فهرست مطالب

Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
Volume:10 Issue: 2, Spring 2011

  • تاریخ انتشار: 1390/03/31
  • تعداد عناوین: 29
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  • Soroush Sardari Page 181
    As the medical sciences in part of human civilization is developing and humans distancing themselves from other sorts of life, rightfully or not, existence of certain tangible or metaphysical
  • Nastaran Nafissi Varcheh, Reza Aboofazeli Page 183
    The delivery of therapeutic proteins has gained momentum with development of biotechnology. However, large molecular weight, hydrophilic nature and susceptibility to harsh environment of gastrointestinal tract (GIT) resulted in low absorption. The main objective of this work was the design of a particulate system for oral delivery of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on the basis of particle uptake mechanism in GIT. Biodegradable protein-loaded microspheres were prepared using Resomers (RG207, RG756 and RG505) by double emulsion methods.
  • Pintu Kumar De, Subrata Mallick, Biswajit Mukherjee, Sagar Sengupta, Satyanarayan Pattnaik, Subrata Chakraborty Page 193
    The present study was undertaken to develop a suitable transdermal matrix patch of ketorolac tromethamine with different proportions of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and ethyl cellulose (EC) using a D-optimal mixture design. The prepared transdermal patches were subjected to different physicochemical evaluation. The surface topography of the patches was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The drug-polymer interaction studies were performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) technique. A correlation between in-vitro drug-release and in-vitro skin permeation was established and the criterion of desirability was employed to optimize the formulation. The results of the physicochemical characterization and in-vitro permeation of the prepared patches were promising to formulate transdermal patches with PVP/EC combinations.
  • Nastaran Nafissi-Varcheh, Vera Luginbuehl, Reza Aboofazeli, Hans Peter Merkle Page 203
    Lysozyme, as a model protein, was precipitated through the formation of protein-Zn complex to micronize for subsequent encapsulation within poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres. Various parameters, including pH, type and concentration of added salts and protein concentration, were modified to optimize the yield of protein complexation and precipitation. The resulting protein particles (lysozyme-Zn complex as a freshly prepared suspension or a freeze-dried solid) were then loaded into PLGA (Resomer® 503H) microspheres, using a double emulsion technique and microspheres encapsulation efficiency and their sizes were determined. It was observed that salt type could significantly influence the magnitude of protein complexation. At the same conditions, zinc chloride was found to be more successful in producing pelletizable lysozyme. Generally, higher concentrations of protein solution led also to the higher yields of complexation and at the optimum conditions, the percentage of pelletizable lysozyme reached to 80%. Taking advantage of this procedure, a modified technique for preparation of protein-loaded PLGA microspheres was established, although it is also expected that this technique increases the protein drugs stabilization during the encapsulation process.
  • Ali Reza Khajeamiri, Farzad Kobarfard, Reza Ahmadkhaniha, Gelareh Mostashari Page 211
    In this study 50 samples of ecstasy tablets seized in Iran during the period of 2007 through 2008 were examined and their physical characteristics (appearance, marking, scored/not scored, color, weight, diameter, thickness) were determined. In order to determine the chemical characteristics of these tablets, color tests (Marquis test, Simon’s test, Chen’s test and Gallic acid test), Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), anion test, residual solvents, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) were carried out on the tablets. The range of tablets weight was 96–308 mg and the range of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) hydrochloride content in these tablets was 60–180 mg. No good correlation was found between the tablets weight and their MDMA contents. All of the tablets containing MDMA had this compound in hydrochloride form. Ketamine, phenmetrazine and ephedrine (or pseudoephedrine) were found in some of the tablets along with MDMA. No MDMA was found in 10% of the tablets. Some of these tablets contained compounds such as caffeine or tramadol as their active ingredient.
  • Roya Khosrokhavar, Mir-Jamal Hosseini, Shahram Shoeibi, Behrooz Jannat Page 221
    Determination of drug residues in food is of great importance due to their toxicity. Long-term exposure with low level of drug residues could be important, especially in children. Based on document study, oxytetracycline (OTC) is a prophylaxis and treatment agent for great number of diseases and possesses a broad spectrum activity against many pathogenic organisms and can be toxic or cause allergic reactions in some hypersensitive individual’s if the residues of drug exist in the infant formula. The previous studies show that using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is useful for OTC detection in milk. Therefore, we decided to measure OTC in infant formula. The purpose of this study was to investigate residual OTC in consuming infant formula using HPLC. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was 51 ng/mL. This result showed that the samples had no residues of OTC in infant formula from different companies.
