Antiulcerogenic activity of peptide concentrates obtained from hydrolysis of whey proteins by proteases from Cynara cardunculus

Peptide concentrates generated by hydrolysis of whey with aqueous extracts of flowers of Cynara cardunculus were studied for possible protection of the stomach mucosa against ulcerative lesions caused by oral administration of absolute ethanol. Both the whole peptide fraction obtained via hydrolysis of whey protein concentrate (peptide concentrate, PepC) and its fraction below 3 kDa (PepCF) were able to reduce gastric injuries to significant levels (p < 0.05). Single-dose experiments, using 100 mg kg(-1) body weight (bw) of either PepCF or PepC, led to 68.5% and 37.4% protection, respectively - which compare well with 93.4% protection by 200 mg kg (1) bw carbenoxolone (a positive control). No dose-response correlation could be demonstrated. Gastric cytoprotection by PepCF appears to depend on sulphydryl-containing moieties, whereas PepC likely protects the gastric mucosa via the prostaglandin cycle and production of nitric oxide.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Pharmacological and Molecular Characterization of Muscarinic Receptors in Cat Esophageal Smooth Muscle 1

ABSTRACT The muscarinic receptor subtypes that mediate cholinergic responses in cat esophageal smooth muscle were examined. Antagonist effects on carbachol-induced and nerve-evoked contractions were studied in vitro using muscle strips from the distal esophagus. Antagonists displayed similar relative selectivities in suppressing carbachol and nerve-mediated responses as follows: 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine (4-DAMP) Ͼ zamifenacin Ͼ para-fluoro-hexahydrosiladiphenidol Ͼ pirenzepine Ͼ AF-DX 116 Ͼ methoctramine, indicating that these responses are mediated by the same receptor subtype. 4-DAMP, pirenzepine and methoctramine effects on carbachol responses gave pA 2 values characteristic of the M 3 receptor in both the circular muscle (9.25 Ϯ 0.12, 6.79 Ϯ 0.09 and 6.04 Ϯ 0.11, respectively) and longitudinal muscle (9.46 Ϯ 0.14, 7.25 Ϯ 0.07 and 6.10 Ϯ 0.06, respectively). Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis was done using primer sequences based on the cloned human muscarinic receptor subtypes. Messenger RNA for the m 3 receptor was readily identified, whereas m 2 was not detected in esophageal muscle, but was present in cardiac muscle. Sequence homology between the amplified products from cat tissue and the corresponding human m 2 and m 3 receptors genes were 93% and 89%, respectively. In the cat esophagus, the M 3 receptor mediates functional responses and messenger RNA for the corresponding molecular form of this receptor is abundant in this tissue. Muscarinic receptors mediate cholinergic excitation in the distal smooth muscle esophagus. The overall contribution of this excitatory mechanism to normal esophageal peristalsis differs between species. Thus, atropine potently blocks swallow-induced peristalsis in the cat, the monkey and the human esophagus, but in the opossum, it has a more modest effect Five subtypes of the muscarinic receptor (m 1 -m 5 ) have been identified by molecular cloning techniques However, in a recent in vitro study on isolated smooth muscle cells from the circular layer of the cat esophagus

Impact of melatonin supplementation in the rat spermatogenesis subjected to forced swimming exercise

Oxygen consumption increases many times during exercise, which can increase reactive oxygen species. It negatively affects fertility in male athletes. Melatonin is exerting a regulatory role at different levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. However, there is no evidence that the protective effects of melatonin persist after long duration exercise on the spermatogenesis. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the impacts of melatonin on the testis following the administration of swimming exercise. Rats were separated into five different groups, including Control, sham M: received the solvent of melatonin, M: received melatonin, S: the exercise protocol, MS: received melatonin and the exercise protocol. After 8weeks, animals were scarified and antioxidant enzymes levels of testes, spermatogenic cells apoptosis and sperm quality were measured. Swimming decreased all parameters of spermatozoa. Nevertheless, melatonin could significantly improve the progressive motility of spermatozoa in MS rats. Swimming caused an increased apoptosis of S group and decreased all antioxidant enzymes. Melatonin could drastically reduce apoptosis and increased these enzymes. Therefore, melatonin seems to induce the production of antioxidant enzymes of testicular tissues and diminish the extent of apoptotic changes caused by forced exercise on the testis, which can, in turn, ameliorate the sperm parameters

