Promising antileishmanial effectiveness of doxorubicin and Doxil against Leishmania major: An in vitro assay

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the effect of doxorubicin and its pegylated liposomal formulation (Doxil, Caelyx) on in vitro susceptibility of promastigote and amastigote stages of Leishmania major.@*METHODS@#Throughout in vitro assays the IC was calculated in the promastigotes and amastigotes forms in J774 macrophage cell line. Also as cytotoxicity in J774 cell line macrophages.@*RESULTS@#Doxorubicin and Doxil showed the same activity against promastigote form with IC values of 10.49 μg/mL and 9.63 μg/mL, respectively. Similarly, the amastigote stage was susceptible at concentration of at least 1 μg/mL when compared to positive control (P < 0.0001). Also, cytotoxicity assay against macrophage revealed no toxicity on the host cells at IC concentrations.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Our findings demonstrated the efficacy of both doxorubicin and its pegylated liposomal formulation on L. major at low concentrations. Further researches are needed for evaluating the safety of drugs in animal model particularly as topical formulation.

Promising antileishmanial effectiveness of doxorubicin and Doxil against Leishmania major: An in vitro assay

Objective To evaluate the effect of doxorubicin and its pegylated liposomal formulation (Doxil, Caelyx) on in vitro susceptibility of promastigote and amastigote stages of Leishmania major. Methods Throughout in vitro assays the IC

Radioprotective effects of kojic acid against mortality induced by gamma irradiation in mice

To evaluate the protective effects of kojic acid on mortality induced by gamma irradiation in mice. The efficacy was compared with amifostine as a reference radioprotector. This experimental study was conducted in the Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari and Babolsar Radiotherapy Hospital, Babolsar, Iran, between October 2006 and January 2008. Kojic acid was administrated subcutaneously as single doses of 142, 175, 232, and 350 mg/kg, one hour prior to a lethal dose of gamma irradiation [8 Gy]. Amifostine was injected subcutaneously at a dose of 200 mg/kg at a similar irradiation dose. The mortality was recorded 30 days after irradiation. The antioxidant activity of the kojic acid was assessed using the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free stable radical [DPPH] method. One hundred and twenty NMRI mice were divided into 6 groups with 20 mice in each group. At 30 days after treatment, the percentage of survival in each group was: control, 5%; 142 mg/kg, 5%; 175 mg/kg, 0%; 232 mg/kg, 30%; 350 mg/kg, 40%; and amifostine, 40% one hour treatment prior gamma irradiation. The survival rate was statistically increased in animals treated with kojic acid [350 mg/kg], one hour prior irradiation, as compared with the irradiated control group. Kojic acid exhibited concentration-dependent scavenging activity on DPPH possessing strong antioxidant activity. Kojic acid with antioxidant activity reduced the mortality induced by gamma irradiation

Quinolones: recent structural and clinical developments

Quinolones are a very important family of antibacterial agents that are widely prescribed for the treatment of infections in humans. Since their discovery in the early 1960s, the quinolone group of antibacterials has generated considerable clinical and scientific interest. Two major groups of compounds have been developed from the basic molecule: quinolones and naphthyridones. The 4-pyridone-3-carboxylic acid associated with a 5, 6-fused aromatic ring is the common chemical feature of bactericidal quinolones. In the resulting bicyclic ring, the 1-, 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-positions are the major targets of chemical variation. Manipulations of the basic molecule, including replacing hydrogen with fluorine at position 6, substituting a cyclic amine residue at position 7 and adding new residues at position 1 of the quinolone ring, have led to improved breadth and potency of antibacterial activity and pharmacokinetics. One of the most significant developments has been the improved anti-Gram-positive activity of the newer compounds, such as moxifloxacin and garenoxacin. However, some of these structural changes have been found to correlate with specific adverse effects: the addition of fluorine or chlorine at position 8 being associated with photoreactivity, e.g. sparfloxacin; and the substitution of an amine or a methyl group at position 5 having a potential role in QTc prolongation, e.g. sparfloxacin and grepafloxacin. The clinical utility of this expanding class of antimicrobial agents, and the lower propensity for the development of resistance with the newer quinolones will need to be continually monitored in the changing therapeutic environment. Antibiotic drug choice will remain difficult in the presence of increasing resistance, but introduction of the new quinolones has created a new and exciting era in antimicrobial chemotherapy