Evaluation of microRNA-223 and microRNA-125a expression association with STAT3 and Bcl2 genes in blood leukocytes of CLL patients: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), lack of expression or dysregulation of some special miRs disrupts apoptosis of malignant cells; thereby miR expression can enhance cell proliferation, disease progression and decrease patient survival. RESULTS: 30 CLL patients and 20 healthy individuals participated in the study. RNA was extracted to evaluate the expression of miR-125, miR-223, BCL-2 and signal transducer and transcription 3 activator (STAT3) genes; quantitative Real Time- PCR (Q-RT-PCR) was performed. MiR-125a and miR-223 expression decreased in the patients compared to the control group (P-Value:0.001). BCL-2 and STAT3 which are the target genes of these two miRs, showed increased expression, in the patients compared to the control subjects (P-Value: 0.001 and P-Value: 0.64 respectively). A significant reverse relationship was found between miR-125a and BCl-2 expression and WBC count. Significantly, miR-223 expression was associated with smoking in patients (P-Value: 0.007). Also, these miRs may have regulatory effects by controlling white blood cell (WBC) production based on the inverse correlation with WBC count and hemoglobin (Hb) concentration. Finally, miR-223 can be used as a prognostic factor in CLL patients; miR-125a may be useful for evaluating the therapeutic approaches based on the inverse link with BCl-2.

Evaluation of the antileishmanial and cytotoxic effects of various extracts of garlic (Allium sativum) on Leishmania tropica.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a major public health problem in tropical and subtropical countries worldwide. Treatment of CL by pentavalent antimony compounds remains a challenge because of limited efficacy, toxic side effects and drug resistance. In the present study, in vitro antileishmanial and cytotoxic activity of garlic extracts against promastigote forms of Leishmania tropica and murine macrophages was evaluated by colorimetric cell viability (MTT) assay. The results revealed that the methanolic and aqueous extracts of garlic were effective in inhibiting promastigote growth of L. tropica with IC50 (50 % inhibitory concentrations) values 12.3 and 19.2 µg/ml, respectively. In addition, methanolic and aqueous extracts of garlic showed low cytotoxicity against murine macrophages with CC50 (cytotoxicity concentration for 50 % of cells) values 291.4 and 348.2 µg/ml, respectively. Findings of present study were the first step in the search for new antileishmanial drugs. However, further works are required to evaluate exact effect of these extracts in volunteer human subjects.

Biochemical effects of oleuropein in gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.

BACKGROUND: Oleuropein is a natural antioxidant and scavenging free radicals. In the present study, we examined effect of oleuropein on the paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity, lipid peroxidation, lipid profile, atherogenic indexes, and relationship of PON1 activity by high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and atherogenic indices in gentamicin (GM)-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. METHODS: This is a lab trial study in Khorramabad, Lorestan province of Iran (2013). 30 Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups to receive saline; GM, 100 mg/kg/day; and GM plus oleuropein by 15 mg/kg intraperitoneal daily, respectively. After 12 days, animals were anesthetized, blood samples were also collected before killing to measure the levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very LDL (VLDL), HDL-C, atherogenic index, lipid peroxidation, and the activities of PON1 of all groups were analyzed. Data were analyzed, and P < 0.050 was considered significant. RESULTS: Oleuropein significantly decreased lipid peroxidation, TG, TC, LDL, VLDL, atherogenic index, atherogenic coefficient (AC), and cardiac risk ratio (CRR). HDL-C level was significantly increased when treated with oleuropein. The activity of PON1 in treated animals was (62.64 ± 8.68) that it was significantly higher than untreated animals (47.06 ± 4.10) (P = 0.047). The activity of PON1 in the untreated nephrotoxic rats was significantly lower than that of control animals (77.84 ± 9.43) (P = 0.030). Furthermore, the activity of PON1 correlated positively with HDL-C and negatively with AC, CRR 1, and CRR 2 in the treated group with oleuropein. CONCLUSION: This study showed that oleuropein improves PON1 activity, lipid profile, and atherogenic index and can probably decrease the risk of cardiovascular death in nephrotoxic patients.

Seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in mentally retarded patients in Iranian rehabilitation centers.

Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common causes of latent infections in humans and animals. Although T. gondii infection is widely prevalent in the world, most acquired cases of the disease are asymptomatic. The important aspect of this parasitic infection is the probable danger of congenital transmission and its severe effects on the fetus. There have been many reports about the prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibody among different groups of people in Iran; however the epidemiological data in mentally retarded patients are rare. The present study was conducted on 158 mentally retarded persons (94 males, 64 females) in the rehabilitation centers of Khoramabad from autumn 2012 to winter 2013. The overall prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibody was 30.4 % (48 cases). There were no significant difference between sex and toxoplasmosis (p > 0.05). However, there were no statistically significant difference between age and toxoplasmosis, nevertheless the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in the patients less than 10-years-old had significantly the lowest rate. The highest infection rates were found in the two age groups of 10-19 and ≥30 years old. Our results showed that the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in the mentally retarded persons in the rehabilitation centers of Khorramabad was similar to the prevalence in pregnant women in this city. Therefore, the disease does not cause additional danger to this group of women.

Amelioration of altered serum, liver, and kidney antioxidant enzymes activities by sodium selenite in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible protective effect of sodium selenite on serum, liver, and kidney antioxidant enzymes activities in alloxan-induced type 1 diabetic rats. METHODS: Forty Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly divided into four groups; Group one as control, Group two as sham-treated with sodium selenite by 1 mg/kg intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections daily, Group three as diabetic untreated, and Group four as diabetic treated with sodium selenite by 1 mg/kg i.p. injections daily .Diabetes was induced in the third and fourth groups by subcutaneous alloxan injections. After eight weeks the animals were euthanized and livers and kidneys were immediately removed and used fresh or kept frozen until analysis. Before the rats were killed blood samples were also collected to measure glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase (CAT) activities in sera. RESULTS: Glutathione peroxidase and CAT activities serum, liver, and kidney were all significantly less in the diabetic rats than in the controls. Sodium selenite treatment of the diabetic rats resulted in significant increases in GPX activity in the kidneys and livers, and CAT activity in the sera and livers. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that sodium selenite might be a potent antioxidant that exerts beneficial effects on both GPX and CAT activities in alloxan-induced type 1 diabetic rats.