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This study examined the protective effects of a Petroselinum crispum (P. crispum) methanolic extract on reproductive dysfunction induced by acrylamide in male rats. A total of 40 rats were divided into four groups (n=10). The control group received distilled water, the acrylamide group received 10 mg/kg of acrylamide, the P. crispum group received 100 mg/kg of P. crispum extract, and the combined group was pretreated with P. crispum for two weeks before co-administration of P. crispum and acrylamide. All administrations were administered orally using a gastric tube for eight weeks. Acrylamide decreased testosterone levels but did not affect levels of FSH or LH. It also increased testicular levels of (MDA) malondialdehyde and reduced activity of (SOD) superoxide dismutase and impairment of sperm parameters. Furthermore, the administration of acrylamide resulted in an elevation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels and a reduction in the levels of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR) and cytochrome P450scc (P450scc). Acrylamide negatively affected the histopathological outcomes, Johnsen's score, the diameter of seminiferous tubules, and the thickness of the germinal epithelium. It also upregulated the expression of NF-ĸB P65 and downregulated the expression of kinesin motor protein. In contrast, treatment with P. crispum extract restored the levels of antioxidant enzymes, improved sperm parameters, and normalized the gene expression of TNF-α, IL-10, IL-6, iNOS, NF-ĸB, STAR, CYP17A1, 17β-HSD and P450scc. It also recovered testicular histological parameters and immunoexpression of NF-ĸB P65 and kinesin altered by acrylamide. P. crispum showed protective effects against acrylamide-induced reproductive toxicity by suppressing oxidative damage and inflammatory pathways., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Sodium nitrite (NaNO 2 ) is a chemical substance used to enhance taste, add color, and keep food products fit for consumption for a longer time. NaNO 2 gives rise to a negative adverse effect on male reproductive function. Odontonema cuspidatum (OC) is a natural plant that possesses antioxidant capacity., Aim: Our research evaluates the potential beneficial effect of OC extract on the harmful effects caused by NaNO 2 on the testicular tissue and sperm characteristics of male rats., Methods: Four groups with a total of forty rats: the control, the NaNO 2 -received group, the OC-administered group, and the fourth group received both NaNO 2 and OC. All groups were administered daily for two months. Sperm characteristics, testicular antioxidant status, qRT-PCR, and histopathological changes were evaluated., Results: Coadministration of NaNO 2 and OC, in comparison with NaNO 2 alone, contributed to a notable enhancement in acrosomal integrity, decreasing sperm abnormalities and restoring serum testosterone levels. Moreover, such coadministration reduced the oxidative stress marker, malondialdehyde (MDA), and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) in testicular tissue, lowering TNF-α gene expression, and increasing the expression of P450scc and StAR genes. In addition, the NaNO 2 and OC combination decreased the testicular histopathological changes and the Caspase-3 and Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunoexpression in seminiferous tubules compared with the NaNO 2 group., Conclusion: The extract of OC exhibited the ability to decrease oxidative stress and ameliorate the detrimental effects caused by NaNO 2 ., Competing Interests: All authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

One of the main antineoplastic chemotherapy medications is cisplatin , of which nephropathy is a major side effect. In this current study, we aim to investigate the molecular protective effect of Spirulina platensis ( SP ) on cisplatin -induced nephrotoxicity. In total, 48 healthy male albino rats were allocated into 4 groups. Group 1 received saline intraperitoneally (IP) twice per week (normal rats). Group 2 received SP (100 mg/kg BW orally). Group 3 were injected with cisplatin (1.5 mg/kg IP) twice per week. Group 4 received SP and on the 4th day received cisplatin (1.5 mg/kg IP) for 21 days. After 3 weeks of experiment, blood and renal tissues were taken for serum analysis, gene expression using qRT-polymerase chain reaction, and renal histopathology. As per our findings, it was found that SP significantly ameliorated the alterations in body weight, relative kidney weight, and the disturbance in examined renal markers. Furthermore, SP recovered and restored cisplatin-induced oxidative stress biomarkers (MDA and NO) and antioxidant activity (SOD and GSH) and cisplatin-induced upregulation in the gene expression of TNF-α, inducible nitric oxide synthase, TGF1-β, IL-1β, and IL-6. Interestingly, these gene expressions were ameliorated by the SP pre-administration. Furthermore, cisplatin upregulated pro-apoptotic gene Bax , whereas it downregulated anti-apoptotic gene Bcl2 . Interestingly, SP mitigated this alteration in apoptosis and anti-apoptotic associated genes. Renal histopathology revealed the protective impacts of SP against cisplatin -induced severe glomerular congestion, hemorrhage, inflammatory cell infiltration, degeneration, and severe necrosis in renal glomeruli and tubules. In conclusion, SP has a protective effect against cisplatin-induced renal damage through modulating oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory, anti-necrotic, and anti-apoptotic-associated genes., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Natural antioxidant products play a vital role in the treatment and prevention of cancer disease because they have no side effects. This study aimed to compare the chemoprotective effect of Spirulina platensis (SP) and garlic against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats. This study was being done by using 60 male Wistar rats and divided into four groups. Group (I): normal group. Group (II): HCC group induced by injection of a single dose of DEN (200 mg/kg/I.P) and after 14 days injected CCl4 (1 mg/kg/I.P) 3 times/week/six weeks. Group (III): HCC group received SP orally at a dose (500 mg/kg). Group (IV): HCC group received garlic (250 mg/kg) orally. The results revealed that the Spirulina and garlic treatment have a significant decrease in Glutamate pyruvate