BW Group Research Articles

Eel's Head Powder Reduces Mild-Moderate Depression in Geriatric Individual: Result from Randomized Controlled Trial Study.

Depression is one of the major problems, and the prevalence is higher among the elderly. The underlying mechanism of depression among this set of the population is multifactorial, and one of the most important factors in the pathophysiology of depression is the level of brain serotonin. Protein deficiency is linked to tryptophan deficiency that is known to be the essential material for the synthesis of serotonin. This randomized controlled trial looked for the effectiveness of eel's head powder administration on plasma tryptophan level and geriatric depression scale (GDS) scores among the elderly population who suffered from depression. The subjects were divided into three intervention groups, including groups that were given 2-week course of 5 mg/kg BW eel's head powder, 10 mg/kg BW eel's head powder, and placebo, respectively. There was a significant difference in plasma tryptophan level and geriatric depression scale between the 10 mg/kg BW group and 5 mg/kg BW group. There was also a significant difference between those given 10 mg/kg BW eel's head powder and those receiving placebo; however, no such difference was found between those in the 5 mg/kg BW eel's head powder group and placebo group. Eel's head powder administration could increase plasma tryptophan level and reduce geriatric depression scale score among older individuals who suffered from depression. Administration of 10 mg/kg BW eel's head powder was significant in increasing plasma tryptophan level and reducing GDS score.

Safety Assessment of a Hemp Extract using Genotoxicity and Oral Repeat-Dose Toxicity Studies in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Cannabinoids are extracted from Cannabis sativa L. and are used for a variety of medicinal purposes. Recently, there has been a focus on the cannabinoid Cannabidiol (CBD) and its potential benefits. This study investigated the safety of a proprietary extract of C. sativa, consisting of 9% hemp extract (of which 6.27% is CBD) and 91% olive oil. The mutagenic potential of the hemp extract was evaluated with the AMES assay inclusive of a hepatic drug metabolizing mix (S9) rich in CYP enzymes. The test article did not elicit evidence of bacterial mutagenicity. GLP compliant 14-day and a 90-day toxicity study were conducted. Olive oil was used as a control. The 90-day study had a 28-day recovery period. Treatments for the 14-day non-recovery range-finding study were 0, 1000, 2000 and 4000 mg test article/kg body weight (bw)/day for 14 days. There was a non-statistically significant (p > 0.05) decrease in body weights for the male and female rats receiving the test article. Hypoactivity, hyperactivity, reduced food consumption and piloerection were observed in the rats receiving 4000 mg test article/kg bw. Histopathology showed an increase in the size of liver cells (hypertrophy) around the central vein (centrilobular) in Groups 3 (3/10) and 4 (5/10) that correlated with increased liver weights. In the 90-day study, 8 groups of rats were dosed with 0, 200, 400 and 800 mg test article/kg bw/day. Groups 5 to 8 had a 28-day recovery. There were no test article-linked changes in clinical observations, physical examinations, Functional Observation Battery, ophthalmology, Motor Activity Assessment, hematology, clinical chemistries and macropathology (all groups). With the exception of the liver and adrenal gland, no test article-linked pathology was observed. For all rats receiving the test article, histopathology showed hypertrophy of liver cells around the central vein. The increase of liver weight is most likely caused by hypertrophy due to up-regulation of the hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes. The hepatocellular hypertrophy was completely reversed in 28 days and was not considered to be an adverse effect. Vacuolization of the adrenal zona fasciculata was observed in the control and 800 mg test article/kg bw groups. The vacuolization of the zona fasciculata was of the same incidence and severity in treatment and control male rats and correlated with an increased in the weights of the adrenal glands. In addition, a statistically significant increase (p<0.05) in adrenal-to-body weight ratios was observed for females receiving 800 mg test article/kg bw. This increase in adrenal-to-body weight ratio did not correlate with any of the pathology findings. The NOAEL for the test article is 800 mg/kg bw/day for female and 400 mg/kg bw/day for male Sprague Dawley rats.

