Introduction: Aerobic vaginitis (AV) is a type of vaginal infection that occurs at the reproductive age of women. In this study, we aimed to study the possible anti-AV therapeutic effects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and L-carnitine (LC) in the mouse model. Methods: AV model was established by intra-vaginal inoculation of 108 CFU/mL Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (1:1) in adult NMRI mice. Susceptibilities of the bacteria were examined against AgNPs by inhibitory concentration (IC-50 and IC-90) and minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC- 90) methods. The regimens therapy was intra-vaginal inoculation of AgNPs at MBIC- 90 and a daily injection of 250 mg/kg LC for two weeks. Mice were classified into healthy (control) and AV groups and then treated by LC, AgNPs, and AgNPs + LC. The vaginal smears were taken daily and tissue sections were prepared using the hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) method. Results: Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of AgNPs for E. coli, S. aureus, and their mixture were 250, 125, and 500 ppm, and their MBIC-90% were 500, 250, and 1000 ppm, respectively. The estrus cycle of mice treated with co-administration of AgNPs and LC was similar to the control group (P < 0.05). The results of histology also showed that infected mice were treated with AgNPs and LC, simultaneously. Conclusion: Single bacteria are more sensitive than their mixed model to these NPs. Co-administration of AgNPs as an antibacterial agent and LC as an antioxidant agent can treat AV in the infected mice.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the most common sexual disorders in men. During the past 30 years, there has been no new drug development for ED. Thus, exploring the genetic basis of ED deserves further study, in hope of developing new pharmacological treatments for ED. In this study, Real-Time PCR analysis was used to assess the expression of androgen regulatory protein (Andpro) and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (Pdk4) genes in ED. For this purpose, the experiment was performed on 20 men with severe ED and 20 potent men. IIEF-15 was used to determine the ED severity. The study was conducted in the Department of Sexual Medicine of the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran. The EDTA-Na vacuum blood tube was taken from ED patients and controls. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. After blood sampling, RNA was extracted from whole blood. Then cDNA was synthesized. The gene expression was analyzed through the qPCR method. The ß-actin was used as a reference gene. To further study these two proteins, their three-dimensional structures were predicted through I-TASSER. Compared with controls, in ED patients, the expression of the Andpro gene decreased, while the expression of the Pdk4 gene increased (p<0.01). Predicting the structure of the protein showed that Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase 4 had a double subunit and androgen-regulated protein had a single subunit.
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