Lavandula stoechas l: A systematic review of medicinal and molecular perspectives

Lavandula stoechas L. is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, occurring naturally in countries the aim of this study is to overview its therapeutic effects than its nutritive and industrial effects. This review article was carried out by searching studies in PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, and Iran Medex databases up to 2016.Totally, of 112 found articles,40 articles(42 in vitro and 5 animal studies) were included. The search terms were "Lavandula stoechas L. ", "therapeutic", "pharmacological", "traditional medicine". Various studies have shown that Lavandula stoechas L. possess Anti-inflammatory properties, Biological activity, Anticonvulsant, sedative and antispasmodic activities, Pharmacological and Toxicological properties, Hepatoprotective and Reno protective. Hyperglycemia oxidative stress properties. Lavandula stoechas L. has various combinations and numerous medicinal properties, but still other herbal and medicinal properties of this plant are required to be identified

Protective effects of solvent fractions of Mentha spicata (L.) leaves evaluated on 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide induced chromosome damage and apoptosis in mouse bone marrow cells

Spearmint leaves (Mentha spicata L.) contain high levels of antioxidants that are known to protect against both exogenous and endogenous DNA damage. In this study, the protective effects of the hexane fraction (HF), chloroform fraction (CF) and ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) in an ethanol extract from M. spicata were evaluated against 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO) induced chromosome damage and apoptosis in bone marrow cells of Swiss albino mice. Two (EAF; 80 and 160 mg/ kg body weight - bw) or three (HF and CF; 80, 160 and 320 mg/ kg bw) doses of solvent fractions or vehicle control (25% DMSO in water) were administered orally for five consecutive days. Upon the sixth day, 4-NQO was injected intraperitoneally. The animals were killed the following day. Other control groups were comprised of animals treated with either the vehicle control or the various doses of solvent fractions, but with no 4-NQO treatment. 4-NQO induced micro-nucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MnPCEs) in all the test groups. However, pre-treatment of animals with the solvent fractions significantly reduced the 4-NQO-induced MnPCEs as well as the percentage of apoptotic cells. The reduction of both MnPCE and apoptosis was more evident following the pre-treatment of animals with 160 mg/kg bw EAF

Anti-platelet aggregation assay and chemical composition of essential oil from Allium atroviolaceum Boiss growing in Iran.

Plants belonging to genera Allium have widely been acquired as food and medicine. Their wide use was mainly due to the medicinal properties attributed to these plants over the centuries, lately supported by epidemiological and research studies. In this study, essential oil constituents of Allium atroviolaceum growing in Shahr-e-kord, Iran, were investigated through gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. In this essential oil two major constituents were trisulfide, di-2-propenyl (26.85%) and diallyl disulphide (10.98%) while trans-2-(2- pentenyl) furan (0.02%) and Limonene (0.06%) have been identified in lower amounts. The in-vitro antiplatelet activity of essential oil was evaluated, using arachidonic acid (AA) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) as the platelet aggregation inducers. The results showed that essential oil of Allium atroviolaceum with IC50; 0.25 mg/ml and 0.47 mg/ml inhibited in-vitro platelet aggregation induced by AA and ADP respectively

Effect of antihistaminics on amplitude of rabbit gut

Background: The small intestine, like the rest of the gastrointestinal tract, is an intelligent organ. It generates a wide variety of motor patterns to meet motility requirements in different situations. Its basic motor function after a meal is to mix the chyme with exocrine and intestinal secretions, agitate its contents too.Methods: In vitro study is done to explore the effect of 1st generation antihistaminic (chlorpheniramine maleate) and second generation antihistaminic (Fexofenadine) on amplitude of gut motility by isolated rabbit gut preparation on Dale’s Organ bath, part of terminal ileum is used for study. Eight rabbits weighing 2 to 4.5 kg were used for study. The effect of antihistaminic observed that both drugs reduce amplitude.Results: The effect of Chlorpheniramine malete and Fexofenadine on amplitude observed and it found that both decrease the amplitude significantly.Conclusions: This study establishes a correlation between amplitude of gut and effect of antihistaminic suggests that antihistaminic drug both first generation and second generation decreases the amplitude of gut motility with a significant response

