Analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of the aqueous leaf extract of Dichrostachys cinerea

In this present study, the analgesic activity of the aqueous extract of the leaves of Dichrostachy cinerea was investigated in mice using acetic acid-induced writhing and hot plate test, while the anti-inflammatory activity was investigated in rats using the carrageenan and dextran- induced paw edema. The extract (400, 800mg/kg) exhibited a dose dependent inhibition of abdominal writhing in mice compared to control. The effects of the extract were not significantly different from that of aspirin. The extract (800mg/kg) caused a significant (p<0.01) increase in pain threshold, at 60th minute post treatment in the hot plate test and the effects of the extract were lower than that of morphine (4mg/kg). The extract (800mg/kg) and indomethacin (10mg/kg) at 1st hour and 2nd - 4th hour produced inhibitions of the carrageenan-induced paw oedema versus control. The results also showed that the extract (800mg/kg) produced inhibition of dextran- induced paw edema between 2nd hour and 4th hour compared to control. Overall, our data suggest that the extract possesses anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, which may be mediated solely by peripheral mechanisms. Keywbords: Dichrostachys Cinerea; analgesic, anti-inflammatory, hot plate, dextran, carragenan, edema, pai

Reproductive indices in malaria infested mice treated with antimalarials, Phyllanthus amarus combined with vitamins

Malaria disease is caused by the plasmodium organism transmitted into humans by the female anopheles mosquito. The effect of chloroquine, artesunate or Phyllantus amarus alone or combined with vitamins A, B, C or K on male fertility indices has received no attention. Hence this study was designed to investigate the effect of chloroquine, artesunate or seed extract of Phyllanthus amarus with or without vitamins A, B, C or E on testosterone levels, sperm motility, morphology, viability and count in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. Four days following inoculation of adult male mice with Plasmodium berghei, the mice were treated with artesunate, chloroquine or Phyllanthus amarus seed extract alone or in combination with vitamins A, B, C or E once daily. Thereafter the mice were sacrificed and semen was collected for the determination of sperm count, motility, morphology and viability and blood sample collected for the determination of serum testosterone level by standardized methods. Treatment with chloroquine, artesunate or Phyllanthus amarus seed extract with or without vitamins A, B, C or E caused a significant (p < 0.05) increase in serum and semen testosterone levels in Plasmodium berghei infected mice. Treatment with chloroquine, artesunate or Phyllanthus amarus seed extract also caused a significant (p < 0.05) increase in sperm count, motility and viability as well as significant (p < 0.05) restoration of sperm morphology in Plasmodium berghei infected mice compared to untreated Plasmodium berghei infected mice. Results from our study suggest that vitamin supplement with antimalarial could enhance reproductive indices. Keywords: Phyllanthus amarus, Chloroquine, Artesunate, Plasmodium berghei testosterone, Sper

Preliminary assessment of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of methanol leaf extract of Cussonia barteri

Introduction: Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important vegetable crop in Syria. Potato tuber moth Cussonia barteri is a small tree that grows in the sub-Saharan part of Africa. Various parts of the plant are used for the treatment of a variety of ailments in ethno-medicine. Objective: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect of the methanol leaf extract of Cussonia barteri. Material and methods: The leaves were air-dried, powdered and repeatedly extracted with methanol using a Soxhlet apparatus. The resulting methanol extract (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) was evaluated for antiinflammatory activity using carrageenan-induced paw oedema, xylene-induced ear oedema and formalininduced arthritis tests. Analgesic effect was evaluated using acetic acid-induced mouse writhing, hot plate and tail flick tests. Results: All doses of the extract significantly (p<0.05) reduced carrageenan-induced paw oedema, however the 400 mg/kg dose gave a sustained effect. The extract significantly inhibited xylene induced ear oedema at all doses. There were no significant (p>0.05) reductions in paw swellings due to formalin. In the acetic acid induced writhing test, the extract significantly (p<0.05) decreased writhing at 400 mg/kg only. Reaction times were not significantly different from the control in the hot plate and tail flick tests. Conclusion: This study has shown that the methanol extract possesses acute anti-inflammatory and peripherally mediated analgesic effects

Preliminary assessment of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of methanol leaf extract of Cussonia barteri (Araliaceae) in rodents

Introduction: Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important vegetable crop in Syria. Potato tuber moth Cussonia barteri is a small tree that grows in the sub-Saharan part of Africa. Various parts of the plant are used for the treatment of a variety of ailments in ethno-medicine. Objective: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect of the methanol leaf extract of Cussonia barteri. Material and methods: The leaves were air-dried, powdered and repeatedly extracted with methanol using a Soxhlet apparatus. The resulting methanol extract (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) was evaluated for antiinflammatory activity using carrageenan-induced paw oedema, xylene-induced ear oedema and formalininduced arthritis tests. Analgesic effect was evaluated using acetic acid-induced mouse writhing, hot plate and tail flick tests. Results: All doses of the extract significantly (p<0.05) reduced carrageenan-induced paw oedema, however the 400 mg/kg dose gave a sustained effect. The extract significantly inhibited xylene induced ear oedema at all doses. There were no significant (p>0.05) reductions in paw swellings due to formalin. In the acetic acid induced writhing test, the extract significantly (p<0.05) decreased writhing at 400 mg/kg only. Reaction times were not significantly different from the control in the hot plate and tail flick tests. Conclusion: This study has shown that the methanol extract possesses acute anti-inflammatory and peripherally mediated analgesic effects

A novel mouse model for vulnerability to alcohol dependence induced by early-life adversity.

