Effects of insulin and ascorbic acid on inhibition of the apoptosis in hippocampus of STZ-lnduced diabetic rats

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of insulin and ascorbic acid on rate of Caspase - 3 activity and DNA Laddering in hippocampus of STZ-induced diabetic rats. Thirty male Wistar rats in five groups, 6 in each group: one control group [group C] and four diabetic groups [diabetic control [group D], treatment with insulin [group I], with ascorbic acid [group AA] and with insulin plus ascorbic acid [group I+AA]] were used in this study. Diabetes was induced by injection of 60 mg/kg STZ IP. After six weeks, rats in group I were treated with insulin [4-6 U/kg/day Sc.], rats in group AA treated with ascorbic acid [200 mg/kg/day, IP] and rats in group I+AA treated with equal dosage of both insulin and ascorbic acid for two weeks. Rats in group D were treated with saline and considered as the diabetic control group. Two weeks after treatment, animals were anesthetized and hippocampus was dissected from hemispheres. Caspase-3 activity was assessed by Fluorometry, and finally, DNA fragmentation due to apoptosis was determined by DNA laddering Assay. Caspase-3 activity in group D significantly increased compared to group C [6.7 fold], whereas it decreased after treatment with insulin, ascorbic acid or both [2.6, 4.2 and 5.1 fold, respectively]. DNA laddering was observed in group D, but not in three treated groups. Conclusions: From this survey it was concluded that treatment of STZ-induced diabetic rats with insulin and/or L-ascorbic acid could possibly inhibit apoptosis in hippocampal tissues using decrease of Caspase -3 activity and prevention of DNA Laddering

[Determining of methamphetamine effects on sperm parameters of mature rat]

Methamphetamine [MAMP] is a central nervous system stimulant, but it is increasingly abused as a psychedelic tablet by teenagers and young adults. In this experimental study, we evaluate the effects of MAMP on sperm parameters of mature rat. MAMP or saline were injected in three experiments as follow: In the first experiment, twenty-four rats were injected one time with 10mg/kg MAMP, and sperms were sampled from tail of epididymis 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 168 h after injection [n=4, at each time]. Six rats injected with saline served as controls. In the second experiment, four groups of rats each consisting of four rats were administered MAMP [5, 10 and 15 mg/kg] or saline, respectively, and examined 24h later. In the third experiment, 16 rats were evenly divided into four groups [1, 5, and 10 mg/kg MAMP and control] and were injected MAMP or saline once daily for 14 consecutive days [spermatogenesis period] and sperms were sampled 24 h after the last injection. The motility, concentration and morphology of the sampled sperms were evaluated. We also measured the body and testis weights and used the testis/body weight ratio as an index at the end of each experiment. At 24 and 48 h after injection with a single dose of 10 mg/kg MAMP, the number of sperms decreased significantly in comparison with controls [P

Patterns of glycoconjugate distribution during molar tooth germ development in mice

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the structure and distribution of Glycoconjugates during molar tooth germ development in mice Sixteen tooth germs were obtained from BALB/c mice embryos 15 to 18 days post-gestation and fixed in 10% formalin. After routine tissue processing, 5 micro m sections were cut and stained with BSA1-B4 and PNA using the lectin histochemical method. All slides were evaluated by light microscopy. Both lectins showed positive reaction in the tooth germ but with spatiotemporal differences. During bell stage, the reaction was strong with BSA1-B4 but moderate with PNA. Strong PNA uptake was observed in the odontoblastic and ameloblastic nuclei along with the apical cytoplasm of the ameloblasts. Although the lectins that were used in the present study recognize the same terminal sugar residue, they reacted with different disaccharide sequences with various penaltomer sugars. Therefore it may be assumed that the pattern of affinity for different parts of the developing tooth germ such as ameloblasts and odontoblasts is different in various lectins

Immunoblot analysis of saffron pollen proteins recognized by human IgE antibodies

Pollen is one of the major causes of allergy worldwide. Pollen allergens can cause an immediate hypersensitivity [type 1, IgE-mediated] response in susceptible individuals. Hypersensitivity to saffron pollen is a serious problem, especially among the people who working with Saffron flowers. The aim of this study was to identify protein with IgE binding activity [allergenic protein] in a saffron pollen extract. Proteins of the saffron pollen extract recognized by human IgE antibodies were investigated by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Proteins with IgE binding activity were identified with sera from 23 patients who suffered from continues sneezing, rhino rhea, conjunctivitis, throat irritation, shortness of breath during exposure with Saffron flowers. A chemiluminescent immuno-detection method was used to study IgE binding activity'of saffron pollen proteins with patients's sera.Six IgE immimoreactive proteins ranging in molecular weight from 13.5 to 85 KD were identified. From among of these proteins, four with apparent molecular weight of 13.5-14, 19.5-20, 42-43 and 85 KD could be identified with more than 35% of our allergic patient's sera. While two proteins with IgE binding activity [58 and 67 KD] could be demonstrated for only some of our saffron allergic patients.In conclusion, in this study we demonstrated the presence of several IgE binding proteins in the total extract of saffron pollen

