Avicenna Journal of Medical Biochemistry
Year:2016 | Volume:4 | Issue:1|Papers Count:12

Background: Oxidative stress is the result of an imbalance between the production and scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Recently, oxidative stress has been introduced as a major cause of male infertility.Objectives: The aim of the present study was to determine the correlation between total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and malondialdehyde (MDA) as markers of oxidative stress in relation to idiopathic male infertility and sperm parameters.Patients and Methods: This case control study was conducted using 35 men with idiopathic infertility and 34 men with proven fertility. Seminal plasma TAC and MDA were measured by ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) reaction methods, respectively.Results: Seminal TAC levels were significantly lower and seminal MDA levels were significantly higher in men with idiopathic infertility than in fertile men (P<0.0001 and P=0.004, respectively). A positive correlation was shown between sperm motility, sperm morphology, and TAC levels in men with idiopathic infertility (P=0.002 and P=0.002, respectively). In addition, there was a correlation between sperm motility and TAC levels in fertile men (P=0.005). There was no correlation between sperm count and TAC levels in eithermenwith idiopathic infertility or in fertile men. Negative correlations were observed betweenMDAlevels and sperm motility, morphology, and sperm count only in men with idiopathic infertility (P=0.003, P=0.001, and P=0.006, respectively).Conclusions: Our results show that oxidative stress could play an important role in male infertility as well as in sperm motility and sperm morphology.

Background: Migraine ranks as the eighth most disabling condition and one of the most common causes of headache in Pakistan.Objectives: In this study, we aimed to determine the association between migraine and diabetes in pregnant women.Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 498 pregnant women, grouped into pregnant without diabetes (n= 300) and pregnant with diabetes (n=198) according to the International Association of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Study criteria.Seventy-five women with known migraine were also recruited as positive controls. After confirming that the study subjects had headache at least once a month, the researcher filled out a comprehensive form based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders version II. Migraine disability score was used to assess severity. Fasting blood glucose levels were measured by using the enzymatic method. Data were presented as meanSD and frequencies, where applicable. Chi-square test and Spearman correlation test were performed. A P value of<0.05 was considered significant.Results: The headache prevalence during pregnancy was 69% in the women with diabetes and 64% in the women without diabetes.Apositive unilateral distributionwasobserved in 51% of the casesand36.3% of the controls (P<0.01). However, 94.7% of the pregnant cohort reported not having experienced aura. Of the pregnant women with diabetes, 19% fell within the mild to moderate disability score as compared with the 10.3% of the pregnant women without diabetes (P<0.01). High fasting blood glucose levels showed a significant association with headache scores (r=0.144; P<0.01).Conclusions: Headaches, particularly migraine without aura, are a common occurrence in pregnancy in our population. Migraine severity is positively associated with high blood glucose levels.

Background: Organic solvents are widely used in cell biology experiments. Despite increasing the solubility, they have some moderate toxic effects. Therefore, selecting the appropriate solvent along with the use of suitable concentration insures the accuracy and reliability of experimental results.Objectives: The current study aimed to examine the cytotoxic effects of some organic solvents on various cell models including MCF-7, RAW-264.7 and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC).Materials and Methods: To evaluate the cytotoxicity effect of common organic solvents on the MCF-7, RAW-264.7 and HUVEC cells, multi-table tournament (MTT) colorimetric assay, the widely used and validated cytotoxicity test was applied. For this purpose, the selected cells were treated with different concentrations (0, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 3% and5% v/v) of fourmostcommonlyused organic solvents (acetone, ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and dimethylformamide (DMF) and then subjected to MTT experiment.Results: According to the obtained results, the cytotoxicity increased significantly with increasing the concentration of all four solvents compared to that of the control group. Studies with MCF-7, RAW-264.7 and HUVEC suggested that acetone, ethanol and DMSO at concentrations of 0.1% and 0.5%, had little or no toxicity, whereas higher concentrations inhibited the growth of all three cells. Compared with other three solvents, DMF displayed rather greater toxicity. Based on the results, proliferation of MCF-7, RAW-264.7 and HUVEC cells were inhibited by all used organic solvents, dose dependently.Conclusions: Thus, the background experimental error can be reduced remarkably by maximal concentration of 0.5% ethanol, acetone and DMSO and 0.1% DMF in the final treatment medium.

Background: Because of varying reports, there is still need to investigate the impact of wrestling on hematological indices.Objectives: We investigated differences in the basic hematological indices in wrestlers compared to sedentary controls.Patients and Methods: The blood samples containing anticoagulant were collected from 12 male elite wrestlers (age=24  1.2 years, weight=76 5 Kg) with a history of more than 9.5 years of experience and from 13 apparently healthy male silent controls (age=24 0.8 years, weight=85  4 Kg). All the participants were at rest for 24 hours during the blood collection. Red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular Hb concentration (MCHC), total and differential white blood cell (WBC) counts, and platelet count were analyzed using an automated hematology analyzer.Results: Concentration of Hb (154  2 g/L), PCV (45.3  0.6%), and lymphocyte percent (22.6  3%) were lower in wrestlers than in the controls (Hb: 1653 g/L, PCV: 48.60.8%, and lymphocyte: 33.22%). However, higher neutrophil count (68.73%) was seen in the athletes than in the controls (60.62%). The other indices showed no differences between the two groups.Conclusions: A low level of Hb concentration and PCV was detected in the blood of wrestlers. In addition, lymphocyte/neutrophil ratio was lower in the wrestlers, which may be a reason for wrestlers’ susceptibility to viral infections.

