Anti-ulcer polysaccharides from Cola cordifolia bark and leaves

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Aqueous extracts of bark and leaves of C. cordifolia are traditionally used in Mali (West Africa) in the treatment of wounds and gastric ailments like abdominal pain, gastritis and gastric ulcers.

Aim of the study

To evaluate and compare the anti-ulcer and immunological activities, as well as the toxicity of polysaccharide rich water extracts from the bark and leaves of C. cordifolia.

Materials and methods

Gastric ulcers were induced in rats and the inhibition of ulcer formation was calculated based on lesion index. Immunological activities were measured by complement fixation and macrophage activation. Toxicity was tested on brine shrimps. The two extracts were characterised by GC, Yariv-precipitation and quantification of phenolic compounds. An ethnomedical survey on C. cordifolia was carried out in Siby (Mali, West-Africa) to generate more knowledge about the traditional use.

Results

Bark and leaf extracts from C. cordifolia significantly inhibited the formation of gastric lesions in rodents in a dose depending manner. CCbark50 showed a high complement fixation activity in vitro. No toxicity was found. The ethnomedical survey showed that C. cordifolia was mainly used for treating pain and wounds.

Conclusions

Our results shows that the bark and the leaves comprise a dose dependant anti-ulcer activity in an experimental rat model (no statistical difference between the plant parts). Clinical studies should be performed to evaluate the effect of both bark and leaves of C. cordifolia as a remedy against gastric ulcer in human.     

Soft drinks consumption and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) is a common clinical condition which is associated with metabolic syndrome in 70% of cases.Inappropriate dietary fat intake,excessive intake of soft drinks,insulin resistance and increased oxidative stress combine to increase free fatty acid delivery to the liver,and increased hepatic triglyceride accumulation contributes to fatty liver.Regular soft drinks have high fructose corn syrup which contains basic sugar building blocks,fructose 55% and glucose 45%.Soft drinks...     

Microanatomical Effects of Ethanolic Extract of Cola Nitida on the Stomach Mucosa of Adult Wistar Rats

The study investigated the microanatomical effects of the extracts of Cola nitida on the stomach mucosa of adult male Wistar rats. Twenty adult male wistar rats were randomly divided into four equal groups of A, B, C and D (n=5). Animals in experimental groups B, C and D were given 600mg/kg body weight of crude extract of Cola nitida each by oral intubation for five, seven and nine consecutive days respectively, while group A (control) received equivalent volume of distilled water. Twenty four hrs after the last administration, the animals were sacrificed; tissues were harvested and fixed in 10% formol saline for histological analysis. The study revealed necrotized surface epithelium, degenerated gastric mucosa, and loss of glandular elements in the stomachs of experimental groups'' vis-à-vis the control group. These observations were days-dependent; as those groups which received the extract for higher number of days were seen to be adversely affected. In conclusion, Cola nitida at 600mg/kg body weight can cause gastric lesion in animals. This lesion may be pronounced if the administration continued for days. Cola nitida should, therefore, be taken with caution to avoid gastric complications.     

Scutellarin ameliorates cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis by inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin and MAPK signaling pathways

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that is the basis of cartilage extracellular matrix degeneration and joint inflammation. Scutellarin is an herbal flavonoid glucuronide, isolated from the Chinese traditional herb Erigeron breviscapus, has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effect. Here, we showed that Scutellarin could inhibit inflammation and protects cartilage from degeneration in vitro and in vivo. Scutellarin downregulate the mRNA and protein expression of MMP1, MMP13, and ADAMTS-5, Wnt3a, Frizzled7 and promote the expression of Collagen II and Aggrecan. Moreover, scutellarin inhibit the migration of β-catenin and phosphorylation of p38 into the nucleus, which may relate to the mediation of the Wnt/β-catenin and MAPK signaling pathway. Furthermore, scutellarin significantly inhibit the cartilage degradation of DMM-induced OA mice by safranin-O and fast green staining. In conclusion, our study indicates that scutellarin may be a potential drug for the treatment of OA.     

