Dietary astaxanthin modulated the performance,gastrointestinal histology,and antioxidant and immune responses and enhanced the resistance of Litopenaeus vannamei against Vibrio harveyi infection

Aquaculture International - Astaxanthin (AX) is one of the commonly used feed supplements to enhance the growth performance and provide antioxidant and immune functions of several aquatic animals....     

Evaluation of the relationship between endometriosis and omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids

Background: Endometriosis is a common chronic inflammation causing major problems including infertility. The role of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids as their potential anti-inflammatory effects in endometriosis needs to be further explored. The objective of this study was to compare serum phospholipid fatty acid profile in endometriosis patients with controls, and to explore the correlation of this profile with the severity of the disease. Methods: Sixty-four endometriosis patients and 74 control women, in reproductive age, participated in this study. Among the endometriosis patients, 19 cases were in stage I, 27 cases in stage II, 8 cases in stage III, and 10 cases in stage IV. Each patient underwent laparoscopy. Before surgery, 5 ml of blood was obtained. After extraction of the total lipids, serum total phospholipid fraction was isolated by thin layer chromatography. Fatty acid composition of the phospholipid fraction was determined by gas chromatography and the resulted profile was compared in endometriosis patients and controls. The profile was also compared in the endometriosis group based on the severity of disease. Results: Stearic acid was significantly lower in the endometriosis group as compared to controls (P= 0.030). No other fatty acid compositions were significantly different between patients and controls. Serum ratio of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to arachidonic acid (AA) was in reasonable correlation with the severity of endometriosis (r = 0.34, P = 0.006). Conclusion: According to these findings, levels of fatty acids in serum total phospholipids seem not to be a marker for endometriosis, but the EPA to AA ratio was a relevant factor indicating severity of illness.Key Words: Endometriosis, Phospholipids, Omega-3 fatty acids     

Role of endogenous vitamin E in renal ischemic preconditioning process: differences between male and female rats

Background: Antioxidants such as α-tocopherol (vitamin E) and β-carotene (vitamin A) play an important role in protective effect of repeated brief periods of ischemia, namely ischemic preconditioning (IPC). Values of these antioxidants were investigated and compared after induction of ischemia reperfusion (IR) and kidney IPC in both male and female rats. Methods: Forty eight Wistar rats were divided randomly into six groups of 8: groups A and B (male and female controls, respectively), group C (male IR or IR cases), group D (female IR cases) and groups E and F (male and female IPC cases, respectively). In groups C and D, ischemia was induced by clamping of left renal arteries for 45 min. In groups E and F, rats underwent four cycles of 4 min of arterial clamping and 11 min of de-clamping before final 45 min ischemia induction. Afterward, serum was collected to assess the blood urea nitrogen, creatinine and vitamins E and A values. Renal tissues were obtained for histological assessments. Results: α-tocopherol levels in male and female rats showed a significant increase in IPC compared with IR group (P<0.01) and also in female IPC compared with male IPC group. β-carotene levels had no significant variations. Histological evaluation showed that IR-induced renal injuries were less in female rats. Also, protective effects of IPC were more in female rats (P<0.01). Conclusions: Renal IPC reduced damages in both male and female rats, but tissue injuries in females were decreased much more along with the increase of endogenous vitamin E. Key Words: α-tocopherol, β-carotene, Antioxidant, Reperfusion, Ischemic preconditioning (IPC)