Effects of combined treatment of amiodarone and vitamin U on rat gingiva

Amiodarone, the pharmaceutical drug used for the treatment of arrhythmias, is known to cause many side effects. S-Methylmethionine sulfonium is a derivative of methionine and it is widely referred to as vitamin U (Vit U). In the peer-reviewed literature, there is no study reported on the protective effects of Vit U against amiodarone’s side effects on gingiva. In this study, we investigated the oxidative and inflammatory effect of amiodarone or putative protective role of Vit U on gingiva tissue. Rats were randomly divided into four groups as follows: control group: rats received corn oil; control+Vit U treated group (50 mg/kg/day); amiodarone group (100 mg/kg/day) and amiodarone+Vit U treated group (in same dose). Amiodarone and Vit U were given orally for 7 days. Vit U was given 1 h prior to the administration of amiodarone. Gingival tissues were taken from animals and homogenized in 0.9% NaCl. Lipid peroxidation and sialic acid levels were increased significantly, glutathione levels and superoxide dismutase activities were decreased significantly in the amiodarone group when compared with the control groups. Vit U combination with amiodarone reversed these effects. These results demonstrate that administration of Vit U may have protective effects on gingiva in amiodarone treatment by decreasing oxidative stress.

Purification and some properties of rose (Fructus cynosbati) hips invertase.

Invertase was purified from rose (Fructus cynosbati) hips by ammonium sulfate fractionation and hydroxyapatite column chromatography. The enzyme was obtained with a yield of 4.25% and about 10.48-fold purification and had a specific activity of 8.59 U/mg protein. The molecular mass of invertase was estimated to be 66.51 kDa by PAGE and 34 kDa by SDS-PAGE, indicating that the native enzyme was a homodimer. The enzyme was a glycoprotein and contained 5.86% carbohydrate. The Km for sucrose was 14.55 mM and the optimum pH and temperature of the enzyme were 4.5 and 40°C, respectively. Sucrose was the most preferred substrate of the enzyme. The enzyme also hydrolyzed D(+) raffinose, D(+) trehalose and inulin (activity 39.88, 8.12 and 4.94%, respectively of that of sucrose), while D(+) lactose, cellobiose and D(+) maltose showed no effect on the enzyme. The substrate specificity was consistent with that for a β-fructofuranoside, which is the most popular type in the higher plants. The enzyme was completely inhibited by HgCl2, MnCl2, MnSO4, FeCl3, Pb(NO3)2, ammonium heptamolybdate, iodoacetamide and pyridoxine hydrochloride. It was also inhibited by Ba(NO3)2 (86.32%), NH4Cl (84.91%), MgCl2 (74.45%), urea (71.63%), I2 (69.64%), LiCl (64.99%), BaCl2 (50.30%), Mg(NO3)2 (49.90%), CrCl3 (31.90%) and CuSO4 (21.45%) and but was activated by Tris (73.99%) and methionine (12.47%).

Effect of glurenorm on immunohistochemical changes in pancreatic beta cells of rats in experimental diabetes.

Immunohistochemical localization of islets of Langerhans of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg, ip) induced diabetic + glurenorm (10 mg/kg, po) treated female albino rats revealed increase in number of beta cells and insulin immunoreactivity of beta cells. The results suggest that glurenorm can cause the stimulation of beta cells of endocrine pancreas in diabetic rats.

Effect of Aloe vera (L.) Burm. fil. leaf gel and pulp extracts on kidney in type-II diabetic rat models.

Significant degenerative changes were observed in the kidney tissue of untreated neonatal streptozotocin (n0STZ)-induced type-II diabetic rats. These degenerative changes were diminished in the kidney tissue of diabetic animals given glibenclamide and Aloe leaf gel and pulp extracts. Kidney lipid peroxidation levels were increased in diabetic rats compared to healthy rats; these levels were higher in rats treated with glibenclamide than in those which received Aloe extracts. Serum urea and creatinine levels were higher in diabetic rats in comparison to healthy rats. The administration of Aloe gel extract and glibenclamide decreased serum urea and creatinine levels in comparison to diabetic controls. Only A. vera leaf gel extract showed improvement both in histological and biochemical parameters suggesting a protective effect of A. vera on mild damage caused by type-II diabetes on kidney tissue.