فصلنامه یافته
سال بیست و پنجم شماره 3 (پیاپی 97، پاییز 1402)

Carvacrol is a natural monoterpene phenolic compound that has biological activities with therapeutic applications, and this study aimed to investigate the apoptotic effect of Carvacrol on the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231.

After the preparation and cultivation of MDA-MB-231 cells, the IC50 value of Carvacrol on the cells was evaluated by the MTT assay method, and then the induction of apoptosis in the cell line treated with different concentrations of Carvacrol was observed by DAPI staining. The qPCR method was used to check the expression levels of Bax, P53, and Bcl-2 genes at the mRNA level. The results were analyzed using GraphPad Prism 9 software.

The results showed that the cytotoxicity of Carvacrol against MDA-MB-231 cancer cells was dose-dependent at 24 (P=0.034) and 48 (P=0.041) hours. The IC50 of Carvacrol at 48 h was 154.2 μM. The MDA-MB-231 cells treated with Carvacrol showed induction of apoptosis from the mitochondrial pathway by increasing the expression of P53 and BAX genes and decreasing the expression of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 gene. In addition, the number of apoptotic cells with dense DNA increased significantly in the Carvacrol treatment group (P=0.001).

This study showed that treatment of the MDA-MB-231 cell line with Carvacrol can inhibit its growth and proliferation through the induction of apoptosis from the BAX/BCL-2 pathway. Considering the significant inhibitory effect of the treatment of cells with the Carvacrol compound, it seems that there is a suitable research field for using this compound in the control and treatment of breast cancer.

Cervical spine trauma may be associated with neurological disorders depending on the mechanism of trauma, the cross-sectional area affected by the trauma, and the severity of the trauma;the occurence of these neurological disorders may also affect the surgical treatment prognosis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the neurological prognosis after traumatic cervical spinal cord injury.

In this retrospective study, the intended data were collected through the admission hospital records and imaging archives of Rasoul Akram Hospital during 2011-2016. The records of patients who were treated for cervical spinal cord injury in the last year were collected and then age, gender, and other variables were extracted for each patient. The data were entered into the SPSS software and the results were reported.

The results showed that falls (41.2%) and motorcycle accidents (54.9%) were the most common cause of trauma, andthat the lower level of the cervical spine (C3-C7) was most commonly affected. The overall prevalence of neurological lesions at the time of admission to the department room was 29.4%, and  7.8% had died during hospitalization and before surgery. Predictive factors for neurological disorders were female sex, direct trauma during fightsand trauma to the  lower cervical area.

The present results indicate that the prevalence of complications and neurologic disorders after cervical spinal cord injuries is approximately 30% and that the extent of these complications in these patients is related to gender, trauma mechanism, and cross-sectional area of the injured cervical spine.

Gene transfection is a powerful tool for changing cell function, which is used for treating various diseases. Nevertheless, various studies show that despite the variety of gene transfer methods, there are significant limitations in the application of each method. The present study aimed to compare two methods of gene transfer using PEI and Lipofectamine compounds in cancer cell.

In this study, Caco-2 and HCT-116 were used as target cells, and HEK-293 cells were used as control cells. For this purpose, initially, gene transfer was performed using PEI and Lipofectamine, and then their results were compared with each other based on the expression of GFP protein.

The results of this study showed that although gene transfer was carried out in HEK-293 cells at a favorable rate, this process was very insignificant in colorectal cells. In addition, in the meantime, some differences were observed between the amounts of gene transfer in colorectal cells, so that the amount of transfection in Caco-2 cells was lower than that of the HCT-116 cells.

The degree of acceptance of foreign genes in cells depends on several factors, including the type and origin of the cell. Since cancer cells have undergone many genetic changes, their genetic manipulation is associated with many limitations. For this reason, it is recommended to use other methods, such as cell selection by antibiotics and preparation of stable cell lines to reach a high level of gene transfer in these cells.

Diabetes is a recurrent disease defined as a result of a lack of insulin or resistance to its full capacity. The present study aimed to assess the effect of ginger-zinc oxide nanocomposites on HbA1c and fasting blood sugar (FBS) indexes in diabetic rats.

