Effect of Oral Contraceptive Pills on the Blood Serum Enzymes and DNA Damage in Lymphocytes Among Users

The continuous use of synthetic hormones as contraceptive pill or hormonal replacement therapy among women is increasing day by day. The widespread use of different formulations as oral contraceptives by women throughout their reproductive cycle has given rise to a serious concern for studying the effects of oral contraceptives on enzymatic profile and DNA damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes among users. The present study was carried out on women taking oral contraceptives. The study was based on the questionnaire having the information of reproductive history, fasting, age, health, nature of menstrual cycle, bleeding and other disease. The profile of the blood serum enzymes i.e. alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aminotransferases (SGOT and SGPT), serum proteins (albumin and globulin) and DNA damage in lymphocytes was studied among users and non-users. The results of the present study suggest that OCs not only effects enzymatic activity but also results in DNA damage that may vary with the duration of using oral contraceptives. A significant increase in LDH, GGT, SGPT, SGOT, globulin and decrease in ALP as well as albumin was found among users as compared to non-users. The observed DNA damage was more in users as compared to non-users. Hormonal contraceptives seem to exert DNA damage and also have significant effects on blood serum enzymes.     

Variations in cadmium and nitrate co-accumulation among water spinach genotypes and implications for screening safe genotypes for human consumption

Vegetables are important constituents of the human diet. Heavy metals and nitrate are among the major contaminants of vegetables. Consumption of vegetables and fruits with accumulated heavy metals and nitrate has the potential to damage different body organs leading to unwanted effects. Breeding vegetables with low heavy metal and nitrate contaminants is a cost-effective approach. We investigated 38 water spinach genotypes for low Cd and nitrate co-accumulation. Four genotypes, i.e. JXDY, GZQL, XGDB, and B888, were found to have low co-accumulation of Cd (<0.71 mg/kg dry weight) and nitrate (<3100 mg/kg fresh weight) in the edible parts when grown in soils with moderate contamination of both Cd (1.10 mg/kg) and nitrate (235.2 mg/kg). These genotypes should be appropriate with minimized risk to humans who consume them. The Cd levels in the edible parts of water spinach were positively correlated with the concentration of Pb or Zn, but Cd, Pb, or Zn was negatively correlated with P concentration. These results indicate that these three heavy metals may be absorbed into the plant in similar proportions or in combination, minimizing the influx to aerial parts. Increasing P fertilizer application rates appears to prevent heavy metal and nitrate translocation to shoot tissues and the edible parts of water spinach on co-contaminated soils.     

Protective effect of ascorbic acid against oxidative damage induced by hydrogen peroxide in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes

Hydrogen peroxide is one of the reactive oxygen species for cellular injury. It is overproduced during oxidative stress and is known to damage proteins, nucleic acids and cell membranes. The present study was aimed to study the protective effect of ascorbic acid against the toxic doses of hydrogen peroxide using lipid peroxidation and cytokinesis blocked micronucleus assay. Hydrogen peroxide was studied at 50, 100 and 200μM and was found to increase a dose dependent increase in lipid peroxidation and micronuclei frequency. The treatment of 100 and 200μM of hydrogen peroxide separately along with 20, 40 and 80μM of ascorbic acid showed a dose dependent decrease in the lipid peroxidation and micronuclei frequency. The results suggest a protective effect of ascorbic acid against the hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative damage in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes.     

基于筛选安全的共低积累基因型评价空心菜对镉和硝酸盐积累的变异（英文）

目的:筛选镉-硝酸盐共低积累空心菜基因型,并研究降低空心菜重金属含量,提高营养品质的农艺措施。创新点:首次筛选得到镉-硝酸盐共低积累空心菜基因型,并研究空心菜可食部污染物、矿质元素和营养指标之间的相关性,提出进一步降低空心菜可食部镉和硝酸盐含量的农艺措施。方法:共38个空心菜基因型收集于世界各地,种植在连作了7年的中度镉-硝酸盐复合污染土壤上(Cd1.10 mg/kg,NO_3~-235.2 mg/kg),4周后收获。用HNO_3-HClO_4(体积比5:1)消煮,电感耦合等离子体质谱仪(ICP-MS)测定各种金属元素,水杨酸-硫酸比色法测定硝酸盐含量,钒钼黄比色法测定磷含量,2,6-二氯靛酚滴定法测定维生素C含量,乙醇-丙酮(体积比2:1)比色法测定叶绿素含量。结论:本试验筛选得到镉-硝酸盐共低积累空心菜基因型4个(Cd0.71 mg/kg DW,NO_3~-3100 mg/kgFW),分别是JXDY、GZQL、XGDB和B888,可以在中轻度镉-硝酸盐复合污染土壤上安全生产。空心菜地上部镉与铅、锌含量呈正相关,而这3种元素均与磷量呈负相关。这些结果表明镉、铅和锌通过相同的途径被空心菜吸收,可以同时被治理。增加磷肥供应率可以抑制复合污染土壤中的镉和硝酸盐向空心菜可食部的转移。     

Chlorella vulgaris triggers apoptosis in hepatocarcinogenesis-induced rats

Chlorella vulgaris (CV) has been reported to have antioxidant and anticancer properties. We evaluated the effect of CV on apoptotic regulator protein expression in liver cancer-induced rats. Male Wistar rats (200-250 g) were divided into eight groups: control group (normal diet), CDE group (choline deficient diet supplemented with ethionine in drinking water to induce hepatocarcinogenesis), CV groups with three different doses of CV (50, 150, and 300 mg/kg body weight), and CDE groups treated with different doses of CV (50, 150, and 300 mg/kg body weight). Rats were sacrificed at various weeks and liver tissues were embedded in paraffin blocks for immunohistochemistry studies. CV, at increasing doses, decreased the expression of anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, but increased the expression of pro-apoptotic protein, caspase 8, in CDE rats, which was correlated with decreased hepatoctyes proliferation and increased apoptosis as determined by bromodeoxy-uridine (BrdU) labeling and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay, respectively. Our study shows that CV has definite chemopreventive effect by inducing apoptosis via decreasing the expression of Bcl-2 and increasing the expression of caspase 8 in hepatocarcinogenesis-induced rats.