Explore the vast range of titles available.

Endometritis is an important factor in cattle fertility. Pathogenicity and the development of numerous reproductive diseases are directly related to bacterial imbalance in the genital tract. A commercial antibiotic can be relatively costly and can disrupt the animal’s usual gut microflora; instead of plant medicals. The aim of this study was to develop an effective artificial insemination (AI) gel from traditional Thai herbs that exhibit bacterial inhibition. Twenty-four female Thai native cattle were divided into two groups: endometritis and healthy. Uterine swabs were isolated, identified, and tested for bacterial biofilm formation in vitro. Brucella ovis, Campylobacter fetus, Helicobacter trogontum, andArcobacter cryaerophilus were found in female genitalia with endometritis based on weak biofilm information. Garcinia mangostana Linn. and Achyranthes aspera Linn. extracts were tested for antibacterial activity using agar dilution assay. A 10 µg/mL concentration of both extracts in combination was effective against the mixed bacterial isolation. The specific AI gel with those extracts was then developed (so-called GA-Gel)in vivo. The combined extracts inhibited the endometritis bacteria that expressed antimicrobial activity in vivo. Their hematological profiles indicated that the total white blood cells, neutrophils, and lymphocytes counts decreased (p≤0.05). Compared to healthy cattle, the treated cattle had no significant difference in the levels of aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine. Both in vivo and in vitro indicated that the GA-Gel was effective for the prevention of an increase of bacteria and can be potentially developed to be an efficient AI gel.

Background Previous studies have shown that TIMP‐2 overexpression is a useful therapeutic tool for inhibiting tumor growth and invasion in animals. However, it has not been reported whether genetic manipulation for TIMP‐2 overexpression can induce an inhibitory effect on spontaneous metastasis from the primary tumor site to other organs such as lungs or lymph nodes in an animal model. Methods The present studies describe the effects of retrovirus‐mediated TIMP‐2 gene transfer into human breast cancer cell lines on the in vitro invasion of the tumor cells or the in vivo growth in nude mouse. Here we also used retroviral‐mediated TIMP‐2 overexpression by intratumoral injection for suppression of metastasis in human breast carcinoma established in the mammary fat pad of nude mice. Results As expected, overexpression of TIMP‐2 inhibited matrix metalloprotenase (MMP) activity and invasion of the tumor cells. Also, the growth rate of tumors grafted with the breast cancer cells transduced with the retrovirus vector encoding TIMP‐2 cDNA was significantly slower than the growth rate of tumors grafted with the breast cancer cells transduced with a control retrovirus vector. Furthermore, single intratumoral injection of the TIMP‐2 retrovirus‐producing cells into human breast tumor tissue established in mammary fat pads of nude mice showed a dramatic decrease in size and number of lung metastatic tumors. Conclusions Retrovirus‐mediated TIMP‐2 gene transfer into human breast cancer cells is able to down‐regulate invasion and show that tumor‐derived angiogenesis is reduced. In this model, retroviral‐mediated transduction of TIMP‐2 cDNA into a limited population of human tumor cells inhibits tumor growth and prevents distant pulmonary metastasis. These results indicate that it may not be necessary to deliver and express these genes in every single tumor cell as long as the level of expression in a limited number of transduced cells is sufficient to prevent the excessive breakdown of the extracellular matrix. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.