In order to investigate the effect of inorganic selenium replacement with organic selenium from Spirulina algae on performance and breast meat quality of broilers, a total of 160 one-day-old chicks were used in a completely randomized design with four treatments, eight replicates and five birds per each replicate. The sources of selenium used included sodium selenite and organic selenium from Spirulina algae which were replaced at two levels of 50 and 100 percent. The organic selenium was produced by the culture of Spirulina algae and its enrichment with selenium. The selenium content of different treatments was measured by ICP-Mass method. In this experiment, the feed intake and body weight gain parameters were measured weekly and feed conversion ratio was calculated. At 42 day of age, one bird was slaughtered from each replicate and the weight of carcass ready to cook was measured. The breast meat was sampled for measurement of pH and selenium storage. The results showed that it was not observed any significant difference in performance traits and ready to cook carcass percentage among different treatments. There was no significant difference in breast muscle pH at 0 and 24 hours after slaughtering. The amount of selenium deposited in breast muscle of birds fed organic selenium had significant increase when compared with other treatments (P<0.05). Generally, the results of this study showed that 100% replacement of sodium selenite with organic selenium from Spirulina algae led to increase in breast muscle selenium deposition without reduction in bird performance.

Introduction: Factors affecting hatchability are mentioned as important indicators in breeder flocks’ performance, one of these elements is fertility. Roosters’ as half part of fertility have great role and aging reduces their fertility. The biologic system in live organisms such as animals is under permanent attack due to natural consequence of the body’s normal metabolic activity that produces free radicals. It has been revealed that phospholipid fraction of avian spermatozoa membranes has high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and it is the reason why the spermatozoa are susceptible to free radical attack. During evolution, to deal with Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), living organisms have developed specific antioxidant protective mechanisms. Therefore, as a major factor, presence of natural antioxidants in living organisms enables their survival in an oxygen-rich environment. To maintain sperm fertilizing ability, an antioxidant defense system is a crucial point. In avian semen the antioxidant system consists of natural antioxidants together with enzymes that have antioxidant characteristics such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and selenoprotein P (SEPP1) protects sperm against free radicals and their destructive metabolites. Antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium (Se) have remarkable roles in avian reproduction. To gain gross reproductive performances in commercial poultry, supplementation of antioxidant at an optimum level is thought to be necessary. By using additives such as selenium we can help delaying this reduction through antioxidant properties of Se. Replacing inorganic Se by new types of Se sources like the nano form in poultry diet improves fertility. This research was conducted to investigate the effect of Nano-Selenium (Nano-Se) in comparison with sodium selenite on serum selenoprotein p (SEPP1) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) content in broiler breeder roosters.Material and Method: In the present study, a total of thirty Arbor Acres Broiler Breeder roosters (40 weeks old) were randomly divided into five experimental groups. Each of which included 3 replicates of 2 birds. Relevant catalog recommended distribution of 160 gr of diet per rooster per day for broiler breeder males. After one-week adaptation they were fed with the basal diet (T1) supplemented with 0.3 mg/kg Sodium Selenite (T2), 0.15 mg/kg nano-Se (T3), 0.3 mg/kg nano-Se (T4) and 0.6 mg/kg nano-Se (T5). The duration of feeding experiment was four weeks. At the end of adaptation week, blood samples were collected (2.5 ml) and after separating the serum, they were stored in -20°C refrigerator. Another sampling was two weeks later in the middle of experiment that again blood samples were collected and their serum were stored at -20°C. Four weeks after the treatment was done at the end of experiment, the roosters were humanely euthanized by cervical dislocation, the 3rd and last sampling was implemented at the end of experiment that as in the previous sampling was done, the blood samples were centrifuged and separated serum was stored in -20°C. Then serum concentration of the antioxidant “SEPP1” was measured by ELISA method and “GPx” was analyzed using a spectrophotometry kit.Results and discussion: The values of SEPP1 and GPx serum concentration obtained at the first time sampling showed no significant differences between all groups (P < 0.05). Serum SEPP1 concentration examination in the second sampling showed that roosters fed with both mineral and nano form of selenium supplements, had significantly higher concentrations of selenoprotein P in their serum, compared to the control group (P < 0.05) which the highest concentration was related to the treatment of 0.6 mg/kg nano-Se (T5) in their diet. Among the two groups of treatment 2 and treatment 3, which were fed 0.3 mg/kg sodium selenite (T2) and 0.15 mg/kg nano-Se (T3), respectively, treatment 3 had higher concentration. The results of examining the SEPP1 serum concentration for the final time at the end of the study indicated that there is a process similar to the trend of changes in the serum concentration of selenoprotein P that was seen in the second sampling step. The only difference observed in serum concentration results of the second sampling compared to third time was that the difference between the T2 and T3 treatments was greater in the last sampling. Simultaneously with SEPP1 analysis, serum glutathione peroxidase concentration was measured in three sampling times. At the second time sampling of serum GPx concentration, evaluation of the serum concentration of glutathione peroxidase revealed that the serum concentrations of this selenoprotein in broiler breeder roosters in groups T5, T4, T3 and T2 were significantly (P < 0.05) higher relative to its concentration in control group (T1). The difference between serum concentration of control group and T3 treatment was not significant (P < 0.05), also the difference in serum concentration of this selenoprotein between treatments T4 and T5 was not significant (P < 0.05). At the end of the study, after the third sampling and evaluation, the results of GPx serum concentrations revealed that all treatments showed a significant increase compared to the control group (P < 0.05) and with increasing the amount of nano-Se in the diet from 0.15 mg/kg to 0.6 mg/kg nano-Se, serum concentrations of glutathione peroxidase showed an increasing trend. Based on a consideration of all experiment indexes, in this research 0.6 mg/kg is suggested to be the best level of supplementation of nano-Se, and nano-Se showed higher contents of serum SEPP1 and GPx at the same amounts of nano-Se and sodium selenite supplementation. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of nano-Se was more effective than sodium selenite on serum SEPP1 and GPx concentration of tested selenoproteins in broiler breeder males.

