The Postnatal Offspring of Finasteride-Treated Male Rats Shows Hyperglycaemia, Elevated Hepatic Glycogen Storage and Altered GLUT2, IR, and AR Expression in the Liver

Histological changes induced by Piroxicam on the hepatic and renal tissues of mice with and without administration of Peppermint oil

Piroxicam is a popular anti-inflammatory drug that displays palliative and antipyretic activity. Peppermint oil is a common flavoring used in foods and drinks. To investigate the defensive action of Peppermint oil against the hepatic and renal histological damage induced by Piroxicam in mice.

Forty healthy adult Swiss albino mice of both sexes were categorized into 4 groups (10 mice in each group): Control group (I); Treatment group (II) – injected with Piroxicam 0.3 mg/kg/rat/day via intraperitoneal route for 28 days; Treatment group (III) – oral Peppermint oil 0.2 ml/kg/day by oral gavage 24 hours preceding each injection of Piroxicam; Treatment group (IV) oral Peppermint oil alone. Blood samples were withdrawn to estimate the hepatic and renal functions. Immediately after death, specimens of liver and kidney from the four groups were isolated and put in 10% concentration buffered formalin for 24 hours then prepared for light microscopic examination.

There was a highly significant rise in the serum level of hepatic enzymes (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase and total serum bilirubin) in the group treated with Piroxicam, as compared to the control group. These returned to near normal level in the group treated with Piroxicam and Peppermint oil. Liver samples of the treated mice showed ballooning degeneration of hepatocytes, small apoptotic hepatocytes and inflammatory cellular infiltration, whereas kidney sections revealed cystic dilatation of Bowman’s space, shrinkage of glomerular tuft and apoptosis of epithelial cells lining the tubules. In contrast, the addition of peppermint oil efficiently ameliorated the hepatic and renal tissue changes.

Piroxicam induces hepatorenal toxicity as exhibited by histological, histochemical and biochemical findings. Peppermint oil shows ameliorative properties against the hepatorenal toxic effects induced by Piroxicam.

The Interplay between Finasteride-Induced Androgen Imbalance, Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Oxidative Stress, and Liver Disorders in Paternal and Filial Generation

Finasteride (Fin) causes androgen imbalance by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone (T) to its more active metabolite, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Androgen receptors (AR) are present (e.g., in hepatocytes), which have well-developed endoplasmic reticulum (ERet). Cellular protein quality control is carried out by ERet in two paths: (i) unfolded protein response (UPR) and/or (ii) endoplasmic reticulum associated degradation (ERAD). ERet under continuous stress can generate changes in the UPR and can direct the cell on the pathway of life or death. It has been demonstrated that genes involved in ERet stress are among the genes controlled by androgens in some tissues. Oxidative stress is also one of the factors affecting the functions of ERet and androgens are one of the regulators of antioxidant enzyme activity. In this paper, we discuss/analyze a possible relationship between androgen imbalance in paternal generation with ERet stress and liver disorders in both paternal and filial generation. In our rat model, hyperglycemia and subsequent higher accumulation of hepatic glycogen were observed in all filial generation obtained from females fertilized by Fin-treated males (F1:Fin). Importantly, genes encoding enzymes involved in glucose and glycogen metabolism have been previously recognized among UPR targets.

Colostrum-Induced Temporary Changes in the Expression of Proteins Regulating the Epithelial Barrier Function in the Intestine

