فهرست مطالب fatemeh khajehasani

Pistacia vera is commonly used in traditional medicine to treat various disorders. This study aims to investigate the anti-anemia and hepatoprotective effects of Pistacia vera pericarp extract (PVPE) in a rat model of phenylhydrazine (PHZ)-induced anemia. PVPE was prepared using the maceration method. The extract was administered at doses of 20, 80, and 160 mg/kg for 28 days to normal and PHZ-treated rats. The effects of PVPE were evaluated in terms of changes in biochemical, histological, hematological, and molecular biomarkers in the liver and blood. Administration of PVPE to the anemic animals significantly restored these deleterious effects on hematological parameters compared to the anemic group. Kupffer cell activation was seen in the liver tissue of the anemic rats. Administration of PVPE mitigated these deleterious effects. PVPE has potent antioxidant activity and may represent a promising treatment for anemia and liver protection in clinical settings.

Research on herbal agents is justifiable since they are often safe for the host. Pistacia vera seed (pistachio) is edible with various therapeutic effects such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. This study aims to evaluate the antibacterial effects of pistachio extract on oral facultative anaerobes.

The hydroalcoholic extract of pistachio was prepared by the maceration method. The agar diffusion method was used to determine the antibacterial effects of 5%, 10%, and 20% extracts against Streptococcus mutans, Actinomyces viscosus, and Enterococcus feacalis. Chlorohexidine (0.2%) and DMSO (10%) were employed as positive and negative controls, respectively. A 0.5 McFarland scale of each bacteria was incubated in 5 mL of brain heart infusion broth at 37 °C for 48 h in a rotatory shaker and swabbed on agar medium plates. Afterward, the sterile discs were impregnated with different concentrations of extracts. The discs were aseptically placed onto pathogen-seeded plates and incubated at 37 °C for 48 h. Then, The zone of inhibition was measured. All the tests were carried out in triplicate on three separate days.

The antibacterial effects against Streptococcus mutans and Actinomyces viscosus were significantly increased with higher extract concentrations.

The present study showed that the hydroalcoholic extract of pistachio could be considered as a potential treatment for oral facultative anaerobes.

Atorvastatin (AT), a competitive inhibitor of 3-hydroxymethyl-3-glutaryl-coenzyme-A reductase, is a cholesterol-lowering drug. AT has been shown to have neuroprotective, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Previously, we have reported that AT could attenuate the behavioral, renal, and hepatic manifestations of aging. To clarify further the mechanisms involved, the present study was designed to evaluate the effect of AT on the expression of some aging-related genes in the brain of aging mice induced by D-galactose (DG). For this purpose, AT (0.1 and 1 mg/kg/p.o.) was administrated daily in DG-received (500 mg/kg/p.o.) mice model of aging for six weeks. At the end of the experiment, mice were decapitated to remove the brains. Then, the expression profiles of sirtuin 1 (Sirt1), P53, P21, Bcl-2, Bax, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), interleukin 1 beta (IL1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were assessed using the real-time PCR method. The present study shows that DG decreases the expression of Sirt1, Bcl-2, CAT, GPx, and BDNF while increasing the expression of P53, P21, Bax, IL-1β, iNOS, COX-2, and TNF-α. According to the findings of the present study, AT (more potentially at the dose of 1 mg/kg) modulates the expression of these aging-related genes in the brain of aging mice. The results of the present study confirmed our previous reports on the anti-aging effects of AT at the gene level, the precise mechanisms and underlying pathways need further studies.

The exact pathogenesis of epilepsy is not clear well. Recent studies showed the possible involvement of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) receptors in this disease.
The aim of this study was to measure the expression of TRPV1 receptors in hippocampus following pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced kindling in male rats.
In this experimental study, 14 male Wistar rats were allocated into two groups of experimental and control (seven rats in each group). The kindling group received a subconvulsive dose of PTZ (35 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) every 48 hours for 15 sessions, while the control rats were injected with an equal dose of saline. At the end of the injections, rats were decapitated, and their brains were removed. TRPV1 receptor expression in hippocampus region was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction method.
The results of the current study showed that expressions of TRPV1 receptors were increased in hippocampus following PTZ-induced kindling in male rats.
Since the expression of TRPV1 receptors increased in hippocampus of epileptic rats, the TRPV1 receptors may be good candidates for epilepsy treatment.

Oxidative stresses are involved in neuronal degeneration of substantia nigra and thereby induction of Parkinson's disease. It is reported that Foeniculum Vulgare L. can affect lactating and modulating dopaminergic system activity and antioxidant activity as well. In the present study, the effects of methanolic extract of Foeniculum Vulgare seeds on a Parkinson’s disease model induced by ICV injection of 6-hydroxydopamin (6-OHDA) in female rats were investigated.

In this experimental study, 60 female rats were randomly divided into 6 equal groups including saline, Parkinson’s disease and Parkinson’s groups which were treated by different doses of the extract. Parkinson’s disease was induced by i.c.v injection of 6-OHDA. Methanolic extract of Foeniculum Vulgare seeds (100 and 200 mg/kg) was gavaged through two ways including repeated gavage (14 days before and 14 days after 6-OHDA injection) and acute gavage (once every day for 14 days after 6-OHDA injection). The induced Parkinson`s disease. was evaluated using Rotarod and Wire grasping tests on the day 14th after 6-OHDA injection.

The findings of the study demonstrated that repeated gavage of Foeniculum Vulgare extract improved motility and muscle tone in Parkinson’s animals (Pp<0.05). However, acute gavage of the extract had no significant effect on the performance of Parkinson’s animals.

Results of the current study showed that chronic administration of Feoniculum Vulgare extract may improve Parkinson’s symptoms in female rats.