Study of the Structure – Anabolic Activity Relationship for Phytoecdysteroids Extracted from Some Plants of Central Asia

Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal -     

Serum Ornithine Carbamoyl Transferase as a Surrogate Marker in Malaria

Ornithine carbamoyl transferase (OCT) activity and other liver function tests were studied in a total of 50 patients of clinical malaria and 15 controls. They were grouped as group I (positive for malarial parasite on peripheral blood smear, n=18), group II (negative for malarial parasite on peripheral blood smear (PBS) but responded to antimalarials, n=17) and group III (peripheral blood smear negative and did not respond to antimalarial therapy, n=15). The mean OCT levels were significantly raised in group I (6.79 ± 1.84 IU/L, p value = 0.006) and group II (5.0 ± 1.15 IU/L, p value = 0.014) as compared to controls (2.5 ± 1.13 IU/L) and returned to normal after treatment In contrast, group III had normal levels except in a case of kala azar and septicemia where OCT levels were high and increased further on treatment. Taking PBS positivity as a gold standard of diagnostic criteria, OCT had a sensitivity of 83% and specificity of 86% with a high positive predictive value of 88% as compared to ALT which had a lower sensitivity of 55% and specificity of 80%. The clinical response rate in PBS negative cases of fever having high OCT level was 83% as compared to 35% in cases with normal OCT level, making OCT a good surrogate marker of malaria. OCT levels could also be of prognostic significance as 2 cases of cerebral malaria had high OCT levels of 11.1 UAL and 10.7 IU/L, respectively.Key Words: Malaria, Ornithine carbamoyl transferase     

Effect of the Total Sesquiterpenoid Extract from Artemisia leucodes on Cholepoietic Processes in Rat Liver in the Normal State and During Experimental Hepatitis

Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal -     

The effect of galbanic acid on the course of experimental hepatitis

Administration of galbanic acid isolated from the roots of Ferula kopetdaghensis Eug. Kor. to rats orally in a dose of 50 mg/kg was found to improve the course of toxic hepatitis induced by fourfold subcutaneous injections of a 50% oil solution of CCl4. Galbanic acid produced much more earlier than in control normalization of the activity of the enzymes alanine- and aspartataminotransferase in blood serum, increased glycogen content and improved the parameters of the redox potential of lactic acid-pyruvic acid system in the liver. Galbanic acid exerted the antioxidant effect. In the animals with a developed hepatitis receiving galbanic acid there was a more rapid restoration of intensity of bile secretion, synthesis of bile acids and bilirubin, cholesterol excretion as compared with control.