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 research risk of flooding on six water basins located in the eastern part of the western plateau, reached total area of the basin (22,998.9 km 2), has reached all the Basin area (basin to time 7056.1 km2 basin by 3585 km 2, Bath Alheiazi 6404 km 2, Abu beasts 544.1 km2 basin Abu Shannan 144.6 km 2, Bath Valley Faraj 5265.1 km 2), where it was specifically spatial degree of this risk by studying some of the hydrological basin transactions directly related to operations spate runoff study area and the occurrence of flood risks on the surface of ponds.
The main aim of this paper is studied the punching shear and behavior of reinforced concrete slabs exposed to fires, the possibility of punching shear failure occurred as a result of the fires and their inability to withstand the loads. Simulation by finite element analysis is made to predict the type of failure, distribution temperature through the thickness of the slabs, deformation and punching strength. Nonlinear finite element transient thermal-structural analysis at fire conditions are analyzed by ANSYS package. The validity of the modeling is performed for the mechanical and thermal properties of materials from earlier works from literature to decrea
... Show MoreFinancial Institutions are central to all most all Macroeconomic debates. They explain the market for money creation and Exchange the financial assets such as money stock and bonds play a central role in organizing and coordinating our economy. Financial Institutions’ position in economy is urgent position especially in the economic crises, they want to realize their profit target but this target conflicts with the target of monetary policy or fiscal policy or economic policy some time.
Financial Institution assets affect in technological factors and political factor. Those factors cause increasing or decreasing in wealth of the countries. The old classical crises was form real s
... Show MoreThis study carried out in animal field in the Department of animal production /Faculty of Agriculture /University of Baghdad, Al Gadria Campus. 80 Japanese quail divided into four parameters used in this study. These quails are treated with boron (B) in the diets (boric acid 16% B) with concentration 0, 50, 75, 100 mg /kg. diets for 120 hours. the following characteristics are examined: changes in the rate of body weight (BL), concentrate of hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (PCV%), and the ratio of heterophile to Lymphocyte (H/L ratio). The results indicated that the high levels of B led to a Significant decrease in BL and significantly increased in hematocrit PCV% with significant decrease in Hb, and increasing in the H/L ratio. The anatomy of
... Show MoreThis research aims to demonstrate the knowledge pillars of the product life cycle assessment technique and how to measure the cost according to this technique, and to clarify its role in reducing costs, improving product quality and optimizing the use of available resources, and a set of results has been reached, the most important of which are: The separation of environmental costs through the use of product life cycle assessment technique helps the Management in handling the increase of these costs, reducing the rates of environmental pollution and preserving resources, which contributes to achieving the sustainability of the product, and based on the results obtained, a set of recommendations were presented, the most important of which w
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