Immunological markers of liver fibrosis in cirrhotic patients

Liver fibrosis occurs in response to chronic injury of any etiology. Kupffer cell [macrophage] activation accompanies liver injury with altered cytokine metabolism. This study aimed to investigate serum levels of tumour necrosis factor alpha [TNFa] and interleukin-6 [IL -6] as proinflammatory and profibrogenic cytokines in cirrhotic patients and relate them with the degree of liver disease and with the level of type -I plasminogen activator inhibitor [PAI-1] as a marker of fibrinolytic activity. The study included 20 cirrhotic patients and 15 healthy controls. After performing clinical and ultrasonic evaluation, liver function tests and hepatitis viral markers, patients were divided according to Child's Pugh classification of severity of liver disease into 3 groups, [group I] compensated cirrhosis, [group II] cirrhosis with ascites, [group III] decompensated cirrhosis. Serum levels of tumour necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-6 and plasma levels of type -I plasminogen activator inhibitor were measured. All patients showed significant positivity with hepatitis C virus antibodies. The Child-Pugh score of severity of liver disease was significantly increased in groups II and III compared to group I and control subjects. Serum TNFa. was significantly increased in all three groups of cirrhotic patients compared to control group. [P<0.05].Serum IL-6 was significantly increased in groups II and III [class B and C] compared to control group and there was significant difference between groups II and III and I and III So levels of IL-6 increased progressively with evolution of the disease. There was no statistical significant difference in plasma levels of PA1-1 between patients and controls. A positive significant correlation existed between TNFa and IL-6 in group II of patients [r= 0. 784 P=0.065] and between IL-6 and PAI-1 in groups II and III [r=0.78 P=0.067 and r= 0.000 P= 0.999 respectively]. In conclusion, this study revealed that in cirrhotic patients, serum levels of TNFa and IL-6 were significantly higher than control group, and IL-6 increased in advanced stages of the disease compared to early ones. There was positive correlation between TNFa and IL-6 in group II of patients. We suggested that the profibrogenic cytokines TNFa and IL-6 are implicated in fibrogenesis in cirrhotic patients and can be used as indicators for its progression. Further studies are needed to evaluate the use of their inhibitors as novel therapeutic agents to control undesirable fibrosis

Influence of some preservatives on the bioactivity of digestive enzymes

The effect of seven commonly used preservatives on the biological activity of chymotrypsin, diastase, pepsin, pancreatin and trypsin were studied by the radial diffusion technique. The proteolytic activities of papain, pancreatin and chymotrypsin were reduced by the tested preservatives in descending order, while those of pepsin and trypsin were unaffected. Reductions in the amylolytic activity of pancreatin and diastase varied according to the preservative tested

Antimicrobial efficiency of preservatives in certain enzymes solutions

The efficiency of preservation of sterile solutions of pancreatin, papain, pepsin, trypsin and diastase, were assessed by challenge technique using mixed inoculum of E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and C. albicans. The number of survivors was determined by viable count technique over a period of 28 days. Benzalkonium chloride, benzoic acid, chlorobutanol, methylparaben, phenethyl alcohol and phenylmercuric nitrate were used. The results obtained revealed that, the efficiency of preservative was dependent on the enzyme-preservative system involved. Benzoic acid, chlorobutanol and phenethyl alcohol were quite effective; while the other three preservatives were much less

Synergistic effect of subinhibitory concentrations of erythromycin, minocycline and norfloxacin on commonly used antibiotics

Subinhibitory concentration of erythromycin, minocycline and norfloxacin were individually incorporated into inoculated agar plates and 12 antibiotic discs were aseptically placed onto the surface. The diameters of the developed inhibition zones were compared with those obtained with similar discs on antibiotic-free plates. The increase in zone diameters on the base-antibiotic plate indicated synergy. The present study showed that traditional antibiotics can still be used more effectively in the presence of subinhibitory concentrations of erythromycin, minocycline and norfloxacin

Antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial isolates associated with chronic prostatitis

Fifty-three strains were isolated from expressed prostatic secretion of patients suffering from chronic prostatitis, microscopically and biochemically identified. About 89% of the 53 strains were Gram- positive cocci, whereas 11% were Gram-negative rods. The susceptibilities of the isolates to 16 different antimicrobial agents were assessed by the disc-sensitivity test. This investigation showed that afloxacin [quinolone] and carpenicillin [beta-lactam] could be used as drugs of choice in treatment of chronic prostatitis due to Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. For chronic prostatitis due to Gram-positive bacteria, erythromycin would be the best

Mutagenic potentials of certain herbal extracts in mutant strains of salmonella typhimurium

Damage to DNA appears to be the major cause of most cancer and genetic birth defects and may contribute to aging heart diseases. The genetical damage can be caused by many substances used in medicine, industry, pest control and food preservatives. The present study investigated the mutagenic potentials of certain medicinal plants commonly used in traditional medicine, using five mutant strains of salmonella typhimurium/mammalian microsome in-vitro test [Ames test]. The histidine-dependent strains [TA 98, TA 100, TA 1535, TA 1537, and TA 1538] were used to detect DNA frame shifts and base-pair substitutions, which were recommended for preliminary screening of potential mutagens and carcinogens. Three different concentrations of each extract were used in the presence and absence of activated rat liver microsomal enzymes [S9 mix] to detect whether they produce direct or indirect genotoxic activity. Positive controls using diagnostic mutagens were also used to confirm the reversion properties and specificity of each strain and efficacy of the S9 mix. The results showed that extracts of the 16 herbs investigated did not induce mutations in the Salmonella mammalian microsome general mutagenicity test of Ames in concentrations up to 10 mg/plate

Studies on the Antimicrobial activity of the volatile oil of thymus vulgaris

The antimicrobial activity of the volatile oil of Thymus vulgaris was studied towards 6 different microorganisms. The oil was found to possess marked antifungal and antibacterial activities. The oil had a more inhibitory action against fungi than bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] was 0.019% w/v with fungi, and ranged between 0.019 and 0.78% w/v with bacteria. Thymol, the main constituent of the oil, however, exhibited a weak activity towards the tested bacteria and fungi. The influence of pH and Tween 20 on the antibacterial activity of the oil was also studied