Antinociceptive activity of the methanol extracts of leaves of Eugenia fruticosa (Roxb.) and Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.) in Swiss albino mice.

The present study was designed to evaluate analgesic potential of the methanolic extracts of the leaves of the both Glycosmis pentaphylla (Rutaceae) and Eugenia fruticosa (Myrtaceae). The analgesic activity was evaluated using the acetic acid (0.7% i.p.)-induced writhing inhibition method in swiss albino mice. The methanolic extract of leaves of Glycosmis pentaphylla, at the dose of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight significantly (p<0.001) reduced the number of writhes with 31.97% and 44.21% of inhibition, respectively compared to control group. The methanolic extracts of leaves of Eugenia fruticosa significantly and dose dependently reduced the pain threshold (p<0.001) with 51.02 and 72.1% of writhing inhibition when compared to the control group at the dose of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight, respectively which were comparable to that of the standard drug Diclofenac Na (65.31% inhibition of writhing, p<0.001). The results of the study demonstrated the potential antinociceptive activity of the methanolic extracts of the leaves of Glycosmis pentaphylla and Eugenia fruticosa which validated the traditional uses of the both plants in painful diseases and further investigations to elucidate the mechanism of action are required.

Anti-inflammatory activity of medicinal plants native to Bangladesh: A review.

Inflammation is characterized by redness, pain and swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs are agents that reduce inflammation. It has been found that conventional synthetic NSAIDs accelerate damage and erosion of joint cartilage, advancing the osteoarthritis process. These NSAIDs are also known to cause liver and kidney damage with long-term use. Experimental research have shown that the use of proven natural anti-inflammatory herbal agents have not been shown to cause erosion injury to the intestinal tract, acceleration of cartilage destruction or production of liver and kidney toxicities. This enables practitioners to use these substances in a safe and responsible way. In this overview the medicinal plants reported to have antiinflammatory activity available in Bangladesh are summarized to assess the research advancements.

Accelerated stability and antimicrobial sensitivity studies of amoxicillin dry suspensions marketed in Bangladesh.

Since its introduction, amoxicillin dry suspension has been the mainstay for the antibacterial therapy for paediatric patients. But use of substandard preparation of antibiotic is one of the most important causes of microbial resistance. The present study has been carried out to evaluate the quality and stability status of 10 marketed amoxicillin dry suspensions of Bangladesh. All the brands were analyzed for their potency using chemical and microbiological methods described in the United States Pharmacopoeia and British Pharmacopoeia. Potency determination was done at three controlled temperatures - refrigerated, room and elevated (40C) showed that two samples were over potent but one sample was substandard out of the 10 samples. The initial potencies of the two samples were within USP range when freshly reconstituted but after 7 days, at room temperature, potencies deteriorated and came down to 90%. In refrigerated condition, all the samples remained in good condition and at 40C, a considerable loss of potencies in all the samples were observed. Results of microbiological assay also support the results of chemical assay. The study emphasizes the necessity of routine inspection, monitoring and evaluation of quality of formulations containing amoxicillin dry syrup.

Antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic effects of methanolic extracts of leaves and stems of Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.).

The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects of the methanolic extracts of Glycosmis pentaphylla stems and leaves. Efforts have been given to identify the activities by using highest grade solvent for preparing the extracts. A survey of the antioxidant effect was performed using DPPH method. The methanolic extract of Glycosmis pentaphylla stems showed moderate antioxidant property (103.35 μg/ml) where the leaves showed very little (337.62 μg/ml). This antioxidant activity may be due to some polyphenolic compounds identified from this plant. Both the extracts showed moderate antimicrobial activity with the highest zone of inhibition for E. coli (23.67±0.76 mm) and Salmonella paratyphi (15.33±0.76 mm) among the tested micro-organisms. This inhibition may legit the traditional implication of the stems of G. pentaphylla as toothbrush. The cytotoxic activity of stems extract of G. pentaphylla was found to be highly potent (5.53 μg/ml, 95% CI, 7.27-4.21) where as the leaves also showed significant activity (47.34 μg/ml, 95% CI, 50.77- 44.15). Several antitumor alkaloids were identified from this plant in the laboratory. The study results also indicate that Glycosmis pentaphylla is a good source of medicinally important compounds.

Antibiotic sensitivity pattern of causative organisms of neonatal septicemia in an urban hospital of Bangladesh.

Background: The information of the sensitivity pattern of the causative organisms is very important for effective control of septicemia in neonates. OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion and profile of pathogenic bacteria in the blood cultures of the neonates with clinically suspected septicemia and their susceptibility pattern to antimicrobial agents for developing a unified antibiotic treatment protocol. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted over a period of 3 year and 4 months (39 months). The study included 1000 patients admitted in the selected hospital in Bangladesh. Blood samples for culture were taken aseptically before starting antibiotic therapy. Microorganisms were isolated and identified by standard microbiological processes which include colony morphology, Gram stain, and biochemical profiles. Antimicrobial sensitivity patterns were performed by Kirby-Bauer's disc diffusion method against imipenem, ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime, chloramphenicol, netilmicin, gentamicin, ceftriaxone, aztreonam, cefotaxime, cephalexin, and ampicillin. Results: Among the patients, 633 (63.3%) were males and 367 (36.7%) were females. Blood cultures were found positive in 194 (19.4%) neonates. The organisms isolated were Pseudomonas spp. (31.4%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (23.2%), Staphylococcus aureus (12.4%), Escherichia coli (7.2%), Acinatobactor (5.7%), Gram-negative Bacilli (4.1%), Flavobacterium spp. (3.6%), Serratia spp. (5.7%), Citrobacter fruendi (3.1%), Streptococcus species (2.6%), and Enterobacter spp. (1.0%). A majority of the bacterial isolates in neonatal sepsis were found sensitive to imipenem (91.8%) and ciprofloxacin (57.2%) and resistant to commonly used antibiotics, eg. ampicillin (96.4%) and cephalexin (89.2%). Conclusion : The problem can be mitigated by careful selection and prudent use of available antibiotics.