5 in SPM-pretreated KCs by siRNA resulted in a significant increase in pro-inflammatory TNF-α and IL-6 secretion and decreased anti-inflammatory IL-10 secretion after TAA treatment, while no significant changes were observed in cytokine production in the TAA treatment alone. Additionally, the effect of SPM on regulation of KC M1/M2 polarization was abolished by ATG5 knockdown in TAA-exposed KCs. Finally, in vivo ATG5 knockdown in KCs abrogated the protective effect of SPM against TAA-induced acute liver injury. Our results indicate that SPM-mediated autophagy inhibits M1 polarization, while promoting M2 polarization of KCs in TAA-treated livers via upregulation of ATG5 expression, leading to attenuated liver injury. This study provides a novel target for the prevention of acute liver injury.

Physiological and growth responses of Calendula officinalis L. plants to the interaction effects of polyamines and salt stress

Abstract Salt and water stresses are the most important factors limiting plant growth and productivity in the world. Polyamines are shown to have a role in adaptation of plants to salt stress condition. Effects of exogenous spermine (Spm) and spermidine (Spd) on growth and physiological traits were investigated in Calendula officinalis L. plants under salt stress condition. At all levels of salt stress application of Spd at 1 mmol concentration affected significantly shoot dry matter, peroxidase activity (POD) and proline, protein and total chlorophyll contents compared to the other levels of polyamines. Oxidative activities of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were decreased when plants were treated by 1mM Spm concentration under salt stress conditions. Whatever was the salt stress level, application of Spm at 1mmol increased catalase activity (CAT) and maximum photochemical quantum yield (FV/FM) of calendula plants. Results of this study suggest that polyamines may increase plant tolerance to salt stress by decreasing oxidative damages and increasing enzyme activities.

Spermine protects from LPS-induced memory deficit via BDNF and TrkB activation.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been long known to promote neuroinflammation and learning and memory deficits. Since spermine, one of the main natural polyamines in the central nervous system, protects from LPS-induced memory deficit by a mechanism that comprises GluN2B receptors, the aim of the present study was to determine whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) receptor and cAMP response element binding (CREB) are involved in this protective effect of spermine. Adult male Swiss albino mice received, immediately after training in the novel object recognition task, saline or LPS (250 μg/kg, i.p.); 5 min later they received saline or spermine (0.3 mg/kg, i.p.) and, when specified, 5 min thereafter saline or the TrkB receptor antagonist ANA-12 (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) in different flanks. Animals were tested 24 h after training. Spermine protected from LPS-induced memory deficit and this protective effect was reversed by ANA-12. In a subset of animals BDNF, CREB and phospho-CREB immunoreactivity was determined in the hippocampi and cerebral cortex 4 h after spermine injection. Spermine reversed the decrease of mature BDNF levels induced by LPS in both hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Spermine increased phospho-CREB content and phospho-CREB/total CREB ratio in the cerebral cortex of LPS-treated mice. The results support that the protective effect of spermine on LPS-induced memory deficits depends on TrkB receptor activation and is accompanied by restoration of mature BDNF levels in hippocampus and cerebral cortex, as well as increased CREB phosphorylation in the cerebral cortex.

Effects of spermine on the antioxidant status and gene expression of antioxidant-related signaling molecules in the liver and longissimus dorsi of piglets

Previous studies showed that spermine could protect the organism from oxidative damage in vivo. However, in vivo information on the antioxidant-related underlying molecular mechanism of spermine is limited. In this experiment, we further evaluated the effects of spermine supplementation and extended spermine administration on the antioxidant status and antioxidant-related signaling molecules gene expression in the liver and longissimus dorsi of piglets. A total of 80 piglets were randomly distributed to two groups, that is, those with adequate nutrient intake administrated with spermine (0.4 mmol/kg BW) or those with restricted nutrient intake supplemented by saline. The piglets were fed in pairs for 7 h or 3, 6, or 9 days. The results are as follows: (1) spermine can promote the antioxidant capacity by increasing enzymatic antioxidant capacity, glutathione content and clearance of oxygen radicals; (2) spermine significantly increased the mRNA levels of enzymatic antioxidant substances, NF-E2-related nuclear factor 2, Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1, and the mammalian target of rapamycin but decreased the mRNA levels of ribosomal p70 S6 kinase in the liver and longissimus dorsi of the piglets.

