Protective role of cinnabar and realgar in Hua-Feng-Dan against LPS plus rotenone-induced neurotoxicity and disturbance of gut microbiota in rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Hua-Feng-Dan (HFD) is a traditional Chinese medicine used for neurological disorders. HFD contains cinnabar (HgS) and realgar (As4S4). The ethnopharmacological basis of cinnabar and realgar in HFD is not known. AIM OF THE STUDY: To address the role of cinnabar and realgar in HFD-produced neuroprotection against neurodegenerative diseases and disturbance of gut microbiota. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plus rotenone (ROT)-elicited rat dopaminergic (DA) neuronal damage loss was performed as a Parkinson's disease animal model. Rats were given a single injection of LPS. Four months later, rats were challenged with the threshold dose of ROT. The clinical dose of HFD was administered via feed, starting from ROT administration for 46 days. Behavioral dysfunction was detected by rotarod and Y-maze tests. DA neuron loss and microglial activation were assessed via immunohistochemical staining and western bolt analysis. The colon content was collected to extract bacterial DNA followed by real-time PCR analysis with 16S rRNA primers. RESULTS: LPS plus ROT induced neurotoxicity, as evidenced by DA neuron loss in substantia nigra, impaired behavioral functions and increased microglial activation. HFD-original (containing 10% cinnabar and 10% realgar) rescued loss of DA neurons, improved behavioral dysfunction and attenuated microglial activation. Compared with HFD-original, HFD-reduced (3% cinnabar and 3% realgar) was also effective, but to be a less extent, while HFD-removed (without cinnabar and realgar) was ineffective. In analysis of gut microbiome, the increased Verrucomicrobiaceae and Lactobacteriaceae, and the decreased Enterobacteeriaceae by LPS plus ROT were ameliorated by HFD-original, and to be the less extent by HFD-reduced. CONCLUSION: Cinnabar and realgar are active ingredients in HFD to exert beneficial effects in a neurodegenerative model and gut microbiota.

New insights and rethinking of cinnabar for chemical and its pharmacological dynamics.

Cinnabar is an attractive mineral with many different uses. It is reported that cinnabar is one of the traditional Chinese's medicines extensively use. The main objective of this critical review is to identify the current overview, concept and chemistry of cinnabar, which includes the process developments, challenges, and diverse options for pharmacology research. It is used as a medicine through probable toxicity, especially when taking overdoes. This review is the first to describe the toxicological effects of cinnabar and its associated compounds. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) dependent metabolomics could be useful for examination of the pharmaceutical consequence. The analysis indicated that the accurate preparation methods, appropriate doses, disease status, ages with drug combinations are significant factors for impacting the cinnabar toxicity. Toxicologically, synthetic mercury sulfide or cinnabar should be notable for mercuric chloride, mercury vapor and methyl mercury for future protection and need several prominent advancements in cinnabar research.

[Evolution of treatment of syphilis through history]. / Evolución del tratamiento de la sífilis a lo largo de la historia.

In this article, we present a historical revision of syphilis treatment since the end of the XV century up until the current days. For centuries, it was understood that syphilis had been brought to Spain by Columbus after coming back from America. It became an epidemic soon after. Later on, it was spread all over Europe. The chronologic and geographic origin of this illness have been debated in recent years, however, there has been no agreement about it as yet. Mercury was the main used therapy for four and a half centuries, until the discovery of penicillin in 1943. This discovery changed the therapeutic approach to syphilis since then. Other remedies were used during this period. Guaiacum was one of them, but it was dismissed in the mid-sixteenth century. Iodides were also used, especially in the tertiary symptoms of the disease. The discovery of arsphenamine (Salvarsan) at the beginning of the XX century, used by itself at its onset and associated to mercury or bismuth later on, was a significant therapeutic contribution. Bismuth was in itself a great therapeutic asset. It displaced the use of mercury in an important way until 1943, when the appearance of penicillin became the treatment of choice.

[An introduction of Zuotai in Tibetan patent medicine].

Zuotai is an essential part in Tibetan patent medicine, which plays an important role in treating diseases. This paper introduced the invention, preparing process, use, effectiveness, and safety of Zuotai, aimed to provide an insight for traditional Chinese medicine when using heavy mental within Chinese patent medicine.

[Overview of studies on detoxification effect of smilacis glabrae rhizoma on mercury poisoning].

Mercury-containing preparations are widely used in surgery department of traditional Chinese medicine and have made remarkable achievements. But they are toxic to human kidney, nerve, immune, etc. Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma is sweet, tasteless and neutral in nature and able to enter liver and stomach channels and detoxify mercury poisoning. This article summarizes the mercury poisoning and the detoxification effect of Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma in ancient records, pharmaceutical studies and clinical application, in order to provide ideas and methods for the safe use of mercury-containing preparations in surgery department of traditional Chinese medicine.

