Garlic (Allium sativum L.) as a potential antidote for cadmium and lead intoxication: cadmium and lead distribution and analysis in different mice organs.

Analysis and distribution of Pb and Cd in different mice organs including liver, kidney, spleen, heart and blood were evaluated after treatment with different aqueous concentrations of garlic (12.5-100 mg/l). Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) was used for analysis of Pb and Cd in these organs. Treatment of Cd-Pb exposed mice with garlic (12.5-100 mg/l) reduced Pb concentrations by 44.65, 42.61, 38.4, 47.56, and 66.62% in liver, kidney, heart, spleen and blood respectively. Moreover, garlic reduced Cd levels by 72.5, 87.7, 92.6, 95.6, and 71.7% in liver, kidney, heart, spleen and blood respectively. The suppressed immune responses in mice pretreated with Cd-Pb mixture were reversed by 48.85, 55.82, 81.4 and 90.7 in the presence of 100, 50, 25, and 12.5 mg/ml of garlic extract.

Synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted-1,4-benzoquinone derivatives as potential antimicrobial and cytotoxic agents.

A number of 2,5-disubstituted-1,4-benzoquinone derivatives were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), and mass spectra (MS). These compounds and their synthetic precursors were evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity. The most potent antimicrobial compound was the thiadiazolyl derivative 4b, which was 2- to 4 times more active than the antimicrobial drug sulfathiazole. All the tested compounds were active in the Brine Shrimp Lethality (BS) Test. Compound 4e which was the most active in the BS test was also found to possess a significant cytotoxicity against two tumor cell lines. Some of the compounds were found to be mutagenic at relatively high concentration.