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This study assessed the possible pharmacological effects of Chlorella vulgaris (Cg), Spirulina platensis (St), and silymarin (Sl) against thioacetamide (TA)-induced cardiotoxicity in rats, with a focus on their antioxidant, cardioprotective, and anti-inflammatory properties. The following is the random grouping of sixty male rats into six groups of ten animals each: the control (negative control), TA-intoxicated group (positive control; 300 mg/kg body weight (BW)), Sl + TA group (100 mg Sl/kg BW + TA), St + TA group (400 mg St/kg BW + TA), Cg + TA (400 mg Cg/kg BW + TA), and St + Cg + TA group (400 St + 400 Cg mg/kg BW + TA) were all administered for 30 days. At the start of the study, groups 2 through 6 were administered TA intraperitoneally at a dosage of 300 mg/kg BW for two consecutive days, with a 24 h gap between each dose, to induce cardiac damage. Blood samples were obtained to measure hematological parameters and perform biochemical assays, including lipid profiles and cardiac enzymes. For histopathology and immunohistochemistry determination, tissue samples were acquired. The current findings showed that TA injection caused hematological alterations and cardiac injury, as evidenced by greater serum levels of troponin I, creatine kinase-MB, and total creatine kinase (p < 0.05), as well as significantly elevated serum malondialdehyde and decreased serum total antioxidant capacity (p < 0.05) concentrations. Moreover, an increase in blood low-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol concentration (p < 0.05) was recorded in the TA group. There were alterations in the heart tissue's histological structure of the TA group compared to the control ones. These alterations were characterized by vacuolar degeneration of myocytes, loss of cross striation, coagulative necrosis, and fibrosis of interstitial tissue, which was ameliorated by the supplementation of SI, St, and Cg. The TA-intoxicated group showed weak expression of B-cell lymphoma protein 2 (p < 0.05) and strong immunoreactivity of tumor necrosis factor-α and B-cell lymphoma protein 2-associated X (p < 0.05). However, the groups receiving Sl, St, and Cg experienced the opposite. The administration of Sl, St, Cg, and St + Cg along with TA significantly improved and restored (p < 0.05) erythrogram indices, including RBCs, hemoglobin, total leukocytic count, lymphocytes, and monocyte, to the normal control values. The administration of Sl, St, and Cg alleviated the cardiotoxicity caused by TA via reducing oxidative stress, inflammatory markers, and apoptosis in heart tissue. In summary, the current findings suggest that the treatment with Sl, St, and Cg was beneficial in ameliorating and reducing the cardiotoxicity induced by TA in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Skeletal disorders and related-welfare complications are an ongoing concern for rapid-growing broiler chickens. Phosphorus is a vital nutrient in the poultry diet, and it is related to bone growth and skeleton rigidity and strength. Poultry utilize approximately 60% of the dietary P, and the residual is excreted and may enter the environment leading to environmental pollution. Consequently, a better understanding of intestinal phosphorus absorption will enable augmenting phosphorus utilization and reducing phosphorus excretion and feed costs in the poultry industry. Therefore, the present trial was designed to assess various supplements on performance, nutrient digestibility, bone physical parameters and mineralization, blood constituents, bone and gut histomorphology, and duodenal phosphorus transporter genes of broiler chickens fed a decreased non-phytate phosphorus. The dietary addition of phytase or probiotic to a low phosphorus diet was beneficial with respect to growth performance and carcass traits. Regarding nutrient digestibility, tibia quality parameters, and gut and bone histomorphology, all three dietary supplements (probiotics, yeast, and fumaric acid) were advantageous, and these improvements were of comparable magnitude to those of the positive control and phytase groups. The up-regulation of duodenal NaP-IIb and PiT-2 genes in the supplemented groups may suggest greater phosphorus availability. It can be concluded that these supplements were beneficial in mitigating the negative effects of phosphorus reduction on the growth performance, health, and bone quality of broilers. The present trial was designed to assess the effect of phytase, multi-strain probiotic, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and fumaric acid on performance, nutrient digestibility, bone physical parameters and mineralization, blood constituents, bone and gut histomorphology, and duodenal phosphorus transporter genes of broiler chickens fed a decreased non-phytate phosphorus (nPP) diet for 5 weeks. A total of 480 broiler chickens were allotted to six dietary groups and eight replicates each: (1) positive control diet with recommended levels of nPP (PC; 0.48, 0.44, and 0.41% in the three feeding phases); (2) negative control diet with a decreased dietary nPP (NC; 0.28, 0.24, and 0.21% in the three feeding phases); (3) NC + 600 FTU/kg phytase (PHY); (4) NC + 0.05% multi-strain probiotic (PRO); (5) NC + 0.2% Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC); and (6) NC + 0.2% fumaric acid. Growth performance data were recorded weekly, and blood sampling was performed at days 21 and 35 of age. Bone quality traits, gut and tibia histology, nutrient digestibility, and intestinal gene expression analyses were conducted at the end of the trial (35 days of age). Final body weight and total gain at day 35 of age of the broiler chickens fed with the PHY, PRO, and SC diets were greater (p < 0.01) than in NC, where broilers fed with the PRO and PHY diets had higher values and were similar to that of PC. There was a non-significant variation in the cumulative feed intake among the treatment groups. The PHY and PRO groups had better FCR than the PC group (p < 0.05), and FA and SC had an FCR equivalent to that of PC. The PHY and PRO broilers had greater dressing % than the NC group (p < 0.05) and even better than PC. The PHY, PRO, SC, and FA broilers had higher relative weights of spleen and bursa of Fabricius (p < 0.01) than NC. In comparison to NC, the PHY, PRO, and SC groups improved (p < 