Prophylactic ciprofloxacin treatment prevented high mortality, and modified systemic and intestinal immune function in tumour-bearing rats receiving dose-intensive CPT-11 chemotherapy

Infectious complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality from dose-intensive cancer chemotherapy. In spite of the importance of intestinal bacteria translocation in these infections, information about the effect of high-dose chemotherapy on gut mucosal immunity is minimal. We studied prophylactic ciprofloxacin (Cipro) treatment on irinotecan (CPT-11) toxicity and host immunity in rats bearing Ward colon tumour. Cipro abolished chemotherapy-related mortality, which was 45% in animals that were not treated with Cipro. Although Cipro reduced body weight loss and muscle wasting, it was unable to prevent severe late-onset diarrhoea. Seven days after CPT-11, splenocytes were unable to proliferate (stimulation index=0.10±0.02) and produce proliferative and inflammatory cytokines (i.e., Interleukin (IL)-2, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) IL-1β, IL-6) on mitogen stimulation in vitro (P<0.05 vs controls), whereas mesenteric lymph node (MLN) cells showed a hyper-proliferative response and a hyper-production of pro-inflammatory cytokines on mitogen stimulation. This suggests compartmentalised effects by CPT-11 chemotherapy on systemic and intestinal immunity. Cipro normalised the hyper-responsiveness of MLN cells, and in the spleen, it partially restored the proliferative response and normalised depressed production of IL-1β and IL-6. Taken together, Cipro prevented infectious challenges associated with immune hypo-responsiveness in systemic immune compartments, and it may also alleviate excessive pro-inflammatory responses mediating local gut injury

Cytogenetic study of some allium species (Subgenus allium and Melanocrommyum) in Iran

The karyological data of 7 species of Allium represents information in 2 parts of Iran: East Azerbaijan and Kurdistan is reported here with the basic chromosome number x=8. Most of the karyotypes are symmetrical consisting of metacentric and submetacentric chromosomes. According to the results of this study A. rubellum species is diploid so that its karyotype consists of 16 chromosomes (2n=2x=16) whose sizes are between 8.084–10.268 μm, and chromosomes pairs No. 2 and 3 includes satellites. All of the chromosomes were metacentric type. A. longicuspis species, as this study explains, is tetraploid and its karyotype includes 32 chromosomes (2n=4x=32) of sizes of 4.912–7.462 μm. Chromosomes pairs No.4 and 6 include satellite. Also according to the results of this research, A. staminum species is diploid, with 16 chromosomes (2n=2x=16), with sizes between 6.807–10.456 μm. A. iranicum species, is tetraploid and its karyotype includes 32 chromosome (2n=4x=32), with sizes of 6.719–12.221 μm. A. leave, A. dictyoscordum and A. cardiostemon are diploid with 16 chromosomes. 1B chromosomes were observed for these last 2 species of East Azerbaijan populations (2n=2x=16+1B)