Background: Progesterone is a female steroid hormone that has a potent anticonvulsant effect on human and animal. The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of opioid receptors in the anticonvulsant effect of progesterone on ovariectomized mice.

Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, all animals were ovariectomized. After two weeks, they received an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of drugs (progesterone and naloxone) or saline. The animals also received a subcutaneous injection of strychnine for induction of convulsive seizures, 30 minutes after administration of drugs or saline. For evaluation of convulsion in the animals, convulsion onset time, convulsion duration, the number of seizures, and death time were recorded.

Results: Progesterone (25 and 50 mg/kg, i.p.) decreased the strychnine-induced convulsion. The anticonvulsant effect of 50 mg/kg of progesterone was abolished by naloxone (5 mg/kg, i.p.) injection, whereas administration of the same doses of naloxone alone did not affect strychnine-induced convulsion.

Conclusion: These results suggest that opioid receptors may play an important role in the anticonvulsant effect of progesterone.

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as glucose intolerance with first dignosis during pregnancy. There is some evidence indicating that chemerin play a role in the development of GDM. In this study, for the first time, a possible association of rs17173608 polymorphism in the chemerin gene with the risk of GDM in Arak population was investigated.

Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 120 GDM and 150 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance were selected. GDM was confirmed by oral glucose tolerance according to the new IADPSG criteria. Genomic DNA was extracted from EDTA treated whole blood. The polymorphism of chemerin gene was determined using tetra-amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (T-ARMS-PCR).

Results: The genotype frequencies of  TT, GT and GG at rs17173608 were respectively 81.7%, 17.5% and 0.8% in the GDM group and 73.3%, 25.3% and 1.3% in the control group. There were no statistical differences in genotype frequencies between case group and the control group. Also, allele frequencies in the GDM group  (T 90.4% , G 9.6%), did not differ significantly from the control group ( T 96% ,G 14%). No association was found between genotype frequencies and FBS, 1h, 2 h and BMI.

Conclusion: The present study show that the rs17173608 polymorphism in the chemerin gene is not associated with the development of glucose intolerance and GDM in the studied population.

Abstract

Background: In response to the exercise, variety of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory changes in cytokines were occurred into the tissue spaces and also to the systemic circulation. The purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of three-week intensive interval training on Lipocalin-2 and Interleukin1-β in healthy and adult rat hippocampus.

Materials and Methods: Twenty Wistar rats were divided into training and control groups. Training group performed 15 (bouts) × 4 (min) exercise training for 60 min with 85 to 90% of VO_2max used for four sessions/week (for 3 weeks). Then, blood (for ELISA analyzing) and tissue sampling was performed from rat’s hippocampus and they were evaluated by using a Real-Time PCR method. Also, independent and paired t tests were used to define within and between group differences.

Results: Findings showed that gene translations of Lipocalin-2 and Interleukin1-β were significantly decreased in rat’s hippocampus (p=0.0001 and p=0.0001, respectively). Also, similar decreases were shown in serum levels of Lipocalin-2 and Interleukin1-β in rats (p=0.017 and p=0.003, respectively).

Conclusion: It seems that significant decrease of Lipocalin-2 subsequent of short-time intensive interval training is due to decreasing and significant changes in Interleukin1-β. Also, current training protocol on treadmill can significantly decrease levels of Lipocalin-2 and Interleukin1-β in rat serum and hippocampus.