Some Toxicological Studies of Methanol Leaves Extract Lannea acida in Wistar Albino Rats

Aim: The current study determined phytochemical constituents evaluated the acute and sub-chronic toxic profiles of Lannea acida methanol leaves extract (LAMLE) in Wistar albino rats Methodology: The phytochemical screening of LAMLE was conducted using standard methods. A total of 31 male albino rats were used for the antioxidant studies. A total of 31 male albino rats were used for the toxicological study. The LD50 was determined using six (6) rats according to OECD, 2001 using fixed limit dose. For the sub-chronic study, the rats were divided into five (5) groups of five (5) rats. Control group (group 1) received distilled water orally 2ml/kg. Groups (2-5) received doses of 250, 500, 1000, 2000 mg/kg of the extracts. The experiment lasted for 28 days. Results: The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of Flavonoids, Phenols, Tannins, Saponins, Alkaloids and Steroids. The LD50 of the extract was found to be greater than 5000mg/kg. There were significant reduction in the concentration of ALT, ALP and ALB (P<.05) in the group that received the highest dose of the extract when compared to the normal control while other liver biomarkers were not significantly different (P>0.05) from the control. The sub-chronic dose of 2000mg/kg of the extracts shows significant (P<.05) decrease in all kidney function biomarkers except chloride when compared to the control. The haematological parameters (WBC, RBC, HGB, Neutruphils) showed a significant decrease in Group 5 when compared to the normal control group while MCV and lymphocytes showed significant decrease (P<.05) when compared to the control. Conclusion: The result suggests that the methanol leaves extracts of Lannea acida is relatively safe and can be used in medicinal formulations.

Ameliorating effect of L-Ascorbate on protein and ascorbic acid content in different tissues of freshwater bivalve Lamellidens marginallis on exposure to lambda-cyalothrin.

Ascorbic acid is one of the important tool to indicate the alterations induced by chemicals and pollutants. Ascorbic acid, being important constituent in cellular metabolism, the interactions of the biomolecules gives proper idea of toxicant stress and its effect. In the present investigation the freshwater bivalve Lamellidens marginalis were exposed to chronic dose of lambda-cyalothrin (0.75 PPM LC50/10 values) alone and in combination with 50mg/L L-ascorbic acid for 21 days respectively. Percent protein and ascorbic acid contents in the mantle, foot, gills, digestive glands, gonad and whole soft body of bivalve, Lamellidens marginalis on lambda-cyalothrin intoxication and in combination with 50mg/L L-ascorbic acid were observed. Protein and ascorbic acid content in all soft body tissue of lambda-cyalothrin exposed bivalve, Lamellidens marginalis showed remarkable decrease as compared to control. The maximum protein and ascorbic acid content was observed in foot and lowest in digestive gland. Animal exposed to lambda-cyalothrin intoxication in combination with 50 mg/L of L-ascorbic acid showed considerable reduction in the depletion of protein and ascorbic acid levels. Fast recovery of percent protein and ascorbic acid contents was observed in presence of L-ascorbic acid than the recovery in the normal freshwater. This study indicates the protective and curative property of the L-ascorbic acid against lambda-cyalothrin induced damage. Key Words: Lamellidens marginalis, lambda-cyalothrin, protein and L-ascorbic acid

The effects of a low dose OTA exposure on weanling piglet gut microbiota

Feed contamination is a major concern to the pig farming industry. There is a growing concern towards the harmful effects that mycotoxins and especially ochratoxin A have on the overall health and development of pigs. However the deleterious effects on the gastro-intestinal microbiota has not been studied thoroughly, especially at a low dose exposure. The current study proposed to investigate the effect of a sub-chronic dose of OTA on some of the important bacterial populations colonizing the pig gut as well as assessing the impact on SCFA production. The changes induced in bacterial populations not only affect the immune system of the pig but also influence the development of the mycotoxicosis. This paper highlights the impact of 0.05mg/kg feed of OTA on the large intestine microbiota and on the SCFA production associated with it.

Paternal exposure to a common pharmaceutical (Ritalin) has transgenerational effects on the behaviour of Trinidadian guppies

Evidence is emerging that paternal effects, the nongenetic influence of fathers on their offspring, can be transgenerational, spanning several generations. Methylphenidate hydrochloride (MPH; e.g. Ritalin) is a dopaminergic drug that is highly prescribed to adolescent males for the treatment of Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. It has been suggested that MPH could cause transgenerational effects because MPH can affect the male germline in rodents and because paternal effects have been observed in individuals taking similar drugs (e.g. cocaine). Despite these concerns, the transgenerational effects of paternal MPH exposure are unknown. Therefore, we exposed male and female Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) to a low, chronic dose of MPH and observed that MPH affected the anxiety/exploratory behaviour of males, but not females. Because of this male-specific effect, we investigated the transgenerational effects of MPH through the paternal line. We observed behavioural effects of paternal MPH exposure on offspring and great-grandoffspring that were not directly administered the drug, making this the first study to demonstrate that paternal MPH exposure can affect descendants. These effects were not due to differential mortality or fecundity between control and MPH lines. These results highlight the transgenerational potential of MPH.