transaminase, Glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, GGT, LDH, and the Malondialdehyde (MDA) activity, and furthermore, a significant increase in the total protein level, the superoxide dismutase (SOD), and Catalase (CAT) activity nearly to normal activity. Furthermore, the hepatic expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), inducible nitric oxide synthase, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β1), Heat Shock Protein glycoprotein 96 (HSPgp96), and Glypican 3 (GP3) were down regulated by the Spirulina and garlic treatment in comparison with those in HCC group. All findings reported that the chemoprotective of both Spirulina and garlic that have nearly the same effect may be due to antioxidant activity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation, amelioration of pro-inflammatory cytokine, HSPgp96, and GP3., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Gentamicin (GM) is a low-cost, low-resistance antibiotic commonly used to treat gram-negative bacterial diseases. Cisplatin (Csp) is a platinum-derived anti-neoplastic agent. This experiment aimed to identify the early signs of gentamicin and cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Thirty Wistar rats were divided into three groups of 10: a control group, which received no treatment; a gentamicin group administered by a dose of (100 mg/kg, IP) for 7 consecutive days, and a cisplatin group was administered intraperitoneal in a dose of (1.5 mg/kg body weight) repeated twice a week for 3 weeks., Results: Both experimental groups exhibited increased levels of creatinine, urea, and uric acid, with the cisplatin-treated group showing higher levels than the gentamicin group. Experimental groups also exhibited significantly increased Malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) with more pronounced effects in the cisplatin-treated group. Further, both experimental groups exhibited significant up-regulation of Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNF-α), caspase-3, and Bax and down regulation of Bcl-2., Conclusion: These findings confirm the use of necrotic, apoptotic genes as early biomarkers in the detection of tubular kidney damage. Further, cisplatin was shown to have a greater nephrotoxic effect than gentamicin; therefore, its use should be constrained accordingly when co-administered with gentamicin., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a serious threat to human health that has attracted substantial interest. The purpose of this study was to investigate the modulatory effect of bee honey against induced HCC by diethylnitrosamine/carbon tetrachloride (DEN/CCl4) in rats. HCC was induced by a single intraperitoneal dose of DEN (200 mg/kg B.W). Two weeks later, CCl4 (1 ml/kg) was intraperitoneally injected (three times a week). Bee honey was administered orally at 2 g/rat before and after the induction of HCC. The results showed that bee honey administration significantly increased body weight, decreased liver weight, and relative liver weight compared to those in the HCC-induced group. Moreover, a significant decrease in serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) as well as AST, ALT, GGT, ALP activities were observed in bee honey administration rats compared with those in HCC-induced group. Also, the hepatic MDA was significantly decreased; in addition, SOD, CAT, and GPx activities were significantly increased in groups treated with bee honey compared with those in the HCC group. The hepatic histopathology alterations caused by DEN/CCl4 injection were ameliorated by bee honey treatment. Likewise, the mRNA expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), transforming growth factor (TGF-β1), intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), glypican (GP-3), thioredoxin (TRX), and glutaredoxin (GRX) were downregulated, and caspase-3 was upregulated by bee honey treatment compared with untreated HCC-induced group. In conclusion, bee honey has remarkable beneficial effects against HCC induced in rats through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, and antimetastatic effects., Practical Applications: The current study confirmed that honey has the potential to act as an antimetastatic factor. Bee honey supplementation either before or after combined injection of DEN/CCl 4 exhibited inhibitory and ameliorative effects against DEN/CCl 4 -induced HCC through its antioxidant, antiproliferative, anti-metastatic, antifibrotic, and apoptosis properties. To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe the molecular mechanisms underlying honey's effects against DEN/CCl 4 -induced HCC in rats., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Liver disease, especially liver cancer, has become a threat facing the world. Now, antioxidant products are garnering great attention for the treatment and prevention of many diseases. S-Methyl methionine sulfonium chloride (MMSC) is a methionine derivative and is present in many vegetables and has anti-inflammatory effects and antioxidants. This is the first study aiming to investigate the antitumor activity of the MMSC. This study was carried out on 60 male Wistar albino rats (4-6 weeks old age) and divided into four groups, with the first group as normal control, second group as hepatocarcinoma induced by diethyl nitrosamine and carbon tetrachloride (DEN/CCL4) group, third group as normal rats treated with MMSC, and fourth group as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) induced rats treated with MMSC. Our findings revealed that MMSC administration after HCC induction significantly improved ( p < 0.05) the liver function biomarkers, including AST, GGT, albumin, globulin, and albumin/globulin ratio (A/G), in comparison with those in the HCC group. Moreover, the histopathological changes of the liver tissue in the HCC group were improved by MMSC treatment. Likewise, the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha ( TNF-α ), induced nitric oxide synthase ( iNOS ), transforming growth factor ( TGF-1β ), and glypican 3 ( GP3 ) were downregulated by MMSC treatment after HCC induction in comparison with those in the HCC-induced group. In conclusion, MMSC showed antitumor activity against HCC induction by DEN/CCl4 through decreasing lipid peroxide formation, the expression level of an inflammatory cytokines such as ( TNF-α ), immunoregulatory cytokines such as ( TGF-1β ), induced nitric oxide synthase, and glypican 3.