Pharmacologycal activity of peperina (Minthostachys verticillata) on gastrointestinal tract.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Minthostachys verticillata (Griseb.) Epling (Lamiaceae), known as Peperina is a medicinal native plant, with a traditional use as a digestive, antispasmodic and antidiarrheic. AIM OF THE STUDY: Despite its folkloric use, no scientific evaluation of this plant related to the gastrointestinal inflammatory process has been carried out to date. The present study aims to assess the effects of M. verticillata on gastrointestinal system in experimental models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: M. verticillata (250 and 500 mg/kg) was orally tested in a colitis model induced by acetic acid. Colon weight/length ratio, oxidative stress (oxidized and reduced glutathione), histological changes using Alcian blue and hematoxylin & eosin staining and expression of IL1ß, TNFα, iNOS, COX-2 were evaluated. The effect of the extract in three additional in vivo models were studied: intestinal motility and diarrhea induced by ricin oil, and visceral pain induced by intracolonic administration of capsaicin. Finally, the activity on concentration response curves of acetylcholine, calcium chloride, potassium and serotonin were achieved in isolated rat jejunum. RESULTS: In the colitis model, M. verticillata induced a significant reduction in the colon weight/length ratio, oxidative stress and expression levels of IL-1ß, iNOS and COX-2. Also, the extract diminished the severity of microscopic tissue damage and showed protective effect on goblet cells. Intestinal motility, diarrhea, visceral pain-related behaviors and referred hyperalgesia were significantly reduced when the animals were treated with the extract. Furthermore, in isolated jejunum, M. verticillata significantly reduced the contraction induced by serotonin and acetylcholine. Likewise, the extract non-competitively inhibited the response-concentration induced by CaCl2 and inhibited both low and high K+-induced contractions. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to validate traditional use of M. verticillata for digestive disorders and demonstrated that its aqueous extract could represent a promising strategy in targeting the multifactorial pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease.

Lavandula angustifolia Mill. Essential Oil Exerts Antibacterial and Anti-Inflammatory Effect in Macrophage Mediated Immune Response to Staphylococcus aureus.

Different studies described the antibacterial properties of Lavandula angustifolia (Mill.) essential oil and its anti-inflammatory effects. Besides, no data exist on its ability to activate human macrophages during the innate response against Staphylococcus aureus. The discovery of promising regulators of macrophage-mediated inflammatory response, without side effects, could be useful for the prevention of, or as therapeutic remedy for, various inflammation-mediated diseases. This study investigated, by transcriptional analysis, how a L. angustifolia essential oil treatment influences the macrophage response to Staphylococcus aureus infection. The results showed that the treatment increases the phagocytic rate and stimulates the containment of intracellular bacterial replication by macrophages. Our data showed that this stimulation is coupled with expression of genes involved in reactive oxygen species production (i.e., CYBB and NCF4). Moreover, the essential oil treatment balanced the inflammatory signaling induced by S. aureus by repressing the principal pro-inflammatory cytokines and their receptors and inducing the heme oxygenase-1 gene transcription. These data showed that the L. angustifolia essential oil can stimulate the human innate macrophage response to a bacterium which is responsible for one of the most important nosocomial infection and might suggest the potential development of this plant extract as an anti-inflammatory and immune regulatory coadjutant drug.

Determination of selenium urinary metabolites by high temperature liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

The coupling of high temperature liquid chromatography (HTLC) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) for the determination of selenium metabolites in urine samples is reported for the first time. In order to achieve "ICPMS-friendly" chromatographic conditions, the retention on a graphite stationary phase of the major selenium urinary metabolites using only plain water with 2% methanol as the mobile phase was investigated. Under the optimal conditions (T=80°C, Ql=1.2 mL min(-1)), methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-1-seleno-ß-d-galactopyranoside (selenosugar 1), methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-1-seleno-ß-d-glucosopyranoside (selenosugar 2) and trimethylselenonium ion were efficiently separated in less than 7 min, without any interferences due to other common selenium species (selenite, selenate, selenocystine and selenomethionine) or detectable effect of the urine matrix. The limits of detection were 0.3-0.5 ng Se mL(-1), and the precision of the analytical procedure was better than 3% (RSD%, n=5). The HTLC-ICPMS method was applied to the analysis of urine samples from two volunteers before and after ingestion of Brazil nuts or selenium supplements. The developed procedure proved to be adequate for the analytical task, providing results consistent with previous studies.

Nonhormonal management of postmenopausal women: effects of a red clover based isoflavones supplementation on climacteric syndrome and cardiovascular risk serum profile.

