7 research outputs found
Effect of Treatment with Thyme Extract on Urinary Levels of Melatonin in an Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Mouse Model
Background: Thymus vulgaris, or thyme belongs to the Lamiaceae family of aromatic plant species and has established antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. We examined the association between thyme extract treatment to recovered urinary levels of melatonin, a hormone with neuroprotective effects, in mice induced with EAE. Methods: Eight B6 mice induced with EAE were randomized into two groups and exposed to either 50 mg/kg of thyme extract or PBS. After EAE induction, mice were injected i.p every other day from day 0 to 21. Four B6 mice without EAE were considered the healthy control group. Urine samples were collected consecutively for two 24 h periods on day 19 and 20. We examined whether thyme extract treatment modified urinary melatonin sulfate concentration (ng/mL) in EAE-induced mice using an ELISA. Results: The clinical score and body weight in thyme-treated EAE group were significantly lower in comparison to the EAE control group at indicated time points. The urinary melatonin concentration was significantly lower in the EAE control group compared to the healthy mice. There was no significant difference between thyme-treated and EAE groups regarding the urine melatonin concentration. Conclusions: Our results show that exposing EAE mice to thyme extract improved their clinical symptoms, however, there was no significant effect on urinary melatonin concentration. © 2020, Reports of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. All Rihts Reserve
Alteration in mononuclear cell subpopulations in dogs immunized with gentamicin-attenuated Leishmania infantum
The impact of immunization with gentamicin-attenuated Leishmania infantum (H-line) on the immunophenotypic profile
of popliteal lymph node (PLN) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of dogs was assessed by flow cytometry
and immunohistochemistry. Compared with the dogs infected with L. infantum wild-type (Group WT), there was a
significantly higher percentage of CD4
+
, CD44
+
T cells and CD14
+
, MHC-II
+
cells and a lower percentage of CD4
+
CD25
+
regulatory T cells in PLN of the immunized dogs with L. infantum H-line (Group H). The percentage of CD4
+
and
CD8
+
T cells in PBMCs of immunized dogs was higher than that in dogs of Group WT. The CD4:CD8 ratio in PLN of
dogs of Group H was significantly higher than that in dogs of Group WT. A significantly higher percentage of CD21
+
B cells
and a lower percentage of CD79b
+
cells were found in PLN of the immunized dogs compared with dogs of Group WT.
Immunohistochemical investigation showed no parasites in the PLN of immunized dogs whereas there were parasites in the
PLN of 60% of dogs infected with L. infantumWT. In this study, the immunophenotypic profile of mononuclear cells of the
immunized dogs correlates with cellular immunity