Evaluation of Immunomodulatory activity of Diosgenin in rats

Background: The immune system is intrinsic to health. Modulation of the immune responses to alleviate the diseases by using herbal plants has been of interest for many years. Diosgenin, a naturally occurring steroid saponin mainly present in the seeds of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum) and in the root tubers of wild yams (Dioscorea villosa). Activation of specific and nonspecific immunity results in stimulation of immune response. Diosgenin has the positive effects on both specific and nonspecific immunity. Aim: To study the immunomodulatory activity of Diosgenin in albino wistar rats. Method: The suspension of Diosgenin was given orally at the dosage level of 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg for 21 days in a rat. The immunomodulatory activity on specific and non-specific immunity was studied by heamagglutination antibody (HA) titer, delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response and carbon clearance test. Immunosuppression in a rat was induced by using Cyclophosphamide (100 mg/kg, p.o.). Sheep red blood cells (SRBCs) were used as antigen (0.1ml 20% SRBCs). Result: Diosgenin exhibited significant increase in the production of antibody titer in response to SRBC antigen. A significant increase in both primary and secondary HA titer was observed in immunosuppressed group treated with Diosgenin when compared with negative control. A significant increase in the DTH response was observed in immunosuppressed animals treated with Diosgenin, pre-sensitized with SRBCs antigen. Diosgenin exhibited significant increase in phagocytic index against control group, indicating the stimulation of the reticuloendothelial system. Conclusion: The study indicates that Diosgenin triggers stimulatory effect on specific and nonspecific immune response. The immunostimulant effect of Diosgenin could be attributed due to its saponin glycoside

Zinc intake, status and indices of cognitive function in adults and children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

In developing countries, deficiencies of micronutrients are thought to have a major impact on child development; however, a consensus on the specific relationship between dietary zinc intake and cognitive function remains elusive. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the relationship between zinc intake, status and indices of cognitive function in children and adults. A systematic literature search was conducted using EMBASE, MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases from inception to March 2014. Included studies were those that supplied zinc as supplements or measured dietary zinc intake. A meta-analysis of the extracted data was performed where sufficient data were available. Of all of the potentially relevant papers, 18 studies met the inclusion criteria, 12 of which were randomised controlled trials (RCTs; 11 in children and 1 in adults) and 6 were observational studies (2 in children and 4 in adults). Nine of the 18 studies reported a positive association between zinc intake or status with one or more measure of cognitive function. Meta-analysis of data from the adult’s studies was not possible because of limited number of studies. A meta-analysis of data from the six RCTs conducted in children revealed that there was no significant overall effect of zinc intake on any indices of cognitive function: intelligence, standard mean difference of <0.001 (95% confidence interval (CI) –0.12, 0.13) P=0.95; executive function, standard mean difference of 0.08 (95% CI, –0.06, 022) P=0.26; and motor skills standard mean difference of 0.11 (95% CI –0.17, 0.39) P=0.43. Heterogeneity in the study designs was a major limitation, hence only a small number (n=6) of studies could be included in the meta-analyses. Meta-analysis failed to show a significant effect of zinc supplementation on cognitive functioning in children though, taken as a whole, there were some small indicators of improvement on aspects of executive function and motor development following supplementation but high-quality RCTs are necessary to investigate this further

Folic Acid and Protein Content in Maternal Diet and Postnatal High-Fat Feeding Affect the Tissue Levels of Iron, Zinc, and Copper in the Rat

Although maternal, fetal, and placental mechanisms compensate for disturbances in the fetal environment, any nutritional inadequacies present during pregnancy may affect fetal metabolism, and their consequences may appear in later life. The aim of the present study is to investigate the influence of maternal diet during gestation on Fe, Zn, and Cu levels in the livers and kidneys of adult rats. The study was carried out on the offspring (n = 48) of mothers fed either a protein-balanced or a protein-restricted diet (18% vs. 9% casein) during pregnancy, with or without folic acid supplementation (0.005- vs. 0.002-g folic acid/kg diet). At 10 weeks of age, the offspring of each maternal group were randomly assigned to groups fed either the AIN-93G diet or a high-fat diet for 6 weeks, until the end of the experiment. The levels of Fe, Zn, and Cu in the livers and kidneys were determined by the F-AAS method. It was found that postnatal exposure to the high-fat diet was associated with increased hepatic Fe levels (p < 0.001), and with decreased liver Zn and Cu contents (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively), as well as with decreased renal Cu contents (p < 0.001). Moreover, the offspring’s tissue mineral levels were also affected by protein and folic acid content in the maternal diet. Both prenatal protein restriction and folic acid supplementation increased the liver Zn content (p < 0.05) and the kidney Zn content (p < 0.001; p < 0.05, respectively), while folic acid supplementation resulted in a reduction in renal Cu level (p < 0.05). Summarizing, the results of this study show that maternal dietary folic acid and protein intake during pregnancy, as well as the type of postweaning diet, affect Fe, Zn, and Cu levels in the offspring of the rat. However, the mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon are unclear, and warrant further investigation

