International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology

International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology ISSN: 2326-7267 Vol. 2 (7), pp. 117-124, October, 2013. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Antimalarial effects of Anthraquinone, Sodium nitroprusside, ^NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, and their combinations on Plasmodium berghei in Mice

E.O. Iwalewa¹*, T. Roland¹ , B. O. Aduloju¹, M. O. Ologe², A. O. Adepiti³, S.A. Odediran³, O. J. Iwalewa⁴, E.M. Obuotor⁵, J. I. Olawuni⁵

¹Department of Pharmacology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

³Department of Pharmacognosy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

⁵Department of Biochemistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

⁴University Health Centre, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

²Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 1 June, 2013

Abstract

Drug combinations represent current treatment strategies in the management of malaria.  Nitric oxide (NO) has been proposed to inhibit Plasmodium growth due to its parasite-scavenging activity thus the effects of various combinations of an NO inducer - anthraquinone (25-100 mg/kg, ANT), an NO donor - sodium nitroprusside (0.5 mg/kg, SNP) and NO inhibitor -nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (40 mg/kg, L-NAME) and their combination drugs were evaluated using the antimalarial curative model in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice.  Chloroquine (10 mg/kg, CQ) and distilled water were employed as the positive and negative controls, respectively. The plasma concentrations of nitric oxide in infected mice treated with ANT, SNP and L-NAME were determined spectrophotometrically.  A significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the parasitaemia of ANT-treated groups at 50 and 100 mg/kg as well as L-NAME were observed. The result of this study showed the combinations of SNP and ANT (100 mg/kg), L-NAME and ANT, CQ and its combination with SNP and L-NAME were effective as they exhibited significant (p < 0.05) decreases in parasitaemia throughout the period of treatment justifying their antimalarial activity.  However, SNP, the combinations of SNP plus ANT (25 and 50 mg/kg), SNP plus L-NAME were not effective as significant increases (P<0.05) in parasitaemia were observed. ANT and CQ demonstrated antiparasitic effect, which may be attributable to nitric oxide. Combinations of the ANT, L-NAME and CQ elicited increases in nitric oxide release, reduced parasitaemia while SNP released no significant amount of nitric oxide.

Key words: Nitric oxide, chloroquine, Plasmodium berghei, curative, drug combinations.

International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology ISSN: 2326-7267 Vol. 2 (7), pp. 110-116, October, 2013. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

In vivo antidiarrheal and ex-vivo spasmolytic activities of the aqueous extract of the roots of Echinops kebericho Mesfin (Asteraceae) in rodents and isolated guinea-pig ileum

Fisseha Shiferie¹ and Workineh Shibeshi²

¹School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University P.O. Box, 1871, Ethiopia.

² School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University,

P.O. Box, 1176 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 20 August, 2013

Abstract

The root extract of Echinops kebericho is used traditionally for the treatment of diarrhea. This study describes the anti-diarrheal and anti-spasmodic activities of the aqueous root extract of E. kebericho. The effect of extract in rodents on castor oil-induced intestinal transit, diarrhea and enteropooling was evaluated at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight. The effects of extract on acetylcholine-induced guinea pig ileum contractions were also evaluated. In the castor oil induced intestinal transit test, E. kebericho produced a dose dependent decrease in intestinal propulsion with peristaltic index values of 45.05±3.3, 42.71±2.25 and 33.17±3.3%, respectively at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg compared with control (63.43±7.3%). In the castor oil-induced diarrhea test, the mean defecation was reduced from 1.81±0.18 to 0.99 ± 0.21 compared with 2.59 ±0.81 for control.  The same parameter for 400 mg/kg of extract (0.99±0.21) was comparable to loperamide (0.97 ± 0.21). The extract significantly decreased the volume of intestinal fluid secretion induced by castor oil (2.31±0.1 to 2.01±0.2) compared to control (3.28±0.3). The root extract of E. kebericho exhibited a dose dependent spasmolytic effect in acetylcholine-induced guinea pig ileum contraction. In conclusion, the data obtained in this study give scientific support for traditional use of E. kebericho as an anti-diarrheal agent.

Key words: Antidiarrheal, E. kebericho, enteropooling, spasmplytic, rodent.

Reduced treg and onset of a T_H1pattern in combined HSP70 and propranolol treatment of fibrosarcoma-bearing mice

Ahmad Khalili¹, Shahram Shahabi², Ali A. Pourfathollah¹, Seyed N. Ostad³, Shokoofe  Noori⁴, Mehdi Mahdavi⁵, Arezoo Shajiei⁶ and Zuhair M. Hassan^1*

¹Department of Immunology, School of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

²Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Genetics; Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.

³Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology Faculty of Pharmacy, University Of Tehran Medical Sciences, Tehran. ⁴Department of Analytical Chemistry, College of Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran; and, ⁵Department of ⁵Virology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran.