  • Fazel Shamsa, Alireza Foroumadi, Hashim Shamsa, Nasrin Samadi, Mohammad Ali Faramarzi, Abbas Shafiee Page 225
    Novel analogues of N-piperazinyl fluoroquinolones were prepared and evaluated against a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, to study the effect of introducing bulky anthracene and phenanthrene moieties on the antibacterial effects of norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin and gatifloxacin. Although most of the novel synthesized compounds had lower antibacterial effects, some derivatives showed better activity in comparison with mother drugs based on molar concentration; for example, the 3-acetyl phenanthrene analogue of norfloxacin was more effective than E. coli and K. pneumonia.
  • Mahdi Vazirian, Mahnaz Khanavi, Yaghoub Amanzadeh, Homa Hajimehdipoor Page 233
    Triphala is a traditional herbal formulation consisting of dried fruits originating from three medicinal plants, namely Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellirica and Phyllanthus embelica. It is used in folk medicine for the treatment of headaches, dyspepsia and leucorrhoea. There are some reports regarding Triphala's pharmacological effects including its anti-cancer, radioprotective, hypocholesterolaemic, hepatoprotective and anti-oxidant activities. The most important components of these plants are the tannins and gallic acid which they contain. Gallic acid being a compound with tannin structure existing in the Triphala fruit. In this research, the gallic acid content contained in the three plants constituting triphala was determined. Plant fruits were purchased from available Iranian markets. Milled and powdered fruits from each plant were extracted with 70% acetone and subjected to a reaction with rhodanine reagent in the process forming a colored complex. The complex’s absorbance was measured at 520 nm and the amount of gallic acid was determined using its calibration curve. According to the results, the highest amount of gallic acid was observed in Phyllanthus embelica (1.79-2.18%) and the lowest amount was found in Terminalia chebula (0.28-0.80%). Moreover, differences between plant samples from different markets places were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). These differences can possibly be due to the source of plant preparation, storage condition and period of Triphala storage. In general, the rhodanin assay is a simple, rapid and reproducible method for the standardization of Triphala as gallic acid.
  • Martins Emeje, Christiana Isimi, Stephen Byrn, Joseph Fortunak, Olobayo Kunle, Sabinus Ofoefule Page 237
    This paper is the first multi-scale characterization of the fluidize-dried gum extracted from the fresh fruits of the plant Abelmoschus esculentus. It describes the physical, thermal, sorptional and functional properties of this natural gum. Elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size analysis, X-ray powder diffraction (XPRD), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), fourier transmittance infra red (FT-IR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were used to characterize the gum sample. Abelmoschus Esculentus Gum (AEG) had a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 70°C and no melting peak. It showed a 14.91% loss in weight at 195°C. X-ray diffractogram showed numerous broad halos for AEG. Elemental analysis showed that AEG contains 39.5, 7.3, 51.8, and 1.4% carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen respectively. The results obtained in this study established the fundamental characteristics of AEG and suggests its potential application in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical sectors.
  • Ahmad Reza Gohari, Hakimeh Ebrahimi, Soodabeh Saeidnia, Mahdi Foruzani, Puneh Ebrahimi, Yousef Ajani Page 247
    Salvia genus, which is generally called Maryam-Goli in the Persian language, belongs to Lamiaceae family and comprises 58 species in Iran. Four flavonoids plus a steroid compound were isolated from the ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of the aerial parts of Salvia macrosiphon Boiss, using different chromatographic methods on the silica gel and sephadex LH20. The structures of the isolated compounds were determined to be apigenin-7, 4'-dimethyl ether (1), -sitosterol (2), salvigenin (3) apigenin-7-O-glucoside (4) and luteolin-7-O-golucoside (5) using the 1H, 13C-NMR and MS spectra in comparison with those reported in the literature.
