Zinc's protective role against hydroxychloroquine-induced cardiac effects in adult male albino rats.

Background: Long exposure to Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been complicated by some dangerous though infrequent cardiotoxicity. Methods: A total of 40 normal adult male albino rats dispersed into 4 groups were used. Group 1 (Control group), Group II (HCQ treated group), Group III (zinc [Zn]-treated group), and Group IV (HCQ and Zn treated group). Once the experimentation ended, rats were sacrificed and cardiac soft tissue sections were processed twenty-four hours at the end of the experiment for histological study. Results: Cardiac-stained sections revealed that HCQ induced widespread necrosis, dilatation, and vacuolar degeneration. However, the combination of HCQ with Zn ameliorated these damaging effects. Cardiac enzyme parameters were also studied in the 4 groups and revealed CK-MB and troponin were considerably elevated in groups II associated to the control group. Conclusion: It was concluded that Zn revealed a protective role against HCQ cardiomyopathy in adult male albino rats. This might signify an appreciated means for Zn-based treatment in the upcoming subsequent clinical records to adjust doses and guarantee patient safeguard.

The potential beneficial role of Ginkgetin in doxorubicin-induced hepatotoxicity: Elucidating the underlying claim.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent for various tumors treatment; apart from its chemotherapeutic activity, the traditional usage of DOX has been limited by its adverse effects on multiple organs, mainly hepatotoxicity. The molecular mechanisms underlying DOX hepatotoxicity are mainly due to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) inducing oxidative stress, diminishing antioxidant enzymes, apoptosis, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop a therapy that minimizes DOX hepatotoxicity and widens its use in various types of cancers without fear of its serious hepatotoxicity. Ginkgetin (GINK), a natural biflavonoid, exhibits diverse actions, including promising free radical scavenging, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. So, this study's objectives were to determine whether GINK could mitigate DOX's hepatotoxic effects and look into a putative hepatoprotective molecular pathway. Mice were divided into five groups: Normal control, control GINK 100, Untreated DOX group, and DOX groups treated with GINK (50 and 100 mg/kg) intraperitoneally daily for four days before DOX administration and an additional three days afterward. GINK 100 pretreatment showed marked protection from DOX hepatotoxicity and also attenuation of histopathological structural alterations. These outcomes were corroborated biochemically by a considerable decrease in alanine aminotransferases, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase levels. GINK significantly augmented silent information regulator 1 and nuclear translocation of NF-E2-related factor 2 and repressed the expression and protein levels of forkhead box protein O1, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and P53 relative to DOX group. GINK alleviated oxidative stress and induced significant anti-inflammatory effects via suppression of interleukin-6, nuclear factor Kabba B, and iNOS respectively. This study is the first to investigate GINK's potentially beneficial effects in acute DOX hepatotoxicity, possibly exhibiting antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects by modulation of Sirt1/FOXO-1/NF-κB Signal.

Prospective Antiviral Effect of Ulva lactuca Aqueous Extract against COVID-19 Infection.

Marine algal extracts exhibit a potent inhibitory effect against several enveloped and non-enveloped viruses. The infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has several adverse effects, including an increased mortality rate. The anti-COVID-19 agents are still limited; this issue requires exploring novel, effective anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic approaches. This study investigated the antiviral activity of an aqueous extract of Ulva lactuca, which was collected from the Gulf of Suez, Egypt. The aqueous extract of Ulva lactuca was characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses. According to the HPLC analysis, the extract comprises several sugars, mostly rhamnose (32.88%). The FTIR spectra showed numerous bands related to the functional groups. EDX analysis confirmed the presence of different elements, such as oxygen (O), carbon (C), sulfur (S), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and sodium (Na), with different concentrations. The aqueous extract of U. lactuca (0.0312 mg/mL) exhibited potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity via virucidal activity, inhibition of viral replication, and interference with viral adsorption (% inhibitions of 64%, 33.3%, and 31.1%, respectively). Consequently, ulvan could be a promising compound for preclinical study in the drug development process to combat SARS-CoV-2.

The impact of oral ciprofloxacin on the structure and functions of rat gastric mucosa.

Ciprofloxacin (CPX), is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic used to treat a number of gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial infections. Ciprofloxacin can cause severe side effects, ranging from tendon problems, nerve damage, to serious mood or behavior changes. The purpose of this study was to investigate how ciprofloxacin affects gastric cell lines in rats with a distinctive emphasis on physiological, histopathological, and bacteriological changes. Male albino rats (n = 21) were distributed into three groups; control, CPX, and CPX-withdrawal groups. The treated rats were given CPX tablets (12.5 mg/kg) dissolved in carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) 0.5% orally once daily via gavage for sixty consecutive days. Control rats received only the vehicle. The withdrawal group was treated for 60 days and the drug was withdrawn for another sixty days. After completion of the experiment, all rats were sacrificed and gastric tissues were treated for light, immunohistochemical, and scanning electron microscopic examination. Image J software was used to measure immune-labeled gastric epithelial cells. Blood samples were also collected for H. Pylori immunoglobulins IgM, IgA, and IgG. Results showed that treated rats acquired significantly strongly positive tumor necrosis factor (TNFα) and significant reduction of serum level of H. pylori IgM, IgA, and IgG in all the study groups. It could be concluded that prolonged oral CPX administration to albino rats changes the gastric mucosal architecture and bacteriology.