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Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical substance used in the plastic industry and considered as an endocrine disruptor. Ginger is a herbal material used in the food industry and has antioxidant activity. The present study was performed to evaluate the histological changes in the thyroid gland of adult male albino rats after intake of BPA and if there is any protective role for ginger extract (GE). Eighty adult male rats were divided equally into four groups. Group I as a control group, group II included rats that received 250 mg/kg/day GE orally for eight weeks, group III included rats that received 200 mg/kg/day BPA orally for the same period and group IV included rats that received BPA in the same dose for the same duration concomitantly with GE. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were taken for hormonal essay and tissue samples were processed. Light and electron microscopic studies were done. Morphometric and statistical studies were carried out. Group III showed degenerative changes in the thyroid gland, decreased serum levels of T3 and T4 and a strong positive inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) immune response. Group IV showed restoration of thyroid gland architecture and function. In conclusion, GE protected the thyroid structure from the damaging effect of BPA oxidative stress through its anti-oxidant effect, thus preserving thyroid activity.
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Rabbits are essential for commercial meat production due to their efficient growth and productivity, breeds like New Zealand White (NZW), Californian (CAL), and Gabali (GAB) rabbits offer unique genetic traits in litter, growth, and carcass traits. This study aimed to evaluate heritability (h2), genetic and phenotypic correlations (rg and rp) for litter size, body weight and carcass traits across California (CAL), New Zealand white (NZW) and Gabali (GA) rabbits. Along with exploring gene expression profiles of TBC1D1, NPY, AGRP, POMC, Leptin, GH, GHR, IGF-1, CAA, GPR, ACC, CPT1, FAS, and CART in the brain, liver, and meat tissues of different rabbit breeds. The breed genotype had a significant impact on litter size (LS), litter weight (LW), body weight at 12 weeks (BW12), and daily weight gain (DWG) traits. NZW rabbits displayed superior performance in terms of litter size and litter weight, while CAL rabbits recorded the highest values for BW12 and DWG. Heritability estimates (h2) were generally low for litter size (ranging from 0.05 to 0.12) and medium for body weight (ranging from 0.16 to 0.31). Both genetic (rg) and phenotypic (rp) correlations for litter size were positive and moderate (ranging from 0.08 to 0.48), while correlations for body weight ranged from 0.21 to 0.58. Additionally, CAL rabbits exhibited higher carcass traits compared to NZW and GA rabbits. In terms of breed-specific gene expression patterns, New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits displayed the highest expression levels of key genes related to energy metabolism (TBC1D1), appetite regulation (NPY, AGRP, POMC), nutrient transport (CAA), and G protein-coupled receptors (GPR) in both brain and liver tissues. Californian (CAL) rabbits exhibited superior gene expression of the ACC gene in brain tissue and GH, GHR, and IGF-1 genes in brain and meat tissues. Gabali (GAB) rabbits demonstrated the highest expression levels of TBC1D1, NPY, AGRP, GPR, and ACC genes in meat tissues. These breed-specific gene expression differences, combined with genetic evaluation efforts, have the potential to enhance reproductive and productive performance in rabbits, offering valuable insights for rabbit breeding programs and genetic selection.
Assuntos
Peso Corporal , Tamanho da Ninhada de Vivíparos , Animais , Coelhos/genética , Coelhos/fisiologia , Tamanho da Ninhada de Vivíparos/genética , Egito , Feminino , Masculino , Fenótipo , Transcriptoma , Carne/análise , BrancosRESUMO
A new series of 2-aminobenzothiazole hybrids linked to thiazolidine-2,4-dione 4a-e, 1,3,4-thiadiazole aryl urea 6a-d, and cyanothiouracil moieties 8a-d was synthesised. The in vitro antitumor effect of the new hybrids was assessed against three cancer cell lines, namely, HCT-116, HEPG-2, and MCF-7 using Sorafenib (SOR) as a standard drug. Among the tested compounds, 4a was the most potent showing IC50 of 5.61, 7.92, and 3.84 µM, respectively. Furthermore, compounds 4e and 8a proved to have strong impact on breast cancer cell line with IC50 of 6.11 and 10.86 µM, respectively. The three compounds showed a good safety profile towards normal WI-38 cells. Flow cytometric analysis of the three compounds in MCF-7 cells revealed that compounds 4a and 4c inhibited cell population in the S phase, whereas 8a inhibited the population in the G1/S phase. The most promising compounds were subjected to a VEGFR-2 inhibitory assay where 4a emerged as the best active inhibitor of VEGFR-2 with IC50 91 nM, compared to 53 nM for SOR. In silico analysis showed that the three new hybrids succeeded to link to the active site like the co-crystallized inhibitor SOR.
