Effects of Fungicide Euparen Multi (Tolylfluanid) on Development of Preimplantation Embryos in Mouse

The effect of the fungicide Euparen Multi (containing 50% tolylfluanid) on the development of mouse preimplantation embryos was evaluated. Euparen Multi was daily administered per os to female mice (ICR strain) at four different doses of 118, 294, 588 and 1177 mg/kg b.m., beginning on day 1 of pregnancy. Embryos obtained on day 4 of pregnancy were stained by morphological triple staining (Hoechst 33342, propidium iodide, Calcein AM), and the number of nuclei, blastocyst formation, distribution of embryos according to the nucleus number and cell death incidence were determined. Embryos in the experimental groups (except for the lowest dose 118 mg/kg b.m.) showed a highly significant dose-dependent reduction in total cell numbers corresponding to the lower proportion of blastocysts. The occurrence of cell death was significantly increased in all experimental groups, indicating that Euparen Multi is able to cause cell death at relatively low doses. Our data demonstrate that Euparen Multi could induce significant alterations in the preimplantation embryo development

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Thyme Essential Oil in Mice

Plant essential oils are plant secondary metabolites possessing various pharmacological properties, primarily anti-oxidative, antimicrobial or immunomodulatory ones. The aim of this work was to study the effects of thyme essential oil dietary administration in murine DTH/ CHS reaction, carrageenan paw oedema and TNBS colitis. Thyme essential oil was added to the murine diet at three concentrations (5000, 2500 and 1250 ppm) and fed to Balb/c mice. The extent of ear swelling in DTH/CHS reaction and paw oedema induced by carrageenan application was measured using the Mitutoyo thickness gauge. In the model of TNBS colitis we evaluated the changes in body weight, the colon weight : body weight ratio, bacterial translocation to mesenteric lymph nodes, and macroscopical and histological scores. IL-1β and IL-6 messenger RNA expression in colonic samples of one experimental group were assessed using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR. Dietary supplementation with 5000 ppm of thyme essential oil significantly decreased paw oedema and ear swelling. This thyme essential oil concentration caused a significant inhibition of total mRNA IL-1β expression in the mouse colon, and markedly decreased the macroscopic and microscopic scores of colitis. On the other hand, the 1250 ppm of thyme essential oil in diet increased ear oedema induced by oxazolone application in mice. Our study indicates that thyme essential oil is able to affect murine experimental inflammatory models depending on the concentration used. It is concluded that the anti-inflammatory effects of thyme essential oil should be interpreted with a caution due to its contradictory, dose-related effects

Landau-Zener-Stückelberg-Majorana lasing in circuit quantum electrodynamics

We demonstrate amplification (and attenuation) of a probe signal by a driven two-level quantum system in the Landau-Zener-St\"{u}ckelberg-Majorana regime by means of an experiment, in which a superconducting qubit was strongly coupled to a microwave cavity, in a conventional arrangement of circuit quantum electrodynamics. Two different types of flux qubit, specifically a conventional Josephson junctions qubit and a phase-slip qubit, show similar results, namely, lasing at the working points where amplification takes place. The experimental data are explained by the interaction of the probe signal with Rabi-like oscillations. The latter are created by constructive interference of Landau-Zener-St\"{u}ckelberg-Majorana (LZSM) transitions during the driving period of the qubit. A detailed description of the occurrence of these oscillations and a comparison of obtained data with both analytic and numerical calculations are given

Immunocytochemical localization of cyclin/proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in fertilized eggs of mice

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Effects of selected plant essential oils on the growth and development of mouse preimplantation embryos in vivo .

Summary Plant essential oils (EOs) have been reported to have health benefit properties and their preventive and therapeutic use in animals is expected to increase in the future. We evaluated the influence of five essential oils obtained from plant species which are known to have positive antimicrobial, antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects -sage EO from Salvia officinalis L. (Lamiaceae), oregano EO from Origanum vulgare L. (Lamiaceae), thyme EO from Thymus vulgaris L. (Lamiaceae), clove EO from Syzygium aromaticum L. (Myrtaceae) and cinnamon EO from Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume (Lauraceae) on the growth and development of mouse preimplantation embryos in vivo. Essential oils were added to commercial diet at concentrations of 0.25 % for sage EO, thyme EO, clove EO, cinnamon EO and 0.1 % for oregano EO, and fed to ICR female mice for 2 weeks ad libitum. Females were then mated with males of the same strain. Embryos obtained on Day 4 of pregnancy at the blastocyst stage were stained by morphological triple staining (Hoechst, PI, Calcein-AM) and evaluated using fluorescent microscopy. The effects of essential oils were estimated by the viability of embryos, number of nuclei and distribution of embryos according to nucleus number. Cinnamon EO significantly decreased the number of nuclei and the distribution of embryos according to nucleus number was significantly altered. Sage EO negatively influenced the distribution of embryos according to nucleus number. Clove and oregano EOs induced a significantly increased rate of cell death. Only thyme EO had no detectable effects on embryo development. In conclusion, none of the essential oils had any positive effect on embryo development, but some of them reduced the number of cells and increased the incidence of cell death