Effects of Leadtree Seed (Leucaena leucocephala) Extract in Inhibiting the Increase of Postprandial Blood Glucose Level in Alloxan-induced Diabetic Rats

This research aimed to add evidence on the effect of white leadtree seed extract (Leucaena leucocephala) on postprandial blood glucose level on white male alloxan induced diabetic rats. This research was an experiment with pretest-posttest control group design. The subjects of this research were 25 white male rats, Wistar strain was divided into 5 groups. Group I was the positive control, which was treated with Acarbose, group II was the negative control, and group III, group IV, and group V were treatment groups and were given white leadtree seed extract of 1.5 g/kg of BW, 3.5 g/kg of BW, and 7.8 g/kg of BW respectively. Blood glucose level was checked before and two hours after treatment. The statistical analysis used one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test. The result showed that there were no significant differences between group III, group IV, and group V and the positive control group (p<0.05). The best result of inhibition of the increase in blood glucose level was found in 7.8 g/kg of BW (group V) dosage group with average difference of 186.4 mg/dl. In conclusion, white leadtree seed extract could decrease two hour postprandial blood glucose level in white male alloxan-induced diabetic rats and a dosage of 7.8 g/kg of BW was shown to be the most effective.

TEST OF ANTI-INFLAMATION ACTIVITIES OF PEPAYA LEAF (Carica papaya L.) EXTRACT ON MALE WISTAR RATS INDUCED BY CARAGENAN 1%

Inflammation is a normal protective response to tissue injuries caused by physical trauma, destructive chemicals, or microbiological substances. The purpose of this study was to determine the anti-inflammatory activity of papaya leaf water extract (Carica papaya L.) on the feet of male Wistar rats which were induced by carrageenan 1%. The research method used is experimental. The stages of this study include plant identification, making dry simplicia powder, simplicia characteristics, extracting papaya leaves using water, simplicia phytochemical screening and papaya leaf water extract (EADP), as well as testing for anti-inflammatory activity. Anti-inflammatory testing was carried out on 20 male Wistar rats induced with 1% carrageenan sub plantar. The test group was divided into five groups for the induction, comparison, EADP 50, 100, 200 mg/kg BW groups. The parameters observed were the volume of mouse leg udema measured by a pletismometer every 30 min for 5 h. Data obtained then calculated percent inflammation and percent inflammation inhibition. Furthermore, it was analysed by ANOVA with a confidence level of 95%. The results of the simplicia characteristics showed that the water content, water content of the sea water and soluble extracts of ethanol were 8.9%, 51.4% and 10.2% respectively. The results of simplicia and EADP phytochemical screening showed the content of flavonoids, tannins, triterpenoids, glycosides, and alkaloids. Observations of the percentage of inflammation in the induction group had the highest percentage of inflammation compared with the other test groups at time of 300 min (p 0.05). Whereas the percentage of inflammatory inhibition of all groups of test extracts has effectiveness comparable to the comparison group. EADP group 200 mg/kg BW is the best dose of extract as anti-inflammatory, where flavonoid compounds are thought to be responsible for decreasing the volume of inflammation in the legs of test animals.

The preventive effect of activated charcoal on HDL levels and aorta histopathological profiles in hypercholesterol rat models

Hypercholesterolemia is a condition which the cholesterol levels in the blood exceeds the normal value. The use of hypercholesterolemia drugs or synthetic drugs in a long term will cause severe side effects. Therefore, it is important to explore an alternative preventive agent of hypercholesterolemia derived from natural materials, such as activated charcoal. The activated charcoal can absorb substances thousands times of its own weight and might be an effective and non-toxic material. The research aimed to determine the preventive effect of activated charcoal towards HDL level and aorta’s histopathology. This experiment used 24 male rats in randomized design that were divided into six groups: negative control (1); positive control (2), and four groups of treatments with activated charcoal doses of 2.250 mg/kg BW (3), 4.950 mg/kg BW (4), 6.750 mg/kg BW (5) 4.950 mg/kg BW (6), respectively, for 14 days. Simultaneously, all groups were received high cholesterol diet except group 1 and group 6. High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) level was measured by the spectrophotometry method and the data of HDL were analyzed using One-Way ANOVA and followed by the Tukey test (p<0.05), while aorta’s histopathology were analyzed descriptively. Therapeutic dose of 4.950 mg/kg BW (group 4) showed the best dose in increasing HDL levels by 42% compared to positive control. Activated charcoal reduced the inflammation cells and the defect of aorta’s histopathology. Based on the results, activated charcoal prevents the decreasing of HDL level and a defect of aorta’s histopathology.

