ABSTRACT
The effect of zinc supplementation on the serum level of IgA, IgG, IgM mycospecific immunoglobulins in tuberculosis patients alongwith normal control and disease control subjects were studied. It was observed that with antituberculous drugs for one month (without zinc supplementation), the serum level of immunoglobulins in tuberculosis subjects although decreased significantly, but with zinc supplementation along with antituberculous drugs for one month the decrease in the level of immunoglobulins in serum was more significant. This may be attributed to the effect of zinc supplementation favouring the normal compartmentalisation state of iron and also to the immunomodulatory effect of zinc.
Subject(s)
Immunoglobulins/blood , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/drug effects , Tuberculosis/blood , Tuberculosis/drug therapy , Zinc/pharmacology , Case-Control Studies , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Humans , Immunoglobulin A/blood , Immunoglobulin A/drug effects , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Immunoglobulin G/drug effects , Immunoglobulin M/blood , Immunoglobulin M/drug effects , Immunoglobulins/drug effects , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/immunology , Tuberculosis/immunologyABSTRACT
Arecoline is a plant alkaloid of betel nut Areca catechu. Arecoline has immunosuppressive, hepatotoxic, mutagenic and teratogenic effects, and disturbs some endocrine organs in rats. The objective is to investigate the untoward effects of arecoline on the thyroid gland in mice. Intraperitoneal injection of arecoline (10 mg/kg body weight only once) increased the serum T(3) and T(4) levels and decreased the serum TSH 20, 40 or 60 min after the treatment, with maximum effect at 40 min. Chronic arecoline treatment (10 mg/kg body weight daily for 15 days) caused light microscopic and ultrastructural degenerations of thyro-follicular cells with depletion of T(3) and T(4) levels followed by the elevation of the TSH level. Atropine (arecoline antagonist) injection prevented the changes (hyperactivity) induced by acute (40 min) arecline treatment. Arecoline initially stimulates thyroid activity, and eventually inhibits the activity; atropine prevents thyroid dysfunction induced by arecoline. Arecoline action is mediated probably via muscarinic cholinergic receptor-hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis in mice.
Subject(s)
Arecoline/pharmacology , Thyroid Gland/drug effects , Thyroid Gland/metabolism , Thyroid Gland/ultrastructure , Analysis of Variance , Animals , Atropine/pharmacology , Cell Size/drug effects , Cholinergic Agonists/pharmacology , Cholinergic Antagonists/pharmacology , Epithelial Cells/cytology , Epithelial Cells/drug effects , Male , Mice , Microscopy, Electron, Transmission , Thyrotropin/blood , Thyroxine/blood , Triiodothyronine/bloodABSTRACT
Arecoline is an alkaloid of betel nut of Areca catechu. Betel nut is chewed by millions of people in the world and it causes oral and hepatic cancers in human. It has therapeutic value for the treatment of Alzheimer and schizophrenia. Arecoline has immunosuppressive, mutagenic and genotoxic effects in laboratory animals. It also affects endocrine functions. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of arecoline on pineal-testicular axis in rats. Since pineal activity is different between day and night, the current study is undertaken in both the photophase and scotophase. The findings were evaluated by ultrastructural and hormonal studies of pineal and testicular Leydig cells, with quantitations of fructose and sialic acid of sex accessories. Arecoline treatment (10 mg/kg body weight daily for 10 days) caused suppression of pineal activity at ultrastructural level by showing dilatation of the cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), large autophagosome-like bodies with swollen mitochondrial cristae, numerous lysosomes, degenerated synaptic ribbons and reduced number of synaptic-like microvesicles. Moreover, pineal and serum N-acetylserotonin and melatonin levels were decreased with increased serotonin levels in both the gland and serum. In contrast, testicular Leydig cell activity was stimulated with abundance of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), electron-dense core vesicles and vacuolated secretory vesicles, and increased testosterone level in the arecoline recipients. Consequently, the testosterone target, like prostate, was ultrastructurally stimulated with abundance of RER and accumulation of secretory vesicles. Fructose and sialic acid concentrations were also significantly increased respectively in the coagulating gland and seminal vesicle. These results were more significant in the scotophase than the photophase. The findings suggest that arecoline inhibits pineal activity, but stimulates testicular function (testosterone level) and its target organs presumably via muscarinic cholinergic receptor in rats.
