فهرست مطالب mona farhadi

Treatment with nanoparticles has attracted the attention of many researchers. Due to their small size and easy absorption, nanoparticles can be a suitable option for treatment. In this study, a comparative study of the anticancer effect of silver nanoparticles, zinc oxide and iron oxide on leukemic cell line and white blood cells of HPB-ALL was done.Human white blood cells and leukemia cell line HPB-ALL were passaged. Iron oxide, zinc oxide and silver nanoparticles with different concentrations were added to the microplates containing the cells and the cells were treated with nanoparticles for 24 hours. PI was evaluated. The results obtained for leukemic cell line HPB-ALL and white blood cells were analyzed with the effect of three nanoparticles of silver, zinc oxide and iron oxide at a significant level (P<0.05). All three nanoparticles showed cytotoxic effects in both cell lines. The cytotoxicity effects of nanoparticles were higher in leukemic cell line HPB-ALL than in white blood cells. Among these nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles had a significant cytotoxic effect in HPB-ALL leukemic cell line compared to the other two nanoparticles. Evaluation of IC50, DNA damage and apoptosis induction in HPB-All leukemic cell line by silver nanoparticles was significantly higher than other two nanoparticles. According to the above results and further investigations of the penetration mechanism of each of the nanoparticles, it can be said that silver nanoparticles have the potential for therapeutic applications.

Pyocyanin is a blue pigment with oxidation and reduction potential and metabolically active, which has medicinal effects on eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Trichomonas vaginalis is the causative agent of trichomoniasis, the most important non-viral    sexually transmitted disease in the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of  pyocyanin extracted from Pseudomonas aeruginosa on Trichomonas vaginalis and PC12cell line.

This study was carried out by an interventional  method. First, pyocyanin was extracted from Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain RTCC1474 with the help of chloroform. The relative purity of the pigment was determined by thin-layer chromatography, spectrophotometry UV-Vis and FTIR. Its effect in different concentrations were investigated on Trichomonas vaginalis and PC12 cell line.

Pyocyanin at a concentration of 10,000µg/ml in 24 hours and concentrations of 5,000 and 2,500µg/ml in 48 hours caused 100% inhibition of the parasite growth. Its IC50 (Inhibitory Concentration of 50%) level in 48 hours was 17.44µg/ml and the CC50 of this pigment on the cell line was 930 µg/ml, so pyocyanin is effective against the Trichomonas vaginalis and its toxicity on the cell line is 53 times higher than of the parasite (SI=53/32).

Considering the inhibitory effect of pyocyanin on the growth of Trichomonas    vaginalis  based on the results, it is possible that with further research on the extraction and purification of this pigment from various isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and with additional tests in vitro and in vivo, a more accurate judgment regarding the antiparasitic power of this      pigment can be expressed.

Physalis alkekengi (PA) is used as a topical medicine in the treatment of tumors. The diuretic, laxative, and antiinflammatory properties of PA have been studied. Due to the widespread usage of PA, investigation on the plausible side effects is of great concern.

This study was done to assess the effects of aqueous extract of PA on the heart and aortic tissue of adult BALB/c mice.

Fifty BALB/c mice aged 10-12 weeks, weighing 25 ± 2 g, were divided into five groups of control, sham, and three experimental groups (receiving PA aqueous extract at 7, 15, and 19 g/Kg) for four weeks. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) enzymes were measured. Moreover, histological processing and macroscopic investigation were performed.

Our data showed that different doses of PA aqueous extract caused a significant increase in aortic diameter compared to the control and sham groups (P-value≤0.05). The macroscopic heart investigation revealed that the experimental groups had more apparent blood vessels than the control group. In microscopic examinations, an increase was observed in the interstitial spaces and unrecognizable stepped lines. The experimental groups demonstrated a significant decrease in the levels of LDH and CPK compared to the control and sham groups (P-value ≤ 0.5). Therefore, PA aqueous extract has adverse impacts on the heart, aorta, and cardiac enzymes, which were more significant at high doses.

