Preventive and protective effects of silymarin on doxorubicin-induced testicular damages correlate with changes in c-myc gene expression

Silymarin mitigates toxic effects of cyclophosphamide on testicular tissue and sperm parameters in mice

Cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapy drug, increases oxidative stress in sperm and testicular tissue. This study evaluated the effect of silymarin, a potent antioxidant, on the quality of sperm and testicular tissue in mice treated with cyclophosphamide. NMRI adult male mice were divided into four groups: control; cyclophosphamide (intraperitoneal injection, 100 mg/kg, once a week); cyclophosphamide + silymarin; and silymarin (intraperitoneal injection, 200 mg/kg, every other day). After a 35-day treatment period, the caudal region of the epididymis was examined for sperm parameters, the right testis was used for stereological studies, and the left testis was used to assess biochemical factors. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS software, one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test. In the cyclophosphamide group, there was a significant reduction in the mean total volume of testicular tissue, the average volume of seminiferous tubules and their components, and the average volume of interstitial tissue. Additionally, there was a notable decrease (p < 0.001) in the average number of Leydig cells, Sertoli cells, and sperm parameters. The mean concentration of testosterone hormone (p < 0.05) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) level (p < 0.01) also significantly decreased, while the malondialdehyde (MDA) level increased significantly (p < 0.05). However, these adverse changes were mitigated in the cyclophosphamide + silymarin group compared to the cyclophosphamide group. Our results showed that silymarin as an antioxidant can mitigate the adverse effects of cyclophosphamide on testicular tissue and sperm parameters.

Modulatory effect of liraglutide on doxorubicin-induced testicular toxicity and behavioral abnormalities in rats: role of testicular-brain axis

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a powerful chemotherapeutic agent used in many types of malignancies. However, its use results in testicular damage. DOX-induced testicular damage results in low level of serum testosterone which may affect cognitive function. The current study investigated the protective effect of liraglutide (50, 100 μg/kg/day) in testicular toxicity and the consequent cognitive impairment induced by DOX. DOX treatment reduced sperm count (62%) and sperm motility (53%) and increased sperm abnormalities (786%), as compared to control group. DOX also reduced serum testosterone level (85%) and the gene expression of testicular 3β-HSD (68%) and 17β-HSD (82%). Moreover, it increased testicular oxidative stress (MDA and GSH) by 103% and 59%, respectively, apoptotic (caspase-3 and P53) by 996% and 480%, respectively. In addition, DOX resulted in increasing autophagic markers including PAKT, mTOR, and LC3 by 48%, 56%, and 640%, respectively. Additionally, rats' behavior in Y-maze (60%) and passive avoidance task (85%) was disrupted. The histopathological results of testis and brain supported the biochemical findings. Treatment with liraglutide (100 μg/kg/day) significantly abrogated DOX-induced testicular damage by restoring testicular architecture, increasing sperm count (136%) and sperm motility (106%), and decreasing sperm abnormalities (84%) as compared to DOX group. Furthermore, liraglutide increased serum testosterone (500%) and steroidogenesis enzymes 3β-HSD (105%) and 17β-HSD (181%) along with suppressing oxidative stress (MDA and GSH) by 23% and 85%, respectively; apoptotic (caspase-3 and P53) by 59% and55%, respectively; and autophagic markers including PAKT, mTOR, and LC3 by 48%, 97%, and 60%, respectively. Moreover, it enhanced the memory functions in passive avoidance and Y-maze tests (132%). In conclusion, liraglutide is a putative agent for protection against DOX-induced testicular toxicity and cognitive impairment through its antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and antiautophagic effects.

