Protective Effects of Acridocarpus smeathmannii (DC.) Guill. & Perr. Root Extract against Phenylhydrazine-Induced Haematotoxicity, Biochemical Changes, and Oxidative Stress in Rats.

Honey is a sweet, viscous food substance produced by bees using nectar from flowers. Due to its complex chemical composition, it has been widely used in traditional medicine for its therapeutic properties. The present study evaluated the protective role of honey in attenuating phenylhydrazine (PHZ)-induced toxicity in male Wistar rats. Twenty (20) male Wistar rats with a weight range of 200-250g were used for the study. They were allocated into four (4) groups consisting of five (5) rats each. In the first phase of the experiment, animals in group I (control) received distilled water while animals in groups II, III and IV received 2ml of 15, 30 and 60% honey respectively by oral gavage. In the second phase, haematotoxicity and oxidative stress were induced by intraperitoneal injection of phenylhydrazine (PHZ) at 50 mg/kg to all twenty (20) animals, daily for two (days). The animals continued to receive distilled water and honey as in phase one. Blood collected from animals was analyzed for haematological and oxidative stress parameters following standard laboratory procedures. Results from the present study show significantly increased packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, red blood cell, total white blood cell and neutrophil counts among the experimental groups compared to the control (p<0.05). Also, superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione levels increased among the honey-supplemented experimental groups compared while MDA levels reduced compared to the control (P<0.05). The study concludes that oral supplementation of honey may have protected against phenylhydrazine-induced toxicity evidenced by increased packed cell volume, red blood cell, white blood cell and neutrophile counts, catalase and superoxide dismutase as well reduced malondialdehyde. The present evidence suggests that honey could attenuate haematotoxicity and oxidative stress caused by phenylhydrazine.

Fructose is widely used as a food ingredient and has potential to increase oxidative stress. Moreover, the beneficial health effects of medicinal plants are frequently attributed to their potent antioxidant effects. The present study was aimed to explore the effects of garlic (Allium sativum) extract on insulin resistance, inflammation and oxidative stress in male wistar rats fed with high fructose diet. Diabetes was induced in male albino Wistar rats by feeding 60% fructose rich diet. The fasting plasma glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, tumour necrosis factor alpha, total antioxidant status and the whole blood reduced glutathione, erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activities were measured. Differences between the groups were assessed by using One Way Analysis of Variance with (ANOVA) Tukey post-hoc test. The diabetic rats showed a significant increase in plasma fasting glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, tumour necrosis factor alpha and malondialdehyde level and decreased levels of total antioxidant status, reduced glutathione, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Treatment with garlic extract restored all these biochemical changes. The garlic extract is effective in improving the high fructose induced oxidative stress, inflammation and insulin resistance in male wistar rats.

Introduction: Crude oil toxicity is caused by the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to oxidative stress and tissue damage. Both natural and synthetic antioxidants have shown potential in reducing the impact of this stress. This study evaluated the protective effects of N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) and Zinc Sulfate (ZnSO4) in alleviating testicular cytoarchitectural damage and oxidative stress in male Wistar rats after short-term exposure to Bonny light crude oil (BLCO) Materials and Methods: Fifty male Wistar rats (180–200g) were divided into ten groups of five. Group I (control) received distilled water, and Group II (negative control) was given BLCO (600mg/kg). Groups III and IV were administered NAC at doses of 100mg/kg and 200mg/kg, respectively. Groups V and VI received BLCO (600mg/kg) along with 100mg/kg and 200mg/kg NAC. Groups VII and VIII were treated with ZnSO4 at doses of 0.5mg/kg and 1mg/kg, respectively, while Groups IX and X were given BLCO (600mg/kg) combined with 0.5mg/kg and 1mg/kg ZnSO4. All treatments were administered orally via an orogastric cannula for three weeks. Testicular tissue was assessed by using histopathological examinations. Also, tissue malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were evaluated by using the ELISA technique. Results: Exposure to BLCO resulted in a significant increase in MDA and GSH levels and a significant decrease in SOD, CAT and TAC levels in BLO-exposed animals compared to control (P<0.05) which were mitigated by co-treatment with NAC and ZnSO₄. Histological analysis of the testes from rats exposed to BLCO revealed notable alterations in testicular morphology, including interstitial exudate, and atrophic and deteriorated seminiferous tubules which indicate testicular degeneration. However, this was improved on supplementation with NAC and ZnSO₄. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that BLCO-exposed rats experienced toxicity affecting both testicular antioxidants and testicular structure. Our findings suggest that NAC and ZnSO4 protected and improved testicular function in BLCO-exposed rats by enhancing testicular antioxidant levels and cytoarchitecture.

