Cucumis sativus and Cucurbita maxima extract attenuate diabetes-induced hepatic and pancreatic injury in a rat model.

Diabetes is usually associated with oxidative stress that causes hepatic and pancreatic tissue injury. This work was carried out to evaluate the effect of Cucumis sativus and Cucurbita maxima methanol extracts on the streptozotocin-induced diabetic hepatic and pancreatic injury in rats. Diabetes was induced in seven equal groups of rats by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (40 mg/kg), in addition to the non-diabetic control group. Two diabetic groups were treated with Cucumis sativus methanol extract and two were treated with Cucurbita maxima, each at 200 and 400 mg/kg for 21 days after streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Another diabetic group was treated with both Cucumis sativus and Cucurbita maxima at 200 mg/kg of each. Another group was treated with metformin (200 mg/kg orally). The plant extracts normalized serum liver enzymes activities, oxidative stress markers, and restored serum proteins and lipid profile. They also significantly reduced blood sugar to values comparable to non-diabetic rats. The hypoglycemic effect is also confirmed by the improvement of the immunohistochemical expression of insulin in ß-cells of islets of Langerhans. Hepatic and pancreatic protection was also confirmed by the improvement of the histopathological picture as compared to STZ-diabetic rats. The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 35 and 34 compounds in the methanol extract of cucumber and pumpkin, respectively. Finally, the methanol extract of cucumber and pumpkin could be beneficial acting synergistically in the protection of the liver and pancreas against diabetes-induced tissue damage.

Hepatoprotective Effect of Methanol Extracts of Zingiber officinale and Cichorium intybus.

The present work was carried out to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of ginger, chicory and their mixture against carbon tetrachloride intoxication in rats. Carbon tetrachloride treatment significantly elevated the alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and gamma glutamyltransferase activities and the serum triglycerides and cholesterol concentration as compared to control group. It also increased RBCs counts and Hb concentration, total or differential leucocytes counts. However it decreased platelet counts, platelet distribution width, mean platelet volume, platelet larger cell ratio. Methanol extract of ginger (250 and 500 mg/kg) and chicory (250 and 500 mg/kg) given alone or mixed (1:1 wt/wt) significantly restored the carbon tetrachloride-induced alterations in the biochemical and cellular constituents of blood. No toxic symptoms were reported in doses up to 5 g/kg. Alkaloids and/or nitrogenous bases, carbohydrates and/or glycosides, tannins, flavonoids, saponins and unsaturated sterols and/or triterpenes are the main active constituents of their methanol extract. The hepatoprotective effect of ginger and chicory was also confirmed by the histopathological examination of liver tissue.

The antinociceptive effect of some Egyptian medicinal plant extracts.

The antinociceptive effect of methanolic extracts (200 and 400 mg kg(-1)) of eight Egyptian medicinal plants was studied using acetic acid-induced writhing and tail-flick test in mice. Oral administration of 400 mg kg(-1) methanolic extracts of Convolvulus fatmensis, Alhagi maurorum, Plantago major seeds, Conyza dioscaridis significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited the nociception to acetic acid-induced writhes with a protection of 85.5-61.3%. Schouwia thebaica, Diplotaxis acris, Plantago major leaves and Mentha microphylla, in the large dose, showed a protection of 50.8-45.8%, which were significantly different as compared to control. The smaller dose of the tested plant extracts did not protect animals from painful acetic acid stimulation with the exception of Alhagi maurorum. In the tail-flick test, methanolic extracts of Mentha microphylla, Conyza dioscaridis, Alhagi maurorum, Plantago major leaves, Diplotaxis acris and Convolvulus fatmensis in a dose of 400 mg kg(-1) produced significant increase in the latency to response of tail to thermal stimulation. Mild or no effect was observed by the small dose with the exception of Diplotaxis acris that had significant antinociceptive effect at the dose of 200 mg kg(-1). The extracts of all tested plants in doses up to 2 g kg(-1) b.wt. did not cause any deaths or major signs of acute toxicity. Phytochemical screening indicated the presence of unsaturated sterols, triterpenes, tannins, flavonoids and carbohydrates and/or glycosides as major constituents.

Tissue residues of some sulphonamides in normal and Eimeria stiedai infected rabbits.

Tissue residues of sulphadiazine (SDZ), sulphadimidine (SDD) and sulphquinoxaline (SQ) were studied in healthy and E. stiedai infected rabbits following oral administration of 0.5 g/l drinking water for 5 days. The solid-phase extraction and HPLC was used to determine the concentration of the three sulphonamides in a single tissue sample. SDZ was detected in the liver and kidney in concentrations below the tolerance levels at day 5 and no residues could be detected at day 7 after drug withdrawal. SDD and SQ were detected in all of the tested organs of healthy rabbits up to day 5, where the highest concentration was reported in the liver (0.08 +/- 0.02 and 0.09 +/- 0.02 g/g respectively). In infected rabbits, the three sulphonamides were detected up to day 7 in concentrations higher than the tolerance limits (> 0.1 g/g) in the liver and kidney and lower levels in other tissues. A withdrawal period of 4 days for SDZ and 5 days for SDD and SQ in healthy rabbits and 7 days for SDZ and 8 days for SDD and SQ in E. stiedai infected rabbits is suggested.