Our finding showed that PA has destructive impacts on the heart tissue and PA use needs more investigation and attention.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease affecting many people around the world. Recently, it has been reported that toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a role in AD; therefore, the present study aimed to systematically review the studies and to meta-analyze the role of toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) in AD.

Seven main electronic databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Google Scholar, will be considered with no language restrictions. Full texts of articles will be prepared by a determined search strategy. Studies including the assessment of TLR9 function in adults with AD, published before June 15 2020, will be considered. Hence, this protocol will be presented based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) statements for protocols. The related results and data analyses will be provided in the final review. This paper plans the protocol for a systematic review identifying TLR9 up-regulation and down-regulation in adults with AD.

The meta-analysis of TLR9 may subsequently provide attractive therapeutic tools for AD.

Cerebral stroke is known to be the third most common cause of death in the world. To study pathophysiology and effects of the therapeutic agents on stroke, the cellular model of stroke recently was used more. ONL-93, oligodendrocyte like cell, is known as an appropriate model to study the role of glial cells in stroke. Apigenin is a flavonoid that has neuroprotective and neurogenic effects; therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of apigenin flavonoid on the OLN-93 cell line in terms of oxygen and glucose deprivation in the cellular stroke model.

The cells were divided into experimental, negative and positive control groups. Then, MTT, reactive oxygen species (ROS), annexin and propidium iodide as well as Western blotting assays were performed to evaluate the viability and apoptosis.

The results showed that there was a significant increase in the number of live cells following administration of 1μM of apigenin in experimental groups and also, there was a significant difference in the number of live cells between two doses of 1μM and 0.75μM of the apigenin. The amount of ROS produced at a concentration of 1μM apigenin was a significant decrease compared to the positive control group and apoptotic cells also decreased significantly. The results for the expression of P53 protein showed a significant reduction in experimental groups.

Based on our results, apigenin could have beneficial effects through the reduction of P53 and ROS production.

The increasing cases of Alzheimer Disease (AD) has caused numerous problems. The risk of developing AD increases in menopausal women, too. Apigenin and β-estradiol are effective antioxidant and neuroprotective agents. We conducted the present study to explore their combined effects on β-amyloid plaque formation, memory, and learning in ovariectomized rats.

Forty-two Wistar rats were randomly assigned into 6 groups: 1) ovariectomized (OVX), 2) OVX + apigenin, 3) OVX + β-estradiol, 4) OVX + apigenin +  β-estradiol, 5 &6) vehicle shams for E2 and API , and 7) surgical sham. Treatment was done with apigenin and β-estradiol. Then, we studied the formation of β-amyloid plaques, neuronal density in the hippocampus area, apoptosis, memory, and learning.

Findings showed the significant formation of β-amyloid plaques in the hippocampus of OVX animals and their memory impairment. Apigenin and β-estradiol significantly reduced the number of β-amyloid plaques, as well as the symptoms of memory impairment and learning, and decreased the expression of caspase-3 in treated animals.

Accordingly, β-estradiol and apigenin could have more potent therapeutic effects on AD.

 Breast cancer has the highest mortality rate, second to gastric cancer, among Iranian women and is one of the most common cancers in the world. The incidence of breast cancer in women is increasing gradually. Meanwhile, ductal breast carcinoma experiences more increases than other malignancies and is one of the most important health problems.

 This study aimed at evaluating women with ductal breast carcinoma because of the significance of pathological factors and their association with breast cancer progression.

 This retrospective study was conducted using data of ductal breast carcinoma women during the years 2018 and 2019. In this cross-sectional study, demographic data (age, sex, and pathology of breast mass) of 50 patients referring to Rasoul Akram hospital (Tehran, Iran) were gathered. Then, the data were analyzed by SPSS 26 software using the t test and Levene's test. The results were presented using descriptive statistics.

