The objective of the present study was to prepare a stable iv injectable formulation of ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol in preventing the cerebral ischemia. Different niosomal formulations were prepared by Span and Tween mixed with cholesterol. The physicochemical characteristics of niosomal formulations were evaluated in vitro. For in vivo evaluation, the rats were made ischemic by middle cerebral artery occlusion model for 30 min and the selected formulation was used for determining its neuroprotective effect against cerebral ischemia. Neuronal damage was evaluated by optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The encapsulation efficiency of ascorbic acid was increased to more than 84% by remote loading method. The cholesterol content of the niosomes, the hydrophilicity potential of the encapsulated compounds, and the preparation method of niosomes were the main factors affecting the mean volume diameter of the prepared vesicles. High physical stability of the niosomes prepared from Span 40 and Span 60 was demonstrated due to negligible size change of vesicles during 6 months storage at 4–8°C. In vivo studies showed that ST60/Chol 35 : 35 : 30 niosomes had more neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemic injuries in male rats than free ascorbic acid.
Problem statement: Diabetes mellitus occurs mainly with chronic polyneuropathy, and oxidative stress plays an important role in emergence of most neurologic and behavioral changes in diabetic patients. Many studies have focused on the beneficial effects of various antioxidants such as melatonin on diabetic neuropathy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of melatonin in prevention of neuropathy in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. After prescribing Streptozotocin (STZ), treatment rats received melatonin (10 mg kg day −1 ) or DMSO for a period of 6 weeks. Approach: At the end of the sixth week, non diabetic control group, diabetic control group (sham) and treated rats were examined by thermal pain response tests (hot plate and tail flick). The horizontal and vertical activities of rats were measured in an open field test. After that, Motor Nerve Conduction Velocity (MNCV) of sciatic-tibial nerve recorded. Also, to study morphological alterations resulting from diabetic neuropathy of sciatic nerve, Myelinated Fiber Diameter (MFD), Axon Diameter (AD) and Myelin Sheath Diameter (MSD) were evaluated by light microscope. Results: According to hot plate results, response time to thermal pain at the end of sixth week in sham group showed a significant decrease in comparison with the control group (p<0.01). In hot plate test, although melatonin approximated to the response time to control group, the significant difference was not observed among melatonin receivers and other groups. In the open field test, Total Distance Moved (TDM) and mobility duration showed significant decrease in sham and DMSO groups in comparison to the control and melatonin groups. Diabetic rats treated with melatonin showed significant increase in MNCV compared to sham and DMSO groups (p<0.05). In morphological study, pretreatment with Melatonin significantly reversed sciatic nerve diameters (MFD, AD, and MSD) reduction in diabetic rats. Electron microscopy showed myelin splitting and myelin sheath infolding in diabetic control group compare to non diabetic group. Conclusion: This study showed that melatonin can decrease the destructive progress of diabetes and causes neuroprotection against damages resulting from STZinduced hyperglycemia.
Despite the importance of this issue, less has been paid to the influence of exercise on the neural side effects of anabolic androgenic steroids and mechanisms. We investigated the effects of two levels of endurance exercise on neurodegeneration side effects of nandrolone. The study period was 8 weeks. Wistar rats were divided into nine groups including the control (CTL) group, mild exercise (mEx) group, and vehicle (Arach) group which received arachis oil intramuscularly, nandrolone (Nan) group which received nandrolone decanoate 5 mg/kg two times weekly, mEx+Arach group which treated with arachis oil along with mild exercise, mEx+Nan group which treated with nandrolone along with mild exercise, severe exercise (sEx) group, sEx+Arach, and sEx+Nan groups. Finally, brain samples were taken for histopathological, biochemical, and western blot analysis. Nandrolone significantly decreased the intact cells of the hippocampus, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (P < 0.05 versus CTL and Arach groups), TAC to malondialdehyde ratio (TAC/MDA), and Bcl-2. Nandrolone increased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio of the brain tissue (P < 0.01 versus CTL and Arach groups). Combination of mild exercise and nandrolone rescued the intact cells to some extent, and this effect was associated with the improvement of Bcl-2 level and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio of brain tissue. Combination of severe exercise and nandrolone rescued the intact cells and improved the TAC, TAC/MDA, and Bax/Bcl-2 ratios. The findings suggest that low- and high-intensity endurance exercise decreased the risk of neurodegeneration effect of nandrolone in the hippocampus of rats. This effect can be explained by the regulation of the redox system and cell homeostasis.
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