Gene, Cell and Tissue
Volume:10 Issue: 4, Oct 2023

Context: 

Urinary tract is subjected to various pathologic conditions, such as congenital anomalies, trauma, cancer, stenosis, and inflammatory injuries.

Evidence Acquisition: 

Reconstruction of the urinary tract is limited due to lack of sufficient donor tissue and problems of tissue incompatibility.

 This limitation has convinced urologists to develop another technique for tissue replacement.

 Tissue engineering and biomaterials science are attractive approaches to substituting the urinary tract wall. Three main components of tissue engineering include cells, appropriate scaffold materials, and bioactive molecules, such as growth factors. This review summarized the cell sources, scaffolds, and recent methods used for urinary tract reconstruction.

Context: 

Performing intense aerobic exercise leads to an increase in the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a decrease in the level of antioxidant enzymes in body tissues, especially skeletal muscles, and ultimately oxidative stress. Therefore, it is very important to measure oxidative stress before it causes damage to cells and destroys them.

Evidence Acquisition: 

In this review, 92 articles were studied between 2012 and 2022, of which 54 were used. The search was done in Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, and SID databases. An electronic search of studies was done using the keywords ROS, aerobic training, exercise, oxidative stress, antioxidant defense, skeletal muscle, and nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2).

 The review of studies conducted in the field of antioxidant adaptations of skeletal muscle shows that the intensity and duration of activity are the main factors in controlling (creating or preventing) oxidative stress in skeletal muscle tissue. Also, taking antioxidant supplements before ROS levels reach peak physiological performance can reduce the beneficial effects of exercise. On the other hand, antioxidant treatment, after maximal performance related to ROS, can lead to reduced fatigue and/or improved performance.

 It seems that the increase in oxidative stress caused by aerobic exercise is a function of the amount of ROS production and the internal and external antioxidant defense capacity of the individual. However, different types of aerobic exercise along with various antioxidant supplements need to be performed for a long time in different people in order to achieve better approaches to early prediction of oxidative stress and reducing the destructive effects of skeletal muscle.

 Regarding the increasing resistance of bacteria against antibiotics and the existence of antibacterial compounds in plants, we here investigated the antimicrobial effects of the methanolic extracts of several plants on pathogenic bacteria.

 Ten grams of the dry ingredients of Eryngium caucasicum trautv (leaf), Saponaria officinalis (flower), Froriepia subpinnata (leaf), Malva sylvestris (leaf), and Urtica dioica (leaf) was poured in 100 mL of methanol and shaken for 24 hours. After 24 hours, the extracts were strained and dried in the oven, and their antimicrobial activity at the 100 mg/mL concentration was evaluated against the mentioned bacteria using the sinkhole method.

 The plant extracts inhibited the growth of all bacteria in various degrees. Among all the plant extracts used, that of F. subpinnata delivered the largest diameter of growth inhibition zone (6 mm) against S. dysenteriae, and the extracts of E. caucasicum and F. subpinnata showed the largest diameter of inhibition zone against Xanthomonas translucens. Also, the extract of M. sylvestris delivered the largest inhibition zone diameter (8 mm) against E. coli.

 Our results showed that the methanolic extract of E. caucasicum was the most effective plant extract against S. dysenteriae, Rathayibacter tritici, and L. monocytogenes, but M. sylvestris extract revealed the greatest impact on E. coli. It is recommended to further investigate the antibacterial compounds of these plants as potential treatments for bacterial infections.

 Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common solid tumor and the third cause of cancer death worldwide. Resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs is a serious challenge in the treatment of HCC. To address this challenge, therefore, attempts have been made to develop novel anticancer agents by using medicinal plants and producing novel natural chemical compounds.

 This study aimed to investigate the anti-proliferative effect of the Satureja sahandica extraction combined with layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets on the HepG2 HCC cell line.

 The anti-proliferative effects of S. sahandica extraction and LDH nanosheets on HCC cell line HepG2 were investigated by adopting the MTT method. The morphological alterations, migration, and apoptosis rates were also evaluated in the treated cancer cells. The apoptosis-related genes mRNA expressions (BAX and BCL2) were examined by performing real-time PCR.

 According to the study results, the S. sahandica extraction treatments significantly decreased the viability and proliferation of the HCC cell line HepG2. However, the anticancer activity of the S. sahandica extraction and LDH nanosheet combination was significantly less than its monotherapy. Various morphological alterations and apoptosis rates increased in the cancer cells. However, the migration rate of the cancer cells significantly decreased. Furthermore, the expressions of BAX and BCL2 genes were upregulated and downregulated, respectively.

