Nutritional value and therapeutic effect of Mentha pulegium L. and Artemisia abrotanum L.

This work is an informative study investigated the nutrient contents and the antioxidant activity of Mentha pulegium L. and Artemisia abrotanum L. two plants largely used in North African traditional medicine as well as in pharmaceutical and agro-alimentary industries. These plants have been used as herbal tea, or powder in herbal remedies, to treat painful menstruation, and gastrointestinal disorders. Recently they were extensively used during the pandemic of Covid-19. Results revealed that both plants were not, only, a good source of essential minerals, like Calcium, Iron, and Magnesium. But they were also rich sources of crude fibre and protein. Vitamin C amount was found 180.94 ±3.01 mg/g100g, with an IC50 value 54.45±25.53 μg/mL 10-1 in M. pulegium and 171.64±3.0 mg/100g with IC50 value 60.61± 19.71 μg/mL 10-1 in A. abrotanum. The antioxidant study showed a high activity that paves the way for the possibility of new health-related uses

Glutathione S-transferase M1 and T1 polymorphisms and the risk of mild hepatotoxicity induced by carbamazepine in a tunisian population study

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) and T1 (GSTT1) null alleles may contribute to carbamazepine-induced hepatotoxicity. Methods A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted to identify the frequency distribution of GSTM1 and GSTT1 alleles in 129 Tunisian epileptic patients treated with carbamazepine. Null alleles were determined using a Polymerase Chain Reaction. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured by standard methods. Results Our results showed that the frequencies of GSTM1 (−) null allele and GSTT1 null (−) allele were 74.4 and 17.8% respectively. The ALT and AST levels were elevated in 46 (35.7%) and 33 (25.6%) cases. The mean values of ALT and AST were approximately 1.32 and 3.61 times higher than the upper limit of normal levels, respectively. The values of ALT and AST were significantly higher in GSTM1 (−) allele than in GSTM1 (+) (p = 10−3.and 0.004, respectively). The level of ALT was significantly higher in combination of GSTM1 (−)/T1(−) than in combined GSTM1(−)/T1(+) and combined GSTM1(+)/T1(+) (p = 0.2 and 0.03, respectively), and that of AST was significantly higher in combination of GSTM1(−)/T1(−) and in combination of GSTM1(+)/T1(−) than in combination of GSTM1(+)/T1(+) (p = 10−3 and 10−3, respectively). Conclusions Our findings suggest that the GSTM1 (−) allele may be considered as a key factor for the development of carbamazepine-induced hepatotoxicity. Results related to GSTT (−) allele and elevation in AST levels should be considered with caution as AST may be elevated in other pathophysiological conditions

The relationship between pharmacokinetic parameters of carbamazepine and therapeutic response in epileptic patients

Introduction : The prescribed dose and carbamazepine plasma concentration to achieve the optimal therapeutic efficacy are highly variable from one patient to the other. Our study aimed to determine whether biological parameters may be used as plasma markers that can individually adjust the carbamazepine dose necessary to optimize therapeutic efficacy. Material and methods : Ninety-four epileptic patients under carbamazepine monotherapy and who have never used combination therapy were recruited from the consecutive admissions at the Department of Neurology “CHU Sahloul” of Sousse Central Hospital in Tunisia from February 2010 to April 2011. The patients were monitored for epilepsy for three years on average. Carbamazepine and 10,11-epoxide-carbamazepine concentrations were analyzed through high-performance liquid chromatography. Simultaneously, therapeutic efficacy was assessed through the annual number of seizures in each patient. Results : Our results showed the absence of any significant correlations between specific dose (mg/kg/day), carbamazepine plasma concentrations and therapeutic efficacy (r = 0.0025, p = 0.30; r = 0.1584, p = 0.38 respectively), whereas both plasma 10,11-epoxide-carbamazepine concentration and 10,11-epoxide-carbamazepine to plasma carbamazepine ratio were closely correlated with therapeutic efficacy (r = 0.34, p = 0.03; r = 0.45, p = 0.008 respectively). The optimum therapeutic response was observed among patients who simultaneously had a plasma concentration of 0.8 µg/ml of metabolite and 5.5 µg/ml of carbamazepine. Conclusions : The results suggest that plasma levels of both carbamazepine and of 10,11-epoxide-carbamazepine must be set to achieve an optimum therapeutic response