The intestinal wall and epithelial cells are interconnected by numerous intercellular junctions. Colostrum (Col), in its natural form, is a secretion of the mammary gland of mammals at the end of pregnancy and up to 72 h after birth. Recently, it has been used as a biologically active dietary supplement with a high content of lactoferrin (Lf). Lf, a glycoprotein with a broad spectrum of activity, is becoming more popular in health-promoting supplements. This study aims to investigate whether Col supplementation can affect small and large intestine morphology by modulating the expression of selected proteins involved in tissue integrity. We examined the thickness of the epithelium, and the length of the microvilli, and assessed the expression of CDH1, CDH2, CTNNB, CX43, VCL, OCLN, HP, MYH9, and ACTG2 gene levels using qRT-PCR and at the protein level using IHC. Additionally, to evaluate whether the effect of Col supplementation is temporary or persistent, we performed all analyses on tissues collected from animals receiving Col for 1, 3, or 6 months. We noticed a decrease in CDH1 and CDH2 expression, especially after 3 months of supplementation in the large intestine and in CTNNB in the small intestine as well as increased levels of CX43 and CTNNB1 in the small intestine. The present data indicate that Col can temporarily alter some components of the cell adhesion molecules involved in the formation of the cellular barrier.

Beyond the X Factor: Relevance of Sex Hormones in NAFLD Pathophysiology

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major health issue worldwide, being frequently associated with obesity, unbalanced dietary regimens, and reduced physical activity. Despite their greater adiposity and reduced physical activity, women show a lower risk of developing NAFLD in comparison to men, likely a consequence of a sex-specific regulation of liver metabolism. In the liver, sex differences in the uptake, synthesis, oxidation, deposition, and mobilization of lipids, as well as in the regulation of inflammation, are associated with differences in NAFLD prevalence and progression between men and women. Given the major role of sex hormones in driving hepatic sexual dimorphism, this review will focus on the role of sex hormones and their signaling in the regulation of hepatic metabolism and in the molecular mechanisms triggering NAFLD development and progression.

Paternal Finasteride Treatment Can Influence the Testicular Transcriptome Profile of Male Offspring-Preliminary Study

(1) Background: Hormone-dependent events that occur throughout spermatogenesis during postnatal testis maturation are significant for adult male fertility. Any disturbances in the T/DHT ratio in male progeny born from females fertilized by finasteride-treated male rats (F0:Fin) can result in the impairment of testicular physiology. The goal of this work was to profile the testicular transcriptome in the male filial generation (F1:Fin) from paternal F0:Fin rats. (2) Methods: The subject material for the study were testis from immature and mature male rats born from females fertilized by finasteride-treated rats. Testicular tissues from the offspring were used in microarray analyses. (3) Results: The top 10 genes having the highest and lowest fold change values were mainly those that encoded odoriferous (Olfr: 31, 331, 365, 633, 774, 814, 890, 935, 1109, 1112, 1173, 1251, 1259, 1253, 1383) and vomeronasal (Vmn1r: 50, 103, 210, 211; Vmn2r: 3, 23, 99) receptors and RIKEN cDNA 5430402E10, also known as odorant-binding protein. (4) Conclusions: Finasteride treatment of male adult rats may cause changes in the testicular transcriptome of their male offspring, leading to a defective function of spermatozoa in response to odorant-like signals, which are recently more and more often noticed as significant players in male fertility.

Gut modulation based anti-diabetic effects of carboxymethylated wheat bran dietary fiber in high-fat diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice and their potential mechanisms

We explored the effect of carboxymethylated wheat bran dietary fibers (DFs) on mice with type 2 diabetes (T2D) (induced by HFD combined with STZ) and their possible hypoglycemic mechanism. After feeding the diabetic mice with modified DFs for four weeks, the DFs had lipid lowering and anti-hyperglycemic effect, via increasing the levels of insulin, GLP-1, PYY, and SCFAs in diabetic mice, and improving the histopathology of liver and pancreas. qRT-PCR results showed that the intake of DFs up-regulated the expression levels of G6Pase and Prkce, and down regulated the expression levels of Glut2 and InsR in the liver of diabetic mice. It is suggested that DFs may play a role by inhibiting 1,2-DAG-PKCε pathway, improving insulin receptor activity and insulin signal transduction. 16 S rDNA high-throughput sequencing results showed that the DFs significantly improved the relative abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila, increased the diversity of gut microbiota and reduced the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes, thus promoting the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effect on diabetic mice. Our study can foster the further understanding of the gut modulatory biomarkers and related metabolites, and may extend the basis for DFs as a potential dietary intervention to prevent or treat the T2D.