Cavit Kum

Metal concentrations in tissues of the Black Sea fish Mugil auratus from Sinop-Icliman, Turkey

Levels of five heavy metals [copper (Cu), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni)] were evaluated in liver and muscle tissues of fish (Mugil auratus) collected from the Black Sea at Sinop-Icliman, Turkey. Sampling and analysis methods are described. Variations of heavy metal concentrations with seasons are discussed. Cr and Ni concentrations were below the limits of detection (<0.05 and 0.1 ug/g dry weight) in all tissues and seasons. Cu, Pb and Cd were detected within these limits, as mg/kg dry weight, in liver tissue: 0.49-1.30, 0.60-1.21 and 0.15-0.50, and in muscle tissue: 0.30-1.00, 0.57-1.12 and 0.10-0.40, respectively. Cu, Pb and Cd concentrations in these tissues were elevated and the highest heavy metal concentrations were found in the liver. While Cu, Pb and Cd concentrations were highest in fish tissues collected in August 2000, the lowest concentrations of these metals were observed in fish tissues collected in May 2000. Pb had the highest level observed in fish tissues. According to the Turkish Food Codex Regulations residue limits, the cadmium level determined in fish tissues was high (0.1 mg/g) and the lead level, especially in liver tissue, was high in August (1 mg/ g), while other metals (Cu, Cr and Ni) were within the maximum residue limits.

Comparison of In Vitro Antimicrobial Susceptibility in Flavobacterium psychrophilum Isolated from Rainbow Trout Fry

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the presence of Flavobacterium psychrophilum in the west Aegean region of Turkey and to evaluate the in vitro susceptibility of F. psychrophilum (isolated from the fry of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss) to seven antimicrobial agents, as determined by the disk diffusion and agar dilution methods. A total of 250 rainbow trout fry (weight = 2-5 g; total length = 3-6 cm) were examined, and 20 bacterial isolates were phenotypically identified. Antimicrobial agents included in this investigation were amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (AMC), erythromycin (E), enrofloxacin (ENR), florfenicol (FFC), gentamicin (CN), oxytetracycline (OT), and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (SXT). Disk diffusion and agar dilution methods were performed according to published standards. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranges were determined using the agar dilution method for F. psychrophilum isolates. Resistance of F. psychrophilum to CN (disk diffusion method: 70%; agar dilution method: 95%), E (65%; 100%), and SXT (75%; 100%) was high using both methods. Resistance to ENR (10%; 15%) and FFC (25%; 25%) was low with both methods; MIC90 (minimum concentration required to inhibit bacterial growth by 90%) was 4 microg/mL for ENR and 16 microg/mL for FFC. Ninety percent of the F. psychrophilum isolates were resistant to AMC based on the disk diffusion method, while only 15% of isolates showed resistance based on the agar dilution method. For OT, 20% of isolates were resistant based on disk diffusion, while 75% exhibited resistance based on agar dilution. The importance of susceptibility testing when facing an outbreak of F. psychrophilum at a fish farm is obvious; however, the discrepancies between testing methods for AMC and OT require further studies.

Effects of xylene and formaldehyde inhalations on renal oxidative stress and some serum biochemical parameters in rats.

In this study, it was aimed to demonstrate the possible renal oxidative stress and some serum biochemical parameters and their alterations caused by the exposure to xylene and formaldehyde (HCHO) in rats. Weighing 150—200 g, 12-week-old, 24 female Sprague-Dawley rats were used. The rats were randomly divided into four groups: Group 1 (control), Group 2 (300-ppm technical xylene), Group 3 (6-ppm HCHO) and Group 4 (150-ppm technical xylene + 3-ppm HCHO). The animals were exposed to gases eight hours per day for six weeks. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured. In addition, serum total protein, albumin, urea and creatinine levels were evaluated. Compared with the control animals, urea levels increased significantly in all groups (P < 0.001). GSH activities and MDA levels increased in xylene and xylene + HCHO groups (P < 0.05). No statistically considerable differences were found in SOD, CAT and GSH-Px activities, total protein, albumin and creatinine levels among all groups (P > 0.05). The present study indicates but not statistically confirms the renal toxicity of the exposures to xylene, HCHO and a mixture of them.

