Journal of Basic and Applied Zoology最新文献

The aim of this study is to evaluate the protective action of naringenin (a flavonoid) on the brain functions of oseltamivir treated rats. 24 rats were divided into 4 groups as follows: control, naringenin treated rats (Nar, 50 mg/kg bwt/day), oseltamivir treated rats (Tam, 0.75 mg/kg bwt twice daily) and naringenin + oseltamivir treated rats (Nar + Tam). All the drugs were received via oral gavage for five days. The animals on the 5th day were trained in Y maze. Then, on the 6th day, rats were decapitated and the brain was excised for determination of total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant capacity (TOC), total nitric oxide (TNO), Ca ATPase, total cytochrome P450 (CYP450) contents and brain fatty acid binding proteins FABP7. The results showed a significant increase in the TOC, TNO and CYP450 in Tam treated rats while a significant decrease was noticed in TAC, Ca ATPase and FABP7 in the same group in comparison with the control. Nar + Tam treated rats exhibited a significant decrease in TOC, TNO and CYP450 and a significant increase in TAC, Ca ATPase and FABP7 in comparison with Tam treated rats. An improvement in Y maze behavior and all the investigated parameters was noticed in Nar + Tam treated rats as compared with the oseltamivir treated rats. The results suggest that Nar has a neurophysiological and behavioral protective effect on oseltamivir side effects on the brain functions.

Infertility is a major concern for young men of reproductive age under-going chemotherapy. Unfortunately, chemotherapeutic treatment for neoplastic diseases commonly impairs fertility either temporally or permanently. In general, chemotherapeutic agents in cancer treatments target all rapidly growing healthy cells, such as those of reproductive system in addition to tumor tissues and it therefore results in impairment of spermatogenesis leading to abnormalities in sperm morphology in cancer survivors. Consequently, antioxidants have been shown to protect nonmalignant cells and organs against damage by chemotherapeutic agents. Hence the present study was designed to evaluate the possible ameliorative role of curcumin or vitamin C alone and their combination in alleviating the toxicity of cisplatin on sperm morphology when given to normal albino rats.

The results of the present investigation concluded that the combination between curcumin and vitamin C in cisplatin treatment afforded the best ameliorative effect on cisplatin induced sperm shape abnormalities. This may be due to the synergistic effect between curcumin and vitamin C as both of them have antioxidant properties which in turn lead to repairing of sperm abnormalities.

Gallic acid (GA), a popular phenolic acid is found in gallnuts, grapes, pomegranates, tea and oak bark. It possesses anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-depressant, anti-asthmatic and anti-obesity effects. N′-Nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) is a well-known hepatotoxin, carcinogen and mutagen. In this study, we have examined the hepatoprotective effect of gallic acid against liver inflammation induced by NDEA in Wistar rats. Hepatic damage in the animals was induced by 10 ml kg⁻¹ b.wt of 1% NDEA (i.p.) solution in normal saline once in a week. Another group received GA supplement (i.p.) in 100 mg kg⁻¹ b.wt wk⁻¹. Animals belonging to control group were administered equal amounts of saline or GA. LPO, SOD and membrane-bound ATPase (Ca²⁺- and Mg²⁺-ATPase) activities were determined in liver homogenate of control and treated rats. Alterations in liver architecture were assessed by H&E and Masson’s trichrome stainings of 5 μm thick liver sections. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to localize the inflammatory marker, Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Our results demonstrate a significant increase in malondialdehyde, and decrease in SOD and ATPases (Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺) in NDEA-treated rats. Histopathology data showed inflammation, activated HSCs, deposition of collagen, periportal as well as bridging fibrosis in NDEA-treated liver specimens. Immunohistochemistry of NDEA-treated liver sections exhibited COX-2 positive cells. Gallic acid supplement revert the hepatic functioning in rats injured with NDEA probably by inducing Nrf2-mediated antioxidant enzymes and attenuating the inflammatory mediators COX-2 through NF-κB inhibition pathway. Therefore, gallic acid supplement may be a useful promising bioagent in combating liver injury.