  • Satish Patil, Sneha Anarthe, Ram Jadhav, Sanjay Surana Page 253
    Methanolic and aqueous extracts of Dendrophthoe falcata Linn. leaves which belongs to the Loranthaceae family, were evaluated through DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl -2-picryl-hydrazyl), antilipid peroxidation and nitric oxide scavenging methods to assess the antioxidant activity. Methanolic and aqueous extracts of Dendrophthoe falcata leaves were also evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity by carrageenan and cotton pellet induced granuloma tests for their effect on the acute and chronic phase inflammation models in rats. It was found that the methanolic extract of Dendrophthoe falcata leaves demonstrates potent antioxidant activity as compared to aqueous extraction of Dendrophthoe falcata leaves for DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) radical scavenging, anti-lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide scavenging activity respectively (having IC50 value 77.8, 79.36 and 86.2, 144, 87, 104). The maximum inhibition for aqueous extract of Dendrophthoe falcata leaves (30.95%) and methanolic extract of Dendrophthoe falcata leaves (23.41%) were obtained at a dose of 300 mg/Kg after 4h of drug treatment in carrageenan induced paw edema, whereas diclofenac sodium (standard drug) produced 42.85% inhibition. In the chronic model (cotton pellet induced granuloma), aqueous extracts of Dendrophthoe falcata leaves and methanolic extracts of Dendrophthoe falcata leaves (at doses of 300 mg/Kg), phenylbutazone as standard drug showed decreased formation of granuloma tissue by 51%, 48%, 53% respectively. In addition, the total phenolic and flavonoid content of aqueous extracts of Dendrophthoe falcata leaves and methanolic extracts of Dendrophthoe falcata leaves were found to be 2.12 % w/w, 4.39 % w/w, 0.31 mg/g and 0.85 mg/g respectively. Thus the results indicate that methanolic and aqueous extracts of Dendrophthoe falcata leaves on animal models have potent anti-inflammatory and in-vitro antioxidant effects.
  • Shruti Sancheti, Sandesh Sancheti, Seung-Hun Lee, Jae-Eun Lee, Sung-Yum Seo Page 261
    Glycosidases are the enzymes involved in various biochemical processes related to metabolic disorders and diseases. Therefore, much effort has been focused on searching novel pharmacotherapy for the treatment of these ailments from medicinal plants due to higher safety margins. To pursue these efforts, the present study was performed to evaluate the α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of thirty Korean medicinal plant extracts. Among the plants studied, Euonymus sachalinensis, Rhododendron schlippenbachii, Astilbe chinensis and Juglans regia showed the strongest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 10, 20, 30 and 80 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, Meliosma oldhamii and Symplocos chinensis showed moderate α-glucosidase inhibition with IC50 values of 150 and 220 µg/mL, respectively. Therefore, they might prove to be a potential natural source for the treatment of metabolic ailments such as, diabetes, and need further investigations.
  • Zhengwen Yu, Fumei Yang, Qianyun Sunc, Bochu Wang, Zhannan Yang Zhannan Yang, Liancai Zhu Page 265
    The chemical composition of the essential oils of flower at the pre-flowering, full-flowering and post-flowering stage of A. annua was analyzed by GC and GC/MS and sixty-two components were identified. The main compounds in the pre-flowering oil were β-myrcene (37.71%), 1, 8-cineole (16.11%) and camphor (14.97%). The full-flowering oil contained predominantly caryophyllene (19.4%), germacrene D (18.1%), camphor (15.84%), 1, 8-cineole (10.6%) and (Z)-β-farnesene (9.43%). The major constituents identified in the post-flowering oil were camphor (16.62%), caryophyllene (16.27%), β-caryophyllene oxide (15.84%), β-farnesene (9.05%) and (-)-spathulenol (7.21%). The variety of anti-AChE activity of flower oil of A. annua at three flowering stage might be a result of the variety of the content and interaction of those terpenoids with anti-AChE activity. The greatest acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity (IC50 = 0.13 ± 0.02 mg mL-1) was exhibited by the essential oil of flower of A. annua at post-flowering stage.
  • Ghadam Ali Khodarahmi, Nasrollah Ghasemi, Farshid Hassanzadeh, Marzieh Safaie Page 273
    It has been reported that latex and extracts of different species of Ficus are cytotoxic to some human cancerous cell lines. In this study, cytotoxicity of fruit and leaf extracts as well as the latex of Ficus carica L. on HeLa cell line were evaluated. Ethanolic extracts of leaves and fruits were prepared through percolation and ethyl acetate and dichloromethane extracts were prepared by reflux method. Cytotoxic effects of these extracts and latex against HeLa cell line were then examined. Briefly, Hela cells were seeded at 2 × 104 Cells/mL in 96-well plates. After 24 h incubation at 37°C, the cells were treated with different concentrations of the extracts or latex. The viability of the cells was determined by the reduction of 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) from formazan following 48 h incubation and the absorbance was measured at 540 nm using an ELISA plate reader. The results indicated that the latex and different extracts of Ficus carica could reduce the viability of the Hela cells at concentrations as low as 2 µg/mL in a dose dependent manner. The approximate IC50 values of the ethanolic, ethyl acetate and dichloromethane extracts of the leaves and fruits were 10, 19, 12 µg/mL and 12, 12, 11.5 µg/mL, respectively. The IC50 for the latex was about 17 µg/mL.
