Pathobiology Research
Year:2019 | Volume:22 | Issue:4|Papers Count:7

Aims The JAK/STAT signaling pathway is activated by an interlacing-6 family of proteins and plays a crucial role in the hypertrophy process. Also, examining the role of this pathway in cardiac physiological hypertrophy derived by endurance training was the ultimate aim of this research. Material & Methods 16 adult male Wistar rats (age, 8 weeks) were used in this research. The rats were selected at random and assigned to one of two groups: Control and endurance training groups (8 rats in each group). Endurance training groups’ rats trained 8 weeks, 5 days/week. 48 hours after the last session, the rats were euthanized. The cardiac tissue was separated and cardiac hypertrophy was measured through considering heart weight to body weight ratio, left ventricle wall thickness, and cardiomyocytes area. In addition, expression levels of CT1, gp130, JAK2, and STAT3 genes were measured by real-time PCR. Finally, the data were analyzed by the independent t-test. Differences were considered significant at p<0. 05. Findings The endurance training group had a significant increase in the heart weight to body weight ratio compared with the control group (p≤ 0. 0001). Moreover, analyses performed by staining with Hematoxylin Eosin, shown that the training group had significant increases in the thickness of the left ventricle (p≤ 0. 0001). Yet, measuring expression levels of studied genes revealed that there were no significant differences between the training group and the control group expression levels (CT1: P=0. 174, gp130: P=0. 054, JAK2: P=0. 423, STAT3: P=0. 062). Conclusion Expression profiling in the training group performed after 8 weeks of training, revealed that the expression levels of genes involved in JAK/STAT pathway genes were not changed significantly. These findings suggest that despite the protective role, the JAK/STAT pathway may not play a crucial role in physiological cardiac hypertrophy.

Aims Oxidative substances are chemically reactive molecules and a byproduct of oxidative metabolism. Oxidative stress is one of the most lethal mechanisms in the toxicity of heavy metals such as lead. Since curcumin is an active ingredient in turmeric and has many properties, including antioxidant properties, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of milk and milk containing nano-curcumin on lead toxicity and to determine the effective concentration of nano-curcumin in controlling lead toxicity. Materials & Methods In the present study, the Huh7-1x-ARE-luc cell line, a biosensor of oxidative stress, was treated with 30μ M of lead as a strong oxidant. Then the antioxidant effect of low-fat and high-fat milk (20, 40, and 80μ L), nano-curcumin in antioxidant concentrations (4 and 8μ M) and simultaneous treatment with the combination of these two antioxidants was tested using Luciferase assay. Results Based on statistical analyses, the combination of milk and nano-curcumin (combination of 30μ M lead, 20μ L milk and 4μ M nano-curcumin) was able to significantly reduce lead toxicity at low concentrations of milk compared to the milk without nano-curcumin (combination of 30μ M lead and 80μ L milk), with RLU of 1266 and 34000, respectively. Discussion & Conclusion Nano-curcumin reveals a stronger antioxidant effect compared to milk, and ultimately, the combination of nano-curcumin and milk greatly neutralizes lead toxicity.

Aims The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) supplementation of human ovarian tissue culture media on the morphology of tissue and alteration in angiogenesis by expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) after transplantation. Materials & Methods In the present experimental study, the human ovarian tissues (n=8) after collection from female-to-male transsexual people, were cut into small fragments (n=98). Then, vitrified-warmed and cultured 24 hours in two groups in the presence and absence of LPA, and finally they were transplanted to γ-irradiated mice (n=13). After two weeks the morphology of tissues was studied by hematoxylin and eosin staining and VEGF protein was detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression of VEGF gene was evaluated by real time RT-PCR. Results The morphology of both transplanted tissues was well preserved and follicles at different developmental stages were seen in all studied groups. Significantly a higher expression of VEGF gene was observed in the LPA-treated group compared to the non-treated once (p<0. 05). Several blood vessels were shown positive reactions for VEGF antibody as green color in stroma of ovarian tissue sections in all studied groups. Conclusion Supplementation of human ovarian tissue culture media with LPA before transplantation could increase the expression of VEGF gene related to angiogenesis.

Aims The present study was aimed to investigate isolation and identification of halophil bacteria producing asparaginase from Urmia Lake and the effect of different salt concentrations and temperature on asparaginase production. Materials & Methods The water and mud samples from Urmia Lake were cultivated in MH and SWN media for isolation of halotolerant bacteria. Then, the asparaginase production rate was investigated in saline M9. The asparaginase production rate by isolates was investigated in different salt concentrations (10, 20, 30, and 40%) and temperatures (30, 35, 37, 45, and 50° C). Two isolates with a high production rate of asparaginase were stained by gram stain method and were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing. Findings In the present study, 57 isolates were obtained which 10 isolates showed asparaginase production. Among these, 2 isolates (A2 and A3) were selected as superior isolates. The isolate A3 has shown the largest halo (54mm) at 35° C and 10% salt concentration. Moreover, the isolate A2 has shown the largest halo (56mm) at 35° C and 40% salt concentration. The 16SrRNA sequencing showed that the A2 isolate was similar 98. 9% to the Halomonas elongata strain, and the A3 isolate was similar 100% to the Bacillus aryabhattai strain. Conclusion The bacteria isolated from Urmia Lake are potential source of asparaginase enzyme. H. elongate and B. aryabhattai strains isolated from Urmia Lake can be used to production of asparaginase without side effects for cancer patients.

