The Bronchodilator Potential of Astragalus sarcocolla: An in vitro Experiment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the bronchodilatory mechanism of Astragalus sarcocolla (ASE) extract on tracheal smooth muscles of rabbits. STUDY DESIGN: In-vitro experimental study. Place and Duration of the Study: The animal house of CMH Lahore Medical College, Lahore, and Institute of Dentistry, NUMS, from October 2022 to May 2023. METHODOLOGY: Six rabbits were randomly divided into four groups. After euthanising the rabbit, the trachea was carefully dissected out and stabilised in Kreb's Henseleit solution for 30 minutes and then, stimulated by acetylcholine (Ach) 1µm, under mimicked physiological conditions. Group I served as the control group with tracheal smooth muscles stabilised with 1g tension. In Group II (positive control), tracheal smooth muscles were stimulated by potassium chloride (KCl) (80 mM and 25 mM, respectively) to get maximum tracheal smooth muscle contractions. Later, the tissue was exposed to theophylline with three molar concentrations 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 mM, and cumulative dose response curves were formed. In Group III (ASE group), tracheal smooth muscles were stimulated by KCl (80 mM and 25 mM) and was exposed to increasing concentration of ASE. In group IV, tissue was stimulated by KCl (25 mM) and glibenclamide (3 µM), later exposed to increasing concentration of ASE to confirm the bronchodilatory mechanism. The change in isometric contraction of the tissue was recorded using the force displacement transducer connected to a PowerLab data acquisition system. Concentration response curves were drawn, and median effective concentrations (EC50 values) and percentage inhibition were calculated. Non-linear regression was applied for the analysis of the concentration-response curves. RESULTS: ASE inhibited the KCl-induced low potassium (25 mM) contractions (EC50 = 0.38 mg/ml, 95% CI: 0.04 - 0.38, n = 6). It only partially inhibited the high potassium-induced contractions in tracheal smooth muscles. Pretreatment with glibenclamide showed a rightward shift of the dose-response curve. Theophylline and ASE significantly reduced the low K+ induced smooth muscle contractions in comparison to the control group (p <0.001, each). CONCLUSION: Astragalus sarcocolla extract produced bronchodilator effects through the activation of ATP sensitive potassium channels in isolated rabbit trachea. KEY WORDS: Astragalus sarcocolla, Bronchodilators, ATP-sensitive potassium channels, Effective concentration 50, Concentration response curves.

Effect Of Justicia Adhatoda (Malabar Nut) Leaf Extract On Drug-Induced Coagulopathy In Mice And In-Vitro Platelet Aggregation Of Human Blood.

BACKGROUND: Justicia adhatoda is widely used in traditional medicine for treatment of menorrhagia, piles and bleeding disorders. Oral antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs are routinely prescribed to patients with cardiovascular diseases. These drugs have one major adverse effect that they can cause spontaneous haemorrhage, which can be fatal. Development of a haemostatic agent can help in effective management of drug-induced haemorrhages. This study was devised to observe the effect of leaf extract of Justicia adhatoda on coagulation profile in mice and to evaluate its effect on in-vitro platelet aggregation. METHODS: The study was divided into two parts. First part was designed to evaluate the effect of J. adhatoda leaf extract on coagulation parameters. Three drugs were used to induce coagulopathy viz., warfarin, aspirin and dabigatran. Bleeding time, platelet count, PT and APTT were estimated. Second part of this study was devised to observe the effect of J. adhatoda leaf extract on in vitro platelet aggregation of human. Percent aggregation was recorded by light transmission aggregometer for three minutes. RESULTS: Leaf extract of Justicia adhatoda decreased bleeding time from 6.1±2.36 minutes in normal control to 1.9±1.03 minutes in extract treated mice. There was no effect on the coagulation parameters. Platelet count increased significantly only in the aspirin treated group that received the extract to 540±46.8x103 /µl from 436.9±37.9x103 /µl of aspirin treated group. Platelet aggregation in vitro increased in a dose dependent manner. CONCLUSION: Justicia adhatoda leaf extract is effective in controlling excessive bleeding in vivo, in mice with acquired platelet defect produced by aspirin. This haemostatic effect is probably due to increased platelet aggregation as indicated by the in vitro results.

The Spasmolytic Effect of Astragalus Sarcocolla on the Intestinal Smooth Muscles of Rabbit In Vitro: Potassium Channel Opening.