⁶Molecular Pathology Lab.,Cancer Molecular Pathology Research Center, Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, IRAN.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel. 982182883565, Fax: 982183884555

Accepted 02 July, 2013

Abstract

Experimental strategies for cancer treatment have been developed to enhance cell-mediated immunity; some have generated promising results. Several heat shock proteins (HSP) derived from tumorgenic cells have been found capable of effectively initiating specific anti tumor immunity. The sympathetic nervous system innervates primary lymphoid organs and also influences T-lymphocyte maturation. This study had two main objectives: first to evaluate the effects of HSP-70-rich tumor lysate as an experimental tumor treatment and secondly, to assess whether by promoting anti-tumor cell-mediated immune responses, propranolol could improve cancer therapy outcomes. In this study, female BALB/c mice and mouse fibrosarcoma cells were used to establish a tumor model. After treatment with HSP70-rich lysate, with or without pronpranolol co-treatment, splenocyte proliferation was evaluated using ELISA BrdU kits. The ability of the treatments to shift the cytokine profile was evaluated by measuring host splenocyte IFN and IL-4 production ex vivo. The frequency of T-regulatory (T_reg) cells in the spleen was analyzed using anti-CD4, anti-CD25, and anti-Foxp3 triple-color immunostaining. Assessments of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) activity and in situ tumor growth were also performed. The results showed that, compared to the untreated control group, a decrease in tumor size, IL-4 production, and levels of splenic CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺ T_reg cells was observed as a result of the propranolol + HSP70 co-treatment. A significant increase in IFNγ formation was also noted. This study confirmed our hypothesis that parallel administration of HSP70-enriched lysate and propranolol could reduce tumor size in situ through increases in IFNγ and decreases in IL-4, in part via an augmentation of the host T_H1-type immune response.

Key words: Immune modulation, sympathetic nervous system, heat shock proteins (HSP), tumor-antigen-specific CTL.

International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology ISSN: 2326-7267 Vol. 2 (6), pp. 094-098, September, 2013. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Comparative assessment of prescription quality among hypertensive patients in South-West Nigeria

*Akunne OO (M.Sc.), Adedapo ADA (FWACP M.SC).

Department of pharmacology and therapeutics, University of Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria.

University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author E-mail: [email protected]; Tel. +234-806-281-3737.

Accepted 24 July, 2013

Abstract

Rational drug use is consequential to effective management of chronic conditions such as hypertension. This study was carried out to compare the quality of prescription in patients attending the outpatient clinics of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria against standard values and to compare study findings with similar studies carried out in other parts of the country. One thousand nine hundred and seventy-two case notes were reviewed following each clinic. Quality of prescription was assessed using WHO prescribing indicators. There were 58.4% females and 41.6% males of an average aged of 59.6±11.8 years. Average number of drugs per encounter was 3.9. Only 56.9% of drugs were prescribed by their generic name. Percentage of encounters containing antibiotic and injection were 3.6% and 0.9% respectively. About 87.7% of drugs prescribed were from the essential drug list. The most prescribed drug aside from antihypertensives was aspirin occurring in 843 (43.7%) of the 1927 eligible encounters. Quality of prescription in Ibadan, Nigeria as with other parts of the country was found to be low. Although, use of antibiotics and injection was low, poly-pharmacy and low prescription of drugs by their generic names were observed, educational interventions are needed to improve prescribing quality.

Key words: Prescription quality, rational drug, hypertension, WHO prescribing indicators, Nigeria.

International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology ISSN: 2326-7267 Vol. 2 (5), pp. 088-093, August, 2013. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Urinary excretion of mannose and mannose related compounds in humans consuming Aloe saponaria pulp

Claudia S. Fallati ¹, María E. Olivera^{1, 2}, Laura C. Luciani-Giacobbe ^{1, 2}, Carolina B. Romañuk^1,2, Ruben H. Manzo* ^1,2

¹Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, National University of Cordoba. Haya de la Torre  and Medina Allende, Ciudad Universitaria (5000), Cordoba, Argentina.

²Unit of Research and Development in Pharmaceutical Technology (UNITEFA)-CONICET, Argentina.

*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]. Tel. 54-351-5353865

Accepted 17 June, 2013

 Abstract

The adhesion of Escherichia coli to uroepithelium can be altered by the interaction between specific carbohydrate molecules and the receptors on the bacterial surface. Mannose is one of the most potent inhibitors among carbohydrates. Aloe saponaria, currently used as a dietary supplement, contains polymannanes as main components. This work was designed to evaluate the mannose oligosaccharide metabolites excretion after oral intake of Aloe saponaria pulp in order to estimate its potential utility in preventing urinary infections. Five volunteers received a daily oral intake of Aloe saponaria pulp for 7 days. Urine samples were collected at time 0 and on the seventh day and assayed for their mannose contents by Dubois method, TLC, HPLC and ¹H-NMR. The results showed that the oral intake of Aloe Saponaria fresh pulp produced sugar excretion, composed mainly of mannose and mannose related compounds, suggesting that Aloe saponaria pulp could be a potential therapeutic agent for prevention of urinary tract infection.

Key words: Aloe saponaria, mannose, urinary excretion, urinary tract infection, anti-adhesion therapy, uropathogenic Escherichia coli.

International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology Vol. 2 (5), pp. 083-087, July, 2013. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Prevalence of obesity: Related risks and side effects

Somia  Gul, Sana Sarfaraz and Nida Shamim

Faculty of Pharmacy, Jinnah University for Women, Karachi, Pakistan.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 4 March, 2013

Abstract

Obesity is an increase in body weight beyond the limitation of skeletal and physical requirements, as the result of excessive accumulation of body fat. The aim of this study is to evaluate obesity-related dietary behaviors and to scrutinize the use of anti-obesity drugs and their long term effectiveness versus the risks and side effects associated with these treatments. Through this research we are seeking to explore recent discoveries in order to propel the forces contributing to obesity and towards developing strategies for its treatment rather risking precious lives.  For this purpose, we had conducted a survey including a total of 540 sample out of which 270eligible individuals were judged on their eating behavior’s and on the contrary, 270 married individuals were questioned about their health weight history. It concluded that, the younger generation is not particularly concerned with the future consequences associated with obesity, while the married people face several problems associated with it. 

Key words: Obesity, dietary behaviors, orlistat, sibutramine, therapies.