Assuntos
Antineoplásicos , Humanos , Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Benzotiazóis/farmacologia , Proliferação de Células , Ensaios de Seleção de Medicamentos Antitumorais , Células MCF-7 , Simulação de Acoplamento Molecular , Estrutura Molecular , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/farmacologia , Sorafenibe/farmacologia , Relação Estrutura-Atividade , Receptor 2 de Fatores de Crescimento do Endotélio Vascular/metabolismoRESUMO
Elicitors are stressors that activate secondary pathways that lead to the increased production of bioactive molecules in plants. Different elicitors including the fungus Aspergillus niger (0.2 g/L), methyl jasmonate (MeJA, 100 µM/L), and silver nanoparticles (1 µg/L) were added, individually and in combination, in a hydroponic medium. The application of these elicitors in hydroponic culture significantly increased the concentration of photosynthetic pigments and total phenolic contents. The treatment with MeJA (methyl jasmonate) (100 µM/L) and the co-treatment of MeJA and AgNPs (silver nanoparticles) (100 µM/L + 1 µg/L) exhibited the highest chlorophyll a (29 µg g-1 FW) and chlorophyll b (33.6 µg g-1 FW) contents, respectively. The elicitor MeJA (100 µM/L) gave a substantial rise in chlorophyll a and b and total chlorophyll contents. Likewise, a significant rise in carotenoid contents (9 µg/g FW) was also observed when subjected to meJA (100 µM/L). For the phenolic content, the treatment with meJA (100 µM/L) proved to be very effective. Nevertheless, the highest production (431 µg/g FW) was observed when treated with AgNPs (1 µg/L). The treatments with various elicitors in this study had a significant effect on flavonoid and lignin content. The highest concentration of flavonoids and lignin was observed when MeJA (100 mM) was used as an elicitor, following a 72-h treatment period. Hence, for different plant metabolites, the treatment with meJA (100 µM/L) and a co-treatment of MeJA and AgNPs (100 µM/L + 1 µg/L) under prolonged exposure times of 120-144 h proved to be the most promising in the accretion of valuable bioactive molecules. The study opens new insights into the use of these elicitors, individually or in combination, by using different concentrations and compositions.
Assuntos
Nanopartículas Metálicas , Silybum marianum , Silybum marianum/metabolismo , Clorofila A/metabolismo , Lignina/metabolismo , Prata/metabolismo , Hidroponia , Flavonoides/química , Acetatos/metabolismo , Ciclopentanos/metabolismo , Oxilipinas/metabolismo , Fenóis/metabolismoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Citrus plants are prone to infection by different viroids which deteriorate their vigor and production. Citrus viroid V (CVd-V) is among the six citrus viroids, belongs to genus Apscaviroid (family Pospiviroidae) which induces symptoms of mild necrotic lesions on branches and cracks on trunk portion. METHODS AND RESULTS: A survey was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of CVd-V in core and non-core citrus cultivated areas of Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 154 samples from different citrus cultivars were tested for CVd-V infection by RT-PCR. The results revealed 66.66% disease incidence of CVd-V. Citrus cultivars Palestinia Sweet lime, Roy Ruby, Olinda Valencia, Kaghzi lime, and Dancy were identified as new citrus hosts of CVd-V for the first time from Pakistan. The viroid infection was confirmed by biological indexing on indicator host Etrog citron. The reported primers used for the detection of CVd-V did not amplify, rather showed non-specific amplification, which led to the designing of new primers. Whereas, new back-to-back designed primers (CVd-V AF1/CVd-V AR1) detected CVd-V successfully and obtained an expected amplified product of CVd-V with 294 bp. Sequencing analysis confirmed the new host of CVd-V showing 98-100% nucleotide sequence homology with those reported previously from other countries while 100% sequence homology to the isolates reported from Pakistan. Based on phylogenetic analysis using all CVd-V sequences in GenBank, two main CVd-V groups (I and II) were identified, and newly identified isolates during this study fall in the group I. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that there are some changes in the nucleotide sequences of CVd-V which made difficult for their detection using reported primers. All isolates of Pakistan showed high sequence homology with other isolates of CVd-V from Iran and USA whereas; the isolates from China, Japan, Tunisia, and Africa are distantly related. It is evident that CVd-V is spreading in all citrus cultivars in Pakistan.