Effects of adriamycin on cell differentiation and proliferation in rat testis

Although adriamycin (ADR) is used to treat many cancers, it can be toxic to healthy organs including the testis. We investigated the effects of ADR on pluripotency in rat testis. Testicular damage was induced by either cumulative or single dose single dose administration of ADR in Wistar albino rats. Rats were divided randomly into three groups: untreated control, cumulative dose ADR group (2 mg/kg ADR every three days for 30 days) and single dose ADR group (15 mg/kg, single dose ADR). Testicular damage was evaluated and seminiferous tubule diameters were measured using light microscopy. Expression levels of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc, Utf1 and Dazl were assessed by immunohistochemistry and real time PCR. Serum testosterone levels were measured using ELISA assay. Histopathologic scores were lower and mean seminiferous tubule diameters were less compared to the ADR groups. Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and Utf1 expressions were decreased significantly in spermatogenic cells of both cumulative and single dose ADR groups compared to the control group. We found that c-Myc expression in spermatogenic and Leydig cells were increased significantly in both ADR groups compared to the control group. Dazl expression was decreased in the cumulative adriamycin group compared to the control group, but increased in the single dose ADR group compared to both the control and cumulative ADR groups. Serum testosterone levels were decreased in both ADR groups compared to the control group. Our findings suggest that ADR is detrimental to regulation and maintenance of pluripotency in rat testis.

The interplay of arsenic, silymarin, and NF-ĸB pathway in male reproductive toxicity: A review

Arsenic toxicity is one of the most trending reasons for several malfunctions, particularly reproductive toxicity. The exact mechanism of arsenic poisoning is a big question mark. Exposure to arsenic reduces sperm count, impairs fertilization, and causes inflammation and genotoxicity through interfering with autophagy, epigenetics, ROS generation, downregulation of essential protein expression, metabolite changes, and hampering several signaling cascades, particularly by the alteration of NF-ĸB pathway. This work tries to give a clear idea about the different aspects of arsenic resulting in male reproductive complications, often leading to infertility. The first part of this article explains the implications of arsenic poisoning and the crosstalk of the NF-ĸB pathway in male reproductive toxicity. Silymarin is a bioactive compound that exerts anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties and has demonstrated hopeful outcomes in several cancers, including colon cancer, breast cancer, and skin cancer, by downregulating the hyperactive NF-ĸB pathway. The next half of this article thus sheds light on silymarin's therapeutic potential in inhibiting the NF-ĸB signaling cascade, thus offering protection against arsenic-induced male reproductive toxicity.

Natural bioactive compounds-doxorubicin combinations targeting topoisomerase II-alpha: Anticancer efficacy and safety

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, so pursuing effective and safe therapeutics for cancer is a key research objective nowadays. Doxorubicin (DOX) is one of the commonly prescribed chemotherapeutic agents that has been used to treat cancer with its antimitotic properties via inhibition of topoisomerase II (TOP2) activity. However, many problems hinder the broad use of DOX in clinical practice, including cardiotoxicity and drug resistance. Research in drug discovery has confirmed that natural bioactive compounds (NBACs) display a wide range of biological activities correlating to anticancer outcomes. The combination of NBACs has been seen to be an ideal candidate that might increase the effectiveness of DOX therapy and decreases its unfavorable adverse consequences. The current review discusses the chemo-modulatory mechanism and the protective effects of combined DOX with NBACs with a binding affinity (pKi) toward TOP2A more than pKi of DOX. This review will also discuss and emphasize the molecular mechanisms to provide a pathway for further studies to reveal other signaling pathways. Taken together, understanding the fundamental mechanisms and implications of combined therapy may provide a practical approach to battling cancer diseases.

Silymarin as a preventive or therapeutic measure for chemotherapy and radiotherapy-induced adverse reactions: a comprehensive review of preclinical and clinical data

PURPOSE

Thus far, silymarin has been examined in several studies for prevention or treatment of various chemotherapy or radiotherapy-induced adverse reactions. In this review, we try to collect all available human, animal, and pre-clinical data in this field.

METHODS

The search was done in Scopus, PubMed, Medline, and systematic reviews in the Cochrane database, using the following keywords: "Cancer," "Chemotherapy," "Radiotherapy," "Mucositis," "Nephrotoxicity," "Dermatitis," "Ototoxicity," "Cardiotoxicity," "Nephrotoxicity," "Hepatotoxicity," "Reproductive system," "Silybum marianum," "Milk thistle," and "Silymarin" and "Silybin." We included all relevant in vitro, in vivo, and human studies up to the date of publication.

