• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.115-121
• /
• 2001

Some of endocrine disruptors with sexual hormone-like effects have been increasingly reported to be immunotoxic in many species in recent several years. Phthalate esters have possible effects on the endocrine system. Prenatal exposure to di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP) has been reported to impair the androgen-dependent development of the male reproductive tract in rat. Therefore, the immunomodulatory effect of DBP was investigated in the developing immune system of fetal and neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats. Timed-bred pregnant SD rats were given to the doses of 0, 250, 500, and 750 mg DBP/kg$\cdot$ body weight /day by gavage once a day from gestational day (GD) 5 to 18. On GD19 or GD22/postnatal day one (PD1), the dams were euthanized, and the changes in organ weights and thymus phenotypes were examined for their offsprings. At 750 mg DBP/kg$\cdot$b.w./day in maternal exposure group, GD19 fetuses showed decreases in body weight. The spleen/body weight ratios were reduced in GD 19 fetuses from the dams exposed to 500 and 750 mg DBP/kg$\cdot$b.w./day. There were no significant changes in thymus and spleen cellularities though these cellularities showed a tendency to decrease in a dose dependent way. In the DBP-exsposed GD22/PD1 offsprings, the body weights, the relative organ weights and the cellularities did not exhibit alteration. Additionally, the percentages of CD3$^{+}$(CD4$^{+}$CD8$^{+}$, CD4$^{+}$CD8$^{-}$, CD4$^{-}$CD8$^{+}$, and CD4$^{-}$CD8$^{-}$) and CD3$^{-}$(CD4$^{+}$CD8$^{+}$, CD4$^{+}$CD8$^{-}$, CD4$^{-}$CD8$^{+}$, and CD4$^{-}$CD8$^{-}$) thymocyte subsets were not changed in any DBP-treated group. The proliferative responses of splenic T cells to Con A and B cells to LPS were decreased in all DBP-exposed GD22/PD1 offsprings.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.375-383
• /
• 2005

An experiment was conducted to study the protective role of polyherbal feed supplement (Growell) during induced mycotoxicosis in broilers. A total of 240 Vencobb broilers were divided at day old stage into eight equal groups. Group A served as control and was given plain feed, group B, D, F and H were given Growell at 0.35 g/kg of feed. Group C, D, G and H were given dietary aflatoxin $B_1$ at 0.2 ppm and groups E, F, G and H were given ochratoxin A at 0.2 ppm in feed to study effect of Growell on individual aflatoxicosis, ochratoxicosis and combined mycotoxicosis of broilers. The chicks were given their respective feeds from 1st day to 6th week of age and were vaccinated at 7th and 28th day of age with Lasota strain of Newcastle disease virus. There was no statistically significant effect of mycotoxins individually or in combination on body weight of broilers. However, body weights were highest in group B and lowest in co-mycotoxicated group G. Feed conversion ratio was best in group B followed by A, D, F, E, H and G. Significant improvement in haemoglobin values was observed in broilers due to feeding of Growell in ochratoxin and co-mycotoxicated groups. There was no significant effect of mycotoxin treatment on PCV, TEC and TLC of broilers. Due to single and combined mycotoxicosis, there was reduction in serum total protein, albumin, cholesterol and triglyceride and rise in alkaline phosphatase, creatinine and uric acid levels. Supplementation of diets with Growell reduced the alterations induced due to mycotoxins. There was a significant rise in per cent organ weight of liver and reduction of that of spleen, bursa of Fabricius and thymus of broilers fed mycotoxins. Protection from alteration in per cent organ weight of these organ by supplementation of Growell was recorded. The observed impaired immune response and histopathological changes in liver, kidney, spleen, bursa of Fabricius and thymus of broilers given mycotoxins were protected by supplementation of Growell.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.75-82
• /
• 2001

Effect of single pre-administration of Cordyceps militaris(Cm) extract on the survival ratio, body weight and organ weight changes and blood cell counts after whole-body ${\gamma}-irradiation$ were investigated. The single pre-administration of Cm extract at 24 hrs before ${\gamma}-irradiation$ increased the 40-day survival ratio of irradiated mice from 60.1% to 71.4%. The administration of Cm extract completely prevented weight reductions of spleen and thymus produced by ${\gamma}-irradiation$ (P<0.01, P<0.05). Similar but somewhat less radioprotective effect was also found In the testis of the Cm treated mice. The administration of Cm extract retarded the reduction of both leukocyte and lymphocyte counts occured during the first 7 days and accelerated the recovery of the counts thereafter. The exrtract also acclerated the recovery of the erythrocyte counts occured after the day 21th. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the soluble proteins extracted from various organs did not reveal differences to any extent in all groups except in the livers of the irradiated and extract treated groups, in which some proteins were missing or less present. Also, the result of general intra and extra mycelial enzyme assays with Cm, extramycelial enzyme activity was relatively higher than the intramycelial enzyme, Cm appeared to indicate that ${\alpha}-amylase$ was the highest among the enzymes and gluosidase and chitinase were followed. Since the spleen, thymus and testis have been well known as radiosensitive organs, the protective action of Cm extract on irradiated mice may be responsible for its enhancing recovery of these organs. Although the exact mechanism in protective effect of Cm extract on irradiated mice is not clear yet, the present study is the first report regarding the Cm which was tested and found to be a potential radioprotective agent.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.10
• /
• pp.4129-4133
• /
• 2014