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Citrus , Viroides , Citrus/virologia , Paquistão , Filogenia , Doenças das Plantas , Tunísia , Viroides/genéticaRESUMO
Chalcogenâ¯chalcogen interactions were investigated within four types of likeâ¯like and unlike YîCîYâ¯YîCîY complexes (where Y = O, S, or Se). A plethora of quantum mechanical calculations, including molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), surface electrostatic potential extrema, point-of-charge (PoC), quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM), noncovalent interaction (NCI), and symmetry-adapted perturbation theory-based energy decomposition analysis (SAPT-EDA) calculations, were executed. The energetic findings revealed a preferential tendency of the studied chalcogen-bearing molecules to engage in type I, II, III, or IV chalcogenâ¯chalcogen interactions. Notably, the selenium-bearing molecules exhibited the most potent ability to favorably participate in all the explored chalcogenâ¯chalcogen interactions. Among likeâ¯like complexes, type IV interactions showed the most favorable negative binding energies, whereas type III interactions exhibited the weakest binding energies. Unexpectedly, oxygen-containing complexes within type IV interactions showed an alien pattern of binding energies that decreased along with an increase in the chalcogen atomic size level. QTAIM analysis provided a solo BCP, via chalcogenâ¯chalcogen interactions, with no clues as to any secondary ones. SAPT-EDA outlined the domination of the explored interactions by the dispersion forces and indicated the pivotal shares of the electrostatic forces, except type III σ-holeâ¯σ-hole and di-σ-hole interactions. These observations demonstrate in better detail all the types of chalcogenâ¯chalcogen interactions, providing persuasive reasons for their more intensive use in versatile fields related to materials science and drug design.
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Neurodegenerative disorders are marked by neuronal death over time, causing a variety of cognitive and motor dysfunctions. Protein misfolding, neuroinflammation, and mitochondrial and protein clearance system dysfunction have all been identified as common pathways leading to neurodegeneration in recent decades. An altered microbiome of the gut, which is considered to play a central role in diseases as well as health, has recently been identified as another potential feature seen in neurodegenerative disorders. An array of microbial molecules that are released in the digestive tract may mediate gut-brain connections and permeate many organ systems, including the nervous system. Furthermore, recent findings from clinical as well as preclinical trials suggest that the microbiota of the gut plays a critical part in gut-brain interplay and that a misbalance in the composition of the gut microbiome may be linked to the etiology of neurological disorders (majorly neurodegenerative health problems); the underlying mechanism of which is still unknown. The review aims to consider the association between the microbiota of the gut and neurodegenerative disorders, as well as to add to our understanding of the significance of the gut microbiome in neurodegeneration and the mechanisms that underlie it. Knowing the mechanisms behind the gut microbiome's role and abundance will provide us with new insights that could lead to novel therapeutic strategies.
Assuntos
Microbioma Gastrointestinal , Microbiota , Doenças Neurodegenerativas , Encéfalo , Microbioma Gastrointestinal/fisiologia , HumanosRESUMO
New antiparasitic drugs are urgently required for treating parasitic infections. The marine environment has proven to be a valuable source of compounds with therapeutic properties against many diseases, including parasitic diseases. Cnidarian venoms are known for their toxicological properties and are candidates for developing medications. In this review, the antiparasitic properties of cnidarian toxins, discovered over the last two decades, were examined. A total of 61 cnidarian compounds from 18 different genera of cnidaria were studied for their antiparasitic activities. The assessed genera belonged mainly to three geographical areas: South America, North America, and Southeast Asia. The in vitro activities of crude extracts and compounds against a range of parasites including Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, T. cruzi, T. congolense, Leishmania donovani, L. chagasi, L. braziliensis, and Giardia duodenalis are reviewed. The challenges involved in developing these compounds into effective drugs are discussed.