 Fifty patients with ductal carcinoma were assessed based on their pathological information. The examination of factors including tumor size, involvement/non-involvement of lymph nodes, histological grade, and age of patients revealed a significant direct relationship between tumor size and lymph node involvement (P <0.05), while no significant relationship was found with other mentioned factors.

 The prevalence of ductal breast carcinoma in Iranian women is increasing that may lead to death in many patients. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate this disease. In this study, a significant relationship was found in terms of tumor size and lymph node involvement, which can be effective in early diagnosis and prevention of this type of cancer.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects motor function. The etiology of PD is unknown and routine therapies temporarily relieve the symptoms. Neuroprotective based therapies preserve the remaining neurons and prevent the progression of PD. Artemisia sieberi has anti-cancer and neuroprotective effects. The CoQ10 also is an antioxidant that has proven anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In order to study the effect of Artemisia and CoQ10 on the PD cellular model, the present research was designed.

PC12 cells were treated with different concentrations of 6-hydroxydopamine. Then the cells divided into the control (cells were not treated), DMSO group and experimental groups treated with the different concentrations of Artemisia sieberi extracts, CoQ10 and combination of them for 24h. The viability of the cells, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and p53 expression were evaluated.

Artemisia at a concentration of 200μg/ml and CoQ10 at a concentration of 75μg/ml significantly increased cell viability in the treated groups after 24h. Their combination showed better and more significant results compared to each alone. Hoechst staining showed significantly reduced apoptosis in treated cells. ROS generation reduced in the treated groups with better results for the combination-treated groups. The same results acquired for the expression of P53 in the treated cells.

Regarding the results of both Artemisia and CoQ10, it could be concluded that they act synergistically with possible similar pathways. Although the Artemisia itself showed significant results, it seems that the combination method might have more therapeutic effects.

Botulinum toxin A (BtxA) is a powerful neurotoxin reported to be effective as a cancer adjuvant therapy with fewer side effects. Previously we showed the apoptotic effects of BtxA on the GBM cell line (U87-MG). In order to confirm the positive neurotoxicity of BtxA on other cancer cell lines, including SK-OV-3, CHO, MCF-7, and PC-3, the present research has designed.

The cell lines prepared, cultured, and exposed to different concentrations of BtxA for 24 and 48 hours. Using MTT, Annexin V/PI assays and western blotting, cell viability, and apoptosis studied.

Our results showed that different BtxA Botox concentrations led to significant cell death in each cell line in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.001) but did not for PC-3 cells. The results of the Annexin V/PI staining indicated that BtxA induced apoptosis after 24 hours. The 1.45U, 1.75U, and 1.65U of BtxA respectively induced more than 50% apoptosis in MCF 7, SK-OV-3, and CHO cell lines. The results of caspase 3 showed more protein expression in the treated group compares to the control group.

BtxA, as a neurotoxin, can insert therapeutic anti-cancer and apoptotic effects on various types of cancerous cells; further studies need to illuminate the possible mechanisms.

Context: 

Cognitive disorders are one of the most common neurological problems that can be caused by lifestyle patterns, especially sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition, exposure to a variety of toxins or diseases.
Evidence Acquisition: There are various strategies recommended for the prevention and treatment of these disorders, including drug therapy, psychological therapy, dietary pattern changes, and physical activity.

 It seems that physical activity with biological mechanisms can have beneficial effects on the central nervous system and improve cognitive function, including enhanced learning and memory, as well as reduced depression and anxiety.

 Of the major mechanisms that physical activity can affect cognitive function include increased neurogenic factors, decreased oxidative stress, decreased inflammatory mediators, and mitochondrial biogenesis. Therefore, it is recommended that people with cognitive impairments can use physical activity as an appropriate strategy to prevent and treat cognitive impairment problems.

 Maternal sleep deprivation is known to reduce neurogenesis in the hippocampus during pregnancy. Also, it damages and impairs cognitive functions such as learning and memory in the neonates. 

Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract can play an important role in the treatment of cognitive impairments by inhibiting oxidative stress. This study aimed to investigate the role of hydroalcoholic extract of rosemary in the treatment of cognitive impairment caused by decreased hippocampal neurogenesis in neonates, which was attributed to maternal sleep deprivation during pregnancy.

For this purpose, pregnant rats in the control group underwent sleep deprivation for 72 hours inside a total sleep deprivation machine. The treatment groups comprised pregnant rats, receiving 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg of rosemary extracts per day during pregnancy and underwent sleep deprivation for 72 hours. Next, the avoidance memory of 21-day-old neonatal rats was examined using a shuttle box. These 21-day-old rats were then subjected to evaluate the structure of the hippocampus. Neurogenesis in the neonatal hippocampus was examined under light microscopy by staining of brain slices and counting of neurons and cells shape study.

Compared with the control group, the neurogenesis and avoidance memory decreased in neonates affected by maternal sleep deprivation.

The results of this study showed that rosemary extract at a dose of 100 mg/kg was able to improve disorders in the infants affected by maternal sleep deprivation.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most type of brain malignancy in adults. Radical excision surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy in some cases are still unsuccessful, and most patients with GBM die within 3 to 6 months following diagnosis. Botulinum toxin type A (BtxA) has cellular toxin effects and suppresses the cell division of certain types of cancer cell lines in vivo and in vitro study. The present study designed to evaluate the apoptotic effect of BtxA on the GBM cell line.

U87-MG GBM cell line cultured according to the routing protocols, divided into 2 groups including, trial (BtxA treated) and control groups. Cells of the trial group exposed to different doses of BtxA. The cell viability, cycle arrest, and pro-apoptotic proteins evaluated respectively by MTT assay, subG1, and Western blotting.

MTT assay showed that the viability of the BtxA treated cells at doses of 1.45 Unit and other doses after 24 to 48 hours, significantly decreased (P<0.001) compared to the control groups. Apoptosis percentage of the subG1 test also indicated that 1.45 unit dose significantly increased in the cells exposed to BtxA compared to the control group in 24 hours. The expression of P53 and caspase 3 proteins indicated a significant increase.

BtxA induces apoptosis in U87-MG cell line via p53 and caspase 3 pathways and could have clinical applications. In vivo studies need to confirm the clinical application of the present findings.

 Cancer is currently the second leading cause of death worldwide that is originated from cell growth and proliferation without control. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is one of the types of leukemia that affects lymphocyte maturation and it is common among children. Silver nanoparticles are considered one of the targeted chemotherapy methods by creating cytotoxicity.

 In this research, a comparative study of cytotoxic effect of silver nanoparticles was evaluated on human lymphocytes and HPB-ALL cell line as an in vitro study.

 In this experimental study, lymphocytes and HPB-ALL cell line were exposed to silver nanoparticles at RPMI 1640 medium culture in order to assess toxicity for 24 hours. To this aim, MTT assay was used to evaluate the toxicity of the silver nanoparticles. DNA fragmentation and apoptosis were evaluated by Gel Electrophoresis and Flow Cytometry, respectively. Moreover, quantitative PCR was performed on bax, bcl-2, and caspase-9 genes.

 The results of MTT assay showed IC50 values of silver nanoparticles were 5.87 and 2.68 μg/mL for lymphocytes and HPB-ALL cell line, respectively. The results showed that silver nanoparticles could split DNA of the HPB-ALL cell line more than DNA of the lymphocytes during DNA fragmentation. Flow Cytometry results indicated that the early apoptosis was 6.04% and 22.75% in lymphocytes and HPB-ALL cell line, respectively. Moreover, Q-PCR results showed a significant up-regulation of caspase-9 and bax genes and downregulation of bcl-2 gene in comparison to the control group.

 The silver nanoparticles had cytotoxic effects on the lymphocytes and HPB-ALL cell line. The results showed that the silver nanoparticle had a significant cytotoxic effect on HPB-ALL cell line.
 

