Background Methotrexate (MTX) is a classical folic acid antagonist widely used in the treatment of malignant and non-malignant disorders. However, its clinical application is often restricted by concomitant adverse effects, including renal damage. Numerous studies have highlighted the role of oxidative stress and inflammation in mediating MTX-related nephrotoxicity. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore the possible renoprotective action of Citronellol (CT), a natural compound with prominent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, against nephrotoxicity induced by MTX. Methods To fulfill our objective, 24 adult male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into four groups: control, MTX, 100 mg/kg CT plus MTX and 200 mg/kg CT plus MTX. At the end of the study, the experimental rats were anesthetized, blood samples were collected for biochemical assays, and the kidneys were surgically removed for biochemical and gene expression analyses, after which all rats were sacrificed by exsanguination. Results Compared to the MTX-treated group, our results revealed that pre-supplementation with 100 or 200 mg/kg CT remarkably ameliorated renal damage biomarkers, including serum urea, serum creatinine, and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1). In addition, pre-treatment with 100 or 200 mg/kg CT enhanced the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), diminished renal malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, and attenuated inflammation by suppressing renal nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling and diminishing tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) gene expression. Moreover, pre-treatment with 200 mg/kg CT markedly reduced interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) gene expression. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that CT can serve as a new promising agent for mitigating nephrotoxicity induced by MTX through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Urinary tract infection is a bacterial infection that often affects the bladder and thus the urinary system. E. coli is one of the leading uropathogenic bacteria that cause urinary tract infections. Uropathogenic E. coli is highly effective and successful in causing urinary tract infections through biofilm formation and urothelial cell invasion mechanisms. Other organisms that cause urinary tract infections include members of the Enterobacteriaceae family, streptococci and staphylococci species and perch. In addition, K.penumoniae is another important gram-negative bacterium that causes urinary tract infections. With the PCR technique, unseen bacterial species can be detected using standard clinical microbiology methods. In this study, the
... Show MoreSteel-concrete-steel (SCS) structural element solutions are rising due to their advantages over conventional reinforced concrete in terms of cost and strength. The impact of SCS sections with various core materials on the structural performance of composites has not yet been fully explored experimentally, and in this work, both slag and polypropylene fibers were incorporated in producing eco-friendly steel-concrete-steel composite sections. This study examined the ductility, ultimate strength, failure modes, and energy absorption capacities of steel-concrete-steel filled with eco-friendly concrete, enhanced by polypropylene fiber (PPF) to understand its impact on modern structural projects. Eco-friendly concrete was produced by the partial
... Show MoreLaboratory studies were conducted at the biological control unit, college of Agriculture, University of Baghdad to evaluate some biological aspects of the predator Chilocorus bipustulatus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), which is considered one of the most important predators on many insect pests, especially the scale insect, Parlatoria blanchardi, (Homoptera: Diaspididae) on date palms. The results showed that biological parameters of the predator were varied according to different degree of temperature. Egg incubation period was significantly different and reached to 7.5 and 5.44 day at 25 and 30°C respectively, Fertility was the same 100% at both temperature degrees. Larval growth periods were 17.41 and 16.12 day as well as the mortality
... Show More<em>The aim of the research is to set a set of BioKinematic variables for the step of crossing barriers (3–6–9) in a 110-meter barrier for young runners. The researchers concluded the study by interpreting and discussing the results that the most important variables must be relied upon when training and selecting runners that got the best saturation on their factors: 1-The first factor which refers to the total distance of the plan to pass the third barrier + the total distance of the plan to pass the ninth barrier + the total distance Plan to cross the sixth barrier. 2-The second factor which refers to the total vertical speed before passing the third barrier + the total vertical speed before the sixth barrier + the total vertica
... Show MoreThis study was conducted to investigate the relationship between corticosterone hormone in the blood of local Iraqi white chicken mothers and the sexual ratio of the hatching chicks. A field experiment located at the Poultry Research Station, Livestock Department, Agricultural Research Department, Ministry of Agriculture for the period from 16 of September 2018 to 25 of December 2018. One hundred and forty birds of Iraqi local chicken mothers (100 females+ 40 males) at the age of 28 weeks were provided from the poultry research station. The birds were raised in individual cages and distributed sequentially to the cages after the numbering of the females. Data were recorded in three periods, each period was of 28 days, and then the general a
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