Disposal Practices of Unused and Leftover Medicines in the Households of Dhaka Metropolis.

Background: This fact-finding study aimed to attain an overall idea and knowledge about medicine disposal practices in Dhaka Metropolitan households. Methods: This mixed study (both quantitative and qualitative) was orchestrated to inspect the household leftover medicine disposal pattern's governing status. A cross-sectional survey was conducted following a structured questionnaire and key informant interview with a household person and in-depth interviews with the top pharmaceutical and government officials. Results: Findings disclose that, for most of the key informants, the terms "drug disposal" and "drug pollution" were unknown; more precisely, 67% and 74% of key informants even did not hear these two terms. Almost all (87%) households faced undesired incidents due to the insecure storage of medicines. People disposed of excess and expired medication in regular dustbins (47%), threw out of the window (19%), flushed within commode (4%), burnt in fire (2%), and reused (4%). A good percentage of people (21%) returned unexpired drugs to the pharmacy and bought other medicines on a need basis. A total of 72% wanted a medicine take-back program, and 100% agreed on mass education on this issue. Officials of pharmaceuticals conferred mixed opinion: top-ranked pharmaceuticals will adopt leftover medicine disposal practices; middle and low-ranked pharmaceutical companies are reluctant, merely denied mentioning the less important issue. Conclusions: The absence of mass awareness and standard laws and policies may explain these existing aberrant practices.

Ethnopharmacological Inspections of Organic Extract of Oroxylum indicum in Rat Models: A Promising Natural Gift.

The stem bark of Oroxylum indicum (O. indicum) was aimed at testing for anti-inflammatory, antiulcerative, antihyperglycemic, and antidyslipidemic activities. Liver enzyme concentration (SGPT, SGOT) had also been assessed. After being extracted in organic solvent, 3 distinct doses, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg b.w. (p.o.), were used. For edema formation 0.1 ml carrageenan at a dose of 1% w/v was injected into paw of left hind. It showed a fall of edemas 37.50%, 48.34%, and 55.83% while used doses were 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg b.w. (p.o.) individually. The EtOH extract of O. indicum (50%) and its fractions PET, CLF, EtOAc, and nBUT were studied against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage. Only PET and n-BuOH exhibited the highest percentage of protection and were 96% and 99%, respectively, persuaded by ethanol. In OGTT glibenclamide revealed reduction of glucose level to 7.55 ± 0.22 mmol/L from 10.57 ± 0.32 mmol/L after 30 minutes. Antihyperglycemic activities were assessed for 8- and 12-week duration in diabetic rats. Glibenclamide reduced glucose level from 33.50±0.31 to 7.90±0.19 mmol/L in 12 weeks. In 12 and 8 weeks, combination therapy lowered blood glucose level to a normal extent by 79% and 61% individually. In antidyslipidemic activities after 12-week treatment, it revealed simvastatin; MEOI (400 mg/kg b.w.) and combination of both reduced TC level by 44%, 28%, and 48% consequently followed by TG and LDL. In 8-week treatment, HDL levels were increased by 34%, 13%, and 36%, and in 12 weeks increased by 36%, 8%, and 38% consequently. Liver enzyme concentration after 12 weeks of treatment with glibenclamide, 400 mg/kg b.w. (p.o.) of MEOI and combination of both, exhibited the fact that concentration of SGPT showed downturn by 43.23%, 8.01%, and 54.86% and SGOT by 42.40%, 5.31%, and 44.85%. This study remarked that O. indicum has anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, antidiabetic, and antidyslipidemic potentials but has no ameliorative effect on liver enzyme.

Characterization of Transplasma Membrane Electron Transport Chain in Wild and Drug-Resistant Leishmania donovani Promastigote and Amastigote.

