Papers by Hossein Rastegar
Acta medica Iranica, 2016
Lead (Pb), has, for decades, being known for its adverse effects on various body organs and syste... more Lead (Pb), has, for decades, being known for its adverse effects on various body organs and systems. In the present study, the damage of Pb on the Liver tissue apoptosis was investigated, and Lycopersicon esculentum as an antioxidants source was administered orally to prevent the adverse effects of Pb. Eighteen Wistar rats, randomized into three groups (n=6), were used for this study. Animals in Group A served as the control and were drinking distilled water. Animals in Groups B and C were drinking 1%Lead acetate (LA). Group C animals were, in addition to drinking LA, treated with 1.5 ml/day of Lycopersicon esculentum. Treatments were for three months. The obtained results showed that lead acetate caused significant reductions in the liver weight, plasma and tissue superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, but a significant increase in plasma and tissue malondialdehyde concentration but Lycopersicon esculentum have an inhibitory effect on LA liver adverse effect. So, it can be con...
Iranian Journal of Immunology Iji, Sep 1, 2012
Background: The role of mesenchymal stem cell in cellular therapy is the subject of interest for ... more Background: The role of mesenchymal stem cell in cellular therapy is the subject of interest for many researchers. The differentiation potential of MSCs and abilities in modulations of the recipient's immune system makes them important cells in tissue regenerative studies. MSCs by releasing the proinflammatory cytokines play important role in immunomodulatory systems; however the signaling pathways for releasing of these mediators are not well understood. Glutathione has been shown to play a role in modulation of cytokines in hepatogenic differentiation. Objective: In the current study we aimed to investigate the effects of buthionine sulfoximine (BSO, inhibitor for glutathione synthesis) and N-acetylecystin (NAC, an inhibitor for ROS generation) on proinflammatory cytokines production in a hepatogenic differentiation model. Results: BSO and NAC significantly decreased IL-6 and TNF-α levels at 14 days of differentiation, whereas, NAC decreased the levels of IL-8 at days 2 and 14 of differentiation. Moreover, intracellular glutathione level during the differentiation was depleted. Conclusion: Our current study suggests a novel role of GSH as an immunopharmacological regulatory molecule during hepatogenic differentiation. Finally, this information may shed some light on the understanding of MSCs responses in transplantation and cell therapy in diseases such as chronic hepatic diseases.
Acta medica Iranica, 2016
Nanotechnology is a most promising field for generating new applications in medicine, although, o... more Nanotechnology is a most promising field for generating new applications in medicine, although, only few nano products are currently in use for medical purposes. A most prominent nanoproduct is nanosilver. Nano-silver has biological properties which are significant for consumer products, food technology, textiles, and medical applications (e.g. wound care products, implantable medical devices, in diagnosis, drug delivery, and imaging). For their antibacterial activity, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are largely used in various commercially available products. The use of nano-silver is becoming more and more widespread in medicine and related applications, and due to its increasing exposure, toxicological and environmental issues need to be raised. Cytotoxicity induced by silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and the role that oxidative stress plays in this process were demonstrated in human hepatoma cells AgNPs agglomerated in the cytoplasm and nuclei of treated cells, and they induced intrac...
African Journal of Biotechnology, Jul 11, 2011
All organisms require an equivalent source for living. Reduced glutathione is the most abundant t... more All organisms require an equivalent source for living. Reduced glutathione is the most abundant thiol containing protein in mammalian cells and organs. Glutathione was discovered by Hopkins in 1924 who published his findings in JBC. It is a three peptide containing glutamic acid, cystein and glycin and is found in reduced and oxide forms in cell. High concentration of glutathione and its high reduced/oxide potential makes GSH a powerful antioxidant and the first defense line against free radicals. However, glutathione is the most efficient tool for detoxification of xenobiotic. In several studies, the effect of GSH on different cell types has been investigated and so, in this study, a review of the glutathione function, focusing on cell proliferation and differentiation would be carried out.
