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Background : Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex clinical disorder that can lead to an increase in oxidative stress. Patients with this syndrome are at risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (fenugreek) plant has many therapeutic effects, including anti-diabetic and antioxidant. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the hydro-alcoholic extract of fenugreek seeds (HEFS) on dyslipidemia and oxidative stress due to high-fructose diet-induced MetS. Methods : In this experimental study, to induce MetS, animals received water containing 20% fructose for 8 weeks. After induction of MetS, 48 male Wistar rats (200-250 g) were randomized into six groups. HEFS was administered to animals at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg orally for 4 weeks. Animal blood samples were collected to measure biochemical and antioxidant parameters of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Results : The findings showed that the serum levels of FPG, TC, LDL-C, TG, and MDA were significantly reduced in HEFS-exposed groups compared with the control group (P

Introduction: Recently it has been shown that Astragalus fasciculifolius may be an effective remedy in the treatment of diabetes and wound healing. Current study was designed to examine the effects of topical administration of A. fasciculifolius (common name: sarcocolla) cream on treatment of wounds in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Methods: A circle deep wound having 15-mm diameter was created on the back of 32 streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Thirty-two wounds were evaluated in four groups of animals (n = 8). The animals in first and second groups were treated using distilled water and petrolatum for 20 days, respectively. The third and fourth groups were treated using sarcocolla cream 5% and 10% for 20 days, respectively. The evaluation was performed in all groups on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 17 and 20. Results: The sarcocolla cream 5% and sarcocolla cream 10% exerted significant healing effects on diabetic rat wounds (PConclusion: Sarcocolla (topical) therapy is possibly a useful approach for wound healing in diabetic rats. More investigations are needed to elucidate the possible protective mechanisms and safety.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is typically a disorder of carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism. It develops due to a lack of or loss associated with insulin and/or resistance to insulin. Regarding complications of chemical substance use, drugs with few complications and high-reliability tannins are needed. This study aimed to determine the effect and mechanism of action of Citrullus colocynthis extract on the formation of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A solution containing hemoglobin and glucose was incubated for 1, 2, 3, 4, 30, and 60 days by adding Citrullus colocynthis extract or glutathione. Quantitative measurement of HbA1c was performed using ion-exchange chromatography. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and two-way repeated measures test. A p

Natural convection in porous media (NCPM) is governed by highly nonlinear dynamics due to the dependence of fluid density and viscosity to temperature. Given the high computational cost associated with numerical modeling of NCPM, data-driven metamodels are commonly used to reduce the computational time in applications that require repetitive model runs. However, to various degrees, all metamodels previously used in this context struggle at scaling to high dimensional input and output problems. This work aims at investigating the performance of encoder-decoder convolutional neural networks (ED-CNNs), as a specialized deep learning architecture, in assisting the procedure of numerical modeling of NCPM. Our interest is directed to image-to-image regression tasks in which both the inputs and outputs of the model are high-dimensional, often high resolution, spatial distributions of the features. Large datasets of images (for e.g. heat map) can be generated by numerical modeling of NCPM, and also through high-resolution imaging and non-destructive scanning techniques. Hence, we apply ED-CNNs to develop a methodology for image-to-image regression. The goals are twofold: (1) to assess the robustness of ED-CNNs in metamodeling and uncertainty propagation analysis, and (2) to evaluate the performance of ED-CNNs as optimizer in input parameter estimation. To do so, we apply the ED-CNNs to the common benchmark of natural convection in a porous cavity. Numerical experiments highlight the robustness and efficiency of the ED-CNNs in handling heterogeneous domains.

