Lipid profile improving effect of Coriandrum sativum seed extract in rats

Background: Hyperlipidaemia is a common disease in middle-aged and elderly people. It has received attention, as it indirectly affects the normal metabolism, blood viscosity and vital organ functions. It is a risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible antihyperlipidemic effect of Coriander sativum seed extract (CSSE) in rats fed on high-fat diet.Methods: A parallel study design was adopted on 42 albino rats, divided randomly into 7 groups with different treatments. After a 6 week-experimental course, blood samples were collected and analysed for lipid and organ function parameters. Phytochemical analysis was conducted on the used seed extract to detect the active principles underlying its effects.Results: CSSE (150 and 300 mg/kg, orally, once daily) along with a high-fat (1.5% cholesterol+1.5% coconut oil, in diet) diet resulted in a significant (p≤0.05) improvement in plasma lipid parameters, including, total cholesterol, triacyglycerols and lipoproteins, compared to the high-fat group. group. The extract significantly (p≤0.05) improved hepatic (total proteins, albumin, globulins, total conjugated and unconjugated bilirubins, AST, ALT, GGT), cardiac (CK-MB and troponin-I) and renal (urea, creatinine & uric acid) biomarkers. Phytoanalysis of CSSE revealed presence of phlobatannin and flavonoids. The protection % produced by small and large doses of CSSE were dose-dependent and parallel to those of the standard antihyperlipidemic rosuvastatin (2 mg/dl orally, daily).Conclusions: These data indicate that CSSE has a marked antihyperlipidemic effect and could be a source for a promising nutraceutical antihyperlipidemic drug depending on its high phenolic and flavonoid content

Synthesis of New Azoles and Azolopyrimidines Incorporating Morpholine Moiety as Potent Anti-Tumor Agents

A new series of morpholinyl-chalcones 2a–d was prepared by reaction of 2-oxo-N,4-diarylbut-3-enehydrazonoyl chlorides 1a–d with morpholine. These chalcones were used as a building block for constructing pyrazoles 3a–d and 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1H)-thione 6 via their reaction with phenylhydrazine and thiourea, respectively. Moreover, a new series of azolopyrimidine derivatives 11a,b, 15, 17, 19, and 21 incorporating morpholine moiety were synthesized by reaction of 1-morpholino-4-phenyl-1-(2-phenylhydrazono)but-3-en-2-one (2a) with a number of heterocyclic amines in the presence of a catalytic amount of acetic acid. The assigned structures for all the newly synthesized compounds were confirmed on the basis of elemental analyses and spectral data and the mechanisms of their formation were also discussed. All the synthesized compounds were tested for in vitro activities against two antitumor cell lines, human lung cancer (A-549) and human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2) compared with the employed standard antitumor drug (cisplatin) and the results revealed that compounds 6, 8c and 17 have promising activities compared with cisplatin. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Morphological alterations in the jejunal mucosa of aged rats and the possible protective role of green tea

Introduction. Gastrointestinal disorders become more prevalent with ageing. This study is aimed to describe morphological changes that occur in the jejunal mucosa of male albino rats as a result of ageing and the protec­tive effect of green tea (GT) extract. Material and methods. The experiment was performed on sixty rats: thirty young-adult (6-month old, body mass 200–220 g) and thirty old (24-month-old, body mass 220–260 g) animals. Each group was further divided into two subgroups (n = 15 each): control rats and GT-treated rats that received 1.5 mL (300 mg/kg/day) of GT extract for 14 weeks by oral gavage. Sections of the jejunum were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid Schiff, toluidine blue and Mallory trichrome methods. The presence of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)- and CD68-positive cells was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. Ultrathin sections were prepared and examined by a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Results. Jejunal sections of the old control rats showed distortion of submucosa and attenuated muscularis externa with decreased height of intestinal villi. The villi also showed partial loss of acidophilic brush border with wide spaces between enterocytes. Swollen, short, blunt or broad villi with abundant mononuclear cell infiltration of lamina propria and congested blood vessels were evident both by light and electron microscopy. The number of PCNA- and CD68-positive cells in jejunal mucosa of old rats was higher than in young rats. The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in the mucosa of old control rats were lower, whereas malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were higher in the jejunal homogenates of old rats as compared to young control rats. Administration of GT extract protected the jejunal mucosa from age-related changes by restoring its histological structure. The treatment of old rats with GT extract significantly decreased MDA levels in the jejunum and increased TAC and GPX activity. Conclusions. The age-related changes of the morphology of rat jejunum could be ameliorated by prolonged supplementation of the green tea extract

ASSESSMENT OF GRAPE SEEDS AS A SOURCE OF ANTIOXIDANT COMPOUNDS

The grape seeds extracted with various organic solvents (methanol, ethanol, acetone and chloroform) either pure (100%) or mixed with 30, 50 and 50% water (except chloroform)  were evaluated for its content of antioxidant compounds; i.e. phenolics and flavonoids (by HPLC technique) and/or antioxidant activities (by DPPH test). The extraction yield was ranged between 6-10% depending on solvent type and significantly increased by mixing with water with various percentages. Total phenolics, total flavonoids and antioxidant activity of grape seed extracts were affected by type of solvent. The highest total phenolic compounds and total flavonoids was recorded in methanol 70% extract, while the lowest one was in water 100% extract

The prevalence of blinding trachoma in northern states of Sudan.