BACKGROUND: Leishmania donovani (L. donovani) is one of the parasites that cause leishmaniasis. The mechanisms by which L. donovani fights against adverse environment and becomes resistant to drugs are not well understood yet. OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of different regulators on the modulation of Transplasma Membrane Electron Transport (transPMET) systems of susceptible and resistant L. donovani cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Effects of UV, different buffers, and electron transport inhibitors and stimulators on the reduction of α-lipoic acid (ALA), 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulphonic acid (NQSA) and ferricyanide were determined. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: ALA reductions were inhibited in susceptible, sodium antimony gluconate (SAG)-resistant and paromomycin (PMM)-resistant AG83 amastigote cells, and stimulated in susceptible and SAG-resistant AG83 promastigote cells upon UV exposure. The results indicate that UV irradiation almost oppositely affect ALA reductions in amastigotes and promastigotes. ALA reductions were stimulated in sensitive and inhibited in resistant GE1 amastigotes upon UV exposure. Susceptible amastigotes and promastigotes inhibited, and resistant amastigotes and promastigotes stimulated NQSA reduction under UV irradiation. Thus, susceptible and drug-resistant amastigotes and promastigotes are different in the reduction of ALA. Susceptible and resistant AG83 amastigotes and promastigotes inhibited the ferricyanide reductions upon UV exposure, which indicates, there is no such difference in ferricyanide reductions among susceptible as well as resistant AG83 amastigotes and promastigotes. The reductions of extracellular electron excerptors in susceptible promastigotes requires the availability of Na+ and Cl- ions for maximal activity but susceptible amastigotes are mostly not dependent on the availability of Na+ and Cl- ions. Both in promastigotes and amastigotes, reductions of electron acceptors were strongly inhibited by carbonyl cyanide p-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone. Furthermore, antimycin A, rotenone and capsaicin markedly inhibited the reductions of electron acceptors in promastigotes, but not in amastigotes. CONCLUSION: Results of this study suggest that the transPMET system is functionally different in wild and resistant strains of L. donovani.

Evaluation of anti-inflammatory and gastric anti-ulcer activity of Phyllanthus niruri L. (Euphorbiaceae) leaves in experimental rats.

BACKGROUND: The medicinal plants signify a massive basin of potential phytoconstituents that could be valuable as a substitute to allopathic drugs or considered as an analogue in drug development. Phyllanthus niruri L. (Euphorbiaceae) is generally used in traditional medicine to treat ulcer and inflammation. In this project we investigated the methanolic extract of leaves of Phyllanthus niruri for anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer activity. METHODS: The anti-inflammatory activity of methanol extract of Phyllanthus niruri leaves was evaluated at the doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o. while using ibuprofen (20 mg/kg, p.o) as the standard drug. The animals used were Swiss albino rats. Inflammation was induced by injecting 0.1 ml carrageenan (1% w/v) into the left hind paw. Paw tissues from the different groups were examined for inflammatory cell infiltration. On the other hand, antiulcer activity of methanolic extract of P. niruri leaves at the doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o. were examined against ethanol-acid induced gastric mucosal injury in the Swiss albino rats - keeping omeprazole (20 mg/kg, p.o.) as reference. The rats were dissected and the stomachs were macroscopically examined to identify hemorrhagic lesions in the glandular mucosa. RESULTS: P. niruri significantly (p < 0.01) decreased carrageenan-induced paw edema; it exhibited a reduction of 46.80%, 55.32% and 69.14% at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, respectively. These findings were further supported by the histological study. The methanolic extract also disclosed good protective effect against ethanol-acid induced gastric mucosal injury in the rats. Administration of the extract's doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) demonstrated a significant (p < 0.01) reduction in the ethanol- acid induced gastric erosion in all the experimental groups when compared to the control. The methanolic extract at the higher dose (400 mg/kg) resulted in better inhibition of ethanol-acid induced gastric ulcer as compare to omeprazole (20 mg/kg). Histological studies of the gastric wall revealed that toxic control rats revealed mucosal degeneration, ulceration and migration of numerous inflammatory cells throughout the section. On the other hand, MEPN treatment groups showed significant regeneration of mucosal layer and significantly prevented the formation of hemorrhage and edema. CONCLUSIONS: The investigation suggests that methanolic extract of P. niruri leaf possess anti-inflammatory activity and promotes ulcer protection as ascertained by regeneration of mucosal layer and substantial prevention of the formation of hemorrhage and edema.