Bone marrow stem cells as a potential treatment of experimentally induced cartilage defects in the knee joint of adult male albino rats

Spontaneous proper healing of articular cartilage trauma in adults is rare and osteoarthritis might develop as a result. Cultured bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells [BM-MSCs] could differentiate into chondrocytes, and might thus be a good choice for treating such trauma. To assess the efficacy of an intraarticular injection of BM-MSCs derived from young albino rats in the repair of an induced chondral defect in the knee joints of adult albino rats. Six young male albino rats were used as a source of BM-MSCs. In addition, 30 adult male albino rats were divided into four groups. Group I served as a control. Group II served as a model of a chondral defect. Group III was subdivided into subgroups IIIa and IIIb, in which a cartilage defect was induced and sacrificed after 4 and 8 weeks, respectively. Group IV was subdivided into subgroups IVa and IVb, in which a cartilage defect was induced and injected intraarticularly by BM-MSCs suspended in hyaluronic acid [HA] in the right knees and HA alone into their left knees and then sacrificed after 4 and 8 weeks, respectively. Histological, immunohistochemical, and statistical studies were performed. Group III showed healing of the defect by fibrous tissue. However, BM-MSCs- injected knees healed by hyaline-like cartilage, whereas the HA injection induced healing by fibrocartilage. Intraarticular injections of BM-MSCs suspended in HA promoted healing of an articular cartilage defect by hyaline cartilage. Thus, it is recommended to treat a traumatic articular cartilage injury by BM-MSCs

Therapeutic evaluation of aqueous extracts from some medicinal plants in diabetic rats

The present study was designed to evaluate the role of aqueous extracts from garlic, onion and fenugreek as therapeutic remedies for management of diabetes. Adult male albino rats were divided into five groups, normal control, diabetic control, diabetic rats treated with aqueous extract from garlic, diabetic rats treated with aqueous extract from onion, and diabetic rats treated with fenugreek seeds aqueous extract. Alloxan was administered as a single dose [150 mg/kg BW] to induce diabetes. A dose of [50 mg /100 gm body weight] of fenugreek, onion, or garlic was orally administered daily to alloxan-diabetic rats as aqueous extracts for 30 days. The results indicated that, in the diabetic state, there was a significant increase in serum glucose concentration accompanied by significant reduction in serum insulin level. Also, significant increases in serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase [GOT] and glutamic pyruvic transaminase [GPT] activities were reported. After thirty days of treatment, the results revealed highly significant decrease in blood glucose level in all diabetic treated groups when compared with the diabetic untreated group, thus, indicating potent hypoglycaemic influences of fenugreek seeds, onion, and garlic aqueous extracts. However, of the consumed plants, only garlic has shown to exhibit significant hyperinsulinemic effect compared to untreated group. Treatment with both onion and fenugreek aqueous extracts exhibited an increase in the level of insulin which was not statistically significant. In addition, treatment of the diabetic rats with repeated doses of garlic, or fenugreek aqueous extract for 30 days exhibited significant decreasing effect on the activities of serum GPT and GOT. On the other hand, treatment with onion aqueous extract exhibited highly significant decreasing effect on both GPT and GOT activities. The present results indicate potent anti-hyperglycemic and hepatoprotective effects of garlic, onion and fenugreek aqueous extracts against alloxan cytotoxicity. These extracts may prove to be useful therapeutic agents in the treatment of diabetes mellitus

novel role of pravastatin in experimental colitis and their mechanisms in rats

Inflammatory bowel diseases [IBDs] are multifactorial processes in which enhanced free radical production in mucosal cells has been implicated in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Free radicals are highly reactive species that have been accused in the pathogenesis of many diseases that can initiate lipid peroxidation. Malondialdehyde [MDA] synthesis and Nitric oxide [NO] are used as markers for increased oxidative and nitrosative stress of tissues in IBD. This study was undertaken to investigate the ameliorative effects of pravastatin on acetic acid-induced colitis and its mechanisms in rats. The colitis model of albino rats was induced by intracolon enema with 8 % of acetic acid. The experimental animals were randomly divided into normal control, model control, 5-aminosalicylic acid [5-ASA] therapy group and pravastatin therapy group. The 4 groups were treated intraperitonealy with normal saline, normal saline, 5-aminosalicylic acid [100 mg/kg] and pravastatin [1 mg/kg] respectively and daily [8: am] for 7 days 24 h following the induction of colitis. At the end of the experiment, animals were sacrificed by decapitation and coionic mucosa was sampled for some tissue biochemical events associated with colitis. Pathological changes of the colonic mucosa were evaluated by the colon mucosa damage index [CMDI] and the histopathological score[HS]. To evaluate the level of oxidative damage in colonic mucosa, colonic levels of malondialdehyde [MDA] and nitric oxide [NO] were measured in colon homogenate using ultraviolet spectrophotometry. Also, colonic contents of prostaglandin E2 [PGE2] was determined by enzyme immunoassay [ELISA] method to assess the level of participation of abnormal arachidonic acid metabolism in the pathogenesis of IBD. Enhanced colonic mucosal injury, inflammatory response and oxidative stress were observed in the animals clystered with acetic acid. Estimation of colonic mucosal injury has revealed significant increase of CMDI, HS activities, MDA and NO levels as well as PGE2 contents compared with the normal control [CMDI: 2.9 +/- 0.6 vs 0.0 +/- 0.0; HS: 4.3 +/- 0.9 vs 0.7 +/- 1.1; MDA: 57.53 +/- 12.36 vs 9.21 +/- 3.85; NO: 331 +/- 92 vs 176 +/- 045; PGE2: 186.2 +/- 96.2 vs 42.8 +/- 32.8 P<0.01]. However, these parameters Were found to be significantly ameliorated in rats treated with pravastatin [1mg/ kg] [CMDI: 1.6 + 0.9, HS: 3.1 +/- 1.0; MDA: 37.34+8.58,NO: 216 +/- 33; PGE2: 58.4 +/- 23.9 [P<0.01]. Moreover, a therapeutic dose protocol of pravastatin was observed as effective as 100 mg/kg of 5-ASA in the amelioration of colonic mucosal injury as evaluated by CMDI and HS In conclusion, these findings indicate that administration of pravastatin may have significant therapeutic effects on the rat model of colitis induced by acetic acid enema, which was probably due to antioxidant effect, and inhibition of arachidonic acid metabolism

