The Effects of Rosemary Extract on Spermatogenesis and Sexual Hormones of Mice under Heat Stress

Heat stress can affect reproduction potential as an environmental factor. This Study was carried out to investigate the effects of rosemary extract on spermatogenesis and sexual hormones of laboratory mice under heat stress. 50 male mature mice were examined in five groups including a control group and four experimental groups [0, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of rosemary extract]. Samples were kept under heat stress four hours a day and received the extract doses for 30 days. At the end of the experiment, the amount of testosterone, LH, and FSH hormones plus the number of spermatogenic cells were measured. Obtained data were analyzed using the SPSS program. Heat stress in zero doses reduced testosterone, LH, and FSH significantly whereas rosemary extract increased testosterone and LH in 200 and 400 doses and FSH in 100,200, and 400 doses. Primary spermatocytes were decreased in zero doses significantly but increased significantly in other experimental groups [p<0.05]. In general, Heat stress reduces male sex hormones and spermatogenic cells but rosemary extract compensated this reduction dose-dependently and improved sexual potential under heat stress

Functionalization of Graphene Oxide Nanosheets Can Reduce Their Cytotoxicity to Dental Pulp Stem Cells

Background. The dental pulp is a heterogeneous soft tissue that supplies nutrients and acts as a biosensor to identify pathogenic stimuli. Regeneration of the dental pulp is one of the desirable topics for researchers. Graphene oxide nanosheets (nGOs) help overexpression of the genes related to odontogenic differentiation of stem cells from dental pulps and increases attachment and proliferation of dental pulp stem cells. Despite its benefits, nGO may be considered as a threat to the environment and human health. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the biocompatibility potential of graphene oxide (nGO), chitosan functionalized graphene oxide (nGO-CS), and carboxylated graphene (nGO-COOH) when exposed to human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). Material and Methods. Some different aspects of biocompatibility of nGO, nGO-CS, and nGO-COOH were synthesized, and several intracellular effects induced by different concentrations of graphene-based nanosheets, including cell viability, intracellular oxidative damages, and various factors such as LDH, GSH, SOD, MDA, and MMP, were studied on hDPSCs. Results. According to results, IC50 was determined as 232.01, 467.81, and ≥1000 μg/mL for nGO, nGO-CS, and nGO-COOH, respectively. These results demonstrated the lower toxicity and higher cytocompatibility of nGO-CS and nGO-COOH compared to nGO. nGO-COOH not only has any adverse effect on the cell membrane and mitochondrial activity but also shows slight antioxidant activity at some concentrations. Conclusion. The findings help design safe and cytocompatible nGO derivatives for biomedical applications in dental fields