Effectiveness of crocin of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) against chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is one of the complications vexes patients treated with anti-cancer agents. Saffron has been demonstrated to attenuate symptoms of peripheral neuropathy in animal models. Also, there is a published clinical trial that investigated the pain relieving effect of saffron following nationally accepted rules and concluded that saffron was successful in alleviating pain symptoms in patients suffering from fibromyalgia. AIM OF THE STUDY: We aimed to determine the efficacy of crocin as a constituent of saffron in CIPN as the first report. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and seventy-seven enrolled eligible patients (between December 2018 and March 2020) for study entry were cases demonstrating mild to severe symptomatic CIPN for at least a month. These cases were randomly assigned to two main groups including 15 mg crocin tablet, bid (30 mg total daily target dose) and placebo tablet for 8 weeks. A crossover study was performed with a 2-week washout period. Patient outcomes were measured once a week for 8 consecutive weeks. RESULTS: Grade of sensory, motor and neuropathic pain decreased considerably and significantly in the crocin group compared with placebo (P < 0.05). Observed toxicities were mild and adverse effects had no significant differences between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Crocin considerably seems to be effective for relieving symptoms of CIPN in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy agents. However, further studies are needed about crocin with its beneficial neuropharmacological effects and lower adverse effects than the chemical agents such as antidepressants, lamotrigine, and gabapentin.

Intracerebroventricular administration of N-type calcium channel blocker ziconotide displays anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, and sedative effects in rats: A preclinical and pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Ziconotide (ω-conotoxin MVIIA peptide) is a novel analgesic agent acting on voltage-gated calcium channels and is administered intrathecally for neuropathic pain. While antiepileptic activities of other types of calcium channel blockers (T- or L-type) are well established, there is no information regarding the effect of ziconotide as an N-type calcium channel antagonist in pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures or its anxiolytic and sedative activities. The present study is the first to report on these effects. METHODS: To evaluate the anticonvulsant activity of ziconotide in the pentylenetetrazol (60 mg/kg) seizure model, ziconotide was administered intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) as a single dose (1 µg/rat) or repeatedly (chronic administration: 0.1, 0.3, or 1 µg/rat once a day for seven days). The anxiolytic and sedative actions of ziconotide were evaluated with the elevated plus maze, light/dark (LD) box, and pentobarbital-induced sleep tests. Immediately after behavioral testing, the amygdala was completely removed bilaterally to determine corticosterone levels by immunoassay. RESULTS: In all dosing regimens, ziconotide significantly decreased the seizure frequency and also delayed the latency period compared with control. Chronic administration affected the percentage of mortality protection, while a single dose of ziconotide did not. In behavioral tests, ziconotide significantly increased both the number of entries and the percentage of time spent in the open arms of the elevated plus maze. Furthermore, ziconotide significantly increased the latency period and the number of entries into the light compartment during the LD box examination. Chronic administration of ziconotide significantly reduced the latency to sleep and increased sleeping time, whereas these parameters were not affected by a single dose. Additionally, amygdala corticosterone levels were significantly decreased in rats treated with ziconotide compared with control. CONCLUSION: Ziconotide displays beneficial neurobehavioral effects in a model of epilepsy with anxiety as its comorbid event. It seems that at least one of the mechanisms involved in these effects is associated with a decrease in brain corticosterone levels. The main advantage of ziconotide over benzodiazepines (routine anxiolytic and sedative drugs) is that it does not cause tolerance, dependency, and addiction. Therefore, more than ever, it is necessary to improve the convenience of drug delivery protocols and attenuate the adverse effects associated with ziconotide-based therapies.

Eucalyptus camaldulensis properties for use in the eradication of infections.

Eucalyptus camaldulensis (E. camaldulensis), called the eucalyptus has so many characteristics such as antimicrobial features. Common names include red gum, red chewing gum, river chewing gum, red chewing gum. Its class is Eucalyptus, which is comprised of 800 species worldwide, but three or four species are found in Australia. This tree generally grows on the edge of rivers with continuous or seasonal water. Most of the gray clay soils run along the riverside and are exposed to frequent floods, and clay content can save more water into the tree. Pharmacy departments and research groups have focused their attention on the cultivation and production of medicinal plants in many countries. Since plants, due to their particular nature, have inevitable the presence of certain defense mechanisms and antimicrobial agents in the form of androgens, they can be considered as a potential source of antimicrobial compounds. The active ingredient of these plants is primarily alkaloids, flavonoids, pigments, phenolics, terpenes, starches, steroids and essential oils. Recent studies have exhibited its antimicrobial effects against bacterial, fungal, parasitic and viral agents. In this study the effects against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacterbaumannii, Streptococcus pyogenes, Proteus vulgaris, Salmonella typhi, Shigella spp., Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Anopheles stephensi, Aedes aegypti, A. aegypti, A. albopictus, Culex pipiens, Trypanosoma brucei, Leishmania major, Trichomonas. Vaginalis, poliovirus type 1, coxsackie virus B, echovirus 6, West Nile Virus, herpes virus type 1, HSV-1 virus, Fusarium spp., Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, C. albicans, Alternaria alternata, Setosphaeria turcica and Magnaporthe grisea was revealed.