Some Pharmacological Properties of An Aqueous Extract of Securinega Virosa Roots

An aqueous extract of Securinega virosa is used by traditional healers in Tanga (northeastern Tanzania) as an aphrodisiac and in the treatment of impotence, which is one of the manifestations of diabetes mellitus. An aqueous extract of the roots at doses of 0.1,0.2, 0.4 and 1.0 g/kg body weight lowered the area under the oral glucose tolerance curve (OGTT) in normal albino rabbits by 0.3 (P >0.05), 7.85, 11.0 and 9.6% (P =0.05), respectively. Chlorpropamide (0.1 g/kg body weight) had a greater effect on blood glucose and lowered area under the OGTT curve by 16.3%. The extract, at a dose of 0.4 g/kg body weight, had no effect on fasting blood glucose (FBG) when compared to controls given distilled water (P >0.05), except at 4 h, when the FBG for treated animals was higher. The LD 50 (95% confidence interval) determined by intraperitoneal administration of the extract to white albino mice was 0.30 (0.20–0.50) g/kg body weight. We conclude that the aqueous extract of Securinega virosa roots lowered the area under the OGTT curve dose-dependently at doses between 0.1 and 1.0 g/kg body weight. It did not lower blood glucose below fasting levels both in the fed and fasted state. More work is required to determine the toxic characteristics of the extract and the utility of the observed activity in the management of diabetes mellitus in humans.     

Effect of adding non-volatile oil as a core material for the floating microspheres prepared by emulsion solvent diffusion method

Eudragit® microspheres, to float in the gastrointestinal tract, were prepared to prolong a gastrointestinal transit time. To enhance their buoyancy, non-volatile oil was added to the dispersed phase. When an oil component was not miscible with water, over 90% was entrapped within the microspheres and prolonged the floating time of the microspheres. Depending on the solvent ratio, the morphologies of the microspheres were different and the best result was obtained when the ratio of dichloromethane:ethanol:isopropanol was 5:6:4. As the isopropanol portion increased, the time to form microspheres was delayed and the amount of fibre-like substance produced was decreased, due to the slow diffusion rate of the solvent. Compared with microspheres prepared without non-volatile oil, the release rate of the drug from microspheres was faster in all cases tested, except the microspheres containing mineral oil. The solubility of the drug in the non-volatile oil affected the release profiles of the drugs. The non-volatile oil tends to decrease the glass transition temperature of prepared microspheres and change the release profile. The internal morphology of the microspheres was slightly different depending on the entrapped oil phase used. Tiny spherical objects were present at the inner surface of microspheres and the inside of the shell.     

Urea-formaldehyde nanocapsules for the controlled release of diclofenac sodium

Urea-formaldehyde (UF), polymerized in situ in aqueous media, is a rigid polymer that can be used in the controlled release of bioactive molecules. During the process of polymerization, liquid neem seed oil (NSO) was encapsulated at three different loadings, which was then replaced by diclofenac sodium (DS), the presence of which was confirmed by FTIR spectra. The nanocapsules thus prepared were evaluated for percentage loading of the drug, particle size and release characteristics. Thermal analysis and x-ray data were obtained to understand the physical nature of the encapsulated drug. The surface characteristics of the nanocapsules were studied using a scanning electron microscope. Particles in the size range around 500nm were obtained. The percentage loading efficiency of NSO was 90-95, whereas for DS, the loading efficiency was only 50-60%. Complete release of the drug from the matrices occurred in 24h, whereas, at 8h only 60%of the drug was released.     

Phytochemical contents and enzyme inhibitory and antioxidant properties of Anethum graveolens L. (dill) samples cultivated under organic and conventional agricultural conditions

Inhibitory effect of the n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and ethanol extracts from Anethum graveolens L. (dill) cultivated under organic (AG-O) and conventional (AG-C) conditions was tested against acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and tyrosinase at 200 μg mL⁻¹. Their antioxidant activity was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylendiamine (DMPD), and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging assays as well as ferric ion-chelation capacity, ferric-(FRAP), and phosphomolybdenum-reducing antioxidant power (PRAP). The phytochemical analyses have been performed on both of the plant samples. GC–MS analysis pointed out that α-phellandrene was the main component in both of the essential oils in varying amounts (47.75% for AG-O and 27.94% for AG-C), while oleic acid was the dominant in the fruit oils of two samples (36.39% for AG-O and 53.87% for AG-C). HPLC analysis showed that both of the extracts contained rosmarinic acid as the major phenolic acid. The extracts inhibited BChE at moderate level, while the ethanol extracts exerted remarkable NO scavenging effect. The results emphasize that cultivation conditions may have effect on bioactivity and phytochemical content on plant samples.     

