Immunohistochemical studies on the effect of Aloe vera on the pancreatic â-cells in neonatal streptozotocin-induced type-II diabetic rats

Aloe vera is used worldwide for several medical purposes as alternative medicine. There are positive and negative reports on the hypoglycaemic effects of this plant. From previous acute studies, Aloe leaf gel and pulp extracts lead to significant decreases in blood glucose in neonatal streptozotocin (n0-STZ)-treated type-II diabetic rats, whereas lowering of blood glucose during chronic treatment with the same extracts was statistically insignificant. Here we try to detect whether Aloe leaf gel and pulp extracts affect pancreatic â-cells. Using n0-STZ type-IIdiabetic rats, the immunoreactivity of â-cells of the islets of Langerhans did not differ among treatments of control, glibenclamide-, Aloe vera leaf pulp- and gel extract-treated rats. These results suggest that treatment of diabetic rats with Aloe vera gel or pulp or glibenclamide has no beneficial influence on the pancreatic â-cells in type II diabetes

Total selenium concentration in various waters of Turkey

The total selenium levels of 335 water samples of Turkey were determined by a spectrofluorometric method. The samples were digested in nitric-perchloric acid mixture, potential interferences were masked with disodium EDTA-HONH2. HCl and selenium was complexed with freshly prepared 2,3-diaminonaphthalene solution and estimated spectrofluorometrically after extraction in cyclohexane. The selenium content of various waters (rain, tap, mineral, sea, lake, river, bottled drinking waters and collected drinking waters from 42 cities in Turkey) were determined. The selenium levels were compared with the literature data from different countries

Effect of vanadyl sulfate on the status of lipid parameters and on stomach and spleen tissues of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Diabetes mellitus is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular complications. Experimental evidence suggests that oxidative stress plays a dominant role in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of vanadyl sulfate on blood glucose, serum and tissue lipid profiles and on stomach and spleen tissues in STZ-induced diabetic rats. In this study, male 6-6.5-month-old Swiss albino rats were used. Rats were randomly divided into four groups. Group I: control animals (normal, nondiabetic animals) (n = 13); Group II: vanadyl sulfate controls (n = 5); Group III: streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic, untreated animals (n = 11); and Group IV: STZ diabetic animals given vanadyl sulfate (n = 11). Experimental diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of STZ in a single dose of 65 mg kg(-1) body weight. Vanadyl sulfate was administered by gavage at a dose of 100 mg kg(-1). The levels of cholesterol, phospholipid, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-) low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-), very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-), triglycerides and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in serum and cholesterol in liver were assayed according to standard procedures. The levels of lipid peroxidation, glutathione (GSH) and nonenzymatic glycosylation (NEG) in stomach and lipid peroxidation and glutathione (GSH) in spleen tissues were analyzed. After 60 days of treatment, serum cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, phospholipid, VLDL-cholesterol, LPO, blood glucose levels, stomach LPO and NEG, spleen LPO significantly increased, but serum HDL-cholesterol, stomach GSH and spleen GSH levels significantly decreased in the diabetic group. On the other hand. treatment with vanadyl sulfate reversed these effects. These results reveal that diabetes mellitus increased oxidative damage in stomach and spleen tissues and vanadyl sulfate has an ameliorating effect on the oxidative stress via its antioxidant property. The administration of vanadyl sulfate may be able to reduce hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia related to the risk of diabetes mellitus. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Alpha amylase, alpha glucosidase and glycation inhibitory activity of Moringa oleifera extracts

Moringa oleifera is a source of food, shelter and traditional medicine for many people in developing countries. It is an exceptional source of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, lipids, carotenoids, flavonoids, sterols and phenolics. Owing to its diverse nutritional and phytochemical composition, it is widely consumed and used in therapeutics. In this study, the aqueous, methanol, hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of M. oleifera seeds, leaves and roots were assessed for in vitro alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase and glucose-induced bovine serum albumin glycation inhibition. Findings indicate that methanol and hexane leaves extracts demonstrated highest alpha-amylase inhibitory activity (IC50 = 8.217 and 9.397 mg/ml respectively), though the activities were lower than that of acarbose (IC50 = 0.036 mg/ml). In contrast, hexane root extract exhibited optimal alpha-glucosidase inhibition and antiglycation effect (IC50 = 0.382 and 0.772 mg/ml, respectively). The extract activity was higher than that of acarbose (IC50 = 0.884 mg/ml), but lesser than rutin (IC50 = 0.199 mg/ml); which were the control for alpha-glucosidase inhibition and antiglycation studies respectively. In conclusion, suggesting its potentials in regulating postprandial blood glucose, and attenuating the production/accumulation of advanced glycation end product. Thus, M. oleifera extracts exhibited promising antidiabetic activity. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of SAAB

Effects of vitamin U (S-methyl methionine sulphonium chloride) on valproic acid induced liver injury in rats [conferenceObject]

22nd IUBMB Congress/37th FEBS Congress -- SEP 04-09, 2012 -- Seville, SPAINyanardag, refiye/0000-0003-4185-4363; Tunali, Sevim/0000-0003-3363-1290WOS: 000308128601524…IUBMB, FEB