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
Nigella sativa seeds (NSS) are reputed traditionally and scientifically as a potent agent that promote milk secretion (galactagogue), but their mechanism of action is studied trivially. One suggestion was that these seeds are bio-transformed to sex hormones within the ovaries. Therefore, this investigation was designated to throw light on the action of these seeds in the absence of ovaries i.e. in male rats. Thirty Norway male albino rats were used in this investigation. They were divided into experimental (n=20,fed NSS 2g/ Kg body weight /day for 14 days) and control (n=10, fed placebo for 14 days). After sacrifice mammary gland and blood samples were obtained. Experimental rats revealed a significant increase (p (0.01>in
... Show MoreThe ceiling of the midbrain has a couple of optic lobes which are prominent and used as an optic center that reflex what it receives from eye retina fibers. The histology of optic tectum has been studied in Iraqi fish Barbus luteus (Heckel) . It was found that the number of optic tectum were six main strata organized from the outside to the inside as follows : the stratum marginal (SM), the stratum opticum (SO), the stratum fibrosum et griseum superficialis (SFGS), the stratum griseum central (SGC), the stratum album central (SAC), the stratum periventricular (SPV), . the tow last strata consider deep layers on the optic tectum. It was noticed that the superficial strata was the first (SM), while the thickest strata was the four (SGC), whic
... Show MoreThe development taking place in various sports in performance, which was and still takes a large part by focusing on the specialized level of the players, whether in training or competition in all sports, including handball. In the competition (the match) by measuring the hormone beta-endorphin as well as. To identify the changes that occur in some biochemical variables as a result of the high effort in the competition (the match) by measuring lactic acid and the hormone aldosterone). The researcher used the descriptive method, the pre and post test of one group Due to the nature of the research, the research community was represented by Al-Shorta Sports players and Al-Jaish club players in handball, as they numbered (24) players from the t
... Show MoreThis study presents a histological comparison of the esophagus between squirrels and mongooses, illustrating herbivorous and carnivorous dietary adaptations, respectively. Histological sections were examined from both species to compare the tunica mucosa, submucosa, muscularis, and adventitia. Esophageal samples were collected from adult specimens that were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson’s trichrome, then examined microscopically. Results revealed that squirrels exhibited a thick wall with non-keratinized epithelium and fully striated muscularis, reflecting a plant-based diet. In contrast, mongooses displayed regional variation in wall thickness and thinner mucosa in the upper third and a transition from s
... Show Morehis study aimed to evaluate the effects of different doses of melatonin on liver function in adult rats. Eighteen Wistar adult albino rats (Rattus norvegicus), approximately 13–16 weeks old and weighing 230 ± 10 g, were randomly divided into three groups (n=6 per group) and treated orally for 30 days as follows: Group A1 received 10 mg/kg body weight (B.W) of melatonin; Group A2 received 20 mg/kg B.W of melatonin; and the control group (Group A) received distilled water. At the end of the treatment period, blood samples were collected via cardiac puncture, and serum was separated for biochemical analysis. Parameters assessed included oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH)) and liver enzymes (aspa
... Show MoreWe described herein the synthesized and characterized of new bent and liner core compounds containing thiazolidin-4-one ring[XI-XIII] and [XIV-XVI] respectively. These compounds synthesized by sequence reactions starting from reaction resorcinol or hydroquinone with chloracetyl chloride to yield compounds [I] and [II] ,then the later compounds reactant with 4-hydroxybenzylaldehyde to product dialdehyde compounds [III] and [IV] .The Schiff bases compounds[V-VII] and [VIII-X] synthesized from reaction the compound [III] or [IV] with different aromatic amines, while the bent and liner core mesogens containing thiazolidin-4-one ring [XI-XIII] and [XIV-XVI] synthesized from reaction Schiff bases compounds[V-VII] or [VIII-X] with thioglycolic aci
... Show MoreObjective: This study involved the synthesis of new Schiff bases and 1,3-oxazepine derivatives from the baclofen drug and study the anticancer activities. Methods: Baclofen was initially reacted with aromatic aldehydes to create Schiff base derivatives (Ia–Ib), which were then closed in the next step using anhydrous acids to form oxazepine derivatives (IIa–IId). Results: The title compounds were synthesized successfully and identified using FT-IR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Additionally, compound (IIc)’s (3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-4-[2-(4nitro-phenyl)-4,7-dioxo-4,7-dihydro-[1,3] oxazepin-3-yl]butyric acid) anticancer activity was assessed using MTT assay against FTC-133 (thyroid cancer) compared with WRL-68 (normal cell line). Discus
... Show MoreObjective: Loranthus europaeus is a parasitic plant that lives on the branches of trees. The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of two different extracts on chronic inflammation induced by cotton pellets in rats. Methods: Loranthus seed was extracted by maceration with absolute methanol, in which dry Loranthus seeds were triturated in a mortar and macerated with 500 mL of methanol. After 24 h, the mixture was filtered, and the residue was re-extracted. The filtrates were combined and dried under vacuum. The mixture was mixed with 100 mL of distilled water and fractionated by petroleum ether and ethyl acetate using 70 mL × 3 times each. The organic fractions were dried, filtered, and evaporated to dryness.
... Show MoreDoxorubicin (DOX) is a potent antineoplastic drug used to treat many types of human tumor. The long-term adverse effect is cardiomyopathy. Chromium is an essential trace element mostly used to regulate glucose levels and enhance the response to insulin, especially in diabetes. Current study aimed to evaluate the cardioprotective effect of chromium picolinate against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in 28 male rats divided into four groups. Group I (Control group): received distilled water orally for 8 days. Group II (Doxorubicin group): received distilled water orally for 7 days, followed by a single doxorubicin dose (25 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. Group III (Chromium 2 mg): received chromium picolinate at a dose
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