Negative effect of feeding with high energy diets on testes and metabolic blood parameters of male Japanese quails, and positive role of milk thistle seed.

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the changes in testicular tissue and cell count, testicular oxidative stress and some metabolic blood parameters of male broiler Japanese quails fed with high energy diet and milk thistle (Silybum marianum) seed. One hundred-twenty male 15-day-old Japanese quail chicks were divided into 4 equal groups with 30 each. The applications in each group were repeated 3 times with 10 animals each. Control group was fed with basal diet. Milk thistle seed group was fed with diet including 1% milk thistle seed. High energy diet group was fed with high energy diet including 10% corn syrup. High energy diet + milk thistle seed group was fed with high energy diet including 10% corn syrup along with 1% milk thistle seed. The feeding period in all groups was 35 days. When the quails reached 50 days old, a total of 48, 12 from each group (4 from each replication) were euthanized and blood samples and testes were collected. Compared with the control group, significant increases in body weight, serum cholesterol and glucose level, aspartate aminotransferase activity and testicular malondialdehyde level; however, significant decreases in serum testosterone level, testicular glutathione peroxidase activity, counts of round and elongated spermatid and sperm as well as histopathologically, significant decreases in seminiferous tubular diameter and seminiferous epithelium thickness, and marked disorganization in germinal cells were determined in quails fed with high energy diet. It was observed that almost all of the disturbances in testicular tissue, cell number, oxidant-antioxidant balance and metabolic blood parameters caused by feeding with high energy diet were significantly prevented by supplementation of milk thistle seed to the diet with high energy. On the other hand, alone milk thistle seed and high energy diet + milk thistle seed administrations decreased body weight in comparison to control and high energy diet groups. As a result, feeding with high energy diet causes disturbances in testes of male quails by affecting liver metabolic functions and testicular oxidant-antioxidant balance, but milk thistle seed addition to diet plays a protective role.

Effect of gestational diabetes mellitus on testis and pancreatic tissues of male offspring.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on some reproductive characteristics, testicular and pancreatic oxidative status and pancreatic endocrine receptor densities of male offspring at post-pubertal stage. A total of 36 1-day-old Wistar Albino male offspring including 12 pups of nontreated mothers (control group), 14 pups of 40 mg/kg STZ-injected mothers (STZ-40 group) and 10 pups of 60 mg/kg STZ-injected mothers (STZ-60 group) were used. The offspring were euthanised on post-natal day 60, their blood, reproductive organs and pancreatic tissues were obtained and examined. When compared with the control group, there was a significant decrease in body and absolute reproductive organ weights, serum testosterone level, testicular and pancreatic catalase activities, pancreatic glutathione level, epididymal sperm concentration of both STZ-40 and STZ-60 groups as well as in testicular glutathione level of only STZ-60 group. Significant increases were determined in testicular and pancreatic malondialdehyde level and glutathione peroxidase activity in both groups and in fasting serum glucose of only STZ-60 group in comparison with the control group. Although some histopathological damages were observed in testes of both STZ-40 and STZ-60 groups, there were no detectable differences between the groups in density of insulin, glucagon and somatostatin receptors in pancreas. In conclusion, GDM has negative effects on reproductive efficiency and testicular-pancreatic tissue oxidant/antioxidant balance of male offspring at post-pubertal stage.

Effects of sevoflurane on apoptosis, BDNF and cognitive functions in neonatal rats.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the early and late effects of sevoflurane on the neonatal brain. BACKGROUND: Sevoflurane is the most used anaesthetics in neonatal subjects. METHODS: The study included 7-day-old male Wistar-Albino rats (n = 30), which were divided into the two groups according to the anaesthetic received: sevoflurane (S) and control group (C). Half of each group was sacrificed six hours after anaesthesia (early, E) while the remaining subjects were sacrificed six weeks later (late, L). The serum brain-derived-neurotrophic factor (BDNF), brain BDNF and caspase-3 were evaluated. In addition, elevated plus arm test and Morris water test were performed in the late group. RESULTS: BDNF levels were higher in the late groups than in the early ones (p < 0.05). BDNF levels in cerebral cortex were higher in the Group CE than in the Group CL and SL (p < 0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between serum BDNF and cortex BDNF levels (p = 0.003, r = -0.425). Cortex caspase 3 levels were significantly higher in the Groups SE and SL than in the Group CE and CL (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups in the terms of open arm index, locomotor activity and Morris water test. CONCLUSIONS: Although sevoflurane induced apoptosis, it didn't affect BDNF levels and showed no long-term negative effects on learning and anxiety in neonatal rats (Tab. 1, Fig. 3, Ref. 26).

Protective effect of lycopene on gentamicin-induced oxidative stress and nephrotoxicity in rats.

