ABSTRACT
Varicocele [VCL] not only has functional and structural effects on the male reproductive system, but also affects other body tissues such as liver. Therefore, dexamethasone [DEX] and vitamin E [VE] co-administration is recommended invaricocele patients. The present study was conducted with the purpose of evaluating the effect of experimentally-induced varicocele on liver and the protective effects of VE and DEX. In this study, 30 male rats were divided into five groups. The experimental group were assigned to 4 groups: Varicocele; varicocele+VE [150/kg]; varicocele+DEX [0.25mg/kg]; and varicocele+VE+DEX. The control group underwent a simple laparotomy. After 60 days, the rats were anesthetized and blood was taken for serum isolation. Simultaneously with taking blood samples,the serum levels of glucose, alanine aminotransferase [ALT], and aspartate aminotransferase[AST] were evaluated. The hepatocytes' cytoplasmic carbohydrate level was assessed by periodic acid shiff staining. Statistical analysis was performed by analysis of variance and Tukey's test. The significance level was considered as p<0.05. The levels of blood glucose, ALT, and AST were significant lyreduced in VE and DEX groups compared to varicocele group. Also, tissue necrosis, central venous dilatation, and lymphatic cells infiltration decreased. According to the findings of this study, varicocelecauses liver damage at the biochemical and histological levels, and co-administration of VE and DEX could significantly reduce the VCL-induced complications and also DEX-induced side effects as well
ABSTRACT
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders, which its effective treatment maintains an acceptable level of performance in patients. Vitamin E as an antioxidant protects cells against damage. This study was conducted with the objective of investigating the effect of citalopram and Vitamin E on the hippocampal neurons in female depressed rats. In the present study, 30 female rats with the mean weight of 200 +/- 20g were divided into five 6-rat groups. The groups included: 1- group C [Non-depressed control], 2- group D [depressed controls that were treated with normal food and water], 3- group DS [received citalopram at a dose of 30mg/kg/bw], 4- group DE [received Vitamin E at a dose of 100 mg/kg/bw], 5- group DES [received a combination of Vitamin E and citalopram]. One month after treatment, all the rats were euthanized by easy killing method. Then brain and hippocampus were removed and after fixation in formalin, the tissue sections were prepared. After staining with hematoxylin and eosin by light microscopy, hippocampal tissue was studied. To induce depression, rats were placed in absolute darkness for 2 months. Data were analysed using one-way analisis of varience and Tukey's test. Significance level was considered to be 0.05. About 40 and 50 percent of the neurons of CA1 and DG region were had neuronal necrosis in depressed rats. The results of the present study showed that citalopram and Vitamin E have a protective effect against hippocampal neurons in the depressed animals.
ABSTRACT
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone [GnRH] is a reproductive key hormone. The GnRH analogues are widely used in in vitro fertilization and treatment of sex hormone-depended cancers induced by the materials used in chemotherapeutic agents. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of cyclophosphamide and decapeptyl [analogues of GnRH] on histomorphometry and stereology of testicular tissue as well as gonadotropic and gonadal hormones indices in mice. For this study, 24 adult male Balb/C strain mice were divided in four groups; first, cyclophosphamide [65 mg/kg/body weight [BW]], second, decapeptyl [0.05 mg/kg/BW], third, decapeptyl at first, and after 10 days of cyclophosphamide injection, and control group was received same volume of sterile saline. In order to evaluate the tissue changes in testes of the mice, sections were prepared and stained with Hematoxylin-Eosine, Periodic Acid Schief's [PAS] and Oil-Red-O staining techniques. The cyclophosphamide causes histomorphologic changes in the testicular tissue; whereas such changes by decapeptyl were comparatively mild. The morphometric results revealed significant reduction in diameters of seminiferous tubules [p=0.02], and the stereological results confirmed significant differences in spermatogenesis [SI] as well as rate of tubal differentiation [TDI] indices between experimental and control groups [p=0.001]. In addition, the morphometric findings proved that, there are significant decrease [p=0.001] in thicknesses of epithelia and stereologic result revealed reduction in number of cell layers in both decapeptyl and chemotherapy groups, but the decrements of these parameters were significant [p=0.02] in later group. In groups that had received cyclophosphamide, and decapeptyl alone, the LH and testosterone levels were decreased significantly [p=0.03], whereas in those that had received decapeptyl along with cyclophosphamide, the LH and FSH levels showed a decline but the level of testosterone increased. These results demonstrated that, analogue of GnRH i. e., decapeptyl protect morphologic, morphometric, and stereologic alterations of the testes tissue, as well as gonadotropic and gonadal hormonal changes preceding cyclophosphamide treatment in male mice
Subject(s)
Male , Animals, Laboratory , Cyclophosphamide/pharmacology , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Testis/drug effects , Testosterone , Luteinizing Hormone , Follicle Stimulating HormoneABSTRACT
Previous studies have indicated that diabetes mellitus might be accompanied by neuropathic pain. Oxidative stress is implicated as a final common pathway in development of diabetic neuropathy. Pharmacological interventions targeted at inhibiting free radical production have shown beneficial effects in diabetic neuropathy. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the possible analgesic effects of melatonin and vitamin E in diabetic rats. This study was performed on 32 male Wistar rats divided into 4 groups: control, diabetic, melatonin-treated diabetic and vitamin E-treated diabetic. Experimental diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal streptozotocin [50 mg/kg] injection. Melatonin [10 mg/kg, i.p.] and vitamin E [100 mg/kg, i.p.] were injected for 2 weeks after 21 st day of diabetes induction. At the end of administration period, pain-related behavior was assessed using 0.5% formalin test according to two spontaneous flinching and licking responses. The levels of lipid peroxidation as well as glutathione-peroxidase and catalase activities were evaluated in lumbosacral dorsal root ganglia. Formalin-evoked flinching and total time of licking were increased in both acute and chronic phases of pain in diabetic rats as compared to control rats, whereas treatment with melatonin or vitamin E significantly reduced the pain indices. Furthermore, lipid peroxidation levels increased and glutathione-peroxidase and catalase activities decreased in diabetic rats. Both antioxidants reversed the biochemical parameters toward their control values. These results suggest that oxidative stress may contribute to induction of pain in diabetes and further suggest that antioxidants, melatonin and vitamin E, can reduce peripheral neuropathic pain in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats