Anti-cancer activity of an ethanolic extract of red okra pods (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) in rats induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea

Research (Published online: 12-05-2022)

4. Anti-cancer activity of an ethanolic extract of red okra pods (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) in rats induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea

Manikya Pramudya, Firli Rahmah Primula Dewi, Richard W. Wong, Devinta Wahyu Anggraini, Dwi Winarni and Sri Puji Astuti Wahyuningsih

Veterinary World, 15(5): 1177-1184

ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: Breast cancer is the most frequent malignancy in women. The consumption of phytochemical components from plants may play an essential role in preventing and treating this cancer. This study aimed to investigate the anti-cancer activity of an ethanolic extract of red okra pods (EEROP) in rats (Rattus norvegicus) induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU).

Materials and Methods: The experimental animals were divided into six groups (n=5/group), namely, KN (normal control, without any treatment), K– (negative control, exposed to MNU without EEROP), K+ (positive control, exposed to MNU and Methotrexate), and the treatment Groups P1, P2, and P3 (exposed to MNU and EEROP at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg body weight [BW], respectively). Intraperitoneal delivery of MNU and EEROP oral administration was carried out for 8 weeks. After the end of treatment, the parameters of cytokines, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and mammary gland histology were measured.

Results: The results showed that EEROP at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg BW significantly downregulated interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-17, IL-10, and tumor growth factor-β (p<0.05). In addition, doses of 200 mg/kg BW significantly increased the activity of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, prevented the proliferation of mammary gland epithelial cells, and yielded a significantly thinner epithelium of the mammary gland (p<0.05).

Conclusion: It can be concluded that EEROP was an effective anti-cancer agent by modulating the immune response. Further studies using a nanoparticle system are warranted to achieve optimal working conditions for these bioactive compounds.

Keywords: cancer, cytokines, histology of mammary gland, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea, red okra pods.

Single-stranded DNA aptamer-based rolling circle amplification as anti-hicken Salmonella bacteriostatic

Research (Published online: 11-05-2022)

3. Single-stranded DNA aptamer-based rolling circle amplification as anti-hicken Salmonella bacteriostatic

Samer Sadeq Hameed, Adil Sabr Al-Ogaili and Noor Noori

Veterinary World, 15(5): 1171-1176

ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: Salmonella is a major foodborne pathogen in the poultry industry, wherein the control measures may include sanitation and antibacterial and vaccines. However, there have been severe global restrictions on using anti-Salmonella antibacterial agents in livestock. This situation, along with rapidly increasing drug-resistant bacterial species, has led to the exploration of unconventional methods to control Salmonella infection in poultry. In recent years, selection techniques of promising DNA aptamers have begun to permeate several medical branches, resulting in the development of numerous anti-Salmonella DNA aptamers, most of which are used as sensing molecules for diagnostic purposes. These DNA aptamers have been demonstrated to interfere with bacterial growth, multiplication, and viability. Aptamers formed in rolling circle amplification products (RCA-p) could improve the potential action of aptamer interference with bacteria. This study aimed to test the use of single-stranded DNA aptamers in the form of RCA-p as a bacteriostatic to Salmonella in vitro.

Materials and Methods: Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis isolates were subjected to the action of anti-ST and anti-SE DNA aptamers in the form of RCA-p. Each isolate was grown on MacConkey and Luria-Bertani agar media separately in different concentrations in the presence or absence of the cognate RCA-p.

Results: The anti-Salmonella species DNA aptamer-based RCA-p were capable of reducing bacterial growth to significant levels in vitro.

Conclusion: We describe a potential solution for the rapidly developing drug resistance of several bacterial species. Our findings suggested that the use of non-toxic, non-immunogenic, and low-cost DNA aptamers targeting Salmonella in the form of RCA-p could inhibit the bacterial growth rate. Unlike polymerase chain reaction, RCA yields tandem repeats of single-stranded DNA at isothermal conditions, which would increase the probability of receptor-ligand clustering and increase affinity. Furthermore, as our RCA template was bivalent with two DNA aptamer sequences, we could target multiple sites or antigens on a bacterial cell.

Keywords: DNA aptamers, rolling circle amplification, Salmonella.