Pharmacological screening of the anti-ulcerogenic effects of some Jordanian medicinal plants in rats.

Ethanolic extracts of 18 medicinal plants traditionally used in Jordan for the treatment of gastric ulcers were evaluated for their possible anti-ulcer activity. Among the tested plants, 12 extracts lowered the severity of ethanol-induced gastric damage in rats with curative ratios ranging from 62.9 to 99.5%. The most active extract was that of Quercus coccifera, with a curative ratio of 99.5%.

Anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of some Jordanian medicinal plant extracts.

The anti-nociceptive effect of ethanolic extract of 11 traditionally used Jordanian plants was studied by using the acetic acid-induced writhing and hot-plate test in mice. The anti-inflammatory effect of these plants was determined by xylene-induced ear oedema in mice and cotton pellet granuloma test in rats. Mentha piperita, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Apium graveolens, Eucalyptus camaldulentis, and Ruta graveolens possess an anti-nociceptive effect against both acetic acid-induced writhing and hot plate-induced thermal stimulation. M. piperita, Jasminum officinale, Commiphora molmol, and Beta vulgaris possess an anti-inflammatory effect against acute (xylene-induced ear oedema) and chronic (cotton-pellet granuloma) inflammation. The anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects were dose dependent. These data affirm the traditional use of some of these plants for painful and inflammatory conditions.

Disposition of tylosin in goats.

The disposition kinetics of tylosin was studied in goats after intravenous or intramuscular injection of 15 mg/kg b. wt. Following i.v. injection, tylosin was rapidly and widely distributed in goats (half life of distribution: 0.2 h and volume of distribution: 1.7 l/kg). It was slowly eliminated with a mean elimination half life of 3.04 h and a total body clearance rate of 6.8 ml/kg/min. Following i.m. injection, tylosin was slowly absorbed (T1/2ab of 1.82 h). Tylosin concentration in serum was greater than 1 microgram/ml after 1 h and persisted up to 12 h post-injection. The peak concentration (Cmax, 2.38 micrograms/ml) was obtained after 4.19 h. The systemic bioavailability of tylosin injected intramuscularly was 72.6% and the serum protein bound fraction was 37.6% of the total drug. Tylosin was excreted in milk and urine at concentrations much higher than that in serum. Low concentrations of tylosin were reported in ruminal juice of goats. In conclusion tylosin should be injected every 15 hours to obtain an appreciable concentration in serum, milk and urine.

Disposition of tylosin in goats.

The disposition kinetics of tylosin was studied in goats after intravenous (i.v.) or intramuscular (i.m.) injection of 15 mg/kg body wt. Following i.v. injection, tylosin was rapidly and widely distributed with a distribution half-life of 0.2 h and volume of distribution of 1.7 l/kg. It was slowly eliminated with a mean elimination half-life of 3.04 h and a total body clearance rate of 6.8 ml/kg/min. Following i.m. injection, tylosin was slowly absorbed (tau 1/2 ab of 1.82 h). Tylosin concentration in serum was greater than 1 microgram/ml after 1 h and persisted up to 12 h post-injection. The peak concentration (Cmax 2.38 micrograms/ml) was obtained after 4.19 h. The systemic bioavailability of tylosin injected intramuscularly was 72.6% and the serum protein bound fraction was 37.59% of the total drug. Tylosin was excreted in milk and urine at concentrations much higher than that in serum. Low concentrations of tylosin were reported in ruminal juice of goats. In conclusion tylosin should be injected every 14 h to obtain an appreciable concentration in serum, milk and urine.

Pharmacokinetics and tissue residues of kitasamycin in healthy and diseased broilers.

The pharmacokinetics of kitasamycin after intravenous and oral administration in a dose of 300 mg/kg b.wt. was studied in 18 healthy and 18 Salmonella gallinarum naturally infected chickens. The tissue residue of the studied antibiotic was estimated in 36 normal chickens when it was given orally for 7 successive days. Therapeutic level of kitasamycin was achieved after 15 minutes and persisted for 20-22 hours after its oral administration. Higher serum kitasamycin concentrations were recorded in Salmonella gallinarum infected chickens. The elimination half-life of kitasamycin calculated after single intravenous injection was 9.03 hours in diseased chickens corresponding to 3.74 hours in healthy birds. The body clearance was significantly reduced in diseased chickens (23.86 ml/kg/min) when compared to that in normal ones (62.03 ml/kg/min). Kitasamycin treated broilers should not be slaughtered before 3 days from the last dose as it was detected only in bile and caecum at that time but not in edible tissues.