A potential therapeutic approach to protect or reverse gentamicin-induced oxidative stress and nephrotoxicity would have more importance for clinical consequences. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the possible protective effects of lycopene against gentamicin-induced renal damage in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups of six rats in each one; first group served as control. The other groups were treated intraperitoneally with gentamicin alone (100 mg kg(-1) per day) for six successive days, gentamicin for 6 days following 10 days of orally lycopene (4 mg kg(-1) per day) pre-treatment and 6-days of simultaneous lycopene and gentamicin. Biochemical and histopathological examinations were utilized for evaluation of the oxidative stress and renal nephrotoxicity. Creatinine, urea, Na(+) and K(+) levels in plasma and malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT) activities were determined in kidney tissue. Administration of gentamicin to rats induced a marked renal failure, characterized by a significant increase in plasma creatinine and urea concentrations. The animals treated with gentamicin alone showed a significantly higher kidney MDA and lower GSH-Px and CAT activities but unaffected GSH concentrations when compared with the control group. Pre-treatment with lycopene produced amelioration in biochemical indices of nephrotoxicity in plasma. However, little changes were observed in the kidney MDA and GSH levels and GSH-Px and CAT activities when compared with the gentamicin treated group. The histological structures of the renal proximal tubules showed similar patterns. On the other hand, administration of simultaneous lycopene to rats produced amelioration in MDA and GSH levels and GSH-Px and CAT activities when compared with gentamicin group. In addition, simultaneous lycopene was found to reduce the degree of kidney tissue damage in histopathological findings. These results indicate that specially simultaneous treatment of lycopene might have produced amelioration in biochemical indices and oxidative stress parameters against gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity, but pre-treatments with lycopene had no beneficial effects on these parameters. It was concluded that lycopene as a novel natural antioxidant might have protective effects against gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats.

Equine goiter associated with excess dietary iodine.

Naturally occurring goiter cases are described in 2 newborn Arabian foals whose mares were supplemented with excess iodine during the final 24 w of the pregnancy. Six nursing foals and 2 mares were also affected clinically with thyroid hypertrophy. At least 12 times the maximum tolerable level of iodine supplementation was given, as the daily iodine intake for each mare was 299 mg. The prevalence of goiter cases was 2 and 9% in the mares and foals, respectively.

The effect of manganese chloride on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of manganese chloride on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Thirty-six adult Wistar Albino rats were divided into six equal groups. They were injected with gentamicin sulfate (100 mg kg(-1) per day i.p.) and manganese chloride (2 or 20 mg kg(-1) per day i.p.) and gentamicin together with manganese chloride for 6 days. The animals were killed 24 h after the last injection. Nephrotoxicity was biochemically and histopathologically evaluated. The concentrations of creatinine, urea, sodium and potassium in plasma, malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT) activities in kidney tissue were determined. Administration of gentamicin to rats induced a marked renal failure, characterized with a significant increase in plasma creatinine and urea concentrations. A significant increase in kidney MDA and a decrease in GSH concentrations were observed in gentamicin-treated rats. No change was observed in the activities of GSH-Px and CAT in rats treated with gentamicin alone. Administration of the low dose of manganese (Mn2+) produced amelioration in biochemical indices of nephrotoxicity in plasma and kidney tissue when compared to gentamicin group. The histological signs of renal proximal tubules followed a similar pattern. The high dose of Mn2+ (20 mg kg(-1)) caused an opposite effect on nephrotoxicity induced by gentamicin, causing exacerbation in the tubular necrosis. The results suggest that low dose of Mn2+ may have an antioxidant effect in kidneys of gentamicin administrated rats, but its high doses had no beneficial effect.

Toxicity of dietary Heliotropium circinatum to rats.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloid intoxication was produced in adult, male rats by feeding different levels (0, 1, 3, 5 or 10%) of Heliotropium circinatum for 20 w. Combined GC-MS revealed 0.15% total alkaloid content in the plant material of which 12% and 88% were basic and N-oxide forms, respectively. The specific alkaloids identified were europine (67.33%), heliotrine (16.34%), lasiocarpine (8.12%), heleurine (4.18%), echinatine (1.56%), 7-angeylheliotrine (1.19%), and an unknown alkaloid (1.28%). Neither mortality nor significant clinical changes occurred in test groups. Mild to moderate, dose-related hepatic megalocytosis was the most prominent histopathological finding. In addition to chronic hepatotoxicity, notable medial thickening occurred in the pulmonary arterioles and arteries of the high-dosed groups. This study indicated that H. circinatum plant has limited toxic potential in rats with mild to moderate histological changes and no mortality at the dosing levels, total doses, or time of exposure employed.

Toxicity of dietary Heliotropium dolosum seed to Japanese quail.

Five groups of 30 male Japanese quail, each 7-w-old, were fed diets containing 0, 1, 3, 5, or 10% (w/w) of dehulled H dolosum seed. Half of the birds from the each group were killed at 6 and 24 w after beginning of the trial. At the end of 6th w, neither mortality nor clinical sign occurred in test groups. In the 5 and 10% inclusion levels, mild to moderate hepatic injury was detected as evidenced by mild karyomegaly, moderate fatty change, focal or portal fibrosis, bile duct hyperplasie, and ovalocyte proliferation along with lower serum protein and albumin levels. By the termination of the experiment (24 w), 5 birds died in the 10% dosed group. Hepatic cirrhosis was the most prominent finding in the 5 and 10% group; at these levels, serum protein and albumin values decreased significanty while billuribin and ALP levels increased. Based on relative weights and histological evaluations, testicularatrophywasdosedependent. These results partly affirm earlier studies that the quail is highly resistant to the toxic effects of H dolosumseed. However, the resistance to H dolosum is less than Senecio Jacobae and Crotalaria spectabilis when considering tissue injury.