Acute toxoplasmosis and antioxidant levels in the liver, kidney and brain of rats

Toxoplasma gondii is a common protozoan parasite which causes toxoplasmosis worldwide. There are limited treatment options against T. gondii infection. Once transmitted, T. gondii can spread to many organs in the body, including the brain, liver and kidneys. One of the most common signs of toxoplasmosis is a rise in oxidative stress. Therefore, our aim was to determine the antioxidant levels in the brain, liver and kidney of rats infected with this parasite. In the present study, 2­4-months old Wistar albino rats were infected intraperitoneally with 1 x 104 mL of RH strain of T. gondii dispersed in 0.9% NaCl. Post-infection after 30 days, the experiment was terminated, the rats were sacrified, and the blood, brain, liver and kidney tissues were collected for analyses. Catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were determined by ELISA assay. Increased SOD and GSH-Px levels were found in the liver of infected rats compared to controls; however, similar changes were not observed in other tested organs. These results suggest the increased oxidative stress caused by T. gondii infection can be efficiently alleviated, at least in the liver, by increased levels of antioxidant enzymes during post-infection. Further research will be required to determine the potential mechanisms of increasing antioxidant levels in the liver at 30 days post-infection, as well as the potential differences in antioxidant enzyme levels during the acute and chronic phases of toxoplasmosis.

Investigation of a 6-year seropositivity of Toxoplasma gondii in Abant Izzet Baysal University Educational Research Hospital.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii IgG and IgM antibodies in patients who were admitted in Abant Izzet Baysal University Education and Research Hospital between January 2010 and December 2016 with a suspicion of toxoplasmosis. METHODS: Anti-T. gondii IgM and IgG antibodies and IgG avidity test determined by ELISA method in 14,262 serum samples belonging to the Abant Izzet Baysal University Education and Research Hospital were retrospectively investigated. RESULTS: IgG was detected in 4079 serum samples with 78% negative, 21% positive, and 0.8% gray zone. IgM was detected in 13,671 cases with 98% negative, 1.2% positive, and 0.5% gray zone. (3.8%, n=540) and neurology (3.4%, n=478) patients who were referred to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic (88.3%, n=12,588) for the majority of the cases requested for the detection of T. gondii antibodies. It has been found that a request has been made. CONCLUSION: The seropositivity of T. gondii has been found to be so large that it should not be ignored. It has come to the conclusion that the events in the risk group should be taken into consideration for this parasite, and awareness should be established. In recent years, this awareness has been observed, especially in neurology clinics.

Toxoplasma gondii and Epilepsy.

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite can be seen in all the vital organ; in the acute phase, it can be found in the blood, cerebrospinal fluid, semen, tears, saliva, urine, and in almost all body fluids. Transplasental infection can lead to fetal damage and miscarriage. Its last hosts are felines and intermediate hosts are all mammals, including humans. People infected by the ingestion of meat containing cysts in undercooked or raw, are thrown oocysts with cat felines By taking in water and food, from mother to fetus transplacental way, the infected organ transplantation, blood transfusion, laboratory accidents and kaprofaj transmitted by mechanical vectors of the invertebrates. Suppression of the immune system is being transformed to the shape and texture of the cysts with bradyzoite. The parasite settles in the cells of the tissue cysts and causes change in the cellular mechanisms, such as cytokinin task. Depending on changes and type of neurotransmitter (GABA, glutamate, serotonin, dopamine) levels in CSF in ions (Ca, K, Cl, Mg), it is believed that there is a change in their concentration. In this review, literature about the relationship between T. gondii and epilepsy and epileptiform activity the importance of parasites, which settle in the brain, will be highlighted.

The effects of ATP-dependent potassium channel opener; pinacidil, and blocker; glibenclamide, on the ischemia induced arrhythmia in partial and complete ligation of coronary artery in rats.

OBJECTIVES: Electrical inhomogeneity between ischemic and non ischemic myocardium is the basis of arrhythmia which occurs following coronary artery occlusion. The leakage of potassium from the ischemic region to the non ischemic region is very effective in the generation of these arrhythmias. The aim of this study is to research the effect of ATP-dependent potassium (KATP) channel blocker (glibenclamide) and opener (pinacidil) on ischemia induced arrhythmia in the presence of small and large infarct sizes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study Sprague-Dawley male rats of 8-9 months of age were used. Ischemia was produced by the partial ligation of left coronary artery ramus descending (PL) for smaller infarct and complete ligation of this artery (CL) for larger infarct for 30 min. The arrhythmia score which was calculated from the duration and type of arrhythmia was significantly higher in animals which had a larger infarct area than the animals which had a smaller infarct. RESULTS: Glibenclamide increased the rate of arrhythmia in animals having smaller infarct but not in animals having larger infarct. Pinacidil did not affect the occurrence of arrhythmia in either group. There was a significant difference in the infarct size and risk of infarct zone between animals which had small and large infarct sizes. The effect of glibenclamide and pinacidil on the arrhythmias differed depend on decrease of infarct size. CONCLUSION: Glibenclamide is not effective to decrease ischemia induced arrhythmia in the presence of small and pinacidil in large ischemic zone.

Effect of ATP-dependent channel modulators on ischemia-induced arrhythmia change depending on age and gender.

The number of ATP-dependent potassium channels in myocardial cells has been previously shown to change depending on gender and age. Different effects of the ATP-dependent potassium channel blocker, glybenclamide and ATP-dependent potassium channel opener, pinacidil on ischemia or reperfusion-induced arrhythmia observed in various research might depend on different ages and genders of the animals used. The aim of this study is to research the effect of ATP-dependent potassium channel modulators on ischemia-induced arrhythmia in animals of different ages and genders. Sprague-Dawley rats of different ages and genders were used in this study. Ischemia was produced by the ligation of the left coronary artery for 30 min. Electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure, infarct area and blood glucose were determined during the 30 min of ischemia. An arrhythmia score from an ECG recorded during 30 min of ischemia was determined by examining the duration and type of arrhythmia. Different effects of glybenclamide and pinacidil on the arrhythmias were observed in male and female young and middle-age rats. Pinacidil decreased the infarct zone in younger female rats, but differences in the type and length of ischemia-induced arrhythmias between females and males disappeared in older age. The results of this study showed that the effect of ATP-dependent potassium channel modulators on ischemia-induced arrhythmia changed due to the age and gender of rats.