Graphical abstract, Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the hepatic disorders which is characterized by increasing fat deposits in the liver. This disorder may lead to elevation the activity of liver enzymes and is associated with obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and type II diabetes. The aim of present study was to investigate the effect of Berberis integerrima extract on NAFLD patients compare to placebo. Methods The present clinical trial was performed on 42 NAFLD patients who were randomly divided into two groups. The case group received a capsule (750 mg) containing hydro-alcoholic extract of Berberis integerrima extract every 12 h for 2 months, while the control (placebo) group received a capsule containing cellulose. Baseline characteristics, biochemical factors, antioxidant parameter, functional liver and renal test were evaluated before and after the treatment. Results Comparison rate of different parameters in case group before and after treatment demonstrated that BMI, cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C, fasting blood glucose, liver enzymes and renal parameters such as aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase were significantly decreased while HDL-C, glutathione peroxidase enzyme, and total antioxidant capacity were significantly elevated. The comparison of the mean parameters difference in two groups indicated that cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C, fasting blood glucose, liver enzymes and renal factors were significantly decreased, however HDL-C, glutathione peroxidase enzyme, and total antioxidant capacity were significantly increased in case group compared to control group. Conclusion The study findings revealed that the Berberis integerrima extract could reduce biochemical factors of blood, except HDL-C and increases total antioxidant capacity and glutathione peroxidase enzyme. Therefore, hydro-alcoholic extract of Berberis integerrima may be used as a great supplementary medicine in treating NAFLD.

BACKGROUND: The use of phytochemicals to prevent or suppress tumours is known as chemoprevention. Numerous plant-derived agents have been reported to have anticancer potentials. As one such anticancer phytochemical, diosgenin has several applications which are nevertheless limited due to its low solubility in water. METHODS: We loaded diosgenin into niosome to increase its solubility and hence efficiency. Diosgenin-niosome (diosgenin loaded into niosome) was prepared by thin-film hydration method and characterised by optical microscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-visible spectrophotometry. Also, loading efficiency, in vitro drug release, and cytotoxicity assay were performed on HepG2 cell line. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Diosgenin-niosome has a nanometric size with a normal size distribution and spherical morphology. The loading efficiency of diosgenin was about 89% with a sustainable and controllable release rate. Finally, the viability of free diosgenin was 61.25%, and after loading into niosomes, it was improved to 28.32%. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that niosomes increase the solubility of naturally derived hydrophobic chemicals and thus enhance their anticancer effect. [Figure: see text]

Aim of study Diabetes mellitus is related to the development of neuronal tissue injury in different peripheral and central nervous system regions. A common complication of diabetes is painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDN). We have studied the neuroprotective and anti-nociceptive properties of neuropeptide orexin-A in an animal experimental model of diabetic neuropathy. Methods All experiments were carried out on male Wistar rats (220-250 g). Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of 55 mg/kg (i.p.) streptozotocin (STZ). Orexin-A was chronically administrated into the implanted intrathecal catheter (0.6, 2.5 and 5 nM/L, daily, 4 weeks). The tail-flick and rotarod treadmill tests were used to evaluate the nociceptive threshold and motor coordination of these diabetic rats, respectively. Cleaved caspase-3, Bax, Bcl2 and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, as the biochemical indicators of apoptosis, were investigated in the dorsal half of the lumbar spinal cord tissue by western blotting method. Results Treatment of the diabetic rats with orexin-A (5 nM/L) significantly attenuated the hyperalgesia and motor deficit in diabetic animals. Furthermore, orexin-A (5 nM/L) administration suppressed pro-apoptotic cleaved caspase-3 and Bax proteins. Also, orexin-A (5 nM/L) reduced the expression of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in spinal cord dorsal half of rats with PDN. Conclusions Altogether our data suggest that the orexin-A has anti-hyperalgesic and neuroprotective effects in rats with PDN. Cellular mechanisms underlying the observed effects may, at least partially, be related to reducing the neuronal apoptosis.