  • Liancai Zhu, Jun Tan, Bochu Wang, Luhan Guan, Yuping Liu, Chao Zheng Page 279
    Paris polyphylla Smith var. yunnanensis, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for its antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties; in addition it has been used to cure liver cancer in particular. In this current study, β-ecdysterone (1) and three pennogenin steroidal saponins (2-4) were isolated from the EtOH extract of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis, and then tested for their antitumor and antifungal activities. Spectroscopic data was used to confirm their structures. Their antitumor properties were determined by using an MTT assay in addition to ethidium bromide and acridine orange staining techniques. Compounds 2, 3 and 4 exhibited significant anti-proliferation activities against HepG2 cells, with IC50 values of 13.5 μM, 9.7 μM and 11.6 μM respectively, obtained following 48 h treatment. Furthermore, we found these pennogenin steroidal saponins could induce HepG2 cells apoptosis at a concentration of 20 μM after 48 h treatment. Compounds 2, 3 and 4 were confirmed to exhibit moderate antifungal activity. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of compounds 2, 3 and 4 against saccharomyces cerevisiae hansen were 2.5 mg.mL-1, 0.6 mg.mL-1 and 0.6 mg.mL-1, respectively. The MIC of compounds 2, 3 and 4 against Candida albicans were 1.2 mgmL-1, 0.6 mg.mL-1 and 1.2 mg.mL-1, respectively. The analysis of the bioactivity-structure relationship shows that the sugar moiety plays a critical role in the activity of steroid moiety. Our results suggest that these three pennogenin steroidal saponins could be utilized to develop anticancer medicines.
  • Abdul Majid Ayatollahi, Mustafa Ghanadian, Suleiman Afsharypour, Omer Mohamed Abdella, Mehdi Mirzai, Gholamreza Askari Page 287
    The ethyl acetate partition of dried methanolic extract of aerial parts of Euphorbia microsciadia (Euphorbiaceae) afforded three pentacyclic triterpenes, betulinic acid (1) from lupane type, oleanolic acid (2) from oleane type and ursolic acid (3) from ursane type triterpenes that are reported for the first time in this plant. These three compounds were structurally compared through their mass fragmentation pattern, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data and their biologic immunomodulatory effects. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by 13C- and 1H-NMR as well as 2D-NMR, IR and by the aid of mass fragmentation pattern and comparing with the literature. After running T-Cell proliferation assay, oleanolic acid stimulated proliferation of T-Cells at lower concentration 0.5 µg/mL, while betulinic acid and ursolic acid showed inhibitory activity against T-Cell proliferation with IC50- value > 50 µg/mL and 3.01 ± 0.47 µg/mL, respectively.
  • Kalpana Patil, Shaikh Mohammed Imtiaz, Anoop Singh, Varsha Bagewadi, Shaikh Gazi Page 295
    In India, a number of medicinal plants and their formulations are used to cure hepatic disorders in traditional systems of medicine. No systemic study has been done on protective effect of Cucumis trigonus Roxb. (Cucurbitaceae) to treat hepatic diseases. Protective action of C. trigonus fruit extracts was evaluated in this study in animal model of hepatotoxicity, which was induced by carbon tetrachloride. Forty two healthy female albino Wistar rats weighing between 180 and 200 g were divided in to seven groups of 6. Group 1 was normal control group; Group 2, the hepatotoxic group was given CCl4; Group 3 was administered standard drug (Liv-52); Groups 4-7 received pet. ether, chloroform, alcohol and aqueous fruit extract (300 mg/kg) with CCl4. The parameters studied were alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and serum bilirubin activities. The hepatoprotective activity was also supported by histopathological studies of liver tissue. Results of the biochemical studies of blood samples of CCl4 treated animals showed significant increase in the levels of serum enzyme activities, reflecting the liver injury caused by CCl4. Whereas blood samples from the animals treated with chloroform and aqueous fruit extracts showed significant and alcohol extract showed highly significant decrease in the levels of serum markers, indicating the protection of hepatic cells. The results revealed that alcoholic fruit extract of Cucumis trigonus could afford highly significant protection against CCl4 induced hepatocellular injury.
