Effects of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) extract on serum antibacterial activity of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) against Aeromonas hydrophila, Streptococcus iniae and Yersinia ruckeri

In the present study, the effects of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) extract on serum antibacterial activity of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) against Aeromonas hydrophila, Streptococcus iniae and Yersinia ruckeri was studied. In this regard, 450 fish with average weight of 100±10 g were stocked into fifteen fiberglass tanks. This experiment consisted of 3 treatment groups (received 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg BW safflower extract via IP injection), one positive control group (just received normal saline) and one negative control group (with no injection). Blood samples were taken at the 3th, 7th and 10th days after the injections, and antibacterial activity of serum were determined in vitro using CFU method. The results showed that safflower extract injection had no significant effects on serum anti-bacterial activity against A. hydrophyla and Y. rukeri during 10 days post injection. However, in the fish receiving 100 mg/kg safflower extract, serum bactericidal activity against S. iniae was significantly higher than the other groups. This study demonstrated that safflower extract at the doses of 50-200 mg/kg via IP injection did not cause significant changes in serum antibacterial activity against A. hydrophila and Y. ruckeri, but injection of 100 mg/kg extract led to an increase in the serum antibacterial activity against S. iniae, in rainbow trout

Modulation of toxicity effects of CuSO4 by sulfated polysaccharides extracted from brown algae (Sargassum tenerrimum) in Danio rerio as a model

Abstract Copper is widely used in agriculture and aquaculture due to its high disinfection properties and relatively low cost. However, the increase in copper concentration due to evaporation can lead to water reservoir pollution, which can harm the health of consumers. The present study aimed to determine the role of sulfated polysaccharides (SPs) extracted from Sargassum tenerimum algae in reducing lesions caused by the heavy metal copper. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) were used as a human model in five treatments. The negative and positive control groups were fed a diet containing zero percent of SPs, while the experimental groups were fed 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% of SPs in three treatments for 56 days, finally CuSO4 was exposed only to the positive control group and the groups fed with SPs. Results showed a significant decrease in the activity level of ALT enzymes (39–16 U/mL), AST (67–46 U/mL), and ALP (485–237 U/mL), confirming the results obtained from histopathological studies in CuSO4 exposed groups. The addition of SPs to the diet resulted in a significant reduction (sig < 0.05) of mortalities due to the decrease of tissue damage. Additionally, due to the anti-inflammatory properties and the protective effect of SPs, a significant decrease (sig < 0.05) was observed in the relative expression of Il-1β and Tnf-α genes

Local Expression of Mucosal YKL-40; Correlation of YKL-40 with Clinical Manifestations and Immunopathogenesis of Moderate/Severe Persistent Allergic Rhinitis Patients

YKL-40 is an important protein that plays a critical role in chronic inflammation in hypersensitivity disease. In this study, the expression of YKL-40 was investigated among patients with moderate/severe persistent allergic rhinitis (M/S PAR), patients with mild (M) PAR and healthy individuals. Moreover, the association between YKL-40 and immunopathogenesis of M/S PAR was meticulously surveyed. For this purpose, surgical samples were tested by real-time polymerase chain reaction to evaluate YKL-40 mRNA expression. The presence and location of YKL-40 protein in the tissue samples were determined by immunohistochemistry. Additionally, we measured the number of eosinophils per field in the tissue samples, blood eosinophils, total serum IgE, specific serum IgE, total nasal syndrome score (TNSS) and YKL-40 serum levels. The data indicated that production of YKL-40 in patients with M/S PAR increased significantly when compared with the control group. Furthermore, local production of YKL-40 correlated with specific IgE, nasal eosinophil count and TNSS. The results of the present study indicate that YKL-40, for its correlation with allergic clinical manifestations and symptom severity in M/S PAR patients, should be considered as a trigger factor in AR

The relationship between IL-17A and IL-22 expression and clinical severity in patients with moderate/severe persistent allergic rhinitis

Purpose: Several reactions leading to numerous effects are regulated by IL-22. However, the relationship between IL-22 and immunopathogensis of allergic rhinitis (AR) has been rarely investigated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the levels of IL-22 and IL-17A in AR patients and their association with clinical severity of persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR). Materials and methods: Thirty mild persistent allergic rhinitis (M PAR) patients, thirty moderate/severe persistent allergic rhinitis (M/S PAR) patients, and thirty healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Local production of IL-22 and IL-17A in PAR patients and healthy controls' nasal mucosa was examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques. Serum levels of IL-22, IL-17A, specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE), and total IgE (tIgE) in PAR patients and healthy controls were determined by ELISA. In addition, blood eosinophil, nasal eosinophils per field, and total nasal syndrome score (TNSS) were also assessed. Results: In comparison with healthy controls, production of IL-22 and IL-17A in M/S PAR patients increased significantly. Furthermore, serum levels as well as the mean number of IL-22 + and IL-17A + cells in nasal mucosa correlated with sIgE, nasal eosinophil count, and TNSS. Conclusion: The results of the present study provide the first evidence that local production of IL-22 might be expressed in PAR patients. The expression of IL-22 and IL-17A, and their correlations with clinical parameters in PAR patients suggest the role of these cytokines in the events involved in the development of PAR