Ipriflavone inhibits osteoclast differentiation in parathyroid transplanted parietal bone of rats

Summary Ipriflavone, a synthetic isoflavone-derived flavonoid, was shown to have inhibitory effect on bone resorption. In order to study its mechanism of action directly on bone, 46 female Wistar rats were divided into six groups and medicated orally for 25 days as follows: groups 1 and 2 were given 1% carboxymethylcellulose solution (vehicle), groups 3, 4, 5, and 6 were administered ipriflavone at doses of 0.178, 0.356, 0.712, and 1.424 mmol/kg/day (suspended in vehicle), respectively. On the 22nd day, parathyroid glands, taken from donor rats, were transplanted in contact with the outer surface of the periosteum of both the right and the left parietal bones of rats from groups 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The group 1 rats underwent sham operation. Bone histomorphometry, performed on the ectocranial periosteum of parietal bones, showed that absolute erosion boundary, absolute eroded area, absolute erosion depth, number of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive polinucleated osteoclasts, and number of TRAP-positive mononucleated cells decreased in ipriflavone-treated rats compared with group 2 rats. The reduction was roughly proportional to the increase of drug dosage and reached statistical significance in rats of groups 5 and 6. The same parameters were extremely low in group 1 rats. Mineral apposition rate did not differ in any of the groups. Significant increase of serum calcium and significant decrease of serum phosphate were found in group 2 rats compared with group 1 rats, whereas no differences from controls were detected in ipriflavone-treated animals.The results demonstrate that ipriflavone has a direct inhibitory effect upon bone resorption, probably by reducing recruitment or differentiation of osteoclasts, rather than by inhibiting the resorption activity of differentiated osteoclasts. Ipriflavone also seems to exert a protective action against parathyroid hormone (PTH) diffusion from the site of parathyroid gland transplantation.     

Does Senna Extract Promote Growth of Aberrant Crypt Foci and Malignant Tumors in Rat Colon?

Current evidence suggests that aberrant cryptfoci (ACF) can be used to evaluate agents for theirpotential colon carcinogenic activity. The aim of thepresent study was to determine whether senna pod extract (SE) itself induces ACF and tumors in the ratcolon or increases the development of ACF and tumorsinduced by azoxymethane (AOM). A daily administration ofSE 10 mg/kg by mouth for 13-28 weeks produced a weak laxative effect but did not itself causethe appearance of ACF or tumors. The numbers of ACF andtumors induced by AOM were, however, increased by a doseof SE (100 mg/kg) able to induce chronic diarrhea over three months. These resultssuggest that SE does not cause the appearance of ACF ortumors in the rat colon nor does it have a promotingeffect when given to rats at a dose that produceslaxation (10 mg/kg), whereas a diarrhogenic dose (100mg/kg) increases the appearance of tumors induced byAOM.     

Effects of reduced glutathione and n-acetylcysteine on lidocaine metabolism in cimetidine treated rats

Summary— The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of exogenous glutathione (GSH) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the formation of monoethylglycinexylidide (MEGX) from lidocaine in rats with and without the administration of cimetidine. GSH and NAC were administered intraperitoneally (ip) (1 mmol/kg) 1 hour before treatment with cimetidine (0.5 mmol/kg) or saline, and 1 hr later all rats were injected ip with lidocaine (1 mg/kg). Blood samples were drawn 30 min after the lidocaine injection. MEGX and lidocaine serum concentrations were determined by means of fluorescence polarization immuno-assay using the TDX system. Cimetidine produced a decrease in MEGX levels (from 210 ± 18 to 164 ± 13 ng/mL) and a parallel increase in lidocaine levels (from 73 ± 22 to 172 ± 47 ng/mL), consistent with cytochrome P-450 3A inhibition. Both GSH and NAC produced a significant decrease in MEGX levels (151 ± 16 and 139 ± 14 ng/mL, respectively), but no significant increase in lidocaine levels were found. As compared to the cimetidine group, pre-treatment using either GSH or NAC with Cimetidine produced a marked decrease in lidocaine levels (37 ± 27 and 63 ± 28 ng/mL, respectively) and no modification of MEGX levels (155 ± 12 and 165 ± 22 ng/mL, respectively). These results suggest that GSH and NAC might accelerate the lidocaine metabolism while counteracting the inhibitory effect of Cimetidine.     

Lack of evidence of omeprazole genotoxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats

Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor of increasingly wide usein the treatment of peptic ulcers. Although omeprazole has beensubjected to an extensive range of genotoxicity tests, whichhave all been concluded as negative, the ability of this compoundto interact with DNA and elicit unscheduled DNA synthesis inthe rat gastric mucosa has been the subject of debate. Therefore,we have examined omeprazole using other genotoxicity end-points.In female Sprague-Dawley rats, the administration by the oralroute of 100 mg/kg, either as neutral (pH 7.0) suspension oras suspension acidified to pH 1.5, which favours its transformationinto the active form of sulphenamide, did not induce DNA fragmentationin gastric mucosa and liver, as detected by the alkaline elutiontechnique. In the same experimental conditions, a frequencyof total nuclear anomalies (micronuclei, pyknosis and karyorrhexis)that was significantly higher than in controls was detectedwith both types of suspension in forestomach and descendingcolon mucosa. However, in both tissues this higher frequencyof nuclear anomalies was mostly due to pyknosis and karyorrhexis,which may be the outcome of a non-genotoxic effect, whereasthere was no significant increase in the number of micronucleatedcells, and this suggests the absence of clastogenic activity.Finally, in rats initiated with N-nitrosodiethylamine, the oraladministration of 100 mg/kg omeprazole for 14 successive daysproduced a modest but statistically significant increase ofliver -glutamyltranspeptidase positive foci, which is consistentwith a potential promoting activity. Taken as a whole and comparedwith previous findings our results add further doubts aboutthe undiscriminated capability of omeprazole to behave as agenotoxic carcinogen and provide evidence that the occurrenceof a genotoxic effect, if it actually takes place, is limitedto some strains of rats. ¹To whom correspondence should be addressed     

Oral administration of chlordiazepoxide plus sodium nitrite investigated for tumor initiating activity in the rat liver

Chlordiazepoxide (CDE) reacts with sodium nitrite at acid pH yielding the genotoxic derivative N-nitrosochlordiazepoxide (NO-CDE). In the present study oral administration of CDE plus NaNO2, previously found to produce DNA fragmentation in the rat liver, was examined for its ability to initiate hepatocarcinogenesis. The oral treatment for 6 successive weeks with CDE + NaNO2, added to the diet at the levels of 290 + 270 and 870 + 800 ppm, did not significantly increase the number or volume of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase-positive foci (putative preneoplastic lesions). These findings are in agreement with the negative results previously obtained in rodent carcinogenesis assays and indicate that NO-CDE belongs to the progressively expanding list of genotoxic non-carcinogens.