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Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that lives inside its host cells, with cats reported as its final host. T. gondii causes toxoplasmosis infection, showing severe symptoms in infected fetuses and individuals with defective immune systems. Drugs used to treat toxoplasmosis have numerous side effects on patients, including toxicity and drug resistance. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the same in vivo anti-Toxoplasma activity of Dracocephalum polychaetum essential oil. Moreover, this study aimed to investigate the effect of different concentrations of D. polychaetum essential oil on the survival rate of mice infected with T. gondii. Methods: The T. gondii RH strain was used in the present study. Moreover, 60 BALB/c mice aged 4 - 6 weeks with an average weight of 20 - 25 g were used to evaluate the in vivo anti-Toxoplasma effect of D. polychaetum essential oil. The BALB/c mice were divided into six groups of 10 cases. One negative control group received Phosphate buffered saline (PBS); two treatment groups received pyrimethamine (25 mg/kg) and sulfadiazine (500 mg/kg), and three other groups received 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg of essential oil, respectively. The data were analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier nonparametric method and log-rank test in SPSS software (version 16) at a significance level of 0.05. Results: The survival rate of the acutely infected mice was evaluated by the intraperitoneal injection of the essential oil (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg-1 day-1) infected with tachyzoites. There was no general significant difference between the mean survival rate of the studied groups (P > 0.05). However, essential oil and negative and positive controls that showed the best anti-Toxoplasma activity were assayed in triplicate at each concentration. Conclusions: A concentration of 200 mg/kg of D. polychaetum essential oil had a greater significant anti-Toxoplasma effect than other groups.

Background. Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasitic disease with a cosmopolitan prevalence, causing severe health problems. Although chemotherapy for toxoplasmosis is readily available, most have side effects. Objectives. This study assesses the Dracocephalum polychaetum essential oil against T. gondii activity. In vitro, the anti-Toxoplasma effects of D. polychaetum essential oils with different concentrations were evaluated. Methods. In the present study, T. gondii RH strain tachyzoites were exposed to D. polychaetum essential oil, and their viability effect on the parasite was evaluated. The viability test of tachyzoites was performed by using the staining method trypan blue in vitro. The inhibitory effect of D. polychaetum extract on T. gondii RH strain tachyzoites in the Vero cell line was evaluated. Results. D. polychaetum has valuable efficacy in vitro, outperforming pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine at 30 and 90 minutes after exposure ( p < 0.05 ). D. polychaetum essential oil showed anti-Toxoplasma activity in the cell line (IC50: 241.7 μg/mL). After T. gondii-infected Vero cells had been incubated with different concentrations of the D. polychaetum essential oil, their viability decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions. In conclusion, D. polychaetum extract as an herbal medicine might be a valuable alternative to routine chemotherapy for toxoplasmosis.

This research was carried out to evaluate the antidiabetic effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and thiamine following experimental diabetes. Fifty-six 6-week-old female mice were used and divided into seven groups of eight animals. Diabetes was induced in fasted mice by using intraperitoneal (IP) injection of alloxan (180 mg/kg). Groups included (I) non-diabetic control, (II) thiamine (30 mg/l, IP), (III) alloxan-induced diabetic mice, (IV) diabetes + ZnO NPs (0.1 mg/kg IP), (V) diabetes + ZnO NPs (0.5 mg/kg IP), (VI) diabetes + ZnO NPs (0.1 mg/kg IP) + thiamine (30 mg/l, IP), and (VII) diabetes + ZnO NPs (0.5 mg/kg IP) + thiamine (30 mg/l, IP). Coincident with pancreas recovery, in diabetic treated mice (groups IV to VII), the mean islet volume, islets per square micrometer, and volume density of the pancreas had increased than in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. ZnO NPs and thiamine induced a decreasing blood glucose, lower serum triglyceride (TG), LDL, and total cholesterol (TC) levels in alloxan-induced diabetic mice treated with ZnO NPs and thiamine, simultaneously increasing HDL as well. In conclusion, ZnO NPs and thiamine are potent antidiabetic factors, and that, these compound supplementation possesses hypoglycemic properties and have effect on serum lipid parameters in diabetes mice.

