Evaluation of the antioxidant effects of zolpidem in the rat model of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity

Introduction: Nephrotoxicity is one of the most important side effects of cisplatin which has limited its use. Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of this drug. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant effect of zolpidem on the reduction of nephrotoxicity associated with cisplatin. Materials and Methods: In this study, 40 adult male rats were divided into 4 groups; 1) healthy group, 2) control group, 3, 4) cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity + different doses of zolpidem. After a certain period of time, the urine, spinal cord and kidney samples of rats were collected. Then, urine levels of functional factors including urea, creatinine and albumin/creatinine ratio, antioxidant enzymes and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were estimated. Consequently, histological studies were conducted with the collected samples. Results: Zolpidem reduced levels of urea, creatinine, albumin/creatinine ratio, and MDA. It also increased the amount of antioxidant enzymes of the kidney including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and moderated the tubular damage caused by the use of cisplatin. Conclusion: Zolpidem is able to improve the nephrotoxicity by reducing oxidative stress

Sex differences in basal hypothalamic anorectic and orexigenic gene expression and the effect of quantitative and qualitative food restriction

Abstract Background Research into energy balance and growth has infrequently considered genetic sex, yet there is sexual dimorphism for growth across the animal kingdom. We test the hypothesis that in the chicken, there is a sex difference in arcuate nucleus neuropeptide gene expression, since previous research indicates hypothalamic AGRP expression is correlated with growth potential and that males grow faster than females. Because growth has been heavily selected in some chicken lines, food restriction is necessary to improve reproductive performance and welfare, but this increases hunger. Dietary dilution has been proposed to ameliorate this undesirable effect. We aimed to distinguish the effects of gut fullness from nutritional feedback on hypothalamic gene expression and its interaction with sex. Methods Twelve-week-old male and female fast-growing chickens were either released from restriction and fed ad libitum or a restricted diet plus 15% w/w ispaghula husk, a non-nutritive bulking agent, for 2 days. A control group remained on quantitative restriction. Hypothalamic arcuate nucleus neuropeptides were measured using real-time PCR. To confirm observed sex differences, the experiment was repeated using only ad libitum and restricted fed fast-growing chickens and in a genetically distinct breed of ad libitum fed male and female chickens. Linear mixed models (Genstat 18) were used for statistical analysis with transformation where appropriate. Results There were pronounced sex differences: expression of the orexigenic genes AGRP (P < 0.001) and NPY (P < 0.002) was higher in males of the fast-growing strain. In genetically distinct chickens, males had higher AGRP mRNA (P = 0.002) expression than females, suggesting sex difference was not restricted to a fast-growing strain. AGRP (P < 0.001) expression was significantly decreased in ad libitum fed birds but was high and indistinguishable between birds on a quantitative versus qualitative restricted diet. Inversely, gene expression of the anorectic genes POMC and CART was significantly higher in ad libitum fed birds but no consistent sex differences were observed. Conclusion Expression of orexigenic peptides in the avian hypothalamus are significantly different between sexes. This could be useful starting point of investigating further if AGRP is an indicator of growth potential. Results also demonstrate that gut fill alone does not reduce orexigenic gene expression

Systematic review for phytotherapy in Streptococcus Mutans

Streptococcus mutans is one of the bacteria that are a major cause of tooth decay. Streptococcus mutans plays a special role in plaque formation and tooth decay. S. mutans, which is a gram-positive cocci and encapsulated bacterium, produces acid and is considered as an extracellular glucan polymer. Medicinal plants are of special value and importance in securing health status at the society level in terms of both treatment and prevention of human diseases and are as old as human history. The present review study reports on medicinal plants that are used as antibacterials against S. mutans. In this study, the search process was done using keywords, such as bacteria, Streptococcus mutans, and medicinal plants. Databases such as ISI Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and Science Direct were searched and the relevant articles were used for reviewing purposes. Based on the results, there are 48 medicinal plants with anti-S. mutans effects. © 2017, Pharmainfo Publications. All rights reserved

Phytotherapy for Streptococcus pyogenes

Streptococcus pyogenes is a gram-positive extracellular bacteria. S. pyogenes can cause skin and upper respiratory tract infections that lead to certain complications such as rheumatic fever, impetigo, scarlet fever, and glomerulonephritis. Nowadays, increasing development of antibiotic resistance is being addressed as one of the most important and challenging medical issues. The use of medicinal plants to treat diseases dates back to thousands of years ago. The aim of the current review is to report medicinal plants with antibacterial effects against S. pyogenes. To achieve this purpose, bacterium, Streptococcus pyogenes, and medicinal plants were used as search terms to retrieve relevant publications from the Institute for Scientific Information of Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect. According to the findings, 82 medicinal plants were reported to have antibacterial effects against S. pyogenes. Hence these medicinal plants also have antimicrobial activities. The antibacterial properties of the herbal plants reported in this review have been confirmed, this active ingredients of these plants are natural antibiotics. © 2017, Pharmainfo Publications. All rights reserved

Medicinal plants used for hypertension

Hypertension is one of the most important diseases in industrialized and developing countries. Statistics show that more than seven million people worldwide are affected by this disease each year. Hypertension is the third cause of death in the world. Chemical medicines used for hypertension usually have side effects, so, the use of medicinal herbs as natural and healthy source of medicines appears essential. In the review, first, the search was done by keywords such as blood pressure, medicinal herbs, extracts, essences, ethnobotanical and Iran from scientific databases, and databases such as Google Scholar, SID, etc. Related articles were selected for review. After reviewing the papers of this study, eventually 42 medicinal herbs including sage, barberry, eastern grapes, yarrow, hawthorn, rhubarb, sheng, olive, rhubarb, buckwheat, spring chamomile, milk thistle, jujube, strawberry, ziziphus, indole, besides, garlic, fennel, almonds, etc. have been recommended in the treatment of hypertension. © 2017, Pharmainfo Publications. All rights reserved