prophylactic role of ginger on the pulmonary injury induced by azathioprine on adult male rats [light and scanning electron microscopic study]

Azathioprine is one of the most commonly prescribed immunosuppressive drugs. It is commonly used in the treatment of the immune-mediated diseases. Pulmonary toxicity has been reported as one of its side effects. Ginger [Zingiber officinal roscoe], is a well-known spice plant that has been used traditionally in a wide variety of diseases as cardiovascular disorders, diabetes mellitus and gastrointestinal health. A study of the possible protective role of ginger on the azathioprine induced pulmonary injury in the adult male albino rats using light and scanning electron microscopy. Thirty male adult albino rats were used in the study. They were subdivided into three groups. Each group includes 10 rats. First group was considered as a control, Second group was given azathioprine in a dose of 25 mg/kg body weight twice daily for two days. The third group was given ginger 250 mg orally per kg body weight daily for 5 consecutive days then given azathioprine drug orally for another two days in the same dose as the second group. At the end of the experiment the animals were anaethetized, sacrified and specimens of the lung tissues were extracted and processed to he examined with light and scanning electron microscopy. In group 11, there were thickness of interalveolar septa, lymphocytic cellular infiltration and narrowing of alveolar sacs by light microscopy while in scanning electron microscopy there was thickening of interalveolar septa with narrowing of alveolar sacs, loss of microvilli and laceration of type 11 pneumocytes, disorganized cilia of terminal bronchioles. In group 111 the effect of azathioprine was less than that of group 11 there was less narrowing of the alveolar spaces, less cellular infiltration both type 1 and type 11 pneumocytes and Clara cells were nearly similar to those of control. Administration of ginger prior to azathioprine therapy had a protective effect against the pulmonary injury induced by azathioprine on adult male rats

possible protective role of curcumin on the toxic effect of nicotine in the lung of adult male mice: histological study

Nicotine is an alkaloid that is responsible for most of the dangerous effects of cigarette smoking on the human body. Curcumin is a component of turmeric that is a yellow spice derived from the plant Curcuma longa and has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimalignant properties. The aim of this work is to study the protective role of curcumin against the cytotoxic effect of nicotine on the lungs of adult male mice using light and electron microscopes. Thirty adult male mice were used in this study. They were divided into three groups. The first group was considered as the control, the second group received a subcutaneous injection of nicotine at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg/day for 1 month, and the third group received a subcutaneous nicotine injection at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg/day and oral curcumin at a dose of 80 mg/kg/day for 1 month. At the end of the experiment, the animals were sacrificed and specimens of the lungs were extracted and processed for examination by light and electron microscopy. In the nicotine-treated group, thickening of the interalveolar septa with narrowing of air spaces was observed, thick abnormal elastic fibers and many collagenous fibers were deposited in lung interstitium, and an apparent increase in the number of pneumocytes type 11 cells with exhausted lamellar bodies was observed. Concomitant administration of nicotine and curcumin resulted in partial recovery from these toxic effects. Curcumin can be used to decrease the harmful effects of nicotine on the lungs in both active and passive smokers

possible toxic effect of different doses of Nigella sativa oil on the histological structure of the liver and renal cortex of adult male albino rats

Nigella sativa seeds are commonly known as black seed or black cumin. It has been used for thousands of years as a spice and food preservative and also as a protective and curative remedy for numerous disorders. Our research aimed to study the possible toxic effect of different doses of N. sativa oil on the liver and kidney. Twenty-one adult male albino rats were used and divided equally into three groups. The first group was the control group. The second and third groups received the oil in two gradually increasing doses of 15 and 25 ml/kg, respectively, for 1 month. The animals were then sacrificed and samples of liver and kidney were taken and prepared for histological examination. In the kidney of group II there was epithelial shedding and necrosis of some cells of the proximal and distal convoluted tubules, but there was no effect on renal glomeruli. In contrast, in group III there was glomerular injury in the form of degeneration of the tuft of capillaries, ill-defined basement membrane, and destruction of endothelial cells, in addition to tubular necrosis. In group II there was minimal effect on the liver in the form of perivascular cellular infiltration; in group III was seen a markedly vacuolated foamy cytoplasm of hepatocytes, with dilated sinusoids and perivascular cellular infiltration. In conclusion, large doses of N. sativa oil have toxic effects on the histological structure of the kidney and to a lesser degree on the liver. Therefore, Nigella oil should be used in proper doses, and further studies on the effect of large doses of oil are recommended