Morphological and molecular evidence for the recognition of Allocreadium bursensis n. sp. (Trematoda: Allocreadiidae) from Angora loach Oxynoemacheilus angorae from Turkey.

This is the first study reporting parasites from the freshwater cyprinid Oxynoemacheilus angorae (Steindachner 1897) caught in Nilüfer Stream, Bursa, in the Northwest Anatolian Region of Turkey. Allocreadium bursensis n. sp. was described from the intesine of O.angorae based on morphological and genetic characteristics. Allocreadium bursensis n. sp. was differentiated from other Allocreadium spp. in having a combination of external (ventral and oral suckers ratio; body length and width and its ratio to forebody) and internal (cirrus pouch position; uterus extension in hindbody; egg size; disposition of anterior border of vitellarium; esophagus length) features. Phylogenetic hypotheses based on maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, Bayesian inferrence, and neighbor joining analyses of sequence data strongly supported the hypothesis that A. bursensis is nested within the clade of Allocreadium species hosted by cypriniform fish, and it is more closely related to the Far Eastern species A. pseudoisoporum (Primorsky region, Russia) than to the African A. apokryfi. According to genetic p-distances, the taxonomic status of trematodes collected in Turkey was established as independent relative to nine of the valid Allocreadium spp.: 1.8-5.8% in 28S gene and 18.8-22.6% in cox1 gene. The present study increases the number of Allocreadium species and their definitive hosts recorded in Turkey and raises the number of Palearctic representatives of Allocreadium spp. to 26.

Histopathological and biochemical comparisons of the protective effects of amifostine and l-carnitine against radiation-induced acute testicular toxicity in rats.

The aim of this study was to compare the radioprotective efficacies of amifostine (AMI) and l-carnitine (LC) against radiation-induced acute testicular damage. Thirty Wistar albino rats were randomly assigned to four groups: control (n = 6), AMI plus radiotherapy (RT) (n = 8), LC plus RT (n = 8) and RT group (n = 8). The rats were irradiated with a single dose of 20 Gy to the scrotal field. LC (300 mg/kg) and AMI (200 mg/kg) were given intraperitoneally 30 min before irradiation. The mean seminiferous tubule diameters (MSTDs) were calculated. Testicular damage was evaluated histopathologically using Johnsen's mean testicular biopsy score criteria. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione levels were measured in tissue samples. AMI plus RT and LC plus RT groups had significantly higher MSTDs than those in the RT group (p = .003 and p = .032 respectively). MDA values of both AMI plus RT and LC plus RT groups were significantly lower than those in RT group (p < .004 and p < .012 respectively). As a result, AMI and LC have a similar radioprotective effect against radiation-induced acute testicular damage, histopathologically and biochemically.

Effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on membrane potential and intracellular calcium in human endothelial cells.

UNLABELLED: BACKGROUNG AND OBJECTIVES: Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is an active component of the resin propolis obtained from beehives. Propolis has a long history of medicinal use and a number of studies have already reported on some of its pharmaceutical properties. This study aimed to explore the effects of CAPE on the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, cell proliferation, membrane potential and NO levels in human endothelial cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Isolated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were incubated with CAPE (1-100 µM) at 37°C for 48 hours. Cell proliferation was estimated by counting cell numbers with use of a Neubauer chamber. The effect of CAPE (1-100 µM) on the membrane potential was measured with the fluorescence dye DIBAC4(3) whereas its effect on the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration was measured by use of the fluorescence probe Fluo-3 AM (Invitrogen, Leiden, Netherlands). NO production was assayed using the flourophore DAF~AM (Invitrogen, Leiden, Netherlands). Changes in fluorescence intensity was determined with the GENios plate reader (Genios, Tecan, Austria). RESULTS: A dose-dependent hyperpolarization of the endothelial cell membrane was observed with CAPE stimulation. The initial increase in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration showed a subsequent decrease over time. CAPE stimulation also resulted in an increase in NO production; however, at higher doses a decrease in NO levels was observed. HUVEC proliferation was inhibited by CAPE. CONCLUSIONS: Here we report on the effect of CAPE stimulation on the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, cell proliferation, membrane potential and NO production in HUVEC in a dose-dependent manner. These findings provide important insights into some potential key roles that both calcium and the membrane potential play in the CAPE activation of endothelial cells in a concentration-dependent manner.