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Background: Insulin resistance and hormonal imbalances are key features in the pathophysiology of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). We have previously shown that Ficus deltoidea var. deltoidea Jack (Moraceae) can improve insulin sensitivity and hormonal profile in PCOS female rats. However, biological characteristics underpinning the therapeutic effects of F. deltoidea for treating PCOS remain to be clarified. This study aims to investigate the biochemical, hormonal, and histomorphometric changes in letrozole (LTZ)-induced PCOS female rats following treatment with F. deltoidea.
Methods: PCOS was induced in rats except for normal control by administering LTZ at 1 mg/kg/day for 21 days. Methanolic extract of F. deltoidea leaf was then orally administered to the PCOS rats at the dose of 250, 500, or 1000 mg/kg/day, respectively for 15 consecutive days. Lipid profile was measured enzymatically in serum. The circulating concentrations of reproductive hormone and antioxidant enzymes were determined by ELISA assays. Ovarian and uterus histomorphometric changes were further observed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining.
Results: The results showed that treatment with F. deltoidea at the dose of 500 and 1000 mg/kg/day reduced insulin resistance, obesity indices, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), malondialdehyde (MDA), testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) to near-normal levels in PCOS rats. The levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), estrogen, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) are also similar to those observed in normal control rats. Histomorphometric measurements confirmed that F. deltoidea increased the corpus luteum number and the endometrial thickness.
Conclusions: F. deltoidea can reverse PCOS symptoms in female rats by improving insulin sensitivity, antioxidant activities, hormonal imbalance, and histological changes. These findings suggest the potential use of F. deltoidea as an adjuvant agent in the treatment program of PCOS.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12906-021-03452-6 | DOI Listing |
Biology (Basel)
August 2025
Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences (ECAV), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
Sheep have been widely used as a model for osteoporosis research. This study aimed to characterise changes in microstructure and composition in lumbar vertebrae L1-L7 and the proximal femur after implementation of a bone loss induction protocol (in this species). A sham control and experimental group (glucocorticoid-treated ovariectomized sheep) were used ( = 6/group), with a study duration up to the 24th postoperative week.
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Design: Population-based studies conducted in Russia, China, and India and histological examination of enucleated human globes.
Participants: The Russian Ural Eye and Medical Study ( = 5899 participants; age: ≥40 years), Ural Very Old Study ( = 1526; age: 85+ years), Beijing Eye Study ( = 3468; age: ≥40 years), and Central India Eye and Medical Study ( = 4711) were conducted in rural and urban regions in Bashkortostan/Russia, Beijing/China, and Nagpur/India, respectively.
Trials
August 2025
Department for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia.
Background: Obesity is a complex disease marked by excessive, dysfunctional adipose tissue accumulation. Recent research underscores the pivotal role of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in metabolic health and its potential as a therapeutic target for obesity management. Emerging preclinical and clinical evidence suggests that second-generation anti-obesity drugs, especially dual agonists such as tirzepatide, may enhance BAT activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurotoxicol Teratol
August 2025
Laboratory of Toxicology Applied to the Environment, Goiano Federal Institute - Urutaí Campus. Rodovia Geraldo Silva Nascimento, 2,5 km, Zona Rural, Urutaí, GO, Brazil; Post-Graduation Program in Biotechnology and Biodiversity, Goiano Federal Institute, GO, Brazil; Post-Graduation Program in Conse
Despite the growing recognition of the impacts of microplastics (MPs) and the intensification of extreme weather events, recent investigations have focused mainly on the consequences of global warming, while overlooking the potential impacts of extreme low-temperature (ELT) events and their interaction with these pollutants. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to assess the integrated effects of co-exposure to environmentally aged polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) and ELTs on behavioral, neuroendocrine, metabolic, and histomorphometric biomarkers in female Swiss mice. To this end, animals were orally exposed to environmentally aged PS-MPs (10 mg/kg/day) and maintained in a climate-controlled chamber at 4 °C for 21 days, whereas control groups were kept at 25 °C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVet Med Sci
September 2025
Zoology Department, Comparative Anatomy and Embryology Division, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
Bursa of Fabricius (BF) is a primary lymphoid organ in birds, crucial for lymphocyte development and immune function. This study investigates age-related alterations in the histomorphology and ultrastructure of the bursal tissue in green-winged teal (Anas crecca) at 8 and 24 weeks of age. Twenty ducks were examined, and the sample tissues were collected post-euthanasia for histological and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses.
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