Enhancing antioxidant systems by exogenous spermine and spermidine in wheat (Triticum aestivum) seedlings exposed to salt stress.

Plants have evolved complex mechanisms to mitigate osmotic and ionic stress caused by high salinity. The effect of exogenous spermine (Spm) and spermidine (Spd) on defence responses of wheat seedlings under NaCl stress was investigated by measuring antioxidant enzyme activities and the transcript expression of corresponding genes. Exogenous Spm and Spd decreased the level of malondialdehyde, increased chlorophyll and proline contents, and modulated PSII activity in wheat seedlings under salt stress. Spermidine alleviated negative effects on CO2 assimilation induced by salt stress in addition to significantly increasing the activity and content of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco). It appears Spd conferred salinity tolerance in wheat seedlings by enhancing photosynthetic capacity through regulation of gene expression and the activity of key CO2 assimilation enzymes. Exogenous Spm regulated activities of different antioxidant enzymes (catalase, glutathione reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, ascorbate peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase) and efficiently modulate their transcription levels in wheat seedlings under salt stress. It is likely that Spm plays a key role in alleviating oxidative damage of salt stress by adjusting antioxidant enzyme activities in plants. In addition, exogenous Spd increased transcript level of spermine synthase under salt stress. Salinity stress also caused an increase in transcript levels of diamine oxidase (DAO) and polyamine oxidase (PAO). Exogenous Spd application resulted in a marked increase in free Spd and Spm contents under saline conditions. These results show that exogenous Spd and Spm effectively upregulated transcriptional levels of antioxidant enzyme genes and improved the defence response of plants under salt stress.

Effects of spermine and the passive avoidance learning (PAL) following cerebral ischemia in chicks: Association with neuroprotection of pyramidal cells

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of spermine and the passive avoidance learning on hippocampus following transient cerebral ischemia in the chicks. The study is composed of the pure control (CG), sham (SG) and experimental groups (n=20). Experimental groups (ischemia group, IG and ischemia-spermine group, ISG) were exposed to ischemia for 20min whereas the SG was exposed to sham operation and CG group was not exposed to any operation. Passive avoidance learning (PAL) was applied to the half number of the subjects in each group. Both before and after 7days from the ischemia, operated animals were taken to PAL and then they were sacrificed. Total numbers of neurons in the hippocampus were stereologically estimated using Cresyl violet stained sections. We detected that number of neurons was increased following PAL and especially spermine treatment. According to our results, we suggested that spermine may reduce the deleterious effects of the ischemia by causing to increase in the neuronal number and so, it may be slightly supportive to the PAL.

Effect of Spermine, Epibrassinolid and their interaction on inflorescence buds and fruits abscission of pistachio tree (Pistacia vera L.), “Ahmad–Aghai” cultivar

Effect of Spermine, Epibrassinolid and their interaction on inflorescence buds and fruits abscission of pistachio tree (Pistacia vera L.), “Ahmad–Aghai” cultivar

Anti-apoptotic role of spermine against lead and/or gamma irradiation-induced hepatotoxicity in male rats.

Exposure to either lead (Pb) or γ-irradiation (IR) results in oxidative stress in biological systems. Herein, we explored the potential anti-apoptotic effect of spermine (Spm) against lead and/or γ-irradiation-induced hepatotoxicity in male albino rats. Rats were divided into eight experimental groups of ten rats each: groups including negative control, whole body γ-irradiated (6Gray (Gy)), lead acetate (PbAct) trihydrate orally administered (75mg/kg bw≡40mg/kg bw Pb for 14 consecutive days), and Spm intraperitoneally dosed (10mg/kg bw for 14 consecutive days) rats and groups subjected to combinations of Pb+IR, Spm+IR, Spm+Pb, and Spm+Pb followed by IR on day 14 (Spm+Pb+IR). A significant decrease in arginase activity as well as mRNA and protein levels of Bcl-2 and p21 was observed in rats intoxicated with Pb and/or γ-irradiation compared to controls, whereas Bax mRNA and protein levels were significantly increased. Also, an increased level of nitric oxide (NO) with a reduced arginase activity was observed in liver tissues of intoxicated rats. Spm co-treatment with lead and/or γ-irradiation attenuated the increase in Bax mRNA and protein expression, while it restored those of Bcl-2 and p21 together with NO levels and arginase activity to control values. Altogether, we suggest that Spm may be useful in combating free radical-induced apoptosis in Pb-intoxicated and/or γ-irradiated rats.