Introduction Astragalus species have been widely used in Chinese herbal medicine to treat gastrointestinal and inflammatory disorders. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Astragalus sarcocolla (ASE) and to rationalize its medicinal use as an antispasmodic drug for the treatment of spasmodic gastrointestinal and inflammatory disorders associated with increased intestinal motility. Methods The ethanolic extract of ASE was studied to examine its antispasmodic effect on the isolated rabbit ileum preparations, and the contractions were recorded on PowerLab (ADInstruments, Sydney, Australia). Results ASE was able to inhibit spontaneous ileum contractions. It also completely inhibited K+ (25 mM)-induced contractions but was unable to inhibit high K+ (80 mM)-induced sustained contractions. Pretreatment of the tissue with glibenclamide, a potassium channel blocker, caused a rightward shift of the dose-response curve when stimulated with K+ (25 mM) in the presence of an increasing concentration of the extract. Verapamil at very low doses inhibited both the 25 mM and 80 mM K+-induced contractions. Conclusion The results of our study demonstrated the spasmolytic activity of ASE with the potential mechanism of activation of K+ATP, which provides a strong basis for its medicinal use in motility and inflammatory disorders of the intestine.

Prevalence of Self-medication for Acid Peptic Disease amongst People of Manawa, Lahore.

Introduction Acid peptic disease is a common disorder, affecting millions of people worldwide. Its pharmacological management includes proton pump inhibitors, H2 blockers, antacids and mucosal protective agents. Multiple studies in Pakistan have shown increased tendency of population for self-medication. This has serious implications regarding false diagnoses, misuse of drugs and occurrence of adverse effects. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of self-medication among the people of Manawa, Lahore. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2019 and June 2019 amongst the general population of Manawa, Lahore. Patients with the typical presentation of acid peptic disease were included in the study. A total of 500 people, fulfilling the inclusion criteria, were chosen. A questionnaire form was adapted from similar studies performed on self-medication. It was divided into two parts. First part included the social and demographic data while the second part consisted of details about the prevalence and factors related to the practice of self-medication amongst acid peptic disease (APD) patients. The data collected was transcribed into SPSS 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) for statistical analysis. All the categorical variables were analyzed as frequencies and percentages. No statistical comparisons were done as it was a descriptive, exploratory study. Results Out of 500 participants, 404 were females and 96 were males. Most of them were middle-aged (53%) and illiterate (68.4%). Number of participants who practiced self-medication was found to be 313 (62.6%). The highest prevalence of self-medication was found for proton pump inhibitors (43.1%), followed by antacids (23.6%), unknown homeopathic and Hakeem medicine (20.4%) and H2 blockers (12.8%). The most common reasons stated for self-medication included inability to afford medical consultation (44.2%), lack of knowledge about drug side effects (35.8%), easy access to Hakeem and homeopathic medicines (27.6% and 4.8%, respectively) and inaccessibility to doctors (19.2%). Conclusion A large majority of people in Manawa practise self-medication for acid peptic disease, owing to multiple reasons.

Effect Of Three Pakistani Date-Seed Varieties On Lipid Profile Of Diet Induced Hyperlipidemic Rabbits.

BACKGROUND: Hyperlipidemia is one of the major risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. In addition to current therapeutic strategies, a lot of work is being done on nutraceutical management of this condition. This study was designed to assess the effect of date seed powder on lipid profile of diet induced hyperlipidemic rabbits. METHODS: Thirty male rabbits were divided into five groups, having six animals in each. One group was given normal rabbit chow throughout the study period of eight weeks. The remaining four groups were fed high fat diet (4% coconut oil and 1% cholesterol powder) for first four weeks in order to induce hyperlipidemia. After first four weeks, 2% date seed powder of three Pakistani varieties namely Dhakki, Khudrawi and Desi was added to the diet of three experimental hyperlipidemic groups for the next four weeks. Body weight and blood samples were taken at zero, 4th and 8th week of study. Serum was analyzed for total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and serum triglycerides. LDL/HDL ratio and AIP were calculated. RESULTS: It was observed that date seed powder of the three varieties significantly decreased total cholesterol, serum triglycerides and AIP. There was no significant change in body weight, HDL-cholesterol, and LDL/HDL ratio. LDL cholesterol was decreased significantly only by Khudrawi date seed powder. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that date seed powder has marked antihyperlipidemic properties. However, the difference in appearance, taste and price of different dates does not affect their lipid lowering capacity.