Background: Research suggests that the effects of endurance training and supplementation with vitamin C on oxidative stress and muscle damage is associated with conflicting results that can be affected by the level of exercise and the amount and type of antioxidant supplements consumed.Objectives: The aim of the present research was to study the effect of endurance swimming training with the consumption of a vitamin C supplement on indices of oxidative stress and muscle damage in male Wistar rats.Materials and Methods: Twenty-four male Wistar rats with body weights of 27525 g were randomly divided into four groups of six: training (T), training with vitamin C (T+VC), control (C), and control with vitamin C (C+VC). Training groups swam for one hour per day and five days per week for 10 weeks. A vitamin C supplement 100 mg/kg b w solution with water rats and started one week before the training protocol began and continued to the end of the tenth week. To indicate the variables of catalase (CAT), malondyaldahide (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), uric acid (UA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and creatine kinase (CK), blood sampling was done on vena cava one day after the end of the training protocol. The results were analyzed using the one-way ANOVA followed by a Tukey test. The significance level was less than 0.05.Results: The results of this research indicated that the T+VC group showed a significant reduction in the level of MDA compared with the C group (P=0.008). A significant increase in the level of TAC was observed in the C+VC group compared with the T group (P=0.03). Both the T and T+VC groups indicated significant increases in the levels of LDH and CK compared with both the C and C+VC groups (P=0.001).Conclusions: In sum, the results indicate that the consumption of vitamin C can decrease the lipid peroxidation and increase the level of TAC, and is ineffective on enzyme and non-enzyme antioxidants and muscle damage.

Background: Globally, the human papillomavirus (HPV) remains the foremost cause of cancer mortality among women. There is a need to identify natural anti-cancerous compounds that can fight against life-threatening infections by HPV. Various kinds of natural plant-originated compounds have been used in the traditional system of medicine for cancer therapy. Different studies have reported the effective inhibition of HPV infection enacted by certain natural compounds. Out of all the different HPV types, HPV-16 and 18 are the ones mainly associated with causing cervical cancer; furthermore, the E6 and E7 oncoproteins of these two high-risk HPV types typically interact with tumor protein 53 (p53) and retinoblastoma tumor suppressor proteins (pRb) of human host which consequent to cancer formation.Objectives: The goal of this study is to identify unique plant-originated compounds to utilize in order to combat the high-risk human papillomavirus oncoproteins using docking measures.Materials and Methods: Twelve natural compounds jaceosidin, withaferin A, curcumin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), artemisinin, gingerol, ursolic acid, ferulic acid, berberin, silymarin, resveratrol, and indol-3-carbinol were docked against E6 and E7 oncoproteins of high-risk HPV types 16 and 18 using a protein-ligand docking software called AutoDock4.2.Results: Out of these 12 natural compounds, withaferin A was found to inhibit all four oncoproteins withminimumbinding energy.Conclusions: These in silico findings indicate that withaferin A may be used as a common drug for cervical cancer caused by highrisk HPV types, perhaps by restoring the normal functions of tumor suppressor proteins.

Background: Smoking is an established risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome.Objectives: Here we aimed to assess the effect of 3-month aerobic training on C-reactive protein (CRP) level and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in male smokers.Patients and Methods: A total of 34 male cigarette smokers aged 35 – 45 years participated in this study by accessible sampling and were divided randomly into experimental and control groups. Pre- and post-training CRP and TAC data were collected in both groups and compared by Student’s t-test.Results: Aerobic training resulted in a significantly increased TAC (P<0.001), but CRP remained unchanged (P=0.96).Conclusions: Despite a lack of CRP change, long-term aerobic training is associated with anti-oxidative effects.

