Antioxidant activity and hypoglycemic effect assessment of the leaves from Syzygium cumini (L. ) Skeels in Wistar rats

Syzygiumcumini(L.) Skeels wasadaptedto the climatic conditionsandsoil typesin Brazil. Its fruits, leaves andinner barkare usedin folk medicinedue to their highantioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenicandantidiabeticactivities mainlyassociated with the presenceof phenolic compounds. It is estimated thatat least300million peopleworldwide developdiabetesand approximately 11million peopleare carriersof the disease in Brazil.The objectiveof this workwas to evaluate thein vitro antioxidant activity, as well as thehypoglycemic actionofhydroethanolic extract(HEE), the ethyl acetate(EAF) andhydromethanolic(HMF) fractions from leavesofS.cumini(L.) Skeels in rats. All assays werecarried out in three replications. Data wereexpressed as meanSDand significance was evaluated by ANOVAand Bonferronitest (p < 0.05). The results indicatea significant(p < 0.05) total phenolcontent (207 ± 2.3GAE mg g-1) andantioxidant activity(EC50=9.05±0.170 µg mL-1) for EAF. HEE and its fractions showed no significant (p > 0.05) actionto modulateglucosebytheOGTT assayinnondiabetic micecompared to control. Thus the use of the plant against diabetes in individuals is not proven.

Ultrastructural changes in the kidney cortex of rats treated with lead acetate / Cambios ultraestructurales en la corteza renal de ratas tratadas con acetato de plomo

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ultrastructural effects of lead on the kidney cortex of rats. Wistar Albino rats (180-200g body weight) were divided into a controlled and lead acetate-exposed group. Rats received lead acetate at 500 ppm in their drinking water for 60 days. Both groups were fed with the same standard food, but lead acetate was added to the drinking water. During the experimental period, blood samples were taken from the abdominal aorta of the anesthetised animals. At the end of exposure, body weight and blood lead levels were measured. The kidney tissue samples were prepared and analyzed by light and transmission electron microscopy. Cortical renal tubules show various degenerative changes with focal tubular necrosis invaded by inflammatory cells. The ultrastructural alterations found in lead acetate-treated rats were a diminution in the amount of filtration slits, increased fusion of foot processes in epithelial cells of the glomeruli, increase of lysosomal structures and pinocytic vesicles as well as large mitochondria in proximal tubule cells.

El propósito de este estudio fue investigar los efectos ultraestructurales del plomo en la corteza renal. Ratas Wistar albinas (180-200g de peso corporal) fueron divididas en grupo control y grupo experimental. Las ratas recibieron 500 ppm de acetato de plomo en el agua potable durante 60 días. Ambos grupos fueron alimentados con el mismo alimento estándar, pero acetato de plomo se le añadió al agua potable al grupo experimental. Durante el período experimental, se tomaron bajo anestesia muestras sanguíneas desde la parte abdominal de la aorta. Al final de la exposición, fueron medidos el peso corporal y los niveles de plomo en la sangre. Fueron preparadas las muestras de tejido renal y se analizaron mediante microscopía de luz y electrónica de transmisión. Los túbulos renales corticales mostraron varios cambios degenerativos con necrosis tubular focal invadida por células inflamatorias. Las alteraciones ultraestructurales encontradas en las ratas tratadas con acetato de plomo correspondieron a una disminución en la cantidad de ranuras de filtración, aumento de la fusión de los procesos podales en las células epiteliales de los glomérulos, aumento de la estructura lisosomal y las vesículas pinocíticas, así como grandes mitocondrias en las células del túbulo proximal.

Total ATPases activity in different tissues of albino mice exposed to aluminium acetate.

