Age related mitochondrial impairments are considered to be contributors of cardiovascular disease. This study was designed to examine whether early life exposure to lead (Pb) would lead to the Pb induced age related hematological and cardiac mitochondrial changes in rats, and to further examine the protective effect of nutrient metal mixture containing zinc, iron and calcium. Male albino rats were lactationally exposed to 0.2 % Pb-acetate or 0.2 % Pb-acetate together nutrient metal mixture (0.02 %) in drinking water of the mother from postnatal day 1 (PND1) to PND 21. The hemoglobin level, the activities of serum ceruloplasmin oxidase, cardiac mitochondrial enzymes catalase, manganese superoxide dismutase, copper zinc superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, succinate dehydrogenase, lipid peroxidation and Pb levels were analyzed at PND 45, 12 and 24 months age. The hematological parameters, and the cardiac TCA cycle and antioxidant enzyme markers and lipid peroxidation levels were significantly altered following Pb exposure in young rats (PND 45). These Pb induced changes persisted, though at much lower level in the aged rats. The Pb levels in blood and heart were also significantly higher in PND 45 and remained at detectable levels in older rats. The nutrient metal mixture containing iron, calcium and zinc significantly reversed these changes in all the chosen markers except lipid peroxidation in which the reversal effect was not significant. These data are supportive of age-related cardiac mitochondrial impairments and further provide evidence for the protective efficacy of nutrient metal mixture against Pb-toxicity.
A variety of bis heterocycles-heteroaryl pyrazoles (5) and pyrroles (6) were prepared from heteroaryl chalcones adopting 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction and studied their antimicrobial activity. The compounds 5d and 5f having bromo and nitro substituents on the aromatic ring are the potent antimicrobial agents against Bacillus subtilis and Aspergillus niger.
The aim of the current study was to investigate changes in the reproductive parameters during stress and the impact of thymoquinone during the period. The effects of stress were measured through immobilisation stress on mice. Group I was administered normal saline daily via intraperitoneal injection while Groups II and III were subjected to 2 and 6 hours of immobilisation stress respectively. Groups IV and V were subjected to stress for 2 and 6 hours respectively followed by intraperitoneal injection of 10 mg/kg thymoquinone which was continued on alternate days. The level of significance was set at p<0.05 and statistical analysis showed significant difference in testicular weight of mice in groups II and III compared to the controls but no significant difference was obtained for sperm count between all groups. Sperm motility, however, was significantly different among the groups under stress for 2 and 6 hours and that of 6 hours with the treatment of thymoquinone when compared to the controls. The histology of the testes also indicated a few alterations in comparison to the controls in the germinal epithelium and spermatogenic pattern in groups III and V.
: Bilateral cryptorchidism was induced surgically in adult wistar strain albino rats and the carbohydrate metabolic pathway has been studied in testis, and sex accessory organs of both control and cryptorchid animals by estimating the marker enzymes and the substrates of the metabolism. In cryptorchid animal tissues, accumulation of lactic acid and glycogen was observed with inhibited phosphorylase activity in comparison to the controls. The reproductive tissues like testis, epididymis, prostate gland and seminal vesicles had shown remarkable elevation in the glycogen content, which can be attributed to decreased phosphorylase activity. In view of androgen dependent nature of phosphorylase its inhibition can be correlated to decreased testosterone circulation in the body. Consequently the free glucose content of the tissues was markedly decreased suggesting a decrease in the mobilization of the carbohydrates into energy metabolism. All the reproductive tissues had shown significant accumulation of lactic acid with inhibited oxidative enzyme activities. Thus the reproductive tissue oxidative metabolism had been suppressed during cryptorchidism leading to a shift towards glycolysis and creating a situation of functional suppression.
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