Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff attenuates thromboembolic brain injury, possibly due to its Z-ligustilide content.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: Essential oil (EO) of Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff, whose main composition is Z-ligustilide, has been shown to have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and potent neuroprotective properties. RESEARCH DESIGN: This study examined whether or not the EO could ameliorate brain damage and behavioural dysfunction in a thromboembolic model of stroke in rats and compare its effects to that of the purified Z-ligustilide. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Stroke was induced in rats by middle cerebral artery occlusion using an autologous pre-formed clot. EO (10 mg kg(-1) and 45 mg kg(-1)) and Z-ligustilide (20 mg kg(-1)) were injected intraperitoneally 1 h prior to embolization. Behavioural scores, infarct size and brain oedema, as well as the level of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), malondialdehyde, glutathione, catalase and superoxide dismutase activity were determined in the ipsilateral cortex 24 hours following stroke induction. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: EO (45 mg kg(-1)), statistically similar to Z-ligustilide (20 mg kg(-1)), curtailed brain infarction and oedema, improved behavioural scores and prevented enhanced oxidative stress and TNF-α level in the ischaemic brain tissues. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide the first evidence of effectiveness of the extract in a thromboembolic model of stroke, whose action can be mediated, at least in part, by the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

Zolpidem-induced sneezing: A case report of positive rechallenge.

INTRODUCTION: Zolpidem, as an imidazopyridine, is a widely prescribed drug in clinical practice for short-term treatment of insomnia. Nevertheless, there have been a number of cases associated with the adverse effects of the stated drug recently. Further to the existing reports of adverse reactions to zolpidem, the current script is going to report a case in which zolpidem has induced acute repetitive sneezes. CONCLUSIONS: A high dose of zolpidem may contribute to interruption to the neurons function involved in the sneezing pathway.

Enhanced Permeability of Etoposide across Everted Sacs of Rat Small Intestine by Vitamin E-TPGS.

Etoposide, a widely used anticancer drug, exhibits low and variable oral bioavailability mainly because of being substrate for the efflux transporter, P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate the effect of D-α-tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) and PEG 400 as P-gp inhibitors on the intestinal absorption of etoposide. Everted sacs of rat small intestine were incubated in Krebs buffer solution which contained etoposide in the absence or presence of various concentrations of TPGS or PEG 400. The effect of verapamil as a known P-gp inhibitor on the absorption of drug was also studied. The absorptive transport of etoposide was significantly enhanced (p < 0.001) in the presence of verapamil (100 µg/mL) and TPGS (over the concentration range of 0.002- 0.1 mg/mL), suggesting that the inhibition of P-gp located in the intestine may be involved in the enhancement of etoposide absorption. However, the addition of PEG 400 at various concentrations (0.05, 0.1 and 0.5% w/v) had no effect on the etoposide transport. No significant difference was found between the permeability values in the absence and presence of the maximum concentration of TPGS for two transport markers, lucifer yellow and imipramine, indicating that the enhancement in etoposide permeability in the presence of TPGS was not due to the compromise in tight junctions or membrane integrity of epithelial cells. The results of the study suggest that the use of TPGS as a safe excipient in etoposide formulations may enhance the oral bioavailability of etoposide and result in a predictable oral absorption.