DNA ploidy and S - phase fraction in the patients of chronic HCV and hepatocellular carcinomas

In this study, 400 blue Feulgen-stained nuclei were measured from each lesion using DNA image cytometry. The histopathological and cytopathological observations revealed that 52 cases had variable degrees of chronic hepatitis, 12 cases were emerging into cirrhosis; while 11 cases represented different grades of HCC. Most of cases with minimal or mild chronic hepatitis were females, while most of the males had moderate or severe chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and HCC. DNA image analysis data helped in the histological observations. All of chronic hepatitis C and cirrhotic cases showed normal diploid and/or tetraploid histograms; while they showed increasing S-phase fractions' values of the highly diseased chronic hepatitis and cirrhotic cases. Hepatocellular carcinomas and one cirrhotic case only revealed aneuploidy [diploid and tetraploid], while one case of poorly differentiated HCC revealed multi-ploid histogram

Incidence and risk factors associated with the patency of ductus arteriosus in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome in Kuwait

Patent ductus arteriosus [PDA] is considered to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality among preterm infants. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of PDA in ventilated preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome [RDS] and to evaluate the role of some antenatal risk factors on its occurrence in our population. The case records of the preterm infants of <34 weeks gestational age, who were ventilated for RDS at the neonatal intensive care unit of Maternity Hospital, Safat, Kuwait, between March 1998 and February 1999, were reviewed. Diagnosis of PDA was based on echocardiographic findings. The association between the risk factors chosen and the PDA was also evaluated. A total of 101 infants whose gestational ages ranged between 25-33 weeks, and birth weights between 685-1580 grams were included. Fifty-four had a significant PDA [53.4%]. Maternal diabetes and antepartum hemorrhage [APH], birth weights, gestational ages, multiplicity and gender of the infants were found to be related to the incidence of PDA. The incidence of PDA in our ventilated preterm infants with RDS is similar to those reported from other neonatal units outside Kuwait. There are some factors that may identify babies, who are prone to develop PDA, which need to be confirmed by further prospective studies using a larger population

Modulation of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes oxidative metabolism by high temperature in vitro

In an attempt to evaluate the effect of the different temperatures on the oxidative metabolism of polymorphonuclear leukocytes [PMNs], the isolated or whole blood human PMNs were pre-incubated at different temperatures and incubation periods before estimating its oxidative metabolism using the luminol chemiluminescesne [CL] technique. At 38C, 39C or 40C preincubation temperatures, the phorbol myristate acetate [PMA] or opsonized zymosan stimulated PMNs showed stimulated CL responses in relation to control [37C]. On the other hand, preincubation of PMNs at temperatures higher than 40C caused inhibition to its respiratory burst in a temperature dependent manner. The viability of PMNs was reduced by incubating the cells at a temperature higher than 42C

Galactosamine [GaIN] inhibits luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of D- galactosamine HCl [GaIN] on the oxidative respiratory burst of isolated human polymorphonuclear leukocyte [PMNs]. GaIN added in vitro to PMNs caused a marked inhibitory effect on the luminol- dependent chemiluminescene [CL] induced by phorbol myristate acetate [PMA] on PMNs. The inhibitory effect produced by GaIN was both dose and time dependent when PMA was used to stimulate the oxidative burst of PMNs. The effect of GaIN on the isolated PMNs was partially irreversible, following washing of the GaIN-treated PMNs with phosphate buffered saline [PBS]. PMNs viability was not significantly altered by incubation with GaIN. Addition of lipopolysaccharide [endotoxin] to isolate PMNs in the presence or absence of GaIN did not alter the oxidative burst of PMNs. Addition of oxygen-free radical scavengers enhanced the inhibitory effect induced by GaIN on PMNs CL. In a cell free medium, GaIN has no inhibitory effect on CL induced by luminol, H2O2 and horse radish peroxidase. As a conclusion, results suggested that in vitro, GaIN has a remarkable inhibitory effect on the release of oxygen products from stimulated PMNs

Inhibition of human polymorphonuclear leukocyte function by lead

In an attempt to evaluate the direct effect of lead [Pb] on the physiological function of polymorphonuclear leukocytes [PMNL], isolated PMNLs were incubated with various concentrations of Pb [1-1000 micro M] for 0, 30, and 60min. The PMNL respiratory burst, phagocytosis and viability were examined in the presence and absence of Pb. The results show that Pb significantly inhibited the PMNL-chemiluminescence [CL] response stimulated with the soluble agent, phorbol myristate acetate [PMA] or a particulate agent, opsonized zymosan [OPZ]. The inhibitory effect of Pb on PMNL-CL responses is concentration, and time-dependent, and irreversible. Additionally, PMNL phagocytosis was significantly reduced when the cells were incubated with various concentrations of Pb. The PMNL viability was not altered when the cells were incubated with low concentrations of Pb [10-100 micro M]. It is concluded that Pb significantly depressed the physiological function of PMNL in vitro