Effect of dexamethasone on growth and viability of mouse mammary tumour cell lines, EMT6 and 4T1

The in-vitro growth of benign (EMT6) and malignant (4T1) mouse mammary tumour cell lines were evaluated following treatment with doses of 0.1, 0.01 and 0.001 mg/mL dexamethasone. The viability and growth of these cells following dexamethasone treatment were determined by cell proliferation and live:dead assays. In cell proliferation assay, both cells were rapidly proliferating in serum-free media after treatment with different concentrations of dexamethasone over 24 hours. Following treatment with 0.1 mg/mL dexamethasone the proliferation of EMT6 cells were significantly increased while the proliferation of 4T1 cells was only slightly significantly increased. The effect was not dose-dependent. Using the live:dead assay, the results for both cell lines were consistent with the that of cell proliferation assay. This study provides preliminary evidence that dexamethasone may induce growth and viability of mouse mammary tumour cell lines, EMT6 and 4TI

Anti-epileptic properties of terpineol extracted from Myristica fragrans Houtt. essential oil in the epileptic rat model.

Epilepsy is the manifestation of the disease due to overstimulation of the brain. The common signs of this disease are chronic, episodic and recurrent seizures. This problem usually occurs in dogs and cats with the prevalence of the problem estimated about 5.0-5.7 % in dog population and about 0.5 % in the cat population. Today, there is a lot of studies that had been done to search for the new alternative anticonvulsant and antiepilleptic using allopathy or traditional medicine, one of them that had been done was Myristica fragrans Houtt. The volatile oil from the Myristica fragrans Houtt. had been studied and proven to have anticonvulsant effect and one of the constituents suspected to contribute to the anticonvulsant activity was terpineol. This study was done to screen the anti-epileptic effect of terpineol that had been extracted from Myristica fragrans Houtt, essential oil to the kainic acid induced epileptic rat model by determining the effect of terpineol to the behavioural seizure activity and electroencephalogram (EEG) of this model. In this study, 3 adult male SpraqueDawley rats were established with a radiotelemetry system by implanting with electroencephalogram telemetry device and were induced for epilepsy using kainic acid and then treated with the terpineol with doses fo 20 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg. The rats were observed for behavioral seizure activity and electroencephalograms were done qualitatively and quantitatively based on the Racine Scale and EEG semiology. The results of this experiment indicated that terpineol had the antiepileptic properties by inhibiting the behavioral seizure activity and seizure electroencephalogram. The effect of antiepileptic of terpineol also correlated with the doses that were used in this experiment. The possible mechanism of antiepileptic effect of terpineol is by enhancing the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) inhibition mechanism

The detrimental effects of lead on human and animal health

Lead, a chemical element in the carbon group with symbol Pb (from Latin: Plumbum, meaning “the liquid silver”) and has an atomic number 82 in the periodic table. It was the first element that was characterized by its kind of toxicity. In animal systems, lead (Pb) has been incriminated in a wide spectrum of toxic effects and it is considered one of the persistent ubiquitous heavy metals. Being exposed to this metal could lead to the change of testicular functions in human beings as well as in the wildlife. The lead poising is a real threat to the public health, especially in the developing countries. Accordingly, great efforts on the part of the occupational and public health have been taken to curb the dangers of this metal. Hematopoietic, renal, reproductive, and central nervous system are among the parts of the human body and systems that are vulnerable toward the dangers following exposure to high level of Pb. In this review, we discussed the massive harmful impact that leads acetate toxicity has on the animals and the worrying fact that this harmful toxicant can be found quite easily in the environment and abundance. Highlighting its (Pb) effects on various organs in the biological systems, its economic, as well as scientific importance, with the view to educate the public/professionals who work in this area. In this study, we focus on the current studies and research related to lead toxicity in animals and also to a certain extent toward human as well

In vitro fermentation profiles of palm kernel meal (PKM)-based diet supplemented with xylanase or cellulase using caecal digesta of broiler chickens as inoculums

In vitro fermentation profiles of palm kernel meal-based diet supplemented with or without xylanase and cellulase were investigated using broiler chickens caecal digesta as inoculum. Caecal digesta from 10 six week old male Cobb 500 broilers was diluted with pre-warmed anaerobic, sterile saline (9g/L NaCl) in a ratio of 1:5, and was used as inoculum. The PKM-based diet together with semi-defined medium and caecal inoculum was incubated in 100 ml glass syringe for 72 hours at 39±5°C. In vitro fermentation kinetics was determined through the in vitro cumulative gas production technique. End products such as ammonia, VFAs, and in vitro dry matter degradability were also quantified. The in vitro study of PKM-based diet supplemented with or without xylanase did not show any different effect on the gas production rate. However, the amount of butyrate production was increased when enzyme was supplemented. Both xylanase and cellulase supplementation in PKM diet had significantly improved (P<0.05) the in vitro dry matter degradability of the PKM compared to unsupplemented PKM diet, which more prominent result shown by xylanase supplementation

Development of a Y-maze task for studying cognitive function using teleost zebrafish (Danio rerio) and cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus)

The usage of zebrafish in cognitive test by responses to visual cues has been established in the past two decades. In contrast to zebra fish, cavefish is a blindfish that uses hydrodynamic to gather information about its surroundings and make cognitive interpretations.Thus, the aim of this study is to compare the cognitive functions of both fish using Y-maze test.Adult male zebrafish and cavefish were used to assess their capabilities to respond towards a new environment provided by a Y-maze test.There is no significant difference on cavefish enters and time spent in the visual cues test, but inconsistent on the novel arm performance. However, numbers of entries and time spent in the novel arm were significantly higher in the zebra fish both in the visual cues and arms performance. Zebrafish have higher exploratory behavior and are able to recognize the preferential cues after several intervals hours. Nevertheless, the cognitive functions of cavefish are based on their mechanosensory lateral line and olfactory buds, which are highly sensitive to water movements and helps them to discover novelty in complete darkness. Thus, the advantage of Y-maze and the characteristics of these teleosts can be a good bio model for studying olfactory and neuro function

