ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Estrogens has traditionally been known as the female hormone, but this idea has been challenged in early 1990’s and an essential physiological role for estrogen in male fertility was identified. Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring non-steroidal plant chemicals that can act like the female hormone estrogen. The herbs ( anise alfalfa and vervain ) chosen in this study contain phytoestrogens. OBJECTIVE: Previous studies demonstrated controversy of the effects of phytoestrogens on the rat testes .Hence, the present investigation was undertaken to investigate the influence of typical dose of herbs containing phytoestrogen on the rat testis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four apparently normal mature male rats were divided into four groups of 6 animals each. The first "control" group received only 4ml of distilled water as a placebo. The second group received 40mg/kg of anise seed; the third group received 53.3 mg/kg of dried herb of vervain and the fourth group received 400 mg /kg of alfalfa seeds. All experimental groups received the doses through orogastric tube daily for fourteen days. Testicular histology was evaluated by light and enzyme histochemistry. Plasma FSH and testosterone concentrations were taken to support our results. RESULTS: Histological examination of anise, alfalfa and vervain – treated groups showed an increase in the height of germinal epithelia. There was marked lipoprotein lipase activity in the whole of the interstitial tissue which is more in amount in experimental groups than that in control group. Acid phosphatase granules were infiltered the seminiferous epithelia mildly in control group , moderately in anise and vervain groups and markedly in alfalfa group. The number of interstitial cells showing marked acid phosphatase activity was higher in all experimental groups than that in control group. Alkaline phosphatase exhibited intense activity in the boundary tissue of the seminiferous tubules in testes of control and experimental groups but it appeared thicker in the latter. CONCLUSION: The low dose and short duration of treatment used in our study made these phytoestrogen – containing herbs to have a stimulatory effect on leydig cell steroidogenesis. This study also demonstrated that aniseed being the most potent of the three herbs followed by alfalfa in stimulating testosterone synthesis. This is possibly attributed to the coumarin constituent of aniseed and alfalfa. KEY WORDS: phytoestrogen-containing herbs, testis, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, lipoprotein lipase
The present study deals with the morphological and histological aspects of the forebrain(Cerebrum) in the Columba livia domestica (Gmelin, 1789) to identify the histoarchitecture of its layers. This bird' has a large head found as perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The morphological results reveal that for brain (Cerebrum) pear shaped, its outer surface is smooth without folds or deep grooves. Cerebrum is made up of two regions, the Pallium and the Subpallium. The Cerebral cortex includes four layers of hyperpallium (Wulst) , Dorsolateral corticoid area (CDL), Hippocampus, Piriform cortex. The internal cortex of cerebrum consists of Dorsal Ventricle ridge which includes the mesopallium, nidopallium, and archospallium. All these reg
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Six females definite Duchennc carriers and 8 females of possible carriers were examine in this study by serum C.P.K after exercise and muscle Biopsy for histochemical study. This st udy was compared with that of normal person.
The scnm1 C.P.K was found to be highly elevated in all the 14
catTiers, while slight - moderate elevation was found in normal control.
All the definite carriers and 6 ex pected gave abnormal histochemistry in their muscles. the other 2 gave no defini
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In this research work, synthesis, antimicrobial and antioxidant bioactivity of a chain of compounds having unsaturated ketones bond and isoxazoline moiety have been described. New chalcone derivatives containing isoxazoline moiety have been synthesized. Generally, Chalcones are unsaturated ketones bearing (-CO-CH=CH-) as reactive ketoethylenic group that give the bright yellow colored compounds due to this chromophore group. Firstly, chalcones (IIa-d) have been prepared by cyclocondensation (Claisen-Schmidt condensation) of triphenyl aminobenzaldehyde with different substituted acetophenone in ethyl alcohol to produce a series of chalcones compounds with bright yellow colored as a
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The present study aimed to establish reference normal ranges of haematological and biochemical parameters of two vertebrates (rabbits and partridges). Twenty animals (10 rabbits, 10 partridges) were used in this study. Blood samples, collected from heart of rabbits, as well from the right jugular vein of partridge, and delivered to the laboratory. Some biochemical parameters (potassium, sodium, and uric acid) have been investigated, in addition blood samples were tested for: white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), haemoglobin (HB), haematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean concentration of hemoglobin in the corpuscular volume (MCHC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV).
Results indicate that haematological and bioch
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Background: cerebral damage may occur in a variety of clinical settings and this remains a significant problem. Therefore, it seems possible that the administration aqueous extract of Gingko biloba might protect the brain against the ischemia reperfusion injury.
Objectives: The study included knowledge Phytochemical Composition and determine whether Gingko biloba in the aqueous extract prevents or decreases I/R brain damage.
Methods: Thirty rats were divided into three groups as control, I/R group and Gingko biloba treatment group. Serum was used for the estimation of biochemical parameters: oxidative stress levels of nitric oxide (NO) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) and blood was used for the estimation
The present study was undertaken to determine and compare the antibacterial and biochemical characteristics of honey samples from Kurdistan region in Iraq and Arabian Gulf region. Sixteen honey samples of mixed floral origins from both regions were analysed and compared. Antibacterial activity of the honey samples was investigated against five clinical pathogenic bacteria: Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus by agar dilution method. Both sample sets showed differential biochemical characteristics and potential functional properties such as antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. All measured parameters were within accepted ranges. Howev
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This search aim to study the histological structure of Stomach of domestic duck Anas platyrhynchos. Six healthy birds (males and females) are used and after their slaughter the abdominal region was carefully opened and the stomach separated from it's connection with alimentary canal, cleaned with water and fixed in 10% formalin. The histological study showed that the wall of the glandular and muscular stomach consist of four tunicae:Tunica Mucosa,Tunica Submucosa,Tunica Muscularis and Tunica Serosa. The results suggested that the Muscularis mucosa layer represented the secretary part of glandular stomach, the keratinoid material lining the lumen of gizzard, and the tunica muscularis was the thickest one among four tunicae. &nb
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