Context: Oxidative stress has a critical role in the development of physical fatigue and activation of matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9). Naringin (Nar) is a bioflavonoid that has antioxidant activity and suppresses MMP-9 expression. Objective: The present study evaluates the anti-fatigue activity of Nar on physical fatigue and serum MMP-9 concentration in rats. Materials and methods: Fifty female Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups (n = 10); a control group, vehicle group and three Nar treatment groups. The Nar treated groups received different doses of Nar (40, 80 and 160 mg/kg/day) for 30 days. On the 30th day, rats were sacrificed immediately after exhaustive swimming test. Serum MMP-9 concentration and several biochemical parameters related to fatigue were measured. Results: Exhaustive swimming time in the Nar-80 group significantly increased 1.78-, 1.53-, 1.5- and 1.3-fold compared with the control, vehicle, Nar-40 and Nar-160 groups, respectively. In addition, exhaustive swimming time in the Nar-160 group significantly increased 1.36-fold compared with the control group. Nar-80 significantly decreased LDH activity by 60.45% and 57.47% compared with the vehicle and control groups, respectively. Furthermore, Nar-80 and Nar-160 increased blood glucose levels by 19.56% and 18.38% compared with the control group, respectively. Nar-80 and Nar-160 significantly decreased serum MMP-9 concentration by 61.57% and 83.39% compared with the control group, respectively. Conclusion: Based on our data, Nar has anti-fatigue effects which may be attributed to its property in modulating energy metabolism and reducing serum MMP-9 concentration. Thus, Nar may be a promising agent for the treatment of physical fatigue.

Stroke is a major cause of mortality and long-term disability in adults. Transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) plays a crucial role in neuroinflammation. In this study, the effects of TRPV1 agonist (capsaicin) and antagonist (AMG9810) on cerebral ischemia were investigated. Forty male Wistar rats were assigned to the following experimental groups: sham, vehicle) ischemic), AMG9810 (selective TRPV1 antagonist, 0.5 mg/kg; 3 h after stroke), and capsaicin (1 mg/kg; 3 h after stroke). Stroke was induced by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion and neurological deficits were evaluated 1, 3, and 7 days after stroke. Then, infarct volume, brain edema, body temperature, mRNA expression of TRPV1, and serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and IL-10 were measured. Compared to the vehicle group, AMG9810 significantly decreased the infarct volume (P < 0.01). Latency for the removal of sticky labels from the forepaw and the hanging time were significantly decreased and increased, respectively, following administration of AMG9810 (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001 vs. vehicle) 3 and 7 days after stroke. Compared to the sham group, the mRNA expression of TRPV1 was significantly increased in vehicle group (P < 0.01). Administration of AMG9810 significantly increased the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and decreased the inflammatory cytokine TNF-α (P < 0.05). Moreover, our results indicate that AMG9810 might a promising candidate for the hypothermic treatment of stroke. The findings also suggest a key role for AMG9810 in reducing inflammation after stroke and imply that TRPV1 could be a potential target for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

Background Curcumin is the natural yellow pigment in turmeric isolated from the rhizome of the plant Curcuma longa. Curcumin inhibits formation and invasive cancer cells and destroys cancer cells resistant to chemotherapeutic drugs. Objectives The purpose of this study was the survey of effects of different concentrations of alcoholic curcumin on the octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) Nanog and Nucleostemin genes in the AGS (human gastric adenocarcinoma) cell line. Materials and Methods In this experimental study the AGS cell line was cultured in RPMI-1640, supplemented with penicillin/streptomycin (100 U/mL and 100 mg/mL, respectively) and 10% fetal bovine serum, at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2. In 60 - 70% cell confluence, the cells were treated with curcumin concentration (20, 40, 100) μL and incubated for 24, 48 and 72 hours. Finally, total RNA were extracted and cDNA were synthesized and the expression of mentioned genes was detected. The data were analyzed by excel software. Results Expression rate of OCT4A, OCT4B, Nanog and Nucleostemin (GLN3) at concentrations less than 20 μg/mL were reduced but OCT4B1 expression showed increased by hours respectively. Conclusions The results showed that curcumin inhibited cell division; also, this study could be the basis for more extensive studies on the anti-cancer effect of the combined plants.