A novel cross-species differential tumor classification method based on exosome-derived microRNA biomarkers established by human-dog lymphoid and mammary tumor cell lines' transcription profiles

Research (Published online: 11-05-2022)

2. A novel cross-species differential tumor classification method based on exosome-derived microRNA biomarkers established by human-dog lymphoid and mammary tumor cell lines' transcription profiles

Kaj Chokeshaiusaha, Thanida Sananmuang, Denis Puthier and Catherine Nguyen

Veterinary World, 15(5): 1163-1170

ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: Exosome-derived microRNA (miRNA) has been widely studied as a non-invasive candidate biomarker for tumor diagnosis in humans and dogs. Its application, however, was primarily focused on intraspecies usage for individual tumor type diagnosis. This study aimed to gain insight into its application as a cross-species differential tumor diagnostic tool; we demonstrated the process of identifying and using exosome-derived miRNA as biomarkers for the classification of lymphoid and mammary tumor cell lines in humans and dogs.

Materials and Methods: Exosome-derived miRNA sequencing data from B-cell lymphoid tumor cell lines (n=13), mammary tumor cell lines (n=8), and normal mammary epithelium cultures (n=4) were pre-processed in humans and dogs. F-test and rank product (RP) analyses were used to select candidate miRNA orthologs for tumor cell line classification. The classification was carried out using an optimized support vector machine (SVM) with various kernel classifiers, including linear SVM, polynomial SVM, and radial basis function SVM. The receiver operating characteristic and precision-recall curves were used to assess the performance of all models.

Results: MIR10B, MIR21, and MIR30E were chosen as the candidate orthologs from a total of 236 human-dog miRNA orthologs (p≤0.01, F-test score ≥10, and RP score ≤10). Their use of polynomial SVM provided the best performance in classifying samples from various tumor cell lines and normal epithelial culture.

Conclusion: The study successfully demonstrated a method for identifying and utilizing candidate human-dog exosome-derived miRNA orthologs for differential tumor cell line classification. Such findings shed light on a novel non-invasive tumor diagnostic tool that could be used in both human and veterinary medicine in the future.

Keywords: exosome-derived microRNA, meta-analysis, ortholog, support vector machine, tumor.

The first report on the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections and associated risk factors among traditional pig farmers in Bali Province, Indonesia

Research (Published online: 10-05-2022)

1. The first report on the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections and associated risk factors among traditional pig farmers in Bali Province, Indonesia

Kadek Karang Agustina, I. Made Ady Wirawan, I. Made Sudarmaja, Made Subrata and Nyoman Sadra Dharmawan

Veterinary World, 15(5): 1154-1162

ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: Pigs are the main livestock commodity in Bali Province, Indonesia, where traditional farming practices are widely used. Traditional pig farmers are often closely associated with poverty and a perceived lack of knowledge regarding health and hygiene. Data on soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) and risk factors associated with STH worm infection among traditional pig farmers in Bali were previously unavailable. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence and risk factors for STH infections among traditional pig farmers in Bali Province, Indonesia.

Materials and Methods: This study involved the fecal examination of 238 traditional pig farmers from all areas of Bali Province in Indonesia. In addition, several pig feces samples were combined into one pooled sample belonging to each farm. All fresh fecal samples were stored in a 5% formaldehyde solution before being analyzed using concentration flotation techniques. Subsequently, risk factors were determined through an interview and a questionnaire. The odds ratio (OR) and Chi-square tests were used to determine the risk factors associated with STH infections.

Results: The result showed that there was a high prevalence of STH infections among traditional pig farmers and pig farms in Bali, with rates of 21.8% and 76.5%, respectively. This could be due to risk factors, such as personal hygiene (OR: 5.756; confidence interval [CI]: 2.96-11.193; p=0.00), sanitation (OR: 1.914; CI: 1.024-3.576; p=0.042), education level (OR: 7.579; CI: 2.621-21.915; p=0.00), household income (OR: 2.447; CI: 1.122-5.338; p=0.025), and occupation (OR: 2.95; CI: 1.356-6.415; p=0.006).