Curcumin is a plant derivative with biological effects, including potential for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). It is known that monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) is involved in PD due to its role in the degradation of various neurotransmitters like dopamine, the main declined factor in PD. Since MAO-B inhibitors (e.g. safinamide) are used as the support for the treatment of PD, we planned to evaluate the in silico interaction of curcumin with one subunit of the MAO-B enzyme in comparison with safinamide. The crystal structure of human MAO-B (PDB entry code 3PO7) was selected from the Protein Data Bank (https://www.rcsb.org). The molecular structures of curcumin (CID: 969516) and safinamide (CID: 131682) were obtained from PubChem (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Chimera 1.8, AutoDock Tools-1.5.6 software and AutoDock4 software were used for this in silico study. The results revealed that the binding energies (ΔG)s of the conformations of curcumin and safinamide, showing the best down ΔG, were -11.15 kcal/mol and -11.09 kcal/mol, respectively. Moreover, the inhibition constants (Ki)s of both ligands were near quantities. Hence, it may suggest that curcumin and safinamide form nearly similar stability with the subunit of the MAO-B enzyme. More experimental studies may reveal the similarity of curcumin with safinamide about the inhibitory effect on MAO-B.

The application of traditional and industrial addictive drugs is expanding in the developed societies. Carvacrol is widely used in traditional medicine, and methamphetamine, directly and indirectly, affects all organs. According to the mechanism of methamphetamine, the therapeutic effects of antioxidants were recently considered in order to reduce methamphetamine abuse outcomes. The current study aimed at evaluating the anti-apoptotic effect of carvacrol on spermatogenesis of rats treated with methamphetamine. Thus, 32 adult male rats were randomly divided into four groups: positive control, negative control, sham, and experimental. Spermatogenic cells and testis tissue were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin staining technique and the expression of P53 was assessed by Western blotting as a factor to induced apoptosis. The current study data showed that methamphetamine significantly reduced spermatogenic cells in the positive control group, while carvacrol increased these cells in the experimental group. Also, carvacrol decreased P53 expression in the experimental group compared with the positive control group (P < 0.05). Therefore, carvacrol had an anti-apoptotic effect by suppressing P53 protein expression. Altogether, carvacrol can reduce some of the common symptoms related to methamphetamine abuse including infertility and induction of apoptosis.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women. Chemotherapy drugs such as taxol often lead to toxicity. Artemisia from Asteraceae family, contain flavonoids such as Artemisin which is one of the most important medicinal plants in the world. Therefore, in the present study the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of two ethanol extract (Artemisia scoparia, Artemisia siberia) of Artemisia species is studied and compared with Taxol on SK-BR-3 breast cancer cell line. In this study, the ethanol extract was prepared. Concentrations of the mentioned ethanol extracts prepared: Artemisia siberia: 60, 30, 15, 7.5 mg/ml and Artemisia scoparia: 1.25, 0.63, 0.31, 0.16 mg/ml. The concentration of Paclitaxel (100 µM) was determined in 24, 48 and 72 hours by MTT assay. The apoptotic effects and induced death were measured using Annexin V and PI. The MTT results indicated that cytotoxic effects of two Artemisia extracts and Taxol drug are dose-dependent. The obtained IC50 after treatment at 24, 48, 72 hours were (0.55, 0.35, 0.31 mg/ml) and 34.14, 28.02, 18), respectively for Artemisia scoparia and Artemisia siberia. Also, paclitaxel was 56.74, 36.28, and 21.09 (μM). Annexin and PI measurement showed that both extracts, Artemisia Siberia 3.53% and Artemisia scoparia 4.71%, compared to Taxol 5.13% had apoptosis effect and influence on induction of primary and secondary apoptosis, significantly (p<0.05). Alcoholic extract of Artemisia scoparia with further investigation has the potential for use as a drug for breast cancer treatment.

