The effects of letrozole-induced maternal hyperandrogenism on sexual behaviors, testicular histology, and serum biochemical traits in male offspring rats: An experimental study.

Background: Intrauterine endocrine abnormalities have profound effects on the development of physiological disorders. Objective: This study aimed to assess the effects of in utero exposure to letrozole (an aromatase inhibitor) and its late consequences on the reproductive and metabolic performance of an adult male offspring. Materials and Methods: 15 pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats (8 wk, 155 gr) were randomly assigned into 5 experimental groups (n = 3/each) and orally received either letrozole at doses of 0.25, 0.75, 1.00, and 1.25 mg/kg body weight (BW) or vehicle (control) on the gestation days of 16, 17, and 18. Pregnancy outcome, sexual behaviors on postnatal day 60, serum biochemical features, and the histopathology of testes were assessed in male offspring. Results: Compared to control group, delayed labor (21.83 vs. 24.25, p < 0.0001) and reduced litter size (n = 12.25 vs. n = 2, p < 0.0001) were recorded in 1.25 mg/kg BW group. A reduction in high-density lipoprotein level and the elevation of testes weight, BW gain, anogenital distance, as well as the serum concentrations of testosterone, triglycerides, cholesterol, and glucose were observed in 1.25 mg/kg BW (p < 0.0001) and 1.00 mg/kg BW (p < 0.0001) groups in comparison to control. A larger number of anogenital female sniffing, pursuit, and mounting behaviors were also observed in 1.25 mg/kg BW group in comparison to control (p < 0.0001). Severe testicular defects including necrosis and disruption of the epithelium of seminiferous tubules, sloughing of epithelial cells, and spermatogenesis arrest were observed in letrozole-treated groups, in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: Maternal exposure to letrozole can adversely affect the reproductive and metabolic performance of male offspring rats, suggesting an incomplete sex differentiation.

Histopathological characteristics of larynx in hypothyroidism in an experimental rabbit model.

Objective: Hypothyroidism has a significant effect on the patients' voices. This study evaluated the histopathological characteristics of larynx following hypothyroidism in an experimental rabbit model. Methods: Eleven male Dutch rabbits were included. Methimazole-induced hypothyroidism was done for nine rabbits. The remaining two rabbits were assigned as controls. Six weeks after starting methimazole, a histological examination was performed with parameters of inflammation, ulceration, hemorrhage, and thickness of epithelium, Reinke's space, vocal ligament, thyroarytenoid muscle, collagen deposition, and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive materials, as well as confirmation of hypothyroidism by T4 measurement. Results: Histologic examination showed a significant thickening of epithelium, Reinke's space, vocal ligament, and collagen PAS-positive materials deposition in hypothyroid rabbits (p < .05). There was significant reduction in thyroarytenid muscle thickness (p < .05). Inflammation, ulceration, and bleeding were not significantly different between hypothyroid and control rabbits' laryngeal specimens. Conclusion: Hypothyroidism causes significant changes in the laryngeal tissues. Thickening of epithelium, Reinke's space, vocal ligament, collagen, PAS-positive materials, and reduced thickness of thyroarytenoid muscle are the major findings of this study.

The effect of allogenic human Wharton's jelly stem cells seeded onto acellular dermal matrix in healing of rat burn wounds.

