Effects of carnosine on liver enzymes of bilharzias infested hamsters

We tested the ability of prophylactic camosine alone and in conjunction with praziquantel to overcome the disturbances of liver enzyme activities and total protein content caused by Schistosoma mansoni infestation in hamsters. The present work showed that the infection increased hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, AMP deaminase and adenosine deaminase total activities and decreased the activity of lactate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, arginase, transaminases [OAT, AST and ALT] and liver total protein content. Prophylactic carnosine stimulated hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, succinate dehydrogenase and both deaminases. Carnosine inhibited the activity of arginase and the three transaminases, yet this inhibition was less than that caused by untreated infection. Praziquatel therapy after prophylactic carnosine treatment caused suppression of the stimulatory effects of carnosine alone on hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, succinate dehydrogenase, both deaminases and liver total protein content. With regard to arginase and the transaminases, this combined therapy decreased the inhibitory effects of infection more than camosine alone

Prophylactic effect of Pulicaria crispa and Citharexylum quadrangular Jacq extracts on some liver enzymes representing different metabolic pathways in Schistosoma mansoni infected mice

Schistosomiasis is considered a wide spread problem that affects Egyptians at different ages. It is well known that the liver is one of the major target organs affected by schistosomiasis, where the most metabolic processes are usually located. The metabolic relationship between parasites and their hosts and the metabolic changes developed in the host as a consequence to infection or drug treatment is a complex phenomenon. The most important metabolic pathways are glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis. Contribution of these pathways elucidate the metabolic relationship between glucose, glycogen and energy release. From this point of view, the aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of the natural plant extracts Pulicaria crispa and Citharexylum quadrangular Jacq on enhancement of some liver enzymes in S.mansoni infected mice representing glycolytic pathway as hexokinase [HK], pyruvate kinase [PK], phosphofractokinase [PFK], lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] and glucose phosphate isomerase [GPI]; glycogenolytic pathway as glycogen phosphorylase, glucose-6-phosphatase [G-6-Pase]; gluconeogenic pathway as fructose-1-6 diphosphatase [F-D-Pase], phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase [PEPCK] and liver function enzymes represented by alanine aminotransferase [ALT], aspartate aminotransferase [AST] and alkaline phosphatase [ALP]. Infection with S.mansoni showed remarkable disturbances in all the enzymes representing the previous metabolic pathways. Prophylactic treatment of infected mice with the natural plant extracts Pulicaria crispa and Citharexylum quadrangular Jacq recorded significant amelioration in all the measured parameters. Protection study through number of worm burden confirmed the obtained results. For evaluating the possible side effects of both extracts, no significant change was observed in all the measured parameters as compared to normal control group

Selected some biochemical parameters used as new markers for diagnosis of bladder cancer

Bladder carcinoma is the most prevalent cancer in Egypt and in most African countries, where it causes 30.3% of all cancers. Bliharzial infestation causes bilharzial bladder cancer, a preventable malignant disease, which arises in a background of schistosomiasis. From this point of view, the aim of the present investigation is to select a good marker, which may be considered as a new trend to assess any disturbance that occurs in tissue insult and to differentiate between cancer bladder with and without schistosomiasis. Succinate dehydrogenase [SDH], glucose-6- phosphatase [G-6-Pase], lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] isoenzymes and 5‘-nucleotidase were detected in bladder tissue, while tyrosinase, tyrosine aminotransferase [TAT] and protein profile were detected in patients serum. The results showed that, patients with bilharzial bladder cancer disease recorded more significant inhibition values in both succinate dehydrogenase and glucose-6- phosphatase enzyme activities than in patients with cancer disease as compared to the normal bladder tissue, while higher significant elevation levels of 5‘-nucleotidase, tyrosinase and tyrosime aminotransferase were observed. Lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes recorded variation in its subunits, where LDH-l, showed significant decreased level in patients with bilharzial bladder cancer disease, while significant increased level in patients with cancer was noticed and the reverse for LDH-4 and LDH-S. Concerning immunoelectrophoretic separation pattern of serum protein profile, it recorded higher significant depression level of albumin, prealbumin,alpha-lipoprotein,beta-lipoprotein, alpha-macroglobulin, alpha-acid glycoprotein, alpha-l-antitrypsin, cholinesterase, ceruloplasmin, haemopexin, hepatoglobin, transferrin as well as total protein in bilharzial bladder cancer cases than in bladder cancer only as compared to the control group. In conclusion, significant changes in all biochemical parameters studied were noticed especially in patients with bilharizial bladder cancer than bladder cancer only