This study used a murine model of Chagas disease to investigate the isolated and combined impact of Trypanosoma cruzi infection and benznidazole (BZ) therapy on liver structure and function. Male C57BL/6 mice were challenged with T. cruzi and BZ for 15 days. Serum levels of cytokines and hepatic enzymes, liver oxidative stress, morphology, collagen, and glycogen content were monitored. Separately, T. cruzi infection and BZ treatment resulted in a pro-oxidant status and hepatic reactive damage. Concurrently, both T. cruzi infection and BZ treatment induced upregulation of antioxidant enzymes and pathological reorganization of the liver parenchyma and stroma. T. cruzi infection increased serum levels of Th1 cytokines, which were reduced by BZ in both infected and non-infected animals. BZ also induced functional organ damage, increasing serum levels of liver enzymes. When combined, T. cruzi infection and BZ therapy elicited intense hepatic reactive damage that was not compensated by antioxidant enzymatic reaction, subsequently culminating in more severe morphofunctional hepatic injury. Taken together, these findings indicate that during specific treatment of Chagas disease, hepatic pathology may be a result of an interaction between BZ metabolism and specific mechanisms activated during the natural course of T. cruzi infection, rather than an isolated toxic effect of BZ on liver structure and function.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is characterized by a set of metabolic complications arising from adaptive failures to the pregnancy period. Estimates point to a prevalence of 3 to 15% of pregnancies. Its etiology includes intrinsic and extrinsic aspects of the progenitress, which may contribute to the pathophysiogenesis of GDM. Recently, researchers have identified that inflammation, oxidative stress, and the gut microbiota participate in the development of the disease, with potentially harmful effects on the health of the maternal-fetal binomial, in the short and long terms. In this context, alternative therapies were investigated from two perspectives: the modulation of the intestinal microbiota, with probiotics and prebiotics, and the use of natural products with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which may mitigate the endogenous processes of the GDM, favoring the health of the mother and her offspring, and in a future perspective, alleviating this critical public health problem.

Arsenic impairs male reproductive functions. However, it is not clear whether different arsenic compounds similarly affect fertility. In this study, we compared the impact of sodium arsenite and arsenate on sperm quality and fertility. After 56 d exposure, male Wistar rats were mated and pregnant females were evaluated by fertility indexes. Clearly, exposure to 10 mg/L arsenite reduced daily sperm production via HO overproduction and germ cells loss. Animals from this group also showed a decrease in epididymal sperm counts and percentage of sperm with intact membranes. Moreover, they presented low fertility potential and high preimplantation loss. In contrast, 10 mg/L arsenate caused oxidative stress in testis, mineral imbalance in epididymis, and sperm membranes damage, with no effects on fertility. Both arsenic compounds at 0.01 mg/L altered reproductive parameters. We concluded that arsenite is more harmful than arsenate to sperm quality and male fertility, with negative influences in early pregnancy.

Deltamethrin (DTM) is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide highly used by farmers and home users. This pesticide has lipophilic properties that facilitate a high absorption and can cause toxicity in non-target organisms. During foraging, the fruit-eating bats Artibeus lituratus are exposed to pesticides. However, the knowledge of the toxicity of pesticides on the physiology of bats is relatively scarce. This study aimed to check the toxicity of short-term exposure to low concentration of DTM on fruit-eating bat A. lituratus. After seven days of exposure to two doses of DTM (0.02 and 0.04mg/kg of papaya), the fruit bats showed an increase in the enzyme aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and hyperglycemia. The liver and pectoral muscle presented oxidative stress. In the liver, the hydrogen peroxide (HO) and nitric oxide (NO) were increased as well as the antioxidant glutathione (GSH), the activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) but in a lesser extent. Yet, total lipids were increased while hepatic glycogen content is reduced. The pectoral muscle showed NO, SOD, CAT, malondialdehyde (MDA), and carbonyl increased protein levels in both concentrations of DTM. All these results show that low doses of DTM can cause hepatic and muscular toxicity and induce changes in carbohydrate metabolism. Physiological changes caused by exposure to DTM in bats may have direct consequences in flight capacity, reproduction, and metabolism of these animals.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of oregano oil on the intestinal and liver morphometry of yellow tail tetra, Astyanax altiparanae. Fish (1.46 ± 0.09 g) were kept in a 60-L aquaria, at a stocking density of 0.5 fi sh L -1 . Six diets containing varying amounts of oregano oil were evaluated (0.0; 0.5; 1.0; 1.5; 2.0 and 2.5 g of oregano oil kg -1 ). At the end of 90 days, the fi sh were euthanised. Four intestines and four livers were collected per treatment, which were fi xed in Bouin and embedded in resin. For height and width folds, the absorption surface area and thickness of the muscular layer a positive linear effect of oregano oil was observed. A decrescent linear effect on the total number of goblet cells was also observed. For the cytoplasmic percentage of hepatocytes and liver glycogen, a positive linear effect of oregano oil was observed. There was a decreasing linear effect on the percentage of nuclei in the hepatocytes and capillaries. Thus, the oregano essential oil promotes increased absorption areas, modulates the amount of goblet cells involved in protecting the intestinal mucosa and promotes cytoplasmic increase with greater deposition of liver glycogen in yellow tail tetra.