This article provides a brief overview of DNA vaccines. First, the basic DNA vaccine design strategies are described, then specific issues related to the industrial production of DNA vaccines are d...

Mancozeb (MZB) is one of the fungicides used in pest control programs that might affect human health including reproductive system. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the mechanisms through which MZB induces testicular tissue damage and the probable protective effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a modified amino acid, with antioxidant property, against MZB toxicity in an animal model. Male albino mice (n = 8) were exposed to different doses of MZB (250 and 500 mg/kg/day) by oral gavage without or with NAC (200 mg/kg, twice/week) for 40 days. Sub-chronic MZB dose-dependently decreased sperm motility and count. Exposure to MZB increased lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyl, while it reduced antioxidant enzymes activities, total antioxidant capacity, and glutathione content. The histopathological examination clearly showed deleterious changes in the testicular structure. At the molecular levels, the results of quantitative real time-poly chain reaction (qRT-PCR) showed that MZB upregulated oxidative stress markers inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) and downregulated expression of the glutathione peroxidase 1 (Gpx1) gene as one of the most important antioxidant enzymes. MZB also induced apoptosis dose-dependently in the testes as determined by the terminal dUTP nick-end labeling assay and immunoblotting. NAC administration decreased the mRNA levels of both iNOS and NOX4 with a concomitant increase in Gpx1 expression. It also significantly decreased MZB-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis. Collectively, the present study showed MZB-induced oxidative damage in testes leading to apoptosis. It revealed that antioxidants such as NAC can mitigate oxidant injury induced by the dithiocarbamate pesticides in the reproductive system.

The aim of the present study was to isolate and identify a terrestrial actinomycete bacterial strain capable to produce selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) followed by purification of the biogenic Se NPs and evaluation of their photocatalytic degradation compared to selenium dioxide. Among 30 actinomycete bacterial strains obtained from environmental soil samples, one isolate (identified as Streptomyces griseobrunneus strain FSHH12 based on the 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis) was selected and used for production of Se NPs. The biologically synthesized Se NPs was consequently purified by an organic–aqueous partitioning system and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, UV–visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. The obtained results of photocatalytic degradation of bromothymol blue using the purified Se NPs (64 μg/mL) revealed 62.3% of dye removal under UV illumination (15 W) after 60 min incubation of dye solution.