Lagenaria siceraria fruit extract ameliorate fat amassment and serum TNF-α in high-fat diet-induced obese rats

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effects of ethanolic extract of Lagenaria siceraria fruit (ELSF) on fat amassment and serum TNF- α in high-fat diet-induced obese rats.@*METHODS@#The high fat diet induced obese rats were orally treated with orlistat (50 mg/kg) and ELSF (100, 200, 300 mg/kg/day) to the respective treatment groups. The body weight, fasting blood glucose level, lipid profile, serum levels of tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF-α) in rats were measured after 30 days of treatment and compared to the obese control animals.@*RESULTS@#ELSF significantly (P < 0.001) reduced the body weight gain, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein and TNF-α.@*CONCLUSIONS@#These encouraging findings suggest that Lagenaria siceraria has excellent pharmacological potential to prevent fat amassment.

Suppression of adjuvant-induced arthritis by prophylactic administration of exogenous nitric oxide donor in rats

Nitric Oxide [NO] can autoregulate its own formation by feedback inhibition of the inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase [iNOS]. Modulation of biosynthesis or activity of NO results in amelioration of pathogenesis of experimental arthritis. However, little is known about feedback mechanism on NO generation in response to adjuvant-induced arthritis. In the present study we have examined the effects of both prophylactic and therapeutic administration of isosorbide-5-mononitrate [5-IMN] on the development of adjuvant-induced arthritis to assess influence of high NO level in the form of exogenous NO donor in the progress of inflammation. Arthritis was assessed by measuring primary and secondary paw swelling and changes in thymus, spleen and body weight. Increased swelling of the non-injected paw [secondary paw] measured on days 14 and 21, injected paw swelling [primary paw] measured on days 3, 14 and 21, spleenomegaly, thymic involutions and loss in body wt. which are features of adjuvant-induced arthritis were effectively reduced after prophylactic administration of 5-IMN [5.4 mg/kg[-1], twice daily, p.o.]. However, therapeutic administration of 5-IMN [5.4 mg/kg[-1], twice daily, p.o.] from day 12 till day 16 had no effect on parameters measured in adjuvant-induced arthritis. These data suggest that high NO level in the form of NO donor compound may suppress initial stages of immune response to adjuvant injection probably by inhibiting iNOS expression through feedback inhibition mechanism. However, further studies are required to unravel the mechanism involved in these effects of NO donor and their clinical implications

Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of anacardium occidentale root extracts

The extracts of the dried root of Anacardium occidental were screened for anti-inflammatory activity using formalin induced rat hind paw oedema model. The petroleum ether, chloroform, ethanol and water soluble extracts showed, respectively, 56%, 43.84%, 56.14%, and 66.66% inhibition of paw oedema. Water soluble extracts exhibited better activity than petroleum ether, chloroform and ethanol extracts. Analgesic activity was compared with analgin using tail flick method. Chloroform extract displayed better analgesic activity than petroleum ether, ethanol and water soluble extracts