Experimental Pharmacological Research Regarding the Potential Antidepressant Activity Induced by Some Newly Synthesised Dibenzo[a,d]cycloheptene Compounds

Background. Depression is a relatively frequent encountered mental disorder in the general population, affecting both the quality of the individual life and its ability to perform the social tasks; it is generally accepted that new studies related to this pathologic condition are further necessary, in order to identify more adequate, efficient and accessible therapeutic compounds. Materials and Methods. This study was performed on a sample of 60 white male mice, NMRI strain, who were divided into 6 groups of 10 animals and treated with 4 new derivatives of dibenzo [a, d] cycloheptene, amitriptyline as a reference substance, or with distilled water for the control group. The animals were tested in respect to the forced swim test, both before and at 2 hours after administration of the mentioned substances. It was determined thus the time of immobilization. Results. The study showed the fact that only two of the four investigated compounds presented a relatively similar antidepressant effect with the reference substance. Conclusions. Minor structural changes, such as modifications of some substitutes from the basic chemical core of the reference substance can decisively influence the conservation or loss of the antidepressant properties

Preliminary Data on the Interaction between Some Biometals and Oxidative Stress Status in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease Patients

Increased interest regarding the biometal mechanisms of action and the pathways in which they have regulatory roles was lately observed. Particularly, it was shown that biometal homeostasis dysregulation may lead to neurodegeneration including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson disease, or prion protein disease, since important molecular signaling mechanisms in brain functions implicate both oxidative stress and redox active biometals. Oxidative stress could be a result of a breakdown in metal-ion homeostasis which leads to abnormal metal protein chelation. In our previous work, we reported a strong correlation between Alzheimer’s disease and oxidative stress. Consequently, the aim of the present work was to evaluate some of the biometals’ levels (magnesium, manganese, and iron), the specific activity of some antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase), and a common lipid peroxidation marker (malondialdehyde concentration), in mild cognitive impairment (n=15) and Alzheimer’s disease (n=15) patients, compared to age-matched healthy subjects (n=15). We found increased lipid peroxidation effects, low antioxidant defense, low magnesium and iron concentrations, and high manganese levels in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease patients, in a gradual manner. These data could be relevant for future association studies regarding the prediction of Alzheimer’s disease development risk or circling through stages by analyzing both active redox metals, oxidative stress markers, and the correlations in between

URTICA DIOICA AND ZINGIBER OFFICINALE EXTRACTS WITH AGRO-FOOD AND PHARMACEUTICAL APPLICATIONS

The present work is an attempt to highlight the effect of aqueous extracts of Urtica dioica (nettle) and Zingiber officinale (ginger) in in vitro studies. The insights from current research would be helpful to have an overview of the antioxidant potential of nettle and ginger and provide direction for optimization and development of these extracts for phytosanitary applications against vegetable diseases as well as preservation role in the agrifood industry. The antioxidant activities of nettle and ginger are found to be protective for vegetables diseases with Alternaria solani. The study also highlighted the potential of a green corrosion inhibitor for metal food packaging