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION: The aim of this prospective randomized study was to evaluate a red clover based isoflavones supplementation in the treatment of climacteric syndrome and its effects on cardiovascular risk serum profile. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 150 healthy postmenopausal women that were randomly assigned to receive phytoestrogens tablets, amounting in a total daily intake of 60.8 mg red clover isoflavones plus 19.2 mg soy isoflavones (n = 75), or placebo (n = 75). The authors evaluated teh following: daily number of hot flushes and Kupperman Index at baseline and after one and three months; serum total, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT), fibrinogen, and antithrombin III (ATIII) at baseline and after three and six months. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-eight patients completed the study: 67 in the active group and 61 in the placebo group. The treatment led to a progressive significant reduction (p < 0.05) of the number of hot flushes in the active group compared to placebo already after one month, while Kupperman Index was statistically reduced after three months. No significant variation in total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, PT, PTT, fibrinogen, and ATIII were found. CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest that a red clover based isoflavones supplementation in healthy postmenopausal women is promptly effective on climacteric syndrome, improves neurovegetative symptoms, safe on cardiovascular risk serum profile, and does not modify lipids and coagulation.

Zinc, metallothioneins and immunosenescence.

Ageing is an inevitable biological process with gradual and spontaneous biochemical and physiological changes and increased susceptibility to diseases. The nutritional factor, zinc, may remodel these changes with subsequent healthy ageing, because zinc improves the inflammatory/immune response as shown by in vitro and in vivo studies. The intracellular zinc homeostasis is regulated by buffering metallothioneins (MT) and zinc transporters (ZnT and ZIP families) that mediate the intracellular zinc signalling assigning to zinc a role of 'second messenger'. In ageing, the intracellular zinc homeostasis is altered, because high MT are unable to release zinc and some zinc transporters deputed to zinc influx (ZIP family) are defective leading to low intracellular zinc content for the immune efficiency. Physiological zinc supplementation in the elderly improves these functions. However, the choice of old subjects for zinc supplementation has to be performed in relation to the specific genetic background of MT and IL-6, because the latter is involved both in MTmRNA and in intracellular zinc homeostasis. Old subjects carrying GG genotypes (C-carriers) in the IL-6-174G/C locus display high IL-6, low intracellular zinc content, impaired innate immunity and enhanced MT. Old subjects carrying GC and CC genotypes (C+carriers) display satisfactory intracellular zinc content, adequate innate immunity and are more prone to reach longevity. Zinc supplementation in old C-carriers restores natural killer cell cytotoxicity and zinc status. The genetic variations of the IL-6-174G/C locus when associated with those of the MT1A+647A/C locus are useful tools for the choice of old people for zinc supplementation.

Immune-induced flavor aversion in mice: modification by neonatal capsaicin treatment.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the role of c-sensitive fibers in the establishment of immune-induced flavor aversion in mice. METHODS: Mice were treated neonatally with capsaicin in order to destroy c-sensitive fibers; after such treatment, adult animals, immunized or not with ovalbumin, were submitted to a two-bottle preference test, with a choice between water and a sweetened egg white solution. RESULTS: Neonatal capsaicin treatment was unsuccessful in preventing the development of immune-induced aversion to the sweetened solution containing the antigen. Nonetheless, amongst immunized mice, those which had been previously treated with capsaicin showed a significant increment in the preference for the sweetened egg white solution. Furthermore, our data showed that neonatal capsaicin treatment did not interfere with either IgG1 or IgE production. CONCLUSION: The present results suggest that c-sensitive fibers have a role in the transmission of the signals generated by this immune response to the central nervous system, thus contributing to the development of a flavor aversion in mice.

Perceiving left and imagining right: dissociation in neglect.

Signor Piazza, a patient with a left parieto-occipital haemorrhage and a right thalamic stroke, showed severe right personal neglect (e.g. touching own body parts) and right perceptual neglect in tasks with (e.g. cancelling tasks) or without (e.g. description of a complex picture) motor response. He had also right-sided neglect dyslexia (including single words), without language impairments. However, the patient also presented with a clear left-sided deficit in the representational domain (e.g. imagery tasks). Signor Piazza's pattern of performance suggests dissociation between imagery and perception within the neglect syndrome.

Afterdischarges elicited by electrical thalamic stimulation in the hemicerebellectomized baboon.

Electrical stimulation of the ventrolateral (VL) nucleus of the thalamus was performed on hemicerebellectomized baboons. Stimulation was delivered in volleys of 40 to 60 Hz lasting 5 to 25 sec, and at intensities ranging from 1 to 6 mA (width of shock 0.5 to 5 msec). Similar parameters of stimulation produced asymmetrical motor and electrocortical responses. When the normal VL nucleus was stimulated, these responses were tonic or tonic-clonic. When the VL nucleus deprived of its cerebellar afferents was stimulated, the tonic-clonic responses were followed by afterdischarges appearing in the EEG which persisted after cessation of stimulation. The role of the cerebellum in the lowering of the excitability threshold of some structures, particularly the VL nucleus, is discussed, as are the systems likely to play a role in producing various clinical responses.