Antiobesity and Hypoglycaemic Effects of Aqueous Extract of Ibervillea sonorae in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet with Fructose

Obesity, type II diabetes, and hyperlipidaemia, which frequently coexist and are strongly associated with oxidative stress, increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. An increase in carbohydrate intake, especially of fructose, and a high-fat diet are both factors that contribute to the development of these metabolic disorders. In recent studies carried out in diabetic rats, authors reported that Ibervillea sonorae had hypoglycaemic activity; saponins and monoglycerides present in the plant could be responsible for the effects observed. In the present study, we determined the effects of an aqueous I. sonorae extract on a murine model of obesity and hyperglycaemia, induced by a high-calorie diet, and the relationship of these effects with hepatic oxidation. A high-fat diet over a period of 8 weeks induced weight gain in the mice and increased triglycerides and blood glucose levels. Simultaneous treatment with I. sonorae aqueous extracts, at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, decreased triglycerides and glycaemia levels, prevented an increase in body weight in a dose-dependent manner, and decreased hepatic lipid oxidation at a dose of 200 mg/kg. These data suggest that the aqueous extract from I. sonorae root prevents obesity, dyslipidaemia, and hyperglycaemia induced by a hypercaloric diet; however, high doses may induce toxicity

Toxicidad aguda y subaguda (28 días) en ratones, de la mezcla de ácido ursólico y ácido oleanólico obtenida de Bouvardia ternifolia

Los ácidos ursólico (UA) y oleanólico (OA) son triterpenos que se encuentran distribuidos en un gran número de plantas medicinales, una de ellas es la especie Bouvardia ternifolia. Estos compuestos han mostrado alrededor de 120 actividades biológicas, destacando los efectos hepatoprotector, antiinflamatorio y antimicobacteriano. A pesar de ser compuestos con un alto potencial terapéutico, no se han documentado muchos datos acerca de su toxicidad. En este artículo se describen los resultados de la evaluación de toxicidad aguda y subaguda (28 días) en ratones Balb/c de ambos sexos, tratados con la mezcla de AU/AO obtenida de B. ternifolia a dosis de 6.5 y 13 mg/kg. La DL50 fue > 300 mg/kg. Durante la administración subaguda, no hubo muerte de animales, tampoco se observaron alteraciones en su crecimiento ni alteraciones en el peso de los diferentes órganos. Los estudios de biometría hemática y química sanguínea mostraron niveles normales en todos los parámetros evaluados. Los análisis histopatológicos de los principales órganos no presentaron cambios o anormalidades. La mezcla UA/OA es practicamente inocua cuando se administra subcutaneamente en dosis única de 300 mg/kg y 13 mg/kg en dosis repetida (28 días)

The Protective Effect of Dietary Arthrospira (Spirulina) maxima Against Mutagenicity Induced by Benzo[alpha]pyrene in Mice

U radu je istražena mogućnost detekcije i lociranja puknuća cijevi unutar izoliranog dijela sustava vodoopskrbe, tj. kontrolirane zone na temelju poznavanja vrijednosti pet parametra. Ti parametri bili su po jedna veličina protoka i tlaka mjerene na ulazu u sustav, te tri veličine tlaka mjerene na različitim lokacijama unutar sustava. Izmjerene vrijednosti svih pet parametra su prikupljane i bilježene kontinuirano u vremenu. Za istraživanje su korišteni podaci o vrijednostima veličina protoka i tlaka po satima i danima u vremenskom razdoblju od jedne godine, na način da su hidrauličkim modelom simulirana hidraulička stanja sa i bez puknuća cjevovoda s različitim protocima curenja. Ovi podaci su korišteni kao ulazi u neuronske mreže, dok je primarno kao izlazna veličina razmatrano stanje puknuća, a sekundarno su, ukoliko je puknuće nastalo, izlazne veličine bile prostorne koordinate njegove lokacije. \Nakon provedenih simulacija različitih stanja sa i bez puknuća unutar vodoopskrbne mreže ustanovljeno je da se pomoću dobro modeliranih neuronskih mreža odabrani parametri mogu iskoristiti za dobivanje informacije o pojavi puknuća cijevi. \Neuronske mreže modelirane u svrhu lociranja puknuća cijevi pokazale su da s povećanjem protoka iz cijevi nastalog uslijed njenog puknuća, pogreška kod određivanja lokacije puknuća linearno pada. Međutim, nije ostvaren dovoljan nagib tog pravca kod kojeg bi se, za neki realno očekivani protok puknuća, pogreška lociranja puknuća smanjila na prihvatljivu vrijednost.The work explores the possibility of detection and location of the pipe burst inside an isolated part of the water supply system, i.e. district metered area, based on the known values of five parameters. These parameters were one variable of flow, one variable of pressure at the inlet of the system and three variables of pressure measured at different locations within the system. The measured values of all five parameters were collected and recorded continuously in time of one year. For the research, we used data on the values of flow and pressure for hours and days in the period of one year, in a manner that the hydraulic model simulated hydraulic conditions with and without pipe burst with different leakage flows. These data were used as inputs in neural networks; while the primarily considered output value was the state of burst, and the secondary, if the bursts occurred, output values were the spatial coordinates of burst location. After the simulation of a number of different conditions with and without a pipe burst in the water supply network, it was found that, managing well trained neural networks, selected parameters could be used to provide information of occurrence of pipe burst. Neural networks modeled for the purpose of locating pipe burst showed that, when flow formed due to pipe burst increases, error in determining the location of burst drops. However, we could not obtain sufficient decrease of this flow-error correlation line in order to achieve acceptable pipe burst location error for particular realistic pipe burst flow

