This submitted work was designed in order to evaluate the prophylactive efficacy of the synthetic copper (I)-nicotinate complex against nephrotoxicity by aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) with regard to the highly accepted antioxidant agent butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Aflatoxin B1 fraction was obtained by growing Aspergillus flavus in potato dextrose agar (PDB) liquid medium. Healthy young males albino rats (n= 45) were exposed to AFB1 day after day for five weeks (20 µg/kg body weight). One third of them was co-treated with BHT (0.05 g/kg body weight) and the second third by the copper complex (400 µg/kg body weight) while the third was considered as only intoxicated control group. Such intoxication resulted into the histopathological (light and electron transmission) characteristic features of nephrotoxicity. The sever degenerative changes swelling of the cells even rapture of the membrane and cellular organelles in the tubular lumen as well as fibrocytic reaction and congestion of the vasculature in addition to glomerular reaction manifested by atrophy of both vesiral (bodocyte) and parital shirnked cells. The co-treated BHT group did not eliminate all such features of degenerative characters in intoxicated tissue kidney while the co-treated copper complex group mostly appeared normal. The enzyme level of phase II of body detoxificating GST was significantly increased than that improved by BHT. Conclusively, the food additive probable use of the copper nicotinate complex could be a promising agent against nephrotoxicosis.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection represents a world health problem and no protective vaccine or effective drug currently exists. For economic reasons, many patients use traditional medicines to control the infection. In Egypt, camel milk is one of the traditional medicines widely consumed by patients infected with HCV. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of camel milk in the treatment of patients infected with HCV. Whole camel milk from a local farm was administered to patients for 4 months (250 ml/day/patient). Patient sera were collected prior to and following camel milk drinking, and three markers were set‑up for sera‑evaluation. The three markers indicating the effect of camel milk on HCV infection were: Liver function assays [alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)]; a viral load assay; and anti‑HCV antibodies profile and isotyping against synthetic HCV epitopes. Camel …

This study was performed to examine that copper-albumin complex can restore oxidative damage and cytotoxicity in induced by Bromobenzene (BB) in liver. Rats were divided into three groups. Group I served as control received corn oil only. Group II exposed to BB at a dose of 300 mg/Kg by weight, twice/week, orally, dissolved in corn oil for one month. Group III received BB as previous dose plus copper albumin- Serum total protein and albumin showed significant reduction while the activities of ALT and AST enzymes significantly increased in BB-treated group when compared to control. The antioxidant enzymes activities were found to be decreased in BB treated rats in contrast nitric oxide and lipid peroxidation levels were increased in comparison with normal control. Histopathology revealed that BB had a hepatotoxic effects represented by hepatitis and fatty degeneration. Nile blue positive stain showed lipofuscin and/or ceroid granules. Necrotic nuclei with disintegrated DNA stained with acridine orange. The treated rats with copper-albumin complex reversed the most of parameters to normal control.

ABSTRACT

Background: Abnormal plasma levels of free amino acids may predict the severity in patients with drug resistant epilepsy (PRE), having probability to affect their therapeutic approach.

Objectives:We aimed to illuminate the effect of plasma free amino acids (PFAAs) profiles on the etiology of patients with PRE and their contribution on the frequencies of epileptic fits.

Patients and Methods:We collected clinical and metabolomic data of 90 subjects; 45 of them were PRE patients, and other 45 age and sex matched healthy controls. Quantitative measurements of PFAAs profiles using SykamAutomatic Amino Acid Analyzer S433, in addition to fasting blood sugar, liver function tests, kidney function tests and lipid profile also, were determined.

Results: The plasma levels of glutamate, glycine and Gamma amino butyric acid(GABA) plasma levels were significantly increased in PRE group compared to controls (p˂0.0001),their plasma levels also showed significant increase with increased frequency of epileptic fits. Plasma leucine, phenylalanine, aspartate ,ornithine, citrulline, serine and alanine levels (p˂0.0001) were significantly increased in PRE group in relation to healthy controls. Interestingly, on the other hand, histidine, isoleucine, lysine, threonine and the amino acid derivative taurine levels were significantly decreased in PRE patients compared to healthy controls.

Conclusion:Few biomarkers of PRE are available to find the severity and rate of progressionof PRE. The present study showed that altered plasma amino acids and their derivatives may be candidate markers for PRE, help explaining its pathogenesis, and for further researches concerning normalization of the disturbed amino acid/s or its derivative/s (GABA and taurine) in managing PRE patients.

Keywords:Aminogram; Plasma free amino acid profile; Pharmacoresistant epilepsy, amino acids. Abbreviations:Anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), Plasma free amino acids (PFAAs),Pharmaco-resistant epilepsy (PRE).

The interaction between 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and some rare earth metals namely samarium (III) and europium (III) was studied using UV–Visible spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. The synthesized complexes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). UV–Vis spectroscopic data revealed that the binding between two trivalent lanthanides and 5-FU was static binding, with conditional binding constant  K_{(Sm−5−FU)} = 0.452 × 10⁴ M⁻¹ and K_{(Eu−5−FU)} = 0.183 × 10⁴ M⁻¹. Data were comparable with the values obtained using HPLC. The powder X-ray diffraction pattern of the complexes was used to determine the cell parameters and the hkl indices together with their corresponding 2θ values. The thermodynamic parameter ΔG° …

Abstract

Lanthanide complexes are of increasing importance in cancer diagnosis and therapy. In the present study 1:1 and 1:3 solid complexes of La (III)–5-FU (5-fluorouracil) were prepared and characterized. In solution, the formation of 1:1 La (III) and Eu (III) complexes enabled the enhancement of 5-FU's effectiveness. Binding constants of the 1:1 complexes of both metals were estimated using spectrophotometry and HPLC with fluorescence detection methods. The thermodynamic parameters ΔG
, ΔH
and ΔS
were calculated using differential scanning calorimetry. Evaluation of the cytotoxic activity of the 1:1 La (III)- and Eu (III)–5-FU complexes was performed through two methodologies, trypan blue for cell viability where La (III)- and Eu (III)–5-FU complexes were found to have 52,000 and 80,000 dead cells, respectively, and via flow cytometric analysis to measure the apoptotic values, which were found to be 59.87 and 86.86% respectively.