The Effect of Eucalyptus globulus Hydroalcoholic Extract on LH, FSH and Testosterone Concentrations and Sperm Morphology.

Scientists have been paying attention to the life-giving properties of medicinal plants for many years. Among these plants is the eucalyptus plant. This plant has various compounds such as cineole and terpenes. It also contains compounds such as flavonoids, aliphatic aldehydes, sesquiterpene, quinotanen, catechins, salts, and vitamins. In the present study, the hydroalcoholic extract of Eucalyptus leaves with concentrations of 175, 350, and 700 mg/kg body weight, and spermatogenesis were studied in 40 adult Wistar rats in five groups of eight. Adult male mice received the extract at the above concentrations by gavage for 28 days. Control mice received only solvent and water, while control mice received no substance other than municipal tap water and normal food. After the last administration of the drug, the animals were weighed and anesthetized, and then blood samples were taken from their hearts. Concentrations of LH, FSH, and testosterone were measured by an ELISA kit. The results showed that body weight and testis, seminiferous tube diameter, Leydig cell diameter, epithelium thickness, number of Leydig cells, spermatogonium, spermatocytes, spermatids, sperm, and testosterone concentration increased significantly with the group. But no significant difference was observed in the concentration of FSH and LH hormones or the number of Sertoli cells. Therefore, it can be concluded that eucalyptus leaf extract may increase the proliferation of sex cells in the seminiferous tubules of rats.

Evaluation of Phosphorus Storage and Performance of Broilers Using Phytase Synthetic Enzyme.

Phytic acid is a stored form of phosphorus in cereals, 65 to 70% of phosphorus in plant sources is phytate, and broilers are only able to use part of the phosphorus in plant sources. To meet the needs of chickens, it is necessary to use other artificial resources, which not only impose part of the cost of the breeding period because of its presence in the manure but is one of the factors polluting the environment. This study aimed to use different levels of phytase enzyme to reduce dietary phosphorus levels. 600 Ross 308 broilers were used in this experiment with five treatments and six replications, and in each replication, 20 chickens were used in a completely randomized design (CRD). Experimental treatments include 1) basal diet (control) 2) basal diet with 15% less phosphorus 3) basal diet with 15% less phosphorus + 1250 (FTU) phytase enzyme 4) basal diet with 15% less phosphorus + 2500 (FTU) phytase enzyme 5) basal diet with 15% less phosphorus + 5000 (FTU) phytase enzyme. The evaluated traits included weekly feed intake, weekly weight gain, feed conversion ratio, carcass characteristics, ash, calcium, and bone phosphorus. The use of phytase enzyme in different diets had no significant effect on food intake, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio (P>0.05). However, the use of phytase in different diets significantly affected the percentage of Gizzard, Heart, Liver, Proventriculus, and Spleen (P<0.05). The most changes were the increase in the ratio of feed intake and weight gain in the fourth week compared to the third week so that the changes in the ratio of feed intake ranged from 1.85 to 1.91, and this ratio for weight gain also ranged from 3.12 to 3.86 was recorded, and the lowest feed conversion ratio was obtained at the same age. The percentage of raw ash in broiler chickens was significantly increased by adding dietary phytase. The lowest amount of ash, calcium, and phosphorus belonged to the second group (diets with low phosphorus and no enzyme). The difference between the other groups and the control was not significant. Feed intake, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio with the addition of phytase enzyme were not affected by phosphorus reduction and had no significant effect on carcass characteristics. Environmental pollution can be prevented by reducing the level of dietary phosphorus and reducing excreted phosphorus.

The Role of Selenium on the Status of Mineral Elements and Some Blood Parameters of Blood Serum of Lambs.

Selenium is one of the compounds belonging to the trace minerals group, which needs less than 100 mg/day. This element is one of the main constituents of selenoproteins, and the function of selenoproteins is to help make DNA and protect cells from damage and infection. This experiment aimed to evaluate the effect of different sources of selenium on some mineral elements in the blood serum of lambs. This experiment was conducted using twenty 4-month-old lambs with an average weight of 37±2.2 kg, 4 treatments, and 5 replications in a completely randomized design (CRD). The treatments tested included control, sodium selenite, nano selenium, and VitEsel. The experiment duration was 30 days, and blood sampling of lambs was performed at the beginning of the experiment (zero), 15, and 30 days. Different sources of selenium significantly affected the concentrations of iron, copper, and zinc (P<0.05). Different sources of selenium in this experiment decreased the concentration of iron and copper and increased the concentration of zinc and plasma selenium in different periods (P<0.05). Using different sources of selenium changed the concentration of the studied elements and showed the difference in their bioavailability.

Effect of Licorice Essential Oil (Glycyrrhizaglabraglabra) on Performance and Some Biochemical Parameters of Broiler Chickens.

Due to its beneficial components, such as glycyrrhizin, licorice is regarded a medicinal and fragrant plant. This research was designed to investigate the efficacy of licorice essential oil as an alternative to chemical antibiotics on broiler production, carcass features, cellular and humoral safety, and numerous biochemical variables in broiler blood serum. A total of 160 day-old broiler chicks were assigned to four treatment groups using a totally randomized approach. Each treatment consisted of 4 replicates, with 10 chicks in each replication. The experimental treatments included a control group, a group receiving an elemental diet containing 0.1% licorice essential oil, a group receiving an elemental diet containing 0.2% licorice essential oil, and a group receiving an elemental diet containing 0.3% licorice essential oil. Broilers had ad libitum access to feed and water in accordance with a three-phase feeding schedule consisting of a starter, grower, and finisher diet. There was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) in body weight, feed intake, or feed conversion ratio between birds given the control or essential oil licorice at various stages of the experiment. However, birds receiving 0.1% licorice essential oil had a lower gallbladder relative weight and 0.3% licorice essential oil had less abdominal fat than the control group (P<0.05). Blood glucose, cholesterol, and LDL concentrations all fell considerably in licorice essential oil-treated birds relative to controls (P<0.05). The cellular immune response of birds fed licorice-containing diets did not differ from that of control birds (P>0.05), however there was a significant difference in the humoral immune response at 0.1% licorice essential oil compared to the control group (P<0.05). In overall, the results of this experiment demonstrated that incorporating licorice essential oil into a bird's diet improves its health and safety.

