ABSTRACT
The use of opioids has gain popularity in the field of medicine especially in treating chronic terminally ill patients. Unfortunately, several adverse effects in relation to its use have been reported. Literature search on the adversity of opioids in treating pain, its paradoxical hyperalgesic effects and susceptibility to addiction were conducted using Pubmed, Embase and Google Scholar without species limitation. This brief article focuses on the corresponding neuro-protective, hepato-protective, anti-inflammatory, ulcero-protective and nephron-protective functions of (Phoenix dactylifera L) to elaborate on evidences, mechanisms, modulatory and pharmacological significance to counteract adverse effects of opioid treatment and provide insight on the underlying mechanisms of addiction.
ABSTRACT
Addiction and withdrawal are problems disturbing the health of the individual and also causes difficulties for society, raising the rates of divorce, unemployment and government spending on legal and medical systems. Opioids show an important pharmacological effect in the treatment of pain, with extremely addictive potential. Chronic opioid exposure is known to produce the complex behaviors of tolerance and dependence, a state exposed by opioid abstinence leading to withdrawal syndrome, as well as oxidative stress. Studies show that calcium mediated secondary messengers play a crucial role in the mechanism of addictive process and oxidative stress induced by chronic opioid usage. Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), is a major calcium regulated signal transducer that controls many neuronal systems and play important role in neuronal plasticity and can act as a key and direct promoting opioid tolerance and dependence and identifying such a direct mechanism may be useful for designing a pharmacology treatment for these conditions, recent studies, has been shown that calcium channels antagonist can be used in the treatment of withdrawal syndrome. Chronic opioid exposure associated with tolerance, dependence withdrawal syndrome and oxidative stress. Studies has shown that calcium mediated secondary messengers involved in the genesis of these conditions, better understanding of biological mechanisms underlie reduction in neuronal cell excitability could help in the identification of pharmacological targets for treatment.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To test two water soluble extracts (aqueous and ethanolic) obtained from the leaves ofVitex doniana in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats for their effects on pancreatic endocrine tissues and serum marker enzymes for a period of 21 d. Methods: A total of 55 rats divided into 11 groups of 5 rats each were assigned into diabetic and non-diabetic groups and followed by a daily administration of ethanolic and aqueous extracts for 21 d. Group 1 was the normal control while group 7 was treated with standard drug.Results:The histopathological studies of the diabetic rats indicated increase in the volume density of islets, percent of β-cells and size of islet in the groups that received the plant extracts, which suggested regeneration of β-cells along with β-cells repairs, as compared with the non-treated diabetic control which showed complete degeneration of the islet cells. There was significant reduction (P0.01) in the serum activities of marker enzymes was observed for non-diabetic treated rats. Results of total bilirubin, direct bilirubin and unconjugated bilirubin showed that diabetic control group was significantly higher (P0.01) in total bilirubin and direct bilirubin compared with the normal control.Conclusion:This herbal therapy appears to bring about repair/regeneration of the endocrine pancreas and hepatic cells protection in the diabetic rat.