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Cnidários , Leishmania donovani , Animais , Antiparasitários , Testes de Sensibilidade Parasitária , Plasmodium falciparumRESUMO
The P-glycoprotein (P-gp/ABCB1) is responsible for a xenobiotic efflux pump that shackles intracellular drug accumulation. Additionally, it is included in the dud of considerable antiviral and anticancer chemotherapies because of the multidrug resistance (MDR) phenomenon. In the search for prospective anticancer drugs that inhibit the ABCB1 transporter, the Natural Product Activity and Species Source (NPASS) database, containing >35,000 molecules, was explored for identifying ABCB1 inhibitors. The performance of AutoDock4.2.6 software to anticipate ABCB1 docking score and pose was first assessed according to available experimental data. The docking scores of the NPASS molecules were predicted against the ABCB1 transporter. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted for molecules with docking scores lower than taxol, a reference inhibitor, pursued by molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) binding energy estimations. On the basis of MM-GBSA calculations, five compounds revealed promising binding affinities as ABCB1 inhibitors with ΔGbinding < −105.0 kcal/mol. The binding affinity and stability of the identified inhibitors were compared to the chemotherapeutic agent. Structural and energetical analyses unveiled great steadiness of the investigated inhibitors within the ABCB1 active site throughout 100 ns MD simulations. Conclusively, these findings point out that NPC104372, NPC475164, NPC2313, NPC197736, and NPC477344 hold guarantees as potential ABCB1 drug candidates and warrant further in vitro/in vivo tests.
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Antineoplásicos , Produtos Biológicos , Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Subfamília B de Transportador de Cassetes de Ligação de ATP/metabolismo , Produtos Biológicos/farmacologia , Descoberta de Drogas , Estudos ProspectivosRESUMO
The coronavirus pandemic has affected more than 150 million people, while over 3.25 million people have died from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As there are no established therapies for COVID-19 treatment, drugs that inhibit viral replication are a promising target; specifically, the main protease (Mpro) that process CoV-encoded polyproteins serves as an Achilles heel for assembly of replication-transcription machinery as well as down-stream viral replication. In the search for potential antiviral drugs that target Mpro, a series of cembranoid diterpenes from the biologically active soft-coral genus Sarcophyton have been examined as SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors. Over 360 metabolites from the genus were screened using molecular docking calculations. Promising diterpenes were further characterized by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations based on molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) binding energy calculations. According to in silico calculations, five cembranoid diterpenes manifested adequate binding affinities as Mpro inhibitors with ΔGbinding < -33.0 kcal/mol. Binding energy and structural analyses of the most potent Sarcophyton inhibitor, bislatumlide A (340), was compared to darunavir, an HIV protease inhibitor that has been recently subjected to clinical-trial as an anti-COVID-19 drug. In silico analysis indicates that 340 has a higher binding affinity against Mpro than darunavir with ΔGbinding values of -43.8 and -34.8 kcal/mol, respectively throughout 100 ns MD simulations. Drug-likeness calculations revealed robust bioavailability and protein-protein interactions were identified for 340; biochemical signaling genes included ACE, MAPK14 and ESR1 as identified based on a STRING database. Pathway enrichment analysis combined with reactome mining revealed that 340 has the capability to re-modulate the p38 MAPK pathway hijacked by SARS-CoV-2 and antagonize injurious effects. These findings justify further in vivo and in vitro testing of 340 as an antiviral agent against SARS-CoV-2.
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Antozoários/química , Tratamento Farmacológico da COVID-19 , Proteases 3C de Coronavírus/antagonistas & inibidores , Inibidores de Protease de Coronavírus/farmacologia , Diterpenos/farmacologia , SARS-CoV-2/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , COVID-19/virologia , Proteases 3C de Coronavírus/metabolismo , Inibidores de Protease de Coronavírus/química , Inibidores de Protease de Coronavírus/isolamento & purificação , Diterpenos/química , Diterpenos/isolamento & purificação , Humanos , Simulação de Acoplamento Molecular , Simulação de Dinâmica Molecular , Estrutura Molecular , SARS-CoV-2/enzimologia , SARS-CoV-2/patogenicidade , Relação Estrutura-AtividadeRESUMO
Indigenous chicken breeds in developing countries have diverse benefits to rural economy as a source of high-quality animal protein. However, there are few reports on the evaluation of economic traits in Egyptian indigenous breeds. Hence, this study aimed to investigate growth performance, carcass characteristics, body measurements and meat quality traits in two indigenous breeds of chickens (Benha line and Golden Montazah) versus Rhode Island Red as a reference worldwide breed. Besides, a time series expression profile of somatotropic axis genes including GH and IGF-1 and their plasma level concentrations were investigated. Benha line chickens (BL) revealed the highest improved estimates of growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality traits. In the same manner, it displayed the highest levels of hepatic GH and IGF-1 and muscle IGF-1 gene expression compared to Rhode Island Red (RIR) and Golden Montazah (GM) chickens. Accordingly, BL exhibited the highest levels of plasma IGF-1 and the lowest levels of plasma GH. This result suggests the direct association between growth performance, carcass characteristics and levels of IGF-1 gene expression in the selected chicken breeds. BL is a superior Egyptian genotype with candidate productive traits and competing characteristics, it could be used widely as a proven ancestor of commercial hybrid breeds.