RESULTS

Based on 64 included studies in this review, silymarin is considered a safe and well-tolerated compound, with no known clinical drug interaction. Notably, multiple adverse reactions of chemotherapeutic agents are effectively managed by its antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-immunomodulatory properties. Clinical trials suggest that oral silymarin may be a promising adjuvant with cancer treatments, particularly against hepatotoxicity (n = 10), nephrotoxicity (n = 3), diarrhea (n = 1), and mucositis (n = 3), whereas its topical formulation can be particularly effective against radiodermatitis (n = 2) and hand-foot syndrome (HFS) (n = 1).

CONCLUSION

Further studies are required to determine the optimal dose, duration, and the best formulation of silymarin to prevent and/or manage chemotherapy and radiotherapy-induced complications.

Protective Potential of Ginseng and/or Coenzyme Q10 on Doxorubicin-induced Testicular and Hepatic Toxicity in Rats

Introduction: Although doxorubicin (DOX) is a successful cancer chemotherapeutic, side effects limit the clinical utility of DOX-based therapy, including male infertility and hepatotoxicity. Objective: To evaluate the testicular and hepatoprotective effect of ginseng and/or coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in rats exposed to DOX and the possible underlying mechanisms. Materials and Methods:  Fifty adult male albino rats were divided into (10/group), control, DOX group, DOX/Gin group, DOX/CoQ10 group and DOX/Gin+CoQ10 group. Serum testosterone, serum liver enzymes, fasting serum cholesterol and triglyceride (TG), tissue malondialdehyde (MDA), tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD), serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), serum interleukin 6, serum interleukin 10, nuclear factor E2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2) gene expression in liver and testis and organ indices were measured.  Histopathological and immunohistochemical assessments of apoptotic marker kaspase3 in testis and liver were also performed. Results DOX-induced toxicity is associated with a significant decrease in serum testosterone, testis and liver index values, testicular and hepatic SOD,  testicular and hepatic Nrf2 gene expression and serum interleukin 10. However, there was a significant increase in serum liver enzymes, serum cholesterol and TG, testicular and hepatic MDA, serum TNF-α and serum interleukin 6 when compared with the control group. The combination of ginseng and CoQ10 resulted in significant improvement of DOX-induced changes when compared with other treated groups. Conclusion: Ginseng and CoQ10 have valuable therapeutic effects on DOX-induced testicular and hepatic toxicity via up-regulation of Nrf2 gene expression, inhibition of apoptosis, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and hypolipidemic effects.

Mechanisms of doxorubicin-mediated reproductive toxicity - A review

The anticancer drug doxorubicin has been associated with several adverse side-effects including reproductive toxicity in both genders. The current review has complied the mechanisms of doxorubicin induced reproductive toxicity. The articles cited in the review were searched using Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct. Doxorubicin treatment has been found to cause a decrease in testicular mass along with histopathological deformities, oligospermia and abnormalities in sperm morphology. Apart from severely affecting the normal physiological role of both Leydig cells and Sertoli cells, doxorubicin also causes chromosome abnormalities and affects DNA methylase enzyme. Testicular lipid metabolism has been found to be negatively affected by doxorubicin treatment resulting in altered profile of sphingolipids glycerophospholipids and neutral lipids. Dysregulation of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) and 17β- hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) are strongly linked to testicular exposure to doxorubicin. Further, oxidative stress along with endoplasmic reticulum stress are also found to aggravate the male reproductive functioning in doxorubicin treated conditions. Several antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) are downregulated by doxorubicin. It also disturbs the hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG)-axis including testosterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone etc. In females, the drug disturbs folliculogenesis and oogenesis leading to failure of ovulation and uterine cycle. In rodent model the drug shortens pro-estrous and estrous phases. It was also found that doxorubicin causes mitochondrial dysfunction in oocytes with impaired calcium signaling along with ER stress. The goal of the present review is to comprehends various pathways due to which doxorubicin treatment promotes toxicity in male and female reproductive system.

Thymoquinone is a protective agent that reduces the negative effects of doxorubicin in rat testis

BACKGROUND

Doxorubicin (DOX) is used for treatment of many cancer types. Thymoquinone (THQ) is a powerful antioxidant agent used for reducing side effects of several drugs. The aim of this study is to determine possible therapeutic effects of THQ on doxorubicin-induced testicular toxicity in rats.

