Assessment of the antischistosomal activity of ginger [zingiber officinale] against schistosoma mansoni harbored in C57BL/6 mice

This study was conducted to assess the effect of ginger [Zingiber officinale] aqueous extract, on the oxidative status, antioxidant defense system and liver pathology of Schistosoma mansoni -infected C57BL/6 mice. Ginger at dose level of 500 mg/kg body weight was orally administered, daily for five weeks from the 5[th] week post-infection. Result showed that S. mansoni-infected mice exhibited a suppression of liver antioxidant capacity, and depleted reduced glutathione content [GSH], superoxide dismutase [SOD], and catalase [CAT] activities. In addition, the hepatic lipid peroxidation was deleteriously elevated in S. mansoni-infected mice. The hepatic total protein [TP], alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and aspartate aminotransferase [AST] activities were profoundly decreased due to their release from necrotic liver cells into blood of S. mansoni-infected mice. Concomitantly, histopathologiacl and histochemical data indicated severe hepatic cell necrosis and multigranulomas with different sizes and collagenous fiber contents indicated in both acute and chronic infection. Hepatic sinusoidal dilation, cytoplasmic degeneration, total protein pattern depletion as well as intravascular and perivascular inflammatory infiltration were also observed. The treatment of S. mansoni-infected mice with ginger extract succeeded to suppress oxidative stress by enhancing antioxidant defense system and decreasing lipid peroxidation. In addition ginger treatment markedly minimized the structural abnormalities where the size of granulomas and collagenous fiber were significantly reduced. The histochemical profile of TP level was partially restored. It could be concluded that oxidative damage and pathologic changes of liver may be improved partially by ginger treatment via suppression of the oxidative stress and enhancement of antioxidant defense system

Khat [Catha edulis]extract increases oxidative stress parameters and impairs renal and hepatic functions in rats

The habit of khat chewing represents a major socio-economic problem in many countries but research into its hepato-renal toxic effects has produced contradictory results. To evaluate the subacute effects of Khat [Catha edulis] extract on hepatic and renal functions in white albino rats. Randomized experimental animal study. Physiology laboratory, medical school of King Khalid University. Twenty white albino rats aged between 14 and 16 weeks were included in the study. The rats were assigned randomly into two groups, ten each. Treated rats received orally administered hydro-ethanol extract of Catha edulis for four weeks. Control rats received corresponding amounts of normal saline. There was statistically significant increase in the activities of hepatic enzymes in treated rats compared to the control group. In addition, serum urea, bilirubin and phosphorus concentrations were significantly increased compared to a decreased serum total protein and albumin concentrations. Oral administration of the extract induced lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress in hepatic and renal tissues as shown by significant increases in lipid peroxidation biomarkers thiobarbituric acid reactive substances [TBARS] and significant decreases in levels of superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT] and glutathione [GSH]. Histological examination of Catha edulis treated rats revealed marked hepato-renal pathological changes compared to the control group. These results indicate that orally administered Catha edulis extract exerts severe hepato-nephro toxicity and the mechanism of this damage may be related to oxidation, increased lipid peroxidation, and generation of free radicals inside these tissues

Age-related alterations in the expression pattern of nerve growth factor [NGF] in human skin

Nerve growth factor [NGF] and its high affinity receptor, tyrosine kinase A [TrkA] are essential for nervous system development. Recently, it has been shown that these members of the neurotrophin family are also expressed and involved in murine and human skin biology as well as in hair follicle morphogenesis and cycling. However, it remains to be elucidated whether NGF expression pattern in human skin displays any age-related difference. The present work aimed at exploring any age-associated differences in the expression of NGF in human skin. As a true step towards this goal, the immunoreactivity [IR] of NGF was studied in sun-protected human skin of 20 different aged donors in situ by immunofluorescent microscopic immunohistology, using the very sensitive technique, tyramide signal amplification [TSA]. NGF showed prominent, yet distinct age-associated differences in expression pattern within the epidermis of human skin. NGF had a strong expression in the young [between 6 and 18 years old] and mid ages [between 30 and 40 years old] whereas it was weakly expressed or absolutely absent in the old [between 60 and 70 years old] and very old [between 70 and 84 years old] ages. In the epidermis of young and mid-aged donors NGF was expressed in all layers except for stratum corneum, whereas in the epidermis of old-aged donors NGF was mainly expressed in the basal layer. Although the age-related alterations in the expression pattern of NGF in human epidermis, its expression in the epidermis-derived glands, the sweat and sebaceous glands was prominent in all different ages studied and was not affected by aging. These observations provide the first indication that NGF displays age-related expression alterations in human skin and the observed decline in NGF expression with aging may indicate its essentiality in epidermis homeostasis and skin viability. These data also suggest that TrkA-mediated signalling is involved in human skin intrinsic aging, and promise prospective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of aging-related skin disorders