Effects of maternal isocaloric diet containing different amounts of soy oil and extra virgin olive oil on weight, serum glucose, and lipid profile of female mice offspring

Background: Health status of offspring is programmed by maternal diet throughout gestation and lactation. The present study investigates the lasting effects of maternal supplementation with different amounts of soy oil or extra virgin olive oil [EVOO] on weight and biochemical parameters during gestation and lactation of female mice offspring

Methods: Eight weeks old female C57BL/6 mice [n=40] were assigned through simple randomization into four isocaloric dietary groups [16% of calories as soy oil [LSO] or EVOO [LOO] and 45% of calories as soy oil [HSO] or EVOO [HOO]] during three weeks of gestation and lactation. After weaning [at 3 weeks], all offspring received a diet containing 16% of calories as soy oil and were sacrificed at 6 weeks. Two-way ANOVA was used to adjust for confounding variables and repeated measures test for weight gain trend. Statistical analyses were performed with the IBM SPSS package

Results: At birth and adolescence, the weight of offspring was significantly higher in the soy oil than the olive oil groups [P<0.001 and P<0.001, respectively]. Adolescence weight was significantly higher in the offspring born to mothers fed with 16% oil than those with 45% oil [P=0.001]. Serum glucose, triglyceride and total cholesterol were significantly higher in the LSO than LOO [P<0.001, P<0.001 and P<0.001], LSO than HSO [P<0.001, P=0.03 and P<0.001], and LOO than HOO [P<0.001, P<0.001 and P<0.001] dietary groups, respectively. Serum triglyceride and total cholesterol were significantly higher in the offspring of HSO than HOO fed mothers [P<0.001 and P<0.001, respectively]

Conclusion: A maternal diet containing EVOO has better effects on birth weight, as well as weight and serum biochemical parameters in offspring at adolescence

Effects of exercise prior or during pregnancy in high fat diet fed mice alter bone gene expression of female offspring: an experimental study

Background: Based on different studies it was shown that exercise training is an important factor in preconception and prenatal care

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether regular preconception exercise training with or without exercise training during pregnancy decreases detrimental effects of maternal high fat diet on female offspring bone health

Materials and Methods: Twenty-four C57BL/6 female mice were fed high-fat diet [35%] and were randomly divided into four groups: trained in preconception period and exercised during pregnancy [TE]; trained in preconception periods but unexercised during pregnancy [TC]; untrained in preconception periods but exercised during pregnancy [CE]; untrained and unexercised [CC]. Trained mice were subjected to a protocol of moderate endurance exercise training over a period of 4 weeks before pregnancy. TE and CE Dams groups had access to wheels throughout pregnancy until delivery. Analyses were performed on the female offspring that did not have access to running wheels or exercise training during any portion of their lives. The relative expression levels of beta-catenin, Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor Y [PPARY], osteoprotegerin [OPG], and Receptor activator of nuclear factor NF-kB ligand [RANKL] were determined by Quantitative RT-PCR [qPCR]

Results: Exercise during pregnancy in isolation had no effect on any measure genes but exercise both before and during pregnancy affected all genes. Exercise only before pregnancy increased beta-catenin and OPG and decreased PPARY, RANKL, and RANKL/OPG ratio [p<0.001]

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that maternal exercise training before and during pregnancy may modulate the risk of bone disorders in offspring of mothers fed a high-fat diet

Construction and production of Foxp3- Fc [IgG] DNA vaccine/fusion protein

Background: It seems that the success of vaccination for cancer immunotherapy such as Dendritic Cell [DC] based cancer vaccine is hindered through a powerful network of immune system suppressive elements in which regulatory T cell is the common factor. Foxp3 transcription factor is the most specific marker of regulatory T cells. In different studies, targeting an immune response against regulatory cells expressing Foxp3 and their removal have been assessed. As these previous studies could not efficiently conquer the suppressive effect of regulatory cells by their partial elimination, an attempt was made to search for constructing more effective vaccines against regulatory T cells by which to improve the effect of combined means of immunotherapy in cancer. In this study, a DNA vaccine and its respective protein were constructed in which Foxp3 fused to Fc[IgG] can be efficiently captured and processed by DC via receptor mediated endocytosis and presented to MHCII and I [cross priming]

