Jentashapir Journal of Cellular and Molecular Biology
Volume:13 Issue: 3, Sep 2022

For tissue engineering and clinical translation strategies, it is essential to have a reliable and safe lineage-specific differentiation of stem cells. To deal with several problems caused by growth factor delivery systems and growth factors, exosomes have been used as biomimetic tools to trigger the differentiation of stem cells. It is believed that cell type-specific exosomes can induce lineage-specific differentiation of stem cells. Exosomes trigger cell viability, cell proliferation and differentiation, embryonic implantation, and migration. They have been used successfully in regenerative medicine, such as liver fibrosis, renal diseases, cardiac ischemia, stroke, and skin injuries. The findings highlighted the necessity to take into account the condition and source of exosome donor cells before selecting them for therapeutic use.

 Silymarin (SM) has beneficial effects against numerous different types of toxicants. However, the low bioavailability of SM has limited its therapeutic effects.

 This study investigated the toxic effect of nanostructured SM (NSM) in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles on nephrotoxicity induced by acetaminophen (APAP) in mice.

 The encapsulation of SM in PLGA was performed by the solvent evaporation method. A total of 48 NMRI mice were used in this experimental study. The mice were pretreated with SM or NSM (5 mg/kg) for 7 days, and APAP (300 mg/kg) was administrated on the 6th day. The serum levels of blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and uric acid were measured. Histological assessment and messenger ribonucleic acid expression of BAX and BCL-2 genes were also carried out.

 The APAP destroyed the structure of the renal tissue and significantly reduced renal weight and glomerulus diameters (P < 0.01). The APAP also caused a significant increase in the serum levels of biochemical markers (P < 0.001) and expression of the BAX/BCL-2 ratio in the renal tissue (P < 0.001). The NSM could improve the renal structure and significantly increase renal weight and glomerulus in the APAP-intoxicated mice. The NSM significantly reduced the level of the biochemical tests and the BAX/BCL-2 ratio in the APAP-treated group (P < 0.01).

 The obtained data indicate that PLGA effectively enhances the nephroprotective effects of SM on nephrotoxicity induced by APAP.

Vitamin D3 deficiency, which is associated with several other diseases such as high blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, and the risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS) is prevalent all over the world.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of vitamin D3 deficiency and MetS and evaluate their association in patients referred to the central laboratory of Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research (ACECR) in Mashahd, Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,214 patients aged 15 - 75 years referred to the central laboratory of ACECR in Mashhad, Iran, in 2018. Participants with MetS were identified using the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATPIII) criteria. Biochemical parameters and vitamin D3 levels were assessed using the Mindray instrument and the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method, respectively. The subjects were divided into four groups in terms of serum vitamin D3 concentration as follows: Deficient (< 10 ng/mL), insufficient (10 - 30 ng/mL), sufficient (30 - 80 ng/mL), and toxic (80 < ng/mL).

From a total of 1,214 subjects, 15.0% had vitamin D3 deficiency, 53.2% showed insufficiency, 31.1% were normal with sufficient vitamin D3, and 0.7% suffered from vitamin D3 toxicity. Therefore, 437 (49.7%) females and 209 (62.6%) males suffered from vitamin D3 insufficiency. Overall, 27.6% of females and 33.2% of males had MetS (P < 0.05). Subjects with and without MetS showed no significant difference in serum levels of vitamin D3 (P = 0.608). In addition, there was a significant direct correlation between vitamin D3 levels and systolic blood pressure (SBP) in the group with MetS.

A high proportion of subjects had MetS and insufficient vitamin D3 levels. There were no significant differences between the serum vitamin D3 levels in participants with and without MetS.

Muscle-induced insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) are important factors for muscle growth and maintenance.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of 12 weeks of Theraband resistance training on IGF-1 and FGF-2 levels and their relationships with myokines on bone mineral density (BMD) in older women with osteosarcopenic obesity.

