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
Toxicity assays were used in this study to test how DDT affects lethality and brood size of Caenorhabditis elegans (C.elegans) by exposing them to various concentrations of this agent. These nematodes have provided a very informative system that was utilized to study the behavioural and physiological processes. The results showed that DDT affected the lethality in a dose-dependent manner, but 100% kill was not achieved with concentration tested. Whereas, sodium azide, positive control does have an effect on C. elegans and significantly inhibiting lethality (LC50 0.01mM). Similarly, DDT led to a pronounced effect in brood size of C.elegans compared to the mean brood size recorded for the control (0.1% DMSO). Sodium azide results sho
... Show MoreCarrageenan extract is a compound of sulfated polyglycan that is taken out from red seaweeds. Being hydrocolloid in nature, carrageenan has gelling, emulsifying and thickening properties allowing it to be commonly used in the oral healthcare products and cosmetics. Due to its bioactive compounds, carrageenan has been shown to have antimicrobial, antiviral, and antitumor properties. The purpose of this work is to study the probable use of carrageenan on the diseases that are related to oral cavity and on the genomic DNA in in vitro experimental model
In this study, the effects of k-carrageenan on four different cell lines related to the cancer and normal cells which cultured on selective media were done. Moreover, the eff
... Show MoreThis research examines the impact of cornering on the aerodynamic forces and stability of a Nissan Versa (Almera) passenger sedan car by introducing novel modifications. These modifications included single inverted wings with end plates as a front spoiler, double‐element inverted wings with end plates as a rear spoiler, and incorporating the ground as a diffuser under the car trunk. The goal is to enhance the performance and stability of conventional passenger cars. To ensure the accuracy of the numerical data, the study utilized multiple methodologies to model the turbulence model, ultimately selecting the most suitable option. This involved comparing numerical data with wind tunnel experimental d
The research included preparation of new iron(II) complexes with mixed ligands including benzilazine(BA) and semicarbazone ligands {benzilsemicarbazone- BSCH or benzilbis(semicarba-zone)- BBSCH2 or salicylaldehydesemicarbazone- SSCH2 or benzoinsemicarbazone- B'SCH2}.by classical and microwave methods. The resulted complexes have been characterized using chemical and physical methods. The study suggested that the above ligands form ionic complexes having formulae [Fe(SCHi)(BA)(Cl)m](Cl)2-m {where SCH, BSCH, BBSCH2, SSCH¬2 or B'SCH2 ligands; m=1 or 2}. Hexacoordinated mononuclear complexes have been investigated by this study and having octahedral geometries. The effect of laser ray type visible region have been studied on solid ligands and
... Show MoreThe potential use of bone marrow stromal cells as a cellular therapy for chronic diseases relies on the ability of the cell to replicate extensively in vitro.For this reason the present study investigated the replication lifespan and examined the growth properties of albino rats mesenchymal stem cells(MSCS)in vitro. To establish an in vitro system for isolating and culturing the MSCs of albino rats and to provide research data for its further application,the bone marrow (BM)was collected from young male rats and separated by gradient centrifugation.Then, the mononuclear cells(MNCs) were retrieved from the buffy layer and cultured in Modified Eagle,s Medium (MEM) supplemented with 10%Fetal Calf Serum (FCS)and incubation
... Show MoreThe liver is one of the most prominent glands in the digestive system. It crosses vital organs with multiple functions, including the secretion of enzymes, digestion of fats, and secretion of bile. Through histological studies and those interested in them, the tissue structure of the liver is of interest to researchers, and the four samples of Guinea pig Cavia porcellus were taken in this study to know the histological structure and compare it with rodents in particular. and other animals in general. The results of the liver parenchyma were comparable to those of the studied mammals in periods of hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, and sinusoids surrounding the central vein, blood supply, and bile ducts. He did not record differences, eve
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