Thyme is a plant native to Iran that is widely found in southern part and mountainous center of country and has antibacterial and antifungal activity on digestive and chronic diseases in traditional medicine. However the medicinal species is called Thyme vulgaris, all of the Thyme are enriched with volatile compounds including thymol and carvacrol acting as strong antiseptic. In present study we decided on evaluating the effect of thyme essence on biochemical factors such as (triglyceride, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, ALT, AST and total protein) in rat's blood serum. In this study thyme essences in 200 and 400 mg/kg levels were prescribed respectively for animals in two treatment group through oral administration during 21 days and the third group as control received no compositions. In this study it was observed that after measuring biochemical factors of blood serum the thyme essences led to decrease cholesterol level significantly in both treatment groups compared with control group (p

The Ziziphora tenuior L. is an herbaceous, plant rich in essential oil. Ziziphora tenuior L. has antibacterial and disinfection effect and its vapour is used to treat respiratory tract problems and removing symptoms of the common cold. This plant is carminative, promotes expelling of phlegm and sputum and is a tonic for the stomach. To perform this study some chemical factors (triglyceride, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, ALT, AST and total protein) of the rat's serum were measured in the clinical laboratory. In this study, number of 24 white male wistar rats with the weight range of 215 ± 15 g and at 10 weeks of age were prepared from the Laboratory Animals Breeding Center of the University. Rats were divided into three classes of 8 and 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg of the Ziziphora tenuior L. plant essence was used in groups 1 and 2 respectively and no plant compound was used in the third group as the control group. The plant was prescribed for 21 days in groups. Amount of the cholesterol, ALT and triglyceride factors showed the significant difference compared to the control group.

Purpose: To determine the effect alcohol extract of Zataria multiflora , Satureja bachtiarica and Zaravschanica membranacea on immunohematologic factors in Wistar rats. Methods: Wistar rats were randomly allocated to seven treatment groups which consisted of control group with water and feed only (1); 200 mg. kg -1 Z. membranacea (2); 400 mg. kg -1 Z. membranacea (3); 200 mg. kg -1 S. bachtiarica (4); 400 mg. kg -1 S. bachtiarica (5); 200 mg. kg -1 Z. multiflora (6) and 400 mg. kg -1 Z. multiflora (7). Erythrocyte counts (RBC), packed cell volumes (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), Translocation and Assembly Module (Tam) protein, IgM and albumin were measured after 29 days. Results: Z. membranacea at 200 mg kg -1 showed the highest level of Tam-protein content (p < 0.05). Z. multiflora boiss at 400 mg kg -1 produced higher levels of immunoglobulin M (IgM) compared to S. bachtiarica and Z. multiflora (p < 0.05). Both Z. membranacea and S. bachtiarica at 200 mg. kg -1 caused a significant increase in albumin levels in the rats (p < 0.05). Z. multiflora at 400 mg. kg -1 had the highest effect on white blood cells (WBC) while S. bachtiarica produced the highest effect on neutrophils (Nut) (p < 0.05). Z. membranacea and Z. multiflora at 200 mg. kg -1 showed significantly higher levels of monocytes (Mon) % (p < 0.05). Z. multiflora and S. bachtiarica at 400 mg. kg -1 showed a significant effect on phagocytosis % (p < 0.05) whilst S. bachtiarica at 400 mg.kg -1 had a significant effect on phagocytosis number (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The alcohol extracts of Z. multiflora Z. membranacea and S. bachtiarica extracts are capable of stimulating the immune defense mechanism without causing undesirable effects on hematological parameters. Keywords: Zataria multiflora , Satureja bachtiarica , Zaravschanica membranacea , Immunoglobulin, Serum albumen, Immunohematologic factors