More than 22% of the world's agricultural land is saline, and this trend continues to increase with climate changes. Salinity stress causes leaf color change, osmotic stress, ionic toxicity, prevents growth, photosynthesis and plant performance. Due to their size less than micron, metal nanoparticles have a great absorption and transmission power in plants. Salinity stress is a major problem in hot and dry areas under tomato cultivation. For this purpose, investigating the mutual effects of the size and type of zinc oxide and iron oxide nanoparticles on the improvement and change of growth and increasing the resistance to salt stress in tomato plants of the early urbana variety were carried out in the form of a completely randomized and factorial design with 4 replications, at a significant level of 5%. In this research, zinc oxide nanoparticles in 25 and 50 nm sizes, iron oxide in 25 nm sizes and sodium chloride in 0 and 75 mM levels were used. Nanoparticles and salinity treatments were both applied to the plants. The results showed that salt stress led to a decrease in plant growth parameters such as shoot and root length, leaf area, RWC, ion leakage. Also, NaCl led to an increase in the accumulation of prolin and other aldehydes, sodium, iron and zinc. The application of nanoparticles had a slight effect in stress-free conditions, but in stressed conditions, these two nanoparticles alone and especially in combination neutralized the effect of salinity and reduced the damage caused by salinity stress.

The novel properties of nanoparticles have been exploited in a wide range of potential applications in medicine. It has been suggested that some nanoparticles are capable to retard fibrillation of the Alzheimer’s disease-associated amyloid β protein (Aβ). Currently, many methods have been reported for the synthesis of the particles by using chemical, physical, photochemical and biological routes. In this present work, effect of microbial production (Bacillus sp. GFCr-4) of silver and selenium nanoparticles was investigated on hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) aggregation. The particles were screened via ThT, AFM and Congo red assay. We found that these nanoparticles effect on the nucleation step of HEWL fibrillation. Pre-incubation of the protein in the amyloidogenic condition in the presence of both nanoparticles lead to decrease in the nucleation phase. Elongation phase also in the presence of both nanoparticles was increased. The results showed that nano silver is capable to dissociation of formed mature fibrils but nano selenium was unaffected in the period. The likely role of the nanoparticles in this process is binding to lysozyme, which increases the local concentration and the likelihood of formation of a critical nucleus for fibrillation. Depending on the relative affinity of nanoparticles for protein monomers, unfolded monomers, oligomers, critical nuclei, and other prefibrillar states, the influence of nanoparticles on protein fibrillation kinetics are completely different.

