فهرست مطالب reza nosratabadi

Asthma is a chronic disorder characterized by airway overreaction and remodeling, eosinophilia, and neutrophilic inflammation, accompanied by thickening of the airways and breathlessness. Teucrium polium (TP) is a plant with anti-inflammatory properties and is considered for the treatment of allergic disorders. In this study, we examined the effects of TP extract on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma. Thirty female mice (5–6 weeks old) were divided into 5 groups of 6 each, including a control group and 4 groups treated with OVA, OVA + TP extract (50 mg/kg), OVA + TP extract (150 mg/kg), OVA + TP extract (300 mg/kg). Twenty-four hours after the last treatment, lung, serum, and spleen samples were collected and used for the evaluation of leukocyte infiltration, serum cytokine Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) levels, and the expression of the Interleukin-12A (IL12A) gene, respectively. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to evaluate pathological changes in the lung tissue sections. Treatment with TP extract reduced inflammatory cells such as eosinophils and neutrophils in the airways. Furthermore, it increased serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-12A at a dose of 50, 150, and 300 mg/kg compared to the OVA group. This study showed that the administration of TP extract could improve pathological features, such as airway inflammation, and reduce systemic inflammation.

Hypericum perforatum is a herbal medicine used in traditional medicine for the treatment of depression due to its antidepressant and anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, we evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of H. perforatum extract (HPE) in combination with gold nanoparticles (HPE-GNP) against experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis. EAE was induced in C57BL/6 mice with subcutaneous injection of MOG35-55 emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant, and intraperitoneal pertussis toxin. Mice were treated with drugs in free (HPE) and nano-form (HPE-GNP) preparations. Splenocytes were isolated from all mice and the level of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were evaluated by ELISA. The expression of T cells' transcription factors was also assessed using Real-Time PCR. Clinical score was reduced after HPE-GNP treatment. This change was associated with a decrease in the incidence and infiltration of inflammatory cells into the central nervous system. Additionally, treatment with HPE-GNP decreased the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-17A and IL-6) and increased anti-inflammatory cytokines (TGF-β, IL-10 and IL-4). The real-time analysis revealed a decrease in the level of T-bet and ROR-γt  but an increase in FoxP3 and GATA3 expression. The current study demonstrated that HPE-GNP could potentially reduce clinical and pathological complications of EAE, but laboratory data showed that HPE-GNP was significantly more effective than HPE in the treatment of EAE.

It has been reported that inflammation may be a potential risk factor for the progression of epistaxis. Due to the major roles played by Th17 in the induction of inflammation, the present study aimed to assess the serum levels of Interleukin 17A (IL-17A) and IL-23, as the most important cytokines in the Th17 pathway, as well as IFN-g, IL-4, and IL-10 serum levels, as regulatory cytokines for Th17 cells in patients with idiopathic epistaxis.  

The serum levels of IL-4, IL-10, IL-17A, IL-23, and IFN-g were evaluated in 90 patients with idiopathic epistaxis and 90 healthy controls using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. 

The obtained results pointed out that the serum levels of IL-17A and IL-10, but not IL-4 and IL-23, were significantly up-regulated, and IFN-g serum levels were significantly down-regulated in patients with idiopathic epistaxis. Furthermore, female patients with epistaxis had higher IL-10 serum levels. 

As evidenced by the results of the present study, IL-17A is the main cytokine which participates in the pathogenesis of idiopathic epistaxis; moreover, in association with IL-10, it can be regarded as the suppressor of IFN-g in patients.

 Silver nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their important properties, including antimicrobial and anti-oxidative stress effects. However, high concentrations of silver NPs have been reported to have toxic effects. The present study aimed to evaluate the modulatory and protective effects of royal jelly (RJ) against the harmful effects of silver NPs on hippocampal functions, such as learning and memory. This experimental study was conducted on 40 male Wistar rats. The animals were divided into four groups of 10, including the control group (no silver NPs and RJ), RJ group, silver NPs plus RJ, and silver NPs. Some functions of the hippocampus (e.g., learning and memory) were evaluated using Morris memory function tests for four consecutive days. In addition, the relative expression of TRPV1 was assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). At the final stage, hippocampal tissues were collected for histological studies. Levels of learning and memory, relative gene expression ratio of TRPV1, and the histological changes in the hippocampus were significantly different in the groups receiving silver NPs compared to the groups administered with RJ. According to the results, RJ may be the effective in the protection against the adverse effects of silver NPs and improve the function of the hippocampus.

