ABSTRACT
The pulmonary-renal cascade may regulate the respiration and skeletal muscle contractility. To evaluate this working hypothetical model, we conducted experiments to ascertain the skeletal muscle tone of the Swiss mice (20-35 g). The animals were evaluated for their skeletal muscle tone via several techniques i.e. inclined plane test, grip strength test and swim test. Groups of mice (n=6) were pre-treated with mefenamic acid (60 mg/kg, i.p), carbenoxolone (100 mg/kg i.p) or vehicle only 15 minutes before the treatment with heparin (500 U/kg, i.v), urokinase (5500 U/kg, i.v) and erythropoietin (150 U/kg, i.v). Heparin potentiated the loss of skeletal muscle tone induced by mefenamic acid and carbenoxolone while urokinase & erythropoietin significantly enhanced the skeletal muscle tone as evaluated by all or one of the tests. Other groups of mice (n=6) were pretreated with mefenamic acid (1 mg i.c.v), carbenoxolone (160 microg i.c.v) or minoxidil (30 microg i.c.v) and the effects of heparin & urokinase and erythropoietin on skeletal muscle tone were evaluated. To study the effects of heparin and urokinase on nerve regeneration, two groups of mice underwent a sham and sciatic nerve crush procedure. The mice treated with urokinase recovered much faster as compared to those treated with heparin or saline. These experimental results suggest that gap junction blockers and potassium channel openers interact with heparin, urokinase and erythropoietin to control the skeletal muscle tone.
Subject(s)
Animals , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/pharmacology , Anti-Ulcer Agents/pharmacology , Anticoagulants/pharmacology , Carbenoxolone/pharmacology , Female , Hand Strength/physiology , Heparin/pharmacology , Injections, Intraventricular , Kidney/drug effects , Lung/drug effects , Male , Mefenamic Acid/pharmacology , Mice , Minoxidil/pharmacology , Muscle Tonus/drug effects , Muscle, Skeletal/drug effects , Nerve Crush , Plasminogen Activators/pharmacology , Sciatic Nerve/physiology , Signal Transduction/drug effects , Swimming/physiology , Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator/pharmacology , Vasodilator Agents/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Osmotic fragility of red cells is increased by the use of mefenamic acid. The use of this analgesic induces hemolytic anemia. Study of osmotic f agility of RBCs of control and test was observed following administration of 7.1 mg, 10.5 mg and 14 mg/day mefenamic acid to each lizard. Increased osmotic fragility was observed with increase in the amount of dose on day 6 and day 12
Subject(s)
Animals , Erythrocyte Membrane/physiology , Erythrocytes/metabolism , Mefenamic Acid/adverse effects , Mefenamic Acid/metabolism , Hemolysis/drug effects , Mefenamic Acid/metabolism , Mefenamic Acid/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Misuse and abuse of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and analgesic mefenamic acid among pregnant women in developing coutries constitute a matter of medical concern, mainly as a function of the potentially serious side effects of that drug, notably at the digestive system level. Female rats were treated during the entire pregnancy period (from day 0 up to day 20) with 5, 15, or 45 mg/kg of mefenamic acid (MA) once daily, by gavage. Controls received the drug vehicle. We observed that there was a slight yet significant impairment of maternal body weight gain of the animals treated with the two highest doses of MA. Although the drug was proven to exert deleterious effects on kidney and liver metabolic functions, no gross signs of renal or hepatic toxicity were detected in our animals and in their concepts. The digestive effects would be presumably caused by the inhibitory actions of MA on the luminal fluid movement and are accounted for by the observed body weight loss during pregnancy.