Attenuation of inflammatory response in the EAE model by PEGlated nanoliposome of pistachio oils.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of PEGlated nanoliposome of pistachio unsaturated oils (PEGNLPUOs) to attenuate the inflammatory response in the EAE model by modulating of NFKB and oxidative stress signaling pathway. Real-time PCR demonstrated that the administration of 10%v/v PEGNLPUOs significantly decreased the expression level of AKT1, MAPK, and NFKB genes from NFKB signaling pathway and MGST1, NOS2, and HO-1 genes from oxidative stress signaling pathway. This study showed that the administration of pistachio oil and PEGNLPUOs at a concentration of 10%v/v decreased the number and percentage of Th1(CD4+) and increased Th2(CD8+) cells.

The New Compound of (2R, 4S)-N-(2, 5-difluorophenyl)-4-Hydroxy-1-(2, 2, 2-Trifluoroacetyl) Pyrrolidine-2-Carboxamide to Mediate the Expression of Some Apoptosis Genes by the HepG2 Cell Line

Objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most frequent cancers worldwide, for the treatment of which various therapy protocols and drugs have been introduced; however, none of them has suppressed cancer tissues completely. New research programs have been developed on cancer and the accompanied effects of novel synthesized compounds on cancer cell lines. Our latest reports on the molecular basis of cancer revealed a pattern of changes in gene expression triggered in the cancer pathway. Methods: HepG2 cell lines were cultured under similar conditions in both test and control groups. The IC50 concentration of the (2R, 4S)-N-(2, 5-difluorophenyl)-4-hydroxy-1-(2, 2, 2-trifluoroacetyl) pyrrolidine-2-carboxamide compound was used in the treatment group. After 48 hours from the culture, the expressional profiles of apoptosis pathway genes (84 genes) were studied using the PCR array method. Results: The findings demonstrated that the expression of some apoptosis-related genes pertaining to TNF, BCL2, IAP, and caspase families was regulated by (2R, 4S)-N-(2, 5-difluorophenyl)-4-Hydroxy-1-(2, 2, 2-Trifluoroacetyl) Pyrrolidine-2-Carboxamide. In the same vein, an alteration was observed in the expression of both pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic genes associated with the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis signaling pathways. Conclusions: According to the data obtained, the pyrrolidine-2-carboxamide compound was demonstrated to be able to regulate the apoptotic activities of HepG2 cells by affecting both pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic relevant genes.

Molecular Targets, Anti-cancer Properties and Potency of Synthetic Indole-3-carbinol Derivatives.

The indole-3-carbinol (I3C) displays anti-cancer/proliferative activities against human cancer cells. Cellular proliferation is an event associated with the progress and its continuation. This manifest is described by variation in expression and/or functions of genes that are related with cell cycle relevant proteins. The constitutive activation of several signal transduction pathways stimulates cells proliferation as well. The immediate stages in cancer development are accompanied by a fibrogenic response and the progression of the hypoxic environment is in favor of survival and proliferatory functions of cancer stem cells. A main part for prevention of in cancer cells death may manifest through altering cell metabolism. Cellular proliferation and metastasis are reported to be supported with increased generation of responsible hormones (in hormone dependent malignancies), and further promotion the angiogenesis, with epithelial to mesenchymal transition. This may be facilitated by progression of autophagy phenomenon, as well as via taking cues from neighboring stromal cells. Several signaling pathways in association with various factors specific for cellular viability, including hypoxia inducible factor 1, NF-κB, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) receptor, Human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF-1), phosphoinositide 3 kinase/Akt, Wnt, cell cycle related protein, with androgen and estrogen receptor signaling are reported to be inhibited by I3C. These evidences, in association with bioinformatics data represent very important information for describing signaling pathways in parallel with molecular targets that may serve as markers for early diagnosis and/or critical targets for designing and development of novel therapeutic regimes alone or combined with drugs, to prevent tumor formation and further progression. In particular, I3C and DIM have been extensively investigated for their importance against numbers human cancers both in vitro and in vivo. We aimed the present manuscript, current study, to review anticancer properties and the miscellaneous mechanisms underlying the antitumorigenicity in an in-depth study for broadening the I3C treating marvel.