Evaluation of the gastroprotective effects of Chihuahua propolis on indomethacin- induced gastric ulcers in mouse

The aim of this work was to evaluate the gastroprotective activity of a Mexican propolis on indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers in a mouse model. The following contents of the ethanolic extract of propolis of Chihuahua (EEPCh) were determined: antioxidant activity (SA50), total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and chemical composition by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS, as well as acute toxicity by OECD Guideline 423. Gastric lesions were induced by intragastric indomethacin treatment in male ICR mice. As the positive control, omeprazole was administered, and three doses of EEPCh were evaluated (50, 150 and 300 mg/kg). Gastric mucosal injury, histological changes and mucosal content were evaluated by means of H&E and PAS staining. For homogenized gastric tissues, the following were evaluated: TBARS, MPO, and PGE2 levels; SOD and GPx antioxidant enzymatic activity; and the concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6. EEPCh had a significant SA50 of 41.55 µg/mL. The TPC of EEPCh was 860 mg GAE/g, and its TFC was 49.58 mg QE/g. Different phenolic compounds were identified in the extract and were not toxic. The EEPCh doses decreased mucosal damage and histological injuries, maintained the mucosal content and reduced the TBARS, MPO and concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines in gastric ulcer tissues. The 150 and 300 mg/kg doses increased the SOD activity and maintained the PGE2 content. Only the 300 mg/kg dose increased the GPx activity. The results of this study suggest that EEPCh displays gastroprotective effects by means of its antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effects and promotes ulcer protection through the maintenance of mucosal content and PGE2 levels

The Wound-Healing Effect of Mango Peel Extract on Incision Wounds in a Murine Model

Mangifera indica can generate up to 60% of polluting by-products, including peels. However, it has been shown that flavonoids and mangiferin are mainly responsible for the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities closely related to the wound-healing process. The chemical composition of MEMI (methanolic extract of M. indica) was analyzed by HPLC-DAD, as well as concentrations of total phenol (TPC) and flavonoids (TFC) and antioxidant activity (SA50). Wound-healing efficacy was determined by measurements of wound contraction, histological analysis, and tensiometric method; moreover, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and acute dermal toxicity (OECD 402) were also evaluated. Phenol, resorcinol, conjugated resorcinol, and mangiferin were detected. TPC, TFC, and SA50 were 136 mg GAE/g, 101.66 mg QE/g, and 36.33 µg/mL, respectively. Tensile strength and wound contraction closure did not show significant differences between MEMI and dexpanthenol groups. Histological analysis (after 14 days) shows a similar architecture between MEMI treatment and normal skin. MEMI exhibits a reduction in edema. Staphylococcus epidermidis had an MIC of 2 mg/mL, while Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli reached 4 mg/mL. The MEMI showed no signs of toxicity. Therefore, this study demonstrates multiple targets that flavonoids and mangiferin of MEMI may present during the healing process

Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities of the Methanolic Extract of Cyrtocarpa procera Bark Reduces the Severity of Ulcerative Colitis in a Chemically Induced Colitis Model

Cyrtocarpa procera is a plant used in traditional Mexican medicine to treat different gastrointestinal problems. Here, we investigated the effects of a C. procera methanolic extract in DSS-induced colitis mice. Ulcerative colitis (UC) was induced by administering 4% DSS in drinking water to female BALB/c mice. Compared to untreated mice with UC, the treatment group receiving the C. procera extract presented less severe UC symptoms of diarrhea, bleeding, and weight loss. Additionally, colon shortening was significantly reduced, and at the microscopic level, only minor damage was observed. Levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and IFNγ in serum as well as the MPO activity in the colon were significantly reduced in the C. procera methanolic extract-treated group. Moreover, the extract of C. procera reduced oxidative stress during UC, preventing the deterioration of the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, CAT, and GPx. Additionally, the extract decreased lipid peroxidation damage and its final products, such as malondialdehyde (MDA). In agreement with this, in vitro assays with the C. procera extract displayed good antioxidant capacity, probably due to the presence of polyphenolic compounds, in particular the flavonoids that were identified, such as chrysin, naringenin, kaempferol, and catechin, which have been reported to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Therefore, the improvement of UC by the C. procera methanolic extract may be related to the action mechanisms of these compounds