Antioxidant and Gastroprotective Activity of Suaeda fruticosa Forssk. Ex J.F.Gmel.

Suaeda fruticosa Forssk. Ex J.F.Gmel is traditionally used for inflammatory and digestive disorders, as a carminative, and for diarrhea. This plant is widely distributed in Asia, Africa, and the Mediterranean region. Aqueous methanolic extract of S. fruticosa (Sf.Cr) was prepared and screened for phytoconstituents through qualitative and GC-MS analysis. Quantification of total phenolic and flavonoid contents was performed, while antioxidant capacity was determined by DPPH, CUPRAC, FRAP, and ABTS assays. The gastroprotective activity was assessed in an ethanol-induced ulcer model. Gastric secretory parameters and macroscopic ulcerated lesions were analyzed and scored for ulcer severity. After scoring, histopathology was performed, and gastric mucus contents were determined. Oral pre-treatment of Sf.Cr demonstrated significant gastroprotection. The gastric ulcer severity score and ulcer index were reduced while the %-inhibition of ulcer was increased dose-dependently. The Sf.Cr significantly elevated the pH of gastric juice, while a decrease in total acidity and gastric juice volume was observed. Histopathology demonstrated less oedema and neutrophil infiltration in gastric mucosa of rats pre-treated with the Sf.Cr in comparison to ethanol-intoxicated animals. Furthermore, the gastric mucus contents were increased as determined by alcian blue binding. Sf.Cr showed marked gastroprotective activity, which can be attributed to antioxidant, antisecretory, and cytoprotective effects.

Impact of multiple isolation procedures on the differentiation potential of adipose derived canine mesenchymal stem cells.

OBJECTIVE: In regenerative biology, the most commonly used cells are adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs). This is due to the abundance and easy accessibility of AD-MSCs. METHODS: In this study, canine AD-MSCs were harvested from different anatomical locations, i.e., subcutaneous (SC), omental (OM), and perirenal (PR). Various isolation techniques namely explants (TRT-I), collagenase-digestion (TRT-II), collagenase-digested explants (TRT-III), and trypsin-digested explants (TRT-IV) were used to segregate the MSCs to evaluate cell doubling time, viability, and adipogenic/osteogenic lineage differentiation potential. RESULTS: The study showed that the SC stem cells had superior growth kinetics compared to other tissues, while the cells isolated through TRT-II performed better than the other cell isolation procedures. The metabolic status of cells isolated from dog adipose tissue indicated that all cells had adequate metabolic rates. However, SC-MSCs derived from TRT-III and TRT-IV outperformed those derived from TRT-I and TRT-II. The differentiation analysis revealed that cells differentiate into adipogenic and osteogenic lineage regardless of treatment, as demonstrated by positive oil red O (ORO) and Alizarin Red S (ALZ) stain. It is worth mentioning that cells derived from TRT-III had larger and more intracellular droplets compared to the other treatments. The TRT-I, -II, and -III showed greater osteogenic differentiation in cells isolated from PR and OM regions compared to SC-derived cells. However, the TRT-IV resulted in better osteogenic differentiation in cells from SC, followed by the OM and PR-derived cells. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that all methods of MSCs isolation from adipose tissues are successful; however, the TRT-II had the highest rate of cell re-assortment from the SC, while, TRT-II and -IV are most suitable for isolating cells from PR and OM adipose tissue.

Autologous Platelet Lysate Is an Alternative to Fetal Bovine Serum for Canine Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Culture and Differentiation.

