Key words:Quails, Heat stress, Organic selenium and chromium, Immune response, oxidative stress This study conducted to clarify the effect of dietary supplementation of organic chromium (Cr), selenium (Se) and their combination on performance, immune responses, hematological and biochemical parameters as well as antioxidant capacity of Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) under heat stress. A 90-day trial conducted using seventy-five, 10-day-old Japanese quails that randomly divided into 5 groups of 15 birds each. The 1 st group received basal diet and kept in a temperature controlled room at 24°C. The other four groups reared under natural summer months and kept in a room temperature ranged from (25.3°C to 36.7 °C). The 2 nd group kept under heat stress condition and fed basal diet only. The third, fourth and fifth groups fed basal diet supplemented by chromium (1400 µg/kg of diet), selenium (0.3 mg/kg of diet) and their combination respectively. In heat-stressed quail group, the data of growth performance revealed a significantly (P<0.05) reduced body weight gain (BWG), total feed intake (TFI) and a significantly (P<0.05) increased feed conversion ratio (FCR). A significantly (P<0.05) reduced phagocytic activity (PA), phagocytic index (PI) and the antibody titer against Newcastle disease virus as well as high mortality rate. a macrocytic hypochromic anemia and stress picture of leukogram. A significant (P<0.05) reduction in total proteins, albumin and thyroid hormones concentrations together with a significantly (P<0.05) elevated activity of serum AST, LDH, raised total cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose concentrations. Moreover, a significant (P<0.05) increase for lipid peroxidation marker (MDA) and a significant (P<0.05) reduction of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and total anti-oxidant capacity (TAC). However, simultaneous dietary supplementation with organic Cr and/or Se alleviated heat stress adverse effects. It could be concluded that combined dietary supplementation of organic Cr and Se can be considered to be a protective management in a quail diet, reducing the negative effects of heat stress.

Cyclosporine A’s (CsA) immunosuppressive effect makes it an ideal drug for organ transplantation. However, CsA’s uses are restricted due to its side effects. We investigated the effects of avocado seed (AvS) powder on CsA-induced nephrotoxicity and immunosuppression in rats. The injection of CsA (5 mg/kg, subcutaneously, for 10 days) increased serum levels of creatinine, uric acid, and urea, and the renal levels of the malondialdehyde. It decreased creatinine clearance and the renal activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase) and Na+/K+ ATPase. The administration of CsA also significantly downregulated the renal expression of interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin 1 beta, monocyte chemotactic protein 1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 genes, and increased renal DNA damage. Histopathological examination confirmed the biochemical and molecular alterations that accompanied CsA nephrotoxicity. All CsA-induced deleterious effects, except immunosuppression, were ameliorated by feeding rats on a basal diet supplemented with 5% AvS powder for 4 weeks. Importantly, AvS also maximized CsA’s immunosuppressive effect. These findings suggest a potential ameliorative effect of AvS on CsA-induced nephrotoxicity, and AvS enhances CsA’s immunosuppressive effect. Therefore, AvS might be used in combination with CsA in transplantation treatment to relieve the CsA-induced nephrotoxicity.

There are many plants which are used as medicinal plants by many people such as purslane, chia and garden cress .The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of purslane, chia and garden cress seed powders on CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in experimental rats. Rats were randomly assigned to 2 main groups including normal or negative control group (6 rats) which fed on basal diet only for 6 weeks, and injected group (36 rats) which injected subcutaneously with Ccl4 in paraffin oil(50% v/v, 2ml/kg body weight) twice a week for two weeks to induce chronic damage in liver. After induction, rats were divided into 5 equal groups including positive control group which fed on basal diet only besides 4 herbs-treated groups which fed on basal diet supplemented with 5% of either dry purslane, chia,garden cress seed powders or their mixture,respectively.The curative periodcontinued for 4 weeks. By its end, body weight gain and relative weights of some internal organs were calculated. In addition, serum and liver tissue homogenates were biochemically analyzed. The obtained results revealed that Ccl4 exposure led to liver and kidney dysfunction and induced hyper lipidemia due to its oxidative effect. As a result of their antioxidant and phenolic compound contents, using purslane, chia and garden cress seed powders singly or as a mixture improved liver and kidney functions and induced hypolipidemic effect.So, patients who suffer from hepatotoxicity as result of CCl4 exposure can use these plant seeds to test their possible efficiency for their condition.

