Trifunović Svetlana, Gizdović Ivona, Ristić Nataša, Filipović Branko, Ajdžanović Vladimir, Miler Marko, Cesar Thais, Šošić-Jurjević Branka
Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11108 Belgrade, Serbia.
Graduate Program in Food, Nutrition and Food Engineering, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara 14800-060, Brazil.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Jun 17;26(12):5818. doi: 10.3390/ijms26125818.
The lemon flavonoid extract Eriomin (LE), which is rich in eriocitrin, has demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in both animal and human studies. Given the established interplay among aging, oxidative stress, and inflammation, this study investigated the influences of LE on the pituitary-adrenal (PA) axis in aged rats and its potential to mitigate age-related physiological changes in this system. The effects of LE (40 mg/kg/day suspended in sunflower oil) on the morphofunctional properties of the PA axis were studied in 24-month-old male Wistar rats following four weeks of oral treatment. Control groups included vehicle-treated (sunflower oil; CON) and untreated intact controls (ICON). Stereological and imaging analyses revealed no significant changes in pituitary ACTH cells; however, gene expression was significantly downregulated in the LE group compared to both controls ( ≤ 0.05). LE treatment resulted in a significant reduction in adrenal gland weight ( ≤ 0.05), adrenal gland volume ( ≤ 0.01), zona fasciculata (ZF) volume ( ≤ 0.01) and ZF cell volume ( ≤ 0.05). These changes were accompanied by a significant decrease in serum corticosterone levels ( ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, LE downregulated PA axis activity in aged rats. Considering the association between age-related increases in PA activity and adverse health outcomes, citrus flavonoid extracts such as LE may hold promise as anti-aging supplements aimed at mitigating age-related stress dysregulation.
富含圣草次苷的柠檬黄酮提取物Eriomin(LE)在动物和人体研究中均已显示出抗氧化和抗炎特性。鉴于衰老、氧化应激和炎症之间已确定的相互作用,本研究调查了LE对老年大鼠垂体 - 肾上腺(PA)轴的影响及其减轻该系统中与年龄相关的生理变化的潜力。在24个月大的雄性Wistar大鼠中,经过四周口服治疗后,研究了LE(40 mg/kg/天,悬浮于葵花籽油中)对PA轴形态功能特性的影响。对照组包括接受赋形剂处理的(葵花籽油;CON)和未处理的完整对照(ICON)。体视学和成像分析显示垂体促肾上腺皮质激素(ACTH)细胞无显著变化;然而,与两个对照组相比,LE组的基因表达显著下调(P≤0.05)。LE治疗导致肾上腺重量显著降低(P≤0.05)、肾上腺体积显著降低(P≤0.01)、束状带(ZF)体积显著降低(P≤0.01)和ZF细胞体积显著降低(P≤0.05)。这些变化伴随着血清皮质酮水平的显著降低(P≤0.05)。总之,LE下调了老年大鼠PA轴的活性。考虑到与年龄相关的PA活性增加与不良健康结果之间的关联,像LE这样的柑橘类黄酮提取物可能有望作为旨在减轻与年龄相关的应激失调的抗衰老补充剂。