METHODS

Rats were divided into five groups (n = 8): control, THQ, olive oil, DOX (a single dose of 15 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.) on seventh day of the experiment), and DOX + THQ (10 mg/kg THQ per day and 15 mg/kg DOX i.p. on seventh day). Animals were euthanized, and testis tissues were evaluated histopathologically. Caspase 3 and HSP90 immunostaining were performed to determine the expression levels of these proteins among groups. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase 2'-deoxyuridine, 5'-triphosphate nick-end labeling method was used for evaluation of apoptotic index. Moreover, serum testosterone levels and total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) in testicular tissue were measured by ELISA assay.

RESULTS

The DOX group had histopathological deterioration compared to the control group. There was an increase in apoptotic index, caspase 3 and HSP90 expressions in the DOX group. While TAS level of the DOX group decreased, TOS level increased when compared with the other groups. Serum testosterone levels in the DOX group decreased compared to the control group. However, there was improvement in testicular tissue in DOX + THQ group compared to the DOX group. There was a decrease in apoptotic index, caspase 3, and HSP90 expressions in DOX + THQ group compared to the DOX group. Testosterone level of DOX + THQ significantly increased compared to the DOX group.

CONCLUSION

We suggest that THQ can be used as a protective agent to reduce the toxic effects of DOX.

Semen quality, antioxidant status and reproductive performance of rabbits bucks fed milk thistle seeds and rosemary leaves

The study aimed to investigate the effects of milk thistle seeds (MTS) and rosemary leaves (RL) both at 5 and 10g/kg diet on reproductive performance, semen quality and blood metabolites of rabbit bucks. A total of 35 rabbit bucks were randomly distributed into five experimental groups (7 bucks/group). All the groups were fed the same basal diet. The 1st group (control) did not have MTS and RL in its basal diet. The 2nd and 3rd groups were supplemented with MTS at 5 and 10g/kg, respectively. The 4th and 5th groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with RL at 5 and 10g/kg, respectively. The sperm concentration (SC), total sperm output (TSO), live sperm (LS), total live sperm (TLS) and total motile sperm (TMS) were significantly greater in the bucks fed MTS at 10 and RL at 5g/kg diet than the control group. Bucks fed MTS at 10g/kg diet had higher fertility than the control. Also, RL 5g/kg group showed higher testosterone and fertility than the control, but the MTS 10g/kg group showed the highest value for both parameters. In conclusion, MTS and RL at 10 and 5g/kg, respectively, significantly improved the semen quality and the fertility and MTS also increased the economic efficiency of rabbit bucks.

Crosstalk between E2F1 and P53 transcription factors in doxorubicin-induced DNA damage: evidence for preventive/protective effects of silymarin

Objectives

To study the effects of silymarin in various forms of applications on the molecular mechanism(s) of doxorubicin-induced testicular toxicity in male rats.

Methods

Following DOX administration with or without SMN in male rats, sperm quality assays were conducted. Moreover, total antioxidant capacity and nitric oxide content of testis were determined. Expression profile of p53 and E2F1 was analysed by PCR technique. Ultimately, the rate of DNA fragmentation in the testes was quantitatively measured.

Key findings

P53 and E2F1 expression in DOX-received animals at mRNA level showed a revers profile of an up- and down-regulation, respectively. Administration of SMN in preventive and protective forms resulted in a significant (P &lt; 0.05) reduction in DOX-induced sperm abnormalities, DNA fragmentation, nitric oxide concentration and a marked increase in total antioxidant power, rate of sperm motility and viability. SMN lowered the DOX-up-regulated expression of p53 at mRNA level.

Conclusions

DOX-induced testicular toxicity was characterized by lowering sperm quality values, induction of oxidative and nitrosative stress and DNA fragmentation. Preventive and protective effects of SMN on DOX-induced testicular toxicity may attribute to its antioxidant property. DOX-induced testicular damages and SMN preventive/protective effects might be mediated via up- and down-regulation of p53 and E2F1 transcription factors.

