Chinese Herbal Medicine Alleviates Thyroidectomy-Induced Cardiopulmonary Exercise Dysfunction in Rats

Maternal hypothyroidism prolongs gestation period and impairs glucose tolerance in offspring of Wistar rats

OBJECTIVES

Pregnancy is a critical period keenly regulated by both maternal and foetal factors and a shift in these factors could result in severe complications manifesting in foetal and adult life. However, maternal hypothyroidism before and/or during pregnancy is a critical factor. This study investigated the effect of maternal hypothyroidism on glucose tolerance and thyroid function in male and female offspring.

METHODS

Fifteen adult female Wistar rats were divided into three groups: Group 1 (sham-control), Group 2 (thyrodectomized) and Group 3 (thyroidectomised + L-thyroxine treated). Blood thyroxine (T4) level was measured on the day 10 after thyroidectomy in Groups 1 and 2, and day 35 in Group 3. Males were introduced to the female rats after T4 measurement. At PND-112, T4 levels of their offspring were measured. Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) was measured in offspring at PND-133.

RESULTS

Thyroxine reduced significantly in Group 2 and their offspring (male and female) compared to Group 3 while gestation period was prolonged significantly in Group 2 compared to Group 1. Hypothyroid male offspring showed depressed glucose tolerance, however, no effect was observed in female offspring.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that maternal hypothyroidism prolonged gestation period, induced foetal hypothyroidism in both genders and depressed glucose tolerance in male offspring.

The Therapeutic Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Inflammatory Diseases Caused by Virus, Especially on Those Caused by COVID-19

Inflammasomes are large multimolecular complexes best recognized because of their ability to control activation of caspase-1, which in turn regulates the maturation of interleukin-18 (IL-18) and interleukin-1 β (IL-1β). IL-1β was originally identified as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, capable of inducing local and systemic inflammation as well as a fever response reaction in response to infection or injury. Excessive production of IL-1β is related to inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Both coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) are characterized by excessive inflammatory response. For SARS, there is no correlation between viral load and worsening symptoms. However, there is no specific medicine which is available to treat the disease. As an important part of medical practice, TCM showed an obvious therapeutic effect in SARS-CoV-infected patients. In this article, we summarize the current applications of TCM in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Herein, we also offer an insight into the underlying mechanisms of the therapeutic effects of TCM, as well as introduce new naturally occurring compounds with anti-coronavirus activity, in order to provide a new and potential drug development strategy for the treatment of COVID-19.

The influence of microwave electromagnetic radiation on rat heart morphogenesis during thyroidectomy

It is known that electromagnetic radiation affects the functional systems of living beings, in particular, the endocrine and cardiovascular systems and directly the heart cells and their functioning. In this case, the influence of electromagnetic radiation significantly affects the properties of the cardiovascular system and changes physiological processes in it. Moreover, sensitivity to signals is higher for biosystems with a higher level of organization. The method of simulating hypothyroidism for rats makes it possible to develop an experimental model for analyzing morphogenetic changes in the rat heart. Under conditions of hypothyroidism modeling, destructive changes in muscle fibers are observed in the myocardium after thyroidectomy, but after microwave irradiation with an exposure of 45 minutes, a regenerative-compensatory reconstruction of the structural components of the myocardium of the heart wall occurs. After thyroidectomy and microwave irradiation with an exposure of 120 minutes, an increase in degenerative and destructive processes in the heart myocardium was observed. For the first time, a comparative ultramicroscopic study using electron microscopy was carried out. It showed that after electromagnetic irradiation with an exposure of 45 minutes, the general structure of the mitochondrial apparatus does not change. Irradiation with an exposure of 120 minutes causes the destruction of subsarcolemal and paranuclear organelles, edema and degradation of intermyofibrillar mitochondria. After exposure to electromagnetic radiation with the exposure of 45 minutes in a hypothyroid state, a compensatory restructuring of the energy apparatus of the contractile cardiomyocytes of the left ventricle occurs due to the formation of mitochondria and an increase in their contact interaction. After exposure to radiation for 120 minutes, the development of destructive-degenerative processes in the mitochondrial apparatus of left ventricular cardiomyocytes, deepening of damage to intermitochondrial contacts was observed. The most significant increase in the relative volume of the endothelium in the areas of the rat heart myocardium was observed for the case of microwave irradiation only (without experimental hypothyroidism) with exposure duration of 45 minutes. Immunohistochemical study both for the case of microwave irradiation only and for the case of microwave irradiation under conditions of experimental hypothyroidism allows us to conclude that morphogenetic transformations are highly active in the myocardium of the heart when the duration of exposure is 45 minutes. This study will make it possible to develop recommendations for persons with thyroid diseases on the duration of daily exposure of staying in electromagnetic field emitted by devices with characteristics similar to the case under study.

Chinese Veterinary Medicine B307 Promotes Cardiac Performance and Skeletal Muscle Contraction via Enhancing Intracellular Calcium Levels and Neural Electrical Activity in Animal and Cell Models

The study mainly investigated the effects of Chinese veterinary medicine B307 in cardiac and motor functions in animal models of pigeons and mice. Related cellular mechanisms were also studied in the neuroblastoma cell model of SH-SY5Y. Cardiac functions of pigeons and mice were examined by using moorFLPI Laser color Doppler imager and M-mode echocardiography, and motor functions were examined by using muscle electrical stimulation and force recording in the isolated breast muscle. Intracellular calcium levels and electrical activity of SH-SY5Y cells were examined by using Fura 2-AM fluorescence and MED64 system separately. Our results in vivo found that those pigeons under oral B307 treatment obviously enhanced subcutaneous microcirculation and contractile force and prolonged fatigue time in their breast muscles. Those mice under oral B307 treatment obviously elevated ejection fraction and cardiac output in their hearts. Our results in vitro showed that those SH-SY5Y cells under B307 treatment obviously increased intracellular calcium mobilization and electrical activities. These results revealed that improvement of cardiac and motor functions under B307 treatments may be caused by increasing electrical activities and intracellular calcium levels in neuromuscular cells and a similar mechanism may also occur in muscle cells. Thus, we suggested that B307 can be a functional Chinese veterinary medicine for flying pigeons.

Clinical significance of Saussurea Costus in thyroid treatment

Saussurea costus (S. costus) belongs to family of Asteraceae and is one of the therapeutic plants extensively used as a traditional medicine in Saudi Arabia. Constituents of this plant have the potential to be developed as bioactive molecules. Among Arabs, the prevalence of thyroid disorders ranges from 6.18 % to 47.34% and hypothyroidism has been reported to be the most prevalent. Although there is no natural treatment that can directly replace thyroid hormones, their role as an alternate treatment or as an add-on to available thyroid treatment has been explored. Flavanoids and antioxidant properties of S. costus may be an important mechanism involved in supporting its medicinal use. Current data on the possible role of S. costus in thyroid disorders is lacking and the available evidence is inconclusive. This review deal with the current understanding of use and myth regarding the use of this medicinal plant in thyroid disease.