Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is a common organophosphorus insecticide. It is associated with negative consequences such as neurotoxicity and reproductive injury. This study aimed to observe the ability of olive leaf extract to attenuate chlorpyrifos toxicity, which induced neuro- and reproductive toxicity in male albino rats. Olive leaf extract (OLE) exhibits potent antioxidant and antiapoptotic properties. Twenty-two mature male rats were divided into four groups: control (saline), CPF (9 mg/kg), OLE (150 mg/kg), and CPF + OLE. Treatment was administered orally for 80 days. The CPF significantly reduced serum sex hormones, sperm counts and motility, high oxidants (MDA), and depleted antioxidants (GSH, SOD, TAC) in the brain and testes homogenate; additionally, it decreased serum AChE and brain neurotransmitters, increased Bax, decreased Bcl-2, and boosted caspase-3 immune expression in neural and testicular cells. Immunological expression of Ki 67 in the cerebrum, cerebellum, choroid plexus, and hippocampus was reduced, and α-SMA in testicular tissue also decreased. Histopathological findings were consistent with the above impacts. OLE co-administration significantly normalized all these abnormalities. OLE showed significant protection against neural and reproductive damage caused by CPF.

Appropriate skeletal muscle development in poultry is positively related to increasing its meat production. Synthetic peptides with growth hormone-boosting properties can intensify the effects of endogenous growth hormones. However, their effects on the mRNA and miRNA expression profiles that control muscle development post-hatching in broiler chicks is unclear. Thus, we evaluated the possible effects of synthetic growth hormone-boosting peptide (GHBP) inclusion on a chicken’s growth rate, skeletal muscle development-related genes and myomiRs, serum biochemical parameters, and myofiber characteristics. A total of 400 one-day-old broiler chicks were divided into four groups supplied with GHBP at the levels of 0, 100, 200 and 300 μg/kg for 7 days post-hatching. The results showed that the highest levels of serum IGF-1 and GH at d 20 and d 38 post-hatching were found in the 200 μg/kg GHBP group. Targeted gene expression analysis in skeletal muscle revealed that the GHBP effect was more prominent at d 20 post-hatching. The maximum muscle development in the 200 μg/kg GHBP group was fostered by the upregulation of IGF-1, mTOR, myoD, and myogenin and the downregulation of myostatin and the Pax-3 and -7 genes compared to the control group. In parallel, muscle-specific myomiR analysis described upregulation of miR-27b and miR-499 and down-regulation of miR-1a, miR-133a, miR-133b, and miR-206 in both the 200 and 300 μg/kg GHBP groups. This was reflected in the weight gain of birds, which was increased by 17.3 and 11.2% in the 200 and 300 μg/kg GHBP groups, respectively, when compared with the control group. Moreover, the maximum improvement in the feed conversion ratio was achieved in the 200 μg/kg GHBP group. The myogenic effects of GHBP were also confirmed via studying myofiber characteristics, wherein the largest myofiber sizes and areas were achieved in the 200 μg/kg GHBP group. Overall, our findings indicated that administration of 200 μg/kg GHBP for broiler chicks could accelerate their muscle development by positively regulating muscle-specific mRNA and myomiR expression and reinforcing myofiber growth.

The structural characteristic of the main olfactory bulb (MOB) shows species-dependent variations. However, the correlation of such structure with olfactory function as well as with the ecological and evolutionary behaviours is less understood. Therefore, the aim of the current investigation was to elucidate the species differences of the structure of MOB in two ecologically diverse species, dogs and goats. For that purpose, thirteen heads of each species were obtained. The brains and the olfactory bulbs were dissected for anatomical, histological and immunohistochemical analyses for detection of glial fibril acidic protein (GFAP) and chromogranin A. Anatomically, the volume of the olfactory bulb to the whole brain volume was higher in dogs (1.74%) than goats (0.57%). Histologically, the main olfactory bulbs were organized in the following layers: the olfactory nerve layer (ONL), the glomerular layer (GL), the external plexiform layer (EPL), the mitral cell layer (MCL), internal plexiform layer (IPL) , the granule cell layer (GCL) and a periventricular layer (PVL). Enormous number of juxtaglomerular and mitral cells, thickness of GL, EPL and GCL were significantly greater in dogs than goats. Immunohistochemically, the integrated density percentage of GFAP and chromogranin A was significantly higher in dogs than goats. The average number of mitral cell neurons in a standard area was significantly higher in dogs (6 ±.37) than goats (3.16 ±.31). Therefore, our data suggested that such apparent structural difference of MOB between the dog and the goat could be correlated with superior olfactory sensitivity and subsequently the ecological and lifestyle behaviour of dogs.