Background: The objective was to study the effect of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi ethanol extracts (SBGE) on immune and anti-oxidant function in U14 tumor-bearing mice. Materials and Methods: U14 tumor-bearing mice were randomly divided into eight groups: a control group, a cyclophosphamide (CTX) group, three dose groups of SBGEI (high, medium, low), and three dose groups of SBGEII (high, medium, low). After two weeks, the thymus and spleen weight indices of mice bearing U14 cervical cancer were calculated. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) was used to determine the levels of serum IL-2, TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-8, and PCNA. MDA activity and SOD activity in plasma were measured with detection kits. Results: In the SBGE groups, thymus weight and spleen weight indices of U14 tumor-bearing mice were significantly higher than in the control group or CTX group (p<0.05). Compared to control group, the levels of serum IL-2 and TNF-${\alpha}$ in U14 tumor-bearing mice increased significantly, whereas the contents of serum IL-8 and PCNA decreased (p<0.05). The activity of SOD increased with the growing dose of SBGE, while the activity of MDA decreased significantly in the highe-rdose groups of SBGE. Conclusions: These findings suggested that SBGE, especially at high dose, 1000 mg/kg, showed significant immune and anti-oxidant effects infU14 tumor-bearing mice, which might be the mechanisms of SBGE inhibition of tumor growth.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.439-446
• /
• 2016

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Angelica gigas Nakai on ulcerative colitis. Mice were divided into 5 groups: Control group, DSS group, 5-ASA group, 50mg/kg Angelica gigas Nakai group, 100mg/kg Angelica gigas Nakai group. Four groups, excluding the control group, were fed a 5% solution of dextran sulfate sodium(DSS) in water for 7days to induce ulcerative colitis. Each water extract was administrated orally for 7 days in 5-ASA group, 50mg/kg Angelica gigas Nakai group and 100mg/kg Angelica gigas Nakai group. 5 groups were evaluated by weight, length of intestine, weight of spleen, disease activity index(DAI), amount of cytokine IL-6 production, thickness of bowel wall and degree of inflammatory cell infiltration and intestinal tissue damage. Comparing to DSS group, 100 mg/kg Angelica gigas Nakai group showed significant suppressive effect of weight loss until 4th day of experiment while 50 mg/kg Angelica gigas Nakai group showed no significant effect of suppression. Decrease of intestinal length, enlargement of spleen, intestinal tissue damage and thickening of bowel wall were significantly suppressed in both 50 mg/kg and 100mg/kg Angelica gigas Nakai group. Also disease activity and cytokine IL-6 production were inhibited significantly. Based on this result, Angelica gigas Nakai seemed to have anti-inflammatory effect and also seemed to suppress histological changes and aggravation of ulcerative colitis.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.401-409
• /
• 2002

Phthalate esters have possible effects on the endocrine system. Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) is one of the most commonly wed phthalic acid esters (PAEs). It is extensively wed as a plasticizer in elastomers, as a solvent for printing inks and resins, and as a textile lubricating agent. It is also present in the formulations of various cosmetic products. DBP has been identified as a reproductive toxicant in several animal species and also know as a endocrine disruptor. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of DBP on developmental immune Junction wing rat pups as experimental animals. Timed-bred pregnant SD rats were orally dosed with 0, 250, 500, or 750 mg DBP/kg body weight once a day from gestational day (GD) 5 to 18 and postpartum day (PD) 3 to 18. On PD22, the dams and their pups were euthanized and examined for alteration in parameters associated to immune function. The results showed no significant changes in body weight, thymus weight, thymus and spleen cellularities, the polyclonal activation respones of splenocyte with ConA and LPS, and also the distribution of arterial blood cells and thymocyto subsets in both rat dam and pups. However DBP exposure on rat dam resulted in increases of liver weights of dam and their pups except 750 mg DBP/kg, and body and spleen weights in pups except 750 mg DBP/kg. On the other hands, distribution rates of CD8+ T cells at 500 mg DBP/kg and B cells at 750 mg DBP/kg among splenocyte subsets were significantly increased in rat pups, unlike dams. Reasons of these distribution alterations of CD8+ T cells and B cells in rat pups are under study.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.642-648
• /
• 2020