Background: The recruitment of medicinal herbs for the treatment of psychological disorders such as anxiety and stress has a long history. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the compensatory effects of hydroalcoholic extract of green tea on anxiety behaviors that are induced by noise stress in male Wistar rats. Methods: In this study, male Wistar rats weighing 200±20 g were randomly divided into six groups (n = 10): 1) control group, 2) sham- noise stress (two times per day and each time for 15 minutes, for 21 days, without noise stress), 3) chronic noise stress (two times per day and each time for 15 minutes, for 21 days, at 87.3 dB(A) and the frequency of 80 kHz), 4) Green tea (50, 100, 150 mg/kg i.p. for three weeks), 5) sham- green tea with saline injection for 21 days, 6) noise stress + green tea extract (50, 100, 150 mg/kg i.p. for three weeks). Their serum cortisol levels was measured by ELISA test before and after the tests. Behavioral tests were performed including elevated plus-maze, territory discrimination, and passive avoidance test. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software. Results: Serum corticosterone levels significantly decreased in noise stress groups treated with green tea compared to the control group (p <0.05). Based on the passive avoidance test, the time spent in the dark box showed a significant decrease in the noise stress group treated with green tea (150 mg/kg) compared to the noise stress group. Based on the territory discrimination test, the delay for entering the foreign segment in the green tea treated-groups showed a significant decrease (p <0.05) as compared to the noise stress group. The results of the elevated plus-maze test showed a significant increase in the time spent on the open arms in green tea extract-treated groups in comparison with noise stress group. Conclusion: Findings show the unique properties of green tea extracts in reducing serum corticosterone levels and improvement of anxiety behaviors caused by noise stress in animals. In addition, the useful effects of herbal medicine on anxiety disorders were confirmed in our study.

Background: depression may be considered disease of the modern era. With a high prevalence worldwide causing significant morbidity and mortality and constituting a heavy burden on social and economic welfare. Despite decades-long research the exact pathogenesis of depression is still not fully understood. Aims: to investigate the behvioral deficits elicited by exposure to the combined model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) then chronic mild stress (CMS) in male Wistar rats and to investigate the putative role of inflammatory cytokine production induced lipopolysaccharide exposure together with chronic stress in the pathogenesis of depressive like behaviour. Materials and Methods: Sixty five Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups; Control group (n=29): naive rats left undisturbed, not exposed to stress and LPS/CMS exposed group (n=27). Results: exposure to LPS/CMS model induced a depressive-like behavior manifested by a decline in body weight gain, alongside an increase in immobility time in FST and a decrease in time of active interaction in SIT. Conclusion: this work highlights the depressive like behaviour induced by exposure to the combined model of lipopolysaccharide and chronic mild stress. This work also underscores the putative role of lipopolysaccharide exposure in modulating the stress-induced neuroinflammation which is thought to be crucial, not only for the pathogenesis of depression, but also for a wide array of neurological diseases.

Diazinon is an organophosphate toxicant that has been identified to induce oxidative stress within biological systems through altering biochemical and hematological indices, by generating free radicals while deteriorating the cellular antioxidant defense system. The present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), a synthetic food additive, in serving as an antioxidant against sub-lethal diazinon-induced oxidative stress in male Wistar rats. Animals were randomly divided into 4 groups: Control (treated with corn oil as a vehicle), diazinon (10 mg/kg/day), TBHQ (0.028 g/kg of diet) and a combination group of TBHQ (0.028 g/kg of diet) plus diazinon (10 mg/kg/day). All animals were treated orally once a day by gastric tube and treatments were continued for 7 weeks. Hematological indices, including red blood cell (RBC) indices and white blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts, were measured at the end of the treatment schedule. On comparison of the treatment groups with the untreated control group, RBC count, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were significantly decreased in the diazinon and TBHQ+diazinon groups, while MCHC in the TBHQ group and MCV in the diazinon and TBHQ+diazinon groups were significantly increased. When the diazinon and TBHQ+diazinon groups were compared with the TBHQ group, RBC, Hb, Hct, and MCHC were significantly decreased whereas MCV was increased in both groups. Additionally, when comparing the TBHQ+diazinon group with the diazinon group, MCHC was determined to be significantly decreased. The results of the current experiments suggested that TBHQ could not efficiently protect blood cells against diazinon toxicity.

