Berrin Zuhal Altunkaynak

Alpha-lipoic acid as a potential target for the treatment of lung injury caused by cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis model in rats.

One of the common lethal complications of septic shock, a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with severe trauma and so on, is acute lung injury. &agr;-Lipoic acid (ALA), with antioxidant properties, is a popular agent. Thus, we investigated the potential protective effects of ALA (200 mg/kg) on sepsis-induced acute lung injury. Rats were exposed to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) to induce sepsis. Rat groups were designed as (a) sham operated, (b) sham operated + ALA treated, (c) CLP applied, (d) CLP + ALA treated. Sixteen hours after CLP induction, serum samples and lung tissues were obtained for biochemical and histopathological examination. &agr;-Lipoic acid decreased the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-&agr; and IL-6, which increased after CLP. Increased activity of nuclear factor &kgr;B in septic lung tissues was decreased by ALA. &agr;-Lipoic acid improved the decreased antioxidant activity and alleviated the increased oxidant activity, which occurred after CLP application. We can suggest that ALA showed beneficial effects by decreasing nuclear factor &kgr;B activation in lung tissues, resulting in decreased serum levels of TNF-&agr; and IL-6, and also increasing the antioxidant capacity of the lungs.

Electromagnetic field and brain development.

Rapid advances in technology involve increased exposures to radio-frequency/microwave radiation from mobile phones and other wireless transmitting devices. As cell phones are held close to the head during talking and often stored next to the reproductive organs, studies are mostly focused on the brain. In fact, more research is especially needed to investigate electromagnetic field (EMF)s effects on the central nervous system (CNS). Several studies clearly demonstrate that EMF emitted by cell phones could affect a range of body systems and functions. Recent work has demonstrated that EMF inhibit the formation and differentiation of neural stem cells during embryonic development and also affect reproductive and neurological health of adults that have undergone prenatal exposure. The aim of this review is to discuss the developing CNS and explain potential impacts of EMF on this system.

Effects of diabetes and ovariectomy on rat hippocampus (A biochemical and stereological study)

Oxidative stress is one of the main reasons of both menopause and diabetes. So, it plays crucial role in the pathogeneses of that condition and disease. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of menopause and diabetes upon the hippocampus using a rat model. Adult female Sprague Dawley rats (n = 24) were allocated randomly as follows; control (C group) ovariectomized (O group), diabetic (D group) and ovariectomy plus diabetic groups (DO group) (n = 6; in each group), respectively. For evaluating the results, tissue biochemistry and stereological analysis were made. Biochemistry results (lipid peroxidase (LPO); catalase (CAT); superoxide dismutase (SOD); total glutatyon (GSH); and myeloperoxidase (MPO) values) in Group C-DO were determined as 12.27, 21.88, 23.08 and 29.90 nmol/gr tissue; 59.3, 70.06, 69.7 and 78.1 mmol/min/mg tissue; 174.2, 156.4, 159.7 and 154.6 mmol/min/mg tissue; 3.63, 3.61, 4.21 and 3.97 nmol/mg tissue; and 5.05, 5.68, 5.58 and 6.19 µmol/min/mg tissue, respectively. Moreover, both menopause and diabetes led to change of lipid profiles. There were significant differences between the control and other groups (Group C and D-DO) (p < 0.01) and among experimental groups (p < 0.01) in terms of neuron number. When the volumes of the hippocampus were compared, there were no significant differences between the all groups (P > 0.05). At this point, we suggested that diabetes could aggravate deleterious effects of ovariectomy.

The beneficial effects of Momordica charantia (bitter gourd) on wound healing of rabbit skin

Momordica charantia (MC; bitter gourd) is a traditional herbal commonly used for its antidiabetic, antioxidant, contraceptive and antibacterial properties. In the current study, the authors aim to observe the topical effect of MC cream on the wound-healing process in rabbits. Moreover, they compare the healing potential with conventional creams used therapeutically. Towards this aim, 28 New Zealand rabbits were divided into four groups and excision wounds (7 cm²) were made on their backs. Open wound dressing was carried out daily for 28 days among the experimental groups with the application of dekspanthenol (Bepanthen®; BP group, n = 7), nitrofurazon (Furacin®; FR group, n = 7) and olive oil extract of MC (MC group, n = 7). No application was made to the control group. At the end of day 28, areas of the skin with initial wound area were en bloc dissected and prepared for histopathological and stereological analysis. Inflammatory cells were abundant in the control group and cream application led to a decrease in the number of these cells, especially in the MC group. The highest number of fibroblasts was detected in the MC group. Furthermore, the MC group displayed the highest fractions of epidermis to papillary dermis, fibroblasts to reticular dermis and collagen fibres to reticular dermis. The MC group also presented a high density of blood vessels, moderate density of collagen fibres and mature fibroblasts. The BP group showed better epithelialisation compared with the FR group, but the latter provided more effective reorganisation of the dermis. Different cream supplements caused healthy and fast wound healing according to untreated controls and the results show that administration of the MC extract improves and accelerates the process of wound healing in rabbits in comparison with the BP and FR extracts.

