The effects of safranal, a constitute of saffron, and metformin on spatial learning and memory impairments in type-1 diabetic rats: behavioral and hippocampal histopathological and biochemical evaluations.

Safranal is one of saffron constituents and has antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. Metformin is used as an anti-diabetic drug. This study was planned to investigate the separate and combined treatment effects of safranal and metformin on diabetes-induced learning and memory impairments by behavioral and hippocampal histopathological and biochemical evaluations. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ), treatments with safranal (0.025, 0.1 and 0.4 mg/kg), metformin (50 and 200 mg/kg), and a combination of low doses of this chemicals were initiated after confirmation of diabetes and continued for 37 days. Blood glucose concentration was measured before and on days 15, 25 and 35 after injection of streptozotocin. Learning and memory tested using Morris Water Maze (MWM) on days 40-45 and on day 45 hippocampal specimens were collected for determination of malodialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and Caspase-3 levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. The hippocampus was also designed for light microscopy evaluation. Hyperglycemia, spatial learning and memory impairments, hippocampal neuron loss, increase of hippocampal MDA, TNF-α and caspase-3 levels and decrease of SOD activity were observed in diabetic rats. Safranal (0.1 and 0.4 mg/kg), metformin (200 mg/kg) and safranal (0.025 mg/kg) with metformin (50 mg/kg) improved the above-mentioned behavioral, histopathological and biochemical changes. Safranal and metformin and their combination improved learning and memory impairments in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic mechanisms might be involved. It is recommended that safranal be considered for diabetes management.

Cardioprotective effect of royal jelly on paclitaxel-induced cardio-toxicity in rats.

OBJECTIVES: Paclitaxel is a potent chemotherapy agent with severe side effects, including allergic reactions, cardiovascular problems, complete hair loss, joint and muscle pain, which may limit its use and lower its efficiency. The cardioprotective effect of royal jelly was investigated on paclitaxel-induced damages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult male Wistar rats were divided into control and test groups (n=8). The test group was assigned into five subgroups; 4 groups, along with paclitaxel administration (7.5 mg/kg BW, weekly), received various doses of royal jelly (50, 100, and 150 mg/kg BW) for 28 consecutive days. The last group received only royal jelly at 100 mg/kg. In addition to oxidative and nitrosative stress biomarkers, the creatine kinase (CK-BM) level was also determined. To show the cardioprotective effect of royal jelly on paclitaxel-induced damages, histopathological examinations were conducted. RESULTS: Royal jelly lowered the paclitaxel-elevated malondialdehyde and nitric oxide levels in the heart. Royal jelly could also remarkably reduce the paclitaxel-induced cardiac biomarker of creatine kinase (CK-BM) level and pathological injuries such as diffused edema, hemorrhage, congestion, hyaline exudates, and necrosis. Moreover, royal jelly administration in a dose-dependent manner resulted in a significant (P<0.05) increase in the paclitaxel-reduced total antioxidant capacity. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the paclitaxel-induced histopathological and biochemical alterations could be protected by the royal jelly administration. The cardioprotective effect of royal jelly may be related to the suppression of oxidative and nitrosative stress.

Spondylitis in broiler breeder farms in West-Azerbaijan province, Iran: Clinical Report.

Spondylitis is a reemerging epidemic spinal infection in male broiler chickens (5 to 7 weeks of age) as well as broiler breeder roosters (15 to 18 weeks of age). Among various causative agents, Enterococcus species and in particular E. cecorum, a gram-positive bacterium as a gastrointestinal flora of birds, have mostly been isolated. On late September 2015, a number of 10 weeks old roosters with characteristic clinical signs of lameness and hock-sitting posture were autopsied. During thorough general routine post-mortem examinations, abnormalities like nodular masses correlated well with the hock-sitting posture and posterior paresis/paralysis were observed in joint spaces on the caudal thoracic vertebral column (T6-T7) immediately anterior to the kidneys in all affected birds. At histopathological examinations, osteomyelitis with limited pathological lesions including mononuclear inflammatory cells infiltration and edema in spinal cord were seen and the infection was diagnosed as an acute spondylosis.