Acute toxic effect of lipopolysaccharides to blood tissue in rats and responses to vitamin E and sodium selenite.

This work has been prepared to find out changes in the biochemicals with DNA damage, micronucleus, and apoptosis to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) alone or vitamin E (VE) and sodium selenite (SS) in rats' blood tissue. Rats were divided into eight groups according to the treatment into control vitamin E (VE) treatment group (200mg/kg bw), sodium selenite (SS) treatment (0.35mg/kg bw) group, VE+SS treatment group (200+0.35mg/kg bw), LPS treatment group (10mg/kg bw), LPS+VE (10+200mg/kg bw), LPS+SS treatment (10+0.35mg/kg bw), and LPS+SS+VE treatment (10+0.35+200mg/kg bw) group for 6hr. LPS increased malondialdehyde (MDA) level and decreased antioxidant enzymes' activities in rat erythrocytes and leukocytes. DNA damage of leukocytes with comet assay and RAPD-PCR was detected in LPS treatment group. The levels of micronucleus and apoptosis percentage were increased significantly at the end of 6hr. VE and/or SS protected the LPS-induced erythrocytes and leukocytes against damage as they have caused amelioration of rats by altering the results. As a result, the co-administration of VE and/or SS against LPS-induced damage provides protection. VE and/or SS in patients and animal models with sepsis must be taken in the diet because they are protective against the cellular degradation caused by oxidative damage. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: LPS obtained from E. coli is used more frequently in experimental sepsis studies. When LPS is administered to experimental animals, interstitial pneumonia, adult respiratory fatal syndrome, acute tubular necrosis, and fatal effects such as coagulopathy and hypoglycemia may be seen in these animals. The co-treatment of VE and SS may be more effective than using them alone against LPS.

Anti-hypercholesterolemic effect of Zingiber montanum extract.

Background: High cholesterol levels (hypercholesterolemia) has been recognized to cause various disease, most notably the cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, most anti-hypercholesterolemic drugs deliver several side effects for patients, by which medicinal plants have begun to attract attention for treating hypercholesterolemia. Among others, Zingiber montanum (J.König) Link ex A.Dietr. has traditionally been taken for treating health problems caused by high cholesterol levels. Hence, this work aimed at investigating anti-hypercholesterolemic effects offered by the plant. Methods: This study was conducted on 30 male Wistar rats. During experiments, the subjects were divided into 6 groups (n=5), i.e. no treatment (Group 1, control); high-fat diet (Group 2, control); high-fat diet with simvastatin (Group 3); high-fat diet with plant extracts (Group 4-6 with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW, respectively). After 4 weeks of treatments, blood samples were collected from each group. Then, plasma concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, high density lipoproteins (HDL), and low density lipoproteins (LDL) were measured. Results: There were significant differences in total cholesterol (p=0.000), LDL (p=0.000) and triglycerides (p=0.001) for Groups 4-6 (high-fat diet treated with different plant extract doses) in comparison with Group 2 (high-fat diet, control). Meanwhile, there were no significant differences in HDL levels (p=0.830) between Group 2 (high-fat diet, control) and other groups. The results also showed significant differences in total cholesterol and LDL for subjects treated with plant extracts (Group 4, 100 mg/kg BW, p=0.000; Group 5, 200 mg/kg BW, p=0.000; Group 6, 400 mg/kg BW, p=0.000) compared to Group 2 (high-fat diet, control). Then, treatments with 400 mg/kg BW (Group 6) discovered significant reductions in total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides (p=0.030). Conclusion: Therefore, Z. montanum has been discovered to deliver anti-hypercholesterolemic effects to experimental subjects, making it potential to act as a natural source of anti-hypercholesterolemic agents.

