Protective effect of vitamin C against hemolytic anemia-induced changes in small intestine histoarchitecture of phenylhydrazine-treated mice

Background and aims: Hemolytic anemia-induced hypoxia can lead to multi-organ dysfunctions. The aim of the present study was to explore the efficacy of vitamin C as an antioxidant agent against hemolytic anemia-induced changes in small intestine histoarchitecture of phenylhydrazine (PHZ)-treated mice. Methods: In this experimental study, adult male mice were randomly assigned to four groups of eight mice each. PHZ was administered to two groups of mice at a dose of 60 mg/kg per 48 hours intraperitoneally for 35 days. One of these groups received vitamin C (250 mg/kg per day) intraperitoneally four hours before PHZ administration. A vehicle-treated control group and a vitamin C control group were also included. 24 hours after the last treatment, desired segments of small intestines were dissected out and subjected to histological processing and morphometric parameters were evaluated. Results: PHZ caused significant decreases in villi width of duodenum and jejunum, crypts depth of duodenum, distribution rate of the goblet cells in ileal villi and height of villi in all segments of small intestine. Vitamin C markedly improved all changes in the aforementioned parameters. Conclusion: Vitamin C could ameliorate hemolytic anemia-induced histological injuries in mouse small intestine

Protective effect of Sildenafil on contralateral epididymal sperm concentration and motility following unilateral blunt testicular trauma in pre-pubertal male mice

Background and aims: Blunt testicular trauma adversely affects fertility in later periods. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of sildenafil on contralateral epididymal sperm count and motility following unilateral blunt testicular trauma in mice. Methods: In this randomized controlled experimental study, 24 pre-pubertal male mice were distributed into four groups of six mice each. In two groups of mice, the abdomen was opened and the right testis was placed on a sterile firm surface and 5 g sterile weight was dropped on to the testis from a height of 10 cm. One of these groups received sildenafil (0.1 mg/kg per day) intraperitoneally for 7 days starting from the day of induction of trauma. A control group and a sildenafil control group were also included. The left epididymal sperm characteristics of all animals were evaluated after 7 weeks. Results: Trauma caused a significant decrease in the sperm concentration and motility as compared to control mice (P<0.05). Sildenafil administration markedly ameliorated all changes in the above-mentioned parameters (P<0.05). Conclusion: Sildenafil administration could attenuate blunt testicular trauma-induced contralateral epididymal sperm impairment

Selenium supplementation in the form of selenium nanoparticles and selenite sodium improves mature male mice reproductive performances

Objective(s): The current study was conducted to examine the possible protective and retentive effects of one-week intra-peritoneal (IP) administration of selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs), compared to its bulk counterpart, selenite sodium (Ss), after one complete cycle of spermatogenesis in mature male mice. Materials and Methods: Thirty adult male mice were divided into 3 groups. Control group was administrated phosphate-buffered saline (IP) and the other groups received Ss (0.50 mg kg-1) and Se-NPs (0.50 mg kg-1) for seven successive days. Then, the animals were monitored for 28 days and finally sacrificed and tissue and blood samples were taken. Histopathological features, sperm quality, in vitro fertilization (IVF) capability and selenium (Se) content in testicular tissue were analyzed. Antioxidant enzyme activities including catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase as well as total antioxidant capacity and malondialdehyde levels were assessed in blood and the tissue samples. Results: Remarkable differences were found in sperm characteristics, histopathological features and oxidative stress biomarkers between control and treatment groups. Moreover, IVF evaluation and tissue Se concentration examination weren’t similar for Se-NPs and Ss. Conclusion: Conclusively, Se-treated groups had more antioxidant capacity than the control group, but sperm quality and histopathological features revealed that Se-NPs might possess more antioxidative and retentive potential compared to Ss in one spermatogenesis cycle

Crataegus monogyna fruit aqueous extract as a protective agent against doxorubicin-induced reproductive toxicity in male rats

Objective: Doxorubicin (DOX) is a broad spectrum chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of several malignancies. The use of DOX in clinical chemotherapy has been restricted due to its diverse toxicities, including reproductive toxicity. Crataegus monogyna (C. monogyna) is one of the oldest medicinal plants that have been shown to be cytoprotective because of scavenging free radicals. The present study was undertaken to determine whether C. monogyna fruits aqueous extract could serve as a protective agent against reproductive toxicity during DOX treatment in a rat model through antioxidant-mediated mechanisms. Materials and Methods: Male Wistar rats were allocated to four groups. Two groups of rats were treated with DOX at a dose of 4 mg/kg intraperitoneally on days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 (accumulated dose of 20 mg/kg). One of the groups received C. monogyna fruits aqueous extract at a dose of 20 mg/kg per day orally for 28 days along with DOX. A vehicle-treated control group and a C. monogyna control group were also included. Results: The DOX-treated group showed significant decreases in the body and organ weights and spermatogenic activities as well as many histological alterations. DOX treatment also caused a significant decrease in sperm count and motility with an increase in dead and abnormal sperms. Moreover, significant decrease in serum levels of testosterone and increased serum concentrations of FSH, LH, LDH, CPK, and SGOT were observed in DOX-treated rats. Notably, Crataegus co-administration caused a partial recovery in above-mentioned parameters. Conclusion: These findings indicated that doxorubicin can adversely damage the testicular tissue, while Crataegus co-administrationcould effectively prevent these adverse effects by effective inhibiting oxidative processes and restoration of antioxidant defense system