Evaluation of the Effect of Peppermint Extract and Probiotics on Biochemical Factors in the Blood of Ascites-Induced Chickens.

Ascites syndrome occurs in growing broiler chickens in all parts of the world, which is one of the important causes of losses in many flocks, and its prevalence has been seen mostly in meat herds. The most important factor in the occurrence of ascites syndrome is the lack of oxygen in body tissues (hypoxia). Increasing the growth rate requires increasing the volume of blood flowing in the body to deliver nutrients to the organs and expel gases and metabolic products. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to compare the effect of peppermint extract and probiotics on the biochemical factors of the blood of chickens caused by ascites. The treatments were divided into 8 groups of 7 male chickens with 3 repetitions in each group at 21 days. The experimental treatments included control and treatments of peppermint, probiotic, peppermint and probiotic, induced ascites, induced ascites and peppermint, induced ascites and probiotics, induced ascites and peppermint and probiotics. At the end of 42 days, the blood factors of uric acid, triglyceride, glucose, cholesterol, ALT, ALP, and AST were measured by blood sampling. The experimental treatments significantly affected the investigated traits (P<0.05). Considering that in the treatment of induced ascites+ peppermint compared to the treatment of induced ascites, weight gain was significant, and in the blood factors of cholesterol, triglyceride, uric acid, glucose, and functional liver enzymes including ALT, AST, ALP recorded a significant decrease. Therefore, the effectiveness of peppermint extract in improving induced ascites in chickens was determined. Peppermint extract had a positive effect on induced ascites and improved the performance indicators of broiler chickens, and this extract can be used as a preventive of ascites.

Effect of Cystamine on Sperm and Antioxidant Parameters of Ram Semen Stored at 4 °C for 50 Hours.

Physical and chemical changes caused by oxidative stress in the spermatozoa membrane can reduce spermatozoa function and even lead to death. Cystamine (NH2-CH2-CH2-SH, ß-mercaptoethylamine) is a natural substance that modulates the endocrine and metabolic status of animals. This substance has antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects by inducing intracellular cysteine accumulation. Cystamine is used to treat many diseases despite its many side effects. Sheep semen is sensitive to the stressful condition of chilling storage, which restricts semen storage for artificial insemination in commercial herds. The effect of cystamine on spermatogenesis is not yet fully understood. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of cysteamine addition to the sheep sperm extender during cooling storage on semen quality parameters. Sperm samples were collected from six Edilbayevskaya rams (2 and 3 years old, 70-85 kg). The samples were diluted by extender and supplemented with different concentrations of cysteamine (0, 1, 2, 5, and 10 mM) and cooled to 4ºC for 50 h. Motility parameters, membrane integrity, viability, lipid peroxidation, and mitochondrial activity of cooled semen were evaluated at 0, 25, and 50 h of cooling storage. Although cysteamine failed to affect semen quality at start time (0 hrs), extender supplementation with cysteamine improved sperm total motility, progressive motility, and mitochondrial membrane potential during storage periods (P≤0.01). Moreover, using 1 and 2 mM cysteamine functionally and viably improved (P≤0.01) sperm membrane compared to other treatments. Antioxidant potential (AOP), lipid peroxidation (LPO), and total glutathione (tGSH) (except AOP at 50 h) were significantly different after semen storage at 4 °C. Therefore, levels of AOP and tGSH were significantly increased by using cysteamine. Cysteamine supplementation (1 and 2 mM cysteamine) leads to lower levels of LPO (p<0.01) at 0, 25, and 50 h. Therefore, finding and using the best concentrations of cysteamine in a cooling extender could be effective in saving sheep semen against damages of the cooling storage process.

Effects of Structural Manipulation on the Bioactivity of some Coumarin-Based Products.

Coumarin (2H-1-benzopyran-2-one) is a plant-derived natural product known for its pharmacological properties, such as anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anticancer, antihypertensive, antitubercular, anticonvulsant, antiadipogenic, antihyperglycemic, antioxidant, and neuroprotective. Two coumarin-based products were identified in the seeds of two apple phenotypes commonly known as Granny Smith and Red Delicious. This study aimed to evaluate the chemical manipulation of these coumarin-based products to more lipophilic semisynthetic compounds and trace the role of the phenolic hydroxyl group in the bioactivity of the parent natural products. The bioactivity evaluation included studying the potentials of the natural- and semisynthetic-coumarins as antioxidant, antineoplastic, antifungal, and antibacterial agents. At the first step, the antiradical potential of these products was evaluated versus the free radicals of hydroxyl and DPPH. The second potential was investigated utilizing an MTT-based photo assay versus several cancer-line cells,including SK-OV-3, MCF-7, KYSE-30, LC540, HeLa, AR42J, AB12, and AMN3. The third and fourth potentials were recognized by conducting a disc-diffusion method against six infective bacterial strains and three fungal strains. The test bacteria were Shigella dysenteriae, Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Salmonella typhi, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. On the other hand, the test fungi included Aspergillus flavus, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger. The results arising from these biopotentials revealed that the investigated functional group exerted a positive impact on the antiradical and antineoplastic potentials of the natural derivatives; however, they had a negative consequence on their antimicrobial potentials.