Anti-hypercholesterolemic effect of Zingiber montanum extract

Background: High cholesterol levels (hypercholesterolemia) has been recognized to cause various disease, most notably the cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, most anti-hypercholesterolemic drugs deliver several side effects for patients, by which medicinal plants have begun to attract attention for treating hypercholesterolemia. Among others, Zingiber montanum (J.König) Link ex A.Dietr. has traditionally been taken for treating health problems caused by high cholesterol levels. Hence, this work aimed at investigating anti-hypercholesterolemic effects offered by the plant. Methods: This study was conducted on 30 male Wistar rats. During experiments, the subjects were divided into 6 groups (n=5), i.e. no treatment (Group 1, control); high-fat diet (Group 2, control); high-fat diet with simvastatin (Group 3); high-fat diet with plant extracts (Group 4-6 with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW, respectively). After 4 weeks of treatments, blood samples were collected from each group. Then, plasma concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, high density lipoproteins (HDL), and low density lipoproteins (LDL) were measured. Results: There were significant differences in total cholesterol (p=0.000), LDL (p=0.000) and triglycerides (p=0.001) for Groups 4-6 (high-fat diet treated with different plant extract doses) in comparison with Group 2 (high-fat diet, control). Meanwhile, there were no significant differences in HDL levels (p=0.830) between Group 2 (high-fat diet, control) and other groups. The results also showed significant differences in total cholesterol and LDL for subjects treated with plant extracts (Group 4, 100 mg/kg BW, p=0.000; Group 5, 200 mg/kg BW, p=0.000; Group 6, 400 mg/kg BW, p=0.000) compared to Group 2 (high-fat diet, control). Then, treatments with 400 mg/kg BW (Group 6) discovered significant reductions in total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides (p=0.030). Conclusion: Therefore, Z. montanum has been discovered to deliver anti-hypercholesterolemic effects to experimental subjects, making it potential to act as a natural source of anti-hypercholesterolemic agents.

Local DRLs and automated risk estimation in paediatric interventional cardiology.

IntroductionCardiac catheterization procedures result in high radiation doses and often multiple procedures are necessary for congenital heart disease patients. However, diagnostic reference levels (DRL) remain scarce. Our first goal was finding the optimal DRL parameter and determining appropriate DRLs. The second goal was to calculate organ doses (OD), effective doses (ED) and lifetime attributable risks (LAR) per procedure and to provide conversion factors based on dose area product (DAP).Materials and methodsDRLs are calculated for each procedure type, as the 75th percentile of the cumulative value per procedure from the corresponding parameter. All irradiation events in the DICOM Structured Reports were automatically processed and simulated using PCXMC, resulting in OD, ED and LAR. Using a Kruskal Wallis H test and subsequent pairwise comparisons, differences in median values of the DRL parameter between procedure types were assessed.ResultsLinear regression showed a strong correlation and narrow confidence interval between DAP and product of body weight and fluoroscopy time (BWxFT), even when all procedures (diagnostic and interventional) are combined. Only 15% of the pairwise comparisons were statistically significant for DAP normalized to BWxFT (DAPBWxFT). The latter pairs contained less frequent procedure types with significant outliers. For DAP normalized to BW (DAPBW), 38% of the pairwise comparisons showed statistically significant differences. Conversion factors from DAPBW to OD and ED were reported for various weight groups, due to the higher correlation between DAPBW and both OD and ED than between DAP and both OD and ED.ConclusionsThe P75 of DAPBWxFT for all procedures combined serves as an appropriate DRL value. This facilitates local DRL determination in smaller paediatric centres, which often have insufficient data to produce appropriate DRLs for different procedure types. Conversion factors are more reliable starting from DAPBW instead of DAP and should be used according to the appropriate BW group.