The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Jun 1, 2000
The rate and degree of subsensitivity development to morphine (mu-opioid receptor, preferred, but... more The rate and degree of subsensitivity development to morphine (mu-opioid receptor, preferred, but not selective agonist) and U50488H (highly selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist) were assessed in vitro on guinea pig ileum (GPI) of cholestatic animals 2, 5, and 7 days after bile duct ligation. In addition to this phenomenon of morphine, the effects of U50488H and SNC 80 (highly selective delta-opioid receptor agonist) were studied in vitro on mice vas deferens (MVD) of cholestatic animals 2, 5, 7, 10, and 15 days after bile duct ligation. The IC(50) for each compound was determined in these preparations. The ratio of the IC(50) in bile duct-ligated animals to sham and control animals provides a quantitative index for the degree of subsensitivity development to each agonist. For any given time, the highest degree of subsensitivity to morphine was observed in GPI of cholestatic animals, whereas in MVD obtained from the cholestatic animals, the highest degree of subsensitivity developed to inhibitory effect of SNC 80. The subsensitivity development in cholestatic animals was time dependent; in GPI the maximum subsensitivity developed after 7 days of the operation, whereas the maximum subsensitivity in MVD developed 15 days after bile duct ligation. Moreover, subsensitivity to exogenous acetylcholine and norepinephrine in GPI and MVD, respectively, did not develop in the presence of subsensitivity to opioids in cholestatic animals. Significant accumulation of endogenous opioids in plasma of cholestatic animals has been shown in several studies and this may account for a significant development of subsensitivity to inhibitory effects of opioid agonists.
Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research (IJPR)
New analogues of nifedipine, as a known calcium channel blocker, were synthesized by replacing th... more New analogues of nifedipine, as a known calcium channel blocker, were synthesized by replacing the orthonitrophenyl group on position 4 with 1-(4-Nitrobenzyl)-5-imidazolyl or 2methylthio-1-(4-Nitrobenzyl)-5-imidazolyl substituent. Effects of the new synthesized compounds on blood pressure were studied at 15, 30 and 60 min after administration by indirect tail-cuff method and compared with nifedipine in male rat. The results indicate that all compounds reduce mean systolic blood pressure but their effectiveness is less than nifedipine. The onset of action of compounds 6c ,6d ,6e and 6g is also slower than the parent drug.
Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research (IJPR)
A soil bacterium capable of degrading chitin on chitin agar plates was isolated and identified as... more A soil bacterium capable of degrading chitin on chitin agar plates was isolated and identified as Bacillus pumilus isolate U 5 on the basis of 16S rDNA sequence analysis. In order to optimize culture conditions for chitinase production by this bacterium, a two step approach was employed. First, the effects of several medium components were studied using the Plackett-Burman design. Among various components tested, chitin and yeast extract showed positive effect on enzyme production while MgSO 4 and FeSO 4 had negative effect. However, the linear model proved to be insufficient for determining the optimum levels for these components due to a highly significant curvature effect. In the second step, Box-Behnken response surface methodology was used to determine the optimum values. It was noticed that a quadratic polynomial equation fitted he experimental data appropriately. The optimum concentrations for chitin, yeast extract, MgSO 4 and FeSO 4 were found to be 4.76, 0.439, 0.0055 and 0.019 g/L, respectively, with a predicted value of chitinase production of 97.67 U/100 mL. Using this statistically optimized medium, the practical chitinase production reached 96.1 U/100 mL.
Journal of Biological Physics
The c-MYC gene plays an important role in the regulation of cell proliferation and growth and it ... more The c-MYC gene plays an important role in the regulation of cell proliferation and growth and it is overexpressed in a wide variety of human cancers. Around 90% of c-MYC transcription is controlled by the nuclease-hypersensitive element III1 (NHE III1), whose 27-nt purine-rich strand has the ability to form a G-quadruplex structure under physiological conditions. Therefore, c-MYC DNA is an attractive target for drug design, especially for cancer chemotherapy. Here, the interaction of water-soluble tetrapyridinoporphyrazinatozinc(II) with 27-nt G-rich strand (G/c-MYC), its equimolar mixture with the complementary sequence (GC/c-MYC) and related C-rich oligonucleotide (C/c-MYC) is investigated. Circular dichroism (CD) measurements of the G-rich 27-mer oligonucleotide in 150 mM KCl, pH 7 demonstrate a spectral signature consistent with parallel G-quadruplex DNA. Furthermore, the CD spectrum of the GC rich oligonucleotide shows characteristics of both duplex and quadruplex structures. Absorption spectroscopy implies that the complex binding of G/c-MYC and GC/c-MYC is a two-step process; in the first step, a very small red shift and hypochromicity and in the second step, a large red shift
Background: Analysis of pesticide residues in food and other environmental commodities have becom... more Background: Analysis of pesticide residues in food and other environmental commodities have become an essential requirement for consumers, producers, food inspectors and authorities. This study is focused on validation of an accurate, rapid and reliable method for multi-residual analysis of pesticides in pistachio as a strategic crop for export and one of the main nuts in Iranian food basket. Methods: We developed a "Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) method based on spiking blank samples and used the data for drawing calibration curves instead of standard solutions. Sample preparations were developed for determination of 12 pesticide residues in pistachio by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Results: Recovery of pesticides at 5 concentration levels (n=3) was in the range of 81.40%-93.08 %. The method proved to be repeatable in the majority of samples with relative standard deviation (RSD) of lower than 20%. The limits of detection and quantification for all pesticides were 2 ppb and 10 ppb, respectively. Conclusion: The calibration curves of pesticides were linear in the range of 10-500 (ng/g) and correlation coefficient of entire pesticides was higher than 0.994. The recovery of pesticides at 5 concentration levels (n=3) was in range of 81.41-91.80 %. The method was proved to be repeatable with the majority of RSDs being lower than 20%. The limits of detection and quantification for all pesticides were 2 and 10 ppb, respectively. The recoveries and repeatabilities were in accordance with the criteria set by SANCO Guideline (Commission of the European Communities, 2006).