  • Mohd Mujeeb, Shah Alam Khan, Vidhu Aeri, Babar Ali Page 301
    The ethanolic extract of Ficus carica leaves was screened for hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity in hepatotoxic Albino rats induced via carbon tetrachloride. The degree of protection was measured by estimating biochemical parameters such as serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), total protein (TP), total albumin (TA), alkaline phosphatase (ALKP) and the level of total serum bilirubin. The extract in addition reduced CCl4 induced lipid peroxidation in-vivo and in-vitro. The ethanolic extract (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) exhibited significant hepatoprotection in carbon tetrachloride intoxicated rats in a dose dependant manner. The hepatoprotective effects of the extract were comparable with the standard drug silymarin (10 mg/kg body weight, IP).
  • Mohammad Kazem Gharib Naseri, Neda Adibpour, Foroogh Namjooyan, Saeed Rezaee, Zahra Shahbazi Page 307
    The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aerial parts of Stachys lavandulifolia Vahl. extract on the rat ileum contractions. The crude extract was prepared by maceration method (90% methanol) followed by fractionating into chloroform, ethyl acetate, petroleum ether and water. In adult male Wistar rats, ileum was sectioned and mounted in tissue bath and their contractility was recorded isotonically. KCl (60 mM)-induced ileum contractions were attenuated by crude extract and its fractions. The most potent fraction was chloroformic fraction (CF) with IC50 = 0.126 ± 0.018 mg/mL. In calcium-free Tyrode solution with high K+, the CF (0.01 - 0.04 mg/mL) attenuated CaCl2-induced contractions (p < 0.001). The CF (0.05-0.8 mg/mL) attenuated the carbachol-induced contraction (p < 0.001). The CF antispasmodic effect was reduced by naloxone (as a non-selective opioid antagonist), not by propranolol and L-NAME as β-adrenoceptors antagonist and nitric oxide synthase inhibitor respectively. It was concluded that S. lavandulifolia can inhibit ileum contractility mainly via disturbing the calcium mobilization and partly by opioid receptors’ activation. Our results may support the traditional usage of this herb for treating diarrhea.
  • Masoumeh Tayari, S. Zahra Moosavi-Nejad, Ashraf Shabani, Mostafa Rezaei-Tavirani, Marzieh Dehghan Shasaltaneh Page 313
    Haptoglobin (Hp) is a mammalian serum glycoprotein showing a genetic polymorphism with three types, 1-1, 2-2 and 1-2. Hp appears to conserve the recycling of heme-iron by forming an essentially irreversible but non-covalent complex with hemoglobin which is released into the plasma by erythrocyte lysis. As an important consequence, Haptoglobin-Hemoglobin complex (Hp-Hb) shows considerable antioxidant property. In this study, antioxidant activity of Hp (2-2)-Hb complex on hydrogen peroxide has been studied and analyzed in the absence and presence of two beta-lactam antibiotics in-vitro. For this purpose, non-Michaelis behavior of peroxidase activity of Hp (2-2)-Hb complex was analyzed using Eadie-Hofstee, Clearance and Hill plots, in the absence and presence of pharmaceutical dose of ampicillin and coamoxiclav. The results have shown that peroxidase activity of Hp (2-2)-Hb complex is modulated via homotropic effect of hydrogen peroxide as an allostric substrate. On the other hand antioxidant property of Hp (2-2)-Hb complex increased via heterotropic effect of both antibiotics on the peroxidase activity of the complex. Both drugs also have mild effect on quality of homotropic property of the peroxidase activity of Hp (2-2)-Hb complex. Therefore, it can be concluded from our study that both beta-lactam antibiotics can increase peroxidase activity of Hp (2-2)-Hb complex via heterotropic effect. Thus, the two antibiotics (especially ampicillin) may help those individuals with Hp (2-2) phenotype to improve the Hp-Hb complex efficiency of removing hydrogen peroxide from serum under oxidative stress. This can be important in the individuals with phenotype Hp2-2 who have less antioxidant activity relative to other phenotypes and are susceptible to cardiovascular disorders, as has been reported by other researchers.