This study has revealed significant variation in total ATPase activity after administration of aluminium acetate in different tissues of albino mice. With sublethal dose (3.5 mg/kg body weight) of aluminium acetate, total ATPase activity was decreased in brain (-50.61), liver (-50.69), kidney (-30.74), heart (-64.07), muscle (-51.50) and testis (-65.53) of albino mice. The decrement was enhanced with the increase of aluminium acetate. ATPases play an important role in the maintenance of cell permeability and energy transformation in the biological system. The results suggest that ATPase has a particular sensitivity to aluminium acetate.

protective effect of glycyrrhiza glabra [liquorice] on chronic toxicity with monochloroacetic acid [MCAA]: a histopathological and biochemical study in Albino rats

This study was done on 90 adult male albino rats divided into 2 main groups. One of them was given monochlorocaetic acid [MCAA] with different doses and the second was given also MCAA in the same doses beside liquorice extract 5 days/week for 12 weeks. This study showed a dose dependent decrease in body weight, activity and food consumption in group I. While group II showed a significant improvement in these variables beside decrease in the mortality rate. It was found that there was no significant pathological changes except in the heart which showed degenerative and inflammatory myopathic changes with concomitant increase in asparate aminotransferase [AST] and alkaline phosphatase [ALP]. Although there were no significant pathological changes in liver and kidney. There was a significant disturbance in their flunctions especially with higher doses of MCAA indicated by significant elevation of alanine aminotransferase [ALT], AST urea and creatinine serum levels. These effects may be partially attributed to the free radical production, which was significantly increased in this study, and partially due to heart failure. Administration of liquorice concomitantly with MCAA significantly improved cardiac, hepatic and renal performance. These changes were evidenced by decreased cardiac involvement and shift of enzymatic elevation to higher doses of the toxin in group II. This study offers an evidence for the protective effect of liquorice against MCAA [which is widely used as a herbicide and also in industry] through its free radical trapping activity and probably through other mechanisms needing further researches to be proved

effect of cider vinegar on some nutritional and physiological parameters in mice

The present work was designed to investigate health effects of cider vinegar using mice as experimental model. Groups of female ICR [CD-1] mice were treated with daily oral doses of 0.17, 0.51 and 1.02 ml of the vinegar/kg body weight for 4 weeks. Cider vinegar induced a significant reduction in weight gain in animals treated with 0.51 ml/kg while others showed no significant differences in weight gain. The mean dry matter intake increased in animals treated with the smallest dose and significantly decreased in others. Hemoglobin [Hb], total erythrocyte counts [TEC] and total leukocyte counts [TLC] were raised in all treated groups. The activity of liver aspartate amino transferase [AST] decreased in the group treated with the smallest dose while no significant variations were recorded in the other groups. No significant differences were recorded neither in the activity of hepatic alanin amino transferase [ALT] nor in hepatic acid phosphatase [ACP]. Liver alkaline phosphatase [ALP] noticeably elevated only in animals treated with 0.51 ml of vinegar/kg body weight per day. Treated groups also showed statistically significant increases in both mean liver and spleen weight. Kidney weight did not show significant differences. High doses of cider vinegar induced histopathological alterations in liver, stomach and duodenum. Vacuolated hepatocytes, erosion of gastric mucosa, dilatation in gastric glands and duodenum villus blunting are the common observed lesions noticed in organs of high dose-treated animals

Apoptosis, bcl2 expression, and cell cycle analyses in nickel(II)-treated normal rat kidney cells

Nickel compounds are carcinogenic to human and are potent inducers of kidney and lung tumors in experimental animals. In this study, the effects of nickel(II) acetate on apoptosis, cell cycle and bcl2 expression in normal rat kidney (NRK- 52E) cells were investigated. Nickel(II) induced apoptosis in NRK-52E cells as demonstrated by DNA laddering. Apparent DNA laddering was observed in cells treated with 480 microM for 48 hr. In the flow cytometric analysis using propidium iodide fluorescence, an increase of cell proportion in G2/M phase was shown in cells exposed to at least 320 microM of nickel(II) acetate, from 7.7% for 0 microM of nickel(II) to 16.5% for 480 microM of nickel(II) acetate. Induction of apoptotic cell death by nickel(II) was accompanied by reduction of bcl2 protein expression, while the level of p53 protein was not changed. Taken together, our data indicate that nickel(II)-induced apoptosis in NRK-52E cells is accompanied by G2/M cell cycle arrest, regardless of p53 function, and that bcl2-mediated signaling pathway may be involved in positive regulation of nickel(II)-induced apoptotic cell death in NRK-52E cells.