Anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activities of polyphenols from Feijoa fruit and leaves.

Many pharmacological activities have been reported from plants polyphenols. The aim of this study was to investigate anti inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of polyphenols from Feijoa sellowiana fruit and leaves. For the anti-inflammatory activity evaluation, inhibition of carrageenan induced edema was used. While for the evaluation of antinociceptive activity of the extract, writhing and hot plate tests in mice were used. Impairment in mouse coordination was evaluated by rota-rode test. Carrageenan induced edema was significantly inhibited by the extract at 50-400 mg kg-1 doses, when comparison was made with control group. The extract of leaf at the dose of 50 mg kg-1 i.p. the activity was equipotent with diclofenac (p>0.05). Extract reduced the writhing count in 50-400 mg kg-1 of doses. Fruit extract showed higher activity than diclofenac (p<0.001) at 400 mg kg-1 doses. In all tested doses, the extract significantly augmented the pain threshold in hot plate thermal test. No locomotor impairment in mice was induced by the extract at any tested doses. Extract was safe and didnot demonstrate any noxiousness up to 1 g kg-1 .This study indicates the potential therapeutic use of Feijoa as a potent anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive agent.

Comparison of topical triamcinolone and oral atorvastatin in treatment of paederus dermatitis Northern Iran.

Dermatitis caused by stimulation of beetle paederus, is a common health problem in Northern and some southern parts of Iran. Since by now, traditional medicine and some corticosteroid agents have been used for treatment of dermatitis caused by beetle paederus. Because, there are few researches about classical treatment of the disease at academic level, this study planned to compare the effectiveness of triamcinolone ointment and atorvastatin tablet with placebo in treatment ofpaederus dermatitis in Northern Iran. A randomized double-blind clinical trial was carried out on 30 patients referred to the hospital and clinics at Sari and Neka countries in Northern Iran during 6 months. Patients were randomly divided into two therapeutic equal groups. The first group was triamcinolone ointment twice a day and a placebo atorvastatin tablet daily. The second group was oral atorvastatin one tablet (20 mg) daily and a placebo triamcinolone ointment twice a day. In Seventh day of visits, therapeutic response of the patients in triamcinolone and atorvastatin group were 93.33 and 80%, respectively. No significant differences were found in therapeutic outcome between the two groups (p > 0.05). The results showed both oftriamcinolone ointment and oral atorvastatin had similar effect on paederus dermatitis. Because the paederus dermatitis is a self-limited disease use of topical therapy for treatment of the disease is recommend.

Biological activities of Juglans regia flowers

Antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antihypoxic and antioxidant activities of methanol extract of Juglans regia L., Juglandaceae, flower were investigated. Antidepressant activity was examined by forced swimming test and tail suspension test in mice. Antihypoxic activity was investigated in haemic and circulatory models. The effects were pronounced in both models. It produced statistically significant anti-inflammatory activity in carrageenan induced edema at nearly all doses, compared to control groups. IC50 for DPPH radical-scavenging activity was 674±27.6 µg mL-1. Extract showed good Fe2+ chelating ability (IC50 43±1.5 µg mL-1). It exhibited low antioxidant activity in linoleic acid peroxidation test. Its pharmacological effects may be attributed, in part, to the presence of phenols and ISSN 0102-695X flavonoids in the extract.

Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activity of Thymus pubescens extract.

Thymus pubescens is an aromatic and medicinal plant, which has been widely distributed in Iran. The anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of the T. pubescens aerial parts methanol extract were studied at doses of 50-400 mg/kg i.p. using carrageenan-induced edema, formalin, hot plate and writhing tests. The extract produced a significant decrease in the degree of swelling, 3 h after carrageenan injection and caused graded inhibition of both phases of formalin-induced pain. Moreover, in the hot plate test, it significantly raised the pain threshold. While in the writhing test produced a significant decrease in the number of writhing in comparison with the control group (P<0.001). The results of pharmacological tests performed in the present study suggest that the extract of T. pubescens presents analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.

Separation of active and toxic portions in Sambucus ebulus.

Methanol extract of fruits, leaves and roots of Sambucus ebulus were investigated for antiinflammatory activity in rats (successively, after hexane and ethyl acetate extractions). Nearly all extracts produced statistically significant inhibition of edema induced by carrageenan at all doses when compared to the control groups. Anti-inflammatory effect was generally dose-dependent. The highest activity showed in fruits and leaves that at 600 mg kg(-1) i.p. inhibited 86 and 71% inflammation respectively (76% for diclofenac at 100 mg kg(-1) i.p.). No extracts exhibit any toxicity up to 2 g kg(-1) body weights intraperitoneally in mice. Ethyl acetate extract were withdrawn because of severe nociceptive response in rats. This extract showed severe toxicity (in particular, severe liver abscess) in all mice at all tested doses (125-1500 mg kg(-1) i.p.).