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Galinhas , Animais , Cruzamento , Galinhas/genética , Egito , Hormônio do Crescimento , Fator de Crescimento Insulin-Like I , Carne , Rhode Island , TranscriptomaRESUMO
Centaurothamnus maximus (family Asteraceae), is a leafy shrub indigenous to the southwestern Arabian Peninsula. With a paucity of phytochemical data on this species, we set out to chemically characterize the plant. From the aerial parts, two newly identified guaianolides were isolated: 3ß-hydroxy-4α(acetoxy)-4ß(hydroxymethyl)-8α-(4-hydroxy methacrylate)-1αH,5αH, 6αH-gual-10(14),11(13)-dien-6,12-olide (1) and 15-descarboxy picrolide A (2). Seven previously reported compounds were also isolated: 3ß, 4α, 8α-trihydroxy-4-(hydroxymethyl)-lαH, 5αH, 6ßH, 7αH-guai-10(14),11(13)-dien-6,12-olide (3), chlorohyssopifolin B (4), cynaropikrin (5), hydroxyjanerin (6), chlorojanerin (7), isorhamnetin (8), and quercetagetin-3,6-dimethyl ether-4'-O-ß-d-pyranoglucoside (9). Chemical structures were elucidated using spectroscopic techniques, including High Resolution Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectrometry (HR-FAB-MS), 1D NMR; 1H, 13C NMR, Distortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer (DEPT), and 2D NMR (1H-1H COSY, HMQC, HMBC) analyses. In addition, a biosynthetic pathway for compounds 1-9 is proposed. The chemotaxonomic significance of the reported sesquiterpenoids and flavonoids considering reports from other Centaurea species is examined.
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Asteraceae/química , Lactonas/isolamento & purificação , Sesquiterpenos de Guaiano/isolamento & purificação , Vias Biossintéticas , Espectroscopia de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear de Carbono-13 , Flavonas/química , Flavonas/isolamento & purificação , Lactonas/química , Conformação Molecular , Espectroscopia de Prótons por Ressonância Magnética , Sesquiterpenos de Guaiano/químicaRESUMO
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent for the COVID-19 pandemic, which generated more than 1.82 million deaths in 2020 alone, in addition to 83.8 million infections. Currently, there is no antiviral medication to treat COVID-19. In the search for drug leads, marine-derived metabolites are reported here as prospective SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors. Two hundred and twenty-seven terpene natural products isolated from the biodiverse Red-Sea ecosystem were screened for inhibitor activity against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) using molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations combined with molecular mechanics/generalized Born surface area binding energy calculations. On the basis of in silico analyses, six terpenes demonstrated high potency as Mpro inhibitors with ΔGbinding ≤ -40.0 kcal/mol. The stability and binding affinity of the most potent metabolite, erylosides B, were compared to the human immunodeficiency virus protease inhibitor, lopinavir. Erylosides B showed greater binding affinity towards SARS-CoV-2 Mpro than lopinavir over 100 ns with ΔGbinding values of -51.9 vs. -33.6 kcal/mol, respectively. Protein-protein interactions indicate that erylosides B biochemical signaling shares gene components that mediate severe acute respiratory syndrome diseases, including the cytokine- and immune-signaling components BCL2L1, IL2, and PRKC. Pathway enrichment analysis and Boolean network modeling were performed towards a deep dissection and mining of the erylosides B target-function interactions. The current study identifies erylosides B as a promising anti-COVID-19 drug lead that warrants further in vitro and in vivo testing.