[ prevalence of saffron pollen allergy in saffron workers of Khorasan [Iran] in 2002]

Iran is the main producer of Saffron in the world and a great number of Khorasan [The largest province of Iran] are involved in growing this plant. Recently, Saffron pollen has found great importance due to inducing allergic reactions. In this study, the prevalence and clinical symptoms of Saffron pollen allergy and specific IgE level in Saffron workers have been studied. For this purpose, 167 Saffron workers selected randomly from different regions of Khorasan Saffron growing areas were enrolled into the study. Clinical history, skin prick test results, total IgE and specific IgE were used as inclusion and exclusion criteria. Total IgE and specific IgE assessment carried out on 39 cases who had either positive skin prick test or positive clinical symptoms and 10 cases who had neither positive skin prick test nor clinical symptoms [Non-allergic group]. From 167 individuals, 21 cases had positive skin prick test to Saffron pollen extract and 11 cases had Saffron specific IgE in their sera [Allergic group]. 40 Saffron workers [24%] showed allergic symptoms in Saffron picking season and 19 individuals [11%] suffered from allergic symptoms in other seasons. Clinical symptoms were respectively sneezing, watery nose, itchy eyes, itchy nose and red eyes. Skin symptoms like urticaria and dry skin were reported rarely. Saffron allergic and non-allergic groups showed significant differences in birth month, allergy to 3 other pollen extracts and allergy history in their siblings. No significant difference was found between Saffron allergic and non-allergic groups in regard to gender, age, family size, the duration of allergen exposure and smoking. Therefore, Saffron pollen can cause allergic reactions occurring basically in eye, nose and upper respiratory system and according to the obtained results these allergic reactions occur through an IgE-dependent mechanism

[Development of an indirect ELISA for detection of specific IgG subclasses for saffron pollen allergens]

Allergic reactions to plant pollens are a common problem. There are some evidences that saffron pollen has allergenic properties. Although IgE-mediated hypersensitivity has been reported, other immunologic mechanisms may be involved based on a variety of clinical manifestations in allergic cases. One of the mechanisms that have been suggested is specific IgG and its subclasses. In this study, an Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay [ELISA] was developed for detection of specific IgG subclasses against saffron pollen extract. Briefly, microtiter plates were coated with crude extract of saffron pollen and then blocked with bovine serum albumin [BSA], and the sera were added to the plates which followed by the addition of anti-human IgG. TMB was used as substrate. Finally, after stopping the reaction with addition of HCl, plates read at 450 nm. The method was verified by testing two groups of samples, first, sera from individuals living near saffron farms in Khorasan and second, sera from individuals living in areas not having any saffron farms. The results indicated significant differences between the two groups

[ prevalence of saffron pollen allergy in saffron workers of Khorasan [Iran] in 2002]

Iran is the main producer of Saffron in the world and a great number of Khorasan [the largest province of Iran] are involved in growing this plant. Recently, saffron pollen has found great importance due to inducing allergic reactions. In this study, the prevalence and clinical symptoms of saffron pollen allergy and specific IgE level in saffron workers have been studied. For this purpose, 167 Saffron workers selected randomly from different regions of Khorasan Saffron growing areas were enrolled into the study.Clinical history, skin prick test results, total IgE and specific IgE were used as inclusion and exclusion criteria. Total IgE and specific IgE assessment carried out on 39 cases who had either positive skin prick test or positive clinical symptoms and 10 cases who had neither positive skin prick test nor clinical symptoms [non-allergic group]. From 167 individuals, 21 cases had positive skin prick test to Saffron pollen extract and 11 cases had Saffron specific IgE in their sera [allergic group]. Forty Saffron workers [24%] showed allergic symptoms in Saffron picking season and 19 individuals [11%] suffered from allergic symptoms in other seasons. Clinical symptoms were respectively sneezing, watery nose, itchy eyes, itchy nose and red eyes. Skin symptoms like urticaria and dry skin were reported rarely. Saffron allergic and non-allergic groups showed significant differences in birth month, allergy to three other pollen extracts and allergy history in their siblings. No significant difference was found between Saffron allergic and non-allergic groups in regard to gender, age, family size, the duration of allergen exposure and smoking. Therefore, Saffron pollen can cause allergic reactions occuring basically in eye, nose and upper respiratory system and according to the obtained results these allergic reactions occur through an IgE-dependent mechanism