The Evaluation of Intestinal Permeability in Preeclamptic Pregnancy.

Background: Zonulin is a physiological protein that regulates the tight connections and permeability of the intestine, serving as a biomarker for impaired intestinal permeability. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine zonulin levels in preeclampsia, to investigate its associations with the cellular immune response marker soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) and exogenous antigen load marker lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) and to evaluate the implications of these findings in the etiopathogenesis of preeclampsia. Methods: We designed a cross-sectional case-control study and enrolled 22 pregnant women with preeclampsia and 22 healthy pregnant controls. Plasma zonulin levels were determined by ELISA. Serum sIL-2R and LBP levels were assessed by chemiluminescent immunometric methods. Results: Women with preeclampsia had lower levels of plasma zonulin and serum LBP than normotensive healthy controls (p<0,05). The difference in serum sIL-2R levels was not significant (p: 0,751). There was a negative correlation between plasma zonulin and serum urea (r: -0.319, p: 0.035) and a positive correlation between serum sIL-2R and ALT (r: 0,335, p: 0,026) and AST (r: 0,319, p: 0,035). Conclusion: We found that zonulin and LBP, but not sIL-2R, levels were significantly lower in pregnant women with preeclampsia as compared with healthy pregnant controls. Reduced intestinal permeability in preeclampsia might be associated with impaired immune system functions or a lower fat mass and malnutrition. Further studies are needed to elucidate the exact pathogenetic role of intestinal permeability in preeclampsia.

Investigation of the preventive effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on cisplatin-induced ovarian damage in rats.

To investigate whether Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) had any preventive effect against the ovarian damage caused by cisplatin (CP) (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum) in rats. On the first day ovaries were removed, Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) was measured (Group1, n:6), in the other groups 7.5 mg/kg cisplatin was administered intraperitoneally. In Group 2 (n = 6), 0.1 ml saline, in Group 3 (n = 5), 20 umol/kg CAPE, in Group 4 (n = 7), DHEA 6 mg/kg were administered every day. On the 10th day, ovaries were removed, AMH was measured. Ovary reserve (primordial/primary/secondary/tertiary/atretic follicles, AMH), ovarian damage scores (follicular degeneration, congestion, hemorrhage, edema, inflammation) were compared. The number of tertiary follicles were statistically high in the CAPE group (p = .015), the inflammation score in the DHEA group (p = .012), AMH level (p = .009) in the control group. The lowest number of atretic follicles (AF) was in the control group, while the highest number of AF was in the DHEA group (p = .002). Significant decreases in AF were the case in the cisplatin and DHEA groups compared to the control group (p < .008). The AMH values had the highest positive correlation with the number of primordial follicles and the highest negative correlation with the number of AF. The cut off point for AMH was 1.57 ng/ml as an indicator of low ovarian reserve. Cisplatin causes total damage and increased numbers of AF on the ovary. Depending on this, AMH levels fall. These negative effects of cisplatin are not obstructed by CAPE or DHEA, and may even be increased by DHEA.

Comparison of the protective effects of sildenafil, vardenafil and tadalafil treatments in ischemia-reperfusion injury in rat ovary.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of sildenafil, vardenafil and tadalafil in treatment for ischemia/reperfusion injury which is created experimentally in rat ovaries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: For this study, 30 female Wistar albino rats were used, and the rats were separated randomly intofive groups consisting of six rats each: normal, torsion-detorsion, torsion-detorsion + sildenafil 1.4 mg/kg, torsion-detorsion+ vardenafil 1.7 mg/kg and torsion-detorsion + tadalafil 5.0 mg/kg. The agents were given intraperitoneally 30 minutesbefore detorsion. An ovarian torsion procedure was implemented in all other groups for 3 hours with the exception of thenormal group. Then, a detorsion procedure was implemented to the groups for 3 hours. RESULTS: The sildenafil and vardenafil treatments showed protective effect by preventing significant increase in inflammationparameters. (p = 0.058, 0.138). The tadalafil treatment was only protective for cellular degeneration (p = 0.140). Thevardenafil treatment was protective for edema (p = 0.238), vascular congestion (p = 0.111), inflammation (p = 0.138) andcellular degeneration (p = 0.532). Sildenafil, vardenafil and tadalafil inhibited the increase of atretic follicle. AMH levels werestatistically different between torsion and detorsion and vardenafil group (p = 0.004, 0.004), whereas tadalafil and sildenafilgroups were similar to normal group (p = 0.108, 0.108). CONCLUSIONS: PDE inhibitors were found to be effective in reducing ovarian ischemia/reperfusion injury. Sildenafil andtadalafil seem to be more effective than the vardenafil in protecting the ovarian reserve.

