Kaempferia parviflora Wall. Ex.Baker or Krachidum (KP) has been used locally in medicine and food. It has been claimed that KP has aphrodisia properties; however, no scientific data in support of this function in diabetic model have been reported. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of KP on sexual behaviour and sperm parameter in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic male rats. Diabetes was induced in twenty male rats by STZ and divided into four groups: diabetic control group, and 3 treatment groups where KP was dose at 140, 280 and 420 mg/kg orally once a day for 6 weeks. Five normal control rats were treated with vehicle. The body weight, blood glucose, food intake, epididymal sperm parameter, sexual behaviour and serum testosterone level were evaluated. The results showed that KP treatment has no effect on the body weight, blood glucose and food intake in diabetic rats. A significant increase in sperm density in diabetic rats was observed (p < .05) at highest dose of KP. Furthermore, KP treatment demonstrated a significant recovery of sexual behaviour and serum testosterone levels in diabetic rats. These results confirm that KP exhibits aphrodisiac properties that improve the sperm density, testosterone level and sexual performance of STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Background and Aim: Hermetia illucens, a black soldier fly, is widely recognized for sustainable recycling of organic waste. Black soldier fly larvae (BSFLs) can consume various types of biowastes and convert them into nutrient-rich biomass, including proteins, lipids, chitin, and minerals. This study investigated the best extraction method by comparing the fatty acid profiles, percentage yield, and antioxidant properties of BSFL oil extracted using different extraction methods. Materials and Methods: The physicochemical properties, fatty acid profile, and free radical scavenging ability of BSFL oil were analyzed using six extraction methods. Results: Ultrasonic extraction with hexane resulted in the highest yields compared with different extraction methods. Lauric acid (28%–37%) was the most abundant fatty acid in all extracts, followed by palmitic acid, myristic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid. Compared with other methods, aqueous extraction showed the highest lauric acid composition and free radical scavenging activities. In addition, high-temperature aqueous extraction resulted in higher oil yield and free radical scavenging activities than low-temperature extraction. Conclusion: High-temperature aqueous extraction is the best extraction method because it is rich in lauric acid, has antioxidant ability, and can be further developed to produce novel sustainable biomaterials for humans and animals. Keywords: black soldier fly, extraction method, fatty acid, Hermetia illucens.

The present study investigated the effects of Vernonia cinerea (VC) on the reproductive function in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic male rats. Six-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: group 1, normal control rats; group 2, diabetic untreated rats; group 3, diabetic rats treated with VC (10 mg/kg); and group 4, diabetic rats treated with VC (40 mg/kg). Diabetes mellitus (DM) was induced by intraperitoneal injection of STZ (60 mg/kg). All animals were treated for 30 consecutive days. Body weight, blood glucose, food intake, epididymal sperm parameters, testicular microstructure and serum testosterone levels were evaluated. VC treatment significantly restored the sperm motility and testosterone concentration, and decreased the testicular histopathological changes in DM rats. Moreover, high-dose VC exhibited an antidibetic activity and significantly improved the sperm count. In conclusion, we found, for the first time, that administration of VC significantly restored the testicular function and testosterone concentration in diabetic male rats.

The number of patients infected with simian malaria is gradually increasing in many countries of Southeast Asia and South America. The most important risk factor for a zoonotic spillover event of malarial infection is mostly influenced by the interaction between humans, monkeys, and vectors. In this study, we determine the protein expression profile of a wild stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides) from a total of 32 blood samples collected from Prachuap Kiri Khan Province, Thailand. The malarial parasite was analyzed using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays by dividing the samples into three groups: non-infected, mono-infected, and multiple-infected. The identification and differential proteomic expression profiles were determined using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and bioinformatics tools. A total of 9,532 proteins (total proteins) were identified with the filter-based selection methods analysis, and a subset of 440 proteins were found to be different between each group. Within these proteins, the GhostKOALA functional enrichment analysis indicated that 142 important proteins were associated with either of the organismal system (28.87%), genetic information processing (23.24%), environmental information processing (16.20%), metabolism (13.38%), cellular processes (11.97%), or causing human disease (6.34%). Additionally, using interaction network analysis, nine potential reporter proteins were identified. Here, we report the first study on the protein profiles differentially expressed in the serum of wild stump-tailed macaques between non, mono, and multiple malarial infected living in a natural transmission environment. Our findings demonstrate that differentially expressed proteins implicated in host defense through lipid metabolism, involved with TGF pathway were suppressed, while those with the apoptosis pathway, such as cytokines and proinflammation signals were increased. Including the parasite’s response via induced hemolysis and disruption of myeloid cells. A greater understanding of the fundamental processes involved in a malarial infection and host response can be crucial for developing diagnostic tools, medication development, and therapies to improve the health of those affected by the disease.

Crocodile oil is a highly effective treatment for ailments ranging from skin conditions to cancer. However, the effects of the oil on liver detoxification pathways are not well studied. This study aimed to investigate the effects of crocodile oil on the detoxification enzyme activities and the mRNA expressions of cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2), cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in rats. The rats were divided into four groups (n = 7/group): rats received a standard diet (C), a high-fat diet or HFD (H), and HFD with 1 ml (HCO1) and 3 ml (HCO3) of the oil per kg body weight. Interestingly, the oil yields from this study presented alpha-linolenic acid (0.96%) at similar levels compared with fish oil. The results revealed that HFD significantly increased the activity and relative gene expression of CYP1A2 in the H group ( ), whereas 3% crocodile oil normalized the enzyme activities compared to the C group. This suggested inhibiting the HFD-induced expression of CYP1A2 mediated by the omega-3 fatty acids found in the oil. Also, crocodile oil supplementation did not reduce the activities of GST. However, the relative gene expression of GSTA1 was significantly decreased ( ) in the HCO1 and HCO3 groups compared to the H group, which might be attributed to the lower lipid peroxidation that occurred in the liver tissues. Therefore, it could be suggested that using crocodile oil could help in liver detoxification through the CYP1A2 even when offered with a HFD.

Background and Aim: Consumption of fatty acids (FA) can alter hepatic energy metabolism and mitochondrial function in the liver. Crocodile oil (CO) is rich in mono-and polyunsaturated FAs, which have natural anti-inflammatory and healing properties. In rat livers, we investigated the effect of CO on mitochondrial function for energy homeostasis. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups at random. Group 1 rats were given sterile water (RO), Group 2 rats were given CO (3% v/w), and Group 3 rats were given palm oil (PO) (3% v/w). For 7 weeks, rats were given sterile water, CO, and PO orally. The researchers looked at body weight, food intake, liver weight, energy intake, blood lipid profiles, and mitochondria-targeted metabolites in the liver. The liver's histopathology, mitochondrial architecture, and hydrolase domain containing 3 (HDHD3) protein expression in liver mitochondria were studied. Results: Body weight, liver weight, liver index, dietary energy intake, and serum lipid profiles were all unaffected by CO treatment. The CO group consumed significantly less food than the RO group. The CO group also had significantly higher levels of oxaloacetate and malate than the PO group. CO treatment significantly ameliorated hepatic steatosis, as evidenced by a greater decrease in the total surface area of lipid particles than PO treatment. CO administration preserved mitochondrial morphology in the liver by upregulating the energetic maintenance protein HDHD3. Furthermore, chemical-protein interactions revealed that HDHD3 was linked to the energy homeostatic pathway. Conclusion: CO may benefit liver function by preserving hepatic mitochondrial architecture and increasing energy metabolic activity.