Gene, Cell and Tissue
Volume:8 Issue: 4, Oct 2021

Annually, various types of cancer cause thousands of deaths globally, and identifying an appropriate therapeutic option for these disorders is of crucial importance. Side effects of anticancer drugs can be reduced through the promising strategy of combination therapy.

The present paper has investigated the in vitro cytotoxicity of Taxol, carboplatin, vinblastine, and vincristine alone and in combination against human malignant melanoma A375 cells and non-cancerous fibroblast HU2 cells to examine the possible side effects of the drugs.

The cells were subjected to the examined compounds for 48 h, and the MTT test was conducted to evaluate the cytotoxicity.

The results indicated that the most significant effect was related to 120 µg/mL vincristine and 7.5 µg/mL Taxol+ vincristine treatments, with the survival amounts of 24 ± 0.6 and 28 ± 0%, respectively. In addition, the best 50% inhibitory effect was found to be related to Taxol + vincristine, vinblastine, and Taxol+ vinblastine treatments at the concentrations of 0.04, 2.2, and 3.4 µg/mL, respectively.

According to the findings of in vitro toxicity, the evaluated complexes are not cytotoxic against human fibroblast HU2 cells. Also, the most significant effect on A375 cells was associated with vincristine treatment. No synergistic reaction was recorded among the different combinations of drugs based on the calculated CI values.

Incomplete chromatin condensation caused by altered amount of sperm protamines results in DNA fragmentation, which in turn leads to a lack of success in the development of the human embryo.

This study evaluated the sperm DNA damage and protamine transcripts content in Iranian normozoospermic fertile and infertile men.

DNA damage was analyzed using comet assay. Transcript levels of protamine-1 (PRM1) and protamine-2 (PRM2) in ejaculated spermatozoa were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Significantly higher levels of DNA damage were observed in unexplained infertile men (P = 0.001). DNA fragmentation correlated significantly with sperm total motility (r = -0.413, P = 0.032) and normal morphology (r = -0.424, P = 0.028). PRM1 and PRM2 transcripts contents were significantly lower in normozoospermic infertile men than healthy controls. Sperm PRM1 and PRM2 mRNA ratios were significantly higher (P = 0.035) in unexplained infertile patients than fertile men. Higher DNA damage was found to be significantly associated with reduced transcript levels of PRM1 (r = -0.453, P = 0.018) and PRM2 (r = -0.492, P = 0.009). Protamine transcripts ratios were significantly correlated with sperm normal morphology (r = -0.421, P = 0.029).

Our findings showed the prognostic value and clinical utility of the sperm DNA damage and protamine transcripts contents for the discrimination between healthy fertile and unexplained infertile men.

Bone tissue engineering aims to heal bone defects that do not repair on their own. To construct an implantable osteogenic implant in tissue engineering, cells and bioactive molecules are seeded onto three-dimensional (3D) biomaterial scaffolds.

The aim of this study was to provide an appropriate micro-environment for hUC-MSCs attachment and proliferation over a biocompatible and non-toxic nanofibrous scaffold in order to differentiate into osteoblast cells.

In this work, a poly(vinylalcohol)/gelatin (PVA/GE) nanocomposite scaffold was prepared using the electrospinning method. Glutaraldehyde/methanol was used as the treating medium to prevent the rapid dissolution of the PVA/GE scaffold in a physiological fluid. The chemical, physical, and morphological characterizations of the prepared scaffold were evaluated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. In addition, the porosity, swelling ratio, pH changes, degradation profiles, and hydrophobic-hydrophilic nature of the scaffold were investigated. Biocompatibility of the scaffold was evaluated by using MTT assay. Finally, under osteogenic conditions, the differentiation potential of the human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) cultured on the crosslinked scaffold was assessed for 21 days.

The obtained results demonstrated that crosslinking treatment changed water solubility of the PVA/GE scaffold. Also, additional investigations showed good biocompatibility, non-toxic nature, and appropriate degradation rate of the crosslinked scaffold in comparison with the control group.

The results indicated that the PVA/GE crosslinked scaffold with good biocompatibility, non-toxic nature, and appropriate degradation rate can be used for bone tissue engineering aims.

Obesity contributes to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and insulin resistance (IR). In contrast, exercise and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) have been recommended to assist glucose control and IR.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and COQ10 supplementation on hepatic IRS-2 and SREBP1 proteins in obese male rats.

Forty-eight male Wistar rats after an obesity induction period were randomly assigned to six groups, including non-obese control (NOC), baseline obese control (BOC), CoQ10, HIIT, HIIT + CoQ10, and control. NOC and BOC groups were sacrificed at the beginning of the study period. After 12 weeks of intervention consisting of HIIT program (2 min running at 85% - 90% speed max interspersed with 2 min running at 45% - 50% speed max, 5 sessions per week) and/or CoQ10 supplementation (gavage-fed 500 mg.kg-1) protein content of hepatic SREBP1 and IRS-2 were measured by western blot analysis. Data were analyzed using independent t-test and two-way ANOVA at P < 0.05.

Comparison between non-obese and obese control groups indicated a significant difference in weight and Lee index (P < 0.001). Obesity induction elevated hepatic SREBP1c, while reduced IRS-2 protein content (P = 0.0001). Moreover, HIIT decreased hepatic SREBP1 level (P = 0.007), whereas increased IRS-2 content (P = 0.0001). However, CoQ10 supplementation had no significant effect on SREBP1 and IRS-2 (P > 0.05), and no interaction between treatments (HIIT×CoQ10) was observed (P > 0.05).

