Physiology and Pharmacology
Volume:28 Issue: 1, Mar 2024

Cyclophosphamide (CP) is the most common chemotherapy drug that has toxic effects on the male reproductive system. This experimental study aimed to assess the protective impact of saponin (SP) on the testicular damage induced via CP.

Twenty-four male mice were separated randomly into 4 groups (N=6): 1. Control group, 2. CP, 3. SP and 4. CP + SP. CP (15mg/kg/weekly) and SP (2.5 mg/kg/daily) were intraperitoneally injected for 35 consecutive days. At the end of the study, the testicles were removed for the histological and biochemical (MDA, SOD, and GPX) evaluation.

CP induced degenerative changes in testicular tissues and SP treatment reduced these alterations. The results indicated that CP increased MDA levels and reduced SOD, GPX, and testosterone levels (P<0.05) in contrast to the control group. In the CP+SP group, a significant reduction (P<0.01) in MDA levels and the elevation of SOD, GPX, and testosterone levels were observed. 

It seems saponin may reduce CP-induced reproductive toxicity in male mice.

Pain, an unpleasant feeling resulting from physical or psychological damage, manifests in various diseases such as migraine, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, back pain, and neuropathy, disrupting the physiology of the body system. Prolonged pain can detrimentally affect other body tissues, leading to disorders by interfering with hormone secretion. Several studies show that pain can damage the reproductive process. Within the hypothalamus, a population of kisspeptin, neurokinin B, and dynorphin (KNDy) neurons plays an important role in regulating the reproductive axis. This study aims to investigate the effect of pain on hypothalamic neuron activity and its subsequent implications on the reproductive pathway.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease characterized by keratinocyte hyperproliferation and skin thickening. Psoriasis is caused by a complicated interaction between the innate and acquired immune systems. In the skin, this reaction produces abnormal T helper cell (Th1, Th17, and Th23) reactivation. Keratinocyte hyperproliferation is caused by increased cell signaling via cytokines interleukin-17A (IL-17A), IL-17, IL-23, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interferon-gamma (INF-γ). Obesity, free fatty acids, microorganisms in the skin and digestive tract, free radicals in the body, and the cardiovascular system are also essential variables in psoriasis. Several variables influence the cytokine activation of the IL17/IL-23 pathway. Obesity, which is marked by changes in lipid profile in psoriasis patients, is linked to increased oxidative stress and the generation of proinflammatory cytokines, both of which can potentially trigger psoriasis relapse. Antioxidant-rich diet and intake can be employed as one of the stages in preventing psoriasis recurrence.

Adenosine plays an important role in increasing glucose uptake into muscles. Adenosine deaminase (ADA) enzymes convert adenosine into inosine and 2′-deoxyinosine. Increased ADA activity leads to the reduction of adenosine, subsequently lowering glucose absorption in skeletal muscles. Uncontrolled diabetes tends to result in complications such as diabetic neuropathy.To investigate the association between serum ADA levels and lower limb nerve conduction velocity in individuals with type II diabetes mellitus.

This study included 60 participants, with 30 patients in the diabetes group and the remaining 30 in the control group. Serum ADA levels were measured, and nerve conduction recordings were performed on the lower limb’s motor peroneal, tibial, and sensory sural nerves. 

In diabetes patients, lower limb sensory sural nerves, motor tibial, and peroneal nerves showed increased latency, reduced amplitude, and decreased nerve conduction velocity compared to the control group. ADA levels were found to be higher in diabetic patients than in the control group. A negative correlation was observed between sensory sural nerve conduction velocity and ADA levels, with females exhibiting more negative correlations than males. No association was found between motor peroneal and motor tibial nerve conduction parameters and ADA levels.

Sensory nerves are affected much earlier than motor nerves under hyperglycemic conditions. Elevated ADA levels indicate reduced insulin sensitivity, and the depletion of adenosine contributes to nerve damage. ADA levels could be useful in diagnosing early peripheral nerve damage.

A lack of integration between basic sciences, including physiology, and clinical practice is a problem in medical education that may interfere with clinical reasoning. In this study, we evaluated the attitude of medical students of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences toward this issue.

A total of 273 clinically active medical students participated in the study, comprising 117 externs, 53 interns, and 103 residents. Externs and interns are medical students with indirect and direct exposure to real patients, respectively, while residents are medical doctors pursuing specialization. The questionnaire included two questions focused on “memory retention of physiology” and “clinical application of physiology.”

The percentage of students who reported having a little/fair amount of physiology content in their memory was significantly higher than those who claimed to have much/very much physiology knowledge in their memory: 90.6% (106) versus 9.4% (11) in externs, 84.9% (45) versus 15.1% (8) in interns, and 84.46% (87) versus 15.53% (16) in residents (P<0.001). Additionally, there was a significant increase in the number of students who stated that the loss of physiology knowledge interferes with their clinical reasoning compared to those who did not have such an idea: 81.2% (95) versus 18.8% (22) in externs, 77.36% (41) versus 22.64% (12) in interns, and 78.64% (81) versus 21.36% (22) in residents (P<0.001).

Clinically active medical students at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences recognize the importance of physiology for enhancing clinical performance. They acknowledge that difficulties in remembering this knowledge can have adverse effects on the future practice of doctors.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related disorder, characterized by the gradual loss of memory and cognitive function owing to neuronal damage and brain shrinkage. This study aimed to investigate how intranasal injection of human adipose-derived stem cell-conditioned media (hADSC-CM) ameliorates cognitive performance and affects the level of estrogen receptor beta (Erβ) in the hippocampus of rats in an AD model.

