Evaluation of sodium valproate low dose efficacy in radicular pain management and it's relation with pharmacokinetics parameters.

BACKGROUND: Radiculopathy due to lumbar or cervical disc disease is the most common chronic neuropathic pain in adults. The aim of present study was evaluation of low dose of sodium valproate (VPA) on radicular pain and determining VPA pharmacokinetics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this double blind randomized placebo control clinical study, 80 patients with established lumbar or cervical radicular pain, have been randomly allocated into two study groups: 40 have received sodium valproate 200 mg/day and Celecoxib 100 mg/day and acetaminophen 500 mg PRN as rescue medication, and second group has received placebo, Celecoxib and acetaminophen. Quantitative assessment of pain was done by visual analogue scale (VAS) prior to perform the intervention and after ten days (treatment duration). Blood sample has been taken for determining mean through concentration after five half-lives. Evaluation of plasma concentration of VPA and that of efficacy on pain score relationship by comparing VAS before and after the therapy was done. RESULTS: Group A and B have demonstrated significant alleviation in mean VAS score; -21.97 ± 25.41, -14.39 ± 23.03 respectively (P < 0.001). The mean plasma concentration of VPA in group A was: 26.9 ± 13.5 mg/L. Moreover, no significant correlation was seen between pain score with age, gender, and weight (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Low dose of sodium valproate especially together with NSAIDs demonstrated good efficacy in lumbar and cervical radicular pain management.

Improvement of memory deficits in the rat model of Alzheimer's disease by erythropoietin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles.

Erythropoietin (EPO), a hematopoietic factor, is one of the promising neuroprotective candidates in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Due to the high molecular weight, hydrophilicity and rapid clearance from circulation, EPO could not completely pass the blood-brain barrier in the case of systemic administration. To overcome this limitation, EPO-loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticle (EPO-SLN) was developed in this study using a double emulsion solvent evaporation method (W1/O/W2). Glycerin monostearate (GMS), span®80/span®60, Dichloromethane (DCM) and tween®80 were chosen as lipid, internal phase surfactants, solvent, and external aqueous phase surfactant, respectively. After physicochemical evaluations, the effect of EPO-SLN on the beta-amyloid-induced AD-like animal model was investigated. In vivo evaluations, it was demonstrated that the memory was significantly restored in cognitive deficit rats treated with EPO-SLN compared to the rats treated with native drug using the Morris water maze test. In addition, EPO-SLN reduced the oxidative stress, ADP/ATP ratio, and beta-amyloid plaque deposition in the hippocampus more effectively than the free EPO. Hence, the designed SLN can be regarded as a promising system for safe and effective delivery of EPO in the AD.

Erythropoietin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles: Preparation, optimization, and in vivo evaluation.

Solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) is a promising approach for delivery of various drugs including proteins and peptides. However, the loading of hydrophilic drugs into the lipoid matrix of SLNs is challenging. The statistical design is a potential method facilitating the optimization of nanoparticles characteristics. In this study, the Box-Behnken design was conducted to optimize the preparation of Erythropoietin (EPO) loaded SLNs. Circular dichroism, size exclusion chromatography, SDS-PAGE, and ELISA tests were used to prove the compatibility of the process with the stability of EPO. In the controlled situation, EPO preserved its conformation and activity during the SLN preparation. Regarding the particle size, entrapment efficiency, and polydispersity index, an optimum formulation was obtained with 130 mg Span®80, 152.5 µl EPO, and 1.9 min high-shear homogenization. Using the optimum condition, 280 nm sized SLNs with the narrow size distribution of 0.282 and entrapment efficiency of 43.4% were acquired. The in vitro cytotoxicity of optimum SLN formulation was conducted using MTT assay to show its safety on the evaluated cell line. The in vivo studies demonstrated that 2500 U EPO loaded SLN has similar or even better effects on elevating the RBC, hemoglobin, and hematocrit level compared to the 5000 U EPO solution. Generally, this study proposed a suitable EPO-loaded SLN preparation method as a potential drug delivery system for proteins.

Evaluation of Residual Diazinon and Chlorpiryfos in Children Herbal Medicines by Headspace-SPME and GC-FID.