The present study was designed to discover the potential cardioprotective function of earthworm powder (EWP) extracted from Eudrilus eugeniae on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial infarction in male Wistar rats. The rats were divided into four groups, with six rats in each group. Certain rats were pretreated with EWP (200 mg/kg bwt) (Group III), and a myocardial infarction was then induced by subcutaneous injection of ISO (85 mg/kg bwt) (Group II). Oral pretreatment of 200 mg/kg bwt of EWP for 28 days significantly (p > 0.05) improved the blood profile levels, including (a) the lipid profile of total cholesterol (TC), free fatty acids (FFA), and triglycerides (TG); (b) low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and protein; and (c) A/G ratio, glucose and uric acid levels. The electrophoretic pattern of elevated lactose dehydrogenase (LDH) levels was recovered by EWP treatment as evidenced by comparison with ISO-induced rats with cardiac damage. The above results indicate that EWP (200 mg/kg bwt) provides a cardioprotective effect by attenuating the blood profile, lipid profile, biochemical levels, and LDH patterns in rats that experienced an ISO-induced myocardial infarction.

The immunosuppressive drug, utilized widely in Egypt, cyclosporine A was studied to evaluate its toxicity in male rats. Animals were divided into a control (untreated), 3 groups treated intraperitoneally with 20, 40 and 60 m/kg cyclosporine A for 5, 10 and 15 days, respectively and 3 groups treated intraperitoneally with 20, 40 and 60 mg/kg of cyclosporine A plus 100 mg/kg royal jelly administrated orally. Toxicity evaluation was carried out using two main endpoints: reproductive study (sperm morphology and count abnormalities) and biochemical changes in liver and testis (DNA amounts). The aim of this work is to study the protective role of royal jelly against sperm abnormalities in shape and count, and changes in DNA contents in liver and testis tissue induced in rats when treated by cyclosporine A with different doses (20–40–60 mg/kg/day) for 5, 10, and 15 days in male rats and how the royal jelly can repair this changes. Our results showed that sperm abnormalities induced by cyclosporine A included deviation from normal shape in head and tail. Abnormal heads contained amorphous head and banana-shaped head, whereas the abnormal tails included divided and coiled tails. It also induced an insignificant effect on the total sperm counts after 5 days of injection with the drug combined with royal jelly. DNA contents were determined in rat liver and testis cells to illustrate the mutagenic effect of cyclosporine A and how the royal jelly can modulate this effect. From these results we concluded that cyclosporine A toxicity was dose and time dependent and should be administrated under special precautions and medical supervision. Using of royal jelly in combination with cyclosporine A drug decreased its toxic effect, so it's considered as protector.

Lithium is an integral drug used in the management of acute mania, unipolar and bipolar depression and prophylaxis of bipolar disorders. It has also been shown to reduce suicidal risk and short term mortality. Few experimental studies have demonstrated the thyroid toxicity caused by lithium as well as the possible protective effect of curcumin. Twenty four male albino rats were divided into three groups; group I (control group), group II received lithium carbonate daily for 6 weeks and group III received the same dose of lithium carbonate as group II concomitantly with curcumin for 6 weeks. The specimens were prepared for histopathological, immunohistochemical and biochemical examination. Lithium-induced thyroid dysfunction evidenced by the histopathological and immunohistochemical changes represented by detached cells and vacuolated cytoplasm of some follicular cells and highly significant increase in positive immunostained of thyroglobulin and caspase-3 respectively. Moreover, a significant decrease in serum free triiodothyonine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) concomitant with significantly increased thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and thyroid lipid peroxidation (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels. Curcumin counteracted lithium-induced oxidative stress and inflammation as assessed by restoration of the antioxidant defenses and diminishing of pro-inflammatory cytokines and improvements in the degenerative changes of the thyroid gland. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence that curcumin exerts thyroprotective effects against lithium carbonate mediated by its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effect as indicated by caspase-3. This report also confers that the use of this drug should be justified for long treatment under direct medical supervision.

