Diversity of culturable actinobacteria isolated from two Red Sea sponges

This study describes actinobacteria isolated from two Red Sea sponges collected from Ras Mohammed, Sinai, Egypt. Traditional aerobic plate culture and molecular identification of the 16S rDNA region were used for this purpose. A total of 35 actinobacteria were isolated using media selective for actinobacteria. 1 6S rRNA gene sequence analysis of aIkaloidproducing isolates revealed bacteria with phylogenetic affiliations to Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes. The phylogenetic analysis of actinobacterial isolates showed that the isolates belonged to the genera Nocardiopsis sp., Kocuria sp., Curtobacterium sp., Micrococcus sp., Salinispora sp., and Brevibacterium sp. To our knowledge, this is the first study of the culturable actinobacteria isolated from a marine sponge from the Red Sea. In addition, our work provides an excellent resource of several candidate bacteria for production of novel pharmaceutically important compounds

Effects of natural and recombinant interferon on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver cirrhosis

Carbon tetrachloride [CCl[4]] is a well-known hepatotoxicant that is used to develop a model of liver cirrhosis in rats. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of chronic treatment with natural or recombinant interferon [IFN], Ismafron or Roferon, respectively, on CCl[4]-induced liver cirrhosis in rats. Seventy male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in the current study; animals were divided into three major groups, Group I, non-treated animals; Group II, normal animals treated with Ismafron, Roferon or liquid paraffin [the vehicle of CCl[4]]; Group III, cirrhotic animals; the cirrhotic rats were divided into 3 subgroups, cirrhotic animals treated with Ismafron, cirrhotic animals treated with Roferon, and untreated cirrhotic animals. Liver cirrhosis was induced in rats after 10 weeks of treatment with CCl[4] at a dose of 0.3 ml/100 g body weight twice a week. Two weeks of treatment with Ismafron [10,000 IU/rat/day] or Roferon [50,000 IU/rat/day] could decrease the serum activities of the enzymes alanine aminotransferase [ALT], alkaline phosphatase [ALP], and gamma-glutamyl transferase [GGT], and suppress the serum level of procollagen III. Furthermore, treatment with Ismafron or Roferon decreased fibrosis and inflammation of cirrhotic livers. It is concluded that treatment with Ismafron or Roferon could normalize the above serum markers of liver cirrhosis and enhance the histological picture of the liver in CCl[4]-treated rats

Influence of different dietary fat types on thyroid hormone concentration, na,k -atpase and lipoprotein lipase activities in rats.

The effects of dietary fat type on serum triiodothyronine, activities of Na +, K + -ATPase and lipoprotein lipase were studied. Rats were fed an experimental diet containing either beef tallow, olive oil, sunflower oil or linseed oil for 12 weeks. The final body and liver weights of rats fed the beef tallow diet were significantly increased compared with the other groups fed the vegetable oil diets. Feeding either olive oil or linseed oil diets resulted in a lower body weight gain than feeding sunflower oil diet. The serum triiodothyronine concentration and the activity of Na +, K + -ATPase in the liver and skeletal muscle were significantly lower in rats fed the beef tallow diet, whereas lipoprotein lipase activity in abdominal subcutaneous fat was significantly higher compared with the other diets. Among the vegetable oil dietary groups, serum triiodothyronine concentration and the activities of Na +, K + -ATPase and lipoprotein lipase were significantly lower in rats fed the sunflower diet in comparison with rats fed either the olive oil or linseed oil diets

Certain biochemical changes from fresh garlic-containing diet ingestion in rats

The influence of an intake of fresh minced garlic on blood levels of lipids, lipoproteins, glucose, total proteins, and creatinine in adult male Wistar rats was investigated. In addition, the efficacy of garlic feeding on the glutathione-dependent detoxification system was also evaluated. The data showed that the feeding of 8% garlic- containing diet resulted in a significant increase in body and heart weights, whereas the feeding of 12% garlic-containing diet significantly increased the kidney weights. The average food intake was significantly higher in rats fed with the garlic diets. The 8% garlic feeding significantly lowered the rat plasma levels of total- and LDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerol and increased the HDL- cholesterol level compared to the control group. The 12% garlic- containing diet significantly reduced the plasma levels of total, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol as well as triacylglycerol compared with the control group, but the garlic diet did not alter the plasma level of neither total protein nor glucose. However, the 12% garlic-containing diet significantly increased the plasma level of creatinine; whereas, the 8% garlic-containing diet had no significant effect. The garlic diet was also able to significantly increase the activity of GST and total GSH-Px, while it significantly decreased the level of MDA. On the other h and, the activity of SOD was not significantly altered by 8% garlic feeding, while the 12% garlic containing diet significantly increased the activity

Selenium, zinc and glutathione peroxidase levels in patients with oral cancer

Blood selenium and zinc levels and selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity [GSH-Px] in 22 patients with untreated cancer of the oral cavity were studied before and after the surgical removal of the mass. In addition, GSH-Px activity in tumor and normal tissues were determined. Normal blood from 10 cancer-free and age-matched patients served as controls. Mean plasma selenium and zinc levels and GSH-Px activity were significantly depressed in both pre-and post-operative cancer patients when compared to controls. On the other hand, mean plasma selenium and zinc levels and GSH-Px activity of the post-operative patients were not changed significantly when compared to the corresponding levels of the pre-operative ones. Moreover, the mean GSH-Px activity for malignant tissues was significantly lower than the corresponding activity in either the benign or the adjacent normal tissues. No significant difference was found in the activity of GSH-Px between benign and normal tissues. Significant positive correlations were found between plasma GSH-Px and selenium [r 0.909] and between selenium and zinc levels [r 0.883] in the pre-operative cancer patient group. The results suggest that selenium, zinc and GSH-Px are involved in malignant neoplasia of the oral cancer