Food Chemistry, 2015
Consumption of food products derived from porcine sources is strictly prohibited in Islam. Gelati... more Consumption of food products derived from porcine sources is strictly prohibited in Islam. Gelatin, mostly derived from bovine and porcine sources, has many applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. To ensure that food products comply with halal regulations, development of valid and reliable analytical methods is very much required. In this study, a species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay using conserved regions of mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome b gene) was performed to evaluate the halal authenticity of gelatin. After isolation of DNA from gelatin powders with known origin, conventional PCR using species-specific primers was carried out on the extracted DNA. The amplified expected PCR products of 212 and 271bp were observed for porcine and bovine gelatin, respectively. The sensitivity of the method was tested on binary gelatin mixtures containing 0.1%, 1%, 10%, and 100% (w/w) of porcine gelatin within bovine gelatin and vice versa. Although most of the DNA is degraded due to the severe processing steps of gelatin production, the minimum level of 0.1% w/w of both porcine and bovine gelatin was detected. Moreover, eight food products labeled as containing bovine gelatin and eight capsule shells were subjected to PCR examination. The results showed that all samples contained bovine gelatin, and the absence of porcine gelatin was verified. This method of species authenticity is very useful to verify whether gelatin and gelatin-containing food products are derived from halal ingredients.
Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR, 2014
Nano-silver (AgNP) has biological properties which are significant for consumer products, food te... more Nano-silver (AgNP) has biological properties which are significant for consumer products, food technology, textiles and medical applications (e.g. wound care products, implantable medical devices, in diagnosis, drug delivery, and imaging). For their antibacterial activity, silver nanoparticles are largely used in various commercially available products. Thus, the use of nano-silver is becoming more and more widespread in medicine. In this study we investigated the cytotoxic effects of AgNPs on liver primary cells of mice, as well as the human liver HepG2 cell. Cell viability was examined with MTT assay after HepG2 cells exposure to AgNPs at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7.5, 10 ppm compared to mice primary liver cells at 1, 10, 50, 100, 150, 200, 400 ppm for 24h. AgNPs caused a concentration-dependent decrease of cell viability in both cells. IC50 value of 2.764 ppm (µg/mL) was calculated in HepG2 cell line and IC50 value of 121.7 ppm (µg/mL) was calculated in primary liver cells of mice. The resu...
Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research Ijpr, 2013
Detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food is an important issue for all the subj... more Detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food is an important issue for all the subjects involved in food control and customer's right. Due to the increasing number of GMOs imported to Iran during the past few years, it has become necessary to screen the products in order to determine the identity of the consumed daily foodstuffs. In this study, following the extraction of genomic DNA from processed foods sold commercially in Iran, qualitative PCR was performed to detect genetically modified maize. The recombinant DNA target sequences were detected with primers highly specific for each investigated transgene such as CaMV35s gene, Bt-11, MON810 and Bt-176 separately. Based on the gel electrophoresis results, Bt- 11 and MON810 events were detected in some maize samples, while, in none of them Bt- 176 modified gene was detected. For the first time, the results demonstrate the presence of genetically modified maize in Iranian food products, reinforcing the need for the development of labeling system and valid quantitative methods in routine analyses.
Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR, 2011
A soil bacterium capable of degrading chitin on chitin agar plates was isolated and identified as... more A soil bacterium capable of degrading chitin on chitin agar plates was isolated and identified as Bacillus pumilus isolate U5 on the basis of 16S rDNA sequence analysis. In order to optimize culture conditions for chitinase production by this bacterium, a two step approach was employed. First, the effects of several medium components were studied using the Plackett-Burman design. Among various components tested, chitin and yeast extract showed positive effect on enzyme production while MgSO4 and FeSO4 had negative effect. However, the linear model proved to be insufficient for determining the optimum levels for these components due to a highly significant curvature effect. In the second step, Box-Behnken response surface methodology was used to determine the optimum values. It was noticed that a quadratic polynomial equation fitted he experimental data appropriately. The optimum concentrations for chitin, yeast extract, MgSO4 and FeSO4 were found to be 4.76, 0.439, 0.0055 and 0.019 ...
