The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of antioxidants lycopene and insulin on histological changes and expression of Bcl-2 family genes in the hippocampus of streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic rats. Forty-eight Wistar rats were divided into six groups of control (C), control treated with lycopene (CL), diabetic (D), diabetic treated with insulin (DI), diabetic treated with lycopene (DL), and diabetic treated with insulin and lycopene (DIL). Diabetes was induced by an injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg, IP), lycopene (4 mg/kg/day) was given to the lycopene treated groups as gavages, and insulin (Sc, 1-2 U/kg/day) was injected to the groups treated with insulin. The number of hippocampus neurons undergoing cell death in group D had significant differences with groups C and DIL (p < 0.001). Furthermore, insulin and lycopene alone or together reduced the expression of Bax, but increased Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL levels in DI, DL, and DIL rats, especially when compared to group D (p < 0.001). The ratios of Bax/Bcl-2 and Bax/Bcl-xL in DI, DL, and DIL rats were also reduced (p < 0.001). Our results indicate that treatment with insulin and/or lycopene contribute to the prevention of cell death by reducing the expression of proapoptotic genes and increasing the expression of antiapoptotic genes in the hippocampus.

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Background:Bisphenol A (BPA) and nonylphenol (NP) have harmful effects on the endocrine system of humans and animals.Aim:We sought to investigate the effect of three doses of BPA and NP on the reproductive parameters of rats.Materials and Methods:Adult Wistar male rats weighing 150–200 g were used for a consecutive 35-day study. BPA and NP were given as gavage in three doses (5, 25, and 125 μg/kg). At the end of the study, the rats were anesthetized and 2 ml blood sample was obtained from the auxiliary venous plexus for the assessment of sex hormone levels. The testes were removed and kept in 10% formalin for the histomorphometric and histopathologic analyses.Results:BPA and NP significantly decreased the body weight of the animals compared to the controls (P < 0.05). The seminiferous tubule diameter and thickness of the seminiferous epithelium were significantly decreased in the groups receiving BPA and NP compared to the control (P < 0.05). The number of seminiferous tubules in every experimental group increased, except for the highest dose of NP (125 μg/kg), which showed a significant difference compared to the controls (P < 0.05). The number of spermatocytes and spermatogonia (54.97 ± 5.824, 35.78 ± 3.956, respectively) in the group receiving NP (125 μg/kg) was significantly decreased compared to the other groups. Serum levels of luteinizing hormone, Follicle stimulating hormone, and testosterone did not show any significant change compared to the controls.Conclusion:Based on the results, all three doses of BPA and NP significantly produced weight loss, as well as destruction of the testis tissue and impairment of the spermatogenesis.

Diabetes is now regarded as a major public health problem. The number of patients is estimated to increase to over 439 million cases by 2030. One of the major health clinical problems in patients with diabetes patients is impaired wound healing. Diabetic foot ulcer is a major complication of diabetes mellitus in 12 to 25% of patients, which increases the risk of damage in the limbs or amputation. The earthworm Eisenia foetida glycolipoprotein (as known G-90) is a blend of macromolecules with some biological properties including mitogenicity, anticoagulation, fibrinolysis, bacteriostatic and antioxidatiaon. Given the biological properties of G-90, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of extract obtained from the homogenate of Eisenia foetida (G-90) on the wound healing process in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. The results of the present study revealed that treatment by using G-90 can speed up the wound healing process, which is exactly similar to the effect of D-panthenol treatment in rats. These findings also demonstrated that G-90 treatment decreases the risk of infection in the wound site compared with D-panthenol treatment. In addition, histological analysis indicated that a better extracellular matrix formation with increased fibroblast proliferation, neovascularization, collagen synthesis and early epithelial layer formation was observed in G-90 treated group. Therefore, the G-90 could be considered as a new wound healing agent introducing promising therapeutic approaches in both human and veterinary medicine. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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