10 research outputs found
Molecular cytogenetic analysis in mouse sperm of chemically induced aneuploidy : Studies with topoisomerase II inhibitors.
PIH4 Is Sildenafil – Apomorphine Sublingual Combination Significantly More Effective than Sublingual Sildenafil in Treating Erectile Dysfunction?
Orthovanadate increased the frequency of aneuploid mouse sperm without micronucleus induction in mouse bone marrow erythrocytes at the same dose level.
The chemotherapeutic agents nocodazole and amsacrine cause meiotic delay and non-disjunction in spermatocytes of mice.
Aneuploidy of germ cells contributes to reduced fertility, foetal wastage and genetic defects. The possible risk of aneuploidy induction by the cancer chemotherapeutic drugs amsacrine (AMSA) and nocodazole (NOC) was investigated in male mice. Two molecular cytogenetic approaches were used: (1) the BrdU-incorporation assay to test the altered duration of meiotic divisions and (2) the sperm-FISH assay to determine aneuploidy induction during meiosis by observing hyperhaploid and diploid sperm. Sperm were sampled from the Caudae epididymes of treated and solvent control males. Single intraperitoneal injections with NOC (35mg/kg) and AMSA (15mg/kg) caused a meiotic delay of 24h. The timing of sperm sampling for the sperm-FISH assay was adjusted accordingly, i.e. 23 days after treatment. Mice were treated with 18, 35 and 50mg/kg of NOC, or 5, 10, 15 and 20mg/kg of AMSA. Significant dose-dependent increases above the concurrent controls in the frequencies of hyperhaploid sperm were found with both agents. Significant increases in the frequencies of diploid sperm were found only with AMSA. These results provide a basis for genetic counselling of patients under AMSA or NOC chemotherapy. During a period of 3-4 months after the end of chemotherapy, they may stand a higher risk of siring chromosomally abnormal offspring
Etoposide and Merbarone are Clastogenic and Aneugenic in the Mouse Bone Marrow Micronucleus Test Complemented by Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization with the Mouse minor Satellite DNA Probe.
A new approach for the treatment of malignant melanoma: Enhanced antitumor efficacy of an albumin-binding doxorubicin prodrug that is cleaved by matrix metalloproteinase 2
The progression of malignant melanoma is characterized by overexpression of a number of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), especially MMP-2, which play a critical role in the degradation of basement membranes and the extracellular matrix. Consequently, we assessed a drug targeting strategy in which the protease activity of MMP-2 is exploited to release an anticancer agent from a macromolecular carrier, i.e., circulating albumin. For this purpose, a water-soluble maleimide derivative of doxorubicin (1) incorporating a MMP-2 specific peptide sequence (Gly-Pro-Leu-Gly-Ile-Ala-Gly-Gln) was developed that binds rapidly and selectively to the cysteine-34 position of circulating albumin. The albumin-bound form of 1 was efficiently and specifically cleaved by MMP-2 liberating a doxorubicin tetrapeptide (Ile-Ala-Gly-Gln-DOXO) and subsequently doxorubicin. In vivo, 1 was superior to the parent compound doxorubicin in the A375 human melanoma xenograft, which is characterized by a high expression of MMP-2
Nutritional value, functional properties and nutraceutical applications of black cumin (Nigella sativa L.): an overview
Potential immunomodulation effect of the extract of Nigella sativa on ovalbumin sensitized guinea pigs*
Several different pharmacological effects have been described for Nigella sativa (Siah-Daneh), including an anti-inflammatory effect. In the present study, the effect of the extract of N. sativa on lung pathology and blood interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) of sensitized guinea pigs was examined. Three groups (n=8 for each group) of guinea pigs sensitized to ovalbumin (OA) were given drinking water alone, and drinking water containing low and high concentrations of the plant extract, respectively. The animals of the control group (n=8) were treated with saline instead of OA and were given drinking water. The pathological changes of the lung, including infiltration of eosinophils and lymphocytes, local epithelial necrosis, the presence of oedema, thickening of the basement membrane, smooth muscle layer hypertrophy, mucosal secretion, and the presence of mucosal plug, and blood IL-4 and IFN-γ of sensitized guinea pigs were evaluated. The lungs of the sensitized group showed significant pathological changes (P<0.001). Blood IL-4 and IFN-γ were increased in sensitized animals compared to the controls (P<0.01 and P<0.001, respectively). Treatment of sensitized animals with the extract led to a significant decrease in pathological changes of the lung (P<0.01 to P<0.001), except for the oedema in the sensitized group treated with low concentration of the extract, but an increased IFN-γ. These results confirm a preventive effect of N. sativa extract on lung inflammation of sensitized guinea pigs
Medicinal Plants of India
Crude extracts of fruits, herbs, vegetables, cereals and other plant materials rich in
phenolics and antioxidant activity are of prime interest to the food industry because
of their ability to retard oxidative degradation of lipids and hence improve the quality
and nutritional value of functional food. Concomitantly, the importance of antioxidant
constituents of plant materials in the maintenance of health and protection from coronary
heart disease and cancer is also raising interest among scientists, food manufacturers
and consumers as part of the current trend towards the use of herbal medicine. In
addition, the use of complementary alternative medicine (CAM) by patients suffering
from chronic disorders, such as cancers, heart, stroke and immune disorders has been
well documented. CAMs are either used on their own (alternative treatments) or in
addition to conventional medicine (complementary treatments). CAMs can be grouped
into herbal medicines derived from medicinal plants, food supplements that include
vitamin preparations, trace elements and other substances such as omega-3 fatty acid