The Role of NO in Antispasmodic Activity of Parsley (Petroselinum crispum l.) Leaf Flavonoids Extract on KCl-Induced Contraction in Adult Male Rat's Ileum

Abstract Background: Due to the harmful side effects of chemical drugs, in recent decades, much attention has been returned to the use of medicinal plants. The flavonoids as plant secondary compounds are allocated to own an important part of this attention. Based on previous studies, some of the flavonoids are able to reduce contraction induced by KCl, acetylcholine, etc in rat ileum. Therefore, in this study, the effect of the flavonoid extract of parsley leaves on smooth muscle contraction of the ileum and the role of Nitric oxide (NO) has been studied. Materials and Methods: Distal segment of Wistar rat ileum was separated and contractions under one gram tension and at 37°C, in an organ bath containing Tyrode solution was recorded by isotonic method. Rats were divided into 2 groups with 7 in each group. After placing the tissue exposed to L-NAME 100μM (Sigma, America) as an inhibitor of NO, the antispasmodic effect of cumulative concentrations of the flavonoid extract was investigated Results: The extract cumulative concentrations reduced ileum contraction induced by KCl in a dose-dependent manner. Also, the antispasmoide effect of flavonoids extract on ileum contractions (only 16 mg/ml) was affected by L-NAME. Conclusion: This study showed that the extract relaxed rat's ileum by the NO system at higher concentrations

Toxoplasma gondii infection in first-episode and inpatient individuals with schizophrenia

SummaryBackgroundA high seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection has been detected in psychiatric patients, particularly in schizophrenia cases.MethodsIn the present study 98 patients suffering from schizophrenia (58 inpatients and 40 first-episode patients) and 96 control patients (50 healthy volunteers and 46 with a depressive disorder) were examined for the presence of both IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We applied the Bradford Hill criteria to identify the weight of causal inference.ResultsThe positivity rate of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies among individuals with schizophrenia (57.1%) was significantly higher than in healthy controls (29.2%). There were no associations between immune status ratio (ISR) values and the risk of schizophrenia. The weight of evidence approach using the Bradford Hill criteria revealed a 92% probability of a causal association.ConclusionOur results show that exposure to T. gondii may lead to schizophrenia