Daneshvar Medicine: Basic and Clinical Research Journal
Year:2016 | Volume:23 | Issue:122 |Papers Count:12

Background and Objective: Matricaria chamomilla L. (MC) has been used as an effective plant for wounds, gastrointestinal disorders, pharyngitis, rheumatic pain and infertility for years. Until now, an in vivo study showing its extract effect on immune cells viability has not been done. The aim of this study was to determine the in vivo effects of MC aqueous and ethanolic extracts on macrophages and lymphocytes viability in BALB/c mice by MTT assay.Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 110 mice. Four groups (each with 5 mice) were intraperitoneally injected with 25-100 mg/kg/day ethanolic extracts and five groups were orally treated with 100-1000 (mg/kg/day) ethanolic extract for 15 days. The same treatment groups were used for the aqueous extracts. On day 16, macrophages and lymphocytes were separated from the peritoneum and spleen of mice, respectively.Results: The viability of macrophages decreased in the injected mice with 75 and 100 mg/kg, and in the orally treated groups with 500, 750 and 1000 mg/kg ethanolic extracts, but increased in the treated mice with 50 (injected) and 1000 (orally) aqueous extracts. The viability of lymphocytes also decreased in the orally treated groups with 100 and 750 mg/kg ethanolic extracts and increased in the orally group with 100, 500 and 1000 mg/kg aqueous extracts.Conclusions: MC ethanolic extracts effectively reduced the in vivo viability of macrophages and lymphocytes as compared to the aqueous extract. This reduction could be due to the anti-inflammatory effect of the ethanolic extract; however the aqueous extract may be promoted the immune system.

Background and Objective: Schizophrenia is a chronic debilitating psychiatric disorder, that one of its causative factors is hypoactive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. Quercetin is a flavonoid that has shown several pharmacological activities such as antioxidant properties and is found in vegetables and fruits. This study was performed with the aim of evaluation of the neuroprotective effect of quercetin and its nanocrystal on behavioral impairment induced by ketamine injection in an animal model of schizophrenia.Materials and Methods: In this study, 49 male mice were divided into 7 groups: control, vehicle, lesioned group that received 10 mg/kg/day of ketamine, i.p. for 10 days and other 4 groups that received 10 and 25 mg/kg/day of quercetin and quercetin nanocrystal orally after injection of ketamine. The quercetin nanocrystal was prepared by the evaporative precipitation of nanosuspension (EPN) method. Open field behavioral test was used at 5th and 15th day during gavage with quercetin and quercetin nanocrystal.Results: Results of this study indicated that ketamine injection causes significant behavioral impairment in comparison with control group and treatment with quercetin and quercetin nanocrystal improves the behavioral impairment.Conclusion: Quercetin and quercetin nanocrystal treatment may have a protective effect on brain neurons against harmful effects of ketamine on behavioral impairment.

Background and Objective: Methamphetamine as a highly addictive stimulant affects the nervous neurotransmitters and physical status. This study aimed to investigate the effects of seven weeks of combined (aerobic-resistance) training on blood levels of serotonin and dopamine and physical fitness factors of addicted men to methamphetamine during rehabilitation.Materials and Methods: In this research study, 17 men addicted to methamphetamine were selected to participate as a purposeful and available sample and were randomly divided into two groups of experimental (n=8) and control (n=9) groups. The experimental group had combined training for 7 weeks, 3 days a week (each session, aerobic running training for 20 minutes, with an intensity of 60-75% of maximum heart rate, followed by resistance training with 60-75 percent of one repetition maximum (1RM), while the control group was only followed up without any effective physical activity. The variables measured before and after training programs included blood levels of serotonin and dopamine, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and aerobic power.Results: Seven weeks of combined (aerobic–resistance) training significantly increased blood levels of serotonin and dopamine, muscular strength and endurance and flexibility in the experimental group as compared to the control (P<0.05), while aerobic power did not change significantly (P>0.05).Conclusion: Combined training can affect blood levels of serotonin and dopamine and the health-related fitness factors of men addicted to methamphetamine, and a non-drug treatment is helpful during rehabilitation.