BACKGROUND: Various methods were introduced to overcome the autograft shortage in burn wound care, including cell transplantation and tissue engineering. AIMS: To evaluate the healing effect of allogenic human Wharton's jelly stem cells (hWJSCs) seeded onto acellular dermal matrix (ADM) in rat burn injuries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Human Wharton's jelly stem cells provided from umbilical cord tissue were characterized before transplantation, and the growth kinetic was determined. Skin samples from cosmetic surgeries were used for preparation of ADM. Forty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 equal groups. Third-degree burn was induced for all animals by exposing to hot water using a 2 cm ring for 10 seconds. Group 1 was burned rats that did not receive any treatment. After burn injury, the second group received silver sulfadiazine (SSD), the third group was treated just by using ADM, and the fourth group received 2 × 106 hWJSCs seeded onto ADM. The animals were euthanized for histologic evaluation after 7, 14, and 21 days. RESULTS: Human Wharton's jelly stem cells were characterized to be spindle shape and positive for osteogenic and adipogenic induction and for mesenchymal markers but lacked hematopoietic markers. Population doubling time (PDT) was 40.1 hours with an increasing growth trend until day 6th. Macro- and microscopically, the healing was mild in ADM group and moderate in ADM + hWJSCs group after 21 days. CONCLUSION: Allogenic hWJSCs seeded onto ADM improved the healing process in burn wounds denoting to their therapeutic and anti-inflammatory effects in burn wounds that can be added to the literature.

Arum conophalloides Aqueous Extract Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rat; Histopathological, Biochemical, and mir-122 Assessments.

BACKGROUND: Arum conophalloides (A. conophalloides) is a wild edible delicate plant, widely used in traditional medicine. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effects of A. conophalloides extracts on biochemical, molecular, and histopathological changes in the rat. METHODS: Fifty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups (10 each) as follows: G1 or control, received distilled water; G2 and G3, treated with the aqueous extract at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg; G4 and G5, treated with the hydroalcoholic extract at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg. Prior to and at the end of the experiments, the serum levels of biochemistry parameters and the relative expression of miR-122 were assessed. Moreover, the liver and kidney tissues were examined microscopically. RESULTS: Liver and kidney tissues showed normal structure in all groups. There were no significant changes in biochemical indices or the expression of miR-122 in the extract-treated groups at the dose of 200 mg/kg. However, the group that received the aqueous extract at the dose of 400 mg/kg exhibited a significantly lower level of HDL, LDL, ALT, and ALP in comparison to the control. Additionally, miR-122 expression in this group exhibited a 10-fold increase (P=0.009). CONCLUSION: The serum level of hepatocyte-specific miR-122 will be more helpful in detecting hepatic changes in early stages than ALT and AST activity or histopathological evaluations of liver sections. Our findings highlight the potential hepatotoxicity of A. conophalloides aqueous extract in a rat model.

Metabolic and endocrine effects of bisphenol A exposure in market seller women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the synthetic monomer which can be found in the environment. Limited animal and human studies have demonstrated that BPA alters endocrine and or metabolic functions. The aims of the present study were to evaluate serum BPA level in marketing seller women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hormonal and metabolic effects of this exposure compared to a control paired group. In a case-control study, 62 PCOS women who work as marketing sellers and 62 healthy women with similar jobs were included. The two groups were body mass index (BMI)- and age-matched. Serum samples were analyzed for BPA content, fasting blood sugar (FBS), triglyceride, cholesterol, HDL and LDL levels, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration, and LH:FSH ratio. Significant higher serum BPA content (0.48 ± 0.08 vs. 0.16 ± 0.04 ng/ml), triglyceride (103.05 ± 13.10 vs. 91.65 ± 12.52 mg/dl), cholesterol (165.05 ± 10.79 vs. 161.21 ± 10.31 mg/dl) levels and LH:FSH ratio (3.64 ± 0.86 vs. 0.62 ± 0.14) and significant lower TSH concentration (1.56 ± 0.68 vs. 2.15 ± 1.09 IU/ml) were detected in case against control group, respectively (P < 0.05). No significant differences were detected in FBS, LDL, and HDL levels between the two groups. Also, there were no significant associations between serum TSH concentration and BPA level neither in case (P = 0.269) nor in control (P = 0.532) groups. In BPA-exposed PCOS women, BPA level was higher than healthy women and this difference maybe the cause of significant differences in levels of triglyceride, cholesterol, TSH, and LH:FSH ratio. These observations confirm the potential role of BPA in PCOS pathophysiology.