Combination of Melatonin and Metformin Hydrochloride for Treatment Polycystic Ovarian in Female Rats

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a gynecological endocrine disorder, results in menstrual abnormalities, androgynism and infertility. In the case of women or others animals with PCOS wishing to treat infertility with the aim of becoming pregnant, the most commonly used is metformin hydrochloride. Recent studies have analyzed the combination of metformin hydrochloride with melatonin in oncological treatment but not to treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The aim of the present study was to analyze the effectiveness of the combination of metformin hydrochloride and melatonin in the treatment of PCOS to improve the fertility of rats and your hormonal alterations.Materials, Methods & Results: This study was carried out in strict accordance with the recommendations in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the National Institutes of Health. The protocol was approved by the Committee on the Ethics of Animal Experiments of the University of Federal Rural of Pernambuco (Permit Number: 23081.009130/2010). A total of 50 albino Wistar rats were used. The animal laboratory of an academic research environment, were randomly separated into five groups consisting of 10 females each. After inducing PCOS, the rats were treated with metformin hydrochloride, and/or melatonin, and the results compared with standard and ultrasound confirmed. The physiological similarities were confirmed by our academic researchers morphological science, and published to the association results of effects syndrome induction through constant lighting in reputable magazine recently. This article was analyzed histological of the implantation sites and ovaries, and the estradiol and progesterone levels on the seventh day of gestation, and the other rats for monitoring pregnancy and morphological identification of possible fetal abnormalities, weight measurement and quantification of offspring. The rats were anaesthetized with intraperitoneal injections of ketamine hydrochloride (80 mg/kg) and xylazine (6 mg/kg) to allow analysis of the reproductive organs. Main outcome measures: The study included histopathology, histochemical and quantitative (of the implantation sites) tests, ultrasound analysis, weight benchmarking and ovarian histology tests, as well as comparison of serum estradiol and progesterone levels, and the morphological assessment of offspring. Results paper shows pharmacological treatment reduced the time needed for pregnancy, increased the plasma progesterone levels, the number and weight of offspring, and reduced plasma estrogen levels and collagen fiber grade, improving blastocyst-endometrium interaction and fetal development.Discussion: Our team of researchers confirmed in a previous paper; in addition, the main experimental model used in research about PCOS in recent years, and considered appropriate combination of the drugs caused a physiological reaction similar to responses identified in healthy rats without induction of the POS control group. However, the clinical and physiological effectiveness of the combination should be further explored, especially with respect to the possible side effects on offspring. The treatment with a combination of metformin hydrochloride and melatonin was more effective against hormonal alterations produced by PCOS, allowing a normalization of biochemical parameters during pregnancy, than monotherapeutic treatment with these drugs. In conclusion, proposed drug combination is a viable option to treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome and improved fetal development. This article allows suggest that further research should be conducted to examine effects associated with these drugs in the treatment of diseases of the female reproductive system experimentally. Only such treatment later in animals and humans suggest

Efeitos da administração exógena de melatonina sobre o fígado da prole de ratas Wistar submetidas à corticoterapia durante a prenhez

A dexametasona vem sendo amplamente utilizada em casos de gestação com risco de prematuridade. Entretanto, doses suprafisiológicas podem acarretar complicações e afetar a embriogênese. A melatonina, por sua vez, apresenta efeitos antagônicos aos glicocorticoides. Assim, avaliou-se a ação da dexametasona administrada durante o período gestacional, e a influência da melatonina sobre os efeitos decorrentes da corticoterapia. Foram utilizadas 20 ratas, divididas em 4 grupos: I - ratas prenhes que receberam solução placebo; II - ratas prenhes que receberam dexametasona (0,8mg/kg); III - ratas prenhes tratadas com melatonina (0,5mg/kg) e IV - ratas prenhes que receberam dexametasona e foram tratadas com melatonina. As amostras foram obtidas da prole com 10, 15 e 20 dias de vida pós-natal. Os resultados mostraram que a dexametasona, administrada a partir do 10º dia do período gestacional, promoveu uma maior taxa de mortalidade, redução acentuada no ganho de peso desses animais, bem como alterações hepáticas histopatológicas e morfométricas, como esteatose, necrose, vacuolização celular, além de diminuição nos grânulos de glicogênio, carboidratos totais e aumento das fibras colágenas teciduais. Entretanto, os animais do grupo IV, apresentaram alterações mais atenuadas, com parâmetros semelhantes aos animais do grupo controle. Assim, conclui-se que a administração da melatonina exógena pode proteger o fígado dos animais ou atenuar alguns efeitos decorrentes da corticoterapia

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora