مجله فیزیولوژی و فارماکولوژی ایران
سال دوم شماره 3 (پیاپی 7، پاییز 1397)

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in serum levels of TNF-α after 12 weeks endurance training and GnRH agonist in girl with central precocious puberty.

Twenty-five girls (age 6-8 years) with precocious puberty were randomly divided into three groups (medication, training, medication + training).  Ten healthy girls (with no precocious puberty) were also included as control group. At the beginning of the study, blood samples were taken from all subjects and serum level of TNF-α were measured by ELISA technique. The experimental groups then did an aerobic exercise program 3 days/week with 20-75 min per day with 45-75% of maximum heart rate for 12 weeks. The medication groups were also received GnRH agonist during the study, once monthly (1 ml every four weeks) by subcutaneously. TNF-α serum level were measured again at 24 hours after completing the training program and also after 4 weeks of detraining.

The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures analyses showed no significant difference in serum level of TNF-α in medication group before and after treatment (p = 0.203). However, in training and training+medication groups a significant decrease in TNF-α level was observed after aerobic exercise (p  =  0.001). The detraining led to return of TNF-α level to the levels of before training (p = 0.001). Further comparison of groups by ANOVA showed a significant difference only between training and medication groups.

GnRH alone does not affect TNF-α serum level in girls with precocious puberty. However, aerobic training and also the combination of aerobic training with GnRH decrease TNF-α serum level. The subsequent detraining returns TNF-α serum level to the level of before training. A long time regular and moderate exercise can decrease inflammation indices in girl with precocious puberty.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental problems in the world. Considering the side effects of chemical drugs, medicinal plants have been proposed as a suitable replacement. Salvia officinalis is one of the precious herbal medicines of Lamiaceae family. In this study, anxiolytic and hypnotic effects of Salvia officinalis were investigated.

Mice were divided into groups of 7 to 8. Aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Salvia officinalis (10, 100, 300 and 600 mg/kg), distilled water and diazepam (2 mg/kg) were injected intraperitoenally. For evaluating the anxiolytic effects, after 30 min, the animals were tested by elevated plus maze (EPM). To assess hypnotic and sedative effects, we used ketamine induced sleeping time test and onset and duration of sleep were recorded.

Our results showed that alcoholic extract of Salvia officinalis (10 mg/kg) increased entry to the open arms (p < 0.05) and decreased entries and time spent in closed arms (p < 0.05). Both alcoholic and aqueous extracts reduced onset of sleep at 300 mg/kg (p < 0.05).

This study shows that Salvia officinalis can be effective in the treatment of anxiety and insomnia.

Extraction of high quality ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules from the high fat tissues such as brain has been a great challenge for neuroscience researchers. Expensive kits have been developed to overcome this challenge. However, many researchers are unable to use due to lack of financial resources. In this study a simple and inexpensive method is suggested.

One month old male Wistar rats were anesthetized by chloroform and their hippocampus was removed. Total RNA of the brain tissue was extracted by RNX-Plus solution from Sinaclon Company. The quality of the extracted RNA was evaluated by Nanodrop spectrophotometer and measuring the 260/280 and 260/230 absorbance ratios.

The mean weight of the dissected hippocampi was 60.2 ± 1.2 mg. The mean absorbance ratio of 260/280 and that of 260/230 were obtained 1.88±0.02 and 1.9±0.03, respectively. The agarose gel electrophoresis indicated presence of the ribosomal RNAs 28s and 18s and the extracted RNA had a good quality. The mean concentration of the extracted total RNA was 608 ng/μl.

The results indicate that it is possible to extract high quality RNA molecules from the brain tissue by an inexpensive method. Therefore, the presented protocol is recommended to molecular neurobiologists.

Disorders of body fluid balance lead to metabolic problems and diseases such as ascites in poultry, which require studies on the clarification of involved mechanisms in water intake. The effect of insulin and somatostatin on water intake in 5-day male broiler chickens (Ross 308) was investigated.

Two experiments were conducted. In the first one, 10, 20 and 40 ng of insulin and in the second one, 0.5, 1 and 2 nM of somatostatin were injected to chicken via intracerebroventricular (icv) injection. Control group received Evans blue in both experiments. Accumulated water intake at 90 and 180 minutes after injection was measured.

The doses of 10, 20 and 40 (ng) of insulin at 90 min after injection, showed a significant reduction in water intake compared with control group (p < 0.05). In 180 minutes after injection of insulin 20 ng, reduction of water consumption was retained but doses of 10 and 40 ng did not affect water consumption. The group that received 20 ng of insulin showed a significant reduction on water intake 180 minutes after injection compared with groups of 10 and 40 ng (p < 0.05). Somatostatin 0.5nM did not affect accumulated water intake in 90 and 180 minutes after injection compared with control group. However, somatostatin 1 and 2 nM significantly reduced water intake in 90 minutes after injection compared to the control group (p < 0.05). In 180 minutes after injection of somatostatin 2 nM, reduction of water consumption was retained but the dose of 1nM did not affect water consumption. Doses of 0.5, 1 and 2 nM of somatostatin significantly reduced water intake in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05).

Somatostatin and insulin reduced water intake in neonatal chickens.

Achillea wilhelmsii has antioxidant properties and it has been recommended in traditional medicine for depression. The objective of this study was to investigate the chemical compounds of essential oils of aerial part of A. wilhelmsii with and its antidepressant effects in male mice using forced swim and tail suspension tests.