Chemoprotective effect of Crataegus monogyna aqueous extract against cyclophosphamide-induced reproductive toxicity

AbstractCyclophosphamide (CP) is extensively used as an antineoplastic agent for treatment of various cancers, as well as an immunosuppressive agent. However, despite its wide spectrum of clinical uses, CP is known to cause several adverse effects including reproductive toxicity in humans and experimental animals. Crataegus monogyna is one of the oldest medicinal plant has been shown to be cytoprotective by scavenging free radicals. The present study was conducted to assess whether Crataegus monogyna fruits aqueous extract with anti-oxidant properties could serve as a protective agent against reproductive toxicity during CP treatment in a rat model. Male Wistar rats were categorized into four groups. Two groups of rats were administered CP at a dose of 5 mg in 5 mL saline kg-1 per day for 28 days by oral gavages. One of the groups received Crataegus monogyna aqueous extract at a dose of 20 mg kg-1 per day orally four hours after cyclophosphamide administration. A vehicle-treated control group and a Crataegus monogyna control group were also included. The CP-treated group showed significant decreases in the body and organ weights and spermatogenic activities as well as many histological alterations. CP treatment also caused a significant decrease in sperm count and motility with an increase in dead and abnormal sperms. Moreover, significant decrease in serum levels of testosterone and increased serum concentrations of FSH, LH, LDH, CPK and SGOT were observed in CP-treated rats. Notably, Crataegus coadministration caused a partial recovery in above-mentioned parameters. These findings indicated that Crataegus might be partially protective against CP-induced reproductive toxicity

Crataegus Monogyna Aqueous Extract Ameliorates Cyclophosphamide-Induced Toxicity in Rat Testis: Stereological Evidences

Cyclophosphamide (CP) is extensively used as an antineoplastic agent for the treatment of various cancers, as well as an immunosuppressive agent. However, despite its wide spectrum of clinical uses, CP is known to cause several adverse effects including reproductive toxicity. Crataegus monogyna is one of the oldest pharmaceutical plants that have been shown to be cytoprotective by scavenging free radicals. The present study was conducted to assess whether Crataegus monogyna fruits aqueous extract with anti-oxidant properties, could serve as a protective agent against reproductive toxicity during CP treatment in a rat model. Male Wistar rats were categorized into four groups. Two groups of rats were administered CP at a dose of 5 mg in 5 ml saline/kg/day for 28 days by oral gavages. One of these groups received Crataegus monogyna aqueous extract at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day orally four hours after cyclophosphamide administration. A vehicle treated control group and a Crataegus monogyna control group were also included. The CP-treated group showed significant decreases in the body, testes and epididymides weights as well as many histological alterations. Stereological parameters and spermatogenic activities (Sertoli cell, repopulation and miotic indices) were also significantly decreased by CP treatment. Notably, Crataegus coadministration caused a partial recovery in above-mentined parameters. These findings indicate that Crataegus monogyna may be partially protective against CP-induced testicular toxicity

Investigation protective effects of vitamin E against mobile radiations induced histological alterations and oxidative stress in rats’ brain

Introduction: It has been shown that mobile radiations (MRs) have detrimental effects on brain histoarchitecture and vitamin E as a powerful antioxidant can exhibit neuroprotective effects. This study was carried out to evaluate the protective effects of vitamin E against MRs-induced histological changes in rat brain. Methods: Adult female Wistar rats were randomly categorized into 4 groups (n₌6), including untreated control, experimental group1 (14 days exposure to mobile calls, 12 times every day and each time for 10 minutes by Huawei H30&ndash;U10 cell phone and then, sampling on day 15), experimental group2 (14 days treatment and then, sampling after 40 days) and experimental group3 (radiation + vitamin E 100 mg/kg intramuscularly before MRs exposure). Results: MRS-treatedrats showed significant reduction in body weight with an increase in brain relative weight. Moreover, MRS resulted in oxidative stress in brain tissue as well as increase in numbers of neurons with pyknotic nuclei in rats hippocampus. Interestingly, vitamin E co-administration led to oxidative stress suppression in brain tissue and nuclear pyknosis reduction in rats hippocampus. Conclusion: Vitamin E can attenuate MRs- induced histological alterations and oxidative stress in rat hippocampus probably due to antioxidant activities

Sublethal Dose of Diazinon Induces Pulmonary Toxicity in Rat: Histopathological Evidence

Objective: Diazinon (DZ) is a widely used contact organophosphorous pesticide with broad spectrum insecticide activity. The extensive use of DZ has caused great concern due to the hazardous side effects on human beings as well as wild and domestic animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sublethal dose of DZ on rat lung. Material and methods: Seven groups of male Wistar rats were used comprising control and test groups. The control group received corn oil (0.3 ml/day) for 60 days by oral gavages. The test groups received DZ at a dose of 60 mg/kg body weight orally for 2, 10, 24, 30, 54 and 60 days, respectively. Results: The histopathological analysis of the lungs in DZ-treated groups revealed congestion on day 2, pulmonary edema and emphysema on day 10, congestion and atelectasia on day 24, infiltration of mononuclear cells on day 30 and pulmonary hemorrhage along with bronchial glands hyperplasia on days 54 and 60. DZ administration also caused a significant decrease in serum cholinesterase activity in a time-dependent manner. Conclusion: These findings indicate that sublethal dose of DZ can induce severe lesions in the lung of rat. [J Interdiscipl Histopathol 2014; 2(1.000): 26-31