 In sum, the significant anti-proliferative activity of the S. sahandica extraction against the HCC cells was documented, which may have been due to the induction of apoptosis. However, LDH nanosheets decreased the anti-proliferative activity of S. sahandica extraction.

 Chronic use of dexamethasone, especially in athletes, is associated with reproductive disorders.

 This study aimed to investigate the effect of high and moderate intensity endurance training along with the consumption of safflower extract on testicular oxidative damage and testosterone level in male rats treated with dexamethasone.

 A total of 45 male Wistar rats were divided into the controlled and treated groups. Dexamethasone was subcutaneously injected for five days at a dose of 8 mg/kg. High and moderate intensity exercises were performed for ten weeks (five days a week) at speeds of 28 and 34 m/min, respectively, on the treadmill. The safflower seed extract (500 mg/kg of the body weight) was administered daily during the training period by gavage. At the end of the given period, testicular tissue sampling was performed to measure malondialdehyde, total antioxidant capacity, Nrf2, and testosterone levels.

 The results showed that high and moderate intensity exercises along with the consumption of safflower seed extract (P = 0.000) as well as high intensity exercise alone (P = 0.04) caused a significant increase in Nrf2 expression in animals receiving dexamethasone compared to the dexamethasone group. No significant change was observed in the testosterone level of the dexamethasone group compared to that of the control group. However, a significant change was detected in its level in some groups treated with moderate exercise, intense exercise, and safflower extract.

 It was concluded that moderate and high intensity endurance training, along with the consumption of safflower extract, had the potential to prevent infertility caused by dexamethasone.

 The goal of tissue engineering is to create biological solutions that restore, maintain, and improve the function of damaged tissue. Scaffolds are structures based on extracellular matrix materials that have undergone various treatments.

 This study aimed to prepare polycaprolactone/silymarin and polycaprolactane/tragacanth scaffolds and compare the morphology and viability of PC12 cell lines.

 A 7% polycaprolactane solution (dissolved in acetic acid) was mixed with a 0.9% silymarin solution to prepare the polycaprolactane scaffold and silymarin loading, and a 7% polycaprolactane solution was mixed to prepare the polycaprolactane and tragacanth scaffold. Tragacanth solution was mixed at a concentration of 0.7% by weight, and then two scaffolds were prepared by electrospinning. The morphology of the scaffolds was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the chemical structure of the scaffolds was studied by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The biocompatibility of the scaffolds and cell survival of PC12 cells was investigated by MTT assay.

 The morphology of the scaffolds and their chemical structure showed good porosity and successful loading of silymarin onto PCL and a suitable combination of tragacanth with PCL. The biocompatibility of the scaffolds was evaluated at 24, 48, and 72 hours after PC12 cell culture. Cell survival was found to increase on polycaprolactane/silymarin scaffolds compared to polycaprolactane/tragacanth.

 From the results of this study, loading polycaprolactane scaffold with silymarin increases the proliferation and survivability of PC12 cells compared to polycaprolactane/supporting scaffold, which may be a good candidate for neural tissue engineering.

 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) presents primarily as an acute respiratory disorder with interstitial and vesicular pneumonia but affects various organs, including the kidneys, heart, gastrointestinal tract, blood, and gastric nervous system. This study aimed to report a case of COVID-19 with acute kidney injury (AKI).

 A 37-year-old female patient with two positive COVID PCR and Cr = 0.8 but with no record of AKI was admitted to Razi Hospital in Ahvaz in April 2020 for ten days. After completion of the informed consent, her blood samples were obtained, and a renal biopsy and other tests were performed on her.

 Announced COVID-19 cases reported in AKI. In sum, patients with a high prevalence of comorbidities, such as AKI, suffered from severe COVID-19. Therefore, it was recommended that the risk of acute kidney damage, in addition to the respiratory failure risk, should be taken into consideration in patients with COVID-19. Furthermore, COVID-19 may have presented symptoms of AKI in patients with no history.

 Autosomal recessive limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) is a rare congenital muscular dystrophy type. This inherited disease is one of the most common diseases resulting in severe physical health problems for infants. Genetic studies have shown that several gene mutations cause limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. This study aimed to report the case of a 10-year-old boy from an Iranian consanguineous family diagnosed with congenital muscular dystrophy and a causative genetic abnormality.

 In this report, whole exome sequencing (WES) followed by Sanger sequencing was performed to diagnose the possible genetic defects in patients with LGMD. A novel homozygous disease-causing SGCA gene mutation (p.A107fs:c.319-329del) was found in exon 10 (NM_000023.4). Both parents were heterozygous for the detected mutation.

 It was concluded that the identified SGCA gene mutation was a pathogenic variant causing autosomal recessive LGMD.