BACKGROUND: Despite historical evidence of blinding trachoma, there have been no widespread contemporary surveys of trachoma prevalence in the northern states of Sudan. We aimed to conduct district-level surveys in this vast region in order to map the extent of the problem and estimate the need for trachoma control interventions to eliminate blinding trachoma. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Separate, population based cross-sectional surveys were conducted in 88 localities (districts) in 12 northern states of Sudan between 2006 and 2010. Two-stage cluster random sampling with probability proportional to size was used to select the sample. Trachoma grading was done using the WHO simplified grading system. Key prevalence indicators were trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) in children aged 1-9 years and trachomatous trichiasis (TT) in adults aged 15 years and above. The sample comprised 1,260 clusters from which 25,624 households were surveyed. A total of 106,697 participants (81.6% response rate) were examined for trachoma signs. TF prevalence was above 10% in three districts and between 5% and 9% in 11 districts. TT prevalence among adults was above 1% in 20 districts (which included the three districts with TF prevalence >10%). The overall number of people with TT in the population was estimated to be 31,072 (lower and upper bounds = 26,125-36,955). CONCLUSION: Trachoma mapping is complete in the northern states of Sudan except for the Darfur States. The survey findings will facilitate programme planning and inform deployment of resources for elimination of trachoma from the northern states of Sudan by 2015, in accordance with the Sudan Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) objectives

A Simple and Highly Structured Procaine Hydrochloride as Fluorescent Quenching Chemosensor for Trace Determination of Mercury Species in Water

An ultrasensitive, simple and highly selective spectrofluorometric strategy for quantifying traces of mercury(II) in environmental water has been established using the fluorescent probe procaine hydrochloride (PQ+.Cl−). The procedure was based upon the formation of the ternary ion associate complex [(PQ+)2.(HgI4)2−] between PQ+.Cl− and mercury(II) in iodide media at pH 9.0–10.0 with its subsequent extraction onto dichloromethane accompanied by a change in fluorescence intensity at λex/em = 268/333 nm. The developed strategy exhibited a linear range of 1–114 μg L−1 with lower limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of mercury(II) 1.3 and 3.98 nM, respectively. Intra and inter-day laboratory accuracy and precision for trace analysis of mercury(II) in water were performed. Complexed mercury(II) in environmental water, chemical speciation and successful literature comparison was performed. The proposed system offered excellent selectivity towards mercury(II) ions examined in the presence of competent ions in excess, relevant to real water samples. The method was applied for analysis of mercury(II) in tap water samples. Statistical comparison (Student’s t and F tests) of the proposed method with the reference ICP-OES method revealed no significant differences in the accuracy and precision

Genetic profile of Egyptian hepatocellular-carcinoma associated with hepatitis C virus Genotype 4 by 15 K cDNA microarray: Preliminary study

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Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes in Egyptian pediatric cancer patients with acute and chronic active HBV infection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There are eight genotypes of hepatitis B virus (A-H) and subgenotypes are recognized. Genotyping can be accomplished based on a partial sequence of HBV genome such as the pre-S or S gene. Several methods have been developed and used for HBV genotyping. This study was undertaken to determine the HBV genotypes in Egyptian pediatric cancer patients with acute and chronic liver disease.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>HBV genotypes were determined in 22 patients who had acute forms of liver disease (AH) and in 48 patients with chronic active hepatitis (CAH). A type-specific primer based the nested-PCR method was employed in the HBV genotyping.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>This study showed that HBV infections in pediatric cancer patients are attributed predominantly to viral genotypes D and B that constituted 37.1% and 25.7%, respectively of the total infections. In addition, there was a relatively high prevalence of mixed infections of 15.7% among the studied group especially mixed A/D genotype infections. Genotype D was found significantly more often in patients with CAH than in patients with AH [23/48(47.9%) <it>v </it>3/22 (13.6%)].</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings show the distribution of HBV A-D genotypes in pediatric cancer Egyptian patients. Furthermore, our results indicate a markedly high prevalence of mixed A/D genotype infections in subjects with CAH and a possible association of mixed infections with the severity of liver diseases.</p

The Protective Properties of the Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) against Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats Mediated by Anti-Apoptotic and Upregulation of Antioxidant Genes Expression Effects

The strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) has been extensively used to treat a wide range of ailments in many cultures. The present study was aimed at evaluating the hepatoprotective effect of strawberry juice on experimentally induced liver injury in rats. To this end, rats were introperitoneally injected with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) with or without strawberry juice supplementation for 12 weeks and the hepatoprotective effect of strawberry was assessed by measuring serum liver enzyme markers, hepatic tissue redox status and apoptotic markers with various techniques including biochemistry, ELISA, quantitative PCR assays and histochemistry. The hepatoprotective effect of the strawberry was evident by preventing CCl4-induced increase in liver enzymes levels. Determination of oxidative balance showed that strawberry treatment significantly blunted CCl4-induced increase in oxidative stress markers and decrease in enzymatic and non-enzymatic molecules in hepatic tissue. Furthermore, strawberry supplementation enhanced the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, and restrained the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and caspase-3 with a marked reduction in collagen areas in hepatic tissue. These findings demonstrated that strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) juice possessed antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and anti-fibrotic properties, probably mediated by the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids compounds