Red Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus Polyrhizus) Extract Decreases Lactic Acid Level and Creatine Kinase Activity in Rats Receiving Heavy Physical Exercise.

BACKGROUND:Heavy physical exercise causes relative hypoxia. In hypoxic condition, the cell’s energy comes from anaerobic metabolism that produces lactic acid. An increment of oxygen need leads to ischemia-reperfusion, triggers free radical formation and damages muscles. Creatine kinase (CK) is a marker of muscle tissue damage. Red dragon fruit (RDF) has potential as antioxidant to reduce free radical formation.AIM:This study aims to determine RDF extract potential to reduce the lactic acid level and CK activity after heavy physical exercise.METHODS:A total of 32 male rats (Rattus Norvegicus) were randomly divided into 4 groups: group NORDF, treated heavy physical exercise and distilled water; group RDF100, treated heavy physical exercise and at 100 mg/kg BW RDF extract; group RDF200, treated heavy physical exercise and at 200 mg/kg BW RDF extract and group RDF300, treated heavy physical exercise and at 300 mg/kg BW RDF extract. The rats swam for 20 minutes, 3 times a week for 3 weeks.RESULTS:RDF300 group showed lower lactic acid level and CK activity as compared to that of NORDF (p = 0.00) and RDF100 (p = 0.00) groups, but RDF300 are not significantly different for lactic acid (p = 0.45) and for CK (p = 0.68).CONCLUSION:Red dragon fruit extract has potential in lowering lactic acid level and CK activity in male rats receiving heavy physical exercise.

The Effects of 50 nm Unmodified Nano-ZnO on Lipid Metabolism and Semen Quality in Male Mice

Fifty male mice were exposed to 50 nm unmodified nano-ZnO through intragastric administration for 90 days to detect the long-term effects of unmodified nano-ZnO in mice. Results showed that the blood glucose, serum follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, testosterone, and estradiol were significantly decreased (p < 0.05). The serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein were significantly increased (p < 0.05). The semen quality of the 160 mg/kg·bw group were significantly lowered (p < 0.05). The liver and testis catalase and CuZn-SOD activities were significantly elevated (p < 0.05). The abilities of •OH inhibition in the livers and testes of the 160 mg/kg·bw group were significantly lowered (p < 0.05). The liver and testis MDA levels of the 160 mg/kg·bw group were significantly elevated (p < 0.05). Results indicate that exposure of nano-ZnO could induce lipid metabolism disorder, hyperlipidemia, and reproductive toxicity to male mice through oxidative injury.

Validation of the Use of Neorautanenia mitis (N. mitis) as an antidiarrheal therapy in Nigerian Traditional Medicine

Fluoxetine-induced liver damage is a cause of chronic liver disease. In the present study the hepatoprotective effects of gallic acid against fluoxetine-induced liver damage were examined.Forty-eight male rats were divided into six groups as follow: group 1, the control group; group 2, rats receiving fluoxetine (24 mg/kg bw daily, po) without treatment; group 3, rats receiving 24 mg/kg bw fluoxetine, treated with 50 mg/kg bw silymarin and groups 4, 5, and 6 in which gallic acid (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg bw, po, respectively) was prescribed after the consumption of fluoxetine. The histopathological changes of hepatic tissues were checked out.Fluoxetine caused a significant increase in the levels of serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT), lipid profiles, urea, fasting blood sugar (FBS), creatinine (Cr), protein carbonyl (PC) content, malondialdehyde (MDA), and liver TNF-α as an inflammatory element. Also, the obtained results of group 2 revealed a significant decline in ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), liver catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and vitamin C levels. The treatment with gallic acid showed significant ameliorations in abnormalities of fluoxetine-induced liver injury as represented by the improvement of hepatic CAT, SOD activities, vitamin C levels, serum biochemical parameters, and histopathological changes, in addition to the recovery of antioxidant defense system status.Gallic acid has inhibitory effects on fluoxetine-induced liver damage. The effect of gallic acid is derived from free radical scavenging properties and the anti-inflammatory effect related to TNF-α.