Acta medica Iranica, 2012
Silymarin, an extract from Silybum marianum, has been shown to have antioxidant properties. Howev... more Silymarin, an extract from Silybum marianum, has been shown to have antioxidant properties. However, there is no scientific report on wound healing activity of the silymarin. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of topical administration of silymarin on excision wound healing in rats. Excision wounds were made on the back of rats. Rats were divided into three groups, as control, vehicle, and treatment. Vehicle and treatment groups received polyethylene glycol and silymarin dissolved in polyethylene glycol, respectively. The control group did not receive any treatment. The wound tissues were removed on 5th, 10th and 15th day for histopathological analysis and total collagen determination by hydroxyproline assay. Results showed that silymarin increased epithelialization and decreased inflammation but did not have any effect on percentage of wound contraction, collagenization and hydroxyproline levels. It was concluded that silymarin can significantly stimulate epitheli...
Iranian journal of immunology : IJI, 2012
The role of mesenchymal stem cell in cellular therapy is the subject of interest for many researc... more The role of mesenchymal stem cell in cellular therapy is the subject of interest for many researchers. The differentiation potential of MSCs and abilities in modulations of the recipient's immune system makes them important cells in tissue regenerative studies. MSCs by releasing the proinflammatory cytokines play important role in immunomodulatory systems; however the signaling pathways for releasing of these mediators are not well understood. Glutathione has been shown to play a role in modulation of cytokines in hepatogenic differentiation. In the current study we aimed to investigate the effects of buthionine sulfoximine (BSO, inhibitor for glutathione synthesis) and N-acetylecystin (NAC, an inhibitor for ROS generation) on proinflammatory cytokines production in a hepatogenic differentiation model. BSO and NAC significantly decreased IL-6 and TNF-α levels at 14 days of differentiation, whereas, NAC decreased the levels of IL-8 at days 2 and 14 of differentiation. Moreover, i...
Journal of Biological Physics, 2014
The c-MYC gene plays an important role in the regulation of cell proliferation and growth and it ... more The c-MYC gene plays an important role in the regulation of cell proliferation and growth and it is overexpressed in a wide variety of human cancers. Around 90% of c-MYC transcription is controlled by the nuclease-hypersensitive element III1 (NHE III1), whose 27-nt purine-rich strand has the ability to form a G-quadruplex structure under physiological conditions. Therefore, c-MYC DNA is an attractive target for drug design, especially for cancer chemotherapy. Here, the interaction of water-soluble tetrapyridinoporphyrazinatozinc(II) with 27-nt G-rich strand (G/c-MYC), its equimolar mixture with the complementary sequence (GC/c-MYC) and related C-rich oligonucleotide (C/c-MYC) is investigated. Circular dichroism (CD) measurements of the G-rich 27-mer oligonucleotide in 150 mM KCl, pH 7 demonstrate a spectral signature consistent with parallel G-quadruplex DNA. Furthermore, the CD spectrum of the GC rich oligonucleotide shows characteristics of both duplex and quadruplex structures. Absorption spectroscopy implies that the complex binding of G/c-MYC and GC/c-MYC is a two-step process; in the first step, a very small red shift and hypochromicity and in the second step, a large red shift
General Pharmacology: The Vascular System, 1994
A~tract-l. The inhibitory effects of various calcium channel blockers; nifedipine, verapamil, dil... more A~tract-l. The inhibitory effects of various calcium channel blockers; nifedipine, verapamil, diltiazem and a heterogenous compound, dantrolene, have been investigated on isolated common bile duct from guinea-pig. 2. All the compounds tested induced a concentration-dependent reduction of the amplitude of contractile response to electrical stimulation or increasing the calcium concentration of the bathing media. 3. Nifedipine was the most potent compound whereas the least potent was dantrolene; verapamil and diltiazem had intermediate potency. 4. The ICs0 values for these compounds were calculated as: nifedipine 3.68 × 10-9 M; verapamil, 4.93 x I0-s M; diltiazem, 4.2 × 10-7 M; and dantrolene 5.51 x 10-5 M. 5. All the compounds displaced the concentration-response curve of calcium chloride to the right in a concentration-dependent manner. Among the compounds studied, nifedipine had the highest and dantrolene had the lowest potency. 6. These results indicate the striking pharmacological effects of the calcium channel blockers on the common bile duct and may indicate a possible role for these compounds in the treatment of biliary colic.
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Papers by Hossein Rastegar