Conclusion: The infections seen in farmers were distributed among hookworm, Ascaris spp., and Trichuris spp., at 15.1%, 9.2%, and 4.2%, respectively. The risk factors associated with infections of STH and Ascaris spp. were personal hygiene, home sanitation, education level, household income, and having a primary occupation as a traditional pig farmer. In contrast, personal hygiene, education level, and primary occupation were the only risk factors for hookworm infection, while personal hygiene and home sanitation were the risk factors associated with Trichuris spp. infection. The limitation of this study was that the number of samples was relatively small due to the difficulty of obtaining stool samples from traditional pig farmers, with many individuals refusing to provide their stool for inspection. We suggest that future research focus on identifying the species of worms that infect traditional pig farmers and to better identify the zoonotic link of STH transmission from pigs to humans.

Keywords: Ascaris, hookworm, risk factor, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, traditional pig farmer, Trichuris.

Dengue virus transovarial transmission detection in Aedes aegypti from dengue hemorrhagic fever patients' residences in Denpasar, Bali

Research (Published online: 30-04-2022)

43. Dengue virus transovarial transmission detection in Aedes aegypti from dengue hemorrhagic fever patients' residences in Denpasar, Bali

I. Made Sudarmaja, I. Kadek Swastika, Luh Putu Eka Diarthini, I. Putu Dema Prasetya and I. Md. Ady Wirawan

Veterinary World, 15(4): 1149-1153

ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: To effectively control dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), it is necessary to assess the risk of vertical virus transmission in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. This study aimed to detect dengue virus (DENV) transovarial transmission in A. aegypti collected from DHF patients' residences in Denpasar, Bali.

Materials and Methods: A. aegypti samples were acquired by rearing A. aegypti eggs collected from ovitraps placed in the homes of DHF patients. Ovitraps were installed for 7 days and viewed using a loupe to determine whether there were Aedes spp. eggs present. An immunocytochemical method was utilized with 200 samples, and virus detection was performed using a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Results: Of the 10 DHF patient houses fitted with ovitraps, four produced positive ovitraps from which larvae developed (house index=40%). Of the 50 ovitraps mounted in the 10 homes, 14 ovitraps were positive and contained A. aegypti eggs (ovitrap index=28%). Of these 14 positive ovitraps containing A. aegypti eggs, 10 ovitraps produced larvae. Immunocytochemical tests were conducted on A. aegypti eggs from the four houses under study. It was found that from the 200 samples collected, 197 samples could be observed, and 11 samples (5.6%) were positive for DENV antigen. RT-PCR examination conducted on mosquitoes reared from the four houses studied obtained a negative virus content result.

Conclusion: This study found the presence of DENV antigen to be as high as 5.6%. This means that potential for transovarial transmission exists within DHF patients' homes in Denpasar, Bali. Aedes control strategy in Denpasar should address this finding, in addition to the current approaches which have focused primarily on the elimination of larval breeding habitats and control of adults using insecticidal fogging during outbreaks.

Keywords: Aedes aegypti, dengue virus, immunocytochemical, transovarial transmission.

Antimicrobial resistance pattern of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from sheep and humans in Veterinary Hospital Maiduguri, Nigeria

Research (Published online: 30-04-2022)

42. Antimicrobial resistance pattern of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from sheep and humans in Veterinary Hospital Maiduguri, Nigeria

Solomon Jauro, Mark M. Hamman, Kefas D. Malgwi, Jasini A. Musa, Yusuf B. Ngoshe, Isa A. Gulani, Iliya D. Kwoji, Ibrahim Iliya, Mustapha B. Abubakar and Folorunso O. Fasina

Veterinary World, 15(4): 1141-1148

ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an important opportunistic pathogen, is a Gram-positive coccus known to be resistant to β-lactam antibiotics. Its virulence depends on a large range of factors, mainly extracellular proteins, such as enzymes and exotoxins, that contribute to causing a wide range of diseases in human and animal species. The major reasons for the success of this pathogen are its great variability, which enables it to occur and thrive at different periods and places with diverse clonal types and antibiotic resistance patterns within regions and countries. Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant S. aureus bring about serious problems in the general population (humans and animals). Infections with these pathogens can be devastating, particularly for the very young, adults and immunocompromised patients in both humans and animals. This study aimed to determine the presence of MRSA in both apparently healthy and sick sheep brought to the veterinary hospital as well as veterinary staff and students on clinical attachment in the hospital.

