Background: Cordyceps cicadae (C. cicadae) has been used in traditional medicine and is presently being developed for therapeutic purposes and dietary supplements. One of its effective bioactive ingredients is N-(2-hydroxyethyl) adenosine (HEA), which can exert an analgesic effect by inhibiting neurotransmitter release and can be used to ameliorate moderate to severe pain, including cancer pain...

We studied the effects of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are known to accumulate in patients with diabetes, autoimmune diseases, or those who smoke, on embryonal development. Pronuclear (PN) embryos were obtained by flushing the fallopian tubes of rats after superovulation and mating. The cleavage rate and blastocyst yield were evaluated at 24, 72, 96, and 120 h of culture. Glyox...

Nitrofen (2,4-dichloro-4'-nitrodiphenyl ether) is an herbicide with potent teratogenic activity in rats. When administered at doses as low as 0.15 mg/kg/day during organogenesis, abnormal development of the heart, kidneys, diaphragm, and lung occurs. The specific pattern of visceral malformations produced in the absence of overt maternal toxicity or embryolethality/cytotoxicity suggest that the...

The active component of the honeybee hive product propolis, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), induces a selective growth suppressive and toxic effect toward cloned rat embryo fibroblast cells transformed by adenovirus type 5 (AdS) or the AdS EIA transforming gene versus iintransformed cloned rat embryo fibroblast cells (Z-z. Su et a/., Mol. Carcinog., 4: 231-242, 1991). The present study was...

Recently, several emerging pollutants, including Personal Care Products (PCPs), have been detected in aquatic ecosystems, in the ng/L or µg/L range. Available toxicological data is limited, and, for certain PCPs, evidence indicates a potential risk for the environment. Hence, there is an urgent need to gather ecotoxicological data on PCPs as a proxy to improve risk assessment. Here, the toxicit...

A chemical toxicity and teratogenicity test was adapted to assess potential adverse effects of a microbial pest control agent on a nontarget fish. Developing embryos of the inland silverside, Menidia beryllina, were exposed to conidiospores of the insect-pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. Embryo rupture and death were observed. Embryo rupture did not always result in death, nor was death alw...