Role of cinnabar and realgar of WSHFD in protecting against LPS-induced neurotoxicity.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Wan-Sheng-Hua-Feng-Dan (WSHFD) is a traditional Chinese medicine used for the treatment of neurological disorders. Cinnabar (HgS) and realgar (As(4)S(4)) are included in WSHFD. Are they remedies or poisons? AIM OF STUDY: To investigate the role of cinnabar and realgar in the protective effects of WSHFD on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neurotoxicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rat primary midbrain neuron-glia cultures were used to explore the effects of WSHFD on LPS-induced dopamine (DA) neurodegeneration. The experiment was randomly divided into control, LPS, LPS+removed (cinnabar and realgar in WSHFD were removed), LPS+reduced (cinnabar and realgar in WSHFD were reduced by 65%) and LPS+original (10% cinnabar and 10% realgar in WSHFD) groups. Dopaminergic neurotoxicity was assessed by [(3)H]DA uptake assay and the quantification of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons. Microglial activation was evaluated using an anti-OX-42 antibody. The release of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was quantified via the DCFH-DA probe. The transcripts and production of pro-inflammatory factors were examined by real-time RT-PCR analysis and ELISA, respectively. RESULTS: WSHFD (original) significantly attenuated LPS-induced decrease of DA uptake capacity and TH-positive neuron number, inhibited microglial activation, decreased LPS-induced ROS production, ameliorated LPS-induced elevations of the mRNA expressions of TNFα, iNOS, IL-1ß and COX-2 and the subsequent production of TNFα, NO, IL-1ß and PGE(2) in neuron-glia cultures. However, WSHFD (removed) and (reduced) failed to protect against LPS-induced neurotoxicity. CONCLUSION: Cinnabar and realgar were active ingredients of WSHFD in producing protective effects against LPS-induced neurotoxicity.

Uses and effects of mercury in medicine and dentistry.

Mercury is known to be a toxic material with adverse effects on the body as claimed by so many researchers and always projected a negative aspect of this element. It is true that it may cause a several problems when it exceeds the safe limit but along with its negative image, mercury has been playing a positive role in the field of medicine and dentistry. It has many therapeutic uses including various medications, ointments, dental fillings, contact lens, cosmetics, paints as well as in different instruments like thermometer and sphygmomanometers. Mercury and its compounds used in dental practice may be responsible for release of mercury into the oral cavity. Compounds of mercury tend to be much more toxic than the element itself, and organic compounds of mercury (e.g., dimethyl-mercury) are often extremely toxic and may be responsible in causing brain and liver damage.

Mercury in traditional medicines: is cinnabar toxicologically similar to common mercurials?

Mercury is a major toxic metal ranked top in the Toxic Substances List. Cinnabar, which contains mercury sulfide, has been used in Chinese traditional medicines for thousands of years as an ingredient in various remedies, and 40 cinnabar-containing traditional medicines are still used today. Little is known about toxicology profiles or toxicokinetics of cinnabar and cinnabar-containing traditional medicines, and the high mercury content in these Chinese medicines raises justifiably escalations of public concern. This minireview, by searching the available database of cinnabar and by comparing cinnabar with common mercurials, discusses differences in their bioavailability, disposition, and toxicity. The analysis showed that cinnabar is insoluble and poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Absorbed mercury from cinnabar is mainly accumulated in the kidneys, resembling the disposition pattern of inorganic mercury. Heating cinnabar results in release of mercury vapor, which in turn can produce toxicity similar to inhalation of these vapors. The doses of cinnabar required to produce neurotoxicity are 1000 times higher than methyl mercury. Following long-term use of cinnabar, renal dysfunction may occur. Dimercaprol and succimer are effective chelation therapies for general mercury intoxication including cinnabar. Pharmacological studies of cinnabar suggest sedative and hypnotic effects, but the therapeutic basis of cinnabar is still not clear. In summary, cinnabar is chemically inert with a relatively low toxic potential when taken orally. In risk assessment, cinnabar is less toxic than many other forms of mercury, but the rationale for its inclusion in traditional Chinese medicines remains to be fully justified.

Disease and medicine in the armies of British India, 1750-1830: the treatment of fevers and the emergence of tropical therapeutics.

The East India Company's extensive medical establishment was noted for innovation and experimentation, it tested economical mass remedies. The service's control of its patients was significant, prefiguring the birth of the clinical anatomical medicine of Paris of the 1790s. The unique environment created a distinctive medical discipline: the medicine of warm climates. This chapter focuses on fever in particular; attention was focused on malfunction of the liver and the favoured treatment was purgation via mercury. The dominance of this method resulted partly from senior military officers imposing their views on the juniors.

