Co-Treatment with Cranberry and Vitamin-C Mitigates Reproductive Toxicities Induced by Phenobarbital in Male Rats.

Background/aims: Phenobarbital (PB), commonly used for epilepsy management, is associated with testicular dysfunction after prolonged use. This study aimed to evaluate the ameliorative effects of cranberry (CB) and vitamin C (Vit-C) on PB-induced reproductive toxicity in rats.

Methods: Forty male Wistar rats were divided into five groups.

Biochemical Characterisation and Antitumour Effect of Parotoid Gland Secretions of the Egyptian Toad ().

This study aims to determine the biochemical compositions and the antitumour effect of the parotoid gland secretions (PGS) of the Egyptian toad (). The total protein, lipid, carbohydrate contents, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), the median inhibitory concentration (IC) of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), sodium dodecyl-sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) profile, amino acid analysis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis and minerals were determined in PGS. The antitumour effect of PGS against human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2), breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and normal lung fibroblast (WI-38) cell lines were determined.

Modulation of the oxidative damage, inflammation, and apoptosis-related genes by dicinnamoyl-L-tartaric acid in liver cancer.

Cancer cells can become resistant to existing treatments over time, so it is important to develop new treatments that target different pathways to stay ahead of this resistance. Many cancer treatments have severe side effects that can be debilitating and even life-threatening. Developing drugs that can effectively treat cancer while minimizing the risks of these side effects is essential for improving the quality of life of cancer patients.

Artemisia annua L. (Sweet wormwood) leaf extract attenuates high-fat diet-induced testicular dysfunctions and improves spermatogenesis in obese rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Artemisia annua L., known as "sweet wormwood," is widely used in Egyptian folk medicine. Egyptians implement the aerial parts in the treatment of respiratory, digestive and sexual dysfunctions.

Amygdalin potentiates the anti-cancer effect of Sorafenib on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and ameliorates the associated liver damage.

The burden of cancer diseases is increasing every year, therefore, the demands to figure out novel drugs that can retain antitumor properties have been raised. This study aimed to investigate the anti-tumor properties of amygdalin (Amy) against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) bearing mice and its protective properties against liver damage. Amy and the standard anticancer drug Sorafenib (Sor) were given alone or in combination to Swiss albino female mice that had been injected with EAC cells.

sp. Leaves Extract Ameliorates the Hepato-Renal Toxicities Induced by Cadmium in Mice.

Heavy metals intoxication causes several health problems that necessitate finding new protective and therapeutic approaches. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of sp. leaves extract (MLE) on hepato-renal toxicities induced by cadmium (Cd) in male mice.

Toxicity of bean cooking media containing EDTA in mice.

The possible renal and hepatic toxicities of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) in bean cooking media were studied using 100 male albino mice. Two sublethal doses of EDTA were used to explore their toxic effects; 20 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg, which corresponded to 1/100th and 1/10th of LD, respectively. Accordingly, the toxicity study was performed using 50 mice, divided into five groups ( = 10/group) as follows: group 1 (Gp1) served as a negative control and was orally administered normal saline; group 2 (Gp2) was administered the bean cooking medium; group 3 (Gp3) was administered EDTA (200 mg/kg); group 4 (Gp4) was administered bean cooking medium containing 20 mg/kg of EDTA; and group 5 (Gp5) was administered bean cooking medium containing 200 mg/kg of EDTA.

The Toll-Like Receptor 3 Agonist Polyriboinosinic Polyribocytidylic Acid Increases the Numbers of NK Cells with Distinct Phenotype in the Liver of B6 Mice.

One of the activating factors of the cells of the innate immune system is the agonists of toll-like receptors (TLRs). Our earlier publications detailed how poly(I:C), a TLR3 agonist, elevates the NK cell population and the associated antigen-specific CD8 T cell responses. This study involved a single treatment of the B6 mice with poly(I:C) intraperitoneally.

Cooking with EDTA reduces nutritional value of beans.

Ethylenediamine terta-acetic acid (EDTA) used to accelerate the cooking process of ) beans. In this study, the effect of cooking with EDTA on the nutritional value of beans was addressed. Water contents, total proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals and amino acids were determined before and after boiling with EDTA (2 g/L).

Cardioprotective effect of green tea extract and vitamin E on Cisplatin-induced cardiotoxicity in mice: Toxicological, histological and immunohistochemical studies.

Background: Cisplatin (CP) has been used in wide range for cancer treatment. Although nephrotoxicity of CP was the main complication, cardiotoxicity has been reported.

Objectives: This study investigates the protective role of green tea extract (GTE) and vitamin E (Vit-E) against CP-induced cardiotoxicity, and assesses their impact on CP antitumor efficacy.

Evaluation of antibacterial and anticancer properties of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) functionalized with different amino compounds.

The chemical modification of biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is useful for biomedical applications. In this study, the transesterification reaction of PHB was carried out under reflux conditions in the presence of 1,4-butanediol to form telechelic PHB-diol. Further modification of PHB-diol into PHB-diacrylate was carried out by the reaction of PHB-diol with acryloyl chloride.

Cyclophosphamide eradicates murine immunogenic tumor coding for a non-self-antigen and induces antitumor immunity.

Although the majority of cancers respond to chemotherapy, most cancer types relapse, at least in part, due to the poor immunogenicity of most tumor. We have reported before that treatment of tumor bearing mice with a combination of the anti-cancer chemotherapy cyclophosphamide (CTX) and immunotherapy can result in complete tumor regression using T-cell receptor (TCR) transgenic CD8 T cells specific to antigens. This study aimed to determine whether chemotherapy can cure immunogenic tumor which expresses non-self-tumor antigen and result in antitumor immunity.

