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Enhanced replication of rubella virus (RuV) and replicons by de novo synthesized viral structural proteins has been previously described. Such enhancement can occur by viral capsid proteins (CP) alone in trans. It is not clear whether the CP in the virus particles, i.e., the exogenous CP, modulate viral genome replication. In this study, we found that exogenous RuV CP also enhanced viral genome replication, either when used to package replicons or when mixed with RNA during transfection. We demonstrated that CP does not affect the translation efficiency from genomic (gRNA) or subgenomic RNA (sgRNA), the intracellular distribution of the non-structural proteins (NSP), or sgRNA synthesis. Significantly active RNA replication was observed in transfections supplemented with recombinant CP (rCP), which was supported by accumulated genomic negative-strand RNA. rCP was found to restore replication of a few mutants in NSP but failed to fully restore replicons known to have defects in the positive-strand RNA synthesis. By monitoring the amount of RuV RNA following transfection, we found that all RuV replicon RNAs were well-retained in the presence of rCP within 24 h of post-transfection, compared to non-RuV RNA. These results suggest that the exogenous RuV CP increases efficiency of early viral genome replication by modulating the stage(s) prior to and/or at the initiation of negative-strand RNA synthesis, possibly through a general mechanism such as protecting viral RNA.

Derangements of neuroimmune, neurotrophic and neurochemical homeostasis have important implications in psychosocial stress-induced psychopathologies. Whether quercetin, a neuroactive compound, protects against psychosocial stress-induced psychiatric disturbances particularly via neurochemical mechanisms remain less well elucidated. Therefore, we further investigated the putative neurochemical as well as other cellular mechanisms of quercetin on social-defeat stress (SDS) model of psychosocial impairments. Saline (10 mL/kg,i.p.), quercetin (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg,i.p.) and ginseng (50 mg/kg,i.p.) were given to intruder mice for 14 days. From days 7-14, ten minutes of aggressive-resident-induced SDS (physical and psychological) were conducted thirty minutes after treatments. Subsequently, behavioral assessments: open-field, light/dark board, Y-maze, novel-object recognition, social-interaction and tail-suspension tests were conducted on day 14. Adrenal weight and glucose levels were measured. Monoamines, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), corticosterone, inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) and executioner caspase-3 concentrations were determined in specific brain regions by ELISA. Oxidative/nitrergic stress and cholinergic markers were determined with UV-spectrophotometry. Psychosocial stress-induced anxiety, depression and cognitive defects were improved by quercetin. The decreased serotonin in the prefrontal-cortex and dopamine in the striatum, elevated levels of noradrenaline and acetylcholinesterase in the prefrontal-cortex and hippocampus with corresponding decrease in BDNF were reversed by quercetin. Quercetin reduced SDS-induced increased neuronal inflammation, caspase-3 activity, malondialdehyde, nitrite levels, but increased antioxidant activities in the three brain regions. Adrenal hypertrophy, increased serum glucose and corticosterone release were reduced by quercetin. Our findings showed that quercetin attenuates psychosocial stress-induced passive coping behavior via normalization of HPA-axis, modulation of neurochemical release, enhancement of BDNF, and inhibition of brain oxidative/nitrergic stress, neuroinflammation and apoptotic pathway., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background In this study, the hematological and antioxidant potential as well as the osmotic fragility effects of a Nigerian polyherbal formulation were evaluated. Materials and methods A total of 40 fats were divided into four groups of 10 rats each. Group 1 served as the control group, and the rest were assigned increasing daily oral administration of the extract for 28 days. At the end of treatment, blood was collected for hematological and osmotic fragility studies. The free radical scavenging effect of the extract was investigated via different in vitro models as well. Results Results showed that the nitric oxide scavenging and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) activities of the extract were significant (p < 0.05) and compared favorably with that of vitamin C. At 200 and 400 μg/mL, the nitric oxide scavenging activities for Ajumbise Polyherbal Extract (APE) were 60.71 ± 0.25% and 59.49 ± 0.98%, respectively, whereas for the same concentrations of vitamin C, 74.60 ± 0.25% and 85.24 ± 0.14 scavenging activities were obtained. The (DPPH) activity at 100 μg/mL was 81.24 ± 0.02% for the extract and 96.22 ± 0.18% for vitamin C. However, at all concentrations, the extract had significantly lower Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) activity than vitamin C. Red blood cell counts (RBCC), hemoglobin and packed cell volume values (PCV) were significantly lowered only in groups treated with 400 and 800 mg/kg of the extract (p < 0.05), whereas other RBCC parameters and white blood cell counts (WBCC) were not significantly affected (p < 0.05). Platelet (PLT) count was also significantly lowered in all extract-treated groups. The extract also significantly reduced RBCC percentage hemolysis (p < 0.05). Conclusions Ajumbise polyherbal may be free of hematoxicity and may improve the integrity of the RBC membrane due to its appreciable antioxidant activity.