Spermine and its interaction with proline induce resistance to the root rot pathogen Phytophthora capsici in pepper (Capsicum annuum)

The root rot pathogen Phytophthora capsici can severely damage production of peppers (Capsicum annuum). This study examined the effect of exogenous spermine and spermine in combination with proline on disease severity in pepper inoculated with P. capsici, as well as the effect of the treatments on P. capsici growth and zoospore development. Peroxidase, catalase, and polyphenol oxidase activity, the levels of phenolic compounds, malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and fresh and dry weight were measured on the 3rd, 5th, and 7th days after P. capsici infection. Disease severity and size of the necrotic lesions increased with the degree of injury caused by the pathogen and decreased in resistant varieties. The cultivar CM-334 exhibited the highest resistance to P. capsici followed by Amazon F1 whereas other genotypes were susceptible to the disease. Treatments with spermine and spermine + proline prior to inoculation decreased the severity of disease, the length of the necrotic lesions, and the MDA and H2O2 levels in all genotypes, and increased peroxidase, catalase, and polyphenol oxidase activity, the total level of phenolics, and fresh and dry weight, when compared to the untreated, inoculated plants. In addition, 1 mM spermine, 1 mM spermine + 1 mM proline, and 1 mM spermine + 10 mM proline decreased colony growth of P. capsici and zoospore production. This study showed that spermine and spermine + proline induced defense responses and increased resistance to P. capsici infection in pepper.

Roles of spermine in modulating the antioxidant status and Nrf2 signalling molecules expression in the thymus and spleen of suckling piglets-new insight.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of spermine and extended spermine administration on the antioxidant status and expression of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signalling molecules in the thymus and spleen in suckling piglets. One half of eighty 12-day-old suckling piglets obtained sufficient nutrient intake supplemented with spermine (0.4mmol/kg body weight), and another half received restricted nutrient intake supplemented with physiological saline in equal doses once a day for 7hr or 3, 6 or 9days in pairs. Spermine supplementation and its extended duration significantly decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PC) contents (p<.05), but markedly improved antisuperoxide anion (ASA), antihydroxyl radical (AHR), catalase (CAT), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities (p<.05) and glutathione (GSH) content (p<.05) in the thymus and spleen. Additionally, real-timePCR analysis showed that spermine administration and extended spermine intake reduced Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) gene transcription and enhanced SOD1, GPx1, CAT, glutathione reductase (GR) and Nrf2 mRNA levels of the thymus and spleen (p<.05), and also improved GST gene expression in the thymus (p<.05). Notably, the spermine-supplemented time for the optimal effects of suckling piglet was determined to be 6days. Collectively, the current study suggested that spermine supplementation and extended spermine administration could protect the health of the thymus and spleen from early weaning by enhancing the antioxidant status and regulating the expression of antioxidant-related signalling molecules.

Pre-treatment with spermine for acute cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injuries.

Acute cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (ACIR) rat model was used to investigate the effect of spermine on oxidative stress and apoptosis. Sixty healthy and clean male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: The sham-operated group (n=12), the model group (n=12) and the experiment group (n=36). The experiment group was further divided into 3 subgroups: The SPE-10 group (n=12), the SPE-25 group (n=12) and the SPE-50 group (n=12). Rats in the experimental sub-groups SPE-10, SPE-25 and SPE-50 were injected with 10, 25 and 50 mg/kg of spermine, respectively, one week before the establishment of rat models. Rats in the sham-operated and model groups were injected with 0.9% NaCl solution. We evaluated the effect of spermine on malondialdehyde (MDA) level and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity using ELISA kits. Bax and Bcl-2 levels were measured using western blot analysis. Our results showed that after spermine injection, MDA levels markedly decreased, while SOD activity increased significantly. The variations in MDA levels and SOD activity were dose (spermine)-dependent. Bax protein levels increased significantly, while Bcl-2 levels decreased significantly after the onset of ACIR injuries. After spermine injection, there was a significant decrease in Bax levels. Bcl-2 levels in these rats markedly increased. The observed decline in Bax levels and the increase in Bcl-2 levels in the experimental groups were dose-dependent. We concluded that spermine protected nerve tissues in rats with ACIR by decreasing the MDA level, increasing SOD activity and modifying the balance between Bax and Bcl-2 proteins.