Materials and Methods: A total of 200 nasal swab samples were collected aseptically from sheep and humans (100 each) for the isolation of MRSA. The samples were processed by appropriately transporting them to the laboratory, then propagated in nutrient broth at 37°C for 24 h followed by subculturing on mannitol salt agar at 37°C for 24 h, to identify S. aureus. This was followed by biochemical tests (catalase and coagulase tests) and Gram staining. MRSA was isolated using Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) guideline and confirmed by plating onto Oxacillin (OX) Resistance Screening Agar Base agar. The antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the MRSA isolates was determined using the disk diffusion method against 12 commonly used antimicrobial agents.

Results: The total rate of nasal carriage of S. aureus and MRSA was found to be 51% and 43% in sheep and humans, respectively. The MRSA prevalence in male and female sheep was 18% and 8%, while 9% and 8% were for male and female human samples, respectively. The antimicrobial susceptibility test showed 100% resistance to OX, cefoxitin, oxytetracycline, cephazolin, and penicillin-G (Pen) by MRSA isolates from humans. Conversely, there was 100% susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, imipenem, and gentamicin; for linezolid (LZD), it was 87.5%, norfloxacin (NOR) (71%), and erythromycin (ERY) (50%) susceptibility was recorded. The MRSA isolates from sheep recorded 100% resistance to the same set of drugs used for human MRSA isolates and were equally 100% susceptible to gentamicin, imipenem, LZD, ciprofloxacin, NOR (92%), and ERY (50%).

Conclusion: This study determined the presence of MRSA in sheep and humans from the Veterinary Hospital, Maiduguri. It appears that certain drugs such as ciprofloxacin, imipenem, and gentamicin will continue to remain effective against MRSA associated with humans and sheep. Reasons for the observed patterns of resistance must be explored to reduce the burdens of MRSA resistance. Furthermore, the present study did not confirm the MRSA resistance genes such as mecA and spa typing to ascertain the polymorphism in the X-region using appropriate molecular techniques. Hence more studies need to be conducted to elucidate these findings using robust techniques.

Keywords: antimicrobial resistance, humans, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, sheep.

An intestinal Candida albicans model for monomicrobial and polymicrobial biofilms and effects of hydrolases and the Bgl2 ligand

Research (Published online: 29-04-2022)

41. An intestinal Candida albicans model for monomicrobial and polymicrobial biofilms and effects of hydrolases and the Bgl2 ligand

Masfufatun Masfufatun, Rini Purbowati, Nira A. Arum, Mey S. Yasinta, Sri Sumarsih and Afaf Baktir

Veterinary World, 15(4): 1134-1140

ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: Candida albicans is the most prevalent human fungal pathogen. In biofilms, C. albicans becomes more resistant to antifungal agents because of the production of an extracellular matrix (ECM) that protects the yeast cells. This study aimed to determine the effects of hydrolase enzymes and the Bgl2 ligand on monomicrobial and polymicrobial biofilms.

Materials and Methods: Biofilm induction in rats was carried out using streptomycin (25 mg/kg) and gentamicin (7.5 mg/kg) administered orally once per day for 5 days. Rats were injected subcutaneously with cortisone acetate (225 mg/kg) as an immunosuppressant on day 5. In addition, rats were orally administered C. albicans for the single microbial model and a combination of C. albicans with Escherichia coli for the polymicrobial model. Following the biofilm production, the groups were treated with glucosamine (8.57 mg/kg body weight) and Achatina fulica hydrolases (1.5 mL) orally for 2 weeks. The reduction of the biofilm was measured using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Data were analyzed using a t-test, with a significance value of 95%.

Results: CLSM images revealed a strong association between C. albicans and E. coli in the polymicrobial biofilm. On the contrary, the combination treatment using glucosamine and A. fulica hydrolases reduced the ECM of the single microbial biofilm (53.58%). However, treatment effectiveness against the matrix (19.17%) was reduced in the polymicrobial model.

Conclusion: There is a strong association between C. albicans and E. coli in the formation of polymicrobial biofilms. The combination of glucosamine and the A. fulica enzyme can reduce the single microbial biofilm ECM; however, it is ineffective in the polymicrobial model.

Keywords: Achatina fulica hydrolases, Bgl2 ligand, Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, intestinal polymicrobial biofilm.