Influence of Clitoria Ternatea Extracts on Memory and Central Cholinergic Activity in Rats

Clitoria ternatea , commonly known as Shankpushpi, is widely used in the traditional Indian system of medicine as a brain tonic and is believed to promote memory and intelligence. We examined the effectiveness of alcoholic extracts of aerial and root parts of C. ternatea at 300 and 500 mg/kg doses orally in rats in attenuating electroshock-induced amnesia. Extracts at 300 mg/kg dose produced significant memory retention, and the root parts were found to be more effective. In order to delineate the possible mechanism through which C. ternatea elicits the anti-amnesic effects, we studied its influence on central cholinergic activity by estimating the acetylcholine content of the whole brain and acetylcholinesterase activity at different regions of the rat brain, viz., cerebral cortex, midbrain, medulla oblongata and cerebellum. Our results suggest that C. ternatea extracts increase rat brain acetylcholine content and acetyl cholinesterase a ctivity in a similar fashion to the standard cerebro protective drug Pyritinol.     

银杏达莫对梗阻性肾病大鼠肾间质纤维化的作用

目的：研究银杏达莫对梗阻性肾病大鼠肾间质纤维化的作用。方法：通过单侧输尿管结扎建立梗阻性肾大鼠模型,将其随机分成对照组、模型组、银杏达莫组。术后2周、3周、4周后分别检测肾功能及行病理染色。结果：随访4周后,银杏达莫组大鼠血尿素氮、肌酐水平较模型组明显降低,有显著性差异（P〈0.05）,肾脏病理改变较模型组明显减轻。结论：银杏达莫能明显改善梗阻性肾病大鼠肾间质纤维化的程度。     

Effects of Essential Oils and Extracts from Certain Thymus. Species on Swimming Performance in Mice

Abstract

The effect of the methanol extracts and essential oils from the aerial parts of Thymus fallax. Fisch. & C.A. Mey. (Lamiaceae), T. kotschyanus. Boiss. et Hohen., and T. pubescens. Boiss. et Kotschy ex Celak on mouse swimming performance were studied using different doses. On the basis of our findings, the methanol extracts and oils shortened remarkably the immobility period during the forced swimming test in comparison with negative control and exhibited a dose-dependent antidepressant activity. The duration of immobility observed via the essential oils was less than that via the extracts in these experiments. The results of tests showed that the extracts and oils of T. fallax. had more antidepressant activity than T. kotschyanus. and T. pubescens..     

Hepatic clearance of drugs. I. Theoretical considerations of a “well-stirred” model and a “parallel tube” model. Influence of hepatic blood flow,plasma and blood cell binding,and the hepatocellular enzymatic activity on hepatic drug clearance

Two commonly used models of hepatic drug clearance are examined. The “well-stirred” model (model I) views the liver as a well-stirred compartment with concentration of drug in the liver in equilibrium with that in the emergent blood. The “parallel tube” model (model II) regards the liver as a series of parallel tubes with enzymes distributed evenly around the tubes and the concentration of drug declines along the length of the tube. Both models are examined under steady-state considerations in the absence of diffusional limitations (cell membranes do not limit the movement of drug molecules). Equations involving the determinants of hepatic drug clearance (hepatic blood flow, fraction of drug in blood unbound, and the hepatocellular enzymatic activity) and various pharmacokinetic parameters are derived. Similarities and differences between the models are explored. Although both models predict similar hepatic drug clearances under a variety of conditions, marked differences between them become apparent in their predictions of the influence of changes in the determinants of drug clearance on various pharmacokinetic parameters.