The effects of tualang honey on female reproductive organs, tibia bone and hormonal profile in ovariectomised rats - animal model for menopause

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Honey is a highly nutritional natural product that has been widely used in folk medicine for a number of therapeutic purposes. We evaluated whether Malaysian Tualang honey (AgroMas, Malaysia) was effective in reducing menopausal syndrome in ovariectomised female rats; an animal model for menopause.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The rats were divided into two control groups and three test groups. The control groups were sham-operated (SH) and ovariectomised (OVX) rats. The SH and OVX control rats were fed on 0.5 ml of distill water. The rats in the test groups were fed with low dose 0.2 g/kg (THL), medium dose, 1.0 g/kg (THM) and high dose 2.0 g/kg (THH) of Tualang honey in 0.5 ml of distill water. The administration was given by oral gavage once daily for 2 weeks. The reproductive organs (uterus and vagina), tibia bone and aorta were taken for histopathological examination while serum for hormonal assays.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Administration of Tualang honey for 2 weeks to ovariectomised rats significantly increased the weight of the uterus and the thickness of vaginal epithelium, restored the morphology of the tibia bones and reduced the body weight compared to rats in the ovariectomised group. The levels of estradiol and progesterone, in honey treated groups were markedly lower than that in the OVX group. At low doses (0.2 g/kg; THL group) of Tualang honey there was an increased in serum free testosterone levels compared to OVX group (P < 0.01). Progesterone concentrations was significantly decreased in the OVX group as compared to SHAM group (P < 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Tualang honey was shown to have beneficial effects on menopausal (ovariectomised) rats by preventing uterine atrophy, increased bone density and suppression of increased body weight. Honey could be an alternative to HRT.</p

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of Tualang honey in alkali injury on the eyes of rabbits: Experimental animal study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Alkali injury is one of the most devastating injuries to the eye. It results in permanent unilateral or bilateral visual impairment. Chemical eye injury is accompanied by an increase in the oxidative stress. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents play a major role in the treatment of chemical eye injuries. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the anti-inflammatory (clinical and histopathological) and antioxidant effects of Tualang honey versus conventional treatment in alkali injury on the eyes of rabbits.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A preliminary study was carried out prior to the actual study to establish the alkali chemical injury on rabbit's cornea and we found that alkali chemical injury with 2 N NaOH showed severe clinical inflammatory features. In actual study, alkali injury with 2 N NaOH was induced in the right eye of 10 New Zealand White rabbits' cornea. The rabbits were divided into two groups, Group A was given conventional treatment and Group B was treated with both topical and oral Tualang honey. Clinical inflammatory features of the right eye were recorded at 12 hours, 24 hours, 72 hours, 5^thday and 7^thday post induction of alkali burn on the cornea. The histopathological inflammatory features of the right corneas of all rabbits were also evaluated on day-7. The level of total antioxidant status and lipid peroxidation products in the aqueous humour, vitreous humour and serum at day-7 were estimated biochemically. Fisher's Exact, Chi-Square and Mann-Whitney test were used to analyse the data.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was no statistically significant difference in clinical inflammatory features (p > 0.05) between honey treated and the conventional treated group at different times of examination. Histopathological examination of the cornea showed the number of polymorphonuclear leucocytes was below 50 for both groups (mild grade). There was also no significant difference in the level of total antioxidant status as well as lipid peroxidation products in aqueous humour (p = 0.117, p = 0.382 respectively), vitreous humour (p = 0.917, p = 0.248 respectively) and serum (p = 0.917, p = 0.332 respectively) between honey treated and the conventional treated group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Tualang honey has almost the equal effects when compared with the conventional treatment in treating alkali injury on rabbit's eye. Future research with more number of rabbits and control group is warranted to explore the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of Tualang honey.</p

Statistical study on physicochemical characteristics of groundwater in and around panjapur area near korai river, Tamil Nadu, India

Groundwater is the most precious gift of nature to living beings, particularly to the mankind and is essential for life. In recent years, rapid development has created an increased demand for drinking water, which is increasingly being fulfilled by groundwater abstraction. The groundwater samples collected from a panjapur area near korai river Tiruchirappalli district Tamil Nadu India. Groundwater samples collected seasonal variation Pre monsoon (May), Monsoon(August), and Post monsoon (November) during the Year 2014. Ten groundwater samples analyzed for major physicochemical parameters such as pH, Electrical Conductivity, Total DissolvedSolids, Total Hardness, Dissolved Oxygen, Biological Oxygen Demand, Chemical Oxygen Demand, Bicarbonate, Calcium,Magnesium, Sodium,Potassium, Sulphate,Chloride and Nitrate,&nbsp; in order to understand the different geochemical processes affecting the groundwater quality. The analytical data were interpreted using WQI. The Calculated WQI value is (101.6). The analytical results indicate the majority of the groundwater samples are unsuitable for drinking purposes. The typical sewage comprising of domestic and other waste is discharged directly into the open land without any proper treatment will cause contamination. This contamination poses serious health impacts in the local residents.The correlation and regression provide an excellent tool for the prediction of parameter values within a reasonable degree of accuracy

Hydrochemical analysis of groundwater of karumandapam area near koraiyar river Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil nadu, India.