Background and Objective: Current evidence indicates that extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling is a component of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) has a role in early atherosclerosis, plaque rupture and myocardial infarction (MI). The necessity of inhibition of ECM remodeling and subsequent injuries in patients with AMI suggests that MMP might be involved in this task. Here, we investigated the activities of MMP-1, -2, -3, and -9 which play an important role in AMI.Materials and Methods: Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 50 patients with AMI were isolated from peripheral blood after the onset of AMI within 24 h, comparing with 50 control subjects. The active form of MMPs was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); MMP proteins presence and expression by immunoblotting and zymography analysis; and mRNA expression of MMPs by real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.Results: Plasma concentrations of MMPs increased in patients rather than control subjects. Gel zymography revealed 43, 66, 45, and 83 kDa molecular weight bands which was consistent with active MMP-1, -2, -3, and -9, respectively, exhibiting gelatin-degrading activity in both patient and control subjects. No up-regulation of mRNA expression was found out.Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, it is the first monitoring of MMP gene and protein expression and also circulating active MMPs in Iranian patients with AMI and normal subjects. Up-regulation of MMPs activity is common in the failing myocardium and missing up-regulation of transcription indicates that protein levels of MMPs were regulated at the post transcriptional level.

Background and Objective: Inflammation plays an important role in cancer progression. In contrast, different studies indicated that exercise training by decreasing inflammation and improving anti-inflammatory factors has positive effects in improving the condition of patients with breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of endurance training at low to moderate intensity on serum levels of IL-10 and IL-17 in women with breast cancer.Materials and Methods: For this purpose, 50 patients with stage 2 breast cancer from Kerman city that completed chemotherapy courses and undergoing therapy with tamoxifen recruited and randomly divided into two groups: exercise (n=30) and control (n=20).Training group performed endurance training for 8 weeks with intensity between 40 to 55 percent of target heart rate. Before and after the exercise protocol, blood samples were collected from both groups and serum levels of IL-10 and IL-17 were measured using ELISA kit from Booster company. Analysis of covariance were used for detecting any alteration in variables.Results: Data showed a significant decrease in serum levels of IL-17 (F=2.37, p=0.015) in exercised group against control group, whereas no significant difference in level of IL-10 (F=2.62, p=0.113) was observed between control and exercise groups.Conclusion: Regular moderate exercise training has anti-inflammatory and cytokine modulatory effects and through reducing serum levels of IL-17 and modulation of IL-10, plays an important role in improving the condition of patients with breast cancer.

Background and Objective: The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is an enzyme that takes responsibility for substrate hydrolysis of acetylcholine, and it is seen structurally, as monomer, dimer and tetramer units. The objective of this study was to examine and compare the inhibitory effect of the two drugs, physostigmine and p hydrochloride in vitro.Materials and Methods: In this study, the inhibitory rate of this enzyme was examined and compared by the two drugs, physostigmine and procaine hydrochloride in vitro. The rate of enzyme activity in accordance to Ellman method was measured in the presence and absence of different concentrations of drugs, and the inhibitory percentage of the drugs was obtained.Results: The enzyme values of Km and Vmax with substrate acetylthiocholine were obtained respectively equal to 52.63 mM/ml/mg and 0.11 mM. The IC50 for the drugs, procaine and physostigmine was determined respectively equal to 0.175 and 0.00004 mM indicating the high inhibitory power of physostigmine as compared to procaine. In addition, kinetic parameters of the enzyme, including Km in the presence of procaine and physostigmine were obtained respectively equal to 0.62 and 2.22 mM. The Vmax enzyme was also the same in the presence and absence of drugs.Conclusion: The results indicate the high inhibitory power of physostigmine compared to procaine. These drugs are also introduced as competitive inhibitors of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme.