Childhood adversity increases vulnerability to alcohol use disorders and preclinical models are needed to investigate the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. The present study modeled early-life adversity by rearing male and female C57BL/6J mouse pups in a limited bedding and nesting (LBN) environment, which induces erratic maternal care. As adults, mice were given limited access to two-bottle choice (2BC) alcohol drinking, combined or not with chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) vapor inhalation to induce alcohol dependence. We tested the hypothesis that LBN rearing might exacerbate or facilitate the emergence of the motivational and affective effects of CIE. Consistent with our hypothesis, although LBN-reared males consumed the same baseline levels of alcohol as controls, they escalated their ethanol intake at an earlier stage of CIE exposure, i.e., after 4 rounds vs. 5 rounds for controls. In contrast, females were insensitive to both LBN rearing and CIE exposure. Males were further subjected to a behavioral test battery. Withdrawal from CIE-2BC increased digging activity and lowered mechanical nociceptive thresholds regardless of early-life conditions. On the other hand, LBN-reared CIE-2BC males showed reduced open arm exploration in the elevated plus maze and increased immobility in the tail suspension test compared to alcohol-naïve counterparts, while no group differences were detected among control-reared males. Finally, LBN rearing and alcohol exposure did not affect grooming in response to a sucrose spray (splash test), novel object recognition, or corticosterone levels. In summary, the LBN experience accelerates the transition from moderate to excessive alcohol drinking and produces additional indices of affective dysfunction during alcohol withdrawal in C57BL/6J male mice

Influence of early‐life adversity on responses to acute and chronic ethanol in female mice

BackgroundStressful early-life experiences increase the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder. We previously found that male C57BL/6J mice reared under limited bedding and nesting (LBN) conditions, a model of early-life adversity, escalate their ethanol intake in limited-access two-bottle choice (2BC) sessions faster than control (CTL)-reared counterparts when exposed to chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) vapor inhalation. However, the alcohol consumption of female littermates was not affected by LBN or CIE. In the present study, we sought to determine whether this phenotype reflected a general insensitivity of female mice to the influence of early-life stress on alcohol responses.MethodsIn a first experiment, CTL and LBN females with a history of 2BC combined or not with CIE were tested in affective and nociceptive assays during withdrawal. In a second group of CTL and LBN females, we examined ethanol-induced antinociception, sedation, plasma clearance, and c-Fos induction.ResultsIn females withdrawn from chronic 2BC, CIE increased digging, reduced grooming, and increased immobility in the tail suspension test regardless of early-life history. In contrast, LBN rearing lowered mechanical nociceptive thresholds regardless of CIE exposure. In females acutely treated with ethanol, LBN rearing facilitated antinociception and delayed the onset of sedation without influencing ethanol clearance rate or c-Fos induction in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus, central nucleus of the amygdala, or auditory cortex.ConclusionCIE withdrawal produced multiple indices of negative affect in C57BL/6J females, suggesting that their motivation to consume alcohol may differ from air-exposed counterparts despite equivalent intake. Contrasted with our previous findings in males, LBN-induced mechanical hyperalgesia in chronic alcohol drinkers was specific to females. Lower nociceptive thresholds combined with increased sensitivity to the acute antinociceptive effect of ethanol may contribute to reinforcing ethanol consumption in LBN females but are not sufficient to increase their intake

Jatropha Tanjorensis - Review of Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Pharmacotherapy

Jatropha tanjorensis (L) (Fam – Euphorbiaceae), which has been consumed as leafy vegetable and as medicinal plant in Nigeria has shown hematological, antimalarial, antimicrobial, hypoglyceamic, hypolipidemic and antihypertensive activities. This review focuses on valuable knowledge of traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities of Jatopha tanjorensis against some tropical diseases, in order to highlight its therapeutic potentials with a view to integrate it into conventional medical use. Several classes of phytochemical compounds such as the polyphenols, saponins, tannins and alkaloids have been associated with the plant. It has also been shown to possess a wide spectrum of biological activities such as antiplasmodial (antimalarial), anti microbial, antiparasitic, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, antihypertensive, antihyperlipidemic and as remedy for anaemia. The review has thus provided a comprehensive and critical appraisal of the phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicity of Jatropha tanjorensis in the tropics. Based on the findings of this work, future study on the phytochemistry and chemical constituents in relation to certain other biological activities are required to fully understand the phytochemical and complex pharmacological effect of the plant specie. Further work to isolate active compounds from the plant is also necessary.Keywords: Jatropha tanjorensis, Pharmacology, Phytochemistry, medicinal usesJournal of Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences, Vol. 10 No. 3 (2013