Assuntos
Invertebrados/química , SARS-CoV-2/metabolismo , Terpenos/química , Proteínas da Matriz Viral/antagonistas & inibidores , Animais , Sítios de Ligação , COVID-19/virologia , Humanos , Ligação de Hidrogênio , Invertebrados/metabolismo , Lopinavir/química , Lopinavir/metabolismo , Simulação de Acoplamento Molecular , Simulação de Dinâmica Molecular , Inibidores de Proteases/química , Inibidores de Proteases/isolamento & purificação , Inibidores de Proteases/uso terapêutico , Ligação Proteica , SARS-CoV-2/isolamento & purificação , Terpenos/isolamento & purificação , Terpenos/metabolismo , Terpenos/uso terapêutico , Termodinâmica , Proteínas da Matriz Viral/metabolismo , Tratamento Farmacológico da COVID-19RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The use of zinc oxide in the form of nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) is of great benefit due to its potent effectiveness and higher bioavailability compared to zinc oxide. This study aimed to investigate the impact of dietary inclusion of different doses of ZnO-NPs on selected serum biomarkers, lipid peroxidation and tissue gene expression of antioxidant enzymes and cytokines in Japanese quail. Eighty Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) (45 days old) were randomly divided into four groups (20 birds for each) with 4 replicates (5 birds each). Birds in the first group were fed a basal diet alone and served as a control (C). Birds in groups 2-4 were fed the basal diet supplemented with ZnO-NPs at doses of 15 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg for a period of 60 days. At the end of the experiment, all birds were sacrificed to collect blood in a plain vacutainer, whereas liver and brain tissues were stored frozen at -80 °C. The obtained sera were used for the analysis of selected biochemical parameters, whereas tissue homogenates were used for the estimation of zinc, oxidative stress biomarkers and gene expression of selected antioxidant enzymes and cytokines. RESULTS: ZnO-NPs (30 and 60 mg/kg) induced a significant decrease in serum triacylglycerol (TAG) compared to the control. ZnO-NPs did not affect the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total protein, albumin, globulin and tissue zinc concentrations but reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels compared to the control. The liver retained a higher zinc concentration than that of brain tissue. In a dose-dependent manner, ZnO-NPs upregulated the mRNA levels of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase: SOD1; catalase: CAT; glutathione peroxidase-1: GPX 1) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (interferon α: IFN-α; interleukin 6: IL-6) in liver and brain tissues. CONCLUSION: The current study suggests the inclusion of ZnO-NPs, particularly 60 mg/kg, in the diet of Japanese quails to improve antioxidant and immune status.
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Nanopartículas Metálicas/química , Óxido de Zinco/química , Animais , Antioxidantes/metabolismo , Biomarcadores/sangue , Química Encefálica , Coturnix , Citocinas/genética , Citocinas/metabolismo , Expressão Gênica , Peroxidação de Lipídeos , Fígado/química , Estresse OxidativoRESUMO
This study aimed to assess the levels of pyrethroids and organochlorine residues in the tissues of cultured Mugil capito and in water samples obtained from three different sites (Al-Hamol, Al-Riad and Sidi Salem; referred to as Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3, respectively) in the Delta region, Egypt. The study also assessed the biochemical markers in exposed mullet and evaluated the impact of these residues on the expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in muscle and cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) in liver tissues using qRT-PCR and SDS-PAGE methods. The results revealed that pesticide residue levels in the water were variable, but were lower than detected levels in fish. Significant (Pâ¯<â¯0.05) differences were found across the three study areas in terms of serum ALT, but the serum AST level was not significantly (Pâ¯>â¯0.05) elevated in all study regions. Serum creatinine and urea levels were significantly (Pâ¯<â¯0.05) elevated in area 3. Furthermore, glutathione and malondialdehyde concentrations significantly increased (Pâ¯<â¯0.05) in liver tissues in area 3. Using the qRT-PCR technique, the results revealed that the expression level of IGF-1 was most significant in area 3, while the expression level of CYP1A was most significant in area 1. The protein profile showed some differences in band numbers and molecular weights of protein bands across different regions. Overall, the alteration in biochemical parameters revealed pesticide interference with the metabolic processes of fish. Furthermore, the pesticide pollution had an effect on the expression of IGF-1 and CYP1A genes and led to changes in the protein profile. Therefore, these markers can be used to monitor fish distress following exposure to the pollutant.
