Effect of lead on anorexia and body weight in albino rats.

Rats exposed to lead (lead acetate) in doses of 0.2 and 0.5 mg/ml in drinking water for a period of 90 days showed mild to moderate changes in food consumption compared to control group. Drug interactions in lead exposed rats with metoclopramide, atropine sulphate, propranolol, cyproheptadine and mepyramine maleate when administered intraperitoneally caused -30 to +30 percentage variation in food intake indicating the influence of adrenergic, serotonergic and cholinergic neurotransmitters with no change in mean body weight of lead treated rats.

Magnesium and reserpine influence norepinephrine sensitivity of vas deferens in rats.

Reserpine induced supersensitivity to norepinephrine (NE) in rat vas deferens was sought by alteration of Mg++ and Ca++ concentration in incubation medium in the absence and presence of EDTA. Vas deferens incubated in Mg++ free and Mg++ excess media showed supersensitivity and subsensivity to NE respectively. Alterations in the sensitivity to NE produced by varying the concentrations of Mg++ were comparatively less. In the presence of EDTA, vas deferens obtained from reserpinized animals showed subsensitivity in normal and Mg++ excess media and supersensitivity in Mg++ free medium. In the presence of EDTA, reserpinized preparations showed slight supersensitivity in normal Mg++ medium, marked supersensitivity in Mg++ free and lesser subsensitivity in Mg++ excess medium. Probably EDTA by more effectively removing Mg++ from the membrane binding sites by chelation makes the membrane permeable to Ca++ leading to supersensitivity to NE (observed only in the presence of EDTA). These results suggest that the failure of reserpine to induce supersensitivity to NE in rat vas deferens may be due to an enhanced antagonism of Mg++ on Ca++ movements in this preparations due to the poor capacity of rat tissue to retain Ca++.

In vitro study of rat uterus after chronic formaldehyde exposure.

To measure cholinergic, adrenergic and tryptaminergic receptor activity of formaldehyde (HCHO) in rat uterus, albino rats were treated with 5 and 10 mg/kg, ip HCHO for 30 days. Acetylcholine (ACh) in doses 1.33, 2 and 3 micrograms/ml produced mild to moderate contraction of isolated rat uterus in control group. HCHO had no effect on isolated rat uterus per se, however it reduced ACh and carbachol induced contraction and presence of adrenaline influences in respect of ACh and carbachol activity. Adrenaline per se had no effect in control preparations, but reduced carbachol induced contraction. Propranolol had no effect on rat uterus; but its presence in the bathing medium increased activity of adrenaline. 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) had no effect of its own on isolated rat uterus but its presence in the bathing medium enhanced contractions of carbachol and oxytocin.

Pharmacology of Acorus calamus L.

Water soluble dried powder of alcoholic extract of roots and rhizomes of A. calamus L. was used. The in vivo experiments involved strychnine convulsant activity in frogs, spontaneous motor activity and amphetamine hyperactivity in mice, pentobarbitone sleeping-time in rats and local anaesthetic activity in guinea pigs and rabbits. Frog skeletal muscle and heart preparations and rat phrenic nerve diaphragm constituted the in vitro experiments. Plant extracts at 10, 20 mg/kg ip did not afford protection to strychnine (1,5,2.5 mg/kg) induced convulsions and same effect was found on acetylcholine induced contractions of rectus muscle except that it inhibited caffeine citrate contractions in frog. At 1, 10 and 100 micrograms/ml doses, it caused negative iono- and chronotropic effects in frogs. Dosages of 10, 25, 50 mg/kg ip of herbal extract antagonize spontaneous motor activity and also amphetamine induced hyperactivity in mice. It was less potent than chloropromazine, though exerts sedative and tranquilizing action. Local anaesthetic activity was found to be absent at 0.5 and 1% dose levels.

Effect of selenium dioxide on the testes of rat.

Selenium dioxide was administered (ip) to albino male rats (200 +/- 5 g) in increasing doses (2, 6 and 10 micrograms/rat, daily) for 90 days. Histologic and histometric study showed that there was dose dependent injury to testes. No cellular deformation was observed following 2 micrograms-dose; whereas 6 micrograms-dose caused significant damage of gametogenic cells. At a dose of 10 micrograms, there was a significant testicular degeneration along with testicular atrophy.