Effect of cola consumption on urinary biochemical and physicochemical risk factors associated with calcium oxalate urolithiasis

Since stone formers are advised to increase their intake of fluid, the present study was undertaken to determine the effect of cola beverage consumption on calcium oxalate kidney stone risk factors. Fourteen males and 31 females provided 24-h urines before and after an acute load of cola. Relative supersaturations, activity products and empirical risk indices, ratios and quotients were calculated from urinary biochemical data to assess calcium oxalate crystal and stone formation risk. Several risk factors changed unfavourably following consumption of cola. In males, oxalate excretion, the Tiselius risk index and modified activity product increased significantly (P < 0.05). In females, oxalate excretion increased significantly while magnesium excretion and pH decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Scanning electron microscopy showed that urines obtained from both sexes after cola consumption supported calcium oxalate crystallization to a greater extent than the control urines. It is concluded that consumption of cola causes unfavourable changes in the risk factors associated with calcium oxalate stone formation and that therefore patients should possibly avoid this soft drink in their efforts to increase their fluid intake. Received: 2 January 1998 / Accepted: 9 July 1998     

高效液相色谱法测定可乐中咖啡因含量

目的用HPLC测定可乐中咖啡因的含量,建立测定可乐中咖啡因含量的高效液相色谱法的最佳工作条件。方法色谱柱采用kromasilC18柱(250mm×4.6mm,5μm);流动相:甲醇-水(40:60);流速:1.0ml/min;检测波长为275nm;进样量20μl;柱温为室温。结果咖啡因与其它杂质均能达到基线分离,其色谱峰形好。咖啡因的浓度在30～70μg/ml时与峰面积成良好的线性关系(y=27498x+67325,r=0.9994),平均加样回收率为100.1%,方法精密度RSD为1.2%(n=6)。结论该方法准确、简便、快速,适合可乐中咖啡因的含量测定。     

常用口腔修复材料镍铬合金、钴铬合金和纯钛对可乐饮品的耐腐蚀性评价

目的：研究镍铬合金、钴铬合金和纯钛在可乐饮品中的电化学腐蚀行为,为临床修复中合金材料的选择提供依据。方法：以镍铬合金、钴铬合金和纯钛为研究对象分为3组,采用经典的三电极体系,测量各种金属合金在人工唾液和可乐中的自然腐蚀电位（Ecorr）和极化曲线,计算极化电阻（Rp）和腐蚀电流密度（Icorr）,将所得数据进行统计分析。结果：镍铬合金、钴铬合金和纯钛在可乐中的Ecorr和Rp值小于人工唾液中的Ecorr和Rp值（P<0.05）,3种修复材料在可乐中的Icorr值大于人工唾液中的Icorr值（P<0.05）。可乐中Ecorr和Rp值比较,镍铬合金最低,钴铬合金次之,纯钛最高（P<0.05）;Icorr值比较,镍铬合金最高,钴铬合金次之,纯钛最低（P<0.05）。结论：3种金属修复材料均在可乐中比在人工唾液中腐蚀速度快、耐腐蚀性差。在可乐中,纯钛的腐蚀速度最慢,耐腐蚀性最好,镍铬合金的耐腐蚀性最差;镍铬合金与钴铬合金的腐蚀速度均较快。     

Quantitation of tr-cinnamaldehyde,safrole and myristicin in cola-flavoured soft drinks to improve the assessment of their dietary exposure

Quantitation of tr-cinnamaldehyde, safrole and myristicin was carried out in 70 samples of cola-flavoured soft drinks purchased in eight European countries with the purpose of assessing the variability in the levels of these substances. Results indicated a limited variability in the content of the three substances: the ratio between the 90th and the 10th percentile concentration amounted to 21, 6 and 13 for tr-cinnamaldehyde, safrole and myristicin, respectively. The uncertainty in the assessment of dietary exposure to these substances due to the variability of their level in cola-flavoured drinks was low.Based on these analytical data and on refined food consumption data, estimates of exposure to safrole associated to cola drink consumption, along with Margin of Exposure (MOE) values, were obtained. For high consumers of cola-flavoured soft drinks in certain age groups, within some European countries, MOE values lower than 10,000 resulted, MOE values of 10,000 or higher having been stated by the EFSA as a quantitative criterion to identify low concern from a public health point of view and low priority for risk management actions. The lowest MOE values, from 1900 to 3000, were observed for children and teen agers in the United Kingdom and Ireland.