HIIT positively regulates hepatic proteins involved in hepatic IR. However, CoQ10 has no effect on proteins involved in hepatic IR implication that its effect on glucose regulation and IR does not seem to be mediated by SREBP1 and IRS-2 proteins

Heterotopic pregnancy is defined as the simultaneous presence of intrauterine and ectopic pregnancies, manifesting with abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding. Previous tubal surgeries and pelvic inflammatory diseases increase the risk of this anomaly. In this case report, heterotopic pregnancy after in vitro fertilization (IVF) in a 32-year-old female was reported.

A 32-year-old female was referred to our medical center, presenting with abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding. She had IVF pregnancy seven weeks ago without a history of any other illness or consuming a specific drug. According to ultrasound results, heterotopic pregnancy was diagnosed. Therefore, we decided to perform the salpingectomy and laparotomy of the fetus. The patient had a normal delivery via cesarean section at term (the 38th week of pregnancy). The patient remained stable without any further referral for the mentioned condition.

Due to the importance of heterotopic pregnancy and its prevalence among women using fertility procedures and assisted reproduction techniques (such as IVF), even in the presence of a gestational sac containing yolk sac and after the detection of the embryo in the endometrium cavity, the adnexa should be well checked to rule out heterotopic pregnancy to obviate the risk of abortion and other fatal outcomes.

Congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma (CIE) is a subtype of autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis (ARCI), a group of ineffective keratinization disorders, which mainly results from missense mutations in the transglutaminase 1 (TGM1) gene.

Herein, a 9-year-old male case of CIE is presented, for whom we conducted genetic testing to uncover the underlying molecular cause of his condition. We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) on the DNA extracted from blood, and the data was analyzed for checking pathogenic variants. Analysis of the WES data identified a novel missense variant, c.1165C >T (p. Arg389Cys), in the TGM1 gene. Evaluation of this variant via in silico tools showed its detrimental consequences on the stability and function of the encoded protein. The variant was characterized as likely pathogenic based on the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines for variant interpretation. Analysis of all available family members confirmed the co-segregation of this novel variant with the CIE disease within the family.

This study reported the successful application of WES and bioinformatics analysis to identify a novel mutation in a well-established ARCI-causing residue in an Iranian patient.

Mycobacterium is a genus of Actinobacteriaceae and the Mycobacterium family, including important pathogens, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (i.e., the cause of tuberculosis) and Mycobacterium leprae (i.e., the cause of leprosy). Tuberculosis is still a major cause of death in human societies.

The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of ethanolic extract of garlic on Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from patients in Zabol, Iran, and investigate the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Garlic (Allium sativum) was collected from Zabol, and the ethanolic extract of garlic leaf was obtained. In this study, 50 strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were obtained from the patients in Zabol. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined. Some antibiotics, such as isoniazid, pyrazinamide, ethambutol, amikacin, streptomycin, and rifampicin, were used for positive control. Genomic deoxyribonucleic acid was extracted by the sodium dodecyl sulfate method. Furthermore, the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes, namely KatG, PncA, embC, embA1, embA2, embB1, embB2, rrs, rpsL, and ropB, in Mycobacterium tuberculosis was investigated using polymerase chain reaction.

The lowest MIC and MBC of garlic ethanolic extract against Mycobacterium tuberculosis were 3.25 and 7.5 ppm, respectively. The highest MIC and MBC were 60 and 120 ppm, respectively. Following the investigation of the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it was determined that it contains KatG, PncA, embC, embA1, embA2, ropB, rpsL, rrs, embB2, and embB1 genes. The highest resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was against rifampin (81%) and then amikacin (76.6%) belonging to ropB and rrs genes, respectively.

The results of the present study showed that the ethanolic extract of garlic was very effective in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the most effective genes in mycobacteria were ropB and rrs. Although garlic is very effective in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it is not recommended to directly use the results of this study. Therefore, it is required to perform clinical trials to confirm the results.

The use of deep fried oils (DFOs) to cook foods is associated with numerous diseases. Although the role of physical activity and some supplements on fat lipolysis has been established, the effect of aerobic training (AT) and octopamine (Oct) on octopamine receptor-dependent lipolysis pathway is not well understood.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of AT and Oct supplementation on the expression of Oct receptors in the visceral adipose tissue of DFO-exposed rats.

In this experimental study, 30 male Wistar rats were divided into (1) healthy control (C), (2) DFO, (3) DFO + Oct, (4) DFO + AT, and (5) DFO + Oct + AT groups. Aerobic training was performed for four weeks, five sessions per week at an intensity of 16 - 26 m/min and equivalent to 50% - 65% VO2max, and Otc supplement was interperitoneally injected at 81 µmol/kg five days a week.

Aerobic training and Oct supplementation increased tyramin-R and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) (P ≤ 0.05), while Oct significantly decreased G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) (P ≤ 0.05). Also, the interaction of AT and Oct on GPCR reduction was significant (P ≤ 0.05).

It seems that AT and Otc alone improve octopamine receptors and lipolysis markers in the visceral adipose tissue of DFO-treated rats, but these two factors have no interactive effects on this pathway.