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Greco A, Del Prete C, De Biase D, Palumbo V, Albanese S, Bruzzese D, Carotenuto D, Ciani F, Tafuri S, Meomartino L, Mancini M, Paciello O, Cocchia N. Effects of Oral Administration of Lepidium meyenii on Morphology of Mice Testis and Motility of Epididymal Sperm Cells After Tetrahydrocannabinol Exposure. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:692874. [PMID: 34957272 PMCID: PMC8697607 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.692874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) administration is associated with testicular damage and reduced semen quality. Oral administration of Lepidium Meyenii (maca) improves spermatogenesis and sperm motility and count and reduces spermatogenic damage. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of administration of THC, maca, and their combination on testicular tissue and semen parameters. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six-week-old male mice were classified into control, THC, Maca, and THC + Maca groups. The mice were subjected to Eco Color Doppler ultrasound examination of the testicles before and after treatment. After euthanasia, the epididymis, testes, liver, and kidney were collected for histological examination. For morphometry of the testis, tubular diameters and seminiferous epithelium height were measured. Sperm concentration and sperm motilities were assessed. Differences among the groups were assessed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's post-hoc test. Results: In all the groups, there were no significant changes in testicular morphology before and after treatment. Histological assessment of the testes showed no alterations in control, no significant alterations in Maca, mild to moderate alterations in THC, and mild alterations in THC + Maca groups. Histological examination of the other organs showed no significant differences among the groups. Tubular diameter showed significantly increased thickening for THC and THC + Maca compared with that for Maca and control. Moreover, seminiferous epithelium height decreased for THC compared with that in the control, Maca, and THC + Maca groups. No statistically significant reduction in the spermatogenic index was observed for THC compared with that for Maca and THC + Maca. Epididymal cross-sections of the groups showed no significant alterations. Sperm concentration and motility were higher for control and THC + Maca groups than in group THC and Maca. Conclusion: In vivo maca administration reduced the deleterious effect of THC on testicular parenchyma and semen production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adelaide Greco
- Interdepartmental Center of Veterinary Radiology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging of the National Council of Research, Naples, Italy
| | - Chiara Del Prete
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Davide De Biase
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy
| | - Veronica Palumbo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Sandra Albanese
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging of the National Council of Research, Naples, Italy
| | - Dario Bruzzese
- Department of Public Sanity, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Francesca Ciani
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Tafuri
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Leonardo Meomartino
- Interdepartmental Center of Veterinary Radiology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Marcello Mancini
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging of the National Council of Research, Naples, Italy
| | - Orlando Paciello
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Natascia Cocchia
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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Lactose Glycation of the Maillard-Type Impairs the Benefits of Caseinate Digest to the Weaned Rats for Intestinal Morphology and Serum Biochemistry. Foods 2021; 10:foods10092104. [PMID: 34574217 PMCID: PMC8468520 DOI: 10.3390/foods10092104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Maillard reaction between the lactose and milk proteins unavoidably occurs during the thermal treatment of milk. Although the impact of this reaction on protein nutrition and safety has been well-studied, whether a lactose glycation of milk proteins of the Maillard-type might affect the rats in their growth and intestinal morphology needs an investigation. In this study, caseinate and lactose-glycated caseinate were digested using pepsin and trypsin. Afterward, the resultant caseinate digest and glycated caseinate digest (lactose content of 13.5 g/kg of protein) at 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight (BW)/d were assessed for their effects on the female weaned Wistar rats in terms of daily body weight gain, intestinal morphology, digestive and brush-border enzyme activities, as well as serum chemical indices. The results showed that glycated caseinate digest always showed a weaker effect on rat than caseinate digest either at the 0-7 or 0-28 d feeding stage, and more importantly, at the highest dose of 400 mg/kg BW/d, it caused obvious adverse effect on the rats, reflected by lower values of these indices. Compared with caseinate digest, glycated caseinate digest in the rats caused 0.9-15.4% and 10.6-49.7% decreases in average daily gain of BW and small intestinal length, 1.1-21.5% and 2.3-33.3% decreases in villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth of the small intestine, or 0.3-57.6% and 0.2-55.7% decreases in digestive and critical brush-border enzyme activities, respectively. In addition, when the rats were fed with glycated caseinate digest, some serum indices related to oxidative stress status were enhanced dose-dependently. Lactose glycation of the Maillard-type is thus considered as a negative event of the Maillard reaction on milk proteins because this reaction might impair protein benefits to the body.