Designing and Testing of an Effective Oil-in-Water Microemulsion Drug Delivery System for In Vivo Application

The phase behavior of a new psedoternary system of clove oil/Tween 20 has been studied. Several compositions from the single-phase region were selected and their stability toward time, temperature, and electrolytes has been examined. A particular composition(clove oil/Tween 20/water as 5/30/65) was chosen as the drug delivery system from the clear oil-in-water zone of the pseudoternary system. The droplet dimension and the polydispersity state of the particular composition was determined by dynamic light scattering. A bioactive compound quarcetin was encapsulated in the vehicle. The efficacy of the drug in the vehicle was examined against leishmaniasis in hamster models. The hepatotoxicity of the vehicle (o/w microemulsion) with and without the drug quarcetin was examined by estimating serum alkaline phosphatase, glutamate pyruvate transaminase, urea, and creatinine.     

镇咳糖浆中挥发油提取工艺研究

目的：选择镇咳糖浆中挥发油的最优提取工艺.方法：以水蒸气蒸馏法提取挥发油的量为指标,按L9（34）正交试验法进行实验.结果：镇咳糖浆挥发油最优提取工艺为：饮片10倍量的水,浸泡1h,蒸馏时间5h.结论：实验得到的工艺稳定、可行.     

朱晓男分期辨治湿热毒盛糖尿病足

朱晓男教授认为糖尿病足多因消渴日久,气阴受损,脉道不利,血行瘀滞,瘀久化热,热盛肉腐或在某些外因诱发下局部感染毒邪所致;病位在血脉,病性为本虚标实;气阴两虚为本,湿热蕴阻、脉络瘀阻为标,湿热、瘀血即是气阴两虚的病理产物,又是消渴导致脱疽的病理因素。湿热毒盛糖尿病足发病迅速,易于变化,若失治、误治易出现损筋坏骨等严重病理变化;又因足部皮薄近骨且间隙较多,常引起深部组织及骨关节间化脓性感染而出现损筋坏骨等严重病理变化;虽属"疽"的范畴,又兼具"疔"的特点,临症要有"走马看疔"的态度,严密观察,病不容缓,及时应对,不可贻误;分为急性期、缓解期、恢复期,中西医结合综合内外兼治,标本合治,适时祛腐切开引流,清脉康洗剂浴足,内服糖足方,外用一效膏、油调膏等,各有侧重,注重局部,兼顾整体。     

参麦注射液联合鸦胆子油乳治疗晚期肿瘤恶液质34例

目的探讨参麦注射液联合鸦胆子油乳治疗癌症晚期恶液质的临床疗效。方法将68例晚期癌症恶液质患者随机分为治疗组和对照组,每组34例;治疗组予参麦注射液联合鸦胆子油乳注射液,对照组予氨基酸等胃肠外营养;两组疗程均为1个月,观察生存质量疗效、体质量疗效以及淋巴细胞亚群变化情况。结果治疗组生存质量、体质量总有效率分别为88.2%、85.3%,对照组分别为67.6%、64.7%;治疗组生存质量疗效、体质量疗效均明显优于对照组(P0.05)。治疗前后组内比较,治疗组CD4+、CD4+/CD8+水平明显提高(P0.05),对照组各指标差异均无统计学意义(P0.05);组间治疗后比较,CD4+、CD4+/CD8+差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论参麦注射液联合鸦胆子油乳注射液能够改善癌症晚期恶液质患者的生存质量,增加体质量,提高机体免疫功能。     

复方紫归油的制备及质量控制

目的制备复方紫归油并建立其质量控制方法。方法以大豆油为提取溶剂制备样品,采用薄层色谱法定性鉴别方中主药紫草和当归;对细菌、霉菌及酵母菌数计数方法及控制菌检查方法进行验证;同时建立其他相关质量控制指标。结果质量控制指标系统全面,薄层斑点清晰,重复性好。结论处方及制备工艺合理可行。质量控制方法可靠、全面,可用于本品的质量控制。     

便塞通胶囊挥发油的β-环糊精包合工艺研究

目的考察β-CD包合便塞通胶囊中挥发油的最佳工艺条件。方法采用饱和水溶液包合法,以挥发油利用率和包合物收得率为评价指标,利用正交试验筛选包合工艺。结果最佳包合工艺条件是:β-CD用量与挥发油的比例为6∶1(g/m l),包合温度为40℃,包合时间为1h。结论此包合工艺收得率较高,且稳定、可靠。