In this single-blind randomized clinical trial, 48 older women with osteosarcopenic obesity (mean age: 64.63 ± 3.68 years; fat percentage 45.4 ± 6.6%; BMI 33.1 ± 3.71 kg/m2; and T score of bone minerals density of femur and 1-4 lumbar spine -1.86 ± 1.42, based on the results of the DEXA test) were randomly divided into control (n = 22) and training (n = 26) groups. The training group performed 12 weeks of Theraband resistance training for all major muscle groups. Blood samples were collected 48 hours before and 12 weeks after the intervention.

After 12 weeks, a significant difference was observed in IGF-1 (P = 0.033) levels in the training group compared to the control group. Also, FGF-2 (P = 0.003) and IGF-1 (P = 0.013) levels increased significantly in the training group. However, there was no significant relationship between IGF-1 (P = 0.240) and FGF-2 (P = 0.806) levels and BMD.

Theraband resistance training can be an appropriate training strategy to improve muscle mass in older adults with osteosarcopenic obesity by increasing IGF-1 and FGF-2 levels.

 Exercise and vitamin D can improve bone density by reducing bone loss. Growth factors such as IGF-I and IGFBP-3 are appeared to increase bone turnover in response to mechanical load, and free radicals attenuate the release of these growth factors.

 We assessed the effect of concurrent aerobic training and cholecalciferol administration along with hydrogen peroxide injection on the levels of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 expression in the bone tissue of rats.

 Thirty-six adult Wistar rats were randomized into six groups (n = 6), including healthy control, sham, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), H2O2 + aerobic training, H2O2 + cholecalciferol, and H2O2 + aerobic training + cholecalciferol. The rats were intraperitoneally administered with one mmol/kg. Body weight (BW) of H2O2 three times a week on even days and 0.5 μg/kg.bw of cholecalciferol daily. Aerobic training (at a speed of 4 - 20 m/min, for 20 - 60 minutes) was performed five days/w for eight weeks. The expression of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 was measured by real-time (RT)-PCR. Data were analyzed using the independent t-test, two-way ANOVA (exercise × vitamin D), and Bonferroni’s post-hoc test in SPSS 26 at the significance level of P ≤ 0.05.

 The results showed that H2O2 significantly reduced the gene expressions of IGF-I (P = 0.001) and IGFBP-3 (P = 0.001) in the bone tissue. Also, exercise and vitamin D augmented the expression of IGF-I (P = 0.008) and IGFBP-3 (P = 0.0001) as post-hoc analysis showed that aerobic training had the greatest effect on the expression of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 (P < 0.05). In addition, the amplifying effects of aerobic training and cholecalciferol on the gene expressions of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were also remarkable (P < 0.1).

 The mechanical load created by aerobic training exerted the greatest augmenting effect on the gene expression of IGF-I and IGFBP-3. Moreover, the interactive effect of aerobic training and cholecalciferol was also significant.

 Doxorubicin (DOX) is widely used to treat various cancers, but its cardio-toxicity restricts its therapeutic application.

 This study aimed to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of continuous aerobic training (CAT) and administration of crocin (Cr) on the apoptotic index and the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 genes on the DOX-induced cardio-toxicity of rats.

 In this experimental study, 50 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, including control, DOX, DOX + CAT, DOX + Cr, and DOX + CAT + Cr groups. Continuous aerobic training consisted of 60 minutes of running with the intensity of 40% - 60% of maximum speed (5 days/week). Apoptotic index and the expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2 genes were determined in the heart tissue.

 Doxorubicin significantly increased Bax gene expression in the heart tissue of animals (P < 0.001). In contrast, Bcl-2 gene expression significantly decreased (P < 0.001). In all experimental groups, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and the percentage of the terminal deoxynucleotidal transferase-mediated biotin-deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells were significantly diminished compared to the DOX-intoxicated animals. Among experimental groups, CAT had more antiapoptotic effects against DOX-induced cardiac toxicity.

 Continuous aerobic training and Cr, alone or in combination, could attenuate DOX-induced cardiotoxicity by suppressing apoptosis in the rats.