Swimming training combined with chitosan supplementation reduces the development of obesity and oxidative stress in high-fat diet-fed mice.

Obesity is often introduced as one of the metabolic disorders caused by imbalance between energy consumption and metabolisable energy intake. Experts in the field considered obesity as one of the robust risk factors for the lifestyle-associated diseases. The present research examined interventional effects of marine chitosan (CS), swimming training (ST) and combination of CS and ST (CS + ST) in the mice fed with high-fat diets (HFD). In this study, sample size was considered more than three in groups. Forty mice were randomly divided into five groups (n 8 per group) including control group (received the standard diet), HFD group (received high-fat food with 20 % fat), HFD + CS group (treated with high-fat food with 5 % CS), HFD + ST group (treated with HFD and ST) and HFD + CS + ST group (treated with high-fat food with 5 % CS and ST). After 8 weeks, the blood glucose, oxidative stress (OS) and lipid profile were measured. The results showed that CS + ST group has more effects in the control of body weight with the increased concentration of HDL-cholesterol, OS inhibition via enhancing the body antioxidant capacity in comparison with the ST or CS alone in HFD-fed mice. Moreover, lipid profile was improved in CS + ST-treated mice compared with HFD-treated mice, and OS inhibition correlated with the greater activities of the antioxidant enzyme enhances the lipid oxidation, cholesterol and fatty acid homoeostasis. The results suggested that a dietary intervention with a combined ST and CS can be a feasible supplementary for human prevention of obesity.

Mesobuthus eupeus venom induced injury in the colorectal carcinoma cell line (HT29) through altering the mitochondria membrane stability.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate cytotoxicity and membrane toxicity effects induced by Mesobuthus eupeus venom (MEV) on the HT-29 cell line. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To determine the in vitro cytotoxicity via MTT assays, HT-29 (as cancer cell line) and Hek-293T (as normal cell) were treated through different concentrations of MEV, and cytotoxicity effects were then measured through assessment of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and apoptosis induction. The colony formation assay was performed to measure the antiproliferative effect of MEV on HT-29 cells. Nuclei alterations were also observed during apoptosis following DAPI staining. Besides, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to detect alterations in morphology and ultrastructure of the cells at a nanoscale level. RESULTS: According to MTT and clonogenic assays, MEV caused a significant decrease in cell viability and proliferation of HT-29 cells while it did not have any impact on normal cells and the IC50 value was found to be 10 µg/ml. Induction of apoptosis was also confirmed by flowcytometric analysis in HT-29 cells. Moreover, the results indicated that MEV had led to a suppression of proliferation and induction of apoptosis through increased ROS and depolarization of mitochondria. Furthermore, AFM imaging demonstrated apoptosis cell death after being treated with MEV in HT-29 cells. CONCLUSION: This study showed that MEV had an antiproliferative effect on HT-29 cells by inducing apoptosis through the mitochondria signaling pathway. These findings suggested that MEV could be used as a promising natural remedy for cancer treatment.

Antifungal effect of the effect of Securigera securidaca L. vaginal gel on Candida species.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Candida species are opportunistic fungi, capable of causing acute and chronic infections in the gastrointestinal tract, vagina, and oral mucosa, among which Candida albicans is the most important species. The Securigera securidaca L. is used as an antiseptic to treat some diseases in traditional Iranian medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of S. securidaca extracts and vaginal gel against different Candida species. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Antifungal effects of different extracts and vaginal gel of S. securidaca were investigated against Candida species. By using well diffusion test, different concentrations of the collected S. securidaca extracts and vaginal gel were examined to test their antifungal activity against C. albicans, C. parapsilosis, and C. krusei. RESULTS: The ethanol extract and vaginal gel with the ethanol extract of S. securidaca showed the most anti-fungal activity against all three strains. CONCLUSION: The S. securidaca extract had a significant inhibitory effect on the different species of Candida; however, the highest inhibitory effect was found against C. albicans. In order to treat candidiasis, more research is required to check the efficacy of this plant in this domain.

The hepatoprotective effect of livergol microemulsion preparation (nanoparticle) against bromobenzene induced toxicity in mice.

Livergol (LG), which is the extract of Silybum marianum and commonly known as milk thistle possess hepatoprotective effect and have got licensed for sale in Iran and other countries. LG was evaluated for its capacity to counteract the toxic effects of bromobenzene (BB) on mouse liver. The bioactive component of this plant is known to reinforce naturally occurring liver function through antioxidant activity, the stimulation of bile production and regeneration by the liver organ, resulting in enhanced protection against toxicants, hepatitis, and cirrhosis. The major bioactive components of this product are the flavonolignan ssilibinin, silidianin, silicristin, and isosilibinin. Mice were treated for 10 days with daily gavage of microemulsions (MEs), into which 0-400 mg/kg LG was dispersed. 0.36 ml/kg BB was injected intraperitoneally (ip) to each animal on day 10, followed by sacrifice on day 11, and histological evaluation of hematoxylin-eosin (HE)-stained liver tissue samples, afterwards followed by evaluation liver enzymes level, aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities. Significant suppression of BB-mediated damage to liver tissue, and increased in AST, ALT, and ALP level was observed to occur dose-responsively with LG administration, suggesting a use for LG as a chemoprotectant for persons chronically exposed to industrial solvents.

Effects of quercetin on bisphenol A-induced mitochondrial toxicity in rat liver.

OBJECTIVES: Recognized as a distinguished environmental and global toxicant, Bisphenol A (BPA) affects the liver, which is a vital body organ, by the induction of oxidative stress. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effect of quercetin against BPA in hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats and also, the activity of mitochondrial enzymes were evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To this end, 32 male Wistar rats were divided into four groups (six rats per group), including control, BPA (250 mg/kg), BPA + quercetin (75 mg/kg), and quercetin (75 mg/kg). RESULTS: The BPA-induced alterations were restored in concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) due to the quercetin treatment (75 mg/kg) (all P<0.001). While the levels of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased by the quercetin treatment in the liver mitochondria (P<0.001), catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH) increased (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: According to the results, the potential hepatotoxicity of BPA can be prevented by quercetin, which protects the body against oxidative stress and BPA-induced biochemical toxicity. Moreover, the reproductive toxicity of BPA after environmental or occupational exposures can be potentially prohibited by quercetin.