The role of an herbal agent in treatment for Escherichia coli induced bacterial cyctitis in rats.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of the herbal agent in the prevention and treatment of bacterial cystitis in a rat model. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of twenty-eight male Sprague- Dawley rats were divided into four groups. Group-1 constituted the control group (operated and normal saline injected into the bladder, received only drinking water for 7 days); Group-2 constituted the no-treatment group (operated, E.coli J96 strain injected into the bladder, received only drinking water for 7 days); Group-3 constituted the short-term treatment (operated, E.coli J96 strain injected into the bladder, received the herbal agent added into drinking water for 7 days) and Group-4 constituted the long-term treatment (operated, E. coli J96 strain injected into the bladder, received herbal agent added into drinking water for 14 days). At the end of the pre-defined treatment periods of duration, the rats were sacrificed, urine samples collected from the bladder for culture and bladders were harvested for histopathological evaluation. Urine culture results and histopathological findings were comparatively evaluated between the groups. RESULTS: Urine cultures were positive for implanted E. coli strains in 0%, 85.7%, 42.8% and 0% of rats in Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 and Group 4, respectively (p = 0.001). Although histopathological evaluation revealed increased vascular dilation in the bladder specimens obtained from Group 2 and Group 3 (p = 0.028) no significant difference was noticed in level of inflammation (p = 0.610), edema (p = 0.754) and thickness of uroepithelium (p = 0.138). CONCLUSION: While long term (14 days) treatment with an herbal agent added into the drinking water resulted in complete clearance of urine from E. coli; shorter application of the agent revealed partial clearance. Further clinical studies are needed to support our results.

The protective effects of an herbal agent tutukon on ethylene glycol and zinc disk induced urolithiasis model in a rat model.

To evaluate protective effects of Tutukon®, a plant derived herbal product, on the development of rat urolithiasis model. A total of 45 rats were divided into three groups namely; Group 1 (control group; drinking water + zinc disk), Group 2 (0.5 % ethylene glycol [EG] to drinking water + zinc disk) and Group 3 (study group-0.5 % EG + Tutukon + zinc disk). Moreover, zinc disks were placed into bladder of rats to serve as a nidus for stone development. Five rats from each group were killed at the end of the 1st, 2nd and 4th week. The level of bladder inflammation, the disk weights and the urine oxalate, calcium and pH values and were evaluated and compared. The inflammation scores of the pathological evaluation were not significantly different among three groups. At the end of the 28th day, weights of the zinc disks were significantly higher in Group 2 (394.4 ± 41.2) when compared to Group 1 (1517.5 ± 367.3) and Group 3 (386.2 ± 26.9) (p = 0.016). The disk weights increased gradually at 7th, 14th and 28th days in Group 1 (p = 0.018) and Group 2 (p = 0.009) while remained stable in Group 3 (p = 0.275). Urine calcium levels were not affected among three groups throughout the study period. At the end of the 28th day, while the urine oxalate levels of rats in Group 1 was lower than that of both Group 2 (p = 0.046) and Group 3 (p = 0.008); Group 2 and Group 3 had similar oxalate excretion levels (p = 0.701). However, the difference was not significant. Tutukon seems to decrease stone deposition on zinc disks implanted in the bladder of rats. The exact mechanism of this preventive effect is, however, not well understood.