The antidepressant-like effect of Ocimum basilicum in an animal model of depression

We investigated the efficacy of Ocimum basilicum (OB) essential oils for treating depression related behavioral, biochemical and histopathological changes caused by exposure to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) in mice and to explore the mechanism underlying the pathology. Male albino mice were divided into four groups: controls; CUMS; CUMS plus fluoxetine, the antidepressant administered for pharmacological validation of OB; and CUMS plus OB. Behavioral tests included the forced swim test (FST), elevated plus-maze (EPM) and the open ?eld test (OFT); these tests were performed at the end of the experiment. We assessed serum corticosterone level, protein, gene and immunoexpression of brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) as well as immunoexpression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), Ki67, caspase-3 in the hippocampus. CUMS caused depression in the mice as evidenced by prolonged immobility in the FST, prolonged time spent in the open arms during the EPM test and reduction of open field activity in the OFT. OB ameliorated the CUMS induced depressive status. OB significantly reduced the corticosterone level and up-regulated protein and gene expressions of BDNF and GR. OB reduced CUMS induced hippocampal neuron atrophy and apoptosis, and increased the number of the astrocytes and new nerve cells. OB significantly increased GFAP-positive cells as well as BDNF and GR immunoexpression in the hippocampus.     

Testosterone Trajectories and Reference Ranges in a Large Longitudinal Sample of Male Adolescents

Purpose

Pubertal dynamics plays an important role in physical and psychological development of children and adolescents. We aim to provide reference ranges of plasma testosterone in a large longitudinal sample. Furthermore, we describe a measure of testosterone trajectories during adolescence that can be used in future investigations of development.

Methods

We carried out longitudinal measurements of plasma testosterone in 2,216 samples obtained from 513 males (9 to 17 years of age) from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. We used integration of a model fitted to each participant’s testosterone trajectory to calculate a measure of average exposure to testosterone over adolescence. We pooled these data with corresponding values reported in the literature to provide a reference range of testosterone levels in males between the ages of 6 and 19 years.

Results

The average values of total testosterone in the ALSPAC sample range from 0.82 nmol/L (Standard Deviation [SD]: 0.09) at 9 years of age to 16.5 (SD: 2.65) nmol/L at 17 years of age; these values are congruent with other reports in the literature. The average exposure to testosterone is associated with different features of testosterone trajectories such as Peak Testosterone Change, Age at Peak Testosterone Change, and Testosterone at 17 years of age as well as the timing of the growth spurt during puberty.

Conclusions

The average exposure to testosterone is a useful measure for future investigations using testosterone trajectories to examine pubertal dynamics.     

Synthesis and Stability of Chloroplast Ribosomal-RNA's

The chloroplast ribosomal-RNAs (1.1 × 10⁶ and 0.56 × 10⁶ mol wt) are synthesized in the normal ratio of 2:1. The non-ribosomal distribution observed after extraction and fractionation results from the lability of the 1.1 × 10⁶ component, and a correction for this breakdown can be applied in certain cases. Newly synthesized 1.1 × 10⁶ RNA is more stable than the older accumulated 1.1 × 10⁶ RNA. Accumulation of the chloroplast RNA during growth of radish cotyledons occurs at a later time than the accumulation of cytoplasmic RNA, and its turnover is much less than that of the cytoplasmic ribosomal-RNA.     

The genes for cytoplasmic ribosomal ribonucleic Acid in higher plants

The genes for cytoplasmic ribosomal RNA are partially resolved from the bulk of the DNA by CsCl equilibrium centrifugation. Although in some plants the buoyant density of the ribosomal RNA genes is as expected from the base composition of ribosomal RNA, others show a large discrepancy which cannot be due to the presence of low G-C spacer-DNA. The cross-hybridization observed with 1.3 and 0.7 × 10⁶ molecular weight ribosomal RNAs and DNA, which varies greatly with different plant species, is not due to contamination of the ribosomal RNAs, and is specific for the ribosomal DNA of each species, probably largely restricted to those sequences coding for the two stable ribosomal RNAs. The double reciprocal plot may be used for the extrapolation of saturation values only with caution, because in these cases such plots are not linear over the whole of the hybridization reaction.     

The nature of polydisperse ribonucleic acid in plants

The aggregation of ribosomal RNA species during chromatography on methylated albumin on kieselguhr was decreased from 50 to 15% by the lower salt concentrations made possible by the use of higher pH values. The polydisperse RNA was resolved into two fractions. About 50% was eluted with the rRNA whereas the remainder was bound to the column, and was recovered only by solubilization of the methylated albumin. Both fractions of polydisperse RNA were similar in size range, but the bound fraction was considerably richer in AMP. No D-RNA (DNA-like RNA) peak was resolved under these conditions of column fractionation. However, the properties of the bound RNA were consistent with it containing both D-RNA and TB-RNA (tenaciously bound RNA). The relationship between these two fractions of AMP-rich RNA was considered. The bound RNA and ribosomal RNA responded differently to various treatments. The salt concentration required to elute ribosomal RNA was halved by increasing the pH of the fractionation, but the amount of bound RNA was in fact increased. Denaturation by hot urea decreased the binding of ribosomal RNA to the methylated albumin, but did not facilitate elution of bound RNA. The high affinity between the AMP-rich polydisperse RNA and the methylated albumin does not therefore appear to arise for the secondary structure conferred by the high AMP content.