The effect of albumin administration on renal dysfunction after experimental surgical obstructive jaundice in male rats

AbstractThe aim was to study the influence of albumin supplementation on the changes of the kidney function and structure in cirrhotic rats induced by common bile duct ligation (BDL). Twenty-four male albino rats weighing 200–250g were divided into Group I: 6 rats underwent laparotomy alone, and the bile duct was only dissected from the surrounding tissue; Group II: 6 rats underwent a sham operation and received 2% albumin in their drinking water; Group III: 6 rats were subjected to bile duct ligation only; and Group IV: 6 rats were subjected to bile duct ligation and received a daily albumin 2% in drinking water. All rats were sacrificed after 4 weeks. We measured the liver and kidney functions and oxidative stress markers in the renal tissue and conducted a histological evaluation of the liver and kidney. The liver enzymes were decreased, but there was no significant difference in the bilirubin levels in group IV compared to group III. There was a significant elevation of serum creatinine in group III compared to group II, and serum creatinine was attenuated in group IV. The renal tissue catalase activity and reduced glutathione, as well as the nitric oxide levels, were significantly increased in group IV and were elevated in group III. Histologically, the livers of group IV showed degeneration and inflammatory cell infiltration with regeneration areas in which normal hepatocytes appeared. The kidneys of group IV showed recovery as well as areas of inflammatory cell infiltration. Some tubules appeared with normal epithelial lining. In conclusion, the results suggest that albumin partially improves the renal functions and structures after their disturbances as a result of BDL

Synthesis and Reactivity of 6-Iodo-4H-3,1-Benzoxazin-4-one Towards Nitrogen Nucleophiles and Their Antimicrobial Activities

In attempt to find new pharmacological active molecules, we synthesized 6-iodo-4H-3,1-benzoxazin-4-one and allowed it to react with some nitrogen nucleophiles namely; hydroxylamine hydrochloride, hydrazine hydrate, fomamide, aliphatic amine, aromatic amines, aralkyl amine, different amino acids, heteryl amines, ethanolamine and sodium azide to afford annelated quinazolinone derivatives and other related systems. The synthesized compounds were characterized with the help of spectroscopic techniques including IR, 1H-NMR and Mass spectra. Also their antimicrobial activities were screened against different strains of bacteria and fungi. Keywords: 6-Iodo-4H-3,1-benzoxazin-4-one; quinazolinone derivatives;  nitrogen nucleophiles; antimicrobial activity

Characterization of Sidr (Ziziphus spp.) Honey from Different Geographical Origins

The current investigation was conducted to assess the melissopalynological, physicochemical, and biochemical properties, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities as well as total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of 794 Sidr honey samples collected from the Saudi market that had been imported from 12 different countries. Testing Sidr honey from different countries showed different levels of growth suppression observed against five drug resistant bacterial strains. The pathogenic strains were Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The antimicrobial activity showed growth suppression levels which varied according to the origin of the honey. The comparative study of Sidr honeys revealed a strong correlation between total polyphenol and flavonoid contents and significant radical scavenging activities in particular Egyptian and Saudi Arabian honeys. The melissopalynological and physicochemical properties of different Sidr honeys complied with the recommendations of the WHO Codex Alimentarius, the European Union standards for honey quality, and the Gulf Technical Regulation on honey (GSO 147:2008-Standards Store-GCC Standardization Organization). It was concluded that Sidr honey from different geographical areas has the capacity to suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria and perform significant radical scavenging activities

Imaging of choroidal neovascular membrane by optical coherence tomography Angiography

Background: Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a new safe imaging technique that uses motion contrast imaging to high-resolution volumetric blood stream information to produce angiographic pictures in a matter of seconds. Objectives: We aimed to identify different patterns and types of CNV by OCTA and the relationship between these patterns and activity of CNV. Patients and Methods: Fifty eyes of 50 patients presented with CNV had a regular diagnostic evaluation that included FA and/or OCT. Suspected cases with CNV underwent scanning by OCTA in this study. Patients with media opacity or bad image quality had been excluded. Results: In 80% of patients, there is a statistically significant correlation between the patterns of CNV and its activity (P-value =0.0001). Conclusion: OCTA is a critical technique for better characterizing the various forms and patterns of CNV, as well as the link between these patterns and CNV activity

Induction of antibacterial metabolites by co-cultivation of two Red-Sea-sponge-associated actinomycetes <i>Micromonospora</i> sp. UR56 and <i>Actinokinespora</i> sp. EG49

Liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRESMS)-assisted metabolomic profiling of two sponge-associated actinomycetes, Micromonospora sp. UR56 and Actinokineospora sp. EG49, revealed that the co-culture of these two actinomycetes induced the accumulation of metabolites that were not traced in their axenic cultures. Dereplication suggested that phenazine-derived compounds were the main induced metabolites. Hence, following large-scale co-fermentation, the major induced metabolites were isolated and structurally characterized as the already known dimethyl phenazine-1,6-dicarboxylate (1), phenazine-1,6-dicarboxylic acid mono methyl ester (phencomycin; 2), phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (tubermycin; 3), N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-acetamide (9), and p-anisamide (10). Subsequently, the antibacterial, antibiofilm, and cytotoxic properties of these metabolites (1&ndash;3, 9, and 10) were determined in vitro. All the tested compounds except 9 showed high to moderate antibacterial and antibiofilm activities, whereas their cytotoxic effects were modest. Testing against Staphylococcus DNA gyrase-B and pyruvate kinase as possible molecular targets together with binding mode studies showed that compounds 1&ndash;3 could exert their bacterial inhibitory activities through the inhibition of both enzymes. Moreover, their structural differences, particularly the substitution at C-1 and C-6, played a crucial role in the determination of their inhibitory spectra and potency. In conclusion, the present study highlighted that microbial co-cultivation is an efficient tool for the discovery of new antimicrobial candidates and indicated phenazines as potential lead compounds for further development as antibiotic scaffold

The genus <i>Micromonospora</i> as a model microorganism for bioactive natural product discovery

This review covers the development of the genus Micromonospora as a model for natural product research and the timeline of discovery progress from the classical bioassay-guided approaches through the application of genome mining and genetic engineering techniques that target specific products. It focuses on the reported chemical structures along with their biological activities and the synthetic and biosynthetic studies they have inspired. This survey summarizes the extraordinary biosynthetic diversity that can emerge from a widely distributed actinomycete genus and supports future efforts to explore under-explored species in the search for novel natural products

Chemosensetizing and cardioprotective effects of resveratrol in doxorubicin- treated animals

BACKGROUND: Doxorubicin (DOX), an anthracycline antibiotic is one of the most effective anticancer drug used in the treatment of variety of cancers .Its use is limited by its cardiotoxicity. The present study was designed to assess the role of a natural product resveratrol (RSVL) on sensitization of mammary carcinoma (Ehrlich ascites carcinoma) to the action of DOX and at the same time its protective effect against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. METHODS: Ehrlich ascites carcinoma bearing mice were used in this study. Percent survival of tumor bearing mice was used for determination of the Cytotoxic activity of DOX in presence and absence of RSVL. Uptake and cell cycle effect of DOX in tumor cells in the presence of RSVL was also determined. Histopatholgical examination of heart tissues after DOX and/or RSVL therapy was also investigated. RESULTS: DOX at a dose level of 15 mg/kg increased the mean survival time of tumor bearing mice to 21 days compared with 15 days for non tumor-bearing control mice. Administration of RSVL at a dose level of 10 mg/kg simultaneously with DOX increased the mean survival time to 30 days with 70% survival of the tumor-bearing animals. RSVL increased the intracellular level of DOX and there was a strong correlation between the high cellular level of DOX and its cytotoxic activity. Moreover, RSVL treatment showed 4.8 fold inhibition in proliferation index of cells treated with DOX. Histopathological analysis of rat heart tissue after a single dose of DOX (20 mg/kg) showed myocytolysis with congestion of blood vessels, cytoplasmic vacuolization and fragmentation. Concomitant treatment with RSVL, fragmentation of the muscle fiber revealed normal muscle fiber. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that RSVL could increase the cytotoxic activity of DOX and at the same time protect against its cardiotoxicity

The Bioactive Value of Tamarix gallica Honey from Different Geographical Origins

This study was conducted to assess the bioactive value of Tamarix gallica honey samples collected from three countries. In total, 150 Tamarix gallica honey samples from Saudi Arabia (50), Libya (50), and Egypt (50) were collected and compared, based on the results of the melissopalynological analysis, their physicochemical attributes, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, and biochemical properties, together with their total phenolic and total flavonoid contents. Depending on the geographical origin, we observed different levels of growth suppression for six resistant bacterial strains. The pathogenic microorganisms tested in this study were Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. There was a strong correlation between the polyphenol and flavonoid contents, as well as significant (p < 0.05) radical scavenging activities. The melissopalynological analysis and physicochemical properties complied with the recommendation of the Gulf and Egyptian Technical Regulations on honey, as well as the Codex Alimentarius of the World Health Organization and the European Union Normative related to honey quality. It was concluded that Tamarix gallica honey from the three countries has the capacity to suppress pathogenic bacterial growth and has significant radical scavenging activities. Moreover, these findings suggest that Tamarix gallica honey may be considered as an interesting source of antimicrobial compounds and antioxidants for therapeutical and nutraceutical industries or for food manufacturers

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of 3-arylidene chromen-2, 4-dione derivatives

Abstract: Derivatives of 3-arylidene chromen-2, 4-dione 1 were synthesized to be used as a starting material for synthesizing some new fused heterocyclic compounds containing coumarin moiety. When compounds 1 reacted with hydrazine derivatives, hydroxylamine hydrochloride, urea, thiourea, semicarbazide and thiosemicarbazide it gave the corresponding compounds 2-5. Compound 4a, b reacted with methyl iodide in DMF and K2CO3 at room temperature to afford the corresponding 6a, b. All these compounds were screened InVitro for their antibacterial activity