  • Narjes Zaeemzadeh, Aliasghar Hemmati, Ardeshir Arzi, Mohammadtaha Jalali, Iran Rashidi Page 321
    Treatment with amiodarone, a commonly prescribed antidysrhythmic agent, is associated with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) which is a commonly progressive and untreatable dieases. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is a phenolic antioxidant and an active anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial and antioxidant component of propolis (bee glue; a resinous hive product collected by honey bees). In the current study the effects of CAPE on amiodarone-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rat were investigated. Male rats were divided into 4 groups; first group was received only amiodarone (6.25 mg/kg) on first and third day. The second group received only vehicle (distilled water) with the same volume and time as the first group. Third and fourth groups received amiodarone and treated with CAPE 5 and 10 µmol/kg respectively 2 days before the first dose of amiodarone and 21 days after the second dose of amiodarone. At the end of the course of treatment, lung tissue was removed for histopathology and biochemical evaluations. Malondealdehide (MDA) concentration, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were determined in lung tissue. Histopathological evaluation was performed using light microscopy. MDA level and the activity of myeloperoxidase and superoxide dismutase enzymes decreased significantly in the group which was treated with CAPE (5 µmol/kg). However 10 µmol/kg CAPE had not such an effect. Both doses of CAPE could reduce the fibrogenic effects of amiodarone histopathlogically. In conclusion CAPE was shown to be effective in reducing amiodarone-induced pulmonary fibrosis with the dose of 5 µmol/kg.
  • Ashraf Taye, Henning Morawietz Page 329
    Accumulating evidence indicates that aldosterone plays a critical role in the mediation of oxidative stress and vascular damage. NADPH oxidase has been recognized as a major source of oxidative stress in vasculature. However, the relation between NADPH oxidase in aldosterone-mediated oxidative stress in endothelial cells remains to be ascertained. The present study aimed to investigate the relevant role of NADPH oxidase in aldosterone induced oxidative stress and the functional consequence of this effect on endothelial function. Additionally, we attempted to examine the potential role of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist; spironolactone (spiro) in this scenario. Human umbilical artery endothelial cells (HUAECs) were incubated with aldosterone (100 nmol/L, 24 h) in the absence and presence of Spiro (1 µmol/L). The results showed that aldosterone significantly increased the protein expression of NADPH oxidase subunits (Nox2, p47phox and p22phox) and that spiro markedly inhibited these changes. Functionally, this was associated with an elevation in NADPH oxidase activity and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) as a biochemical marker of oxidative stress. However, pre-incubation with spiro inhibited these consequences. Moreover, MR protein expression was upregulated by aldosterone whereas this effect was suppressed by Spiro. While aldosterone effectively inhibited endothelial nitric oxide (eNOS) protein expression, pretreatment with spiro markedly restored it to its normal level. In conclusion, the results achieved suggest that aldosterone may play a critical role in NADPH oxidase-mediated oxidative stress resulting in reduced eNOS expression in human endothelial cells. Spiro effectively reversed these consequences, suggesting its potential vasculoprotective effect in endothelial dysfunction.
  • Masoud Motallebi Kashani, Seyyed Bagher Mortazavi, Ali Khavanin, Abdolamir Allameh, Ramezan Mirzaee, Mehdi Akbari Page 339
    Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the most important occupational disease worldwide. NIHL has been found potentiate by simultaneous carbon monoxide (CO) exposure. Free radicals have been implicated in cochlear damage resulted from the exposure to noise and due to the CO hypoxia. This study examined whether α-tocopherol administration, as a free radical scavenger, causes the attenuation of auditory brainstem response (ABR) threshold shifts resulting from noise exposure and noise plus CO exposure. Forty-two rabbits were divided into seven groups including control, noise + saline, noise + CO + saline, noise + α-tocopherol, noise + CO + α-tocopherol, CO + α-tocopherol and α-tocopherol alone. ABR was assessed before exposure, 1 h and 14 days post exposure. The administration of 50 mg/Kg of α-tocopherol prior, following and post exposure to noise or noise plus CO recovered permanent ABR threshold shift at 1 and 2 KHz almost to the baseline and provided significant attenuation in permanent ABR threshold shift at 4 and 8 KHz in subjects which were exposed to noise but it did not block the potentiating of threshold elevation by CO exposure (extra threshold loss by combined exposure) at 4 and 8 KHz. α-Tocopherol provides protective effect against the hearing loss resulting from noise exposure and simultaneous exposure to noise plus CO.