Nowadays, with the applications of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) in pharmacy, food industry, cosmetics, toothpaste and sunscreens, pregnant women are exposed to nanoparticles. Since tooth development is vuln-erable to environmental impacts and mandibular first molar bud develops before maxillary first molar bud, in this ex-perimental study the effects of TiO2-NPs on the development of first mandibular molar bud in NMRI mouse was inve-stigated. Twenty five female NMRI mice were randomly divided into five groups (N=5); Control group (pregnant mice without any treatment), sham group (treated with distilled water), experimental groups 1, 2 and 3 (treated with 50, 150 and 500 mg/kg BW TiO2-NPs, respectively, via gavage from embryonic days 10.5-14.5). On E14.5, embryos heads were prepared for histological examination and dental tissues were evaluated. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and post hoc test (Tukey). Microscopic observation showed tissue disorganization in experimental groups. Findings showed that in experimental groups 1 and 2, the diameter of bud and dental papilla and the length of dental bud decreased sign-ificantly. In experimental group 2, decrease in the diameter of dental follicle, dental bud and dental papilla and the le-ngth of dental bud was significant. On the other hand, in experimental group 3, only the decrease in the length of dental bud was significant. These findings showed that nano titanium dioxide can reduce the size of dental buds and is capable of preventing tooth development.

Trichomonas vaginalis is a parasite from flagellate which leads to trichomomal vaginitis. Also, it can be responsible for various complications such as discharge, painful urination, genital irritation, discomfort after intercourse, premature rupture of membranes, and preterm labor. Metronidazole is a selected drug for treatment of the disease that carcinogenesis effects of this drug and also resistance of this parasite toward metronidazole have been reported in recent years. Since physalis alkekengi plant has been applied for treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, hepatitis, viral, gonorrhea, gout, diabetes, and sore throat, therefore, this study was performed with aim to determine in vitro effects of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of physalis alkekengi on Trichomonas vaginalis.
This … study was performed in 2015 to assess the anti-parasite effects of physalis alkekengi on Trichomonas vaginalis. At first, the aqueous and alcoholic extracts were prepared and proliferation of parasites in TYM Diamond culture medium was performed. The concentrations of extract were: 8000, 4000, 2000, 1000, 500 and 250 µg/ml. The proliferation was evaluated at 24, 48 and 72 hours compared to control (metronidazole 50 µg/ml) group. In all of cases, the number of live and dead parasites was counted with Trypan blue and Neubauer slide. Data was analyzed by software SPSS (version 18) and one-way variance analysis. P The aqueous and alcoholic extracts had significant inhibitory effects on Trichomonas vaginalis parasite proliferation (P After evaluation of effectiveness mechanism, the aqueous and alcoholic extracts of the physalis alkekengi plant can be alternative treatment potential in cases of resistance to metronidazole.

Neuropathic Pain (NP) is a serious suffering medical condition that frequently leads to disability and life style changes. Although the exact mechanisms of NP are still unknown, recently the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) reported as an important factor for NP. Apoptosis, increase of ATP production and reduction of antioxidants are also the other factors influencing in NP. There are certain therapeutic procedures for NP among them using laser therapy newly received more attention. In the present research we studied the molecular effects of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) on a rat model of NP.
Thirty adult male Wistar rats (200-250 g) that randomly divided into three groups including chronic constriction injury (CCI), CCIⲲ and control were used in this study. CCI technique was used to induce NP. Laser therapy was done by using laser beam of 660 for 14 days following CCI. After that, expression of P2X3 of the DRG, Bax and Bcl2 in lumbar spinal segments measured by Western Blotting. Level of glutathione (GSH) was also measured in lumbar spinal cord segments by Continuous Spectrophotometric Rate Determination method. For behavioral study the mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia were evaluated in days 7 and 14 after CCI.
LLLT for two weeks increased expression of Bcl2 and GSH, whereas decreased Bax and P2X3 expression significantly. Comparing the results of behavioral study showed significant differences in the mechanical and thermal threshold showed between CCI and CCI LLLT groups.
Based on our findings, the therapeutic effects of LLLT for NP act throughout cellular and molecular mechanisms which improve mitochondrial function that in turn improve cell function and prevent apoptosis.