Growth, hydrolases and ultrastructure of Fusarium oxysporum as affected by phenolic rich extracts from several xerophytic plants.

Fusarium oxysporum, the causal agent of rot and wilt diseases, is one of the most detrimental phytopathogens for the productivity of many economic crops. The present study was conducted to evaluate the potentiality of some xerophytic plants as eco-friendly approach for management of F. oxysporum.

Efficacy of Rosmarinus officinalis leaves extract against cyclophosphamide-induced hepatotoxicity.

Context Cyclophosphamide (CTX) is used to treat different cancer types, although it causes severe hepatotoxicity due to its oxidative stress effect. Rosmarinus officinalis, L. (Lamiaceae) has a therapeutic potential against hepatotoxicity due to its antioxidant activity.

Ameliorative effect of propolis against cyclophosphamide-induced toxicity in mice.

Context: Cyclophosphamide (CTX) is a common anticancer agent used for the treatment of several malignancies. However, upon treatment, it induces severe toxicity due to its oxidative stress capability. Propolis, a natural product collected by honey bees, has shown several biological activities, such as free radical scavenging and antioxidant agent.

Cyclophosphamide induces dynamic alterations in the host microenvironments resulting in a Flt3 ligand-dependent expansion of dendritic cells.

Preconditioning a recipient host with lymphodepletion can markedly augment adoptive T cell therapy. However, the precise mechanisms involved are poorly understood. In a recent study, we observed a significant increase in the circulating levels of dendritic cells (DCs; CD11c(+)CD11b(+)) during the recovery from cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced lymphodepletion.

Cyclophosphamide induces bone marrow to yield higher numbers of precursor dendritic cells in vitro capable of functional antigen presentation to T cells in vivo.

We have shown recently that cyclophosphamide (CTX) treatment induced a marked increase in the numbers of immature dendritic cells (DCs) in blood, coinciding with enhanced antigen-specific responses of the adoptively transferred CD8(+) T cells. Because this DC expansion was preceded by DC proliferation in bone marrow (BM), we tested whether BM post CTX treatment can generate higher numbers of functional DCs. BM was harvested three days after treatment of C57BL/6 mice with PBS or CTX and cultured with GM-CSF/IL-4 in vitro.

Recovery from cyclophosphamide-induced lymphopenia results in expansion of immature dendritic cells which can mediate enhanced prime-boost vaccination antitumor responses in vivo when stimulated with the TLR3 agonist poly(I:C).

Recent preclinical studies suggest that vaccination following adoptive transfer of CD8(+) T cells into a lymphopenic host can augment the therapeutic antitumor responses of the transferred cells. However, the mechanism by which the lymphopenic microenvironment benefits Ag-specific CD8(+) T cell responses remains elusive. We show herein that induction of lymphodepletion by a single 4 mg cyclophosphamide (CTX) treatment induces a marked expansion of immature dendritic cells (DCs) in the peripheral blood on days 8-16 post-CTX (termed restoration phase).

The TLR3 agonist poly(I:C) targets CD8+ T cells and augments their antigen-specific responses upon their adoptive transfer into naïve recipient mice.

We have recently reported that the toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) agonist poly(I:C) induces adjuvant effects to post vaccination CD8+ T cells responses through rapid induction of innate mediators, including NK cells, macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs), and inflammatory cytokines. However, whether this TLR3 agonist directly targets CD8+ T cells needs to be carefully investigated. In this study, we found that optimal post vaccination CD8+ T cell responses to ex vivo DC-based vaccination requires triggering of TLR3 signaling pathway in DCs in vitro as well as in the recipient host, indicating a role for other cell types.

Priming of naive CD8+ T cells in the presence of IL-12 selectively enhances the survival of CD8+CD62Lhi cells and results in superior anti-tumor activity in a tolerogenic murine model.

During the antigen-dependant activation process several subsets CD8+ T cells appear with different phenotypic and functional characteristics. Recent studies indicate that the state of T cell differentiation radically affects their ability to effectively respond to tumor challenge, with early effector CD8+ T (CD62Lhigh) cells having better anti-tumor activity. Thus strategies aimed at optimizing the generation of such subpopulations could significantly enhance the effectiveness of adoptive cell therapy (ACT) for cancer.

Defining the ability of cyclophosphamide preconditioning to enhance the antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell response to peptide vaccination: creation of a beneficial host microenvironment involving type I IFNs and myeloid cells.

Although cyclophosphamide (CTX) has been clearly shown to enhance active specific and adoptive immunotherapies, the mechanism(s) underlying these beneficial effects have not been clearly defined. To define the impact of CTX preconditioning on the antigen-specific CD8 T-cell response to peptide vaccination, we used an adoptive transfer model based on the OT-1 T-cell receptor transgenic mouse. CTX preconditioning dramatically enhanced the antigen-specific CD8 T-cell response to peptide vaccination.

Review: novel nonviral delivery approaches for interleukin-12 protein and gene systems: curbing toxicity and enhancing adjuvant activity.

It has become increasingly apparent that the ability to generate an optimal host immune response requires effective cross talk between the innate and adaptive components of the immune system. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, in particular those that can induce a danger signal, often called signal 3, are crucial in this role of initiating and augmenting the presentation of exogenous antigen to T cells by dendritic cells. Interleukin-12 (IL-12) in particular has been defined as a "signal 3" cytokine required for the antigen cross priming.