Low-dose cadmium exposure acts on rat mesenchymal stem cells via RANKL/OPG and downregulate osteogenic differentiation genes

Chronic cadmium (Cd) toxicity is a significant health concern, and the mechanism of long-term low-dose Cd exposure on bone has not been fully elucidated till date. This study aimed to assess the association between rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and long-term Cd exposure through 38-week intake of CdCl2 at 1 and 2 mg/kg body weight (bw). Increased gene expression of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and decreased gene expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) were observed. Fold change of RANKL gene expression (fold change = 1.97) and OPG gene expression (fold change = 1.72) showed statistically significant differences at dose 2 mg/kg bw. Decreased expression of key genes was observed during the early osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. The gene expression of Osterix in 1 mg/kg bw group was decreased by 3.70-fold, and the gene expressions of Osterix, Osteopontin, collagen type I alpha 2 chain (COL1a2) and runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) in 2 mg/kg bw group were decreased by 1.79, 1.67, 1.45 and 1.35-folds, respectively. Exposure to CdCl2 induced an increase in the renal Cd load, but only an adaptive response was observed, including increased expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3B and Beclin-1, autophagy receptor p62, and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), which is an inducible isoform that releases in response to stress. There were no significant changes in the urinary low molecular weight proteins including N-acetyl-b-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), β2-microglobulin and albumin (U-Alb). Urinary calcium (Ca) excretion showed no increase, and no obvious renal histological changes. Taken together, these results indicated that the chronic CdCl2 exposure directly act on MSCs through RANKL/OPG pathway and downregulate the key genes involved in osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. The toxic effect of Cd on bone may occur in parallel to nephrotoxicity.

Effects of per oral cypermethrin exposure on Bcl-2 expression in granulose cells and antral follicle count of Rattus norvegicus ovaries

Objectives: To determine the effect of oral cypermethrin exposure on the decrease of Bcl-2 expression in granulosa cells and antral follicle count in Rattus norvegicus ovary.Materials and Methods: This was a true experimental study using post-test control group design. This study used 24 Rattus norvegicus which were divided into 4 groups, the control group, treatment group (P1) exposed to cypermethrin 10 mg/kg BW, treatment group (P2) exposed to cypermethrin 15 mg/kg BW and treatment group (P3) exposed to cypermethrin 20 mg/kg BW. The treatment groups were exposed to cypermethrin for 28 days. A surgery was conducted in proestrus phase and ovarian organs were taken. Bcl-2 expression examination was performed by using immunohistochemical method and the antral follicle count was assessed with the Hematoxillin Eosin (HE)Results: This study showed the decrease of Bcl-2 expression in cypermethrin-exposed group compared to control group. There was a decrease in antral follicles count in cypermethrin-exposed group compared to control group.Conclusion: Cypermethrin can decrease Bcl-2 expression and antral follicles count in Rattus norvegicus ovaries.

Potential Protective Role of Beta carotene on cadmium induced Brain and Kidney Damage

Abstract Introduction: Cadmium (Cd) is an industrial pollutant that affects the human health.The purpose of present study was to investigate the protective role of Beta carotene on cadmium induced brain and kidney damage. Materials and Method: The present study was conducted following approval from Institutional Bioethical Committee at Kasturba Medical college, Mangalore, MAHE and strict internationally accepted guidelines, for the usage of animals in experimental study were. Rats were divided into four groups with 6 rats in each. The Gr. I rats were administered with the single dose of normal saline intraperitoneally. Group II received Beta carotene (10 mg/kg bw) orally for 30 days. Group III received a single dose of 1 mg/kg bw cadmium chloride and Group IV received Beta carotene for 30 days prior to cadmium administration. After the desired protocol, rats were sacrificed and both the kidneys and brain were removed for biochemical and histopathological evaluation.The levels of lipid peroxides (LPO) and were detected in the tissue homogenates of the brain. Results: In the present study, the level of lipid peroxidation (LPO) was significantly high (P<0.001) in cadmium treated rats compared to normal control. Pre-treatment with beta carotene showed a protective effect by decreasing LPO (P<0.001). The serum level of urea and BUN was high in cadmium treated rats, Pre-treatment with beta carotene showed a protective effect by decreasing serum urea and BUN. There was significant decrease in the neuronal count in cadmium treated rats and pretreatment with beta carotene showed an increase in neuronal count Conclusion: Results of the present study showed the antioxidative role of beta carotene in protecting the brain and kidney from cadmium induced toxicity.

