Effect Of Walnut Leaf, Coriander And Pomegranate On Blood Glucose And Histopathology Of Pancreas Of Alloxan Induced Diabetic Rats

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Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid or ascorbate) is a biomolecule that participates in many biochemical processes. It is an essential nutrient for humans, however, in some species such as rodents and guinea pigs is synthesized. It has a variety of functions in the body that we might venture to say make it a very important antioxidant nature and pro-oxidant. L-ascorbic acidic a reduced form of vitamin C and dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) is the oxidized form of ascorbate, both L-ascorbic acid and dihydroascorbic acid retain the vitamin C activity. Dehydro-ascorbate is reconverted to ascorbate in the cytosol by cytochrome b reductase and thioredoxin reductase in reactions involving NADH and NADPH, respectively. Ascorbate is transported into the cell via the sodium-dependent vitamin C transporters (SVCTs), which causes accumulation of ascorbate within cells against a concentration gradient. Dehydroascorbic acid, the oxidized form of ascorbate, is transported via glucose transporters family (GLUTs). The highest concentrations of ascorbate in the body are found in brain and adrenal gland. Vitamin C also acts as a co-factor in several enzyme reactions. This vitamin is an essential biochemical factor in the reproductive process. The pharmacophore of vitamin C is the ascorbate, ascorbate is an antioxidant.Ascorbate is a neuromodulator of glutamatergic and dopaminergic system and related behaviors. It also improves components of the immune system. Given the wide role of ascorbate, further investigation is necessary to evaluate the exact mechanism(s) underlying these effects. In this review we will consider a short overview of the characteristics and function of vitamin C (relying on antioxidant function) in various tissues. Keywords: Vitamin C; Antioxidant Activity; Oxidative Stress

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex reproduction and endocrine disorder of women in the reproductive age. Spearmint (Mentha spicataL.) has anti-androgenic activity and flaxseed (Linum usitatissimumL.) contains phytoestrogen and was reported to improve PCOS conditions. This study aimed to evaluate PCOS conditions following administration of a mixture of these two plants.Methods: Twenty-four rats with regular cycles were randomly divided into four groups as control (C) and treatment-control (TC) received a combination of spearmint extract (SE) + flaxseed extract (FE). PCOS was induced in PCOS and treatment (T) groups by a single intramuscular injection of estradiol valerate. The treatment group received a combination of SE and FE for 30 days, 7 weeks after injection of estradiol valerate. Estrous cycles were monitored for 10 days and in the last day animals were sacrificed, ovaries were collected for the histomorphometric study and the serum levels of progesterone, testosterone, estradiol, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) were measured.Result: Significant rise in progesterone and a decrease in testosterone and estradiol with no significant change of DHEA in the T group, was observed in comparison with the PCOS group (P < 0.05). No significant difference noticed between T and control groups (C &CT) regarding evaluated hormones. A significant increase in primary, pre-antral and antral follicles noticed in the T group compared to the PCOS group. The number of cystic follicles decreased in the T group compared with the PCOS group. Granulosa layer thickness increased while the thickness of theca decreased significantly in the T group compared to the PCOS group (P < 0.05). No significant endocrine or histological differences noticed between C and TC groups.Conclusion: A combination of flaxseed and spearmint extract improved the endocrine profile and the histomorphometric features of the ovary in the T group compared to the PCOS group.

This investigation was conducted to evaluate the effect of maternal diabetes on fetal testicular structure and function, and reproductive hormones levels. Sixteen female rats were divided into two groups. Diabetes was induced in one group by alloxan. Blood was collected from 90-day-old male offspring of both groups, and the level of blood glucose, testosterone, FSH and LH in their serum was measured. Weight, volume and various histological parameters of testes were determined. A significant increase in blood glucose and decrease in LH, FSH and testosterone in sera of offspring of diabetic mothers (ODM) were observed. The weight and volume of testes in the ODM were 22.7 and 22.9% higher, respectively, than those of the control group (P < 0.05), while the ratio of testes to body weight did not change significantly. The number of seminiferous tubules increased (+21%) significantly (P < 0.05), while thickness of the testicular capsule (−25%), number of Leydig cells (−15.6%), number of Sertoli cells (−14.9%), number of spermatogonia (−26.3%) and diameter of seminiferous tubules (−11%) showed significantly reduced values in the ODM compare to the control. In conclusion, maternal hyperglycemia has a deleterious effect on testicular parameters during fetal life, which will affect reproductive endocrine during postpuberty.

Radio frequency wave (RFW) generated by base transceiver station (BTS) has been reported to make deleterious effects on reproduction, possibly through oxidative stress. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of RFW generated by BTS on oxidative stress in testis and the prophylactic effect of vitamin C by measuring the antioxidant enzymes activity, including glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, and malondialdehyde (MDA). Thirty-two adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into four experimental groups and treated daily for 45 days as follows: sham, sham+vitamin C (l-ascorbic acid 200 mg/kg of body weight/day by gavage), RFW (exposed to 900 MHz RFW) ‘sham’ and ‘RFW’ animals were given the vehicle, i.e., distilled water and the RFW+vitamin C group (received vitamin C in addition to exposure to RFW). At the end of the experiment, all the rats were sacrificed and their testes were removed and used for measurement of antioxidant enzymes and MDA activity. The results indicate that exposure to RFW in the test group decreased antioxidant enzymes activity and increased MDA compared with the control groups (p < 0.05). In the treated group, vitamin C improved antioxidant enzymes activity and reduced MDA compared with the test group (p < 0.05). It can be concluded that RFW causes oxidative stress in testis and vitamin C improves the antioxidant enzymes activity and decreases MDA.