Transcriptional Evaluation of Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Buchholzia coriacea in Acetaminophen-Induced Sub-Chronic Renal and Hepatic Toxicity

The aim of this research was to evaluate the possible renal and Hepato-protective effects of ethanolic extract of Buchholzia coriacea seed compared to N-acetylcysteine, on gene expression in the liver and kidneys of Wistar rats subjected to sub-chronic dose of paracetamol. Forty wistar rats were divided into eight groups of five rats in each group. Group 1 received only normal diet as control (CTRL). Groups 2-6 received 14.28 mg/kg body weight of Paracetamol (PM). After 6 hours, 200 mg/kg body weight of extract (E1) was given to group 3, 400 mg/kg body weight extracts (E2) given to group 4, 70 and 150 mg/kg body weight of N-acetylcysteine was administered to group 5 and 6 respectively. Groups 7 and 8 received only 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight of extract (E1 and E2) respectively. This schedule was maintained for 90 days.

In Vivo and in Vitro Evaluation of the Anti-inflammatory Effect of Thymoquinone Toward Ischemic Brain Injury Alleviation via Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway

Background - In recent years, considerable efforts have been devoted to exploring effective therapy for cerebral ischemia. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated - inflammation plays a crucial role in ischemic brain injury. Triptolide (TP) has been widely used for ischemic therapy although administrating a chronic dose of this therapy may cause serious drawbacks and higher liver toxicity. Considering these critical side effects, here we demonstrate the employment of thymoquinone (TQ) as a new alternative drug for alleviating ischemic brain damage via suppression of inflammatory cytokines by inducing Nrf2/HO-1 under a chronic dose without toxicity. Methods- We assessed a photo-thrombosis mouse model of focal cerebral ischemia to investigate the impact of the chronic dose of TQ to alleviates ischemic brain damage, meanwhile, we used Pc12 to determine the efficiency of TQ to attenuate the OGD/R induces cell death. Results- Our in vivo and in vitro results indicate that the administration of TQ drug can sufficiently mitigate the brain damage after stroke by increasing the Nrf2/HO-1 expression and thereby modulate the cell death and inflammation resulting from cerebral ischemia. The observation based on YFP mice elucidates the role of TQ therapy in recovering the brain status after injury through increasing the dendrite spines density and the ratio of YFP reporter cells with NeuN expression. Conclusions- Our study is the first to focus on the crucial role of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway as a promising ischemic therapy under a chronic dose of TQ by increasing proliferating protein expression, decreasing inflammation and neuronal cell death as well as controlling the autophagy process.

Influence of Nitrate Supplementation on Endurance Cyclic Sports Performance: A Systematic Review

Endurance can be defined as the capacity to maintain one’s velocity or power output for the longest possible time. Maintaining such activity can lead to the onset of fatigue. Dietary nitrate supplementation produces an ergogenic effect due to the improvement of mitochondrial oxygen efficiency through a reduction in the oxygen cost of exercise that increases vasodilation and blood flow to the skeletal muscle in recreationally active subjects. However, the effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on well-trained endurance athletes remain unclear; such supplementation could affect more performance areas. In the present study, a systematic review of the literature was conducted to clarify the use and effects of nitrate as a dietary supplement in endurance athletes trained in cyclic sports (repetitive movement sports). A systematic search was carried out following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines in the databases of SCOPUS, Web of Science (WOS), Medline (PubMed), and Sport Discus from 1 January 2010 to 30 November 2019. Twenty-seven studies were included in the study. The methodological quality of the articles was assessed using the McMaster Critical Review Form. Statistically significant ergogenic results were obtained in 8 (29.63%) of the 27 studies investigated, with significant results obtained for cardiorespiratory parameters and performance measures. Improvement in exercise tolerance was obtained, which could help with exhaustion over time, while the improvement in exercise economics was not as clear. Additionally, the dose necessary for this ergogenic effect seems to have a direct relationship with the physical condition of the athlete. The acute dose is around 6–12.4 mmol/day of nitrate administered 2–3 h before the activity, with the same amount given as a chronic dose over 6–15 days. Further studies are required to understand the factors that affect the potential ergogenic impacts of nitrate on athletic performance among endurance athletes.

Risk of Developing Hepatocellular Carcinoma following Depressive Disorder Based on the Expression Level of Oatp2a1 and Oatp2b1

Background. Accumulating evidence from prospective epidemiological studies has showed that depression disorder (DD) is a risk factor for cancer. The aim of this study is to explore the association of DD and the overall occurrence risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the mechanism. Methods. In this study, 60 mice were randomly divided into four groups: Control group, DD group, HCC group, HCC-DD group. Mice received a chronic dose of reserpine to establish depression model, followed by Diethylnitrosamine and Carbon tetrachloride administration to establish HCC models. Behavioral depression was assessed by sucrose preference test (SPT) and the expression of Serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptor in the hippocampal. The expression of Oatp2a1 and Oatp2b1 in the digestive system tissues was detected by PCR and western blotting. Results. Reserpine-administrated mice had a reducing sucrose preference at Day 14 compared with blank mice (P<0.05). The expression of 5-HT1A receptor in the hippocampal was decreased in DD mice compared with blank mice. The survival analysis indicated that the HCC mice with DD have poorer survival rate compared with the HCC mice. Compared with HCC mice, the expression of Oatp2a1 and Oatp2b1 was lower in liver and stomach tissue and higher in hepatic carcinoma and colon tissue of HCC-DD mice (P<0.05), and the expression of Oatp2a1 was higher in the spleen tissue of HCC-DD mice while the expression of Oatp2b1 was lower (P<0.05). However, no difference was found in the expression of Oatp2a1 and Oatp2b1 in the small intestine tissue between HCC group and HCC-DD group. Conclusions. DD was the adverse factors for the overall occurrence risk of HCC. Mechanistically, be the downregulation of Oatp2a1 and Oatp2b1 in liver tissue induced by DD might be involved.