Shyam Pyari Jaiswar

Mucuna pruriens Reduces Stress and Improves the Quality of Semen in Infertile Men

The present investigation was undertaken to assess the role of Mucuna pruriens in infertile men who were under psychological stress. Study included 60 subjects who were undergoing infertility screening and were found to be suffering from psychological stress, assessed on the basis of a questionnaire and elevated serum cortisol levels. Age-matched 60 healthy men having normal semen parameters and who had previously initiated at least one pregnancy were included as controls. Infertile subjects were administered with M. pruriens seed powder (5 g day−1) orally. For carrying out morphological and biochemical analysis, semen samples were collected twice, first before starting treatment and second after 3 months of treatment. The results demonstrated decreased sperm count and motility in subjects who were under psychological stress. Moreover, serum cortisol and seminal plasma lipid peroxide levels were also found elevated along with decreased seminal plasma glutathione (GSH) and ascorbic acid contents and reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activity. Treatment with M. pruriens significantly ameliorated psychological stress and seminal plasma lipid peroxide levels along with improved sperm count and motility. Treatment also restored the levels of SOD, catalase, GSH and ascorbic acid in seminal plasma of infertile men. On the basis of results of the present study, it may be concluded that M. pruriens not only reactivates the anti-oxidant defense system of infertile men but it also helps in the management of stress and improves semen quality.

Mucuna pruriens improves male fertility by its action on the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis.

OBJECTIVE To understand the mechanism of action of Mucuna pruriens in the treatment of male infertility. DESIGN Prospective study. SETTING Departments of Biochemistry, Urology, and Obstetrics and Gynecology, C.S.M. Medical University, Lucknow, India. PATIENT(S) Seventy-five normal healthy fertile men (controls) and 75 men undergoing infertility screening. INTERVENTION(S) High-performance liquid chromatography assay for quantitation of dopa, adrenaline, and noradrenaline in seminal plasma and blood. Estimation by RIA of hormonal parameters in blood plasma, namely T, LH, FSH, and PRL. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Before and after treatment, serum T, LH, FSH, PRL, dopamine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline in seminal and blood plasma were measured. RESULT(S) Decreased sperm count and motility were seen in infertile subjects. Serum T and LH levels, as well as seminal plasma and blood levels of dopamine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline were also decreased in all groups of infertile men. This was accompanied by significantly increased serum FSH and PRL levels in oligozoospermic subjects. Treatment with M. pruriens significantly improved T, LH, dopamine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline levels in infertile men and reduced levels of FSH and PRL. Sperm count and motility were significantly recovered in infertile men after treatment. CONCLUSION(S) Treatment with M. pruriens regulates steroidogenesis and improves semen quality in infertile men.

MicroRNA: a new and promising potential biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of ovarian cancer.

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the leading cause of death among all gynecological malignancies. Despite the technological and medical advances over the past four decades, such as the development of several biological markers (mRNA and proteins biomarkers), the mortality rate of ovarian cancer remains a challenge because of its late diagnosis, which is specifically attributed to low specificities and sensitivities. Under this compulsive scenario, recent advances in expression biology have shifted in identifying and developing specific and sensitive biomarkers, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. MiRNAs are a novel class of small non-coding RNAs that deregulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level, either by translational repression or by mRNA degradation. These mechanisms may be involved in a complex cascade of cellular events associated with the pathophysiology of many types of cancer. MiRNAs are easily detectable in tissue and blood samples of cancer patients. Therefore, miRNAs hold good promise as potential biomarkers in ovarian cancer. In this review, we attempted to provide a comprehensive profile of key miRNAs involved in ovarian carcinoma to establish miRNAs as more reliable non-invasive clinical biomarkers for early detection of ovarian cancer compared with protein and DNA biomarkers.

Synergistic Effect of Graphene Oxide Coated Nanotised Apigenin with Paclitaxel (GO-NA/PTX): A ROS Dependent Mitochondrial Mediated Apoptosis in Ovarian Cancer

BACKGROUND Ovarian cancer is most lethal among all gynecologic malignancies. Paclitaxel (PTX) is well used chemotherapeutic regimen for cancer control; however its undesired toxicity has been a matter of concern for clinicians. Here, we used the graphene oxide coated nanotised apigenin (GO-NA) to enhance the efficacy of paclitaxel. OBJECTIVE The combined use of paclitaxel (PTX) and nanotised apigenin (NA) may reduce the PTX dose and increase the efficacy. METHODS GO and GO-Apigenin was prepared by modified Hummers method and the nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. SKOV-3 cells were treated by DMSO, Group I (Control)-McCoys 5A Medium, Group II-Paclitaxel (5nM), Group III- Nanotised Apigenin (GO-NA-10µM), Group IV- Paclitaxel (5nM) + GO-NA (10µM). Cell viability and IC-50 value were determined by MTT assay, synergism by Compusyn software, ROS by DCFH-DA assay, SOD activity by kit and MMP were examined by JC-1 and mitotracker/DAPI staining, cell cycle by flow cytometry, mRNA and protein level by Real Time-PCR and Western blot respectively Results: Results showed that GO-NA-PTX enhanced the anti-proliferative effect in synergistic manner as compare to GO-NA and PTX alone. GO-NA-PTX significantly suppressed the SOD activity, promotes the ROS accumulation, mitochondrial depolarization, DNA integrity and cell cycle arrest collectively accord the apoptosis. Results of immunocytochemistry, RT-PCR and western blot showed up-regulation of caspase-3, Bax, and down-regulation of Bcl-2. CONCLUSION The combination of PTX with GO-NA produces synergistic effects in SKOV-3 cells via the modulation of pro and anti-apoptotic gene and may reduce side effects of PTX.