Ground water samples were collected from different localities in and around Karumandapam&nbsp;area, of Tiruchirappalli District, Tamil Nadu. Ten groundwater samples were collected and&nbsp;analyzed for hydro-chemical parameter such as pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total&nbsp;Dissolved Solids (TDS), Biological Oxygen Demand(BOD),Chemical oxygen&nbsp;Demand (COD), Calcium(Ca),Magnesium(Mg),Total Hardness (TH), Bicarbonate(HCO3),&nbsp;Chloride (Cl) and Nitrate (NO3) in order to understand the different geochemical processes&nbsp;affecting the groundwater quality. The analytical data were compared with WHO data. The&nbsp;analytical results indicate that the majority groundwater samples are incompatible for drinking&nbsp;purposes. The aquifers of the study area are polluted due to the intersession of sewage are&nbsp;industrial effluents of fertilizers

Seasonal variation of heavy metal analysis of ground water in and around senthurai taluk in ariyalur district – Tamilnadu.

A Total 16 ground water samples were collected in and around sendurai taluk in Ariyalur district during pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons and analyzed in order to find out pollution impact. The heavy metal analyses Cu, Zn, Ir, Pb and Ni were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer and the results were compared with the World Health Organization (WHO 2011) Standard Values. The heavy metal ions are toxic to human health. This study suggests that the preventive measures which are to be adopted to control the contamination of excess Lead and Nickel present in the water

A study on physico- chemical status and spatial distribution of pollutants in ground water proximity to Uyyakondan channel using modeling software - GIS

Tiruchirappalli is one of the most important industrial cities in Tamil Nadu and situated on the river bank of the Cauvery. Uyyakondan channel is about 65.5 km long, running through the heart of Tiruchirappalli as a tributary of river Cauvery. The channel water is used for domestic and irrigation purposes.&nbsp;A total of 40 ground water and 5 surface water samples were collected from in and around Uyyakondan channel.&nbsp;The water samples were analyzed for physico-chemical parameters like pH, EC, TDS, TH, DO, COD, BOD, Cl, PO4&nbsp;and K as prescribed by APHA, using standard techniques and compared with WHO (2009). The ground water quality information maps of the entire study area were prepared by using software GIS for all the above parameters. The results obtained by this study will be helpful for identifying the spatial distribution of pollutant in the study area

Phytochemical Screening and Antimicrobial Activity of Phyllanthus niruri

phyllanthus niruri&nbsp;is an Indian herb used for various ailments by traditional healers. In this&nbsp;study carried out phytochemical analysis and antimicrobial investigation of methanolic extract&nbsp;of the leaves&nbsp;phyllanthus niruri&nbsp;against a panel of clinically significant bacterial and fungal strains. Phytochemical studies revealed the presence of Phenolic compounds, Saponins, Flavonoids, Terpenoids, Alkaloids, Tannins, Cardioglycosides, Steroids, Reducing Sugars, Anthraquinones and Resins. Susceptibility testing by disc diffusion assay revealed significant antimicrobial activity of methanol extract of leaves against&nbsp;Coney lunata&nbsp;and&nbsp;Salmonella typhi. The leaf extract exhibited better antimicrobial activity. The study findings provide supportive evidence for the use of&nbsp;phyllanthus niruri&nbsp;in traditional medicines

AMELIORATION OF ACETAMINOPHEN-INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY USING SOLANUM TORVUM SW. FRUIT EXTRACT IN WISTAR RATS

Objective: Ayurveda and Chinese pharmacopeia have highlighted the traditional medicinal uses of Solanum torvum Sw. The fruits are ethnomedical used in the treatment of liver and spleen enlargement, cough, and also used as a hematopoietic, antimicrobial, and analgesic agent. In the present study, the amelioration of acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatotoxicity of the aqueous extract of S. torvum Sw. fruits is evaluated. Methods: The hepatoprotective activity of the fruit extract against APAP insult was evaluated by assessing it is in vivo antioxidants status, membrane-bound adenosine triphosphatases (ATPases), and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle marker enzymes and also through histopathological studies of the liver. Results: Administration of the aqueous fruit extract of the plant caused a significant increase in the in vivo antioxidant status as evident from the reduction in lipid peroxidation caused by APAP and improvement in the mitochondrial membrane stability which is proved from the activity of membrane-bound ATPases and TCA cycle marker enzymes. Histological studies also supported the fact that the plant extract proved to revive the architecture of the toxin damaged liver tissues in par with silymarin. The chemical pathological changes were consistent with histopathological observations suggesting marked hepatoprotective effect of the aqueous extract of S. torvum. Conclusion: The results showed that the extract of S. torvum Sw. fruits has hepatoprotective potential which may be due to the antioxidant activity of its phytoconstituents, especially flavonoids, alkaloids, phenolics, etc