Study on the possible oestrogenic activity of origanum majorana L.[bardaqoush] oil on female albino rats

The oestrogenic activity of Origanum majorana [0. majorana] oil was studied biologically by uterine weight and vaginal epithelium cornification method. A Significant increase in vaginal cornification and uterine weight was found in immature and overiectomized rats given 0. majorana oil for five days orally. The immature and overiectomized rats after administration of Oestradiol in a dose 0.1 g /0.1 ml per day for 5 days also induce a significant increase in uterine weight and significant increase in vaginal cornification when compared by control groups. These results indicated that both doses of 0. majorana oil [1 and 2 ml/ rat/day] have oestrogen like activity but less in activity from that of Oestradiol group. Concerning the effect of both 0. majorana oil and Oestradiol on body weight it was found that there were non significant changes from the initial body weight. These finding suggested that the 0. majorana oil exerts an oestrogen like activity

Cardiovascular effects of faba bean extract in mammals

Electrocardiograms [ECG] and blood pressure [BP] were recorded in both rats and rabbits to establish are effect of c crude extract of faba beans. The LD50 of the extract was found to be 5.2 gm/kg body weight in the rat and 2.7 gm/kg body weight in the rabbit. In young rats 1/2 LD50 of the extract induced brief bradycardia followed by severe tachycardia, while in adults rats, slight bradycardia was obtained. In rabbits, a negative chronotropic effect was noticed following the extract administration. This decrease in heart rate was accompanied by a significant prolongation of the QT interval and ST segment depression. Nonsignificant change in blood pressure values were obtained after the administration of the extract in both rats and rabbits. The present results suggest the myocardial ischemia mediated by a decrease in O2 concentration as a result from faba bean extract administration in rats and rabbits

Trichoderma harzianum fungus as an anti-diabetic protein

High protein product of Trichoderma harzianum fungus was tested as an antidiabetic protein. It caused decrease in blood glucose level of alloxan diabetic rats from 170.7 +/- 7.9 to 160.1 +/- 6.9 mg/100 ml blood after 24 hours, when orally administered at 200 mg/100 g body weight. Further improvements were detected after increasing the dose to 400 mg. The blood glucose level decreased below 150 mg/100 ml. Similar decrease in blood glucose level was observed after 48 hours from administration of 200 mg fungal protein. The glucose level in blood decreased from 214.7 +/- 10.3 to 202.4 +/- 3.9 mg/100 ml. The increase of fungal product to 400 mg decreased blood glucose level below 187.6 +/- 7.3 mg/100 ml. Yeast protein product was also used for comparison with fungal protein. The administration of 400 mg to diabetic rats decreased the blood glucose level from 170.7 +/- 7.9 to 145.4 +/- 5.2 after 24 hours and from 214.7 +/- 10.3 to 154.3 +/- 8.6 after 48 hours. The deplated glutathion in diabetic rats [7 +/- 1.0 mg/100 ml] after 2 hours of administration was regenerated gradually by both fungal and yeast protein products till it reached the approximate normal level after 24 and 48 hours

comparative study on the toxic effect of four insecticides on the skin of female albino

The toxic effects of four insecticides; namely, Dinit, Pyrethroid, DC 701 and Empire on the normal skin of female albino rats were investigated in the present study. DC 701 was the most skin irritant and phototoxic in both high and low concentrations, the next in potency was Dinit which was skin irritant in high concentration only and phototoxic even in low concentrations. Pyrethroid and Empire insecticides were the least toxic compounds. They caused mild erythema only in high concentrations, but in low concentration they have only slight phototoxic effect on the skin of rats. The results of this study demonstrated that the four insecticides were phototoxic in high concentrations, while DC 701 was only skin irritant in both high and low concentrations and the other three compounds have on skin irritant effect, if applied in low concentrations

Some toxicological, biochemical and haematological studies of amitriptyline hydrochloride in albino rats

Toxicological studies including acute and subacute toxicity of amitriptyline hydrochloride, which is one of the tricyclic antidepressant drugs, were carried out on albino rats. The median lethal dose [LD50] of the test drug after a single intraperitoneal dose injection was estimated to be 283 mg/Kg body weight. Subacute toxicity study continued for 30 days with two different dose levels daily equivalent to 1/20th and 1/10th of LD50 of amitriptyline-HCL to evaluate its adverse side effects on liver enzymes and haematological picture.Both dose levels exerted a very highly and highly significant increase in the values of SGOT, SGPT and serum alkaline phosphatase through the period of the experiment. The values of erythrocytes, haemoglobin, packed cell volume, leucocytes, neutrophils and Lymphocytes showed a significant decrease with difference in degrees of significance by the two dose levels So those who use the drug should be aware of possible occurrence of hepatic damage and blood dyscrasias