The oldest method for the managing of the illness is the use of medicinal plants. The use of herbal products as the first choice in self-treatment of minor conditions continues to expand rapidly across Iran. This makes the safety of herbal products an important public health issue. Pesticides are used widely in agriculture to increase the production by controlling the harmful insects and disease vectors, however it has some hazards on biological system of human especially children. The present study was designed to examine the residual amount of organophosphorus pesticides (Diazinon and Chlorpyrifos) in children herbal medicines available in the Iranian market. Five children herbal medicine liquid dosage forms were purchased from pharmacy store. They were extracted with SPME (Solid Phase Microextraction) using the PDMS-DVB fibre. Then the extracts were injected into a GC. The gas chromatograph was Younglin model YL 6100 equipped with a flame ionization detector. The column was Technokroma 60 m length, 0.53 mm internal diameter and 1.25 µm film coated. The presence and quantity of Diazinon and Chlorpyrifos were evaluated using their standard curves. Trace amounts of chlorpyrifos and diazinon were detected in a few herbal medicines. Based on European pharmacopeia, threshold limits of chlorpyrifos and diazinon residues for medicinal plant materials are 0.2 and 0.5 mg/Kg, respectively. Our analysis results showed that residue limits of these two pesticides in five children herbal medicines are ignorable.

Phytoremediation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene contaminated air by D. deremensis and O. microdasys plants.

BACKGROUND: People usually spent about 90% of their time indoors, which are probably more polluted than outside the buildings. High levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are known as causes of sick building syndrome. The present study was designed to determine the quantitative effects of some plants to improve the quality of the environmental air. RESULTS: D. deremensis and O. microdasys were chosen for the present study. There is no report of using O. microdasys for cleaning the air from pollutants. So, in this study, the effectiveness of O. microdasys in air removing from pollutants was studied and compared with D. dermensis.O. microdasys plant can remove 2 ppm concentration benzene, toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene from air in test chambers completely after 48, 55, 47 and 57 hours, respectively. The removal rates of benzene, toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene (BTEX) from air in the test chambers were 1.18, 0.54, 1.64 and 1.35 mg/ m2d1, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: If an office containing 2.5 ppm of each of BTEX and had an approximate volume of 30 m3, it contains 16, 8, 22 and 22 mg/m3 benzene, toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene, respectively. Using ten O. microdasys pots with the same size used in this study, can remove benzene, toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene totally after 36, 40, 30 and 39 hours.The authors recommended studying the efficiency of the plants for removal of BTEX from air at higher range of concentrations such as 20-30 ppm.

Antiobesity effect of caraway extract on overweight and obese women: a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Caraway (Carum carvi L.), a potent medicinal plant, is traditionally used for treating obesity. This study investigates the weight-lowering effects of caraway extract (CE) on physically active, overweight and obese women through a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Seventy overweight and obese, healthy, aerobic-trained, adult females were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 35 per group). Participants received either 30 mL/day of CE or placebo without changing their diet or physical activity. Subjects were examined at baseline and after 90 days for changes in body composition, anthropometric indices, and clinical and paraclinical variables. The treatment group, compared with placebo, showed a significant reduction of weight, body mass index, body fat percentage, and waist-to-hip ratio. No changes were observed in lipid profile, urine-specific gravity, and blood pressure of subjects. The results suggest that a dietary CE with no restriction in food intake, when combined with exercise, is of value in the management of obesity in women wishing to lower their weight, BMI, body fat percentage, and body size, with no clinical side effects. In conclusion, results of this study suggest a possible phytotherapeutic approach for caraway extract in the management of obesity. This trial is registered with NCT01833377.

Anticonvulsant and depressant effects of aqueous extracts of Carum copticum seeds in male rats.

In this study, the effects of aqueous extracts of Carum copticum seeds (CCS) were evaluated in kindling models of epilepsy. Additionally, the sedative and anxiolytic effects of the extract were assessed. For pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) kindling, rats received a subconvulsant dose of PTZ (40 mg/kg, ip) every second day and seizure stages were recorded. CCS aqueous extract (200, 400, or 600 mg/kg, ip) was injected 30 minutes prior to each PTZ injection. In electrical kindling, bipolar stimulating and monopolar recording electrodes were implanted stereotaxically in the right basolateral amygdala of male Sprague-Dawley rats. After kindling, the effect of aqueous extracts of CCS (200, 400, or 600 mg/kg, ip) on afterdischarge duration, duration of rearing, forelimb clonus, and loss of equilibrium (stage 5 seizure), and latency to the onset of bilateral forelimb clonus were measured. The sedative and the anxiolytic effects of CCS extracts were evaluated in an open-field apparatus and elevated plus maze, respectively. The results indicate that aqueous extracts of CCS have a significant anticonvulsant effect. Different doses of extract significantly delayed the incidence of every seizure stage in the PTZ model of kindling. Moreover, CCS extract (400 and 600 mg/kg, ip) suppressed afterdischarge duration, latency to the onset of bilateral forelimb clonus, and stage 5 seizure in the electrical kindling model. These results suggest that CCS extract has remarkable antiepileptic and central depressant effects.