Black olive hydroalcoholic extract effectively can ameliorate the quantitative changes of the bone structure and prevented bone loss in this osteoporosis animal model. Thus, it can be a promising candidate for treatment of accelerated bone loss especially in postmenopausal osteoporosis.

The authors showed that verapamil has the ability to improve wound healing by enhancing fibroblast proliferation, collagen bundle synthesis, and revascularization in skin injuries.

With increasing knowledge that the immune system has a major impact on reproductive ‎health, the potential for cells arising in organs such as the thymus to alleviate oxidative stress ‎has been revealed. This study addresses the impact of neonatal thymectomy on male ‎reproductive function in pubertal and adult animals. Neonatal Sprague Dawley rats were allotted to four treatments consisting of fully thymectomized, partially thymectomized, intact, and sham-operated rats. Half of the rats in each treatment were sacrificed at 40 and the other half at 80 days of age. Testicular volume, ventral prostate and spleen weight, several sperm attributes (concentration, motility, livability, membrane integrity, sperm penetration into mucus, total antioxidant capacity, mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity), plasma superoxide dismutase, glutathione, and testosterone level as well as fertility decreased in thymectomized rats. Adrenal gland weight, sperm malondialdehyde level, indices of oxidative stress, sperm abnormality, testicular and sperm lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation, and sperm reactive oxygen species generation increased in thymectomized rats. In thymectomized rats, the testes contained high levels of malondialdehyde but low levels of glutathione and ferric-reducing antioxidant power. Epididymal sperm reactive oxygen species, blood lipid peroxidation, and oxidative stress indices ‎‎in blood and spermatozoa were highest in fully thymectomized, intermediate ‎in partially thymectomized, and lowest in both pubertal and mature control rats. Blood levels of superoxide dismutase, lipid peroxidation indices, and ‎testosterone, and mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate and ‎dehydrogenase activities in epididymal spermatozoa were lowest in fully thymectomized, ‎intermediate in partially thymectomized, and highest in both pubertal and mature control rats.‎ The data indicated that increased oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction might play a role in the mechanism of immunosuppression-induced testicular and sperm abnormalities.

BACKGROUNDPrevious studies indicated that both Plantago major and Aloe vera have anti-inflammatory, tissue regeneration, antioxidant, and immune-stimulatory effects. It is assumed that a mixture of these two herbal medicines may provide a potent material in treatment of skin wound injuries. Therefore, in this study we investigated the effects of Plantago major and Aloe vera mixture in the process of wound healing in rat models according to stereological parameters. METHODSIn an experiential study, 36 male Sprague-Dawley rats (200±20 g) were randomly assigned into three groups (n=12): The control group which received no treatment, gel base treated group, and the 5% Plantago major and 5% Aloe vera mixture gel treated group (PA group). Treatments were done every 24 hrs for 15 days. Wound closure rate, volume densities of the collagen bundles and the vessels, vessel's length density and mean diameter, and fibroblast populations were estimated using stereological methods. RESULTS PA treated group showed faster wound closure rate in comparison with control and gel-base groups (p<0.05). Numerical density of fibroblasts, volume density of collagen bundles, mean diameter, and volume densities of the vessels in PA group were significantly higher than the control and the gel-base treated groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONWe showed that Plantago major and Aloe vera mixture has the ability to improve wound healing by enhancing fibroblast proliferation, collagen bundle synthesis and re-vascularization in skin injuries.

Background. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease and a significant cause of joint pain, tenderness, and limitation of motion. At present, no specific treatment is available, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown promising potentials in this regard. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the repairing potentials of stem cells derived from the synovium and fat pad in the treatment of OA. Methods. Twenty-eight male rats (220±20 g, aged 10-12 weeks), were randomly divided into four groups (n=7): C1: nontreated group, C2: Hyalgan-treated group, E1: adipose tissue-derived stem cell-treated group, and E2: synovial membrane-based stem cell-treated group. Collagenase type II was injected into the left knee; after eight weeks, OA was developed. Then, stem cells were injected, and rats were followed for three months. Afterward, specimens and radiological images were investigated. p value ≤ 0.05 was set as statistically significant. Results. Compared to the C1 group, the E1 and E2 groups showed significantly better results in all six pathological criteria as well as joint space width and osteophytes of medial tibial, medial femoral, and medial fabellar condyles (p≤0.001). Similarly, compared to the C2 group, the E1 and E2 groups had better scores regarding surface, matrix, cell distribution, and cell population viability (p<0.05). E2 showed considerably higher scores compared to C2 regarding subchondral bone and cartilage mineralization (p<0.05). The joint space width was similar between the C2 and E groups. Conclusion. Treatment of OA with MSCs, particularly synovial membrane-derived stem cells, not only prevented but also healed OA of the knee to some extent in comparison to the Hyalgan and nontreatment groups.

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Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic condition of intestine illness accompanied by some unknown etiology with different immune, genetic and environmental factors. Objectives: The current study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of the Melilotus officinalis L. in the acetic acid induced UC in rats. Materials and Methods:The plant aqueous extraction and high performance liquid chromatography and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay were performed on aqueous extract to identify its compounds and antioxidant activities. Also, 70 adult male rats were and UC was induced using 3% acetic acid solution. They received different daily doses of M. officinalis L. in two forms (orally, 500 and 1000 mg/kg) and gel extract (10% and 20%). On the 7th day, the colon tissues were examined regarding the macroscopic and histopathology lesions plus oxidative stress and compared to the positive and negative control groups. Results: HPLC analysis revealed that five grams of the flower powder contained 9.7 mg gallic acid, 99 mg catechin, 21.9 mg caffeic acid, 0.86 mg chlorogenic acid, 1.13 mg quercetin, 548.9 mg cinnamic acid, 289 mg coumarin and 126 mg p-coumaric acid. The FRAP value of the extract was 2.91 ± 0.14 μM/g. There were significant differences between the group of rats which received the gel or aqueous extract of the flower compared to the negative control group using normal saline and the base gel and they had no significant differences with the positive control group using the Asacol, regarding the pathologic, malondialdehyde, and weight improvements. Conclusions: It can be concluded that the M. officinalis L. extract can be used as an effective medicine to treat UC in animal model and also in human subjects.

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