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Amendola G, Bocca B, Picardo V, Pelosi P, Battistini B, Ruggieri F, Attard Barbini D, De Vita D, Madia VN, Messore A, Di Santo R, Costi R. Toxicological aspects of cannabinoid, pesticide and metal levels detected in light Cannabis inflorescences grown in Italy. Food Chem Toxicol 2021; 156:112447. [PMID: 34343597 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2021.112447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Recently, the cultivation of light Cannabis, with a total THC content less than 0.6%, has been encouraged due to its industrial and therapeutic potential. This has increased the consumption of hemp for both smoking purposes and food preparation. Even so, Cannabis inflorescences are not subject to EU regulations and standards provided for food and tobacco products. A study was carried out on thirty-one inflorescences samples, collected in different Italian regions, in order to determine cannabinoids, pesticides and metals and to evaluate the exposure of consumers to contaminants and ensure a safe consumption. Contents of THC were always below 0.5%, while CBD ranged between 0.3 and 8.64%. The determination of 154 pesticides showed that 87% of the samples contained fungicides and insecticides in the range 0.01-185 μg/g. The most found are spinosad and cyprodinil. The concentration of metals ranged from 1 to more than 100 μg/g and As, Cd, Co, Cr, Hg, Cu, Mo, Ni and V exceeded the regulatory US limits for inhaled Cannabis products, while Pb exceeded them for both oral and inhaled products. These contaminants are intrinsically toxic and may affect public health. Actions are needed to establish regulatory measures and reduce the adverse effects caused by contaminants in Cannabis.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Amendola
- Environment and Health Department, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
| | - B Bocca
- Environment and Health Department, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - V Picardo
- Environment and Health Department, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - P Pelosi
- Environment and Health Department, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - B Battistini
- Environment and Health Department, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - F Ruggieri
- Environment and Health Department, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - D Attard Barbini
- Environment and Health Department, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - D De Vita
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, "Sapienza" Università di Roma, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - V N Madia
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, "Sapienza" Università di Roma, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - A Messore
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, "Sapienza" Università di Roma, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - R Di Santo
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, "Sapienza" Università di Roma, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - R Costi
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, "Sapienza" Università di Roma, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
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Reddy V, Grogan D, Ahluwalia M, Salles ÉL, Ahluwalia P, Khodadadi H, Alverson K, Nguyen A, Raju SP, Gaur P, Braun M, Vale FL, Costigliola V, Dhandapani K, Baban B, Vaibhav K. Targeting the endocannabinoid system: a predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine-directed approach to the management of brain pathologies. EPMA J 2020; 11:217-250. [PMID: 32549916 DOI: 10.1007/s13167-020-00203-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Cannabis-inspired medical products are garnering increasing attention from the scientific community, general public, and health policy makers. A plethora of scientific literature demonstrates intricate engagement of the endocannabinoid system with human immunology, psychology, developmental processes, neuronal plasticity, signal transduction, and metabolic regulation. Despite the therapeutic potential, the adverse psychoactive effects and historical stigma, cannabinoids have limited widespread clinical application. Therefore, it is plausible to weigh carefully the beneficial effects of cannabinoids against the potential adverse impacts for every individual. This is where the concept of "personalized medicine" as a promising approach for disease prediction and prevention may take into the account. The goal of this review is to provide an outline of the endocannabinoid system, including endocannabinoid metabolizing pathways, and will progress to a more in-depth discussion of the therapeutic interventions by endocannabinoids in various neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vamsi Reddy
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA
| | - Dayton Grogan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA
| | - Meenakshi Ahluwalia
- Department of Pathology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA
| | - Évila Lopes Salles
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Dental College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA
| | - Pankaj Ahluwalia
- Department of Pathology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA
| | - Hesam Khodadadi
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Dental College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA
| | - Katelyn Alverson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA
| | - Andy Nguyen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA
| | - Srikrishnan P Raju
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA.,Brown University, Providence, RI USA
| | - Pankaj Gaur
- Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA.,Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, USA
| | - Molly Braun
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, USA.,VISN 20 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, USA
| | - Fernando L Vale
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA
| | | | - Krishnan Dhandapani
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA
| | - Babak Baban
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Dental College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA
| | - Kumar Vaibhav
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA USA
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