An important role of nitric oxide (NO) in neuroinflammation has been suggested. It is also suggested that NO has a critical role in learning and memory. Neuro-inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been reported that deteriorates learning and memory. The effect of L-arginine (LA) as a precursor of NO on LPS-induced spatial learning and memory and neuronal plasticity impairment was evaluated.

The animals were grouped into: (1) Control, (2) LPS, (3) LA-LPS, and (4) LA. The rats received intraperitoneally LPS (1 mg/kg) 2 h before experiments and LA (200 mg/kg) 30 min before LPS. The animals were examined in Morris water maze (MWM). Long-term potentiation (LTP) from CA1area of the hippocampus was also assessed by 100 Hz stimulation in the ipsilateral Schaffer collateral pathway.

In MWM, time latency and traveled path were higher in LPS group than the control group (P < 0.001) whereas in LA-LPS group they were shorter than LPS group (P < 0.001). The amplitude and slope of field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) decreased in LPS group compared to control group (P < 0.05 andP < 0.01) whereas, there was not any significant difference in these parameters between LPS and LA-LPS groups.

Administration of LPS impaired spatial memory and synaptic plasticity. Although LA ameliorated deleterious effects of LPS on learning of spatial tasks, it could not restore LPS-induced LTP impairment.

Apoptosis is a tightly regulated process and plays a crucial role in autoimmune diseases. Because abnormalities in apoptosis are considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), in present study we studied the apoptosis in T lymphocytes from Iranian SLE patientsat protein and gene expression levels for some molecules which are involved in apoptosis pathways. Thirty five SLE patients (23 female, 12 male), and 20 age matched controls (10 female, 10 male) participated in this study. T lymphocytes were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using MACS method. Apoptosis rate was studied at protein level by flow cytometer using Annexin V, and at gene expression level using semi-quantitative RT-PCR method for detection of Fas, FasL, Bcl-2, caspase 8, and caspase 9 genes. The percentage of apoptotic cells in SLE patients was not different in comparison with controls (20.2% ± 1.4 vs 21.1% ± 1.0), but the expression levels of FasL, caspase 8, and caspase 9 genes in all SLE patients and in female patients were significantly lower than controls; 0.45R vs 0.78R for FasL, 0.74R vs 1.0R for caspase 8, and 0.76R vs 1.26R for caspase 9 in all SLE patients and 0.37R vs 0.82R for FasL, 0.45R vs 1.6R for caspase 8, and 0.63R vs 1.56R for caspase 9 in female patients. The expression levels of FasL, caspase 8 and caspase 9 molecules involved in apoptosis decreased in female, but not in male SLE patients.

Background and Cytokines are among the many immune system factors involved in diabetes pathogenesis. The level of cytokines expression such as IFN-y is varying in individuals and societies. Due to the fact that diabetes nephropathies are known as inflammatory disorders and the role of cytokines especially IFN-g in the establishment of inflammations is well understood, the present study was aimed to examine serum level of IFN-y in type 2 diabetes patients with nephropathy complications. In this cross sectional descriptive study, serum samples were obtained from 100 type 2 diabetes patients with nephropathy and 100 healthy controls for the analysis of IFN-g serum level (eBiosense, ESP). Consent forms were also filled out by patients and healthy controls according to the rules and regulations of Zahedan Islamic Azad University Ethical Committee. The obtained data and questionnaires were analyzed in SPSS using ANOVA; p<0.05 was considered as significant. The mean serum level of IFN-y was 16.09 y 7.74 pg/ml and 4.03 y 2.00 pg/ml in nephropathic patients and healthy controls, respectively. Statistical analysis of the data showed that the difference in the IFN-g level was not significant in nephropathic patients and controls. Based on the non-significant differences between the two groups, it seems that there is no association between the level of serum IFN-g and nephropathy in type 2 diabetics.