Disponibilidade de nutrientes e elementos potencialmente tóxicos para as plantas de hissopo em solo arenoso sob adubação mineral e orgânica

The technologies developed for agricultural production in recent years have faced constant pressure between the increase of production with a sustainable development. Co-products such as swine waste are generally used for soils fertilization. The use of this waste has presented great acceptance by farmers, being used mainly in crops and pastures. However, the inappropriate use of those wastes, results in toxicity for the plant. Nowadays, the scientific study with medicinal plants present itself in constant growth, once that the population demonstrates a tendency for natural or herbal treatments. Consequently, the market for medicinal plants tends to improve their production technologies, looking for higher productions, with high quality and sustainability. The hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), is a shrub originated from Europe, its leaves, flowers and stems are used as pharmaceutical raw materials, with antifungal, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antitussive and expectorant proprieties, beyond antispasmodic effects. The objective of this study was to determine the levels of minerals and the heavy metals in hyssop plants subjected to different treatments with organic and mineral fertilization on sandy soil. The treatments were arranged in factorial scheme (2x3), in complete randomized design (CRD), with 2 types of fertilizers (organic and mineral) and 3 doses of fertilization (without fertilization, the recommended dose and the double recommended dose), totalizing 6 treatments with 4 replications. The results demonstrate&nbsp; that in sandy soils, the organic fertilization provides&nbsp; higher levels of P, Ca and Zn, while cultivation with mineral fertilizer promoted the accumulation of K, Fe and Mn in plant tissue.As tecnologias desenvolvidas para produ&ccedil;&atilde;o agr&iacute;cola nos &uacute;ltimos anos t&ecirc;m se deparado com uma press&atilde;o constante entre o aumento de produ&ccedil;&atilde;o e desenvolvimento sustent&aacute;vel. Res&iacute;duos como dejeto su&iacute;no s&atilde;o comumente utilizados em fertiliza&ccedil;&atilde;o de solos. A utiliza&ccedil;&atilde;o deste res&iacute;duo tem apresentado grande aceite pelos agricultores, sendo utilizado principalmente em lavouras e pastagens. Por&eacute;m, a utiliza&ccedil;&atilde;o inadequada destes res&iacute;duos resulta em toxidez para a planta. Atualmente, o estudo cient&iacute;fico em plantas medicinais apresenta-se em crescimento constante, uma vez que a popula&ccedil;&atilde;o demonstra uma tend&ecirc;ncia por tratamentos com medicamentos naturais ou fitoter&aacute;picos. O hissopo (Hyssopus officinalis), &eacute; um arbusto origin&aacute;rio da Europa cujas folhas, flores e caules s&atilde;o utilizadas como mat&eacute;ria prima farmac&ecirc;utica, apresentando propriedades antif&uacute;ngicas, antibacterianas, antimicrobiana, antituss&iacute;geno e expectorante, al&eacute;m de efeitos antiespasm&oacute;dicos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o teor de nutrientes e de metais pesados t&oacute;xicos em plantas de hissopo submetidas a diferentes tratamentos com fertiliza&ccedil;&atilde;o org&acirc;nica e mineral em solo de textura arenosa. Os tratamentos foram arranjados em esquema fatorial (2x3), dispostos em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado (DIC), sendo dois tipos de fertilizantes (org&acirc;nico e mineral) e tr&ecirc;s doses de fertilizantes (sem aduba&ccedil;&atilde;o, dose recomendada e dobro da dose recomendada), totalizando seis tratamentos com quatro repeti&ccedil;&otilde;es. Os resultados demonstraram que a aduba&ccedil;&atilde;o org&acirc;nica disponibilizou maiores teores dos elementos P, Ca e Zn, enquanto que o cultivo com aduba&ccedil;&atilde;o mineral favoreceu o ac&uacute;mulo de K, Fe e Mn