Objective: One of the common misinterpretation be- liefs in some societies (especially eastern communities) is the using of opium can reduce serum glucose and lipids. Opium is a derivative from a plant family called Papaveracea and contains almost 80 types of alkaloids. Drug addiction causes physiological dependency and its withdrawal lead to some disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of opium consumption and its withdrawal on some blood biochemical factors in addicted people. Methods: We enrolled fifty-six opium addicted people according to the especial criteria to this study. Biochemical blood parameter levels such as fasting blood sugar (FBS), urea, Creatinine (Cr), Aspartate transaminase (AST), Alanine transaminase (ALT) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzymes levels were measured and urine analysis was also performed before and 3 months after withdrawal. Data were analyzed by using SPSS software version 18 and a P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: our finding showed that opium withdrawal reduces FBS and increases AST but these changes were not significant. Nevertheless opium withdrawal significantly increased blood urea level (P < 0.0001). We didn’t find any significant difference in Cr, ALP, AST and Urea specific gravity (SG). Conclusion: According to the results of the current study we can concluded that opium increases FBS, which is in contrast to the most previous studies and withdrawal has opposite effects.

Aim and objectives: Herbal drugs such as, Capparis Spinosa (CS) has been used to treat several diseases from heart and cardiovascular disorders to diabetes in traditional Iranian medicine. The present study was aimed to determine beneficiary effects of CS fruit extract on a number of tissues in healthy and type 1 diabetic rat. Materials and methods: In this experimental study, sixty male wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=10) and subjected to gavage tube therapy for one months by following protocol: group I and IV: diabetic control and non-diabetic control rats which only received distilled water; groups II and III: non diabetic treatment rats which received 200 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg CS extract per day respectively; groups V and VI: diabetic treatment rats which received 200 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg CS extract per day respectively. Diabetes was induced by intra-peritoneal injection of 50 mg/kg of streptozotocin (STZ). After 4 weeks, their blood were collected and the serum levels of creatinine, bilirubin, urea, uric acid, AST, ALT and ALP were measured. The liver, kidney, pancreas and stomach tissues were immediately excised, and after slide preparation processes, the histological changes were studied. Results: Our results illustrated that the gastric tissue in the diabetic group showed a small degree of changes and was not affected significantly by administration of the CS fruit extract. Liver, pancreas and kidney of diabetic rats exhibited considerable changes, like cellular necrosis. These changes in diabetic treatment groups were at lowest amounts. The decrease levels of creatinine, liver enzymes, and other factors were supporting these changes. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the CS fruit extract could be aid prevention of damage to the tissues due to the decreased levels of harmful oxidants in the body in diabetes. Moreover, according to our previous results altogether we showed beneficial impact of the plant on the treatment of diabetes.

Aim and objectives: Diabetes is a metabolic disorder with hyperglycemia due to defects in insulin secretion and function. Several studies investigated the both effects of traditional herbal medicine in diabetes treatment. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of Morus Alba leaf Extracts (MAE) on hepatic enzyme activity in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Methods: Forty healthy adult male Wistar rats weighing 250 ± 10 gr were taken for this experiment. Rats were divided into 4 groups (10 rats in each group). Animals treated by a gavage tube for a period of two months as follow: group I: non diabetic control rats which only received distilled water; group II: non-diabetic rats that received (MAE) 1.0 g/kg per day; group III: diabetic control rats treated with distilled water and group IV: Diabetic rats which received MAE 1.0 g/kg per day. At the end of the 8th week, blood samples were collected and serum levels of enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and total bilirubin were measured in all study groups using commercial assay kits. The activity of two antioxidant enzymes including glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione reductase (GR) were also measured. Results: Findings of present study demonstrated that MAE significantly decreased serum levels of liver enzymes ALT, AST and ALP in diabetic rats in compare to the diabetic control groups while it increased GPX and GR activity(P

