Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive decline in memory, language and other cognitive functions. Recent studies provide convincing evidence on the role of vitamin D3 on the nervous system. Aim: To investigate the effect of the active form of vitamin D3 (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol) as a neuroprotective agent in experimentally induced AD in rats. Methods: 40 adult male Wistar (albino) rats weighing 180 to 200 g were included in this study. Rats were divided into four groups (each of 10 rats): Group I: normal healthy rats receiving intracerebroventricular injection (icv) of artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) and serving as a control group. Group II: rats with induced AD by icv colchicine injection of 15 lg/rat bilaterally and receiving no treatment. Group III: rats pre-treated with active form of vitamin D3 42 IU/kg/day subcutaneously (s.c.) for one week followed by induction of AD then post-treated with vitamin D3 in the same dose for 3 weeks. Group IV: rats with induced AD then post-treated with vitamin D3 for 3 weeks. The following parameters were evaluated in rats of all studied groups:
Orexin-A has hypoalgesic properties and increases body mass, whereas dexamethasone has a potent anti-inflammatory effect. Therefore, the combination of orexin-A and dexamethasone should have a greater effect with respect to attenuating the manifestations and complications associated with RA.
IntroductionHyperlipidemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as acute infarction. Inflammation and platelet activation are critical phenomena in acute myocardial infarction (AMI).AimThe aim of the study was to assess potential protective effects of aspirin and/or clopidogrel on AMI in hypercholesterolemic rats.MethodsForty adult male Wistar rats were divided into five groups (eight rats in each). Group I included normal healthy rats. The other 32 rats were subjected to induction of hypercholesterolemia by high-fat diet for 3 weeks, followed by induction of AMI by subcutaneous injections of isoproterenol (85 mg/kg/day, for 2 days). Rats were divided into the following groups: group II, rats with induced hypercholesterolemia and AMI; group III, hypercholesterolemic rats that received aspirin 30 mg/kg/day orally for 7 days before induction of AMI; group IV, hypercholesterolemic rats that received clopidogrel 10 mg/kg/day orally for 7 days before induction of AMI; and group V, hypercholesterolemic rats treated with both aspirin and clopidogrel in the same doses for 7 days before induction of AMI. Serum levels of pentraxin 3 (PTX3), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total cholesterol and triglycerides were estimated in all rats.ResultsIsoproterenol-induced AMI in hypercholesterolemic rats was associated with an increase in serum levels of PTX3, TGF-β1, CK and LDH. Aspirin and/or clopidogrel pretreatment for 1 week led to a reduction of their levels as compared with non-treated rats. However, the reduction caused by combination of aspirin and clopidogrel was more than that caused by each drug separately.ConclusionCombination of aspirin and clopidogrel could be a therapeutic option for hypercholesterolemic patients to attenuate the complex vascular inflammatory process which is a key step in the setting of AMI.
This study aimed to investigate whether berberine nanoparticles (BBR-NPs) and/or cisplatin supplementation could prevent hepatocarcinogenesis-induced by N-nitroso-diethylamine (DENA) in male rats. Male Wistar albino rats were divided into five groups; Group 1: Control; Group 2: DENA-CCl4; Group 3: DENA-CCl4+Cisplatin; Group 4: DENA-CCl4+BBR-NPs; Group 5: DENA-CCl4+Cisplatin+BBR-NPs. DENA-CCl4 significantly increase AST, ALT, ALP, LDH, GGT, AFP activities and total bilirubin, while, 5, NT, total protein and albumin decreased. DENA-CCl4 treatment caused increment in MDA levels and reduction in SOD, CAT, GPx and GSH in liver tissues. Moreover, DENA-CCl4 increase the gene expression of ADAM17 and TNF-α however, P53 was declined. In addition, DENA-CCl4 caused severe histopathological lesions in the liver tissue. Interestingly, administration of berberine nanoparticles alone or in combination with cisplatin improves the hepatocarcinogenesis induced by DENA-CCl4 on the physiological, biochemical, molecular and histological levels by decreasing oxidative stress and preserving gene expression of ADAM17, TNF-α and P53. The present findings suggest that BBR-NPs with cisplatin might offer a promising strategy for the prevention of liver cancer.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.