Ovine metabolism of saponins: evaluation of a method for estimating the ovine uptake of steroidal saponins from Narthecium ossifragum.

A sheep was dosed three times per day over six consecutive days with 70 g Narthecium ossifragum, and once on the seventh day with 70 g N. ossifragum. Additionally, it was dosed once on days 1-7 with 20 mg of [20,23,23-2H3]sarsasapogenin. After 7 days, the sheep was killed and GC-MS analysis of the free and conjugated sapogenin content in bile, urine, rumen, duodenum, jejunum, colon and rectum samples collected from the sheep, faecal samples collected on days 4-7, and dosed plant material was performed. The N. ossifragum contained mainly sarsasapogenin and smilagenin. Only neglible levels of deuterium-labelled sarsasapogenins were detected in the samples from the animal. Ingested saponins were quickly hydrolysed in the rumen to free sapogenins and, in part, epimerized at C-3 to afford episapogenins. The absorption of free sapogenins appeared to occur in the jejunum. The concentration of sapogenins in faeces reached a plateau 108 h after dosing started.

The impact of exposure group on the progression rate to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. A comparison between intravenous drug users, homosexual men and heterosexually infected subjects.

The objective was to study the impact of exposure group on the progression rate to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). 289 subjects in Oslo, Norway, infected with the human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV) and without major clinical signs of HIV infection (102 intravenous drug users, 151 homosexual men and 36 heterosexually infected subjects) were recruited to the Oslo HIV Cohort Study from 1989 and followed until 1 January 1995. 15 (14.7%) of the intravenous drug users, 56 (37.1%) of the homosexual men and 5 (12.5%) of the heterosexually infected subjects developed AIDS during a mean time of 47 months (p < 0.001, log rank test). When controlling for possible confounding variables (age, number of CD4+ lymphocytes, antiviral therapy at study entry, gender and year of HIV diagnosis), the relative risk of AIDS progression was 2.2 [1.1-4.5, 95% confidence interval (CI)] for homosexual men and 0.5 (0.2-1.3, 95% CI) for heterosexually infected subjects as compared to intravenous drug users. In a subgroup with known time of seroconversion (n = 60), 47% (18/38) of the homosexual men, 20% (3/15) of the intravenous users and none (0/7) of the heterosexually infected subjects developed AIDS (p = 0.04, log rank test). The results suggest that homosexual men have more rapid progression to AIDS than intravenous drug users and heterosexually infected subjects.