BackgroundEstrogen has been reported to accelerate cutaneous wound healing. This research studies the effect of young coconut juice (YCJ), presumably containing estrogen-like substances, on cutaneous wound healing in ovairectomized rats.MethodsFour groups of female rats (6 in each group) were included in this study. These included sham-operated, ovariectomized (ovx), ovx receiving estradiol benzoate (EB) injections intraperitoneally, and ovx receiving YCJ orally. Two equidistant 1-cm full-thickness skin incisional wounds were made two weeks after ovariectomy. The rats were sacrificed at the end of the third and the fourth week of the study, and their serum estradiol (E2) level was measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay. The skin was excised and examined in histological sections stained with H&E, and immunostained using anti-estrogen receptor (ER-α an ER-β) antibodies.ResultsWound healing was accelerated in ovx rats receiving YCJ, as compared to controls. This was associated with significantly higher density of immunostaining for ER-α an ER-β in keratinocytes, fibroblasts, white blood cells, fat cells, sebaceous gland, skeletal muscles, and hair shafts and follicles. This was also associated with thicker epidermis and dermis, but with thinner hypodermis. In addition, the number and size of immunoreactive hair follicles for both ER-α and ER-β were the highest in the ovx+YCJ group, as compared to the ovx+EB group.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that YCJ has estrogen-like characteristics, which in turn seem to have beneficial effects on cutaneous wound healing.
The brain is a vital organ that requires a constant blood supply. Stroke occurs when the blood supply to specific parts of the brain is reduced; diabetes is an autonomous risk factor for stroke. The present study aimed to investigate the potential vascular protective effect of gymnemic acid (GM) by assessing the morphological changes of microvasculature, along with VEGFA and angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) protein expression in the brains of diabetic rats. Rats were divided into five groups, including control, gymnemic control rats (CGM), rats that were rendered diabetic by single injection of 60 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ), diabetic rats treated with 400 mg/kg GM (STZ + GM) and diabetic rats treated with 4 mg/kg glibenclamide (GL; STZ + GL). After 8 weeks, brain tissues were collected to examine the three-dimensional morphology of the anterior cerebral arteries by vascular corrosion casting. Western blotting was performed to determine VEGFA and Ang-1 expression. Cerebral arteries, arterioles and capillaries were depicted the diameter, thickness and collagen accumulation of the wall, and the results demonstrated narrow diameters, thickened walls and collagen accumulation in the STZ group. After receiving GM, the histopathological changes were similar to that of the control group. Through vascular corrosion casting and microscopy, signs of vessel restoration and improvement were exhibited by increased diameters, and healthy and nourished arterioles and capillaries following treatment with GM. Furthermore, VEGF expression and Ang-1 secretion decreased in the STZ + GM group compared with STZ rats. The results of the present study revealed that GM treatment decreased blood vessel damage in the brain, suggesting that it may be used as a therapeutic target for the treatment of diabetes.
The reproductive physiology concerning the gonadotropin hormone (GTH) and its downstream target estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is not well understood in the short mackerel Rastrelliger brachysoma, an economically important marine fish in Thailand. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the expression of both GTH and ERα in the brain and ovary of R. brachysoma was as reported in other fish species. By applying immunohistochemical techniques, we identified the distribution of ERα-immunoreactive (ir) neurons in the brain and ovary of wild female R. brachysoma during the spawning season along with the distribution of GTHs-ir cells in the ovary. The nucleus lateralis tuberis in the diencephalon had a high number of ERα-ir neurons. In the mesencephalon, dense ERα-ir neuronal fibers were mainly found in the mesencephalic cells, stratum opticum, stratum fibrosum et griseum superficiale and stratum album centrale. Both the valvula and corpus cerebelli in the metencephalon contained ERα-ir neurons in granular and Purkinje cell layers as well as the molecular layer. The ERα-ir neurons were also observed in the medulla oblongata. In the ovary, weak ERα and moderate GTHs immunoreactivities were observed in follicular cells of oocytes in early and late vitellogenic stages. This information provides baseline data required to understand not only the activity of estrogen (E2) on the brain but also the regulatory mechanism of the hypothalamo-pituitary-ovarian axis of R. brachysoma.
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