Aubergine stem restores reproductive damages following diabetes mellitus induction in male mice.

Diabetes mellitus unbalances cellular antioxidant levels. This phenomenon can potentially lead to cellular damage and apoptosis in the male reproductive system. Besides, herbal-based antioxidants can prevent these detrimental changes. Thus, we assessed the probable role of Aubergine stems with antioxidant and anti-hyperlipidemic characteristics on reproductive damage following diabetes mellitus induction. Forty male NMRI mice were categorized into groups of control and treatments. Diabetes was induced by a single dose of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg), and the extract was administered at various doses (100, 300, and 500 mg/kg) daily for 4 weeks. Antioxidative features of the extract were approved by phytochemical assays and ferric-reducing ability of plasma. Side-effects of diabetes were also assessed by the malondialdehyde (MDA) and Griess techniques. Sperm parameters, LH, FSH, and testosterone levels, the TUNEL assay, histopathologic alteration, and apoptotic genes (p53, caspase-3, Bcl-2) were evaluated. Results showed that diabetes increased oxidation levels and the extract accelerated total antioxidant capacity status. Sperm parameters and hormone levels were restored following extract administration in diabetic animals. Also, the apoptosis rate decreased following extract administration in diabetic animals. We concluded that diabetes can elevate the levels of oxidation and suppress the antioxidant power. These pathologic changes were restored by Aubergine stem, leading to decreased levels of apoptosis and normal serum levels of testosterone, LH, and FSH.

Human sperm parameter improvement associated with Ceratonia siliqua extract as a cryopreservation supplement after vitrification / 대한생식의학회지

Objective@#Given the destructive effects of oxidative stress on sperm structure, this study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant effects of different concentrations of Ceratonia siliqua plant extract on human sperm parameters after the freezing-thawing process. @*Methods@#A total of 20 normozoospermic samples were frozen. Each sample was divided into two control groups (fresh and cryopreservation) and three cryopreservation experimental groups (containing C. siliqua extract at concentrations of 20, 30, and 40 μg/mL in the freezing extender). Motility, intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), plasma membrane integrity (PMI), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), viability, and acrosome reaction parameters were evaluated. @*Results@#Statistical analysis showed that the highest motility, viability, and PMI were associated with the 20 μg/mL concentration of C. siliqua extract. At all concentrations, intracellular ROS levels were significantly lower and the levels of MMP and the acrosome reaction were significantly higher than in the cryopreservation control group (p≤0.05). @*Conclusion@#C. siliqua extract supplements at concentrations of 20, 30, and 40 μg/mL improved sperm motility, viability, PMI, MMP, intracellular ROS, and the acrosome reaction.

Polymer-based drug delivery systems for anticancer drugs: A systematic review.

Recent advances in nanotechnology sciences lead to the development of new treatment approaches for various diseases such as cancer. Nanotechnology advances can potentially minimize the side effects of drugs through the employment of effective and controlled drug delivery systems (DDSs). Polymers are optimal tools providing drug delivery mechanisms through the unique features of pharmacokinetics, circulation time, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. This systematic review aimed to evaluate polymer-based DDSs for anticancer drugs and their various therapeutic applications in cancer treatment. This study was conducted with no time limitation by November 2021. Related articles were collected through a deep search in English and Persian databases of SID, MagIran, Scopus, Web Of Science (WoS), PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Keywords included drug delivery system, anticancer agent, polymeric nanostructure-based drug delivery, polymer-based drug delivery, and polymeric system. As the results showed, polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) have influential roles in cancer treatment than conventional chemotherapy procedures. PNPs can reduce cytotoxicity following chemotherapy drug administration, improve the solubility characteristics of these therapeutic agents and inhibit the rate of tumor growth.

Production and Evaluation of Toxoplasma gondii Recombinant GRA7 for Serodiagnosis of Human Infections

The precise diagnosis of the acute toxoplasmosis in pregnant women and immunocompromsied patients has critical importance. Most of the commercially available assays use the whole Toxoplasma soluble extract as the antigen. However, the assays currently available for the detection of specific anti-Toxoplasma antibodies may vary in their abilities to detect serum immunoglobulins, due to the lack of a purified standardized antigen. The aim of this study was production and evaluation of the usefulness of the recombinant Toxoplasma gondii GRA7 antigen for the serodiagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii IgM and IgG by ELISA. A total of 70 T. gondii IgM positive sera, 74 T. gondii IgG positive sera, and 60 sera from subjects who were not infected with T. gondii were examined. These sera were shown different absorbance values in ELISA test. To control the specificity of the rGRA7 other parasitic diseases, for example, echinococcosis, malaria, leishmaniasis, fascioliasis, and strongyloidiasis were tested of which none showed positive results. Sensitivity and specificity of the generated recombinant IgG ELISA in comparison with commercial ELISA (com ELISA) were 89% and 90%, and the sensitivity and specificity of the generated recombinant IgM ELISA were 96% and 90%, respectively. The results obtained here show that this antigen is useful for diagnostic purposes.