Introduction & Objective: The antibacterial, antifungal and anti-parasitical effect of selenium and silver nanoparticles have been reported previously. The purpose of this study was to determine the anti-Leishmania healing effect of selenium nanoparticles and silver in lesions caused by Leishmania major in mice.Materials & Methods: In the present experimental study, Balb/c mice were experimentally infected with Leishmania major promastigotes. After the appearance of the lesion in the tail, they were divided into four groups of six. Two groups were treated with selenium and silver nanoparticles by injection in the three-points of the lesion as well as Glucantime per day, for 4 weeks. The mice in the negative control group did not receive any treatment. The diameter of the wound and body weight of the mice was measured every day for 5 weeks.Results: The diameter of the lesions in the group treated with nanoselenium was not different with the untreated control group. The diameter of the wounds treated with nanosilver was significantly different with the control group without treatment, but was larger than the group treated with meglumine antimoniate.Conclusion: Unlike selenium nanoparticles, silver nanoparticle showed anti-Leishmanial effect in vivo. Like Glucantime, it did not heal leishmanial lesion entirely.

Background: The present study aimed to investigate the antifungal activity of Nanoparticles (NPs) against amphotericin B-resistant Candida glabrata (C. glabrata) strains. Methods: Twelve resistant (C. glabrata) strains were isolated from archived clinical isolates. Antifungal activity was conducted according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute’ s (CLSI) guidelines, document M27-A3/S4. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to observe the morphological changes of strains exposed to each nanoparticle. Results: Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of nanoparticles of all strains was in the concentration range of 0. 125 to 0. 5 μ g/Ml. The synthesized Ag-NPs showed superior antifungal activity against (C. glabrata) compared to Se-NPs and Au-NPs. The scanning electron microscope images revealed the difference in the fungal morphology between the untreated and treated fungi with nanoparticles. Conclusion: The Ag-NPs, followed by Se-NPs synthesized, revealed significant antifungal activity against resistance regardless of their antifungal-resistant mechanisms.

Objective(s): Aspergillus species are found as opportunistic agents to cause a wide variety of clinical manifestations. Regarding the drug resistance emergence against Aspergillus species, new aspects of using nanoparticles (NPs) as antifungal agents are considerable. This study takes a new approach to biosynthesized NPs of zinc oxide, copper oxide, cerium oxide, silver, gold, and selenium influence on the clinical isolates of Aspergillus species. Materials and Methods: The antifungal activities of six NPs were examined against a total of 12 clinical isolates of Aspergillus species, including A. flavus (n=4), A. welwitschiae (n= 4), and A. fumigatus (n=4) based on the M38-A2 guideline. Results: According to minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, NPs of ZnO, Ag, Au, and Se showed a significant antifungal effect. CuO-NPs and CeO2-NPs didn’t show an inhibitory effect against Aspergillus isolates. The MIC ranges of ZnO-NPs, Ag-NPs, Au-NPs, and Se-NPs were 128-512, 26-53, 21-85, and 6-26 µg⁄mL for A. fumigatus,and 512->512, 26-53, 85, and 1-13 µg⁄mL for A. welwitschiae, respectively. In addition, the MIC ranges of Ag-NPs and Se-NPs were 26-53 and 106-425 µg⁄mL for A. flavus, respectively. However, A. flavus were not inhibited by NPs of ZnO and Au. Conclusion: Among the examined NPs, ZnO, Ag, Au, and Se showed a significant effect against Aspergillus isolates except for CuO and CeO2. However, Ag-NPs seemed to be the most effective nanoparticle against the Aspergillus species. Compared to other Aspergillus species, A. flavus was not inhibited by NPs of ZnO and Au.