The gastroprotective activity of Moringa oleifera leaf extract against aspirin-induced ulcers was investigated in rats. Thirty (30) rats under starvation but with access to drinking water for 48 h were divided into 6 groups of 5 animals each. Animals in groups 1 and 2 were pretreated with 0.2 ml normal saline via the oral route. Group 3 received 32 mg/kg cimetidine while those in groups 4, 5 and 6 received oral Moringa leaf extract treatments at doses 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg body weight respectively. Thirty minutes after treatment, all animals in groups 2 to 6 were given 800 mg/kg Aspirin to induce ulcer. Results obtained showed complete erosion of the superficial epithelium with complete loss of the mucus globules and sloughing off of immediate underlying cells and sparsely distributed intraepithelial lymphocytes in the stomach of rats in which no treatment was given and significantly differed from those of the normal control animals which were essentially intact. No significant gastroprotection was observed in rats pretreated with the lowest dose of the extract (200 mg/kg) as a high degree of intestinal mucosal lesions and complete erosion of the surface epithelium with intraepithelial haemorrhage, moderate inflammation and tissue oedema were observed. Pretreatment with 400 mg/kg, however, offered a mild degree of protection with patches of surface epithelial protection and mucus globules, even though there was still predominant disintegration and sloughing off of superficial and underlying epithelial cells. The level of protection was sufficiently increased in animals treated with 800 mg/kg Moringa extract as there was increased protection of surface epithelium with more mucus globules and compared favourably with the effect of Cimetidine in which patches of intact superficial cells were observed. Moringa leaf extract may contain active agents with gastroprotective and mucus enhancing activities and could be harnessed into safe and potent treatment agents for ulcer in addition to providing template for the development of new antiulcer agents., Competing Interests: Compliance with ethical standardsThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.All applicable international, national and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is an enzyme of purine metabolism commonly associated with severe combined immunodeficiency disease and believed to modulate bioactivity of insulin. Its contributory role in patients with metabolic syndrome (having features such as obesity, insulin resistance, fasting hyperglycaemia, lipid abnormalities and hypertension) in South Eastern Nigeria was studied. Body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose (FBG), Glycated haemoglobin (GHbA1c), total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol (usually impaired in metabolic syndrome) and total serum ADA activity were measured in different groups of patients with metabolic syndrome (test subjects) and apparently healthy subjects (controls). The test subjects comprised six subgroups made up of the following; obese diabetic (N=25), obese non-diabetic (N=25), Non-obese diabetic (N=25), patients with hypercholesterolaemia (N=25), LDL-cholesterolaemia (N=25) and HDL-cholesterolaemia (N=25). The results showed that the mean values of all the parameters studied (BMI, FBG, GHbA1c, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol) were higher in the test subjects than their controls. BMI did not correlate significantly with FBG, GHbA1c, and ADA in the test and control subjects respectively. The mean serum ADA activity in the test subjects of obese diabetic, obese non-diabetic and non-obese diabetic subjects was higher than in controls (p&lt; 0.001). ADA activity was also higher in the test subjects of hypercholesterolaemia, HDL-cholesterolaemia and LDL-cholesterolaemia than in control (p&lt; 0.001). ADA activity also correlated positively with hypercholesterolemia (r = 0.640; p&lt;0.001), HDL-cholesterolaemia (r = 0.646; p&lt;0.001) and LDL-cholesterolaemia (r = 0.932; p&lt;0.001), with the highest correlation in the LDL-cholesterolaemia. In conclusion, ADA activity is increased significantly in all parameters of metabolic syndrome studied and showed a significant correlation with all the three groups of dyslipidaemic subjects studied. ADA could therefore be used in daily routine laboratory assessment of most metabolic diseases especially in obese and diabetic patients.