ABSTRACT
Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome [PCOS] is a common form of the endocrine disease which is associated with metabolic dysfunction. PCOS and type 2 diabetes mellitus are related in multiple aspects and are similar in many pathological features. Anti-diabetic effects of Nigella sativa and protective effects of it on reproductive system have been suggested in some reports
Objective: The aim of current study was to evaluate the effects of thymoquinone, the main components of Nigella sativa, on PCOS model of rats
Materials and Methods: Intraperitoneal injection of estradiol valerate for 25 days was used to induce PCOS in Wistar rats, followed by intraperitoneal administration of 8 and 16 mg/kg thymoquinone for 30 days. Rats were divided into 5 groups; control, sham or PCOS, experiment-1 [PCOS and 8 mg/kg thymoquinone], experiment-2 [PCOS and 16 mg/kg thymoquinone], and metformin [PCOS and metformin administration, 100 mg/kg] groups. All of the animals were subjected to serum biochemical analysis of blood and histopathological study of ovaries
Results: Estradiol valerate induced PCOS while administration of thymoquinone recovered it. The body weight, ovarian morphology, and ovulation had been improved and the serum biochemical parameters including glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, luteinizing hormone, and follicle stimulating hormone were reversed after thymoquinone intervention
Conclusion: Our data suggest that thymoquinone has improvement effects on an ovarian function and ovulation in the PCOS rat model. Therefore, thymoquinone and Nagilla sativa could be used as a protective agent and as an adjunct treatment in PCOS patients
ABSTRACT
Recently, specific attention has been paid to aptamers, short DNA or RNA, as a tool for cancer diagnosis and therapy. In the present study MCS nanogels were prepared by Myristate: Chitosan at 1:9 ratio and were characterized by several techniques. A selected ssDNA aptamer [Apt] capable of detecting LNCaP cells was linked to Myristilated Chitosan nanogels [Apt-MCS] by glutaraldehyde and loaded with Doxorubicin [DOX] to be used in targeted drug delivery against the Prostate cancer cells. LNCaP and PC-3 cells were treated with Apt-MCS-DOX complex and the binding efficiency was estimated by flow cytometry. The binding affinity of the selected aptamers was above 70% compared to the initial library. The loading capacity of the nanogel was as high as 97% and up to 40% of DOX were released from MCS within 15 days. Cytotoxicity of nanodrug on LNCaP cells was determined by MTT assay. Apt-MCS-DOX was specifically binded to LNCaP cells whereas it didn't show any specificity to PC-3 cells as a negative control. Both MCS-DOX and Apt-MCS-DOX showed a lethal effect on LNCaP cells. Our results can lead to an aptamer based simple and applicable technique for early diagnosis and treatment of cancerous cells
ABSTRACT
Background: The Definitive Endoderm [DE] differentiation using the undefined media and non-human feeders can cause contaminations in the generated cells for therapeutic applications. Therefore, generating safer and more appropriate DE cells is needed. This study compared five different methods to establish an appropriate method for inducing an efficient DE differentiation from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells [hiPSCs] on an appropriate feeder in a more defined medium
Methods: Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells [hiPSCs] were cultured on inactivated feeders. Passaged hiPSCs, without feeder, were incubated for three days with Activin-A and different endodermal differentiation media including 1-FBS, 2-B27, 3- ITS and albumin fraction-V, 4-B27 and ITS and 5-like the third medium. The feeder cells in the first four methods were Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts [MEFs] and in the fifth method were human adult bone marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells [hMSCs]. DE markers FOXA2, SOX17 and CXCR4 and also pluripotency marker OCT4 were evaluated using qRT-PCR, as well as FOXA2 by the immunocytochemistry
Results: QRT-PCR analysis showed that after three days, the expression levels of DE and pluripotency markers in the differentiated hiPSCs among all five groups did not have any significant differences. Similarly, the immunocytochemistry analysis demonstrated that the differentiated hiPSCs expressed FOXA2, with no significant differences
Conclusion: Despite this similarity in the results, the third differentiation medium has more defined and cost effective components. Furthermore, hMSC, a human feeder, is safer than MEF. Therefore, the fifth method is preferable among other DE differentiation methods and can serve as a fundamental method helping the development of regenerative medicine
ABSTRACT
Objective: Drug delivery systems related to different cancer therapies is now expanding. Chitosan [CS] is currently receiving enormous interest for medical and pharmaceutical applications due to its biocompatibility in animal tissues. In this study, two nanogels were prepared from CS. Some of the critical factors such as controlling the release, adsorption and specially targeting drug delivery are considered while preparing the nanogels
Methods: Phosphorylated CS [PCS] and Myristilated CS [MCS] nanogels were prepared by reacting CS with tripolyphosphate [TPP] and Myristate as cross-linking agents respectively and then were loaded with Doxorubicin [DOX]. The nanogels were characterized by different techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering and Fourier-transform infrared. The cytotoxicity of free DOX, MCS nanogels and DOX loaded MCS was evaluated by the MTT assay