A total of 32 male rats were divided into four groups, including the control, AD model, hADSC-CM, and vehicle groups. The Morris water maze was used to assess the animals’ behavioral changes. Moreover, Nissl and Thioflavin-S staining were performed to evaluate the histology of the hippocampus. Immunohistochemistry was also carried out to evaluate the expression level of Erβ. 

The intranasal injection of hADSC-CM improved the rats’ cognitive performance by reducing the number of dark cells and beta-amyloid plaques in the hippocampus in the AD model. Besides, the intranasal injection of hADSC-CM increased the level of Erβ in this model.

The present findings indicated that the intranasal injection of hADSC-CM ameliorated cognitive function. Amyloid plaques and dark cells also diminished in the CA1 area of the hippocampus. Moreover, the expression level of ERβ increased. It can be concluded that hADSC-CM has significant treatment benefits for AD in rats.

Eryngium billardieri has been demonstrated in previous studies to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and wound-healing properties. Colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease with unknown causes, often leads to numerous side effects associated with current medications. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the anti-ulcerative potential of E. billardieri extracts in experimental colitis.

The hydroalcoholic extract of E. billardieri and its aqueous and ethyl acetate partitions were prepared using the maceration method, and the polyphenol content was determined for each extract. Male Wistar rats with acetic acid-induced colitis were orally administered three different doses (50, 100, 200 mg/kg) of the extract and each partition for 5 consecutive days. On the sixth day, the rats’ colons were removed and analyzed for macroscopic parameters (ulcer index), microscopic parameters (total colitis index), as well as inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, including myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde, respectively.

The total phenol content for the dry extract and aqueous and ethyl acetate partitions were 6.51, 4.15, and 8.59 mg gallic acid equivalent/g, respectively. The hydroalcoholic extract and ethyl acetate partition at all three examined doses were able to significantly alleviate most parameters related to colitis. However, the aqueous partition did not improve most of the colitis features except for the tissue level of malondialdehyde.

The study concludes that the total extract of E. billardieri, as well as the ethyl acetate partition, exhibited anti-colitis properties in a dose-related manner. It is suggested that the effective substances responsible for these properties are non-polar compounds that are not extracted by aqueous partitioning. Further studies are needed to identify and characterize these effective compounds.

The adrenergic and opioidergic systems play a crucial role in regulating cognitive and non-cognitive behaviors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of CA1 α2-adrenoceptors on the exploratory behaviors induced by morphine.

This assessment was conducted in rats using the elevated plus-maze test based on a test-retest paradigm. Bilateral guide cannulas were stereotaxically implanted in the CA1 regions of rats to allow intra-CA1 α2-adrenoceptors agonist (clonidine) or antagonist (yohimbine) microinjections.

Pre-test administration of morphine (6 mg/kg) showed an anxiolytic-like response. The extension of this effect during the retest session, 24h later, indicated impairment of aversive memory. Pre-test microinjection of clonidine (4 µg/rat) induced anxiolytic-like behavior on the test day in the absence or presence of a subthreshold dose of morphine (4 mg/kg) and increased avoidance to the open-arms during the retest session, but it was not significant compared with control group. Pre-test microinjection of yohimbine (4 µg/rat) induced an anxiogenic-like behavior on test day in the absence or presence of an effective dose of morphine (6mg/kg) and increased avoidance to the open-arms during the retest session. Concurrent microinjection of a subthreshold dose of yohimbine (1 μg/rat) with an effective dose of clonidine or with an effective dose of clonidine plus a subthreshold dose of morphine blocked anxiolytic-like behaviors, but did not change avoidance to the open-arms.

According to our findings, it appears that CA1 α2-adrenoceptors affect anxiolytic-like effects of morphine, but they do not appear to play a significant role in the morphine-induced memory impairment.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) with small size and double-stranded DNA is the most important cause of sexually transmitted infections and cervical carcinoma. Controlling the spread of papillomavirus infection and protecting people against the pathogenicity of this virus are key steps in reducing the number of cervical cancer patients. One of the effective ways to achieve this goal is to design a suitable vaccine. In the present study, computer-aided methods were used to suggest a potential vaccine candidate against HPV.

Oncoproteins L1 and E5 of the high-risk strain HPV 16 were utilized to predict the linear B-cell epitopes, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), and helper T lymphocytes (HTL) epitopes. From the obtained epitopes, non-allergenic and non-toxic peptides with acceptable antigenicity were selected and subsequently converted into 3D structures. The epitopes were subjected to molecular docking using the PDB format. In the next step, short amino acid sequences as spacers were used to join peptides together. Finally, computational analysis including allergenicity and antigenicity studies, physicochemical properties, secondary and tertiary structure prediction, molecular interaction pattern, and cloning analyses were conducted for the vaccine construct.

Our findings revealed that the designed vaccine with suitable antigenicity and physicochemical properties, shows proper interaction with four types of Toll-like receptors (TLR3, TLR4, TLR5, and TLR8), and Escherichia coli (strain K12) is the suitable host for it.

Overall, the vaccine designed in the present study showed a promising immune response. However, further validation through laboratory investigations is required.