The hippocampus is well-known for its role in memory processing and learning and for its ability of neurogenesis. Any factors that influence neurogenesis in the hippocampus might lead to subsequent memory and learning deficiencies. Light is one of the factors that exerts powerful effects on the hippocampus structure and function. In addition, there might be sexual dimorphism in neurogenesis following certain interventions. Due to the importance of neurogenesis, the effects of the light-dark cycle and sex-dependent differences on memory and learning deficiency in humans need to be determined.
This study investigated possible sex-dependent neurogenesis due to changes in the light-dark cycle in the hippocampus of adult rats that received two months of total light deprivation (2mTLD).
Patients and Forty male and female adult Wistar rats randomly sorted into four groups were used in this study. Total light deprivation for two months (TLD) was done. TLD started one week prenatally and continued for seven more weeks. To study possible sexual differences in neurogenesis male and female rats were separated from the first day of TLD. Nissl staining, bromodeoxyuridine immunohistochemistry (BrdU IHC) and the Morris Water Maze (MWM) were used to study cell density, neurogenesis in dentate gyrus (DG), and spatial memory, respectively. The results were subjected to statistical analysis and presented as mean ± SD. P BrdU IHC showed a significant decrease in neurogenesis following TLD in both sexes showing more severity in male rats than in female rats. Results of Nissl staining and MWM also confirmed the BrdU findings. Regarding sexual dimorphism, our data showed no significant sex differences in the DG area of the hippocampus.
Sex-dependent reduction in neurogenesis following TLD could be one of the reasons for sex-dependent differences of cognitive disorders under the same the conditions.

Mellitus Diabetes (DM) is the most important metabolic diseases. The incidence of DM is prone to increase. Vasculopathy, retinopathy, central and peripheral neuropathy are the most important reported side effects of DM. Cognitive dysfunction following DM reported in both sexes. Hippocampus is a major part of brain involving in cognitive function, its cells are able to neurogenesis, so it is possible that DM affects the hippocampus. In addition, neuroprotective effects of female sex steroids are reported elsewhere. In order to answer the question of whether female sex steroid are able to suppress the effects of DM on neurogenesis of dentate gyrus (DG) in diabetic ovariectomized rat the present study designed.
Sprague-Dawley adult female rats were used in this study. The animals randomly divided in 8 groups including; control, diabetic (Diab), ovariectomy (OVX), Diab㥕, estrogen treated (E2; Diab㥕︓), surgical and vehicle sham. Intrapritoneal injection of STZ, subcutaneous injection of E2 and routine bilateral surgery were used respectively to induce diabetes, estrogen treatment and OVX. Nissl staining, Brdu immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blotting were used in this study. Statistical analysis was done and the results presented in mean ± SD, Pv Brdu IHC showed that the neurogenesis significantly decreased in OVX, Diab and OVX-Diab groups (Pv Based on our data, cognitive dysfunction caused by DM is related to hippocampal neurogenesis reduction and might improve under the influence of ovarian steroidal hormone therapy.