Sub-chronic toxicity of Garcinia atroviridis Griff Fruit's ethanol extract on Wistar rats (Ratus norvegicus).

Garcinia atroviridis Griff. (GA) is a tropical fruit that commonly used as a traditional medicine to this day. This study was conducted to determine the sub-chronic toxicity effect of GA fruits ethanol extract on body weight, clinical hematology and biochemical parameters, and organ's histopathology. This study is an experimental research by oral treatments for 90 days with completely randomized design. The treatment group consists of five classes. Each class was given the treatment with a dosage of 50 mg/kg BW, 200 mg/kg BW, 800 mg/kg BW and satellite group with 2% PGA, or 800 mg/kgBW. Based on ANOVA and advanced Tukey test results using SPSS, the hematological parameters such as mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and white blood cell had significant differences with the control group. In the biochemical parameters, the serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase values and triglycerides (in male rats), serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase and creatinine (in female rats) had significant differences with the control group. In conclusion, GA fruits ethanol extract is safe and non toxic to body weight, clinical hematology and biochemical parameters, and histopathology of ten organs.

Difference of neuromuscular responses by additional loads during plyometric jump.

Plyometric training is a training method to increase the motor output, stretch-shortening cycle which could be associated with power output. To increase the neuromuscular output, various training variables have been incorporated in training programs. Weight vest is one of the variables to develop it. However, how much load can effectively develop the neural response is still not clearly understood. The aim of this study was to identify the effects of additional external loads on neuromuscular response of lower body during plyometric jump. Total 19 men performed jump tests with weight vest (two jumps in each additional load; 0%, 10%, 15% and 20% of bodyweight [BW]). During the tests, neuromuscular responses of lower extremity were measured. In vertical jump, 0%BW group was higher than the other heavier loads. In rate of force development (RFD), 10%BW was higher than 15%BW and 20%BW. In 0–30 msec of interval RFD, the heavier load groups were greater than 0%BW and in 0–50 msec, 15%BW and 20%BW were higher than 0%BW. In neuromuscular efficiency (NME), 15%BW and 20%BW were greater than 0%BW in ankle joint. This research indicated that plyometric jump with additional load causes greater RFD and NME of lower extremity compared with jump training without additional load. During weight vest plyometric jump, 10%–20% of BW load is advantageous to NME of lower body and 10% of BW load is effective to develop RFD of lower extremity.

Antioxidant Effect of Channa Micropeltes in Diabetic Wound of Oral Mucosa

Background and Objective: Toman fish (Channa micropeltes) contains albumin which possesses antioxidant effect. People in south Kalimantan, Indonesia, use toman fish as an alternative drug to accelerate diabetic wound healing process. In diabetic wound, there is a reduction in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and an elevation in malondialdehyde (MDA) level which can lead to the occurrence of delayed wound healing. The objective of this study was to prove the antioxidant effect of Channa micropeltes using SOD activity and MDA level in diabetic wound of oral mucosa. Materials and Methods: This is an experimental study with post test-only control group design. This study used 24 Wistar rats which divided into three treatment groups. The groups comprised of one group administered with toman fish extract of 16 mL kg–1 rat BW per oral, one group as a positive control administered with Haruan fish extract of 13.54 mL kg–1 rat BW per oral and one group as a negative control given BR2 feed only. The SOD activity measurement was done through Misra and Fridovich method using spectrophotometer in 480 nm wavelength. The MDA level measurement was done through Thiobarbituric Acid (TBA) test from Buege and Aust method using spectrophotometry in 532 nm wavelength. Results: One-way ANOVA test of day 3 showed no significant difference in SOD activity (p = 0.078) and MDA level (p = 0.094). Meanwhile, statistical result of day 7 showed significant difference in SOD activity (p = 0.018) and MDA level (p = 0.011). Post-hoc LSD test showed significant difference between toman fish extract of 16 mL kg–1 rat BW dosage and haruan fish extract of 13.54 mL kg–1 rat BW dosage and group given BR2 feed only. Conclusion: It can be concluded that Channa micropeltes has an antioxidant effect which represented by the increase of SOD activities and the decrease of MDA level in diabetic wound of oral mucosa

