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Background: The use of natural products is an essential way to new pharmaceutical leads for the discovery and development of new drugs to treat diseases. Propolis (Pro) is a natural resinous product produced by honey bees. It has a strong cytoprotective effect against various exogenous toxic agents. The current study was designed to evaluate the possible protective effect of propolis against the toxicity of aluminum chloride (AlCl 3) on hepatorenal structure and function in male white albino rats. Methods: Thirty mature males of albino rat, Rattus rattus, weighing about 80-90g were divided into five groups contained 6 rats each. The first group acts as a control (received only saline solution); the second group (Al) had given orally 40 mg/kg b.w. of AlC1 3 , the third group (Pro) had administrated orally 150 mg/kg b.w. of propolis and the fourth group (Al+Pro) had given 40 mg/kg b.w. of AlCl 3 in the morning and 150 mg/kg b.w. of propolis in the evening. These four groups had given the treatments for two months. The fifth group (Al-Pro) had given 40 mg/kg b.w. of AlC1 3 chloride for one month then had given 40 mg/kg b.w. of AlCl 3 combined with 150 mg/kg b.w. of propolis for another month. Results: The AlCl 3-treated group showed a significant increase in the activities of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), acid phosphatase (AP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the plasma. Also, glucose, total protein, albumin, creatinine, uric acid, urea, cholesterol, and triglycerides in the plasma were significantly increased. The histological examination for the liver and kidney sections revealed marked histopathological alternations. The treatment with propolis combined with AlCl 3 improved the previous mentioned biochemical and histological alterations induced by AlCl3. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the combination of propolis with AlCl 3 alleviated the toxic effects of AlCl 3. The propolis has protective influences on the hepatorenal structure and function and could be able to resist AlCl 3 intoxication.

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an important oil crop in many tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, yet has received little attention in applying modern biotechnology in its improvement due to regeneration and transformation difficulties. Here within, we report the successful production of transgenic fertile plants of sesame (cv Sohag 1), after screening several cultivars. Agrobacterium tumefaciens- carrying the pBI121 plasmid {neomycin phosphotransferase gene (NPTII) and a β-glucuronidase gene (GUS)} was used in all experiments. Recovery of transgenic sesame shoots was achieved using shoot induction medium (Murashige and Skoog MS basal salt mixture + Gamborg's B5 vitamins + 2.0 mg/l BA + 1.0 mg/l IAA + 5.0 mg/l AgNO3 + 30.0 g/l sucrose + 7.0 g/l agar + 200 mg/l cefotaxime and 25 mg/l kanamycin) and shoots were rooted on MS medium + B5 vitamins + 1.0 mg/l IAA + 10.0 g/l sucrose and 7.0 g/l agar. Rooted shoots were transplanted into soil and grown to maturity in greenhouse. Incorporation and expression of the GUS gene into T0 sesame plants was confirmed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) and GUS histochemical assay. Several factors were found to be important for regeneration and transformation in sesame. The most effective were plant genotype and the addition of AgNO3 for successful recovery of sesame shoots. Co-cultivation time and optical density of the Agrobacterium were also critical for sesame transformation. This work is an attempt to open the door for further genetic improvement of sesame using important agronomic traits.

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