The Effect of L-Carnitine on Oxidative Stress Responses of Experimental Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in Rats

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to investigate the prophylactic effects of carnitine against contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) and its relation to oxidant/antioxidant status in kidney, liver, heart, spleen and lung tissues in a CIN rat model. Twenty-eight adult male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups, the control, contrast media (CM), carnitine and contrast media+carnitine (CM+carnitine) groups. Animals were placed in individual metabolism cages, and on the 2nd day, rats were deprived of water for 24 hr. On the 3rd day, contrast media were administered to groups CM and CM+carnitine. L-carnitine was administered on days 2, 3 and 4. Histopathological changes were evaluated in the right kidney after euthanization. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities and glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured in renal, liver, heart, spleen and lung tissues. The SOD activities in the renal (P<0.05), liver (P<0.001) and spleen (P<0.05) tissues were increased in the carnitine group. The CAT activities in the spleen tissue were decreased (P<0.01) only in the CM group. Renal (P<0.05), liver (P<0.001), spleen (P<0.001) and lung tissue (P<0.01) GSH levels were found to be higher in the carnitine group. In renal, liver and lung tissues, the MDA levels increased in the CM group (P<0.001). The histopathological findings showed that L-carnitine may have a preventative effect in alleviating the negative effects of CIN. Similar to this, L-carnitine may play a major role in the stability of the antioxidant status in the kidney, liver, spleen and lung of the CIN rat model.

The Immune System Drugs in Fish: Immune Function, Immunoassay, Drugs

Fish is a heterogeneous group of different organisms which include the agnathans (hagfishes and lampreys), condryctians (sharks and rays) and teleosteans (bony fish). Like in all vertebrates, fish have cellular and humoral immune responses, and central organs whose the main function is involved in immune defence. Fish and mammals show some similarities and some differences regarding immune function (Cabezas, 2006; Nelson, 1994; Tort et al., 2003; Zapata et al., 1996). The fish defence system is basically similar to that described in mammals. For cellular defence systems in fish, teleosts have phagocytic cells similar to macrophages, neutrophils, and natural killer (NK) cells, as well as T and B lymphocytes. Teleosts also have various humoral defence components such as complement (classical and alternative pathways), lysozyme, natural hemolysin, transferrin and C-reactive protein (CRP). The existence of cytokines (such as interferon, interleukin 2 (IL-2), macrophage activating factors (MAF)) has also been reported (Secombes et al., 1996, Sakai, 1999). On the contrary, the morphology of the immune system is quite different between fish and mammals. Most obvious is the fact that fish lack bone marrow and lymph nodes. Instead, the head kidney serves as a major lymphoid organ, in addition to the thymus and spleen (Press & Evensen, 1999). Gut associated lymphoid tissues are also known lymphoid organs, and have been shown to function in eliciting immune responses in carp (Joosten et al., 1996). Some teleosts, such as plaice, have been shown to possess a lymphatic system that is differentiated from the blood vascular system, though the existence of such a system has been challenged in other species (Holvold, 2007). Health of fish depends on the interrelationship of some major components of the fish and the environment in which they live (Figure 1). Tolerance of these various factors is dependent on the host and in many case the husbandry practices. The environment may be the most critical component of the fish health matrix because environmental quality influences the fish’s physiological well-being, species cultured, feeding regimes, rate of growth, and ability to maintain natural and acquired resistance and immunity. Overall physiological status of the fish host is determined by the husbandry practice, environmental quality, the fish’s nutritional well-being and the pathogen, all of which influence the natural resistance and acquired immunity of the host. It is common knowledge that fish stressed by one of these factors are more susceptible to infection (Magnadottir, 2010; Plumb & Hanson, 2011).

Pharmacokinetics of danofloxacin following intravenous and intramuscular administration in donkeys

