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To assess the antidiabetic effect of Opuntia dillenii seed oil on rats with diabetes mellitus. Methods: A rat diabetes model was established by intraperitoneal injection of rats with 50 mg/kg streptozotocin. Thirty albino Wistar rats were divided into five groups: the diabetic control group and normal control group were treated only with distilled water, two diabetic groups received 1 and 2 mL/kg of oil per day, respectively, for 30 days and one diabetic group received 2 mg/kg of glibenclamide. In addition, blood glucose was determined weekly. Body weight, average daily food, water intake and urinary volume of each animal were determined before and after the treatment period. After the treatment period, hepatic glycogen was determined using the anthrone reagent, and glycosuria, total cholesterol, triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, urea, creatinine and uric acid were estimated using common clinical diagnostic kits. Results: Oral intake of the oil at 1 and 2 mL/kg for the diabetic animals significantly diminished blood glucose, glycosuria, total cholesterol, triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, urea, creatinine and uric acid, accompanied by a noticeable elevation in the amount of hepatic glycogen in comparison with the diabetic control group. Similarly, Opuntia dillenii seed oil significantly increased the food intake and decreased the urinary volume per day in treated rats of the same groups in comparison with the period before the treatment intervention and attenuated body weight loss in the diabetic rats. Moreover, this effect of the oil was dose dependent. On the other hand, the oil did not affect their need for water. Conclusions: The results show that Opuntia dillenii seed oil has a very important antidiabetic effect on streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Hence, we suggest it as a preventive control of diabetes mellitus.
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Aims: Origanum majorana (Lamiaceae) is a herbaceous and perennial plant that is used in the Moroccan traditional medicine for treating gastrointestinal disorders. The objectives of this study were to confirm the antispasmodic and the myorelaxant activity of organic fractions of Origanum majorana (OM) in rat and rabbit jejunum. Place and Duration of Study: Laboratory of Physiology, Genetic and Ethnopharmacology, Faculty of Sciences, Mohamed the First University, between September 2013 and July 2014. Methodology: The antispasmodic and the myorelaxant test evaluated in vitro on rat and rabbit intestines mounted inside an isolated organ system with a temperature of 37ºC, pH 7.4 and continuous oxygenation Results: The screening study showed those organic fractions of OM decreased the tone of contraction induced by the Carbachol 10-6 M and the KCl 25 mM in the jejunum. The maximum decrease was obtained by dichloromethane fraction of Origanum majorana (DFOM). DFOM induced dose-dependent and reversible inhibition in intestine contraction of rabbit jejunum with IC50 = 0.162 ± 0.002 mg/ml without any alteration of this effect in the presence of adrenergic inhibitors. Pretreatment of the tissue with this fraction (0.01-0.3 mg/ml) induced a dose-dependent shift of the dose-response curve of Carbachol and CaCl2 to the right. The pharmacological inhibitors such as Atropine, L-NAME, Hexamethonium, Nifedipine and Methylene blue did not alter the relaxing effect of DFOM. Conclusion: The results study confirms the antispasmodic and the myorelaxant effect of OM extract. Also, the results showed that adrenergic receptors, NO, guanylate cyclase or muscarinic receptors pathways did not involve in relaxation induced by DFOM suggesting that it exerts an antispasmodic effect on intestinal smooth muscle like a non-competitive antagonist towards the voltage-dependent calcium channels.
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Objective: To investigate the hepatoprotective effect of Opuntia dillenii seed oil (ODSO) on CCl4 provoked liver injury in rat. Methods: Animals were treated orally with ODSO at a concentration of 2 mL/kg, once daily for one week before the first intraperitoneal injection of CCl4, and thereafter the administration of the oil was continued for 7 days until the introduction of the second injection of CCl4. Fourteen hours after the last dose of CCl4, rats were sacrificed, and the relative liver weight, weight gain, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate amino transferase, alanine aminotransferase, direct bilirubin, total bilirubin, triglycerides, total cholesterol, very low density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein, plasmatic glucose, urea, creatinine, acid uric and malondialdehyde were determined. Results: The significant increase was found in relative liver weight and plasma levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate amino transferase, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, triglycerides, very low-density lipoprotein, urea, uric acid and malondialdehyde. Likewise, the significant decrease was indicated in the weight gain and the level of glucose plasmatic, and high-density lipoprotein levels in CCl4 produced liver injury in rats were re-established to normal levels when treated with ODSO.While, no change was observed in the total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and creatinine in all animals. Conclusions: We conclude that the ODSO has a protective effect on CCl4-mediated liver injury. Hence, we suggest its inclusion as a preventive control of liver disorders.
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OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the in vitro antioxidant power of cactus pear seed oil [Opuntia ficus-indica L. MILL. (CPSO)] and its protective effect against chemically induced diabetes mellitus in mice.@*METHODS@#The in vitro antioxidant effect of CPSO was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay. The preventive effect was conducted on Swiss albino mice treated with CPSO (2 mL/kg, per os), before and after a single intraperitoneal alloxan administration (100 mg/kg). Survival rate, body weight and fasting blood glucose were measured and histopathological analysis of pancreas was performed to evaluate alloxan-induced tissue injuries.@*RESULTS@#CPSO exhibited an antioxidant effect in DPPH scavenging assay. Moreover, the administration of CPSO (2 mL/kg) significantly attenuated alloxan-induced death and hyperglycemia (P < 0.001) in treated mice. Morphometric study of pancreas revealed that CPSO significantly protected islets of langerhans against alloxan induced-tissue alterations.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Based on theses results, CPSO can prevente alloxan-induced-diabetes by quenching free radicals produced by alloxan and inhibiting tissue injuries in pancreatic β-cells.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the in vitro antioxidant power of cactus pear seed oil [. Opuntia ficus-indica L. MILL. (CPSO)] and its protective effect against chemically induced diabetes mellitus in mice. Methods: The in vitro antioxidant effect of CPSO was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay. The preventive effect was conducted on Swiss albino mice treated with CPSO (2 mL/kg, per os), before and after a single intraperitoneal alloxan administration (100 mg/kg). Survival rate, body weight and fasting blood glucose were measured and histopathological analysis of pancreas was performed to evaluate alloxan-induced tissue injuries. Results: CPSO exhibited an antioxidant effect in DPPH scavenging assay. Moreover, the administration of CPSO (2 mL/kg) significantly attenuated alloxan-induced death and hyperglycemia (P < 0.001) in treated mice. Morphometric study of pancreas revealed that CPSO significantly protected islets of langerhans against alloxan induced-tissue alterations. Conclusions: Based on theses results, CPSO can prevente alloxan-induced-diabetes by quenching free radicals produced by alloxan and inhibiting tissue injuries in pancreatic β-cells.
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The effects of aqueous extract of Anthemis mauritiana Maire & Sennen flowers (AM) on rabbit and rat jejunum were studied. The AM (0.1-3 mg/mL) showed reversibly relaxation of spontaneous contractions on isolated rabbit jejunal smooth muscle The spasmolytic effect was dose-dependent with IC50 value of 1,48 ± 0,02 mg/ml. Similarly this extract inhibited the contractions of rat jejunum induced by KCl (75mM) and Carbachol (CCh, 10-6M) with IC50 values of 0,48 ± 0,09 mg/ml and 1,53 ± 0,03 mg/ml respectively. Furthermore, AM exhibited an inhibitory effect on the dose-response curves induced by CCh and CaCl2 on rat jejunum. These results clearly demonstrated the antispasmodic effect of AM which was strongly suggested to be mainly due to the inhibitory effect on Ca++ influx through membrane of jejunal smooth muscle.