Evaluation of Date Extract on Nerve Conduction Velocity in Male Rats.

Introduction: Neuropathy is a condition in which the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) is disordered. Studying the effects of antioxidants on the performance improvement of this system is vital. This study aimed to investigate the effects of date extract on Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV), Distal Motor Latency (DML), and wave height of the sciatic nerve in male rats. Methods: This laboratory study used 24 male Wistar rats weighing 250-300 g, divided into the test and control groups. The test group received 10% date extract daily, at 4 mL/kg of body weight, for three weeks. In the beginning, nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV), Distal Motor Latency (DML), and wave height of the sciatic nerve were examined in all animals and reexamined for NCV three weeks later. P-values lower than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Sciatic NCV and wave height were significantly increased; however, compared to the control group, DML of the knee significantly declined in the test group. Conclusion: The compositions of date extract accelerate electrical signal transmission. Highlights: Irreparable damages to the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) are major problems in societies.Different therapeutic methods have been adopted for peripheral nerve repair.According to FAO, the production and use of dates are rising.Dates are used in traditional medicine for curing hoarseness, paralysis, backache, and rheumatic pains. Plain Language Summary: Dates are highly important in our nutrition. There have been studies on the positive antioxidative effects of date extract in preventing diabetic neuropathy. Dates are used in traditional medicine for curing hoarseness, paralysis, backache, and rheumatic pains, among others. The importance of dates is derived from their rich compositions of carbohydrates, salts and minerals, dietary fiber, vitamins, fatty acids, amino acids, and proteins. Different therapeutic methods have been adopted for PNS, still, 50% of these damages become permanent and cause disability. Date palms are in the palm family native to Iran, and found in relatively tropical regions.Dates are used in traditional medicine for curing hoarseness, paralysis, backache, and rheumatic pains, among others. In short, the compositions of date extract accelerate electrical signal transmission.

Antioxidant, cytotoxic and hyperalgesia-suppressing activity of a native Shilajit obtained from Bahr Aseman mountains.

Shilajit, a blackish-brown exudation obtained from steep rocks of different mountains, has been longly used as a therapeutic agent in traditional medicine. The present study was designed to evaluate the antioxidant, cytotoxic and hyperalgesia-suppressing activity of the aqueous and DMSO extracts of a native Shilajit. The antioxidant and cytotoxic effects of Shilajit extracts was determined using DPPH scavenging activity and MTT assay methods, respectively. In order to examine the hyperalgesia-suppressing activity of the Shilajit aqueous extract the STZ-induced diabetic animals were subjected to oral administration of the extract (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg daily) for six weeks followed by evaluating the behavioral examination (hot plate and tail flick tests) compared to those of diabetic control (Sham) and vehicle groups. The obtained results of antioxidant evaluation of Shilajit represented scavenging activity of 50% at concentration of 2500 µg/mL and 6000 µg/mL in the case of aqueous and DMSO extracts, respectively. Cytotoxic study of water extract of Shilajit revealed IC50 of 727.5±1.9 µg/mL and 1103±3.2 µg/mL on cell lines of MCF-7 (breast cancer) and A549 (lung cancer), respectively. Thermal pain response examination of diabetic rats treated with aqueous extract of Shilajit (100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg) for six weeks reduced hyperalgesia compared to vehicle and Sham groups. To sum up, considering the moderate antioxidant and hyperalgesia-suppressing activity of this native Shilajit make it as a suitable candidate for further investigation after isolation and characterization of the active compounds.

Probiotic and antioxidant properties of selenium-enriched Lactobacillus brevis LSe isolated from an Iranian traditional dairy product.

The present study was designed to isolate a highly selenium-tolerant lactobacillus strain from an Iranian traditional dairy product named as Spar. Different criteria such as tolerance to the low pH, simulated gastric juice (SGJ), simulated intestinal juice (SIJ) and bile salts tolerance as well as Caco-2 cell adhesion assay were examined to evaluate the probiotic potentials of the selected isolate. Furthermore, the antioxidant properties of the isolate cultivated in medium containing and free of SeO32- ions were evaluated using DPPH scavenging and reducing power assays. The isolate was identified using conventional identification and 16S rDNA gene sequencing methods as Lactobacillus brevis LSe. The obtained results showed that the isolate was able to tolerate high concentration of sodium selenite (3.16mM). By decreasing the pH of the SGJ from 6 to 3, the survival percent of L. brevis LSe was not significantly changed over the time (p>0.05). In addition, the survival percent of the isolate in the SIJ (pH 6 and pH 8) was not statistically altered after 3h, 6h and 24h of incubation (p>0.05). In the presence of bile salts (0.3% and 0.6%) the survival rate of L. brevis LSe was not significantly decreased (p>0.05).L. brevis LSe also demonstrated the satisfactory ability to adhere to Caco-2 cells which were similar to that of the reference strain L. plantarum. The obtained results of antioxidant evaluation showed that L. brevis LSe containing elemental Se exhibited significantly higher radical scavenging ability (36.5±1.31%) and reducing power (OD700, 0.14) than L. brevis LSe cultured in selenite-free medium (p<0.05). To sum up, further investigations should be conducted to merit the probable potential health benefit of Se-enriched L. brevis LSe and its application as Se-containing supplements or fermented foods.

The effect of Angipars on diabetic neuropathy in STZ-induced diabetic male rats: a study on behavioral, electrophysiological, sciatic histological and ultrastructural indices.

Diabetes mellitus is the most common metabolic disease with a high prevalence rate in human society that eventually leads to the peripheral nervous system complications in a great number of patients. In the present study, the effects of Angipars on nerve conduction velocity, histological alterations, and behavioral indices were investigated. Diabetes was induced in male rats by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Six weeks after STZ injection, animals were divided into five groups control, vehicle, and 3 experimental groups. The vehicle group received 1 mL distilled water daily for two weeks and three experimental groups received, respectively, intraperitoneal injection of 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg Angipars daily for two weeks. Intraperitoneal injection of Angipars, in some extent, could significantly improve behavioral indices of the experimental groups as compared to the vehicle group. Furthermore, mean nerve conduction velocity in the vehicle group showed significant difference with that in the control and the 2nd experimental groups; therefore, Angipars could increase nerve conduction velocity in neuropathic rats. Overall, Angipars exerted positive effects on the treatment and reduction of physiologic symptoms and improvement of sciatic morphological injuries in neuropathic rats.

Date fruit extract is a neuroprotective agent in diabetic peripheral neuropathy in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats: a multimodal analysis.

BACKGROUND: To study the effects of an aqueous extract of date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L. Arecaceae) diet on diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) in streptozotocin- (STZ-) induced diabetic rats. METHODS: The effects of a date fruit extract (DFE) diet on diabetic neuropathy in STZ-induced diabetic rats were evaluated and compared with a nondiabetic control group, diabetic control group (sham), and vehicle group with respect to the following parameters: open field behavioral test, motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV), and morphological observations. RESULTS: In the model of STZ-induced of diabetic neuropathy, chronic treatment for 6 weeks with DFE counteracted the impairment of the explorative activity of the rats in an open field behavioral test and of the conduction velocity of the sciatic nerve (MNCV). In addition, pretreatment with DFE significantly reversed each nerve diameter reduction in diabetic rats. CONCLUSION: DFE treatment shows efficacy for preventing diabetic deterioration and for improving pathological parameters of diabetic neuropathy in rats, as compared with control groups.