Pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity of selected pharmaceutical agents

Twenty-five structurally diverse compounds have been tested in vitro for their pancreatic lipase (PL) inhibitory activity. Despite the diversity of tested compounds, the relationship comprising structural attributes of the compounds could be established to correlate with the observed inhibitory activity. Compounds that exerted inhibitory action through surface activity were of different profile from the rest of compounds. When co-incubated with orlistat (OsT), important synergistic effects for some compounds (orphenadrine, gliclazide, cefuroxime and sulfacetamide) were revealed, while antagonistic effects were demonstrated for others (camphor sulfonic acid and dinitro salicylic acid). Docking studies for the most active molecules were performed and molecular interaction forces with the PL active site were identified. The results suggested co-binding of OsT along with the other inhibitor in the binding site in cases of synergistic effect but not in the case of antagonistic effect. These results were additionally supported by affinity capillary electrophoresis. In conclusion, synergistic lipase inhibitory activity between OsT and some other pharmaceutical compounds was demonstrated for the first time, which might help improve the pharmacological effect of OsT

Histological Changes in Some Organs of The Female Rats Infected With Toxoplasma Gondii Parasite Isolated From Embryo of Aborted Sheep

The current study included identifying the lesions and the histological changes caused by the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which was isolated from embryos of aborted ewes. Intraperitonially injected in 15 female albino rats (3 months old) with suspension containing 100 tissue cysts.Histological section showed after four months of injection a chronic infection characterized by autolysis in all sections, where the liver sections showed expansion in the central hepatic veins, congestion in sinusoidal curves with irregularity in hepatic cords, and the presence of parasites in the liver cells. The brain tissue showed vacuoles in the neurons with an increase in the number of Purkenji cells. Kidney sections were characterized by degenerative and necrotic changes in the endothelial cells of the proximal and distal convoluted tubules with Sloughing of necrotic and degenerated cells of the tubes which accumulated inside the cavity. The parasites appeared in the endothelial cells of the glomerular tufts. Ovary and the uterus showed increased vascular wall thickness, furthermore, the spleen showed autolytic changes, deposition of pigment with the presence of parasites within the cells

Modelling and simulation of an industrial riser in fluid catalytic cracking process

YesFluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit is an important unit of modern refineries and any improvement in the unit’s operations and design to increase yield and meet the ever increasing demand for fuel brings about the overall profitability of the FCC. In this work, simulation of an FCC riser of varied diameter was carried out to improve the unit’s operations and design, and the results are compared with risers of different diameters. The riser with varied diameter produces 53.4 wt%, a 3.18% increased yield of gasoline at low catalyst to oil (C/O) ratio of 1.27 compared to 51.7 wt% from a 1 m diameter riser. At increased C/O ratio, more gases and coke are produced in the varied diameter riser. Larger diameter demands more catalyst but yields more gases. Process variables can be directly correlated with yield of gasoline, which can aid process design

Biological activities for 'Ficus carica' latex for potential therapeutics in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) related cervical cancers

Abstract Infection caused by high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are implicated in the aetiology of cervical cancer. Although current methods of treatment for cervical cancer can ablate lesions, preventing metastatic disseminations and excessive tissue injuries still remains a major concern. Hence, development of a safer and more efficient treatment modality is of vital importance. Natural products from plants are one of the principal sources of precursors to lead compounds with direct pharmaceutical application across all disease classes. One of these plants is Ficus carica, whose fruit latex, when applied on HPV-induced skin warts, has shown potential as a possible cure for this virus related lesions. This study explores the in vitro biological activities of fig latex and elucidates its possible mechanisms of action on cervical cancer cell lines CaSki and HeLa positive for HPV type 16 and 18, respectively. Our data shows that fig latex inhibits properties that are associated with HPV-positive cervical cancer transformed cells such as rapid growth and invasion and substantially downregulated the expression of p16 and HPV onco-proteins E6, E7. These findings suggest Ficus carica latex has the potential to be used in the development of therapeutic modalities for the possible treatment, cure and prevention of HPV related cervical cancer