Antinociceptive activity of Mentha piperita leaf aqueous extract in mice

Mentha piperita L. (Labiatae) is an herbaceous plant, used in folk medicine for the treatment of several medical disorders.In the present study, the aqueous extract of Mentha piperita leaf, at the i.p doses 200 and 400 mg/kg, showed significant analgesic effects against both acetic acid-induced writhing and hot plate-induced thermal stimulation in mice, with protection values of 51.79% and 20.21% respectively. On the contrary, the Mentha piperita leaf aqueous extract did not exhibit anti-inflammatory activity against carrageenan induced paw oedema.These findings indicate that Mentha piperita has a potential analgesic effect that may possibly have mediated centrally and peripherally, as well as providing a pharmacological evidence for its traditional use as a pain reliever

Harpgophytum procumbens for osteoarthritis and low back pain: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: The objective of this review is to determine the effectiveness of Harpagophytum procumbens preparations in the treatment of various forms of musculoskeletal pain. METHODS: Several databases and other sources were searched to identify randomized controlled trials, quasi-randomized controlled trials, and controlled clinical trials testing Harpagophytum preparations in adults suffering from pain due to osteoarthritis or low back pain. RESULTS: Given the clinical heterogeneity and insufficient data for statistical pooling, trials were described in a narrative way, taking into consideration methodological quality scores. Twelve trials were included with six investigating osteoarthritis (two were identical trials), four low back pain, and three mixed-pain conditions. CONCLUSIONS: There is limited evidence for an ethanolic Harpagophytum extract containing less than <30 mg harpagoside per day in the treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis. There is moderate evidence of effectiveness for (1) the use of a Harpagophytum powder at 60 mg harpagoside in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the spine, hip and knee; (2) the use of an aqueous Harpagophytum extract at a daily dose of 100 mg harpagoside in the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic non-specific low back pain; and (3) the use of an aqueous extract of Harpagophytum procumbens at 60 mg harpagoside being non-inferior to 12.5 mg rofecoxib per day for chronic non-specific low-back pain (NSLBP) in the short term. Strong evidence exists for the use of an aqueous Harpagophytum extract at a daily dose equivalent of 50 mg harpagoside in the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic NSLBP

Button battery induced cellular damage: a pathophysiological study

Button batteries (BB) are frequently swallowed and must be removed immediately as, if they remain in the esophagus, they can cause severe damage with fatal prognosis. To better understand the molecular mechanism of esophagus damage, we performed a study aimed to analyze heat production, pH variation, electrical work and metal release from BB incubated in cell culture media. Cytotoxicity and apoptosis induced in a human monocytes cell line (U937) was also investigated.Calculated transferred heat was around 244 J with a maximal increase of temperature of 7.26 K/g medium whose pH, reflecting medium electrolysis, was 12.2 after about 2 h incubation. Release of metals also occurred. Only 49.7 ± 1.9% of U937 monocytes remained viable after 90 min of incubation in DMEM containing BB. Those results suggest that BB discharge induce cytotoxicity and tissue injury probably due to multiple combinations of at least thermic, caustic and toxic phenomena. As maximal effects occurred in less than 2 h, they prompt for fast removal of battery from esophagus. Keywords: Button battery, Electrolysis, Calorimetry, Heat transfer, Metal ions, pH, Cytotoxicity, Apoptosi