Perturbation of epigenetic processes by doxorubicin in the mouse testis

Epigenetic processes play a major role in normal mammalian development, particularly during gametogenesis and early embryogenesis. Thus, perturbation of epigenetic processes in the testis by xenobiotics could have a major impact on testicular function and fertility, and potentially affect the development and health of subsequent generations. There has been substantial research into the epigenetic toxicity of environmental exposures over the last decade. However, few studies have focussed on pharmaceutical drugs, which due to the nature of their use are typically found at much higher concentrations within exposed individuals than environmental chemicals. Here, we investigated genome-wide changes in testicular mRNA transcription, microRNA expression and DNA methylation to assess the contribution of epigenetic mechanisms to the testicular toxicity induced by doxorubicin (DOX) as a representative, widely used and well-characterised anti-cancer drug. We demonstrated that DOX is able to induce transcriptional, microRNA and DNA methylation changes, which perturb pathways involved in stress/cell death and survival and testicular function and lead to germ cell loss and reproductive organ damage. This identified potential novel mechanisms of DOX-induced testicular toxicity for further focussed investigations. Such work is required to fully assess the role of epigenetics in toxicity, determine whether single and/or multigenerational epigenetic toxicity is a real public health concern, and begin to develop and incorporate relevant epigenetic endpoints into regulatory toxicology.

Simultaneous Administration of Dexamethasone and Vitamin E Reversed Experimental Varicocele-induced Impact in testicular tissue in Rats; Correlation with Hsp70-2 Chaperone Expression

Purpose:

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of isolated and co-administration of vitamin E (VitE) and dexamethasone (DEX) on varicocele (VCL)-induced damages in testicular tissue.

Materials and Methods:

Wistar rats were divided into five groups (n=6), including; control-sham, non-treated VCL-induced, VitE-treated VCL-induced (VitE, 150 mg/kg, orally), DEX-administrated VCL-induced (DEX, 0.125 mg/kg, i.p.), VitE+DEX-received VCL-induced animals. The antioxidant status analyses, histopathological examinations, hormonal assay and tissue levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were analyzed. The germinal epithelium RNA damage and Leydig cells steroidogenesis were analyzed. Moreover, the Hsp70-2 protein expression was examined based on immunohistochemical and western blot analyses. The sperm parameters, DNA integrity and chromatin condensation were investigated.

Results:

VitE and DEX in simultaneous form of administration significantly (P<0.05) down-regulated the tissue ALP level and attenuated the VCL-decreased GSH-px, SOD and TAC levels and remarkably (P<0.05) down-regulated the testicular malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) contents. The VCL-induced histopathological alterations significantly (P<0.05) improved in VitE and DEX-administrated animals. The VitE and DEX co-administration reduced the VCL-increased RNA damage and elevated the Leydig cells steroidogenic activity. The Hsp70-2 protein level completely (P<0.05) increased in VitE and DEX alone–and-simultaneous-administrated animals. Finally, the VitE and DEX could significantly (P<0.05) improve the VCL-decreased semen quality and improved the sperm DNA integrity and chromatin condensation.

Conclusion:

Our data suggest that Vit E by up-regulating the antioxidant status and DEX by reducing inflammation-dependent oxidative and nitrosative stresses could improve the VCL-reduced Hsp70-2 chaperone expression and ultimately protected the testicular endocrine activities and promoted the spermatogenesis process.

Silymarin: A Novel Natural Agent to Restore Defective Pancreatic β Cells in Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced Diabetic Rats

This study aimed to investigate the potency of silymarin (SMN) and melatonin (MEL) on restoring the pancreatic   cells in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into five groups, including: control (C), untreated diabetic (D), SMN-treated diabetic (50 mg/Kg, orally), MEL-treated diabetic (10 mg/Kg, i.p.), and SMN plus MEL-treated diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by injection of STZ (50 mg/Kg, i.p.). The blood glucose and insulin levels were measured. After the 28 days treatment period, antioxidant status was analyzed by determination of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in the liver and serum. The histopathological changes in the pancreatic islets were examined by histochemical staining and enumeration of   cells. Although none of the test compounds reduced the blood glucose level to normal concentration, however SMN alone and in combination with MEL was able to decline it significantly (P<0.05) after 28 days administration. Both SMN and MEL could recover the diabetes-reduced TAC values. Moreover, the diabetes-induced cellular vacuolation and   cells depletion were improved by the SMN treatment. Our data suggest that the SMN and MEL treatment was able to normalize the antioxidant status, while only SMN administration could restore the  cells of Langerhans islets in diabetic rats.