Danofloxacin (DNF) is a synthetic antibacterial agent of thefluoroquinolone group, developed specifically for use in veteri-nary medicine. The drug possesses good in vitro activity against avariety of pathogens, including gram-positive and gram-negativebacteria, mycoplasmas, and intracellular pathogens, such asBrucella and Chlamdia species; but it has poor activity againstanaerobes (Wolfson & Hooper, 1985; Neu, 1987; McKellar et al.,1998; Aliabadi et al., 2003a).Danofloxacin shares with other fluoroquinolones, such asenrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin, a wide spectrum of activity, alarge volume of distribution and activity at low concentrations(Van Cutsem et al., 1990; Spreng et al., 1995; Brown et al.,1996). Pharmacokinetic properties of different fluoroquinol-ones have been extensively studied on several animal species(Knoll et al., 1999; Atef et al., 2001; Fernandez-Varon et al.,2006). In addition, some fluoroquinolones, such as DNF,moxifloxacin, marbofloxacin and enrofloxacin, are being usedwidely in horses (Bertone et al., 2000; Carretero et al., 2002;Gardner et al., 2004). Pharmacokinetic disposition of DNF hasbeen evaluated in many animal species including cattle, goats,sheep, camels, rabbit, chickens, turkeys, pig and horses (Knollet al., 1999; McKellar et al., 1999; Lindecrona et al., 2000;Atef et al., 2001; Aliabadi et al., 2003a,b; Shojaee Aliabadi L Haritova et al., 2006; Fernandez-Varon et al.,2006, 2007).There is a paucity of data available on the pharmacokineticsof drugs used in donkeys including antibiotics, as donkeys areoften neglected species in domestic animals. Different classes ofdrugs used in horses and ruminants are commonly extrapo-lated to donkeys without optimization of dosing regimens anddetermination of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamicproperties. Because of the lack of registered drugs for donkeys,antimicrobials licensed for horses or ruminants are used fortreatment of bacterial infections in this species with same doserates. In the literature, data are available only on thepharmacokinetics of gentamicin, sulfamethoxazole with tri-methoprim and marbofloxacin in donkeys (Welfare et al.,1996; Peck et al., 2002; Gonza´lez et al., 2007). It has beenreported that donkeys have a greater capacity to metabolizecertain drugs compared with horses; thus higher dosage orshorter intervals are required for maintaining effective con-centrations (Welfare et al., 1996; Matthews et al., 1997Coakley et al., 1999; Peck et al., 2002). Therefore, the aimof the present study was to determine the pharmacokineticproperties of DNF in donkeys following intravenous (i.v.) andintramuscular (i.m.) administration at single dose of1.25 mg⁄kg bodyweight.Six native breed donkeys (Equus asinus) which ranged in agefrom 2 to 5 years and weighted 90–125 kg were used in thisstudy. The animals were kept indoors and had clover hay andwater available ad libitum throughout the course of the study.This study was approved by Animal Ethic Committee ofUniversity of Adnan Menderes. The animals were allocated intotwo groups of three such that the mean weight of animals ineach group was similar and the donkeys were identified byunique freeze brand or natural markings. Danofloxacin wasadministered according to a two-phase crossover design proto-col. In phase I, group I received i.v. the commercially availableinjectable solution of DNF (Advocin , 2.5% w⁄v, Pfizer, Turkey)at a dose of 1.25 mg⁄kg bodyweight and group II received i.m.the same formulation at the same dose rate into gluteal muscle.A 2-week washout period was allowed between the two phases.Heparinized blood samples (5 mL) were collected 1 h prior todrug administration and 5, 15, 30, 45 min and 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6,8, 12, 24, 32, 36 and 48 h post-treatment. Blood samples werecentrifuged at 5000 g for 20 min and plasma was transferred toplastic tubes. All the plasma samples were stored at )20 C untilthe determination of drug concentration. In addition, serumsamples were also collected to determine creatin kinase (CK)activity after i.m. administration. The samples were stored at4 C for 2 h until CK activity (expressed in U⁄L), which wasmeasured preinjection and after i.m. injection using a commer-cial available kit (CK EE547; Linear Chemicals , Barcelona,Spain).

Protective effect of cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin pretreatment against hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative damage in ram sperm

Three experiments were conducted to determine the protective effect of cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin (CLC) against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or cryo-induced damage in ram sperm. In Experiment 1, the fresh ejaculates were either treated with CLC or remained untreated. Both CLC treated and untreated samples were then incubated with 0, 250 or 500 μM H2O2 at 35°C for 12 h. After incubation period of 12 h, the motility, viability and membrane integrity remained higher in CLC treated sperm even in the presence of 250 or 500 μM H2O2. The H2O2 treatment affected all the sperm parameters adversely (P<0.05). However, compared to CLC untreated counterpart, the motility, viability and membrane integrity remained higher (P<0.05) in treated sperm, even in the presence of 250 or 500 μM H2O2 during 12 h of incubation. In Experiment 2, semen was cryopreserved in the presence or absence of CLC. The post-thaw results revealed that CLC treated sperm has higher (P<0.05) motility, viability and membrane integrity compared to the control. In Experiment 3, lipid peroxidation levels were assessed by determining malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations during the H2O2-induced oxidative stress in CLC treated and untreated sperm. However, no difference (P>0.05) in MDA level was observed among the groups at any stage of incubation. In conclusion, the CLC incorporation in ram sperm membrane may protects it against H2O2 or cryo-induced oxidative damage. The cryoprotective influence of CLC on ram sperm might be resulted from, at least partly, its antioxidative property.

