A Randomized, Open Label, Multicentre Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Cough Mixture CS1 (Pholcodeine and Promethazine - Tixylix) Versus CS2 (Noscapine, Ammonium Chloride, Sodium Citrate) in Treatment of Children with Dry Cough.

The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of cough mixture containing pholcodeine and promethazine - Tixylix (CS1) to a cough mixture which has noscapine, ammonium chloride, and sodium citrate (CS2) as its constituents in treatment of children suffering from dry cough. A total of 208 patients were enrolled at 4 sites. Of these, 179 (94 receiving CS1 and 99 receiving CS2) completed the study. Results of this study suggest that both the cough mixtures were comparable as per evaluation of their primary parameters. According to global assessment for efficacy and tolerability by parents on Day 7, Group CS1 performed better than CS2. It was also observed that no AE was reported in Group CS1 as compared to 2 AEs in Group CS2. To conclude, cough mixture combination of pholcodeine and promethazine - Tixylix exhibited efficacy and safety that was comparable with cough mixture which has noscapine, ammonium chloride, and sodium citrate. It was proven to be efficacious, safe and well tolerated in the select population.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of noscapine analogues as microtubule-interfering agents / 药学学报

A series of noscapine analogues have been synthesized via 13-step reaction starting from 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde. Anti-tumor activities of these compounds were evaluated against HL-60 cell lines in vitro by the standard MTT assay. It was found that most of these derivatives showed appreciable inhibitory activity against HL-60 and tubulin polymerization. The results also indicated that the potency of compound 31 is about three times more than that ofnoscapine against HL-60 cell line and tubulin polymerization. Moreover, it induced a massive accumulation of cells in G2/M phase. These results showed noscapine and its derivatives were worth to be intensively studied further.

Application of conventional and new biotechnological approaches for improving of morphinane alkaloids production

More than 12,000 alkaloids are known in plants, mostly used as medicine with a world market value of about 4 billion US$. Opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the most important economic source of morphinane alkaloids such as morphine, codeine, thebaine, narcotine and papaverine that are exploited by the pharmaceutical industry as analgesics, antitussives and anti-spasmodics. With regard to increasing demand for these compounds, the aim of this review is presenting an outlook of classical breeding programs that successfully applied for enhancing the alkaloid content of opium poppy. The latest biotechnological approaches also are discussed to give an outlook for future trends and possibilities

Effects of Ambroxol, S-carboxymethylcysteine, Dextromethorphan and Noscapine on Mucin Release from Airway Goblet Cells

In the present study, we investigated whether ambroxol, S-carboxymethyl-L-cysteine, dextromethorphan and noscapine affect mucin release from airway goblet cells. Confluent primary hamster tracheal surface epithelial cells were metabolically radiolabeled and chased for 30 min in the presence of varying concentrations of the above agents to assess the effects on 3H-mucin release. Noscapine stimulated mucin release during 30 min of treatment period in a dose-dependent manner. However, ambroxol, S-carboxymethyl-L-cysteine and dextromethorphan showed no significant effect on mucin release during 30 min of treatment period. We conclude that noscapine can affect mucin release by acting on airway mucin-secreting cells.