In this study, 60 mice were examined in 6 groups (n = 10), including normal saline as control group, reserpine (5 mg/kg, i.p.) as negative control group, reserpine (5 mg/kg, i.p.) and amitriptyline 18 hours thereafter (2 mg/kg) as positive control group, reserpine (5 mg/kg, i.p.) and essential oil (50, 75 or 100 mg/kg, i.p.) 18 hours thereafter as the intervention group. Forced swim and tail suspension tests were used to measure depression in mice. Antioxidant capacity and chemical composition of the essential oil, as well as antioxidant and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in serum and brain of mice were determined.

Reserpine injection significantly increased the time of immobility in the forced swim and tail suspension tests. Essential oil (50, 75 and 100 mg/kg) and amitriptyline reduced the immobility time. Reserpine and amitriptyline significantly increased serum and brain malondialdehyde (MDA) level, and decreased antioxidant capacity of serum and brain. Essential oil increased antioxidant capacity of serum and brain and reduced malondialdehyde level. Antioxidant power of essential oil was determined 2.32 mg/ml. The major compounds of essential oil were chrysanthenone (14.31%), camphor (13.95%), 1-8 cineole (10.01%), and trans-pinocarveol (9.50%).

Due to the antioxidant power of A. wilhelmsii essential oil in reducing serum and brain malondialdehyde, it seems that the this plant decreased depression symptoms in mice by reducing oxidative stress that it is probably due to terpene bioactive compounds in the essential oil.

Benzodiazepines, which act via gama-aminobutyric acid (GABA) chloric channels are among the main drugs used for treatment of anxiety. Lemon Verbena is a herbal medicine, which contains compounds such as flavonoids, which similar to benzodiazepines have affinity to GABA receptors. Lemon verbena is used for treatment of anxiety and insomnia in folk medicine. In this study, we examined possible anti-anxiety and sedative effect of this plant.

Aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Lemon Verbena (1, 10 and 100 mg/kg), distilled water and diazepam (2 mg/kg) were injected intraperitoneally to groups of 7 to 8 mice. For investigating the anxiolytic effects, the animals were tested by elevated plus maze  (EPM) 45min thereafter. For evaluating hypnotic and sedative effects, we used ketamine induced sleeping time test and onset and duration of sleep were recorded.

Aqueous extract of Lemon Verbena (10 mg/kg) increased time spent in open arms and decreased time spent in closed arms compared to control group. Aqueous extract of Lemon Verbena (100 mg/kg) also reduced onset of sleep and increased sleep duration compared to control group. All doses of alcoholic extract reduced onset of sleep and increased sleep duration.

This study shows that lemone verbena possesses anti-anxiety and hypnotic activity in animal model.

Acute and chronic pain physically and psychologically disables an overwhelming number of people and it is the most common reason that they consult physicians. Therefore, many pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions have been found to be effective in managing pain. This study investigates the interference of imipramine and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on inflammatory pain response induced by formalin in adult Wistar rats.

Rats were divided into 15 groups; six rats in each group. First, imipramine was administrated intraperitoneally and after 15 min intra-plantar formalin injection occurred. In combination groups, immediately after formalin injection, different frequencies of TENS were applied on left limb of rats in formalin test task. Simultaneous with TENS, nociceptive responses were quantified in a biphasic reaction including acute and chronic phases in formalin test method.

Intraperitoneal administration of imipramine (2.5-10 mg/kg) produced a dose-dependent antinociception in both the first and second phases of formalin test in mice. The antinociceptive response was observed at the maximum dose of the drug. However, application of TENS, immediately after formalin injection, at the frequencies of 1, 3, 20 or 1, 3, 20, 100 Hz induced antinociception in acute or chronic phase of formalin test, respectively. Furthermore, applied TENS at a low and sub-effective frequency (0.3 Hz) decreased imipramine response at two lower doses in acute phase and potentiated imipramine effect at the higher dose in chronic phase.

It is concluded that combination of imipramine and TENS may be effective for treatment of pain. To decline the adverse effects of the medications and use them at the low doses, combined interventions both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies for pain treatment are suggested.

Plant antioxidant sources are effective in the amelioration of diabetes mellitus-associated reproductive disorders. The present study was done to determine the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Levisticum officinale on oxidative stress markers, serum testosterone level and the histopathology of testicular tissue in diabetic rats.

Type I diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin )65 mg/kg). Diabetic rats were divided into 3 groups and received 1ml distilled water, 500 mg/kg extract and 20 mg/kg glibenclamide by gavage for 14 days. One group of normal rats also received 1 ml distilled water. At the end of treatments, the animals were anaesthetized, weighed and their blood samples were collected to determine serum testosterone level. The testis of rats weighed and used for evaluation of catalase ( CAT ) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes activities, malondialdehyde ( MDA ) level and histological studies.

Treatment of diabetic rats with 500 mg/kg extract of L. officinale significantly increased body and testis weight, serum testosterone level, CAT and SOD enzymes activities in the testis tissue and reduced testis MDA level. Also, extract of L. officinale ameliorated testicular tissue damages caused by diabetes mellitus.

Hydroalcoholic extract of Levisticum officinale has antioxidant property and can improve fertility and reduce testicular tissue destructions in diabetes mellitus through increasing antioxidant enzymes activity.