Aim An increasing environmental pollution has elevated the number of deleterious pollutants present in the atmosphere. Among these, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, such as 7,12-dimethylbenz(α)anthracene (DMBA) have posed serious threat to the health of both animals and plants. Most of these compounds are genotoxic in nature and an elevated exposure of these carcinogens increases the risk of initiation and promotion of cancer. The low efficacy, specific target sites, and large number of side effects of the available drugs have encouraged researchers to look for an alternate drug with high biological potency. The best alternate for this is the use of medicinal plants and especially their phytochemicals, such as glucosinolate hydrolytic products. A large number of glucosinolate hydrolytic products are available in different plant species, but sulforaphane has emerged as the most potent among them. This important compound is interconverted to 4-methylthiobutyl isothiocyanate (4-MTBITC) or erucin in the body of an organism. In contrast to sulforaphane, not much work has been done on the biological properties of 4-MTBITC. The current study, therefore, focuses on evaluating the renoprotective activity of 4-MTBITC on DMBA induced nephrotoxicity in male Wistar rats. Materials and methods The bioprotective efficacy of erucin was evaluated in male Wistar rats treated with DMBA using the levels of serum creatinine, urea, sodium, and potassium. Results The treatment with erucin significantly ameliorated the DMBA induced stress in male Wistar rats. Conclusion Erucin or 4-MTBITC has the potential to impart protection to male Wistar rats against genotoxic carcinogen (DMBA) induced stress. How to cite this article Arora R, Kukreja S, Mannan R, Bhushan S, Arora S. Evaluating the Renoprotective Activity of 4-Methylthiobutyl Isothiocyanate against 7,12-Dimethylbenz(α)anthracene generated Radical Stress in Male Wistar Rats. Curr Trends Diagn Treat 2017;1(1):10-14.

Context: Saffron extract can inhibit the metabolic disorders induced by stress but the mechanism of action of saffron extract in the central nervous system is not clear.Objective: The present research investigated the effects of saffron water extract and its constituent, safranal on the behavioral and metabolic signs induced by electroshock stress in male Wistar rats (W: 250–300 g).Materials and methods: Dried saffron material and maceration method was used for extraction. Animals received intra-amygdala (1, 5, and 10 µg/rat) or intraperitoneal (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg) administration of the extract, safranal (Fluka, Germany), or saline 5 or 30 min before stress induction, respectively.Results: The result showed that stress elevated the corticosterone plasma (115 nmol/L) concentration in the control and intra-amygdala (1, 5, and 10 µg/rat)-treated groups but not in groups that received extract or safranal (55 nmol/L) intraperitoneally (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg). Moreover, anorexia was reduced only in groups that received the extract (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg) or safranal (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg) intraperitoneally (50 sec). Stress increased sniffing, rearing, locomotion, and coping time, which were decreased by intraperitoneal (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg) but not by intra-amygdala (1, 5, and 10 µg/rat) administration of saffron extract and safranal.Discussion and conclusion: The results revealed that saffron water extract and safranal had an important impact on the reduction of both metabolic and behavioral signs of stress in male Wistar rats. Moreover, the involvement of the amygdala in this observation can be ruled out.