Nickel Gluconate-Mercurius Heel-Potentised Swine Organ Preparations: a new therapeutical approach for the primary treatment of pediatric ranula and intraoral mucocele.

OBJECTIVE: Many authors consider surgical therapy of pediatric ranula and intraoral mucocele as the election treatment. Recently, an intracystic sclerosing injection with OK-432 has been proposed as a ranula primary treatment. This preliminary study evaluates the effectiveness of the use of Nickel Gluconate-Mercurius Heel-Potentised Swine Organ Preparations as the primary treatment of pediatric ranula and intraoral mucocele. METHODS: Eighteen children (9 ranulas, 9 labial mucoceles, 2 lingual mucoceles) were treated with oral administration of Nickel Gluconate-Mercurius Heel-Potentised Swine Organ Preparations D10/D30/D200. RESULTS: Eighty-nine percent ranulas (8 out of 9), 67% labial mucoceles (6 out of 9) completely responded to the therapy. One ranula, that interrupted therapy after only 4 weeks, was subjected to marsupialization in another hospital. A double mucocele case partially responded (one of the two was extinguished), another case incompletely responded, decreasing the size beyond 50%, and just one case, changing volume, resisted the therapy. Lingual mucocele healed at once. Blandin-Nuhn polypoid congenital mucocele responded to the treatment with gradual reabsorption, permitting surgical excision of the atrophic polypoid remnant, without removing glands of origin. No solved case showed recurrence (follow up range: 4-32 months). CONCLUSION: Homotoxicological therapy with Nickel Gluconate-Mercurius Heel-Potentised Swine Organ Preparations D10/D30/D200 is an effective primary treatment of pediatric ranula and intraoral mucocele.

Glimpses of a hidden burden: hydatid disease in eighteenth-century Scotland.

"Hydatids" or watery cysts have been observed in animals and humans since ancient times, giving rise to frequent speculation as to their nature and origin. This essay focuses on an extremely rare clinical case managed at the Edinburgh Infirmary in 1785 by James Gregory, professor of the theory of medicine. Following the death of the patient, an autopsy disclosed lesions characteristic of a condition eventually labeled "echinococcosis of the liver," today one of the most common parasitic diseases in sheep raising regions of the world. The essay reviews the obscure nature of this endemic disease in Gregory's time, and the difficulties confronting scientists and clinicians keen to unravel its secrets.

Systematic investigation of the signal properties of polycrystalline HgI2 detectors under mammographic, radiographic, fluoroscopic and radiotherapy irradiation conditions.

The signal properties of polycrystalline mercuric iodide (HgI2) film detectors, under irradiation conditions relevant to mammographic, radiographic, fluoroscopic and radiotherapy x-ray imaging, are reported. Each film detector consists of an approximately 230 to approximately 460 microm thick layer of HgI2 (fabricated through physical vapour deposition or a screen-print process) and a thin barrier layer, sandwiched between a pair of opposing electrode plates. The high atomic number, high density and low effective ionization energy, W(EFF), of HgI2 make it an attractive candidate for significantly improving the performance of active matrix, flat-panel imagers (AMFPIs) for several x-ray imaging applications. The temporal behaviour of current from the film detectors in the presence and in the absence of radiation was used to examine dark current levels, the lag and reciprocity of the signal response, x-ray sensitivity and W(EFF). The results are discussed in the context of present AMFPI performance. This study provides performance data for a wide range of potential medical x-ray imaging applications from a single set of detectors and represents the first investigation of the signal properties of polycrystalline mercuric iodide for the radiotherapy application.

Mercury vapor inhalation from Chinese red (Cinnabar).

INTRODUCTION: Acute inhalation of mercury fumes or vapors is a rare but frequently fatal cause of acute lung injury. This report describes a rare cause of mercury inhalation from Chinese red. CASE REPORT: An 87-year-old male inhaled the vapors from heating Chinese red (Cinnabar, mercury sulphide) intended to treat his foot ulceration. He subsequently developed acute lung injury (progressive dyspnea and acute respiratory failure) that was treated with mechanical ventilation. DMPS (2,3-Dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid) and penicillamine were used as chelating agents, and methylprednisolone pulse therapy was used to treat his pulmonary disease. Despite being extubated once, the patient eventually died from profound hypoxemia. CONCLUSION: A rare case of mercury intoxication was due to inappropriate use of an alternative medicine, Chinese red. This case serves as a reminder of the toxicity of the noxious gas from this substance and the importance of being familiar with alternative medicines.