The Effect of Doxycycline on Achilles Tendon Repair in a Rat Model.

INTRODUCTION: Doxycycline is a commonly used antibiotic that is also a potent inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs). The use of doxycycline in repairing tendon lesions has been previously investigated and conflicting findings have been reported on its effectiveness. In this study, we sought to evaluate the effects of exposure to doxycycline on Achilles tendon repair. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty healthy rats of the same breed and gender were randomly assigned to two groups of sham, and Doxycycline group therapy. The rats underwent a surgical intervention in which a 2mm incision was performed on the lateral sides of the right Achilles tendons. The treatment group received oral gavage administrations of 50mg/kg/day of doxycycline for 30 days. After this duration, tissue samples were taken from the site of the injuries, which were then histologically evaluated for alignment of the collagen fibres, inflammation reaction, cellular density, and fibroblastic activity. RESULTS: The histological assessment of the tissue samples, revealed significant changes in the repaired tissues of the treatment group in comparison to the sham group; namely more irregularity in the alignment of the collagen fibres, increased cellular density, and increased fibroblastic activity. However, only the alignment of the collagen fibres reached the statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that exposure to doxycycline may result in the improvement of repair of the Achilles tendon injuries, especially collagen filament integrity.

The Effect of Doxycycline on Achilles Tendon Repair in a Rat Model

@#Introduction: Doxycycline is a commonly used antibiotic that is also a potent inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs). The use of doxycycline in repairing tendon lesions has been previously investigated and conflicting findings have been reported on its effectiveness. In this study, we sought to evaluate the effects of exposure to doxycycline on Achilles tendon repair. Materials and Methods: Twenty healthy rats of the same breed and gender were randomly assigned to two groups of sham, and Doxycycline group therapy. The rats underwent a surgical intervention in which a 2mm incision was performed on the lateral sides of the right Achilles tendons. The treatment group received oral gavage administrations of 50mg/kg/day of doxycycline for 30 days. After this duration, tissue samples were taken from the site of the injuries, which were then histologically evaluated for alignment of the collagen fibres, inflammation reaction, cellular density, and fibroblastic activity. Results: The histological assessment of the tissue samples, revealed significant changes in the repaired tissues of the treatment group in comparison to the sham group; namely more irregularity in the alignment of the collagen fibres, increased cellular density, and increased fibroblastic activity. However, only the alignment of the collagen fibres reached the statistical significance. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that exposure to doxycycline may result in the improvement of repair of the Achilles tendon injuries, especially collagen filament integrity

FOXO1 targeting by capsaicin reduces tissue damage after testicular torsion.

Testicular torsion-related oxidative stress causes a sequential chain of DNA damage, lipid peroxidation and cell death that leads to the derangement in the sperm functions and infertility. Capsaicin that has been applied for pain relief and cancer prevention possesses antioxidant properties which can be exploited to confer cell survival under ischaemic testis damage. Wistar male rats weighing 150-200 g were randomly divided into four groups: (i) sham group (all procedures except torsion of testis), (ii) ischaemia group (TT group), (iii) three TT groups treated with different dose of capsaicin (TT + different doses of Cap) and (iv) three control groups treated with different doses of capsaicin (100, 500 and 1000 ug/ml). Capsaicin administration significantly decreased the expression of pro-apoptotic factors and increased the expression of anti-apoptotic factors. Likewise, the expression of FOXO1 is significantly increased by higher doses of the capsaicin. Histological assessment by H&E and TUNEL method also exhibited an improved testicular morphology and decreased apoptosis in testes. These results suggested clinical potential for capsaicin in treatment of testicular torsion by targeting FOXO1 and apoptotic pathways.

Enhanced detection sensitivity of prostate-specific antigen via PSA-conjugated gold nanoparticles based on localized surface plasmon resonance: GNP-coated anti-PSA/LSPR as a novel approach for the identification of prostate anomalies.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is used to screen for prostate disease, although it has several limitations in its application as an organ-specific or cancer-specific marker. Furthermore, a highly specific/sensitive and/or label-free identification of PSA still remains a challenge in the diagnosis of prostate anomalies. We aimed to develop a gold nanoparticle (GNP)-conjugated anti-PSA antibody-based localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) as a novel approach to detect prostatic disease. A total of 25 nm colloidal gold particles were prepared followed by conjugation with anti-PSA pAb (GNPs-PSA pAb). LSPR was used to monitor the absorption changes of the aggregation of the particles. The size, shape and stability of the GNP-anti-PSA were evaluated by dynamic light scattering transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and zetasizer. The GNPs-conjugated PSA-pAb was successfully synthesized and subsequently characterized using ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy and TEM to determine the size distribution, crystallinity and stability of the particles (for example, stability of GNP: 443 mV). To increase the stability of the particles, we pegylated GNPs using an N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N*-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC)/N-hydroxylsuccinimide (NHS) linker (for example, stability of GNP after pegylation: 272 mV). We found a significant increase in the absorbance and intensity of the particles with extinction peak at 545/2 nm, which was shifted by ~1 nm after conjugation. To illustrate the potential of the GNPs-PSA pAb to bind specifically to PSA, LSPR was used. We found that the extinction peak shifted 3 nm for a solution of 100 nM unlabeled antigen. In summary, we have established a novel approach for improving the efficacy/sensitivity of PSA in the assessment of prostate disease, supporting further investigation on the diagnostic value of GNP-conjugated anti-PSA/LSPR for the detection of prostate cancer.