In this investigation, zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized based on the sol-gel method, and ginger extract was obtained using the soxhlet method. Thereafter, the nanocomposite of nanoparticles-ginger extract was synthesized, and the nanoparticles were identified by confirmatory tests. Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats with a mean weight (250±20 g) by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg body weight), and the necessary treatments were then given by gavage to the mice for 30 days. At the end of the treatment period, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and fasting blood sugar (FBS) were measured from the collected blood samples.

The results of this research demonstrated that among all the treatments, nanocomposite extract and zinc oxide nanoparticles in low concentration (100+10 mg/kg) have a high ability to reduce blood sugar indicators (HbA1c and FBS). This ability was statistically significant compared to other treated groups (P<0.05).

As evidenced by the results obtained, the nanocomposite of ginger extract + zinc oxide in the concentration (100 +10 mg/kg) was a suitable option for controlling and reducing blood sugar in mice. Furthermore, considering the physiological similarity, the mentioned nanocomposite is recommended as a supplement to lower blood sugar in diabetic people.

Studies have shown that up to 68% of infants may be infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in their first year of life, and almost all children are infected by the age of two. In this study, using bioinformatics analysis, the genes in the pathways related to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection were examined and nominated.

By referring to the GEO database, the appropriate dataset was selected for analysis. This dataset included gene expression profiles in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. Gene clusters with high and low expression were categorized. Rich databases such as Enrichr, STRING, and Panther were used for more accurate data evaluation. Finally, the candidate genes were isolated, and their protein relationship was also measured.

A total of 740 and 822 genes had high and low expressions, respectively. These genes can play a role in RSV infection pathways in children. The NOD-like receptor, Epstein-Barr-influenza, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis, necroptosis, and salmonella pathways are highly expressed, and the pathways of coronavirus, herpes virus, immune system deficiency, Th1 lymphocyte cell receptor, ribosome, NFKappa B, and PDL1 had low expression at checkpoints of the cell cycle.

The present study revealed that important proteins and genes played a major role in strengthening RSV inflammation in children, among which STAT3, TLR4, RPL26A, STAT1, and MAPK4 showed a more prominent role in this pathway.

Strategies to increase energy expenditure are an attractive approach to reduce excess fat storage and body weight to improve metabolic health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of endurance training combined with adenosine injection on the gene expression of UCP-1 and MAPK p38 in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of male rats fed a high-fat diet.

Forty rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: 1. normal control, 2. high-fat diet (HFD) control, 3. HFD + adenosine, and 4. HFD + endurance training + adenosine. After 13 weeks of HFD, 12 weeks of endurance training on a moderate-intensity treadmill was performed. UCP-1 and MAPK p38 mRNA levels were measured by RT-PCR.

A significant increase in UCP-1 was observed with in HFD + endurance training + adenosine and HFD + adenosine compared to normal and HFD controls. A significant decrease in MAPK p38 was also observed with HFD + endurance training + adenosine and HFD + adenosine compared to HFD.

Endurance training and adenosine are likely activators of UCP-1 gene expression and can be used as effective lipolytic agents in obesity. The MAPK p38 pathway increases glucose uptake by insulin and also induces oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria following a healthy diet and aerobic activity.

Brain cancer is one of the types of cancer that appears with the growth of cancer cells in the brain. In this experimental study, we investigated and compared the effect of cerium oxide nanoparticles synthesized by the green method from Aloe vera with urolithin B on U87MG cancer cells.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles were produced by the green synthesis method from the Aloe vera plant and confirmed by nanoparticle size characterization tests and an FESEM microscope. The U87MG cells were obtained from Pasteur Institute of Tehran, Iran, and after passage, they were treated with cerium oxide nanoparticles and urolithin B drug for 72 h and cell colonies for 15 days.

The IC50 of cancer cells in the MTT test for urolithin B and cerium oxide nanoparticles synthesized by green method from Aloe vera plant with urolithin B were 170 μM and 135 μM, respectively. In addition, the survival percentage results from the clonogenic test at a concentration of 30 μM for cerium oxide nanoparticles (78%), urolithin B(61%), and cerium oxide nanoparticles with urolithin B(30%), and for a concentration of 60 μM, it was 60, 42, and 16%, respectively.

Urolithin B has a higher cytotoxic effect (170μM) than cerium oxide nanoparticles synthesized by the green method from the Aloe vera plant, and when combined with cerium oxide nanoparticles, this cytotoxic effect increased more (135μM). It also reduced the survival percentage of colonies within 15 days of treatment.