The protective effects of vitamin C on the DNA damage, antioxidant defenses and aorta histopathology in chronic hyperhomocysteinemia induced rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of vitamin C towards hyperhomocysteinemia (hHcy) induced oxidative DNA damage using the comet assay. The increase in plasma homocysteine levels is an important risk factor for vascular and cardiovascular diseases through free radical production. This study was also conducted to investigate the histopathological changes in the thoracic aorta and the oxidant/antioxidant status in heart, liver and kidney tissues. Twenty-four adult male Wistar rats were divided as control, hHcy and hHcy+vitamin C group. Chronic hHcy was induced by oral administration of l-methionine (1g/kg/day) for 28 days. Vitamin C was given 150mg/kg/day within the specified days. DNA damage was measured by use of the comet assay in lymphocytes. Levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) as well as catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were determined in heart, liver and renal tissues. Results show that l-methionine administration significantly increased % Tail DNA and Mean Tail Moment in hHcy group as compared with other groups. Vitamin C treatment significantly decreased the high MDA levels and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes in tissues. Aortic diameter and thickness of aortic elastic laminae were significantly lower in hHcy+vitamin C group. Comet assay can be used for the assessment of primary DNA damage caused by hHcy. Histopathological findings showed that vitamin C may have a preventive effect in alleviating the negative effects of hHcy. Vitamin C might be useful in the prevention of endothelial dysfunction caused by hHcy.

Effects of carprofen and meloxicam on C-reactive protein, ceruloplasmin, and fibrinogen concentrations in dogs undergoing ovariohysterectomy

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of perioperative oral administration of carprofen and meloxicam on concentrations of 3 acute-phase proteins in dogs undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy (OVH). ANIMALS 18 healthy adult anestrous female dogs undergoing elective OVH. PROCEDURES Dogs were allocated to 3 groups (6 dogs/group). A placebo treatment, carprofen (2.0 mg/kg), or meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg) was orally administered to the dogs of the respective groups. The initial doses were administered 30 minutes before premedication prior to OVH; additional doses were administered once daily for 4 days after surgery. Blood samples were collected 45 minutes before premedication and 4, 8, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours after the end of OVH; samples were used for measurement of total WBC and neutrophil counts and concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), ceruloplasmin, and fibrinogen. RESULTS Values did not differ significantly among groups for WBC and neutrophil counts, serum concentrations of CRP and ceruloplasmin, and plasma concentrations of fibrinogen. Concentrations of all inflammatory markers, except serum ceruloplasmin, increased significantly following OVH, but in a similar manner for each group. No significant changes were detected in serum ceruloplasmin concentrations over time. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Perioperative administration of both carprofen and meloxicam did not significantly affect the concentrations of CRP, ceruloplasmin, and fibrinogen in dogs undergoing OVH. Thus, use of carprofen or meloxicam should not affect clinical interpretation of results for these 3 acute-phase proteins.

The first histopathological evidence of trimetazidine for the prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy.

Abstract Aim: We aimed to investigate the prophylactic effects of trimetazidine (TMZ) against contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in rat kidneys. Methods and results: 28 Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups of 7 rats each (control (C), contrast media (CM) TMZ, trimetazidin + contrast media groups (TMZ + CM). The administration of TMZ solution was done on d2, d3 and d4. Fifth day, contrast media was administered at a single dose. On d6 scarification was performed. The oxidant/antioxidant parameters were measured and histopathological scores were performed in kidney tissues. Most of the histopathological scores were significantly higher in the CM group as compared to other groups. Moreover, the scores of the TMZ + CM and C groups were not statistically different. CM group, had significantly higher levels of MDA compared to the C and CM + TMZ groups (562.82 ± 38.15 vs. 419.15 ± 49.01 and 507.34 ± 14.16 01 nmol/mg protein respectively) (p < 0.001). CM group had significantly lower levels of SOD as compared to C, CM + TMZ and TMZ groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this study for the first time, histopathologically demonstrated the effectiveness of TMZ for the prevention of CIN.