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Família 1 do Citocromo P450/genética , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Hidrocarbonetos Clorados/toxicidade , Fator de Crescimento Insulin-Like I/genética , Proteínas Musculares/metabolismo , Piretrinas/toxicidade , Smegmamorpha/metabolismo , Animais , Aquicultura , Egito , Biomarcadores Ambientais/genética , Hidrocarbonetos Clorados/análise , Hidrocarbonetos Clorados/metabolismo , Fígado/efeitos dos fármacos , Fígado/metabolismo , Proteínas Musculares/química , Resíduos de Praguicidas/análise , Resíduos de Praguicidas/metabolismo , Resíduos de Praguicidas/toxicidade , Piretrinas/análise , Piretrinas/metabolismo , Alimentos Marinhos/análise , Poluentes Químicos da Água/análise , Poluentes Químicos da Água/metabolismoRESUMO
The wide distribution of infections-related pathogenic microbes is almost related to the contamination of food and/or drinking water. The current applied treatments face some limitations. In the current study, k-carrageenan polymer was used as supporting material for the proper/unreleased silver nanoparticles that showed strong antimicrobial activity against six pathogenic bacteria and yeast. The bio-extract of the pupa of green bottle fly was used as the main agent for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The qualitative investigation of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles was determined using UV-Vis spectrophotometric analysis; however, the size of nanoparticles was in range of 30-100 nm, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and particle size analyzer. The proper integration of silver nanoparticles into the polymeric substrate was also characterized through fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), SEM, and tensile strength. The antimicrobial activity of k-carrageenan/silver nanoparticles against Gram positive, Gram negative, and yeast pathogens was highly effective. These results indicate the probable exploitation of the polymeric/nanoparticles composite as an extra stage in water purification systems in homes or even at water treatment plants.
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Carragenina , Descontaminação/métodos , Água Potável , Química Verde , Nanopartículas Metálicas , Prata , Antibacterianos/química , Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Carragenina/química , Técnicas de Química Sintética , Química Verde/métodos , Nanopartículas Metálicas/química , Nanopartículas Metálicas/ultraestrutura , Estrutura Molecular , Prata/química , TermogravimetriaRESUMO
Evaluation of the various pharmacognostic quality parameters and DNA fingerprint of Saudi Arabian medicinal plant namely Datura stramonium growing in Asir region was the objective of the study. The pharmacognostical parameters were done in terms of macroscopic characters, microscopic details, physico-chemical evaluations, phytochemical analysis, fluorescence analysis and DNA fingerprint by using standard techniques and random polymorphic DNA primer. The detailed microscopy of the leaf revealed the presence of pre-medullary phloem, xylem, endodermis, parenchymatous pericycle, lower epidermis and calcium oxalate crystals. There are various amounts of foreign material, ash values, moisture content and extractive values, found after estimations. Preliminary phytochemical screening exhibited the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins and sterols in variable amounts. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) showed there are a prominent scorbale DNA bands. These evaluations provided referential information for correct authentication and quality standardization of the important medicinal plant material. These information will also be supportive to differentiate Datura stramonium from the closely related other species.
Assuntos
Impressões Digitais de DNA , DNA de Plantas/genética , Datura stramonium/química , Datura stramonium/genética , Farmacognosia , Compostos Fitoquímicos/análise , Folhas de Planta/química , Folhas de Planta/genética , Datura stramonium/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Folhas de Planta/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Controle de Qualidade , Arábia SauditaRESUMO
Silver nanoparticles were synthesized using extra virgin olive oil (Olea europaea L.) and sunflower oil (Helianthus annuus L.) and characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The brown color solution of olive oil nanoparticles (EVOO-NPs) and sunflower oil nanoparticles (SFO-NPs) showed typical absorption at 418 nm and 434 nm respectively. The morphology of extra virgin olive oil was found to be in semi cubic shapes with particle size of 23.45 nm (XRD) and 42.30 nm (SEM) while particle size of (SFO-NPs) had 42.30 nm (XRD) and 46.80 nm (SEM). Antimicrobial activities of crude extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), crude sunflower oil (SFO), synthesized nanoparticle from (EVOO-NPs) and (SFO-NPs) against human pathogenic strains were investigated. Synthesized nanoparticle from each oil showed a potent antimicrobial activity against all tested micro-organisms than crude oil which increased by (81.14% to 174.65 %) and by (111.65% to 192.31 %) than (EVOO) and (SFO) respectively. Both (EVOO-NPs) and (EVOO) had more antimicrobial activities than (SFO-NPs) and (SFO). EVOO (NPs) and SFO (NPs) showed maximum antibacterial activities against K. pneumoniae. Therefore (EVOO-NPs) and (SFO-NPs) could be used as safe natural product against multidrug resistant microbes.