0.05) CP, CF, Ca, and P digestibility. Greater tibia breaking strength of the low nPP-supplemented groups was shown to be associated with higher tibia ash, Ca, and P concentrations (p < 0.01) and increased (p < 0.001) tibia cortical area thickness. At days 21 and 35 of age, the dietary supplements to low nPP diets reduced (p < 0.05) serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, glucose, and alkaline phosphatase levels, while serum Ca and P concentrations were improved (p < 0.05) compared to NC. All supplements led to enhancement (p < 0.01) in villi height and width and villi absorptive surface area when compared with NC and were even comparable to that of PC. The mRNA expression of NaP-IIb was up-regulated (p < 0.001) in the duodenum of PRO and FA broilers at day 35 of age compared with NC, and their expression levels were similar to that of PC, indicating greater P availability. It is concluded that dietary supplementation of PHY, PRO, SC, and FA to a low nPP diet was advantageous and mitigated the negative impacts of P reduction on the growth performance, health, nutrient digestibility, and bone quality of broilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The present study aimed to investigate the protective effect of argan oil against nephrotoxic effect following overdose and long-term administration of betamethasone. The results revealed that betamethasone induced hematological changes, including reduction of red blood cells with leukocytosis, neutrophilia, monocytosis, lymphocytopenia, and marked thrombocytopenia. Moreover, betamethasone caused significant increase of serum urea and creatinine levels; renal malondialdehyde and nitric oxide contents associated with significant decrease of reduced glutathione content. Betamethasone also caused vascular, degenerative, and inflammatory histopathological alterations in kidney tissue along with increase of Bax and caspase-3 expressions and decrease of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expressions. Conversely, the concomitant administration of argan oil (0.5, 1 mL/kg) with betamethasone ameliorated the aforementioned hematological, biochemical, pathological, and histochemical adverse effects. In conclusion, overdose and long-term administration of betamethasone could induce hematological changes and severe renal damage mediated by oxidative, apoptotic and proliferative mechanisms via increasing renal functions biomarkers and altering oxidant/antioxidant status along with pathological lesions and imbalance of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio that positively correlates with up-regulation of caspase-3 and down-regulation of PCNA in kidney tissue. However, argan oil could potentially protect against betamethasone- induced renal damage, in a dose-dependent manner, via its antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and proliferative properties. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effect of argan oil (AO) against nephrotoxic effects following overdose and long-term administration of betamethasone (BM). The phytochemical compositions of AO were assessed using GC/MS. Forty eight male Wister albino rats were divided into six groups and treated for 3 successive weeks. The control group was orally administrated distilled water daily, the BM group received BM (1 mg/kg, IM, day after day), AO/0.5 and AO/1 groups received AO (0.5 mL/kg, 1 mL/kg, orally, daily, respectively), BM + AO/0.5 group and BM + AO/1 group. The results revealed that BM induced hematological changes, including reduction of red blood cells with leukocytosis, neutrophilia, monocytosis, lymphocytopenia, and thrombocytopenia. Moreover, BM caused a significant increase of serum urea and creatinine levels, and renal malondialdehyde and nitric oxide contents with significant decrease of reduced glutathione content. BM also caused vascular, degenerative, and inflammatory histopathological alterations in kidney, along with an increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, activation of caspase-3, and decrease of proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression. Conversely, the concomitant administration of AO (0.5, 1 mL/kg) with BM ameliorated the aforementioned hematological, biochemical, pathological, and histochemical BM adverse effects. In conclusion, AO has protective effects against BM-induced renal damage, possibly via its antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and proliferative properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was performed to evaluate anti-obesity potential of Commiphora myrrha resin ethanolic extract (CME) with the respect to expression of leptin, adiponectin and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in rats. Control rats fed basal diet. Second group fed basal diet and administered CME (500 mg/kg bw) orally for 14 weeks. Third group fed high fat diet (HFD) for 14 weeks. Fourth group fed HFD and administered CME as second group. Fifth group fed HFD for 8 weeks then fed basal diet and administered CME as third group for another 6 weeks. Phytochemical analysis of CME identified the presence of germacrene B, 1,4-benzoquinone, benzofuran, hexadecanoic acid, 9,12-octadecnoic acid methyl ester, reynosin, 11, 14-eicosadienoic acid, isochiapin B, bisabolene epixod, elemene and 1-heptatriacotanol. High fat diet significantly increased food intake, body weight, hyperglycemia, serum levels of total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, low density lipoprotein and ketone bodies, AST and AST activities, concentration of malondialdehyde and histopathological changes in hepatic tissues. However, it significantly reduced serum levels of high density lipoprotein, leptin and adiponectin, activity of hepatic glutathione reductase (GR) and brown adipose tissue UCP1 protein expression. In contrast, CME ameliorated HFD increased body weight, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, ketonemia, hepatic tissues lipid peroxidation, restored hepatic tissue architecture and enhanced protein expression of leptin, adiponectin and UCP1 and activity of hepatic GR. This study indicated that CME ameliorated HFD induced hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia through normalization of HFD reduced leptin, adiponectin and UCP1 proteins production and antioxidant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]