Aims The combined therapy of cancer is more effective than using a single drug to treat. In the present study, the anticancer effects of doxorubicin and doxorubicin in combination with zinc oxide nanoparticles on the MCF-7 breast cancer cells were investigated. Materials & Methods MCF-7 cells were cultured in RPMI1640 medium. The number of viable cells and the activity of mitochondrial dehydrogenase enzyme were evaluated by MTT assay for 24, 48, and 72 hours and IC50 was determined. RNA was extracted and then cDNA was synthesized. Specific primers for the INXS and TBP genes were designed using proprietary software. The expression level of INXS gene compared with TBP reference gene using Real-Time PCR method was assessed. Findings The expression of the INXS gene in doxorubicin-treated MCF-7 cells at 24, 48, and 72 hours was 7. 93, 1. 71, and 0. 19, respectively, and in doxorubicin-treated cells with zinc oxide nanoparticles was changed 1. 81, 6. 34, and 15. 96 at 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively. Conclusion Simultaneous treatment with doxorubicin and zinc oxide nanoparticles at low concentrations (3. 125 and 6. 25) can cause more cell death than doxorubicin treatment alone. This may be due to the facilitation of doxorubicin entry into the cell in the presence of zinc oxide nanoparticles.

Aims Curcumin (CUR) is a hydrophobic polyphenol compound and possesses a wide range of biological applications including cancer therapy. However, its prominent application in cancer treatment is limited due to poor solubility and bioavailability. Cyclodextrins (CDs) as natural nanocapsules are comprised of glucose units. One of the characteristics of them is to create complex with hydrophobic guest molecules in nanopores. In the current study, in order to improve the solubility, bioavailability, and efficacy of CUR, β-cyclodextrin-curcumin (β-CD-CUR) inclusion complexes were prepared and its effect on cancer and normal cells was examined. Materials & Methods In this study, first, β-CD-CUR complexes were prepared using freezedrying method and the formation of these complexes was characterized by fluorescence spectroscopy. The encapsulation efficiency of CUR in β-CD was calculated for each concentration. After investigating the release of CUR from β-CD at different temperatures, the therapeutic effects of β-CD-CUR inclusion complexes for cancer and normal cell lines were evaluated by MTT assay. Findings The CUR encapsulation efficiency in β-CD was 33. 92± 1. 32%. Fluorescence spectroscopic studies confirmed the formation of stable inclusion complex. The results also showed that CUR release from β-CD was higher in thermal conditions of cancer cells (42° C) than in normal cells and ambient temperatures. The results of MTT assay depicted that encapsulated CUR in β-CD has a significant inhibitory effect on proliferation of cancer cells compared to free CUR. Conclusion The results provided acceptable evidence for cell proliferation inhibition of β-CDCUR complexes on cancer cells. There were no adverse effects detected for normal cells.

Aims Adiponectin is mainly produced by adipose tissue and there is an inverse relationship between circulating adiponectin levels and metabolic syndrome, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of eight weeks aerobic exercise with moderate and high intensities on serum levels of adiponectin and insulin resistance indexes in obese male rats. Materials & Methods In this experimental study, 24 adult obese male Wistar rats (weight 250 to 300g, BMI>30g/cm2) are divided into three groups including aerobic exercise with 28m/ min (MI= moderate intensity), aerobic exercise with 34m/min (HI= high intensity) and, control group (C= control). All training groups carried out exercise training for 8 weeks (5 sessions per week for 60 min per session). T-test and one-way analysis of variance were used to evaluate the differences between intra-and intergroup means, respectively. Tukey test was applied to compare the groups as two by two. Findings The levels of adiponectin in MI group (p= 0. 04) and HI (p= 0. 04) rather than C group were increased. Moreover, there are no differences between eight weeks aerobic exercise with MI and HI groups on adiponectin levels (p= 1. 00). The levels of FBS and insulin in MI and HI groups rather than C group were reduced but these changes were not significant (p>0. 05). The levels of insulin resistance index in MI group (p= 0. 01) and HI (p= 0. 01) rather than C group were significantly reduced. Conclusion It seems that both of the aerobic exercise intensities have a better effect on the prevention of obesity and cardiovascular disease.