Effect of undernutrition on morphine analgesia, haloperidol catalepsy and pentobarbitone sodium hypnosis in developing new born rats.

In the present study, half of the pups of a litter were undernourished by 12 h daily maternal deprivation from day 5 to day 18 postnatal and were subsequently nutritionally rehabilitated. Responses of CNS-acting drugs (morphine analgesia, pentobarbitone sodium hypnosis, haloperidol catalepsy) were studied at the age of day 9, 12 and 18 in maternally deprived and of day 25 in nutritionally rehabilitated new born rats as compared to that of their nourished littermates. The results showed that the response of these CNS-acting drugs was maximum at the age of day 9 postnatal and progressively decreased thereafter as the age of the animal advanced. The responses of these drugs in maternally deprived animals varied on different days of undernourishment as compared to that of their nourished littermates. The responses were significantly less in first half and were significantly more in second half period of undernourishment. The changes observed in the responses of these CNS-acting drugs were directly related to the changes observed in brain serotonin level in maternally deprived and nutritionally rehabilitated new born rats. The present findings suggest that the nature and degree of undernutrition imposed in suckling rats might only produce temporary effects on the response of CNS-actin drugs and on brain serotonin levels which is reversible if undernourished new born rats were nutritionally rehabilitated on an appropriate time of brain development.

Effect of banana powder (Musa sapientum var. paradisiaca) on gastric mucosal shedding.

Banana pulp powder (Musa sapientum Linn. var. paradisiaca) was studied for its effects on gastric mucosal resistance. Banana-treated (0.5 g/kg orally, twice daily for 3 days) rats of either sex showed: (i) a significant increase in the [3H]thymidine incorporation into mucosal cell DNA; (ii) a significant increase in the total carbohydrate (sum of total hexoses, hexosamine, fucose and sialic acid) content of gastric mucosa; (iii) a significant decrease in gastric juice DNA and protein; (iv) a significant increase in the total carbohydrates and carbohydrate/protein ratio of gastric juice. Aspirin treatment to rats caused similar effects as banana on the [3H]thymidine incorporation into mucosal cell DNA but showed opposite effects on the other parameters. These results suggest that banana treatment increased and aspirin decreased the gastric mucosal resistance as evidenced by a respective decrease and increase in gastric juice DNA, the latter serving as an index of the rate of mucosal shedding. Increased cellular mucus may be the factor for increased mucosal resistance. The results of the present study tend to confirm that plantain banana powder strengthens mucosal resistance and promotes the healing of ulcers.

Anti-ulcerogenic effect of banana powder (Musa sapientum var. paradisiaca) and its effect on mucosal resistance.

Orally administered banana pulp powder (Musa sapientum var. paradisiaca) was shown to have significant anti-ulcerogenic activity in rats subjected to aspirin, indomethacin, phenylbutazone, prednisolone and cysteamine and in guinea-pigs subjected to histamine. Banana powder not only increased mucosal thickness but also significantly increased [3H]thymidine incorporation into mucosal DNA. Relative to untreated control sections, histological studies showed that banana treatment increased staining by alcian blue in the apical cells with staining noted in the deeper layers of the mucosal glands. Banana-treated and control sections were also stained for DNA by the Feulgen reaction. The banana-treated sections showed a greater aggregation and intensity of pink spots when compared to controls. The present study suggests that banana powder treatment not only strengthens mucosal resistance against ulcerogens but also promotes healing by inducing cellular proliferation.

The effect of a traditional preparation of copper, tamrabhasma, on experimental ulcers and gastric secretion.

Use of a traditional preparation of copper, tamrabhasma, has been suggested in Ayurvedic texts for peptic ulcer. The anti-ulcerogenic effect of copper per se has not been reported in the literature. In the present study the anti-ulcerogenic effect of tamrabhasma was observed in 8-h immobilised, 4-h pylorus-ligated, and aspirin-induced gastric ulcers in rats. The anti-ulcerogenic effect of the drug was also studied in histamine-induced gastric and duodenal ulcers in male guinea pigs. The minimal oral effective anti-ulcerogenic dose of tamrabhasma has been determined to be 1 mg/kg. The drug in this dose caused a decrease in the total acid and pepsin output and an increase in the carbohydrate/protein ratio, indicating increased mucus secretion in the gastric secretion of rats. Acute (1 g/kg, orally) and sub-acute (100 mg/kg, orally, for 7 days) toxicity studies did not show any toxicity including any histological or biochemical evidence of liver or kidney toxicity. The results of the present experimental studies thus lend credence to the suggested use of tamrabhasma in amplapitta, a condition resembling peptic ulcer.

Antispasmodic activity of the tertiary base of Daucus carota, Linn. seeds.

A nitrogen containing base responding to Mayer's test and Dragendorff's reagent for tertiary bases has been isolated from the seeds of Daucus carota Linn. The effects of the base as its bromide have been studied on smooth muscles of ileum, uterus, blood vessels and trachea of different species of animals. The tertiary base has been found to have papaverine like nonspecific smooth muscle relaxant and spasmolytic activity, but its activity was found to be about one-tenth of that of papaverine.

Role of 5-hydroxytryptamine in prostaglandin E1-induced potentiation of hexobarbitone hypnosis in albino rats.

PGE1 potentiated, while diclofenac, a prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor, antagonized hexobarbitone hypnosis in rats. PGE1-induced potentiation of hexobarbitone sleep was inhibited by a 5HT synthesis inhibitor and by a 5HT receptor blocker, suggesting that this potentiation is 5HT mediated.