Comparative Study of Antibiotics and Allium Sativum Against Coagulase Positive and Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus.

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a well known medicine used since ancient times. Its potency as an antibiotic without inducing drug resistance has been well documented. A very common pyogenic organism, namely Staphylococcus aureus, as well as its coagulase negative brethren, are very well known pathogens causing infections all over the world. Their ability to become multidrug resistant has become a matter of deep concern to medical personnels all over the world. We wanted to see that garlic, described in various literatures as antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiprotozoal, antioxidant – held how much potency as an antistaphylococcal agent as well. Aims and Objectives: The study aimed at evaluating the antistaphylococcal activity of garlic, in the face of emergence of multidrug resistant forms of both coagulase positive and negative forms of staphylococcus. Materials and Methods: Raw garlic juice was extracted and was tested to be sterile. Pure cultures of coagulase positive and negative staphylococcus were prepared. A comparative study using six potent antibiotics as well as garlic against Staphylococcus and CoNS strains was done. At the same time, decreasing concentrations of garlic solution was used to show the effect on zone of inhibition. Discussion: Both S.aureus and CoNS strains showed significant inhibition by garlic extract. Garlic seemed to have greater antibacterial effect than all the antibiotics tested except linezolid, which persistently performed better. With decreasing concentration of garlic juice, zone of inhibition also decreased consistently.

Effect of Garlic on some blood lipids and hmgcoa reductase activity

Triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein [a], free fatty acids and glucose levels were measured in the serum or plasma of 86 normal male human subjects, aged 25 to 50 years, before and after one month of garlic powder consumption [one 400 mg garlic tablet, 3 times daily]. Levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly decreased after garlic consumption [by 10.7%, 11.5% and 14.2% respectively, p<0.05]. Furthermore, this decrease was significantly greater [p<0.05] for initial cholesterol levels of >200 mg/dl and triglyceride levels of >150 mg/dl/[14.7% and 15% respectively], and less pronounced for cholesterol levels of%200 mg/dl and triglyceride levels of% 150 mg/dl/[7.3% and 6% respectively]. The reduction in LDL cholesterol was also significantly greater [p<0.05] for initial levels of>135 mg/dl/[16.7%]as compared with levels of%135 mg/dl/[10.0%]. No significant differences existed in the levels of glucose, free fatty acids, lipoprotein [a] and HDL cholesterol measured before and after consumption of garlic. Measurements of cholesterol and triglycerides were also carried out in 15 normal male rats, weighing 250 to 300g, after receiving a diet containing 2.5% garlic powder for 10 days. Total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly lower [p<0.05] in these rats as compared to a control group receiving regular stock powder without garlic. The specific activity of HMGCoA reductase in the liver microsomal fraction of 12 normal male rats receiving the garlic powder [2.5% of the diet] for 10 days,was also significantly decreased [p<0.05] as compared to a control group on the stock diet without garlic

Systemic and transcardiac platelet behaviour in acute coronary syndromes: the link between platelet physical parameters and platelet function

This study investigated the link between platelet physical parameters [platelet count, mean platelet volume, platelet volume distribution and platelet function in vitro [as platelet aggregation] and in vivo [as cutaneous bleeding time]] in twenty patients with unstable angina [UA] and thirty patients with acute myocardial infarction [AMI] on admission and serially for two weeks. Twenty patients with stable angina [SA] and twenty normal volunteers [NV] were used as controls. Ten patients with UA and frequent spontaneous attacks of chest pain were instrumented with left coronary artery and coronary sinus catheters for simultaneous measurements of platelet parameters. Comparison of platelet parameters in coronary arterial and venous blood indicated that large platelets are the likely consumed platelets across the ischemic zone. This was partially response for the lower platelet count, the smaller mean platelet volume, the leftward shift of platelet volume distribution and reduced platelet aggregability in coronary sinus blood. Strikingly, in patients with UA and AMI, garlic intake in a dose of 600 mg tds for two weeks was associated with a consistent increase in platelet count, decrease in platelet volume and leftward shift of volume distribution as well as a concomitant improvement of platelet function. Conversely, patients with AMI who received no garlic showed less significant changes during the follow up period