Methods: DNA construct containing fragment C [Fc] portion of IgG fused to Foxp3 was designed. DNA construct was transfected into HEK cells to investigate its expression through fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry. Its specific expression was also assessed by western blot. For producing recombinant protein, FOXP3-Fc fusion construct was inserted into pET21a vector and consequently, Escherichia coli [E. coli] strain BL21 was selected as host cells. The expression of recombinant fusion protein was assayed by western blot analysis. Afterward, fusion protein was purified by SDS PAGE reverse staining

Results: The expression analysis of DNA construct by flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy showed that this construct was successfully expressed in eukaryotic cells. Moreover, the Foxp3-Fc expression was confirmed by SDS-PAGE followed by western blot analysis. Additionally, the presence of fusion protein was shown by specific antibody after purification

Conclusion: Due to successful expression of Foxp3-Fc [IgG], it would be expected to develop vaccines in tumor therapies for removal of regulatory cells as a strategy for increasing the efficiency of other immunotherapy means

Biological activity and phytochemical study of Scutellaria platystegia

This study aimed to determine biological activity and phytochemical study of Scutellaria platystegia [family Labiatae]. Methanolic [MeOH] extract of aerial parts of S. platystegia and SPE fractions of methanolic extract [specially 20% and 40% methanolic fractions], growing in East-Azarbaijan province of Iran were found to have radical scavenging activity by DPPH [2, 2-diphenyl -1- pycryl hydrazyl] assay. Dichloromethane [DCM] extract of this plant exhibited animalarial activity by cell free method providing IC50 at 1.1876 mg/mL. Crude extracts did not exhibit any toxicity assessed by brine shrimp lethality assay. Phytochemical study of methanolic extract by using reverse phase HPLC method and NMR instrument for isolation and identification of pure compounds respectively, yielded 2-[4- hydroxy phenyl] ethyl-O- beta -D- glucopyranoside from 10% and apigenin 7-O-glucoside, verbascoside and martynoside from 40% SPE fraction. Occurance of verbascoside and martynoside as biochemical markers appeared to be widespread in this genus. Antioxidant and antimalarial activity of MeOH and DCM extracts, respectively, as well as no general toxicity of them could provide a basis for further in-vitro and in-vivo studies and clinical trials to develop new therapeutical alternatives

Mesenchymal stem cells do not suppress lymphoblastic leukemic cell line proliferation

Several studies have demonstrated the immunosuppresive effects of mesenchymal stem cells [MSCs] in allogeneic or mitogenic interactions. Cell-cell contact inhibition and secretion of suppressive soluble factors have been suggested in this regard. To investigate if adipose derived MSCs could inhibit Jurkat lymphoblastic leukemia T cell proliferation during coculture. Adherent cells with the ability of cellular growth were isolated from normal adipose tissues. Initial characterization of growing cells by flow cytometry suggested their mesenchymal stem cell characteristics. Cells were maintained in culture and used during third to fifth culture passages. Jurkat or allogeneic peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMCs] were labeled with carboxy fluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester and cocultured with increasing doses of MSCs or MSC culture supernatant. Proliferation of PBMCs or Jurkat cells under these conditions was assessed by flow cytometry after 2 and 3 days of coculture, respectively. Results showed the expression of CD105, CD166 and CD44, and the absence of CD45, CD34 and CD14 on the surface of MSC like cells. Moreover, initial differentiation studies showed the potential of cell differentiation into hepatocytes. Comparison of Jurkat cell proliferation in the presence and absence of MSCs showed no significant difference, with 70% of cells displaying signs of at least one cell division. Similarly, the highest concentration of MSC culture supernatant [50% vol/vol] had no significant effect on Jurkat cell proliferation [p>0.6]. The same MSC lots significantly suppressed the allogeneic PHA activated PBMCs under similar culture conditions. Using Jurkat cells as a model of leukemia T cells, our results indicated an uncertainty about the suppressive effect of MSCs and their inhibitory metabolites on tumor or leukemia cell proliferation. Additional systematic studies with MSCs of different sources are needed to fully characterize the immunological properties of MSCs be-fore planning clinical applications