Effect of xylanase and cellulase supplementation on growth performance, volatile fatty acids and caecal bacteria of broiler chickens fed with palm kernel meal-based diet

In this study, the effect of xylanase and cellulase supplementation in palm kernel meal (PKM) based diet on growth performance, volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and the caecal bacterial populations of broiler chickens were investigated. Seventy five day old male Cobb broiler chicks were randomly allocated to three dietary treatment groups receiving T1 (20% PKM-based diet without enzyme), T2 (20% PKM-based diet with xylanase) and T3 (20% PKM-based diet with cellulase). Each enzyme was supplemented at an amount of 200U/kg of feed. Weekly body weight gain and feed intake were recorded. All chickens were slaughtered on day 35 and the caecum content was aseptically collected for VFAs quantification and bacterial enumeration. Supplementation of xylanase and cellulase in PKM diets had different effect on the growth performance, the number of caecal bacterial population and VFAs produced. A significant reduction in the cumulative feed intake of birds fed cellulase-supplemented PKM compared to xylanse-supplemented and unsupplemented PKM diet was observed. However, the final body weights gain and cumulative feed conversion ratio (FCR) were not significantly different between the treatment groups. Determination of VFAs production of the caecal contents demonstrated a significant difference in the production of iso-butyric and n-valeric acid among treatment groups. The number of total viable bacteria, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and coliform in caecal samples were also enumerated. Significant difference was observed in the number of caecal bacteria population between the treatment groups. The effect of xylanase and cellulase on weight gain of broiler chickens was strongly related to the feed intake rather than due to the decrease in the number of pathogenic bacteria in the caeca. Xylanase supplementation was beneficial in enhancing cumulative feed intake, weight gain and FCR of the broiler chickens, but did not entirely reduce the number of pathogenic caecal bacteria. However, cellulase supplementation reduced all parameters observed for growth performance and the number of caecal bacteria

Potential role of Nigella sativa (NS) in abating oxidative stressi-induced toxicity in rats: a possible protection mechanism

The seeds of Nigella sativa (NS), have been widely used in herbal medicines worldwide. It has been shown to possess prophylactic effects against oxidative stress. However, there is a paucity of information regarding the protective role of NS against oxidative stress, in the absence of toxic agents. The aim of the study was to elucidate the anti-oxidative stress pharmacodynamics of NS. Eighteen, 12-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing about 300 ± 25 gm were divided equally into six groups. Four of the groups were supplemented with NS at 100 mg/kg b.w/day orally (P.O.) and labeled as, 1st, 3rd, 5th and 6th day groups. The PCx (positive control) group was given distilled water orally, and the NCx (negative control) group rats were provided with food and water ad libitum. Blood samples were collected, and rats were sacrificed on days 1, 3, 5 and 6 (2h) post-treatment. The blood was used for oxidative stress enzymes analysis (SOD, GSH-Px and MDA), liver (ALT) and kidney (creatinine) function assay, and the liver, kidney and spleen were dissected for histology. The results revealed that NS exhibited an anti-oxidative stress effect in the liver and kidneys as indicated by the low levels of ALT and creatinine. In response to antioxidant enzymes, especially that of the 3rd-day treatment group, an increase in SOD and GSH-Px indirectly caused an alleviation of oxidative stress, leading to a much lower level of MDA. It was concluded that treatment with NS at 100 mg/kg b.w/per day for three consecutive days, demonstrated the highest efficacy in abating oxidative stress in rats

Male Reproductive System

The overall reproductive process consists of both the human sex organs which include the male and female reproductive system. The ability to produce offsprings that have similar characteristic as their parents is the goal of reproduction. The sexual type of reproduction takes place in human and both male and female reproductive system is required. Male reproductive system is mainly concerned with production of semen (whitish viscous fluid emitted from the male reproductive tract that contains sperm and fluids) and transferring it into the female reproductive tract. In this review, we will discuss the latest findings in the research pertaining the male reproductive system and its contribution towards the research in advancement of reproductive physiology

Male reproductive system

The overall reproductive process consists of both the human sex organs which include the male and female reproductive system. The ability to produce off springs that have similar characteristic as their parents is the goal of reproduction. The sexual type of reproduction takes place in human and both male and female reproductive system is required. Male reproductive system is mainly concerned with production of semen (whitish viscous fluid emitted from the male reproductive tract that contains sperm and fluids) and transferring it into the female reproductive tract. In this review, we will discuss the latest findings in the research pertaining the male reproductive system and its contribution towards the research in advancement of reproductive physiology

Effect of garlic on serum cholesterol level in rats on high fat diets.

Garlic has been reported to possess the effect of lowering serum cholesterol level in blood thus may reduced the occurrence of cardiovascular disease but scientific reports are lacking. Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats of 16-weeks old were divided into four groups (n = 6). Hypercholesterolemia was induced by feeding 20% butter as high fat diet for two weeks and the treatment diet for three weeks. Group A was fed normal diet, group B fed normal diet + butter, group C fed normal diet + butter + garlic and group D was fed normal diet + butter + dexamethasone. The serum cholesterol concentration, average body weight and organ weight were determined for five weeks. The results showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease in the serum total cholesterol concentration for groups C and D. The average body weight was significantly (p<0.05) different between the initial body weight and final body weight. The organ weight showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease in mean blotted dry liver weight in groups C and D. These observations indicate that consumption of raw garlic has beneficial effect in lowering serum total cholesterol concentration and promote weight control