Sex steroid receptors profiling is influenced by nandrolone decanoate in the ampulla of the fallopian tube: Post-treatment and post-recovery analyses.

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are recommended for therapeutic clinic, but their use has increased in recent decades for aesthetic reasons. No study has evaluated the impact of AAS in the fallopian tube, after treatment and recovery periods. Herein, the aim of study was to investigate the effects of Nandrolone Decanoate (ND), administered in different doses (1.87; 3.75; 7.5 and 15 mg/kg) on the ampulla of the fallopian tube in rats, following post-treatment (PT; 15 consecutive days) and post-recovery (PR; 30 consecutive days) periods. The control group received mineral oil. Estrous cycle was monitored daily during both periods and in sequence the rats (n = 8/group/period) were killed. All ND-treated animals showed estral acyclicity during the PT and PR periods, but the histomorphometric changes in the fallopian tube varied according to the ND dose level. The expression of AR, ERα and ERß varied in the nucleus and cytoplasm of epithelial cells. No AR expression was observed in the stroma. The muscle cells exhibited variation in immunostaining. In conclusion, ND promoted histomorphometric and immunohistochemical changes in the ampullary portion of the fallopian tube after treatment and recovery periods in a dose-independent manner.

Estudo comparativo dos efeitos do extrato de Ginkgo biloba L. e Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer na reprodução de ratos machos e fêmeas Wistar / Comparative study of effects of Ginkgo biloba L. and Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer extract on the reproduction of Wistar male and female rats

Ginkgo biloba e Panax ginseng são plantas utilizadas na medicina tradicional. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a histologia gonadal de ratos machos e fêmeas Wistar submetidos aos tratamentos com o extrato de G. biloba (120 mg kg-1) ou P. ginseng (200 mg kg-1), e avaliar os parâmetros reprodutivos e fetais das ratas tratadas com as plantas. O grupo controle recebeu solução fisiológica 0,9%. Os tratamentos foram efetuados por via oral através de gavage, duas vezes ao dia, durante quinze dias consecutivos. Após este período, machos (n=18) e fêmeas (n=18) foram sacrificados e as gônadas coletadas, pesadas e processadas para avaliação microscópica. Outras fêmeas (n=18) foram acasaladas com machos não tratados para avaliação da fertilidade e produtos da gestação. Os resultados indicaram que o peso dos órgãos reprodutivos masculino e feminino não foi afetado pelos tratamentos. A estrutura gonadal dos machos e fêmeas mostrou o mesmo padrão histológico nos três grupos experimentais. O tratamento materno pré-gestacional com os extratos não promoveu alterações no desempenho reprodutivo das matrizes e nos parâmetros fetais. Concluiu-se que o extrato de P. ginseng ou G. biloba não causou toxicidade reprodutiva em ratos machos e fêmeas.

Ginkgo biloba and Panax ginseng are plants used in the traditional medicine. The aim of study was to analyse the gonadal histology of the Wistar male and female rats submitted to the treatments with extract of G. biloba (120 mg kg-1) or P. ginseng (200 mg kg-1), and to evaluate the reproductive and fetal parameters of female rats treated with the plants. The control group received physiological solution 0.9%. The treatments were administered by oral gavage, twice/day, during fifteen consecutive days. After this period, male (n=18) and female rats (n=18) were sacrificed and the gonads collected, weighed and processed for microscopic evaluation. Another females (n=18) were matted with not treated males for evaluation of fertility and pregnancy outcome. The results indicated that the male and feminine reproductive organs weight was not affected by treatments. The gonadal structure of male and female rats showed same histologic pattern in the three experimental groups. The pre-gestational treatment with the extracts not promoted alterations in the reproductive performance of dams and in the fetal parameters. It was concluded that the extract of P. ginseng or G. biloba not presented reproductive toxicity in the male and female rats.

Protection induced in BALB/c mice by the high-molecular-mass (hMM) fraction of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis.

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a granulomatous disease caused by a dimorphic fungus, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. The present study investigated the protective activity of the P. brasiliensis high-molecular-mass (hMM) fraction (approximately 380 kDa) in experimental murine PCM. In the first step, lymphocyte proliferation and production of IFNgamma (but not IL-4) were observed in "in vitro" spleen cells (from female BALB/c mice infected (i.v.) with P. brasiliensis) that were stimulated with hMM fractions. In the second step, female BALB/c mice were previously immunized (s.c.) with hMM fraction (25 microg/protein = F-25 and 50 microg/protein = F-50), and the colony-forming units (CFU) of the lung and spleen, the histopathological characteristics of the granulomatous lesions, and plasmatic gp43 soluble antigens and anti-hMM IgG levels were analyzed at 28 and 56 days after infection. The lung and liver CFU were lower in mice previously immunized with the hMM fraction (P < 0.05). The granulomatous lesions revealed a greater degree of compaction and organization, with no dissemination of the fungus to other organs. Lower soluble antigen levels (P < 0.05) and higher IgG anti-hMM fraction (P < 0.05) were observed in immunized groups. The results for CFU, histopathology and antigenemia suggest that the hMM fraction has a protective effect in experimental paracoccidioidomycosis in BALB/c mice.