Inhalation of mercury vapor can cause the toxic effects on rat kidney

Dental amalgam has been used in dentistry as a filling material. The filler comprises mercury (Hg). It is considered one of the most important and widespread environmental pollutants, which poses a serious potential threat for the humans and animals. However, mercury deposition affects the nervous, cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and especially renal systems. In most animals’ species and humans, the kidney is one of the main sites of deposition of mercury and target organ for its toxicity. In this study, the effects of mercury intake on kidney in rats were searched. For the this purpose; we used 24 adult female Wistar albino rats (200 g in weight) obtained from Experimental Research and Application Center of Atatürk University with ethical approval. Besides, they were placed into a specially designed glass cage. Along this experiment for 45 days, subjects were exposed to (1 mg/m3/day) mercury vapor. However, no application was used for the control subjects. At the end of the experiment, kidney samples were obtained from all subjects and processed for routine light microscopic level and stereological aspect were assessed. Finally, according to our results, mercury affects the histological features of the kidney. That means, the severe effects of mercury has been shown using stereological approach, which is one of the ideal quantitative methods in the current literature. In this study, it was detected that chronic exposure to mercury vapor may lead to renal damage and diseases in an experimental rat model.

Different methods for evaluating the effects of microwave radiation exposure on the nervous system

Microwave radiation (MWR) leads to hazardous effects on he central nervous system (CNS) for both human and animals. The widespread use of mobile phones has increased the risks of health problems in the CNS caused by radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields. To determine these effects various methodological approaches related to neuroscience such as stereology, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy have been used. These approaches examine the effects on cells exposed to MWR at the light microscopic and ultrastructural levels, and novel information is obtained. The main aim of this paper is to discuss possible side effects of MWR in the light of current literature with different methodological approaches.

Stereological and histological analysis of the developing rat heart.

With 9 figures and 1 table

Effects of high fat diet induced obesity on peripheral nerve regeneration and levels of GAP 43 and TGF-β in rats.

Abstract The increasing frequency of obesity is important because of its accompanying related health problems. The effects of obesity on peripheral nerves have not been elucidated. We investigated the effects of obesity on sciatic nerve regeneration using electrophysiology, stereology, immunohistochemistry, histopathology and functional tests. We used control, obese, control injured and obese injured groups of rats. Electrophysiological results showed that nerve conduction velocity and EMG were same in the experimental groups, but the amplitude of the compound action potential of the control group was significantly higher than that of the obese group. Examination of the nerves showed that the control and obese groups had both larger axon diameters and thicker myelin sheaths. The number of myelinated axons was decreased in both of the injured groups. Axon diameters and myelin sheath thicknesses of the control injured group were significantly greater those of the obese injured group. There were no significant differences in functional tests among the groups. Although growth associated protein 43 immunostaining in the control injured group was significantly greater than that of the obese injured group, no significant difference was observed between the control and obese groups. There was no significant difference in immunohistochemical staining for transforming growth factor beta 3 between the control injured and obese injured groups. Our results suggest that obesity may affect peripheral nerve regeneration negatively after crush injury.

Effect of prenatal exposure to diclofenac sodium on the male rat arteries: a stereological and histopathological study

In this study, we investigated the morphometric and histological alterations of the aorta, brachial, and femoral arteries in 4- and 20-week-old rats that were prenatally exposed to diclofenac sodium (DS). For this purpose, pregnant rats were divided into three groups: control, saline injected, and drug treated. Beginning from day 5 after mating through day 15 of pregnancy, saline or DS (1 mg/kg daily) was intraperitoneally injected into groups 2 and 3. No injection was given to the rats in the control group. After spontaneous delivery, male offspring were obtained. At the end of weeks 4 and 20, vessel samples were removed. After dissection and routine histological preparation, histopathological and stereological investigations were made. Our results indicate that both saline and DS application lead to a decrease in the mean volume fraction of tunica media in all vessel walls, but result in an increase of the same fraction of lumen to the whole vessel wall, especially in 4-week-old rats. Elastic fibers of the vessel wall were affected by DS treatment, because a decrease of the elastic fiber was observed in this group. Finally, in light of our findings, we suggest that DS or saline may lead to vascular changes (i.e., vasodilatation or vasoconstriction) in rats that are prenatally subjected to increased volume of maternal blood resulting from injection.

Effect of mercury vapor inhalation on rat ovary: Stereology and histopathology.

Mercury, an environmental contaminant, is a risk factor for health in whole living organisms. In this study, we investigated whether mercury vapor (HgO) inhalation has an effect on rat ovary.