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the main cause of chronic liver disease and to date there has been no vaccine development to prevent this infection. Among non-structural HCV proteins, NS3 protein is an excellent goal for a therapeutic vaccine, due to its large size and less variation in conserved regions. The immunogenic properties of heat shock proteins (HSPs) for instance GP96 have prompted investigations into their function as strong adjuvant to improve innate and adaptive immunity. Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine additive effects of recombinant GP96 (rGP96) fragments accompanied by rNS3 on expression levels of α5integrin and pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-12 and TNFα, in Antigen Presenting Cells (APCs). Materials and Methods: Recombinant viral proteins (rNS3 and rRGD-NS3), N-terminal and C-terminal fragments of GP96 were produced and purified from E. coli in order to treat the cells; mouse spleen Dendritic Cells (DCs) and THP-1 macrophages. Results: Our results showed that rNT-GP96 alone significantly increases the expression level of IL-12, TNFα and α5integrin in THP-1 macrophages and DCs, while IL-12 and TNFα expression levels were unaffected by either rNS3 or rRGD-NS3. Interestingly, the co-addition of these recombinant proteins with rNT-GP96 increased IL-12, TNFα and α5integrin expression. Pearson Correlation showed a direct association between α5integrin with IL-12 and TNF-α expression. Conclusions: we have highlighted the role of rNS3 plus rNT-GP96 mediated by α5integrin in producing IL-12 and TNFα. It can be suggested that rNT-GP96 could enhance immunity characteristic of rNS3 protein via production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

BACKGROUND Many traditional therapies have been proposed as alternative regimens for treatment of diabetes mellitus. The Morus Alba (MA) leaf is a natural therapeutic compound which is shown to have antidiabetic properties. The aim of the present study was to determine whether MA leaf extract is capable of regulating liver enzymes that are involved in glucose metabolism pathways in normal and Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. METHODS Forty healthy adult male Wistar rats (eight weeks old) weighing about 250 +/- 10 g were taken for this experiment. The rats were divided into 4 groups with 10 rats in each group and treated through a gavage tube for a period of two months as follows: group I: non diabetic control rats with distilled water; group II: non diabetic rats with 1.0 g/kg per day; group III: diabetic control rats with distilled water and group IV: diabetic rats with MA 1.0 g/kg per day. At the end of the 8th week, serum glucose, insulin and hepatic glucokinase activity were measured using standard methods and compared between diabetic and healthy rats. We also assessed the expression of phosphofructokinase-1 enzyme at the level of mRNA, using a Real Time-PCR method. RESULTS Findings of the present study demonstrated that MA leaf extract can significantly increase liver glucokinase activity and serum insulin levels in diabetic rats (p < 0.05). It also significantly attenuated the serum glucose level in rats compared to the control groups (p < 0.05). Also, the body weight of diabetic rats was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased as compared to their initial weight. However, the body weights of diabetic rats treated with MA increased in the same way as normal control rats. CONCLUSIONS The present findings suggest that the antihyperglycemic action of MA is mediated by increasing liver glucokinase activity and serum insulin level. These results are additional, definite evidence supporting MA as traditional medicine for diabetic patients.

Industrial pollution has the ability to cause cancer and inflammatory diseases in humans. This study aimed to determine inflammatory and cancer biomarkers in parallel with some other blood biochemical parameters in normal and exposed people. The study subjects 45 workers who were exposed to trace elements and 45 control subjects. Blood biochemical parameters such as liver enzymes were examined by Hitachi 912 analyser and the expression of P53 and IL-6 genes was also detected by Real time PCR technique. Our findings showed that the gene expression of both IL-6 and P53 increased in workers who were exposed to pollution. The result showed that the exposure to industrial pollution has led to increased expression of P53 and IL-6. These evidences may confirm a potential role for pollution and trace elements for developing the risk of inflammatory diseases and cancer in workers.