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Heavy metal contaminated water is a great concern because of its high toxiciy, non-biodegradability, and bioaccumulation. Therefore, non-contaminated water is fundamental for a healthy life. Special attention is paid to the health-promoting ingredients of germinated whole cereal products. This study aimed to (1) examine the potentially harmful effects of Cu, Mn, and Zn on rat livers and brains, and (2) the potentially protective action of wheat and barley grasses against the expected harmful effects of these metals. The rats were treated with water contaminated by heavy metals (HMs) and germinated wheat and barley for 60 days. The rat liver functions and histopathological examinations were analyzed. Comet assay was evaluated to assess the damage in the DNA of rat livers and brains. The results indicated a significant alteration in liver functions in rats exposed to HMs; however, wheat and barley grasses at high doses decreased the harmful effects. An insignificant difference was noticed in total protein, albumin, and globulin of rats treated with HMs compared with the control. A significant increase in the serum and liver levels of HMs was recorded; however, they were reduced by wheat and barley grasses. Rat livers treated with HMs exhibited severe histological effects. The groups treated with wheat and barley grasses showed a normal liver architecture. A significant increase in DNA damage in the livers and brains was observed in rats treated with HMs, which was reduced when treated with wheat and barley grasses. Thus, using germinated seeds is promising to avoid damaging of HMs.

Previous studies reported disrupted hepatic function and structure following the administration of cyclosporine A (CsA) in humans and animals. Recently, we found that avocado seeds (AvS) ameliorated CsA-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. As a continuation, herein we checked whether AvS could also attenuate CsA-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Subcutaneous injection of CsA (5 mg/kg) for 7 days triggered hepatotoxicity in rats, as indicated by liver dysfunction, redox imbalance, and histopathological changes. Oral administration of 5% AvS powder for 4 weeks ameliorated CsA-induced hepatotoxicity, as evidenced by (1) decreased levels of liver damage parameters (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and bilirubin), (2) resumed redox balance in the liver (reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)), (3) downregulated hepatic expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related genes (X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1), binding immunoglobulin protein (BIP), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP)), and apoptosis-related genes (Bax and Casp3), (4) upregulated expression of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl2, (5) reduced DNA damage, and (6) improved liver histology. These results highlight the ability of AvS to ameliorate CsA-induced hepatotoxicity via the inhibition of oxidative stress and proapoptotic ER stress.

he current study was performed to evaluate the protective effect of aqueous extracts of Corn silk and Asparagus Officinalis against renal toxicity induced by formaldehyde in rats. Thirty-six male albino rats with "Sprague Dawley" strain weighing (150±10 g) were used and split into 2 major groups, the first group (6 rats) fed on a basal diet and kept as a negative control, and the second group of 30 rats was injected with formaldehyde intraperitoneally (10 mg/kg BW /day on 14 th to 28 th day and divided into 5 subgroups. The first subgroup received a normal diet and acted as a positive control group. The second, third, fourth, and fifth categories consumed standard feed with oral dosages of 200 and 400 mg/Kg body weight per day of aqueous corn silk and asparagus aqueous extract respectively during a 28-day period. Body weight gain (BWG), Feed intake (FI), feed efficiency ratio (FER), and relative kidney weight were computed at the finish of the experiment. Assessment of some serum biochemical parameters, kidney tissues were analyzed for antioxidant/oxidant markers, and histopathology of kidneys were assessed. The results revealed that corn silk and Asparagus aqueous extracts improved the biological evaluation, kidney functions, liver functions, Serum electrolytes, antioxidant enzymes activity, and histopathology of kidneys compared to the positive group. In conclusion, the administration of corn silk and Asparagus aqueous extracts can lower the impacts of formaldehyde on kidneys.

Physical and chemical changes in the natural of water may affect biological organisms. In this study, we highlight the effect of magnetized-water and microwave-water on rats’ liver tissues. Three groups of albino rats were separated. The first, rats were administered tap-water. The second, rats were administered magnetized-water. The third, rats were administered microwave-water. After two months, the results revealed a significant increase in liver functioning enzymes’ levels and bilirubin in rats administered microwave-water, compared to tap- and magnetic-water. In relation to oxidative stress, there was a significant increase and decrease in oxidative and antioxidant parameters respectively in liver tissues of rat's administrated microwave-water. At the molecular level, there was a significant down-regulation in Metallothionein, CYP genes in magnetic-water compared to tap-water. Rats administered microwave-water have shown a significant down-regulation in GST, Metallothionein and CYP genes’ expression, however, Amylase and HDAC3 genes were significantly up-regulated, compared to the other groups. The intake of microwave-water resulted in notable histopathological changes in liver tissues. Rats administered magnetic-water showed no clear changes in their liver tissues. In summary, microwave-water induced stress and epigenetic effects compared with magnetic-water and tap-water. Also, magnetic-water produced from the higher magnetic power had no side effect on liver tissues.