Background and Objective: Diazinon (DZN) as an organophosphate is used for household and agricultural pest control. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and vitamins E and C against DZN-induced oxidative stress in rat erythrocytes.Materials and Methods: In present experimental study, male Wistar rats were randomly divided into eight groups: control group (corn oil as DZN solvent), DZN group (100 mg/kg), NAC group (160 mg/kg), vitamin E group (150 mg/kg), vitamin C group (200 mg/kg) group, and NAC+DZN group, vitamin E+DZN group and vitamin C+DZN group, all of which were given intraperitoneally.24 hours after injection, blood was collected and erythrocytes were obtained. Then, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities, as well as glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were determined by biochemical methods.Results: DZN increased SOD (p<0.001) and GST (p<0.01) activities and MDA (p<0.05) level and decreased CAT (p<0.01) and LDH (p<0.01) activities and GSH content in erythrocytes. Administration of antioxidants changed antioxidant enzymes activities, decreased MDA level and increased GSH level.Conclusion: NAC by increasing the synthesis of GSH and vitamins E and C by scavenging free radicals reduces DZN-induced oxidative stress, but they do not protect completely.

Background and Objective: Alzheimer Disease (AD) has a progressive and degenerative course on brain nerve cells due to deposition of beta amyloid and Tau protein. AD is associated with memory impairment with no eradicative cure. Metformin is a hypoglycemic drug that helps control diabetes mellitus type 2. Recently, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effect on nerve tissue and reductive effect on deposition of beta-amyloid and anti-oxidative stress effect of it has been proved. This study was done based on alzheimer modeling in rodents with injecting beta amyloid and to evaluate the effect of metformin treatment on its course.Material and Methods: In this research study, 32 male rats were used. Rats were randomly divided into 4 groups. First group was healthy ones that treated with saline (sham), 2nd ones whom received metformin, 3rd group received normal saline and made alzheimeric (lesion) and last group was made alzheimeric and treated with metformin. The 2nd and 4th groups were treated with intraperitoneal metformin for 1 week before stereotaxic operation. For induction of AD, stereotaxic operation with injection of beta amyloid into hippocampus was made. After three weeks, for learning and memory assessment, passive-avoidance behaviour and Y-maze procedure were used.Results: In comparison to sham group, lesion group had a lower average initial delay that this reduction was not statistically significant. The second lesion group had insignificant increase in the average initial delay, in comparison with other lesion group. The sham groups received the same amount of metformin had also non-significant reduction in initial delay time compared to the sham groups. Passive avoidance test in rats that had significantly decreased in the group with Alzheimer's disease compared to the sham group (p<0.01), although this decline is insignificant in the second group of Alzheimer model as compared to the sham group. In addition, the difference between the two groups with Alzheimer's disease was statistically significant (p<0.05).Conclusion: The results indicate that chronic treatment with metformin increases the passive-avoidance test memory in shuttle box, but has no effect on the spatial memory in rats. Metformin is likely to be an appropriate candidate in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and the other different types of dementia in humans.

Background and Objective: Use of extremely low frequency magnetic field) ELF- MF (has been reported in increasing blood sugar, cholesterol, triglyceride and reduction of withdrawal syndrome signs of morphine. Since pain is one of the main considerations and usually analgesic drugs are not very useful and have side effects, therefore, the present project was carried out using formalin test to evaluate the effect of ELF-MF.Materials and Methods: A randomized experimental study was done on test and control groups of mice.32 male BALB/c mice (mean of weight=30 g) were divided into 4 groups (n=8).3 groups of animals exposed to ELF-MF for one week 30 min daily with 25, 50, and 75 HZ and an intensity of 250 mT. Formalin 10% was injected i.p. to animals. The responses to formalin were observed for 60 min. Pain scores for the first 5 min (acute pain) and 16-60 min (chronic pain) every 15 s were recorded and compared to control group.Results: In acute phase, the signs significantly reduced by 3 frequencies, i.e., for 25 and 50HZ (p<0.001) and for 75 HZ (p<0.05). In chronic pain, the signs significantly reduced for 25 and 50 HZ (p<0.05). However 50 HZ frequency was the most effective frequency.Conclusion: The findings showed that ELF-MF is effective in formalin induced pain and could be helpful in reduction of pain in general.