A New Indole Derivative Decreased SALL4 Gene Expression in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Cell Line (NB4)

Background: Acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) is a clonal disorder due to bone marrow failure and uncontrolled proliferation of myeloid lineage. Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a subtype of AML. Heterocyclic compounds, such as indole, are considered as attractive candidates for cancer therapy, due to their abundance in nature and known biological activity. Sal-like protein (SALL4) is a zinc finger transcription factor involving in the multi-potency of stem cells, in the NB4 cell line. This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of basal indole and its new derivative, 2-(1-((2, 4-Aril)imino)-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) phenyl-1H Indole-3- carbaldehyde (TFPHC), on the expression of SALL4. Methods: Cells were cultured and treated with different concentrations (75, 150, and 300 µg/mL) of the new indole derivative and DMSO, as a vehicle control, for 24 and 48 hours. Cell proliferation was evaluated by using Trypan blue exclusion and MTT assays. The percentage of apoptotic cells was determined by flowcytometry analysis using the Annexin V/PI apoptosis detection kit; mRNA expression of SALL4 was studied using absolute quantitative RT-PCR. Data were analyzed by student's t-test. P<0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Our findings demonstrated the effects of new indole derivatives on SALL4 mRNA expression. Expression of SALL4 mRNA was significantly decreased at 75, 150, and 300 µg/mL concentrations. Conclusion: SALL4 plays a role in the survival of APL cells. SALL4 expression could be suppressed by the novel indole derivative. Additionally, SALL4 gene suppression can serve as a target in APL therapy.

Validation of Iranian Version of Pregnancy Related Anxiety Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is an acute period in the lifetime of women, during which numerous excitatory physical and social changes occur. The purpose of this study is confirmatory factor analysis of Pregnancy Related Anxiety Questionnaire (PRAQ) that is designed in Iranian pregnant women population. METHODS: A total of 170 pregnant women in health centers of Kerman city were chosen through random sampling method and completed PRAQ questionnaire and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). In this study, confirmatory factor analysis and concurrent validity are used to evaluate the validity of models; and to test-retest and Cronbach alpha were used for evaluating external and internal reliability in SPSS-19 and the AMOS software to evaluate reliability of models. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis gave an acceptable value for the latent PRAQ in the question scale and 5 micro-scale level. Furthermore, significant correlation between the components and the overall scale of the PRAQ questionnaire with the BAI confirmed concurrent validity of questionnaire. The reliability of questionnaire is confirmed based on Cronbach's alpha coefficient value of 0.78 that calculated 0.69-0.76 for the five-factors. A month later, reliability coefficient amplitude of test-retest on forty pregnant women was between 0.65 and 0.72 which shows the reliability of PRAQ over time. CONCLUSIONS: The short form of anxiety during pregnancy questionnaire has the essential psychometric properties. In this study, five-factors extracted in the PRAQ were adapted with the factors extracted from the original version. This study introduces an instrument that can be benefit in measuring anxiety and concerns of women during pregnancy.

Effect of aqueous extract of Achillea millefolium on the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in C57BL/6 mice.

OBJECTIVE: Achillea millefolium (A. millefolium) is widely used as an anti-inflammatory remedy in traditional and herbal medicine. In this study, we investigated the effect of an aqueous extract from A. millefolium on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and on the serum cytokine levels in C57BL/6 mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EAE was induced in 63 C57BL/6 mice weighing 20-25 g (8 weeks old). Following immunization, the treatment protocol was initiated by using different doses of an aqueous extract from A. millefolium (1, 5, and 10 mg/mouse/day). Histopathologic assessments were performed by hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) and luxol fast blue (LFB) staining. Behavioral disabilities were recorded by a camera. Serum levels of interleukin (IL)-10, IL-12, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: On average, mice developed classical behavioral disabilities of EAE, 13.2 ± 1.9 days following immunization. Treatment of mice with A. millefolium led to delay the appearance of behavioral disabilities along with reduced severity of the behavioral disabilities. Treatment with A. millefolium prevented weight loss and increased serum levels of TGF-ß in immunized mice with MOG35-55. EAE-induced mice, which were treated with A. millefolium, had less cerebral infiltration of inflammatory cells. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that treatment with aqueous extract of A. millefolium may attenuate disease severity, inflammatory responses, and demyelinating lesions in EAE-induced mice. In addition, following treatment with A. millefolium, serum levels of TGF-ßwere increased in EAE-induced mice.

Comparison between ß-thalassemia minor and normal individuals using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.

The present study aimed at investigating and comparing patients suffering from ß-thalassemia (ß-thal) minor with normal individuals in regard to their performances in the short version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) test. Patients with ß-thal minor are carriers of ß-thal genes. They have mild microcytic and hypochromic anemia and are usually asymptomatic. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 60 individuals were divided into two equal groups of ß-thal minor and normal subjects; they were then studied by the WAIS subscales. The mean performance scores of the normal group in the subtests of arithmetic and vocabulary (p <0.01) and picture completion (p <0.05) were higher than those of the thalassemia group. The mean performance score and ability of the normal group on the verbal scale was higher in comparison to the thalassemia group (p <0.05), while on the non verbal scale, there was no significant difference between the two groups. It can be concluded that ß-thal minor negatively influences verbal fluency, reasoning and conceptualization, and sequencing tasks, perceptual skill, prediction of social situations and abstract thinking.