Pathological changes in the cellular structures of retina and choroidea in the early stages of alloxan-induced diabetes

AIM To investigate the temporal sequence of pathological changes in the cellular structures of retina and choroidea in the early stages of diabetes in laboratory animals.METHODS Experimental type 1 diabetes was modeled by three intraperitoneal injections of an alloxan solution into 30 male nonlinear rats at 16 wk of age. The 30 th and 60 th days from the final alloxan injection were chosen as the endpoints. Light and electron microscopy and morphometric and immunohistochemical studies were performed on histological slices of eyeballs from experimental animals.RESULTS Diabetic disturbances progressed to 60 d of the experiment. Thus, in the retina, a partial destruction of photoreceptors accompanied by interstitial edema was observed. The morphometric analysis revealed a reduction in the thickness of the retina. A reduction in the number of blood vessels of the choroid with disturbances of the endothelial cells and the vascular walls and a persistent reduction in the number of melanocytes were observed. The number of proliferating Ki-67 positive cells decreased, and the number of macrophages increased with diabetes development.CONCLUSION The starting point in the development of destructive changes involves early reduction in the number of melanocytes of the choroidea and alterations in the retinal pigment epithelium.

Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activity of Anacardium occidentale L. Flowers in Comparison to Bark and Leaves Extracts

Anacardium occidentale L., Anacardiaceae, is frequently used to treat infections. We evaluated the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of extracts obtained from aerial parts of the plant in comparison with the extract prepared with the flowers. Ethanol extracts of the leaves (EEL), stem bark (EEB), and flowers (EEF) were prepared separately. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by agar diffusion and broth dilution methods. The minimum bactericidal and fungicidal concentrations were determined against: Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, Salmonella choleraesuis, Candida albicans, and Candida tropicalis. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated based on their scavenger capacity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyle. The phytochemical profile was analyzed by colorimetric methods and by HPLC with UV detection. All extracts exhibited antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Although, the EEF was the most effective since it inhibited the growth of all 14 microorganisms tested. Anacardic and galic acids were identified in all extracts as well phenolic compounds, triterpenes, flavones and xanthones. In conclusion, the extracts obtained from the aerial parts of A. occidentale, mainly the extract of flowers that was the most effective, are rich in bioactive metabolites that exert a potent antioxidant and antimicrobial effect. Taken together, the results indicate an important biotechnological potential of A. occidentale as a source of compounds with broad-spectrum antimicrobial and of antioxidant activity to be used in the food and cosmetics industry.

The lncRNA Snhgl-Vpsl3D vesicle trafficking system promotes memory CD8 T cell establishment via regulating the dual effects of IL-7 signaling

The efficient induction and long-term persistence of pathogen-specific memory CD8 T cells are pivotal to rapidly curb the reinfection.Recent studies indicated that long-noncoding RNAs expression is highly cell-and stage-specific during T cell development and differentiation,suggesting their potential roles in T cell programs.However,the key lncRNAs playing crucial roles in memory CD8 T cell establishment remain to be clarified.Through CD8 T cell subsets profiling of lncRNAs,this study found a key lncRNA-Snhgl with the conserved naivehl-effectorlo-memoryh,expression pattern in CD8 T cells of both mice and human,that can promote memory formation while impeding effector CD8 in acute viral infection.Further,Snhgl was found interacting with the conserved vesicle trafficking protein Vps13D to promote IL-7Ra membrane location specifically.With the deep mechanism probing,the results show Snhgl-Vps13D regulated IL-7 signaling with its dual effects in memory CD8 generation,which not just because of the sustaining role of STAT5-BCL-2 axis for memory survival,but more through the STAT3-TCF1-Blimp1 axis for transcriptional launch program of memory differentiation.Moreover,we performed further study with finding a similar high-low-high expression pattern of human SNHG1A/PS13D/IL7R/TCF7 in CD8 T cell subsets from PBMC samples of the convalescent COVID-19 patients.The central role of Snhgl-Vps13D-IL-7R-TCF1 axis in memory CD8 establishment makes it a potential target for improving the vaccination effects to control the ongoing pandemic.