Cadmium disrupts the blood-testes barrier, interferes with various antioxidant levels thus enhancing lipid peroxidation and ultimately leading to apoptosis and necrosis of testicular tissue. Moringa oleifera is a medicinal plant and a rich source of essential phytochemicals possessing antioxidant properties. The effect of aqueous leaf extract of M. oleifera on reproductive function following cadmium chloride induced oxidative stress in male Wistar rats was investigated. Forty adult male Wistar rats were assigned into five groups of eight rats each. Treatment was administered orally daily as follows: Group 1 (control): animal feed and tap water ad libitum; Group 2: 5 mg kg-1 cadmium chloride for 21 days; Group 3: 500 mg kg-1 of M. oleifera and 5 mg kg-1 of cadmium chloride for 21 days; Group 4: 5 mg kg-1 cadmium chloride for 21 days followed by 500 mg kg-1 M. oleifera for the next 35 days; Group 5: 5 mg kg-1 cadmium chloride for 21 days followed by 750 mg kg-1 M. oleifera for the next 35 days. At the end of treatment, blood was obtained by direct cardiac puncture for fertility hormone assay and testicular tissue specimens were harvested for semen analysis and determination of antioxidant levels. Results obtained indicated that rats treated with the various extracts had significantly increased superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde and catalase levels, increased serum concentrations of testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone and increased percentage of viable and normal spermatozoa compared to control and only cadmium chloride treated rats (p &lt; 0.05). The results obtained suggest that treatments with M. oleifera extract could ameliorate possible cellular damage caused by administration of cadmium chloride.

Background and Objectives The role of stress oxidative on cardiac disease prevalence has been studied by researchers and the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) have not been specified clearly. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of HIIT training with caffeine consumption on myocardial oxidative stress in rats. Subjects and Methods Thirty-two male rats were randomly divided into four groups (eight rats per group): control, HIIT (TA), caffeine (CA), and HIIT + caffeine (TA+CA). One hour before exercise, caffeine was injected into the CA and TA+CA groups. HIIT was performed five days a week with 85-90% maximum running speed on a treadmill for eight weeks. Then, 48 hr after the last exercise session and anaesthetization, the left ventricular was removed and the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured by spectrophotometry. Results The results indicated that MDA levels in the CA+TA and CA groups significantly decreased compared to the control group (P&lt;0.05). Also, the levels of SOD and CAT significantly increased in the three groups compared to the control group. Conclusion HIIT along with caffeine consumption can protect the cardiac tissue in rats and prevent heart injury.

After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Describe alterations of red blood cells due to bacterial toxins. 2. Describe physical alterations of neutrophils during activation. 3. Delineate the role of red and white blood cells in the impairment of microcirculation and organ damage in sepsis. 4. List drugs that may inhibit neutrophil activation and improve their deformability and their actions. Sepsis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates, particularly among preterm infants. (1) Impaired microcirculatory blood flow plays a pivotal role in the development of clinical manifestations and organ dysfunctions in severe sepsis and septic shock. (2)(3)(4) If not corrected, microcirculatory dysfunction can progress to organ dysfunction and subsequently to organ failure and death. Restoration of microcirculatory dysfunction is, therefore, an important step in preventing long-term sequelae (including brain damage) and death of the patient. Both red and white blood cells must deform to pass through narrow channels whose diameters are less than those of the cells. (5) Impaired deformability of red and white blood cells may contribute to impaired microcirculatory blood flow in septicemia. The membranes of neonatal red blood cells (RBCs) deform more in response to a given force than adult cells and are, therefore, more flexible. (6)(7) On the other hand, neonatal RBCs are larger and require higher pressures to enter filter pores and micropipettes that have diameters below the resting cellular diameters. (8)(9) The larger volume and increased deformability of neonatal RBCs are responsible for another favorable property, the increased Fahraeus and Fahraeus-Lindqvist effect (ie, hematocrit and viscosity reduction when going from 500- to 50-mcm tubes). (10) These favorable flow properties of neonatal RBCs suggest that their increased cellular deformability is a prerequisite for adequate flow in arterioles and capillaries. We have shown that loss of …

Effect of Acacia honey from north-west Nigeria on sodium arsenite-induced oxidative damage and clastogenicity in male Wistar rats was investigated. Animals were divided into four groups and were treated daily via oral gavage for one week before they were sacrificed. Brain, liver and blood serum were collected for antioxidant and protein assays. Clastogenicity, in vitro antioxidant activity, vitamins and minerals were also evaluated. From the results, co-administration of Acacia honey with sodium arsenite on the animals increased (P < 0.05) glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities with concomitant decrease in malondialdehyde levels and anti-clastogenic effects relative to the group treated with sodium arsenite only. The honey possesses reducing power, high hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, good amount of vitamins (A, C and E), flavonoids (5.08 ± 0.92 mg QE/100 g) and phenolics (5.40 ± 0.69 mg GAE/100 g). The minerals present include zinc, iron, sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium. In conclusion, Acacia honey from Nigeria may mitigate oxidative stress and clastogenicity.