Cytotoxic effect of nanosilver particles on testicular tissue: Evidence for biochemical stress and Hsp70-2 protein expression

Lastly, there are growing evidences that nanosilver (NS) particles highly induce cytotoxic impacts in vitro and in vivo. Here, we analyzed the dose dependent effect of NS on histological changes, biochemical alterations and endocrine statuses, sperm parameters as well as chaperone Hsp70-2 expression. NS particles (50-60nm) were administrated in 3 doses of 0.5, 1 and 5mg/kg, intraperitoneally, for 35 days. The 0.3mL normal saline was administrated in control-sham group. Histological alterations, sperm parameters, serum levels of LH, FSH and testosterone were evaluated. Germinal and Leydig cells RNA damage, Leydig cells steroidogenic foci, the testicular and sperm total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) levels, immunohistochemical (IHC) expression and mRNA level of Hsp70-2 were analyzed. The NS, dose dependently, resulted in enhanced germinal cells degeneration, necrosis, seminiferous tubules atrophy and decreased serum levels of LH, FSH and testosterone. Elevated germinal and Leydig cells RNA damage associated with increased sperm abnormalities were observed in NS-treated groups. Expression of Hsp70-2 was up-regulated in 0.5mg/kg, while its expression was decreased in 1 and 5mg/kg NS-treated groups. Testicular and sperm TAC levels reduced. However, the MDA and NO levels significantly (P<0.05) increased in all NS-treated groups. No histological and biochemical changes were detected in control-sham group. In conclusion, the NS particles exert their pathological impact via affecting testicular antioxidant and endocrine statuses, which in turn lead to diminished expression of Hsp70-2. Ultimately, by this mechanism NS particles adversely impact the cellular RNA, DNA and protein contents.

Silymarin as a Natural Antioxidant: An Overview of the Current Evidence and Perspectives

Silymarin (SM), an extract from the Silybum marianum (milk thistle) plant containing various flavonolignans (with silybin being the major one), has received a tremendous amount of attention over the last decade as a herbal remedy for liver treatment. In many cases, the antioxidant properties of SM are considered to be responsible for its protective actions. Possible antioxidant mechanisms of SM are evaluated in this review. (1) Direct scavenging free radicals and chelating free Fe and Cu are mainly effective in the gut. (2) Preventing free radical formation by inhibiting specific ROS-producing enzymes, or improving an integrity of mitochondria in stress conditions, are of great importance. (3) Maintaining an optimal redox balance in the cell by activating a range of antioxidant enzymes and non-enzymatic antioxidants, mainly via Nrf2 activation is probably the main driving force of antioxidant (AO)  action of SM. (4) Decreasing inflammatory responses by inhibiting NF-κB pathways is an emerging mechanism of SM protective effects in liver toxicity and various liver diseases. (5) Activating vitagenes, responsible for synthesis of protective molecules, including heat shock proteins (HSPs), thioredoxin and sirtuins and providing additional protection in stress conditions deserves more attention. (6) Affecting the microenvironment of the gut, including SM-bacteria interactions, awaits future investigations. (7) In animal nutrition and disease prevention strategy, SM alone, or in combination with other hepatho-active compounds (carnitine, betaine, vitamin B₁₂, etc.), might have similar hepatoprotective effects as described in human nutrition.