Antinociceptive activity of methanolic extract of Epilobium hirsutum.

Antinociceptive activity of methanolic extract of aerial parts of Epilobium hirsutum (EH) was determined in the Hot plate and writhing tests in mice. Nearly all extracts showed a dose dependent and marked analgesic activity in mice in the thermal and chemical models of analgesia when compared to the control. Methanol extract at dose of 500 mg kg(-1) showed higher activity (97.7% writhing inhibition) than diclofenac 50 mg kg(-1) i.p., (77.8%, p<0.05) and morphine 5 mg kg(-1) i.p. (91.2%, p<0.05). Methanol extract, in all tested doses (200-500 mg kg(-1)) significantly increased the pain threshold in hot plate test (p<0.05). EH extract at 200 mg kg(-1) showed a similar effect to morphine at 5 mg kg(-1). These finding indicate the potential therapeutic use of methanolic extract of aerial parts of EH as a potent antinociceptive agent. LD50 was obtained 1.5+/-0.1 g kg(-1). EH extract did not induce locomotor impairment in mice at any tested doses.

In vivo and in vitro models demonstrate a role for caveolin-1 in the pathogenesis of ischaemic acute renal failure.

Caveolae and their proteins, the caveolins, transport macromolecules; compartmentalize signalling molecules; and are involved in various repair processes. There is little information regarding their role in the pathogenesis of significant renal syndromes such as acute renal failure (ARF). In this study, an in vivo rat model of 30 min bilateral renal ischaemia followed by reperfusion times from 4 h to 1 week was used to map the temporal and spatial association between caveolin-1 and tubular epithelial damage (desquamation, apoptosis, necrosis). An in vitro model of ischaemic ARF was also studied, where cultured renal tubular epithelial cells or arterial endothelial cells were subjected to injury initiators modelled on ischaemia-reperfusion (hypoxia, serum deprivation, free radical damage or hypoxia-hyperoxia). Expression of caveolin proteins was investigated using immunohistochemistry, immunoelectron microscopy, and immunoblots of whole cell, membrane or cytosol protein extracts. In vivo, healthy kidney had abundant caveolin-1 in vascular endothelial cells and also some expression in membrane surfaces of distal tubular epithelium. In the kidneys of ARF animals, punctate cytoplasmic localization of caveolin-1 was identified, with high intensity expression in injured proximal tubules that were losing basement membrane adhesion or were apoptotic, 24 h to 4 days after ischaemia-reperfusion. Western immunoblots indicated a marked increase in caveolin-1 expression in the cortex where some proximal tubular injury was located. In vitro, the main treatment-induced change in both cell types was translocation of caveolin-1 from the original plasma membrane site into membrane-associated sites in the cytoplasm. Overall, expression levels did not alter for whole cell extracts and the protein remained membrane-bound, as indicated by cell fractionation analyses. Caveolin-1 was also found to localize intensely within apoptotic cells. The results are indicative of a role for caveolin-1 in ARF-induced renal injury. Whether it functions for cell repair or death remains to be elucidated.

Effect of intracerebroventricular injection of GABA receptor agents on morphine-induced antinociception in the formalin test.

In the present study, the effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor agonists and antagonists on antinociception induced by morphine in the formalin test were investigated in rats. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of different doses of morphine (1, 3, 6 and 9 mg/kg) and intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of different doses of muscimol (0.5, 1 and 2 microg per rat) or baclofen (0.25, 0.5 and 1 microg per rat) induced a dose-related antinociception in the both first and second phases of the formalin test. The responses induced by muscimol or baclofen in both phases were reduced by bicuculline or CGP35348 [p-(3-aminopropyl)-p-diethoxymethyl-phosphinic acid], respectively. Bicuculline alone has produced antinociception in the second phase and CGP35348 alone has had antinociception in both phases of the formalin test. Morphine in combination with different doses of muscimol or baclofen did not elicit potentiation. The opioid receptor antagonist naloxone reduced the response induced by muscimol in the second phase and baclofen in both phases of the formalin test. It may be concluded that central GABA(A) and GABA(B) receptor stimulation induces antinociception in the formalin test. However, the antinociception induced by GABA receptor agonists may be mediated partly through supraspinal opioid receptor mechanisms and, for the GABA(B) receptor agonist, through spinal and supraspinal opioid receptor mechanisms.