In the present study, we examined the effects of fish oil supplementation in 3 months old male Wistar rats on changes in plasma and liver lipid metabolism and oxidative stress parameters. Twenty Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups of ten animals: control group and intervention group, treated for 6 weeks with fish oil capsules containing 45 mg eicosapentanoic acid and 30 mg docosahexanoic acid. After intervention, biochemical parameters in plasma [triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and total cholesterol, urea, creatinine and uric acid], fatty acid (FAs) profile of liver phospholipids and parameters of oxidative stress in liver [activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase and paraoxonase (PON1), concentration of nitrites, lipid peroxidation (LPO), free thiol (SH) groups and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) izoenzymes were determined. Treatment with fish oil improved FAs profile of liver phospholipids, increasing n-3 FAs and decreasing n-6/n-3 ratio. Significant decrease in plasma TG and LDL concentration, and increase in the level of HDL and uric acid were found in intervention group at the end of the study. Catalase activity, LPO, and nitrites concentration in liver were significantly decreased, after the supplementation, together with elevated PON1 activity. Applied treatment significantly improved plasma lipid profile, liver FAs composition and parameters of oxidative stress in male Wistar rats.

Hemolytic anemia is a hematological disorder occurs owing to the excessive hemolysis of red blood cells. Atriplex hortensis (A. hortensis) leaves are traditionally used for prevention and treatment of anemia. The present study was performed to assess the effects of A. hortensis extract on phenyl-hydrazine induced hemolytic anemia in rat. Thirty-six, six months old, male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups of 6 rats each. One group received normal saline and other 5 groups received 40 mg/kg phenyl-hydrazine (PHZ) intraperitoneally at baseline and on day 33 for induction of hemolytic anemia. Four PHZ treated groups received daily oral doses of 50, 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg/day A. hortensis extract for 31 days and one PHZ treated group kept as control received saline accordingly. Blood superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and blood hematological parameters such as hematocrit (HCT), red blood cell (RBC), reticulocyte (Ret) and hemoglobin (HGB) were determined in all groups after 34 days of the study. The blood RBC, HGB and HCT parameters were significantly lowers and Ret increased significantly in PHZ control group compared with the normal saline treated group. In A. hortensis extract (100, 200, and 300 mg/kg/day) treated groups the blood HCT, RBC and HGB parameters were significantly increased and Ret decrease, compared with PHZ control group, The blood SOD enzyme activity was significantly improved in all A. hortensis treated groups compared with PHZ control group. A. hortensis extract improved blood SOD activity and blood HCT, RBC, Ret and HGB parameters indicating inhibition of hemolytic anemia induced by phenyl-hydrazine in rat.

Nicosulfuron is a post-emergence herbicide used to control weeds while hesperetin found in citrus fruits has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antioxidant properties. This study was designed to investigate the ameliorative properties of Hesperetin on Nicosulfuron-induced reproductive oxidative stress in male Wistar rats. Twenty-four male wistar rats weighing 200 ± 20g were assigned to different groups, each with six animals. Group A serves as the control group and were administered distilled water only. Group B received 25 mg/kg body weight (B.W.) Nicosulfuron. Group C were co-administered with 25 mg/kg B.W. Nicosulfuron and 100 mg/kg Hesperetin while animals in group D received 100 mg/kg B.W. Hesperetin. All treatment lasted for 14 days. An increase in the percentage of sperm with abnormal morphology (23.07%) in the group exposed to Nicosulfuron was observed. Sperm motility, testicular Ascorbic acid, reduced glutathione (GSH) levels were reduced significantly in the Nicosulfuron-treated group by 20.33%, 48.11%, and 41.10% respectively. Also, GST, Catalase, and SOD activities were significantly down-regulated in the Nicosulfuron-treated group. Furthermore, as compared to the control group, the Nicosulfuron-treated group had significantly higher activity of testicular acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), MDA, and NO levels. However, co-treatment of Nicosulfuron and Hesperetin significantly ameliorated the Nicosulfuron-induced changes in sperm morphology, motility; testicular ascorbic acid, GSH, NO levels; SOD, CAT, GST, ALP, and ACP activities. The result from this study indicates that Hesperetin, due to its antioxidant properties, protects against testicular oxidative stress induced by Nicosulfuron exposure.