Carbohydrate detection and lectin isolation from TEGU-mental tissue of fasciola hepatica

Fascioliasis is a chronic hepatic disease and may be resulted from mechanical/molecular parasite adhesion to host liver tissue. The aim of this study was to detect surface carbohydrate and lectin, carbohydrate-binding protein isolation that might be responsible of this molecular binding. The present experimental work was conducted in the Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Fasciola hepatica parasites were collected from abattoir [Saman, Tehran, Iran] and surface mannose-carbohydrate was detected by fluorescein isothiocyanate [FITC] conjugated lectin [Lentil]. Lectin of tegumental tissue from F. hepatica was isolated by affinity chromatography and detected by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis [SDS-PAGE]. Mannose carbohydrate was observed on the surface of tegumental tissue from parasite under fluorescence microscope. Carbohydrate-binding protein or lectin with MW of 50 kDa also was isolated from homogenized tegument of helminth. These results are important for understanding of molecular pathogenesis of F. hepatica at the chronic phase of fascioliasis

Association of angiotensin converting enzyme [ACE] gene polymorphism and diabetic nephropathy

Angiotensin I-converting Enzyme [ACE] gene polymorphism; genotype DD or D allele may be involved with an increased susceptibility to type 2 diabetes and diabetic nephropathy [DN]. We examined the frequency of ACE gene polymorphism in 170 patients [85 type 2 diabetes with nephropathy and 85 without it] in Tehran, Iran. DNA was extracted from the white blood cells and the I/D polymorphism of the ACE gene was detected by PCR. The frequency of DD, ID and II genotypes in type 2 diabetic patients were 20%, 61.2% and 18.8%, and in patients with nephropathy 30.6%, 55.3%, 14.1%, respectively. The DD genotype of the DN group was higher than that of the type 2 diabetes patients [30.6% vs 20%, P=0.157, RR=1.3] and the control group [30.6% vs 14.3%, P=0.006, RR=2.9]. The frequency of D allele in nephropathic patients was 58.2% as compared to the type 2 diabetic patients without nephropathy [50.5%] P=0.19, RR=1.16. The D allele frequency in the DN group was found slightly higher than of the type 2 diabetes [X2=0.684, OR=0.709, 95%CI: 0.313-1.606, P=0.408] which indicated the D allele was not associated with DN. It is suggested that DD genotype and D allele are not associated with diabetic nephropathy