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 current study was conducted to investigate Annona fruit pulp effects on the levels of various physiological biomarkers linked with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus after disease induction in mice, as well as indications of oxidative stress and male hormones. The rats were separated into four groups, three of which were given Alloxan (90 mg/kg body weight) to induce diabetes, while the fourth served as a negative control. The first group of diabetic mice received no therapy, the second received metformin (600 mg/kg body weight) and the third received Annona fruit puree. The mice were sacrificed at the end of the experiment, to acquire blood and tissue samples from the liver, kidneys and spleen. The first untreated gro
... Show MoreLevetiracetam (LEV) is new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), usually used with other drugs in case of inadequate control of seizures. It is usually discharge with the breast milk. This study was conducted for the evaluation of the effect of levetiracetam on the kidney after 3 and 7 day newborn albino rats (Rattus rattus). A total of 20 rats were taken which were divided into two groups (A/control and B/ treated). The rat pregnant group (A) represents control group which has given distilled water orally during the pregnancy period and continued in taking of till one week newborn and (B) represents treated groups the drug was administered (350 mg/kg/day) orally during the pregnancy period and continued in taking of drug till one week newborn. Th
... Show MoreBackground:Ovulation constitutes a central event in ovarian physiology, and ovulatory dysfunction which is a relevant cause of female infertility. Mammalian ovulation is comparable to aninflammatory reaction since many of the molecules responsible for inducing the inflammatorycascade including PGs, leukotrienes and various cytokines have been describedin the ovary.
Objectives:This study was designed to compare between the effects of some NSAIDs(aspirin,diclofenac sodium and meloxicam)on the ovulatory process and the reproductive tract of female mice.
Materials and methods:Twenty four female mice were subdivided into 4groups (6 animals/group).The first received distilled water serve as control group, the second receivedaspirin (7.5
Background: This study is concerned with the effects of preeclampsia on the availability of the important enzymes in the full term placenta.For this purpose 2 groups of placentae were taken from the full term pregnant women immediately after labour, each group consists of 10 placentae, the first group are those placentae obtained from pregnant women having uneventful pregnancy with no history of any disease or complication (as a control group) while the second group includes those pregnant women having a history of preeclampsia, the results showed significant histochemical changes in the placentae of the second group when compared with the first group, such changes result from syncytial damage and destr
... Show More2-amino-5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole [I] were prepared by the cyclization of thiosemecarbazide with carbon disulphide and anhydrous sodium carbonate in ethanol as a solvent. The reaction of compound [I] with alkyl halides yielded 2- amino-5-thioalkyl-1,3,4- thiadiazole [II] and [III] . Compound [II] and [III] were reacted with different aromatic aldehydes to yieled 2-[(substituted benzyliden ) amino] -5- thioalkyl-1,3,4- thiadiazole [IV]a-c , [V]a-d and [VI]a-d . Schiff ,s bases [IV]a-c , [V]a-d and [VI]a-d were found to react with 2mercapto benzoic acid in the triethyl amine to give 3-[ 5-( alkylthio) -1,3,4- thiadiazol-2-yl] 2,3- dihydro- 2- (aryl) benzo [e] [1,3] thiazine -4-one [VII]a-
... 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 MoreIn this paper, the effects of hematocrit of red blood cells on blood flow through a stenosed human carotid artery was considered by taking blood as a Newtonian fluid. The governing equations on blood flow were derived. The mathematical content involved in the equations are the variables of interest such as number of stenosis , percentage of hematocrit of red blood cells in the blood, flow rate, wall shear stress, and viscosity of the blood. Guided by medical data collected on the constraint of blood flow in stenosed human carotid arteries, the governing equations were used to check the effects of pressure gradient, wall shear stress, velocity, and volumetric flow rate of blood in the human carotid arteries. Also, the one-dimensiona
... Show MoreBackground: Hyperthyroidism occurs due to over production of thyroid hormones, one types of hyperthyroidism was Graves, disease. Hyperthyroidism is characterized by high level of serum thyroxin, triiodothyronine and low level of thyroid stimulated hormones. Material and Methods: fifty two hyperthyroid patients, thirty patients under treatment with carbimazole and other twenty two patients under treatment with radioactive iodine, and sixty healthy control group. The average salivary flow rate was calculated as ml/5mint.The concentration of calcium, potassium, and total protein were determined in the salivary supernatant sample. This is done through different biochemical tests. Determination of salivary IgA is done by ELIZA. Results: The most
... Show MoreNigella 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 MoreEpilepsy is considered as one of the common neurological disorders.About 50 million persons have affected by epilepsy .Carbamazepine is one of the common drugs used by pregnant women with epilepsy. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of carbamazepine on the process of brain development during day 13 of pregnancy.Fifty pregnant albino mice have been used. They were divided into two groups. The control group that had been orally drenched with normal saline. The other group was treated group that had been given 15 mgKg of Carbamazepine orally. The fetuses have been collected after killing of the mice. Boun’s solution was selected as fixative. 5-8 µm thick sections from the fetuses were cut to be stained with hematoxyli
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