Background: Resistance exercise is recommended as a useful therapeutic tool for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D); however, the frequency of studies is inadequate to establish the precise mechanisms of any association between them.Objectives: In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of three months of resistance training on TCF7L2 expression in pancreatic tissues, serum insulin and glucose.Materials and Methods: For this purpose, type 2 diabetes (T2D) was induced by intraperitoneal streptozotocin-nicotinamide in eighteen male Wistar rats aged 10 weeks (22030 g). Then, the rats were randomly divided into exercise and control groups. The exercise rats completed a three-month resistance training intervention that included climbingona stepladder for 5 days weekly. The control group did not participate in exercise intervention. Fasting glucose and insulin were measured before and after injection (7 days) and after intervention. TCF7L2 gene expression of pancreatic tissues was measured in both groups after the exercise treatment, and the ratio between the two groups was calculated.Results: Fasting glucose increased and serum insulin decreased significantly by T2D induction in the two groups at baseline. Resistance training resulted in a decrease in fasting glucose and an increase in insulin in exercise rats. Data also showed that TCF7L2 gene expression decreased after resistance training compared with the control group.Conclusions: Based on these data, increased serum insulin can be attributed to a decrease in TCF7L2 gene expression of pancreatic cells by resistance training in T2D rats.

background: Hyperlipidemia and low antioxidant levels is one the diabetes side effects. Some studies have indicated the possible effects of nutrients on the improvement of hyperlipidemia, by their antioxidants ingredients.Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the synthetic antioxidant, tempol, on blood lipid profiles and glucose levels in healthy and diabetic rats.Materials and Methods: Adult Wistar rats were randomly divided to four experimental groups including, healthy control, diabetic control, diabetic receiving tempol and healthy receiving tempol groups. Diabetes was induced by injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg, Intraperitoneally (IP)). The rats were then fed saline or tempol (30 mg/kg) by gavage for 60 days. Blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture. Next, glucose, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), cholesterol, triglyceride and HbA1c were measured by specific kits. Also, the coronary risk index was calculated.Results: The blood glucose level increased following diabetes induction. The level of blood glucose in the diabetic receiving tempol group decreased compared to the control diabetic group. The comparison of LDL, VLDL, cholesterol, triglyceride, HbA1c and coronary risk index among experimental groups indicated the increase of these factors in the diabetic group. High-density lipoprotein in the diabetic groups was lower than the other groups.Conclusions: It can be concluded that tempol can improve dyslipidemia and may decrease hyperglycemia in diabetes. It seems that antioxidants such as tempol can improve dyslipidemia and may decrease hyperglycemia in diabetes.

Background: Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) can change proteins function and structure. The increased production and high surface reactivity of silver nanoparticles, has interested researchers to study the interactions of these particles with biomolecules.Objectives: The present study aimed to show the effects of AgNPs on rice plant root peroxidase enzyme and the interaction quality between silver nanoparticles and the enzyme.Materials and Methods: Extracted peroxidase enzyme of rice plant root was treated by AgNPs at concentrations of 0, 20, 40, 80, 100mg/L for 2, 7 and 24 hours. The experiment was done with 15 treatments for measuring the peroxidase enzyme activity using the spectrophotometry method at a wavelength of 470.Results: Lowconcentrations of AgNPsandshort incubation times can have themaximumpositive impactonthe peroxidase activity, and in the present study the highest activity was seen at a concentration of 40 mg/L and two hours of incubation time.Conclusions: This study suggests that changes of enzymeactivity can occur as a result of the effect of silver nanoparticlesonenzyme conformation, increase of reactive environment pH, and amount of substrate and enzyme stability.

1. Introduction: Skeletal muscle, as an endocrine organ, secretes several cytokines, known as myokines, which have a significant role in the coordination of several organs and tissues, as well as human homeostasis (1, 2).....

Background: Varicocele is one of the most common reasons for male infertility and could impair spermatogenesis through mechanisms that are not well known. Recently, oxidative stress has been introduced as a major reason for male infertility caused by varicocele.Objectives: In the current study, we aimed to assess the TAC (total antioxidant capacity) and MDA (malondialdehyde) as stress oxidative markers in infertile men with varicocele and fertile men, and moreover, their correlation with sperm parameters.Patients and Methods: This case control study was performed on 43 infertilemen with varicocele and 46men with proven fertility.The ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) reaction methods were used for seminal plasma TAC and MDA assay, respectively.Results: Lower TAC levels (1.70.2 vs.1.30.4 mmol/L, P=0.0004) and higherMDAlevels (2.51.1 vs.5.81.9 mmol/L, P<0.0001) were observed in infertile men with varicocele compared to fertile men. There was no correlation between TAC and MDA in fertile men (r=0.02, P=0.9), however, a negative correlation was found between TAC andMDAlevels in varicocele infertilemen (r=-0.44, P =0.003). Moreover, a positive correlation was found between sperm count and sperm motility with TAC levels in varicocele infertile men (r=0.4, P=0.02 and r=0.6, P<0.0001, respectively). There was a correlation between sperm motility and TAC levels in fertile men (r=0.5, P=0.001), but other parameters did not correlate with TAC in this group. A negative correlation was shown between semen volume, sperm count, total sperm, sperm motility, and sperm morphology with MDA levels in varicocele infertile men (r= 0.3, P=0.045; r=-0.4, P=0.009; r=-0.5, P=0.002; r=-0.5, P=0.001 and r=-0.4, P=0.008, respectively). There was no correlation between these parameters and MDA in fertile men.Conclusions: Our findings indicated that oxidative stress could play an essential role in male infertility caused by varicocele and may impair spermatogenesis leading to infertility.