  • Hassan Ghoshooni, Pooya Payandeh Mehr, Seyyed Hosein Salimi, Leila Golmanesh, Ahamadreza Dehpour, Hedayat Sahraei Page 347
    In the present study, the effects of pregnant NMRI mice restraint stress on the responsibility of their children to the behavioral properties of morphine, sulpiride and dextromethorphan were investigated in the F2 generation. Twenty four pregnant NMRI female mice (W: 25 g) were divided into the experimental and control groups (n = 12/group). Animals in the experimental group were kept in the restraint cylinder (ID = 6 cm, L = 20 cm) for 60 min/day for 15 consecutive days, while the control group did not receive stress. On the 8th day, blood samples were taken from the retro-orbital of both groups for corticosterone measurement (ELYSA method). After the F2 weight gained 20-25 g, their tendency for right-handedness or Left-handedness and response to the new environment was determined by T-maze and open field method, respectively. In addition, the effects of morphine, sulpiride and dextromethorphan on the animals’ motor activity were studied. Results showed that plasma corticosterone level in the experimental group was elevated significantly with respect to the controls. In the off-springs, left-handedness was more frequent in both the male and female animals whose mothers experienced restrained stress. In the open field paradigm, however, the females of experimental group showed more activity compared to the others. While the females of the control group showed more response to morphine (50 mg/Kg), interestingly, both male and female animals in the experimental group showed hypo activity to morphine (0.5, 5, and 50 mg/Kg). Similarly, sulpiride (25 and 50 mg/Kg) reduced the animals’ activity in both groups, while dextromethorphan did not cause any difference. In conclusion, it can be summarized that stress during the gestation period may change the response to the morphine-induced motor activity, in a sex-dependent manner.
  • Maryam Torshabi, Mohammad Ali Faramarzi, Mojtaba Tabatabaei Yazdi, Seyyed Naser Ostad, Mohammad Hosein Gharemani Page 355
    Runx3, a member of Runt-related transcription factor (Runx) proteins with tumor suppressor effect, is a tissue–restricted and cancer related transcription factor that regulate cell proliferation and growth, as well as differentiation. In the present study, exogenous Run3 was transiently expressed in AGS (human gastric adenocarcinoma), with undetectable Runx3 protein and in A549 (human lung carcinoma) with low levels of endogenous Runx3 protein. The GFP tagged Runx3 was transfected into AGS and A549 cells using fugene6 and PolyFect and Runx3 expression was confirmed by fluorescent microscopy and RT-PCR. The effect of Runx3 transfection on cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay and the results were confirmed by the trypan blue dye exclusion method. The effect of Runx3 expression on mRNA expression of BCL2-associated X protein (Bax) was evaluated using RT-PCR. In AGS and A549 cells, Runx3 expression inhibited cell proliferation (p < 0.01). The growth inhibition was less in A549 cells. We show that Runx3 expression increases Bax mRNA expression in AGS cells when compared with control (p < 0.05), but no significant differences in mRNA expression was observed in both examined cells. Runx3 expression has antiproliferative effect in AGS cell perhaps via increase in expression of Bax. The effect of Runx3 on A549 cells’ viability which has endogenous level of Runx3 is not related to Bax. These findings implicate a complex regulation by Runx3 in inhibition of cell proliferation utilizing Bax.
  • Tahereh Sadat Jafarzadeh Kashi, Ruha Kasra Kermanshahi, Mohammad Erfan, Elahe Vahid Dastjerdi, Yashar Rezaei, Fahimeh Sadat Tabatabaei Page 363
    Propolis has traditionally been used in curing infections and healing wounds and burns. Current researches have shown that propolis has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral actions however, the pharmacological activity of propolis is highly variable depending on its geographic origin. There have been few studies on the effects of Iranian propolis on the oral microorganisms. In this in-vitro study, the antimicrobial activity of the ethanolic and water extracts of the Iranian propolis (10%, w/v) from north-east area of Tehran was evaluated. Susceptibility of the oral strains tested (Streptococcus mutans ATCC 35668; Streptococcus salivarius ATCC 9222; Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923; Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 9854 and Lactobacillus casei ATCC 39392) was evaluated using the agar diffusion method at a concentration of 20 mg/mL of propolis and the zones of growth inhibition were measured. Antibacterial activity was determined by using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) at different concentrations of propolis. The ethanolic extract showed bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity against all the strains, with MIC and MBC ranges of 250-500 µg/mL. The MIC concentration of the water extract was 500 µg/mL against S. mutans and E. faecalis. The water extract showed bactericidal activity only against S. mutans (20 mg/mL). These results indicate that the ethanolic extract is probably more useful in the control of oral biofilms and subsequent dental caries development. However, to determine the consequence of the ethanolic extract of Iranian propolis on the oral mucosa, in-vivo studies of its possible effects are needed.