Methoxsalen is a natural photoactive compound which is found in many seed plants. A number of epidermal proliferative disorders can be treated by methoxsalen along with long wave ultraviolet A (UVA). In an experimental study, we aimed to demonstrate the effect of methoxsalen, UVA and their combination on oogenesis Balb/C mice. There were two experimental groups and a control group. The experimental groups were composed of i. a short term group with treatment duration of 15 days and ii. a long term group with treatment duration of 5 weeks. Both the long term and short term experimental groups were further subdivided into a UVA group, a methoxsalen group and a methoxsalen plus UVA group. After treatment, mature females in prosterus phase of ovarian cycle were scarified with ether, while their ovaries were removed and prepared for histological studies. Both macro and microscopic studies showed significant anomalies (p<0.05) among experimental group ovaries as compared to control group. The obtained results showed a significant decrease in the following factors: number and diameter of corpus lutei, Graafian follicles, diameter of granulosa cell layer and oocytes, number of primordial،and primary and growing follicles, while we observed an increase in number of atretic follicle. Furthermore, our findings confirmed an increase in theca diameter only through UVA treatment. Methoxsalen also reduced circulating estrogen levels in blood serum, significantly. Other cases of teratogenecity, such as follicles with three oocytes and disorganization in corpus luteum cells were observed. The result suggests that UVA, methoxsalen and their combination cause health problems and cell injuries.

Central and peripheral neuropathies are the most common side effects of Diabetes Mellitus (DM). The exact mechanisms of diabetic neurotoxicity are still unknown. Recently oxidative stress is introduced as one of the factors for diabetics’ neuropathies. Antioxidants also used as therapeutic agents to reduce the side effects of diabetes. In the present research the antioxidant effects of total and flavonoid extracts of Cusseta lehmaniana Bunge on high glucose inducted Pc12 were studied. PC12 cell line treated with high glucose was used. Total and flavonoid extract of C. lehmaniana Bungs were prepared. PC12 cells treated with 6X fold high glucose concentration exposed to extracts. Antioxidant activity of extracts, cell viability and apoptosis were studied by DPPH, MTT, Annexin staining and Western Blotting respectively. The MTT result showed 50μg/ml of flavonoid extract and 100μg/ml of total C. lehmaniana Bungs extract increased cell viability after 3 hours pretreatment. DPPH assay demonstrated 50 μg/ml flavonoid extract can increased radical scavenging inhibits compare with ascorbic acid. Several assays were used for evaluated of anti apoptotic effect such as: Annexin, SubG1and Western blotting for expression of Bax protein. Based on our findings, it is concluded that both total and flavonoid extract of C. lehmaniana Bungs have the potential to protect PC12 cells against glucose neurotoxicity by reducing apoptosis via increased Bax expression protein.

During the last decades it is shown that the gonadal steroids affects the nervous system. Gonadal steroids easily cross the brain blood barrier and insert their effects on morphometric parameters of the certain areas of the mammalian brain despite their direct or indirect roles in sexual behavior, the effects that generally called sexual dimorphism (SD). Among the different brain neurotransmitter system, serotonergic system is of more inertest to study for SD due to its extensive projections and the role of its neurotransmitter, serotonin (5HT), in different physiological and pathological conditions including neuronal firing, human emotional control, and affective disorders. Although the fact that 5HT is affect by the sexual gonadal steroids, it is not known whether the nuclei related to this system also influenced by gonadal hormones. Median raphe nucleus (MRN) is the largest one among the other nuclei in human brain and involves in many important functional roles. There are not enough evidences regarding the SD in median raphe nucleus of mammalian brain and also the influence of gonadal steroids on its morphometric parameters. The present study was supposed to answer the mentioned doubtfully questions. Sixty adult male and female Sprague-Dawelly rats (200-230g) were used in this study. The animals randomly were divided to four groups including normal female group, normal male group, ovariectomized group (OVX) and sham surgery group. For SD the animals of normal male and female groups were compared and for the study of the effects of female gonadal steroids the normal female group compared with OVX group. The animals perfused and fixed transcardially, brain stem was removed, coronal sections were obtained and processed for light microscopic study. Nissl and Golgi staining used for study morphometric and neuronal morphologic parameters of MRN. Data analyzed and the results presented by means± SD. Based on our findings MRN showed sexual dimorphism and gonadal steroid deprivation via ovariectomy significantly influenced certain morphometric parameters of MRN. According to the results of this study, sexual dimorphism of MRN and the influence of female gonadal steroids on serotonergic nuclei should consider in normal and pathological conditions.