Results: The result of DOX loading and releasing of the nanogels showed high loading capacity and drug loading efficiency of about 97%. Results indicated slow release of about 16-28% of DOX from PCS within 5 days and 18-40% from MCS within 15 days. DOX and MCS-DOX showed the same toxic effect on the prostate cancer cells [LNCaP]
Conclusion: Both PCS and MCS nanogels were qualified on the basis of size, loading and releasing capacity
ABSTRACT
Studies have demonstrated that electromagnetic waves, as the one of the most important physical factors, may alter cognitive and non-cognitive behaviors, depending on the frequency and energy. Moreover, non-ionizing radiation of low energy waves e.g. very low frequency waves could alter this phenomenon via alterations in neurotransmitters and neurohormones. In this study, short, medium, and long-term exposure to the extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) (1 and 5 Hz radiation) on behavioral, hormonal, and metabolic changes in male Wistar rats (250 g) were studied. In addition, changes in plasma concentrations for two main stress hormones, noradrenaline and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) were evaluated. ELF-EMF exposure did not alter body weight, and food and water intake. Plasma glucose level was increased and decreased in the groups which exposed to the 5 and 1Hz wave, respectively. Plasma ACTH concentration increased in both using frequencies, whereas noradrenaline concentration showed overall reduction. At last, numbers of rearing, sniffing, locomotor activity was increased in group receiving 5 Hz wave over the time. In conclusions, these data showed that the effects of 1 and 5 Hz on the hormonal, metabolic and stress-like behaviors may be different. Moreover, the influence of waves on stress system is depending on time of exposure.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Adrenocorticotropic Hormone , Blood Glucose , Body Weight , Corticosterone , Drinking , Electromagnetic Fields , Electromagnetic Radiation , Epinephrine , Motor Activity , Neurotransmitter Agents , Norepinephrine , Plasma , Radiation, Nonionizing , Rats, WistarABSTRACT
Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor gamma [PPAR[gamma]], a member of nuclear receptor superfamily, comprises two isoforms in mouse. These two isoforms are encoded by different mRNAs, which are arisen by alternative promoter usage. There are two promoter regions upstream of PPAR[gamma] gene. A 3 kb fragment, containing several transcription factor binding sites, acts as PPAR[gamma]1 promoter region. Thus, expression pattern of PPAR[gamma]1 isoform is due to the potential transcription factors that could influence its promoter activity. PPAR[gamma], Retinoid X Receptor [RXR] and Vitamin D Receptor [VDR], as nuclear receptors could influence PPAR[gamma] gene expression pattern during several differentiation processes. During neural differentiation, PPAR[gamma]1 isoform expression reaches to maximal level at neural precursor cell formation. A vast computational analysis was carried out to reveal the PPAR[gamma]1 promoter region. The putative promoter region was then subcloned upstream of an EGFP reporter gene. Then the functionality of PPAR[gamma]1 promoter was assessed in different cell lines. Results indicated that Rosiglitazone increased PPAR[gamma]1 promoter regulated EGFP expression of neural precursor cells during Embryoid Body [EB] formation. Furthermore vitamin D reduced PPAR[gamma]1 promoter regulated EGFP expression of neural precursor cells during EB formation through binding to its receptor. This study suggests that there are potential response elements for PPAR/RXR and VDR/RXR heterodimers in PPAR[gamma]1 isoform promoter. Also VDR/RXR heterodimers may decrease PPAR[gamma] expression through binding to its promoter
ABSTRACT
Imatinib mesylate, a small-molecular analog of adenosine triphosphate [ATP] that potently inhibits tyrosine kinase activities of Bcr-Abl, PDGFR-beta, PDGFR-alpha, c-Fms, Arg and c-kit, is one of the novel molecularly targeted drugs being introduced into cancer therapy. We tested the effect of imatinib on the ovarian histological structure and the concentration of estrogen and progesterone, luteinizing hormone [LH] and follicle stimulating hormone [FSH] in the serum of female Wistar rats. Two groups of rats [180 +/- 15 grains] were gavaged with doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight imatinib dissolved in distilled water for 14 days. The control group received sterile water. On day 7, after termination of the treatment, blood serum concentration was measured with the radioimmunoassay [RIA] method. Also, sections [5 micro m thick] of ovaries stained with hematoxylin and eosin [H and E] were investigated histologically. Progesterone concentration in the experimental groups was increased [p<0.001], estrogen and FSH concentrations were decreased [p<0.01], and the LH concentration decreased but was not statistically different in comparison with the control group. The weight of ovaries and number of atretic follicles in the experimental groups was increased compared with the control group [p<0.05]. The diameter of corpus lutea were increased but the number of corpus lutea decreased in both experimental groups [p<0.01]. These findings suggest that administration of imatinib may have profound effects on female fertility