  • Maral Shekarchi, Latifeh Navidpour, Afshin Rajabi Khorami, Mahtab Shekarchi, Alireza Partoazar, Hamed Shafaroodi, Narges Rahmanipour, Abbas Shafiee, Maryam Shekarchi Page 369
    Diclofenac sodium has been used for its anti-inflammatory actions for about 28 years, but since all the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) suffer from the lethal gastro intestinal (GI) toxicities, diclofenac sodium is not an exception. The free –COOH group is thought to be responsible for the GI toxicity associated with all traditional NSAIDs. In the present research, the main motto was to develop new chemical entities as potential anti-inflammatory agents with no GI toxicities. A new type of 2-(2-phenoxyphenyl) acetohydrazide possessing N-arylidene substituents, was synthesized for evaluation as anti-inflammatory agents. The starting material 2-(2-Phenoxyphenyl) acetohydrazide was synthesized from 2-phenoxybenzoic acid in several steps according to the previous published method. Various substituted arylidene-2-phenoxynicotinic acid hydrazide derivatives were synthesized by the reaction of hydrazide 17 with selected aldehydes and screened for their potential anti-inflammatory activity. The structure of synthesized compounds was confirmed by different nuclear magnetic resonance technique, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Mass-spectrometry data format. Qualitative structure-activity relationship data, acquired using the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema assay, showed that this group of arylidene-2-phenoxybenzoic acid hydrazides exhibit anti-inflammatory activity with significant reduction of rat paw edema (17-58% reduction in inflammation at different time intervals) in comparison with control group and a moderate to good activity range in comparison with diclofenac as the reference drug. Compounds 9a, 9d and 9e exhibited the most prominent and consistent anti-inflammatory activity. The compound, N-(4-Chlorobenzylidene)-2-(2-phenoxyphenyl) acetohydrazide (9d), exhibited the most in-vivo activity (32-58% reduction in inflammation) compared to the reference drug diclofenac (35-74% reduction in inflammation) in a carrageenan induced rat paw-edema assay.
  • Fanak Fahimi, Kian Khodadad, Somayeh Amini, Farzaneh Naghibi, Jamshid Salamzadeh, Shadi Baniasadi Page 379
    Ginger, the rhizome of Zingiber officinalis, has long been used as herbal medicine for its antiemetic effect. For evaluating the effect of zingiber officinalis on nausea and vomiting (N and V) in patients receiving cisplatin based regimens, a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over clinical trial was carried out in patients receiving cisplatin in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents. The patients were randomly assigned to receive ginger capsules (rhizome of zingiber officinalis) or placebo in their first cycle of the study. All patients received standard antiemetics for chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). The patients were crossed-over to receive ginger or placebo in their next cycle of chemotherapy. Among 36 eligible patients who received both cycles of treatment, there were no difference in prevalence, severity, and duration of both acute and delayed N and V. Addition of ginger to the standard antiemetic regimen has shown no advantage in reducing acute and delayed N and V in patients with cisplatin-based regimen in this study.
  • Zahra Jahangard-Rafsanjan, Mohammad Reza Javadi, Hassan Torkamandi, Sara Alahyari, Azita Hajhossein Talasaz, Kheirollah Gholami Page 385
    The goal of this study was to evaluate the pattern and the suitability of the human Albumin usage according to the available and reliable guidelines. A concurrent, cross-sectional study was performed in Shariati Hospital (associated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran). All inpatient adults that were prescribed albumin during the study period were evaluated to register the indications for albumin usage and specific patient information. The total 1281 vials of Albumin were prescribed for 135 patients during the study period. The most common reasons to prescribe albumin were volume expansion after the heart surgery (53.3%), nutrition source in malnourished patients (19.3%), paracentesis (12.9%), plasmapheresis (9.6%), hypoalbuminemia (3%) and the others (2.1%). Only 411 vials (32.1%) prescribed with 34 prescriptions (25.2%) were utilized appropriately based on the guidelines. The results showed that based on the guidelines, the most prescriptions of albumin in this hospital have not been written appropriately. Therefore, educational programs on using guidelines may help reduce albumin usage and treatment costs.