No abstract

The immunotoxic effects of the isoquinoline alkaloid berberine (BBR) were investigated in Balb/c mice. Here, BBR was administered daily by intraperitoneal injection at doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg for 14 days. Following the exposure, host spleen weight, cellularity and histopathology, as well as delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses, hemagglutination titers (HA), spleen cell subtype profiles, splenocyte cytokine production and lymphocyte proliferation were studied in all of the test groups of animals. The results showed that the high dose of BBR (10 mg/kg) could suppress both cellular and humoral immune functions in the treated hosts. BBR at 5 mg/kg only appeared to impact on DTH responses and lymphoproliferation. Based on the finding here, it would seem that BBR has effective immunosuppressive properties. Mechanistic studies are required to determine exactly how this material is acting to impart many of the immunotoxic effects demonstrated here. At the same time, further research should also be performed on BBR to further develop its potential use as an effective immunosuppressant or co-adjuvant for the treatment of diseases caused by an exaggerated or unwanted immune response.

The remarkable reduction of IL-6 and IL-10 gene expressions, significant enhancement of TGF-β and Foxp3 gene expressions, along with an increase in Treg cell population after oral 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 administration suggest a possible role for this vitamin as a prophylactic supplement in SLE.

We demonstrated that despite the previous reports on the frequency of HCV genotypes in Iran, 3a is the predominant genotype in Mashhad.

Saffron is a well-known spice produced from dried stigmas of Crocus sativus L. flowers. Apart from its wide use in food preparations, it also has a broad range of medical properties. We examined the potential anti-inflammatory effects of saffron ethanolic extract (SEE) using an animal model of arthritis. Adjuvant-induced arthritis was induced in Wistar rats by injection of Complete Freund's Adjuvant. The rats were then injected intraperitoneally every other day with 25-600 mg SEE/kg or dexamethasone (DEX, 2 mg/kg). Changes in body weight, paw oedema and arthritis indices were recorded over the subsequent 12 days of treatment. Results revealed that SEE particularly at the higher concentrations significantly reduced paw and tibiotarsal joint diameters and comparing with DEX caused no significant change in body weight. These observations suggest that SEE displays a considerable anti-inflammatory potency and could potentially be used as an anti-arthritic agent in control of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.