ABSTRACT
Background: Myristica fragrans is an evergreen aromatic tree cultivated in many tropical countries. Nutmeg, the dried ripe seed of M. fragrans, is a popular spice used in sweet and savory cooking, and a variety of drinks
Objective: Nutmeg has a variety of pharmaceutical effects and in this study its effects on immune responses were evaluated
Methods: Six groups [each group 8] of Wistar rats were treated as follows: Even groups received Nutmeg extract at dose 300 mg per kg of body weight intraperitoneally [IP], daily up to 12 days. Odd groups received PBS instead of nutmeg extract. The rats of groups 1 and 2 were immunized IP with 1.35×109 Sheep RBC [SRBC] in days 1 and 6. The rats of groups 3 and 4, were immunized IP with 1.35×109 SRBC in days 1 and subcutaneously in right foot pad with 2.7×107 SRBC in a volume of 0.1 ml on the day 9. Titer of anti-SRBC antibody in the groups 1 and 2 and lysozyme and alternative complement pathway activity of groups 5 and 6 were evaluated on day 13. The swelling of footpads in groups 3 and 4 were measured at 24, 48, and 72 hours after challenge with SRBC and these rats euthanized on day 13 and theirs foot were examined histopathologically for infiltration of inflammatory cells
Results: The result showed that nutmeg extract significantly increase anti SRBC titer [P=0.005], inhibit inflammatory cells infiltration [P< 0.001] but has not any effect on serum lysozyme or complement activity [P=0.4]
Conclusion: In conclusion nutmeg extract shows a significant suppression on cell mediated immunity and stimulatory effect on humeral immune response to SRBC in Wistar rats
ABSTRACT
Poorly educated people in some parts of Iran use burned mantles as a wound healing medicine. To perform surface area measurement, twenty rats were divided randomly into two groups of 10 animals each. The first group received topical burned radioactive lantern mantle powder on the first to third days after making excision wounds. The second group received non-radioactive lantern mantle powder. For histological study, 36 male rats were randomly divided into two groups of 18 animals each. Full thickness excision wound [314 +/- 31.4 mm[2]] was made on the dorsal neck in all animals after inducing general anesthesia. For the first three days, cases had received topical application of the radioactive lantern mantle powder. Finally, to measure the tensile strength, an incision was made on the dorsal neck of the rats. Surface area measurement of the wounds showed a progressive surface reduction in both groups. Histological study showed a significant statistically difference between cases and controls with respect to fibrinoid necrosis and neutrophilic exudate on days 3 and 14. Considering the existence of granulated tissue, a significant difference was observed between case and control groups on days 3 and 7. Tensile strength study showed no significant difference between the cases and controls. Topical use of radioactive mantle powder can accelerate the healing process of the wound in rats
Subject(s)
Male , Animals, Laboratory , Powders , Rats , Tensile Strength , ThoriumABSTRACT
Poor educated people in some parts of Iran use burned mantles as a wound healing powder to prevent the bleeding and infections caused by injuries. Some lantern mantles contain low levels of radioactive thorium for maximizing the light output, while non-radioactive mantles contain yttrium. Although radioactive lantern mantles may cause a minimal radiation health hazard, it is generally believed that it would be dangerous when inhaled or ingested. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of burned radioactive lantern mantles on wound healing. Twenty rats were divided randomly into two groups of 10 animals each. After inducing general anesthesia, full thickness excision wound [314 +/- 31.4 mm[2]] was made on the dorsal neck in all animals. The 1st group received topical burned radioactive lantern mantle powder at 1st-3rd day after wound excision. The presence of radioactivity in the mantle was detected using a Monitor-4 survey meter. The 2nd group received non-radioactive lantern mantle powder at the same days. Accurate blind surface measurement of the wounds was performed by transparency tracing to assess the wound healing at 1st, 3rd, 7th, 10th and 15th days after excision. A progressive reduction in the wound area of both groups was observed. However, for thorium treated group, the rate of recovery was significantly enhanced compared to that of the control group. Although this value in the thorium group was not significantly different from that of the control group at the 3rd and 5th days after wounding, a statistically significant difference was observed between these two groups at the day7, day10 and day 15. The mean wound surface in thorium and control groups were 150.20 +/- 15.87 and 186.37 +/- 12.68 mm[2] at day7 [p<0.001], 92.90 +/- 15.97 and 134.12 +/- 14.19 mm[2] at day 10 [p<0.001], 1.40 +/- 0.41 and 8.56 +/- 2.04 mm[2] at day15 after wounding, respectively [p<0.01]. These findings suggest that low-level radioactive burned mantle accelerates wound healing in rats. However, as thorium oxide is a known human carcinogen, more research is needed to clarify if low levels of radioactive burned mantle can be utilized for enhancing wound healing