Current Issue : October-December Volume : 2025 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
Research in the field of stem cells in necrotizing enterocolitis has primarily focused on the curative role of specific cells—mostly bone marrow and amniotic fluid stem cells. The impact of stem cells on reducing inflammatory cytokine levels in the necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) model has been studied in accordance with the effects they pose on histopathology. Taking into consideration the possible paracrine mechanism of action of stem cells, our group hypothesized that lowering the initial levels of proinflammatory cytokines may be one of the mechanisms affecting the clinical outcome. A self-modified rat NEC model was used to show the effect of intraperitoneal administration of adipose derived stem cells on the initial levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alfa) in comparison with the interleukin levels in NEC animals and control animals without adipose–derived stem cells (ADSCs) injection. We showed a statistically significant difference in the levels of interleukins when comparing an ADSC injected group and an NEC group. This suggests that one of the mechanisms in which stem cells impact the clinical outcomes in NEC may be by alleviating the initial levels of proinflammatory cytokines....
Background: Scyllo-inositol (SCI) is a naturally occurring carbocyclic sugar implicated in many biological processes. Studies have highlighted the potential of using SCI in Alzheimer’s therapy. However, in order to fully use this compound in the treatment of neurovegetative diseases, its pharmacokinetics must be thoroughly understood. Objectives: We undertook the task of analyzing SCI in a Wistar rat animal model. The aim of this study was to observe the changes in SCI concentration after oral administration. Methods: All rats received 10 mg/kg of SCI as a solution in distilled water by oral gavage. Estimated parameters were based on the serum concentration of SCI observed in six individual rats with regard to time. Results: The first peak concentration appeared at 30 min for SCI. Thereafter, the serum SCI concentration increased rapidly and reached its highest level after approximately 1.5 h. There was no second peak in SCI concentration. The elimination half-life was determined to be 10.07 h and the mean residence time was 14.52 h. There were no side effects of SCI supplementation noticed during the study. Conclusions: Although our results present an analysis of SCI immediately after oral administration up to 48 h, further studies are necessary....
Background/Objectives: Aminoglycoside antibiotics and loop diuretics are still the main causes of hearing loss in patients, and no specific prevention is available for this drug-induced ototoxicity. The aim of this study was to compare the protective effects of methionine (MET) and glutathione (GLUT) in terms of the reduction in ototoxicity induced by mixtures of amikacin (AMI, an aminoglycoside antibiotic) and furosemide (FUR, a loop diuretic) in a mouse model in which the hearing threshold decreased by 20% and 50%, respectively. Methods: To compare the otoprotective effects of MET and GLUT on AMI- and FUR-induced ototoxicity in mice, an isobolographic transformation of interactions was applied. Results: MET, but not GLUT, mitigated the AMI- and FURinduced hearing threshold changes in mice. Additionally, MET exerted an antagonistic interaction with a combination of FUR+AMI, as the hearing threshold decreased by 50%, and an additive interaction, with a tendency toward antagonism in the model of hearing threshold decreased by 20%. In contrast, GLUT exerted only additive interactions when combined with FUR+AMI for both variant hearing thresholds decreased by 20% and 50%, respectively. Only MET could be a potential otoprotective drug in further prevention of hearing loss induced by AMI and FUR. Conclusions: MET is superior to GLUT in mitigating AMI- and FUR-induced hearing threshold decreases in mice. MET could be recommended as an otoprotectant in the prevention of hearing loss in patients receiving AMI and FUR....
Background/Objectives: Drugs for human use require several studies for the assessment of their efficacy and safety. An important property is cytotoxicity, which should be tested in different environments and models in closer proximity to the final use of the drug, with greater reliability. Thus, we proposed to evaluate the toxicity of rifampicin, the only bactericidal drug in the anti-leprosy multidrug therapy, using skin cells and skin explant cultures. Methods: Cell viability was tested by the MTT method using primary keratinocytes and fibroblasts and immortalized skin cells (HaCaT and 3T3) at 24, 48, and 72 h of treatment. For the skin explant, we used the TTC assay to determine viability (24, 48, 72, and 96 h), hematoxylin and eosin staining to analyze the structure and architecture of the tissue, and TUNEL to assess apoptotic cells at 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h. Results: Regarding the toxicity of primary and immortalized cells, viability was above 70% up to a concentration of 50 μg/mL at 24, 48, and 72 h, and at the concentration of 200 μg/mL, all cells showed greater sensitivity, especially at 72 h. Tissue viability analysis revealed a high percentage (above 96%) of viable tissue at the concentrations of 100, 150, and 200 μg/mL at the time points studied. Histological analysis showed that tissue architecture was maintained, with no apoptotic cells being observed. Conclusions: Thus, our results showed the importance of evaluating drug toxicity using different cell types, with the ex vivo skin model proving to be an alternative to animal use....
Background: Osteoporosis is a systemic disease characterized by a progressive decrease in bone density and deterioration of the tissue’s microarchitecture. This results in greater structural fragility and a higher risk of fractures. Osteopenia represents the beginning of the process of decreasing bone density and, if left untreated, can lead to osteoporosis. The objective of this study was to validate an experimental model for establishing cases of decreased bone density that allows for the creation of different levels of severity of mineral loss and changes in bone microstructure. Materials and Methods: Twenty femaleWistar rats, 12 weeks old and with a body weight ranging from 300 to 400 g, were used in this study. The animals were randomly distributed into five groups (n = 5 per group): a control group (CG), where the animals were not ovariectomized (OVX), and four experimental groups, where the animals were OVX and euthanized at different times: 30 days (G30), 40 days (G40), 60 days (G60), and 80 days (G80). The animals in the experimental groups underwent bilateral ovariectomy to induce mineral loss. The femurs were collected after the periods established for each group and analyzed using microcomputed tomography (μCT) to determine bone density and count the number of trabeculae. Furthermore, the T-score was calculated for each group. Results: There were significant differences in bone density when comparing all groups, with GC > G30 > G40 > G60 > G80. For the number of trabeculae, GC presented more trabeculae than all other groups. More trabeculae were also observed in G30 when compared to G40, G60, and G80; however, there were no differences between G40, G60, and G80. Regarding the calculation of the T-score by group, osteopenia was observed in G30 (T-score: −2.42) and osteoporosis was observed in G40, G60, and G80 (T-scores: −4.38, −6.34, and −7.71, respectively). Conclusions: The results demonstrate that ovariectomy induces progressive changes in bone structure, with the onset of osteopenia 30 days after ovariectomy and osteoporosis after 40 days in this experimental model. These results may aid future investigations that seek to focus on the specific treatment of osteopenia and/or osteoporosis....
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