Background and Aim: The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) plays a pivotal role in spermatogenesis through its regulatory functions in redox balance and gene expression. This study aimed to investigate the effects of resveratrol (RES), a polyphenolic AhR modulator, and CH223191, a selective AhR antagonist, on male reproductive function in rats by assessing sperm quality, oxidative stress, testicular histopathology, and AhR gene expression. Materials and Methods: Forty adult male rats were randomly divided into four groups: (i) Control, (ii) dimethyl sulfoxide (vehicle), (iii) RES (100 mg/kg i.p., twice weekly), and (iv) AhR⁻ (CH223191, 10 mg/kg i.p., twice weekly), treated for 60 days. Post-treatment, sperm motility, survival, viability, and DNA fragmentation were evaluated. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, testicular histopathology, and AhR gene expression quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were analyzed. Results: RES significantly enhanced sperm motility, survival, and viability, reduced DNA fragmentation, and increased TAC while decreasing MDA levels. Histologically, RES preserved normal testicular architecture. In contrast, AhR inhibition through CH223191 led to marked reductions in sperm quality, elevated oxidative stress, increased DNA fragmentation, and severe testicular degeneration. qPCR analysis revealed upregulation of AhR expression in the RES group (fold change: +23.1%) and significant downregulation in the AhR⁻ group (fold change: −72.6%), indicating differential modulation of AhR signaling pathways. Conclusion: RES positively modulates AhR activity, safeguarding testicular structure and enhancing sperm quality through antioxidant and anti-apoptotic mechanisms. Conversely, AhR antagonism disrupts spermatogenesis, underscoring the receptor’s essential role in male fertility. These findings suggest the therapeutic potential of AhR-targeting agents like RES in ameliorating male reproductive dysfunctions associated with oxidative stress and xenobiotic exposure. Keywords: antioxidant capacity, aryl hydrocarbon receptor, resveratrol, CH223191, oxidative stress, sperm DNA fragmentation, spermatogenesis.
The Agricultural Policy is one of the most important tools adopted by the state to guide its economic and social activities through the delivery of suitable agricultural commodities to the consumer and in return to deliver agricultural inputs to the agricultural producers at the lowest possible cost to contribute in achieving a profit that helps the agricultural product to continue in the production process with the same efficiency and ambition. So as to help increase the contribution of the agricultural sector to GDP and achieve the best picture of sustainable agricultural development.
The research aimed at identifying the reality of agricultural policies and their role in achieving sustaina
... Show MoreCentral banks around the world typically use various financial indicators to evaluate performance. In Iraq, the indicators used by central banks to evaluate the performance of banks are of great importance to ensure that the banks operating within the Iraqi banking system comply with the regulatory and legal requirements issued by the Central Bank of Iraq or the Ministry of Finance. Given the need to study the profitability indicator to ensure its ability to evaluate the performance of specialized banks in Iraq, these banks carry out their banking activities and businesses through capital funded by the government. The use of profitability indicators in evaluating the performance of specialized banks provides information about the profitabil
... Show MoreThe banks mobilize savings and channel them to the economy, whether commercial or Islamic banks and thus both contribute to increasing financial depth, the objective of this paper is to measure the contribution of the Islamic banks in increase financial depth in Iraq, and compared the role played by private commercial banks in contributing to increasing financial depth in Iraq. The paper has been applying the most used indicators of financial depth that used widely in the literatures, especially those applicable with the Iraqi economy.
The paper found via using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL) that Islamic banks did not contribute to increasing financial depth in Iraq, as well as for the p
... Show MoreTuberculosis (TB) still remains an important medical problem due to high levels of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A series of innate immune mechanisms that create a cytokine network control the pathogenesis of tuberculosis and this response has the capacity to modify the host genomic DNA structure through epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation which could constantly alter the local gene expression pattern that can modulate the metabolism of the tissues and the immune-response. Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine regulator of the innate immune response to TB. This study aims to determine DNA methylation patterns of INF-γ gene promoter and measure serum IFN- γ level in newly diagnosed TB patient
... Show MoreBackground: One of the unique prosthesis for tooth or teeth replacement is the dental implant. Our attempt is using a biomaterial system that is easily obtained and applicable and has the ability to provoke osteoinductive growth factor to enhance bone formation at the site of application. One of these natural polymers is hyaluronic acid. Material and methods: Sixty machined surface implants from commercially pure titanium rod inserted in thirty NewZealand rabbits. Two implants placed in both tibia of each rabbit. The animals scarified at 1, 2 and 4 weeks after implantation (10 rabbits for each interval). For all of animals the right tibia’s implant was control (uncoated) and the left one was experimental (coated with 0.1ml Hyaluro
... Show MoreCoronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a global pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 primarily occurs through binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2), which is abundantly expressed in various anatomical sites, including the nasopharynx, lungs, cardiovascular system, and gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. This study aimed to nurses' knowledge and protective health behaviors about prevention of covid-19 pandemic complications.
A descriptive design stud
Background Doxorubicin (DOX) is a potent antineoplastic agent used in treating various adult and pediatric cancers, but it tends to provoke dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. Ezetimibe (EZE), a cholesterol-lowering drug, has been reported to possess defensive actions against oxidative stress and inflammation, which are two of the main proposed mechanisms underlying the development of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC), hence, we aimed to inspect the possible protective effect of EZE against DIC in rats. Methods 24 adult male Wistar rats were allocated into four groups of six: control, DOX, 10 mg/kg EZE plus DOX and 20 mg/kg EZE plus DOX. At the end of the study, the experimental rats were anesthetized and blood samples were collected for b
... Show MoreThe imperative of achieving financial stability has transcended national boundaries, necessitating heightened attention from both researchers and policymakers. Consequently, this article delves into an examination of the impact of government debt and public debt on financial development within the context of Iraq. The study employs monetary policy, interest rate, inflation, and population growth as control variables to prognosticate financial development. Utilizing data extracted from the World Development Indicators (WDI) spanning the period from 1995 to 2022, the study employs the dynamic autoregressive distributed lag (DARDL) approach to scrutinize the associations under investigation. The findings underscore a negative association betwe
... Show MoreIntroduction: Since the hallmark of gestational trophoblastic disease is trophoblastic proliferation, Ki67 is regarded as the best marker in studying hydatidiform mole.This study was conducted to evaluate the role of this proliferative marker in distinguishing among hydropic abortion, partial and complete hydatidiform mole. Materials and methods: This is a cross sectional study involving the application of Ki67 on a total of 90 histological samples of curetting materials from molar (partial and complete mole) and non molar hydropic abortion belong to Iraqi females, so three study groups were created. Immunohistochemical expression in villous cytotrophoblasts, syncytiotrophoblasts and stromal cells were recorded separately by three i
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