The use of fetal bovine serum (FBS) in regenerative medicine raises serious ethical and scientific concerns. We have cultured and differentiated the canine mesenchymal stem cells (cMSCs) in five different media combinations of autologous platelet lysate (A-PL) and FBS; consisting of 0% A-PL and 10% FBS (M-1), 2.5% A-PL and 7.5% FBS (M-2), 5% A-PL and 5% FBS (M-3), 7.5% A-PL and 2.5% FBS (M-4), and 10% A-PL and 0% FBS (M-5). The cMSCs were evaluated for their doubling time, differentiation efficiency, and expression of CD73, CD90, CD105, and PDGFRα. The mRNA expression of NT5E, THY1, ENG, PPARγ, FABP4, FAS, SP7, BGLAP, and SPP1 was also assessed. The results indicated non-significant differences in cellular proliferation/viability; positive expression of surface markers, and PDGFRα with substantial adipo/osteogenic differentiation. The expression of adipogenic (PPARγ, FABP4, FAS), and osteogenic (SP7, BGLAP, SPP1) genes were higher (p < 0.05) in the M5 group. In conclusion, A-PL in cMSCs culture did not negatively affect cellular proliferation and viability but also enhanced their genetic potential for multilineage differentiation. Our results indicate that A-PL can be used as an alternative for FBS to develop potent cMSCs under good manufacturing practice protocol for regenerative medicine.

Effect of ethanolic preparations of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) extract on hematologic and histometric parameters of selected organs in Alloxan® induced diabetic female albino rats.

PURPOSE: Assessment of the antidiabetic effect of cinnamon bark extract in histologic damages and some hematologic parameters in Alloxan® induced diabetic female albino rats. METHOD: Thirty female albino rats weighing 150-230 g were divided into five groups (n = 6): normal (G1) and diabetic groups (intraperitoneally Alloxan®-injected) including diabetic control (G2), Getformin @ 0.25 (G3), CE @ 0.10 (G4), and CE @ 0.20 g/kg b.wt. (G5) for 49 days. Blood glucose level and weight were measured on weekly interval for the period of seven weeks (49th day). Blood samples were collected for hematologic analysis. Tissue samples from uterus, liver and kidneys were processed by routine paraffine technique. Histologic sections of uterus were studied to measure endometrial glands area and thickness of endo- and myometrium. Liver and kidneys were evaluated for diabetes-induced degenerative changes and antidiabetic effect of cinnamon extract (CE). One-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey test were used to compare the group means for each parameter. RESULTS: Statistical analysis revealed significant (P < 0.05) deleterious effects of diabetes on all parameters studied, however, CE recovered hematological parameters significantly (P < 0.05) as seen in G3 and G5 groups which showed significant (P < 0.05) improvement in uterus, liver and kidneys' histology. G4 significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the blood glucose at the 4th week which was maintained in subsequent weeks while G3 and G5 had significantly (P < 0.05) lowered the blood glucose from 1st week, although highly significant (P < 0.01) effect was observed during last two weeks of the study. CONCLUSION: Anti-diabetic activity of cinnamon extract was found significant in Alloxan® induced hyperglycemic rats in dose-dependent manners. CE has potential to restore diabetes induced hematological disturbances and histological damages in uterus, liver and kidney due to the presence of cinnamic acid, anhydride tannin and methyl-hydroxy chalcone polymer. Hence, CE can be recommended for the management of glucose homeostasis to avoid diabetes-associated disturbances in female rats.

The Yin and Yang of Antiviral Innate Immunity in Central Nervous System.

The innate immune system provides protection against invading neurotropic viruses. It acts as the first line of defense against invading viruses and plays an elementary role in their pathogenesis. The list of viruses capable of infecting human central nervous system (CNS) is quite long, most important of them are Japanese Encephalitis virus (JEV), rabies virus, West Nile virus (WNV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), La Crosse virus, tick borne encephalitis virus (TEBE) and polio virus. Germ line pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) such as Toll like receptors (TLRs), nucleotide binding oligomerization domain (NOD) - like receptors (NLRs), retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) -like helicases or RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs) and cytosolic DNA sensors recognize the pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and initiate an immune response against invading pathogen. Although PRRs were originally characterized in peripheral immune cells but accumulating evidence also suggest their crucial roles in CNS to combat against neurotropic viruses. In this review, we will highlight the recent developments in our understating of the mechanisms by which PRRs in resident brain cells provide protection against invading neurotropic viruses.