Activity of propolis in an experimental model of pneumocystosis

To investigate the anti Pneumocystis effects of propolis on Pneumocystis carinii P. carinii in rat model. Rats were obtained, and the study was taken in to place in Erciyes University Clinical and Experimental Research Center, Kayseri, Turkey, in June 2007. In order to obtain spontaneous pneumonia, rats were remained on immunosuppression therapy with dexamethasone throughout the study. Propolis administered orally at doses of 30, 50, and 100 mg/kg/day. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole [TMP-SMX, 50/250 mg/kg/day] was used as positive control and untreated animals as negative control in the study. There were 6 animals in each group. Untreated animals showed P. carinii infection level with a mean +/= standard deviation log number of cysts per gram of lung tissue of 4.6 +/= 1.6 at the end of the experiment. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 50/250 mg/kg/day has significantly reduced the log number of cysts per gram to 1.8 +/= 1.6 [p<0.001]. There was no reduction found in the number of cysts in infected animals treated with 30, 50, and 100 mg of propolis/kg/day, and so the results were not statistically significant [p>0.05] compared with the control group. In our rat model of pneumocystosis the efficacy of propolis, this was used in folk medicine since ancient times, found completely ineffective

Effects of Brucella Levafloxacine and Doxycycline on Mitotics Index and Micronucleus

Brucellosis is caused by an intracellular pathogen Brucella melitensis. B. melitensis live in the phagocytic cells of the host. The major virulence factors of the brucellae are; a lipopolisaccharide cell wall antigen [endotoxin] and outer membrane proteins [OMPs] called OPP10, OMP 16, OMP19. In this study, the effect of brucellae or its endotoxins, on DNA and mitotics index was examined before and after treatment with Levafloxacin and doxycycline. All mice were divided equally into six experimental groups of ten mice each. Group one was control [no Brucella melitensis and no drugs], group two was inoculated intraperitoneally with x I0' CFU of Brucella melitensis [BM], group three was given BM and; levafloxacin i.p. 50 mg/kg/day for 30 days, group four was levafoxacin 30 days. Group five was given BM and Doxycycline oral 50 mg/kg/day 30 days, and group eight was given only Doxycycline 30 days. There were no significant differences in the average number of MN and MI between five groups and controls [p>0.05]. Neither B. melitensis, nor its outer membrane proteins and the antibiotics may not have any affect on micronucleus and mitotic index