RESUMO
The current study assessed the efficacy of Acyclovir (ACV) and Ivermectin (IVM) as monotherapies and combined treatments for intestinal and muscular stages of Trichinella spiralis infection. One-hundred Swiss albino mice received orally 250 ± 50 infectious larvae and were divided into infected-untreated (Group-1), IVM-treated (Group-2), ACV-treated (Group-3), combined IVM+ACV (Group-4), and healthy controls (Group-5). Each group was subdivided into subgroup-A-enteric phase (10 mice, sacrificed day-7 p.i.) and subgroup-B-muscular phase (10 mice, sacrificed day-35 p.i.). Survival rate and body weight were recorded. Parasite burden and intestinal histopathology were assessed. In addition, immunohistochemical expression of epithelial CDX2 in the intestinal phase and CyclinD1 as well as CD34 in the muscular phase were evaluated. Compared, IVM and ACV monotherapies showed insignificant differences in the amelioration of enteric histopathology, except for lymphocytic counts. In the muscle phase, monotherapies showed variable disruptions in the encapsulated larvae. Compared with monotherapies, the combined treatment performed relatively better improvement of intestinal inflammation and reduction in the enteric and muscular parasite burden. CDX2 and CyclinD1 positively correlated with intestinal inflammation and parasite burden, while CD34 showed a negative correlation. CDX2 positively correlated with CyclinD1. CD34 negatively correlated with CDX2 and CyclinD1. IVM +ACV significantly ameliorated CDX2, CyclinD1, and CD34 expressions compared with monotherapies. Conclusion. T. spiralis infection-associated inflammation induced CDX2 and CyclinD1 expressions, whereas CD34 was reduced. The molecular tumorigenic effect of the nematode remains questionable. Nevertheless, IVM +ACV appeared to be a promising anthelminthic anti-inflammatory combination that, in parallel, rectified CDX2, CyclinD1, and CD34 expressions.
RESUMO
Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant known as endocrine disruptor . Cd has been reported to induce perturbations of the testicular functions and the subsequent decline of the male fertility of both animals and humans. Chlorella vulgaris (ChV) a species of green microalga has been reported to have multiple beneficial activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic effects. Thus, this work was conducted to declare the benefits of Chlorella vulgaris (ChV) (500 mg/kg doses) against cadmium chloride CdCl2 (2 mg/kg doses) toxicity on the main and accessory reproductive organs' weight, structure, and function of male rats. Briefly, 40 adult male rats in 4 groups (n = 10) were used as follows; control, ChV, CdCl2, and CdCl2+ChV. (i) The 1st group was kept as control fed on pellet chow and water ad libitum. (ii) The second group is Chlorella vulgaris (ChV) group fed with C. vulgaris alga for 10 days (500 mg/kg BW). (iii) The third group was administrated CdCl2 (2mg/kg BW) via subcutaneous injection (S/C) daily for 10 days. (iv) The fourth group administered both CdCl2 and ChV with the abovementioned doses daily for successive 10 days. Our observations declared that cadmium exhibited an adverse influence on the testes and prostate gland architecture indicated by seminiferous tubule destruction, testicular edema, degeneration of Leydig cells, and prostate acini damage. All together affect the epididymal semen quality and quantity including sperm viability, motility, and count. Interestingly, ChV could restore the testicular architecture and spermatozoa regeneration accompanied by semen quality improvement and increased reproductive hormones including testosterone. On the other side, ChV suppresses reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation via enhancement the antioxidant-related genes in the testicular tissue including SOD, CAT, GSH, and MDA and maintaining spermatocyte survival via suppression of apoptotic related genes including caspase3 and activating steroidogenic related genes including StAR and HSD17ß3 in the cadmium-treated testes. In this study, ChV could enhance male fertility under normal or stressful conditions and ameliorate the adverse effects of hazardous heavy metals that are widely distributed in our environment.