ABSTRACT
Asafoetida [Ferula assa-foetida] is known as a valuable remedy for whooping cough, pneumonia, bronchitis in children and asthma treatment in folk medicine. In the present study the relaxant effects of the asafoetida on tracheal smooth muscle of guinea pigs and its probable mechanism[s] were examined. The relaxant effects of three cumulative concentrations of the aqueous extract [2, 5 and 10 mg/ml], theophylline [0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 mM] and saline were examined on non-incubated tracheal smooth muscle of guinea pig precontracted by 10 microM methacholine [group 1]; preincubated tissues by propranolol and chlorpheniramine, contracted by methacholine [group 2] and preincubated tissues by propranolol, contracted by methacholine [group 3], [n=6 for each group]. All concentrations of theophylline in group 1 and all concentrations of the extract in the other three groups showed significant relaxant effects compared to that of saline [p<0.001 for all cases]. There was not significant difference in the relaxant effect of the extract between three groups. The relaxant effects of two last concentrations of the extract [5 and 10 mg/ml] only in group 2 were significantly lower than that of theophylline [p<0.05 for both case]. There was no significant difference between relaxant effects of the extract and theophylline in group 2. There were significant positive correlations between the relaxant effects of the extract with their concentrations in all three groups [p<0.001 for all cases]. These results showed a potent relaxant effect for the asafoetida extract on tracheal smooth muscle which is perhaps due to muscarinic receptor blockade
ABSTRACT
The effects of tyrosine kinases on acute and chronic inflammation during diabetes are not fully determined. Therefore, the present study focuses on the effects of genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, on acute and chronic inflammation in diabetic mice. The mice either received normal saline [control, 0.1 ml, i.p., n=144] or streptozotocin [diabetic, STZ, 200 mg kg [-1], i.p., n=144]. A week after injection of saline or STZ acute and chronic inflammation was induced by injecting carrageenan and implanting 2 cotton pellets. Before injection carrageenan or 5 day after implantation, 9 mice from each group [control or diabetic] received genistein [10 mg kg [-1], i.p.], indomethacin [2 mg kg [-1], i.p.] or L-NAME [0.1 mg kg [-1], i.p.]. Paw edema and the weight of cotton pellets were significantly higher in diabetic mice. Pretreatment with either indomethacin or L-NAME significantly reduced the acute and chronic inflammation in the diabetic group. Genistein reduced chronic inflammation significantly. These results suggest that activation of tyrosine kinases as well as prostaglandins and nitric oxide pathways are involved in the increased chronic inflammatory responses observed in the diabetic animals