Assuntos
Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Antifúngicos/farmacologia , Bactérias/efeitos dos fármacos , Candida albicans/efeitos dos fármacos , Nanopartículas Metálicas , Azeite de Oliva/farmacologia , Compostos de Prata/farmacologia , Óleo de Girassol/farmacologia , Antibacterianos/química , Antifúngicos/química , Bactérias/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Candida albicans/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Testes de Sensibilidade a Antimicrobianos por Disco-Difusão , Composição de Medicamentos , Azeite de Oliva/química , Compostos de Prata/química , Óleo de Girassol/químicaRESUMO
Pulmonary fibrosis represents a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Therapy induced lung fibrosis constitutes a pivotal dose-limiting side effect of radiotherapy and other anticancer agents. We aimed to develop objective criteria for assessment of fibrosis and discover pathophysiological and molecular correlates of lung fibrosis as a function of fractionated whole thoracic irradiation. Dose-response series of fractionated irradiation was utilized to develop a non-invasive and quantitative measure for the degree of fibrosis - the fibrosis index (FI). The correlation of FI with histopathology, blood-gas, transcriptome and proteome responses of the lung tissue was analyzed. Macrophages infiltration and polarization was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Fibrosis development followed a slow kinetic with maximum lung fibrosis levels detected at 24-week post radiation insult. FI favorably correlated with radiation dose and surrogates of lung fibrosis i.e., enhanced pro-inflammatory response, tissue remodeling and extracellular matrix deposition. The loss of lung architecture correlated with decreased epithelial marker, loss of microvascular integrity with decreased endothelial and elevated mesenchymal markers. Lung fibrosis was further attributed to a switch of the inflammatory state toward a macrophage/T-helper cell type 2-like (M2/Th2) polarized phenotype. Together, the multiscale characterization of FI in radiation-induced lung fibrosis (RILF) model identified pathophysiological, transcriptional and proteomic correlates of fibrosis. Pathological immune response and endothelial/epithelial to mesenchymal transition were discovered as critical events governing lung tissue remodeling. FI will be instrumental for deciphering the molecular mechanisms governing lung fibrosis and discovery of novel targets for treatment of this devastating disease with an unmet medical need.
Assuntos
Fibrose Pulmonar/diagnóstico por imagem , Lesões Experimentais por Radiação/diagnóstico por imagem , Algoritmos , Animais , Gasometria , Fracionamento da Dose de Radiação , Feminino , Estudos Longitudinais , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Tomografia por Emissão de Pósitrons combinada à Tomografia Computadorizada , Proteômica , Fibrose Pulmonar/sangue , Fibrose Pulmonar/fisiopatologia , Lesões Experimentais por Radiação/sangue , Lesões Experimentais por Radiação/fisiopatologia , Células Th2/imunologia , Células Th2/patologia , TranscriptomaRESUMO
Cyanobacteria are natural enormous sources of various biologically active compounds with great contributions in different industries. This study aimed to explore and characterize novel cyanobacterial isolates with antioxidant activity and potent phycoremediation ability from Egyptian wastewater canals. The in vitro biological activity of these isolates and their potential ability to take up nutrients and heavy metals from wastewater were examined. The obtained isolates were sequenced and deposited in database under accession numbers, KY250420.1, KY321359.1, KY296359.1 and KU373076.1 for Nostoc calcicola, Leptolyngbya sp., Nostoc sp., and Nostoc sp., respectively. Leptolyngbya sp. (KY321359.1) showed the lowest identity (90%) with the nearest deposited sequence in database. While the isolate Nostoc sp. (KU373076.1) showed the highest total phenolic content as well as the highest levels of caffeic, ferulic and gallic acids. Consequently, it presented the highest antioxidant scavenging activity. All studied isolates revealed potent ability in chelating nutrients and removing heavy metals from wastewater. In conclusion, this study provides a taxonomic, biochemical and molecular evidence of four novel cyanobacterial isolates with antioxidant activity and potential phycoremediation ability.