Bioassay-guided isolation of wound healing active compounds from Echium species growing in Turkey.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The roots and root barks of Echium sp. have been used to treat ulcers, burns and wounds in traditional Turkish medicine. AIM OF THE STUDY: On the basis of them traditional use and literature references, four Echium species were selected for evaluation of them wound healing potential. Isolation of active component(s) from the active extracts through the bioassay guided fractionation procedures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In vivo the wound healing activity of the plants was evaluated by linear incision experimental models. The chloroform extract of Echium italicum L. was fractionated by successive chromatographic techniques. Wound healing activity of each fraction was investigated following the bioassay-guided fractionation procedures. Moreover, the tissue samples of isolated compounds were examined histopathologically. The healing potential was comparatively assessed with a reference ointment Madecassol®, which contains 1% extract of Centella asiatica. RESULTS: Significant wound healing activity was observed from the ointment prepared with ethanol extract at 1% concentration. The ethanol root extract treated in groups of animals showed a significant increase (37.38%, 40.97% and 35.29% separately for E. italicum L, Echium vulgare L. and Echium angustifolium Miller) wound tensile strength in the incision wound model. Subfractions showed significant but reduced wound healing activity on in vivo wound models. Shikonin derivatives "Acetylshikonin", "Deoxyshikonin" and "2-methyl-n-butyrylshikonin+Isovalerylshikonin", were isolated and determined as active components of active final subfraction from E. italicum L. roots. The results of histopathological examination supported the outcome of linear incision wound models. CONCLUSION: The experimental study revealed that Echium species display remarkable wound healing activity.

Acute toxicity of gymnodimine to mice.

The acute toxicity of the phycotoxin gymnodimine to female Swiss mice by intraperitoneal injection and by oral administration has been determined. Gymnodimine was highly toxic by injection, the LD50 being only 96 microg/kg. Animals either died within 10 min of injection or made a full recovery with no perceptible long-term effects. Gymnodimine was also toxic after oral administration by gavage (LD50 755 microg/kg), but was much less toxic when administered with food. No signs of toxicity were seen in mice voluntarily ingesting food containing gymnodimine at a level sufficient to give a dose of approximately 7500 microg/kg. Pre-treatment with physostigmine or neostigmine protected against injected gymnodimine, suggesting that the latter exerts its toxic effects via blockade of nicotinic receptors at the neuromuscular junction. The low toxicity of gymnodimine when ingested with food suggests that this compound is of low risk to humans, a conclusion that is consonant with anecdotal evidence for the absence of harmful effects in individuals consuming shellfish contaminated with gymnodimine.

[The lipid peroxidation system in the organism of experimental animals after exposure to cyclic hydrocarbons]. / Sostoianie sistemy perekisnogo okisleniia lipidov v organizme éksperimental'nykh zhivotnykh posle vozdeistviia tsiklicheskikh uglevodorodov.

The paper presents the results of studies of the amounts of diene conjugates, malonic dialdehyde, and Schiff's bases, which are molecular LPO products in the tissues of the lung, liver, kidney in animals exposed to 4-hour inhalation of cyclic hydrocarbons (pyromellitic dianhydride, durol, pseudocumene, and dioxane-1,4). Exposure to ecotoxicants at concentrations of 10 and 1 mg/m3 was found to result in the accumulation of initial, intermediate, and final molecular LPO products. These changes were recorded only after exposure to pseudocumene and dioxane vapors in a dose of 0.1 mg/m3 and after inhalation of dioxane-1,4 vapors in a dose of 0.01 mg/m3.