Analgesic Activity of the Extract of Aerial Parts of Colza (Brassica Napus) in Mice

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: It has been reported that Cruciferous family plants such as Brassica napus (Colza) are abundant sources of flavonoid compounds that involve in prostaglandin synthesis and may show analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the analgesic effect of hydroalcoholic extract of aerial parts of Colza in comparison with morphine, with or without naloxone in mice. METHODS: The male mice weighing 18-26 g were divided into experimental groups (6 mice in each group) and received i.p. injections of 50, 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg of the hydroalcoholic extract of colza and morphine with or without naloxone, respectively. Normal saline was used as control. The hot-plate test was performed to evaluate the analgesic effects of all treatments and pain latency was measured at 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 minutes after injection of the drugs. FINDINGS: Pain tolerance of the mice receiving various doses of colza extract was significantly increased compared to the control. Moreover, simultaneous injection of morphine (20 mg/kg) and colza extract (250 mg/kg) increased pain tolerance compared to morphine alone. Also, simultaneous injection of colza extract and morphine at 10 minutes after naloxone (1 mg/kg), increased analgesia in the animals. The highest analgesia was observed after treatment with morphine and colza extract (250 mg/kg) at 30 minutes after the injection (32±2 seconds). CONCLUSION: According to the results, the hydroalcoholic extract of the aerial parts of colza induced analgesia In mice during the hot-plate test. This effect may be attributed to the presence of flavonoid compounds in the extract, which confirms the analgesic properties of colza

Influence of diazinon on spermatogenesis in mice

Introduction: Diazinon (DZN) is an organophosphate that inhibits of acetylcolinesterase activity byphosphorylating of active site, in which could be resulted in damages of germinal cells andreproductive functions. Since this compound is extensively using in the agriculture, especially in thenorthern regions of Iran in order to control of pests, the present study was performed to investigate theinfluence of DZN on spermatogenesis in mice.Materials and Methods: Male mice were divided into three experimental, sham and controlgroups. The animals in the experimental group were injected with the consecutive doses of DZN(30mg/kg i.p, five consecutive days per week for one month). The sham mice were received onlywater injection and no injection was performed on animals in the control group. Animals werescarified 35 days after the latest injection of DZN. Then, the mice testis sections were prepared andmorphologic aspects of testis and spermatogenesis processes assessed.Results: The DZN showed a significant decrease in number of germ cells, spermatocytes,spermatids, Leydig cells, blood vessels. In addition, the diameter of seminiferous in the testis of themice decreased.Conclusion: The current finding showed that Diazinon is an environmental factor that can causetoxic effects on the morphologic parameters of germ cells. These results suggested that the DZN mightbe a factor that results in infertility in mice

Performance Evaluation of Statistical Downscaling Model (SDSM) in Forecasting Precipitation in two Arid and Hyper arid Regions

One of the most important problems in the management and planning of water resources is to forecast long-term precipitation in arid region and hyper arid regions. In this study, statistical downscaling model (SDSM) is used for study of climate change effects on precipitation. The data used as input to the Model are daily precipitation of Kerman and Bam synoptic stations, NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) data and the A2 and B2 emission scenarios HadCM3 for the reference period (1971-2001). Using HadCM3 A2, B2 data the precipitation for three period (2010-2039), (2040-2069) and (2070-2099) are predicted and compared with the reference period. We used the first 15 years data (1971-1985) for the calibration and the second 15 years data (1986-2001) for model validation. Research results showed that the precipitation will change and Change directions are positive in some months and negative in other months. After the examination function Indexes results from SDSM model shown that this model has better accuracy and a high ability to predict precipitation in arid region than hyper arid region

Assessment of drought risk index using drought hazard and vulnerability indices

This study attempts to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of drought hazard and risk in Semnan province, Iran. Drought risk assessment has been conducted in eight counties of Semnan province using a conceptual framework which emphasizes on the combined role of hazard and vulnerability in defining droughts. The standardized precipitation index (SPI) at synoptic stations at 3 and 12-month time step for period 1985–2011 were used to provide drought hazard index (DHI) map using kriging interpolation and natural break methods by ArcGIS 9.3 software. Eight obtainable/quantifiable socioeconomic and physical indicators including population density, rural ratio, agricultural occupation, irrigated land, food production, and municipal, industrial, and agricultural water consumption were used to provide the map of drought vulnerability index (DVI). Finally, the map of drought risk index (DRI) was provided through the integration of DHI and DVI maps. The overall results showed that at 3-month timescale Shahroud and Damghan and at 12-month timescale Shahroud, Damghan, and Semnan are the most susceptible regions to drought in central Iran. Therefore, consideration of virtual water, cultivation of products with less water requirement and use of appropriate irrigation methods can be two important factors in water demand management which should be addressed by water resource managers