Trace elements in glucometabolic disorders: an update

Many trace elements, among which metals, are indispensable for proper functioning of a myriad of biochemical reactions, more particularly as enzyme cofactors. This is particularly true for the vast set of processes involved in regulation of glucose homeostasis, being it in glucose metabolism itself or in hormonal control, especially insulin. The role and importance of trace elements such as chromium, zinc, selenium, lithium and vanadium are much less evident and subjected to chronic debate. This review updates our actual knowledge concerning these five trace elements. A careful survey of the literature shows that while theoretical postulates from some key roles of these elements had led to real hopes for therapy of insulin resistance and diabetes, the limited experience based on available data indicates that beneficial effects and use of most of them are subjected to caution, given the narrow window between safe and unsafe doses. Clear therapeutic benefit in these pathologies is presently doubtful but some data indicate that these metals may have a clinical interest in patients presenting deficiencies in individual metal levels. The same holds true for an association of some trace elements such as chromium or zinc with oral antidiabetics. However, this area is essentially unexplored in adequate clinical trials, which are worth being performed

Evaluation of Immunomodulatory activity of Diosgenin in rats

Background: The immune system is intrinsic to health. Modulation of the immune responses to alleviate the diseases by using herbal plants has been of interest for many years. Diosgenin, a naturally occurring steroid saponin mainly present in the seeds of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum) and in the root tubers of wild yams (Dioscorea villosa). Activation of specific and nonspecific immunity results in stimulation of immune response. Diosgenin has the positive effects on both specific and nonspecific immunity. Aim: To study the immunomodulatory activity of Diosgenin in albino wistar rats. Method: The suspension of Diosgenin was given orally at the dosage level of 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg for 21 days in a rat. The immunomodulatory activity on specific and non-specific immunity was studied by heamagglutination antibody (HA) titer, delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response and carbon clearance test. Immunosuppression in a rat was induced by using Cyclophosphamide (100 mg/kg, p.o.). Sheep red blood cells (SRBCs) were used as antigen (0.1ml 20% SRBCs). Result: Diosgenin exhibited significant increase in the production of antibody titer in response to SRBC antigen. A significant increase in both primary and secondary HA titer was observed in immunosuppressed group treated with Diosgenin when compared with negative control. A significant increase in the DTH response was observed in immunosuppressed animals treated with Diosgenin, pre-sensitized with SRBCs antigen. Diosgenin exhibited significant increase in phagocytic index against control group, indicating the stimulation of the reticuloendothelial system. Conclusion: The study indicates that Diosgenin triggers stimulatory effect on specific and nonspecific immune response. The immunostimulant effect of Diosgenin could be attributed due to its saponin glycoside

Incidence of neutralizing antibodies to Chandipura virus in domestic animals from Karimnagar and Warangal Districts of Andhra Pradesh, India

In order to determine the possible role of domestic animals in the outbreak of acute encephalitis associated with Chandipura virus (CPV) among children in Andhra Pradesh in 2003, a serological survey of domestic animals was carried out during the epidemic in July 2003. Out of 180 animal sera from highly affected areas of the Karimnagar and Warangal districts of Andhra Pradesh 33 (18.3%) had virus neutralizing (VN) antibodies to CPV. The positive animals consisted of pigs (30.6%), buffalos (17.9%), cattle (14.3%), goats (9.3%) and sheep (7.7%). Isolation of CPV and detection of CPV antibodies in patients with encephalitis reported earlier and the evidence of antibodies to CPV in domestic animals shown here suggest that CPV circulates in this region and should be considered an emerging virus of public health importance

Nanogoldpharmaceutics: (i) The use of colloidal gold to treat experimentally-induced arthritis in rat models; (ii) Characterization of the gold in Swarna bhasma, a microparticulate used in traditional Indian medicine

Nanosized gold particles (27 +/- 3 nm) have been proven to be effective in ameliorating the symptoms of mycobacterial-, collagen- and pristane-induced arthritis in rat models. This contrasts with the drug sodium aurothiomalate that was only effective against mycobacterial-induced arthritis but not to the same extent as Au0. Gold in the traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Swarna bhasma (gold ash), has been characterized as globular particles of gold with an average size of 56-57 nm