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE ANTINOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF ETIFOXINE AND RETIGABINE IN RATS

Introduction: Etifoxine is a nonbenzodiazepine anxiolytic and anticonvulsant drug. It enhances GABAergic transmission directly by binding to β2 and/or β3 subunits of the GABAA receptor complex and indirectly via stimulation of neurosteroid production after the activation of 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO). Retigabine is an anticonvulsant drug which activates low-threshold voltage-gated potassium channels. Anticonvulsant drugs reduce hyperexcitability and are currently extensively studied for possible antinociceptive activity. The aim of this study is to compare the antinociceptive effect of etifoxine and retigabine in rats. Materials and methods: The research included forty male Wistar rats, divided into five groups (n = 8). They were treated intraperitoneally with: 1st group (control) – saline 0,1ml/100g bw, 2nd group–metamizole natrii 150 mg/kg bw, 3rd group – etifoxine 50 mg/kg bw, 4th group –retigabine 5 mg/kg bw and 5th group – retigabine 15 mg/kg bw. The antinociceptive effect was evaluated with hot plate test and analgesy-meter test. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS.17. Results: Etifoxine did not prolong the latency time in hot plate test and did not increase the withdrawal latency in analgesy-meter test, compared to the animals treated with saline. In hot plate test, retigabine in dose 15 mg/kg bw significantly increased the latency time at the second and third hour, compared to the control group (p&lt;0.05). In analgesy-meter test, a significant increase of the withdrawal latency between retigabine and control animals occurred only at dose 15 mg/kg bw at first hour after single administration (p&lt;0.05). Conclusions: The obtained experimental data show that etifoxine in dose 50 mg/kg bw does not have antinociceptive effect. Single administration of retigabine 15 mg/kg bw reduced painful thermal and mechanical stimuli in rats. The presence of KCNQ channels in the neuronal pathways of pain suggests that the antinociceptive effect of retigabine is maybe based on the activation of low-threshold potassium channels.

Antioxidant Role of Beta Carotene: Protection against Cadmium Induced Testicular Toxicity

system. The purpose of present study was to investigate the protective role of Beta carotene on cadmium induced testicular damage. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted following approval from Institutional Bioethical Committee and strict internationally accepted guidelines, for the usage of animals in experimental study were. Rats were divided into four groups with 8 rats in each.The Gr. I rats were administered with the single dose of normal saline intraperitoneally. Group II received Beta carotene (10 mg/kg bw) orally for 30 days. Group III received a single dose of 1 mg/kg bw cadmium chloride and Group IV received Beta carotene for 30 days prior to cadmium administration. After the desired protocol, rats were sacrificed and both the testes were removed for biochemical and histopathological evaluation. One testis was fixed in Bouvins fluid and processed or histopathological studies. The levels of lipid peroxides (LPO) and glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were detected in the tissue homogenates of other testis. Results: In the present study, the level of lipid peroxidation (LPO) was significantly high and GSH and SOD (P<0.001) were low in cadmium treated rats compared to normal control. Pre-treatment with beta carotene showed a protective effect by decreasing LPO and increasing GS Hand SOD level (P<0.001). The morphological changes like atrophy of tubules, edema and decreased spermatogenesis in the testis of rats exposed to cadmium chloride. But, antioxidant showed the normal architecture of the testis. Conclusion: Results of the present study showed the antioxidative role of beta carotene in protecting the testis from cadmium induced toxicity.