Steroid hormones that are controlled by steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) gene regulate sperm production. However, calcium ion is important for male fertility in vasodilation and sperm development. Calcium also serves as a second messenger to control acrosome reaction and sperm motility. Calcium channel-blockers (CCBs) as nifedipine and ethosuximide (used in hypertension and epilepsy treatment) can affect male fertility. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism of the male reproductive dysfunction and their side effects. The present study was designed to address the involvement of CCBs in inducing male infertility. Thirty-six male mice were orally treated by therapeutic dose of nifedipine and ethosuximide for 20 days followed by 10 days without treatment for drug withdrawal. Chromosome aberrations assay, sperm analysis and testicular expression level of biomarker steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR (mRNA were measured. In addition, histological structure of the testis was investigated to the process of spermatogenesis. Our results revealed that, CCBs significantly increased the percentage of chromosome aberration and sperm shape change. StAR-mRNA expression was significantly down regulated. Sperm count and motility were significantly decreased. However, slight improvement was observed in all tested parameters after drug withdrawal. Seminiferous tubules displayed total atrophy, disruption, severe damage and elongation of tubules with disorganization of germinal epithelium that detached from the basement membrane. The lumen of seminiferous tubules showed complete absence of sperm cells.

Conclusions

Both nifedipine and ethosuximide significantly increase chromosome abnormalities, decrease sperm function, and down regulate StAR-mRNA expression. All these side effects may lead to irreversible male sterility.

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a major viral pathogen of commercial poultry, affecting chickens of all ages and causing major economic losses in poultry industry worldwide. Frequent points of mutations and recombination events in the S1 gene region, result in the emergence of new IBVs variants circulating in the form of several serotypes/genotypes that can be partially or poorly neutralized by current vaccines. IBV is well studied worldwide, nevertheless in African countries epidemiological and scientific data are poor and not updated.

This review aims to give a current overview of IBV situation, to establish evolutionary relationship between the African variants and to list some of the potential measures to control IBV in Africa.

Three S1 gene hypervariable regions were studied and compared to the reference genotypes/serotypes that found emerging in African regions. This comparison was based on phylogenetic trees, nucleotide and amino-acid sequence analysis. It clearly appears that IBV variants reported in Africa, display a low genetic relationship between them and with the majority of the reference strains emerging in neighboring countries, except the case of variants from Libya and Egypt that show a high relatedness. Also the Massachusetts serotypes were the most prevalent co-circulating with both serotypes, Italy02 type in Morocco and Qx-like genotype in South part of the African continent. In order to control the IBV variants in African regions, an efficient vaccination strategy program should be implemented.

The pituitary gland of carnivore mammals in the world was described, but that of those in Egypt may be low, so the present study is carried out on some carnivore mammals such as Vulpes zerda, to elucidate the similarities and the differences of the pituitary cells between the mammals in the world and those in Egypt. The results indicate that, the gland is pyramidal in shape. The acidophilic cells and the basophilic cells are distributed heterogeneously in the body of the gland. The STH cells are numerous, the nucleus is irregular, lobed and eccentric with the endoplasmic reticulum. The secretory granules are light with a large size. The LTH cells have eccentric nucleus near the plasma membrane, the mitochondrium is spherical or elongated, the endoplasmic reticulum is rough and the granules are collected at the cell periphery.

The ACTH cells are found singly, irregular with eccentric nucleus. Its secretory granules are small and spherical shaped, while the TSH cells have very small secretory granules, but the FSH and LH cells are found singly, angular shape with eccentric nuclei and the its secretary granules are spherical or ovoid shaped and exhibit variation in electron density than STH cells. The differences in shape and distribution may be related to the phylogeny.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of caffeine and retinoic acid either separately or in combination on the skeleton of the developing embryos of mice. Pregnant females were treated with either caffeine or retinoic acid at the onset of organogenesis (7th day of gestation). At morphological level no abnormalities in either caffeine or retinoic acid in the developing embryos at 14th day of gestation whose mothers’ were administered caffeine (2 mg/100 g b.w.) or those of the mothers’ treated with retinoic acid up to 4 mg/kg b.w. during the onset of the second trimester of pregnancy were observed. However, dose-dependent retinoic acid treatment initiates chondrocyte vacuolation, depression of PAS+ve intracellular inclusions and depression of nuclear fluorescence that were concomitant with downregulation of TGFβ2 expression in the perichondrium of the developing vertebrae. Co-administration of caffeine was found to ameliorate the effects of 2 mg/kg b.w. rather than 4 mg/kg b.w. of retinoic acid treatment. At the 18th day of gestation the uterine horns appeared normal without any signs of fetoresorption in all treatments. However, the effect of both caffeine (2 mg/100 g b.w) and retinoic acid at both doses (2, 4 mg/kg b.w) in Alizarin Red stain of wholemount revealed minor phalange deformation of the developing limbs either separately or in combined treatments.