In this study, we investigated the effects of linoleic acid (LA) treatment on Brucella abortus infection in professional phagocyte RAW264.7 cells, particularly during the pathogen's invasion and intracellular growth in these cells, as well as in murine model BALB/c mice focusing on bacterial splenic proliferation and immunoregulatory activities. LA inhibited the growth of Brucella in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The ability of the pathogen to enter the phagocytes was inhibited as was its survival within these cells. This was accompanied by increased nitrite accumulation in these cells at 24 h post-infection. The concentration of LA used in the present study did not affect the total body weight or liver function of the mice. During Brucella infection, the total splenic weight of these animals was not changed; rather, resistance to bacterial proliferation was enhanced in the spleen. Furthermore, mice treated with LA displayed elevated levels of IL-12 and IFN-γ but reduced levels of IL-10 during infection. The findings in this study showed the regulatory role of LA against B. abortus infection suggesting its potential use in designing intervention strategy for brucellosis.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.63-68
• /
• 2011

The present study was devised to determine the effects of body weight, organ weight, hematological values and biochemical parameters by vitamin E and selenium (Selevit) on the Orch rats. The animals were divided into 4 groups. Intact group (n=10) received no treatment and operation. Sham group (n=10) received only sham operation and no treatment. Orch group received operation and no treatment. Orch+Selevit received operation and Selevit. The body weights of each group increased, but that of the Orch+Selevit group were significantly lower than those of all the other groups. There were significant differences (P<0.001) of body weights between Orch+Selevit group and all the other groups. Also, organ weights such as heart, liver, spleen and kidney were measured. The heart weights were significantly lower (P<0.001) in the Orch+Selevit group than in Intact and Sham group. The liver weights in the Orch+Selevit group were significantly differences (P<0.001) in comparison with those in the Intact and Sham groups. The kidney weights in the Orch+Selevit group were significantly differences (P<0.01, P<0.001) in comparison with those in all the other groups. On the other hand, there were no significantly differences in the organ weights of spleen between the Orch+Selevit groups and the any other groups. The number of white blood cell (WBC) was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the Orch+Selevit group than in all the other groups. The hematological values of red blood cell (RBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were not significantly different in any of the groups. The concentrations of serum total protein, albumin and alkaline phosphatase increased significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01) in the Orch+Selevit group as compared to that in the Orch group. However, there were no significant differences in AST and ALT in any other groups. We conclude that Selevit was significantly decreased the body weight in the orchidectomized rats. Our findings suggest that Selevit may influence the process of lipid packaging and absorption in the orchidectomized rats.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.69-73
• /
• 2011

This was conducted to determine the effects of body weight, organ weight, hematological values and biochemical parameters by L-carnitine (Carn) on the orchidectomized (Orch) rats. The animals were divided into 4 groups. Intact group (n=10) received no treatment and operation. Sham group (n=10) received only sham operation and no treatment. Orch group received operation and no treatment. Orch+Carn received operation and L-carnitine. The body weights of each group increased, but that of the Orch+Carn group were significantly lower than those in all the other groups. There were significant differences (P<0.05, P<0.001) of body weights between Orch+Carn group and all the other groups. Also, organ weights such as heart, liver, spleen and kidney were measured. The heart weights were significantly lower (P<0.001) in the Orch+Carn group than those in Intact and Sham groups, respectively. The weights of liver and kidney in the Orch+Carn group were significantly differences (P<0.001) in comparison with those in all the other groups. Also, the spleen weights were significantly lower (P<0.05) in the Orch+Carn group than those in Intact and Sham groups, respectively. The hematological values of mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) were significantly differences (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.001) in comparison with those in all the other groups. On the other hand, the hematological values of white blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were not significantly different in any other groups. The concentrations of total cholesterol (T-chol), triglyceride (TG) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) decreased significantly (P<0.05) in the Orch+Carn group as compared to those in the Orch group. We conclude that L-carnitine was significantly decreased the body weight in the orchidectomized rats. Our findings suggest that L-carnitine may influence the process of lipid packaging and absorption in the orchidectomized rats.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.252-257
• /
• 2018

It is noted that Dioscorea quinqueloba is a medicinal herb that is widely used to treat cardiovascular disease and is assessed as useful to treat other various medical conditions. The immunopotentiating effects of the protein extract (DQP-1) from Dioscorea quinqueloba were thus formally investigated in vivo under incident of cold stress. In this case study, the spleen and thymus weight in mice was shown to have decreased after a measured exposure to cold stress, while the adrenal gland weight in the mice was shown to have increased. The systematic oral administration of DQP-1 significantly recovered the weight loss of the spleen and suppressed the adrenal gland hypertrophy during the association with cold stress. Additionally, the DQP-1 also restored the ascorbic acid level in the adrenal gland reduced after cold stress. The cold stress exposure lowered the percentage of $CD4^+$ and $CD8^+$ cells in the mouse thymus as determined by the flow cytometric analysis, as well as the levels of some serum immunological cytokines(interleukin-2, interleukin-12, and interferon-${\gamma}$) in the studied mice. The resulting identified weakened immunity caused by cold stress was also recovered by a treatment with DQP-1. The DQP-1 significantly suppressed the formation of serum enzymes of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase, which were systematically elevated during the cold stress episode. These results indicate that DQP-1 can improve immunity in mice that are characteristically weakened under stress.