In vitro cytotoxicity analysis of doxorubicin-loaded/superparamagnetic iron oxide colloidal nanoassemblies on MCF7 and NIH3T3 cell lines

One of the promising strategies for improvement of cancer treatment is based on magnetic drug delivery systems, thus avoiding side effects of standard chemotherapies. Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles have ideal properties to become a targeted magnetic drug delivery contrast probes, named theranostics. We worked with SPIO condensed colloidal nanocrystal clusters (MagAlg) prepared through a new soft biomineralization route in the presence of alginate as the polymeric shell and loaded with doxorubicin (DOX). The aim of this work was to study the in vitro cytotoxicity of these new MagAlg-DOX systems on mouse fibroblast and breast carcinoma cell lines. For proper analysis and understanding of cell behavior after administration of MagAlg-DOX compared with free DOX, a complex set of in vitro tests, including production of reactive oxygen species, comet assay, cell cycle determination, gene expression, and cellular uptake, were utilized. It was found that the cytotoxic effect of MagAlg-DOX system is delayed compared to free DOX in both cell lines. This was attributed to the different mechanism of internalization of DOX and MagAlg-DOX into the cells, together with the fact that the drug is strongly bound on the drug nanocarriers. We discovered that nanoparticles can attenuate or even inhibit the effect of DOX, particularly in the tumor MCF7 cell line. This is a first comprehensive study on the cytotoxic effect of DOX-loaded SPIO compared with free DOX on healthy and cancer cell lines, as well as on the induced changes in gene expression.

Effects of silymarin on the pharmacokinetics of atorvastatin in diabetic rats

The effect of silymarin (SMN) on the pharmacokinetics of atorvastatin in diabetic rats was evaluated. Male Wistar rats were assigned into two major groups and then sub-grouped according to the purposes of the study. The first major group was subdivided into three groups (n = 6) including control, non-treated diabetic and SMN-treated diabetic animals. In the first major group, metabolism of testosterone by the hepatic microsomes was studied. The second major group also was divided to three groups including atorvastatin-treated non-diabetic, atorvastatin-treated diabetic and diabetic animals which received both atorvastatin and SMN. To study the pharmacokinetics of atorvastatin, serum samples were collected at 0, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h after the atorvastatin administration. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using non-compartmental model. Streptozotocin-induced diabetes resulted in a remarkable induction of testosterone hydroxylation as the V max for 6β-hydroxytestosterone production in the diabetic rats (77.3 ± 8.6 pM/min/mg) was significantly higher than that in the control animals (45.9 ± 5.9 pM/min/mg). Moreover, SMN-treated animals showed a significant (P < 0.05) reduction of V max (59.4 ± 6.1 pM/min/mg). Diabetes resulted in a significant reduction of AUC (control 6.98 ± 0.58 vs diabetic rats 4.35 ± 0.24 h mg/ml) and C max values (control 0.52 ± 0.03 vs diabetic group 0.33 ± 0.01 μg/ml), while the SMN-received group showed remarkable recovery of diabetes-reduced values of AUC and C max. These findings indicated that diabetes resulted in a significant up-regulation of microsomal enzyme activities. Moreover, as SMN could significantly regulate the enzyme activities and consequently the atorvastatin pharmacokinetics in diabetic rats, its regulative effect in a combination therapy is concluded.

Propolis attenuates doxorubicin-induced testicular toxicity in rats

Doxorubicin (Dox), an effective anticancer agent, can impair testicular function leading to infertility. The present study aimed to explore the protective effect of propolis extract on Dox-induced testicular injury. Rats were divided into four groups (n=10). Group I (normal control), group II received propolis extract (200 mg kg(-1); p.o.), for 3 weeks. Group III received 18 mg kg(-1) total cumulative dose of Dox i.p. Group IV received Dox and propolis extract. Serum and testicular samples were collected 48 h after the last treatment. In addition, the effects of propolis extract and Dox on the growth of solid Ehrlich carcinoma in mice were investigated. Dox reduced sperm count, markers of testicular function, steroidogenesis and gene expression of testicular 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD), 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR). In addition, it increased testicular oxidative stress, inflammatory and apoptotic markers. Morphometric and histopathologic studies supported the biochemical findings. Treatment with propolis extract prevented Dox-induced changes without reducing its antitumor activity. Besides, administration of propolis extract to normal rats increased serum testosterone level coupled by increased activities and gene expression of 3ß-HSD and 17ß-HSD. Propolis extract may protect the testis from Dox-induced toxicity without reducing its anticancer potential.