ABSTRACT
Objective@#Given the destructive effects of oxidative stress on sperm structure, this study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant effects of different concentrations of Ceratonia siliqua plant extract on human sperm parameters after the freezing-thawing process. @*Methods@#A total of 20 normozoospermic samples were frozen. Each sample was divided into two control groups (fresh and cryopreservation) and three cryopreservation experimental groups (containing C. siliqua extract at concentrations of 20, 30, and 40 μg/mL in the freezing extender). Motility, intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), plasma membrane integrity (PMI), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), viability, and acrosome reaction parameters were evaluated. @*Results@#Statistical analysis showed that the highest motility, viability, and PMI were associated with the 20 μg/mL concentration of C. siliqua extract. At all concentrations, intracellular ROS levels were significantly lower and the levels of MMP and the acrosome reaction were significantly higher than in the cryopreservation control group (p≤0.05). @*Conclusion@#C. siliqua extract supplements at concentrations of 20, 30, and 40 μg/mL improved sperm motility, viability, PMI, MMP, intracellular ROS, and the acrosome reaction.
ABSTRACT
The precise diagnosis of the acute toxoplasmosis in pregnant women and immunocompromsied patients has critical importance. Most of the commercially available assays use the whole Toxoplasma soluble extract as the antigen. However, the assays currently available for the detection of specific anti-Toxoplasma antibodies may vary in their abilities to detect serum immunoglobulins, due to the lack of a purified standardized antigen. The aim of this study was production and evaluation of the usefulness of the recombinant Toxoplasma gondii GRA7 antigen for the serodiagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii IgM and IgG by ELISA. A total of 70 T. gondii IgM positive sera, 74 T. gondii IgG positive sera, and 60 sera from subjects who were not infected with T. gondii were examined. These sera were shown different absorbance values in ELISA test. To control the specificity of the rGRA7 other parasitic diseases, for example, echinococcosis, malaria, leishmaniasis, fascioliasis, and strongyloidiasis were tested of which none showed positive results. Sensitivity and specificity of the generated recombinant IgG ELISA in comparison with commercial ELISA (com ELISA) were 89% and 90%, and the sensitivity and specificity of the generated recombinant IgM ELISA were 96% and 90%, respectively. The results obtained here show that this antigen is useful for diagnostic purposes.