Effects of Camellia sinensis L. [green tea] extract on the body and testicular weight changes in adult Wistar rats

This research was aimed to study the effects of oral administration of Camellia sinensis L. on the testicular and body weights of adult Wistar rats for short and long time periods. The adult Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups [A, B and C]. Every group had ten rats. Green tea extract 0.692% [w/v] was given to groups A and B on daily basis. The extracts were prepared fresh and given for a period of ten and thirty days, respectively, while distilled water was given to the group C rats only. The adult Wistar rats were sacrificed on eleventh and thirty-first day of experiment for the particular groups. The testes were dissected out cautiously, free from the supporter tissues and weighed to the adjacent 1 mg. There is no significant difference in the body weight in all 3 groups. Moreover, it was observed that Wistar rat's testicular weight was considerably increased in group B but no major changes were seen in group A. Our results indicated that green tea when given for short period of time may be effective to the testes but has no consequence on Wistar rat's body weight. However, it is indistinct if these alterations are reversible

Standardization of herbal formulations: an overview

The herbal system of medicine has gained worldwide importance due to its safety and efficacy considerations. Herbal medicines have been used for treating various diseases since ancient times. The present article deals with the importance and method of standardization of herbal medicines in order to ensure their purity, safety and efficacy. A detailed introduction regarding various aspects of the herbal system of medicine and methods of achieving quality of herbal medicine has been presented The various quality control methods recommended by World Health Organization have been described. Effort has also been made to focus on the physical, chemical and biological evaluation to achieve a high standard of quality for herbal medicine

Histopathologic changes in liver and kidney of male sprague dawley rats treated with extract of Cardiospermum halicacabum L.

In traditional medicine Cardiospermum halicacabum L. [Sapindeaceae] is used against various ailments such as rheumatism, nervous diseases, stiffness of the limbs and snakebite. Leaves are crushed and made into a tea, which aids itchy skin. Salted leaves are used as a poultice on swellings. Young leaves can be cooked and used as vegetables. The leaf juice has been used as a treatment for earache as well. In this study we evaluate acute toxicity [10, 50,100 and 500 mg/kg] and pathologic changes in esophagus, stomach, liver and kidney tissues with a magnifying glass and microscope in a row to mark changes to both morphological and histological in comparison to control with the treatment of ethyl acetate extract [dose of 40mg/kg] in male Sprague Dawley rats. The rats were divided into 4 groups consisting of 3 rats per group for acute toxicity and histopathological change. In conclusion, no lethality was observed in acute toxicity study for 7 days. The treatment of ethyl acetate extracts at 40 mg/kg did not show lethal toxicological changes as observed by histopathological examination in the kidney and liver tissues

Antifungalactivity of cedrus deodara root oil against various fungal isolates

Antifungal activity of Cedrus deodara root oil against Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani and Macrophomina phaseolina has been investigated using disc diffusion and well method. The maximum zone of inhibition of 6 mm was noted for Rhizoctonia solani for oil concentrations of 160 and 170 microg/disc while only 5 mm for 100, 120 and 140 microg/disc, respectively by disc diffusion method. No significant response has been observed against Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum, Macrophomina phaseolona, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. However, Aspergillus flavus showed maximum zone of inhibition of 8 mm for 210 microg and 7 mm for the concentration of 190 microg using well method where as the oil did not show any response against Aspergillus niger using well method

Assessment of Cedrus deodara root oil on the histopathological changes in the gastrointestinal tissues in rats

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of Cedrus deodara root oil on the histopathology of different gastrointestinal organs of Wistar rats. This oil was used traditionally as an anti-ulcer agent in the Indus Unic System and extracted from the plant root by destructive distillation method. A total of 90 rats were taken and divided into groups A, B and C, each comprising of 30 animals. The animals of group B and C were given 0.5 ml/kg and 2.5 ml/kg of C. deodara oil respectively while group A served as control and administered vehicle only. The treatment was given to the animals ones only for 24 hours. All animals were sacrificed and the organs like esophagus, stomach and ileum were taken out. Tissue processing and staining procedure was then carried out for any pathological changes in the animal tissues during microscopic examination. The results indicated that Cedurs deodara root oil at both doses 0.5ml/ kg and 2.5 ml/kg exhibited some adverse effects such as erosion of epithelium, edema on sub-mucosal and mucosal layers, congestion of blood vessels as well as presence of inflammatory cells on esophagus, stomach and ileum were seen. Moreover shortening of villi was also seen at both doses. A study conducted on mammalian toxicity previously on rats revealed that the C. deodara root oil used is not very toxic and comes under least toxic group as standardized by toxicologists. Based on the results obtained it was concluded that C. deodara root oil produced some adverse changes in the tissues of GIT when given at 0.5 ml/kg and 2.5 ml/kg doses but the effects were not lethal therapeutically at this dose LC[50] 16.5 ml/kg. The plant oil showed some toxicity and needs further detailed studies to assess its potential toxicity and therapeutic status before using this material as drug

Comparison of in vitro antibacterial activity of levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin

Levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin are widely used antibiotics that belong to the class of fluoroquinolones. The in vitro antibacterial activity of these two antimicrobials were evaluated and compared in the present study by Disk Diffusion [Kirby-Bauer] method against 52 clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus [n = 36] and Klebsiella pneumoniae [n = 16]. These clinical isolates were obtained from different pathological laboratories and medical centers of Karachi. Among clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus the average zone of inhibition for levofloxacin was 16.7 mm while for ciprofloxacin the zone of inhibition was 21 mm. For the clinical isolates of Klebseilla pneumoniae the average zone of inhibition of levofloxacin was 16.5 mm while for ciprofloxacin was 16.9 mm. Comparison of susceptibility results indicated that both fluoroquinolones have excellent in vitro antibacterial activity but comparatively ciprofloxacin showed broader spectrum of activity against most of the tested clinical isolates

Organophosphate and pyrethroid residues in the milk of women and breast cancer patients from Karachi

The aim of this study was to determine the presence of pesticide residues organophosphate and pyrethroid in the milk of women and in serum of breast cancer patients from different localities of Karachi due to pesticide exposure. An experimental study. This sis a research-based study that was conducted in the Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Baqai Medical University, Karachi from March 2008 to March 2010. A total 40 milk samples were collected from private clinics and 6 serum samples from breast cancer patients were also collected from private cancer hospitals based at different areas of Karachi. All the samples were analyzed for the presence of pesticide residues. Samples of milk and serum were prepared accordingly and the purified samples were injected into the HPLC apparatus. The peaks of the samples were compared by the retention time of the standard peaks. The chromatogram obtained indicated the quantity of pesticide residues. Milk samples and serum samples were analyzed using HPLC technique. Pesticides such as malathion, permethrin, deltamethrin and Polytrin-C were detected in different concentrations. The levels were significantly higher than the maximum residual limit. It is concluded that the presence of pesticides in the human body is a major concern in the development of various ailments because of possible immunotoxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic potential of pesticides

Analgesic activity of various extracts of Holoptelea integrifolia [Roxb] Planch leaves

The various extracts of leaves Holoptelea integrifolia [Ulmaceae] were investigated for analgesic activity in mice by tail flick method. The fresh plant leaves of H. integrifolia were collected, dried, cleaned, weighed and chopped into small pieces and percolated in ethanol. The fractionation of crude extract, followed by the addition of distilled water, ethyl acetate and n-butanol to an aqueous portion of each solvent, to obtain the dried masses of each four layers. Qualitative chemical examination indicates the presence of secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavones, phenol, steroids, tannins and triterpenoids. No acute oral toxicity was observed and extracts considered being safe at the dose of 50-2000 mg/kg body weight. At the dose of 500 mg/kg various extracts of leaves of H. integrifolia were found statistically significant [P<0.05]. A maximum effect was established at 150 min, after drug administration. Diclofenace sodium used as a standard

Assessment of pollution status of fresh water lakes by metal ions and their hazards on the health of human being

Kalri and Haleji lakes of Sindh region, Pakistan, are the important and valuable sources of water supply for drinking and irrigation purposes. A study was done to determine the concentration of pollutants [metal ions] in water and in different organs of fish, Labeo rohita by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The concentration of metal ions [in water] was higher during the months of March to July. The highest peak for lead was found in Kalri and Haleji lakes which were followed by iron, chromium and zinc. Ions such as cadmium and manganese were found in least concentration. Bioaccumulation of metal ions in different organs of fish Labeo rohita, was found highest in liver while minimum concentration was found in adipose tissues. Generally two peaks were observed i.e., one in April to August and the other in November. It was found that there is higher amount of metal ions in Haleji lake water and fish organs. Therefore, supply of drinking water has been stopped from Haleji lake, possibly due to hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects