Pharmaceutical Sciences
Volume:20 Issue: 1, Jun 2014

Opioidal analgesics are one of the most important drugs that have been widely used in attenuating moderate to severe pain. Unfortunately, the problems of opioids long term usage are tolerance, dependence, and ultimately addiction to mentioned drugs. Glial cells (microglia and astrocyte) and pro-inflammatory cytokines are important factors in morphine tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. It has been demonstrated that Artemisia austriaca extract has got antinociceptive and anti inflammatory properties. In this study the effect of total methanolic extract of aerial parts of Artemisia austrica on withdrawal syndrome of morphine in male rats has been evaluated. Adult male Wistar rats were rendered morphine-dependent by injection of additive doses of morphine subcutaneously twice daily for 9 days. To determine the effect of Artemisia austriaca extract on morphine withdrawal syndrome, 1 hours after last morphine injection, different doses of the methanolic extract of Artemisia austriaca (100, 200, 400 mg/kg, i.p.) dissolved in its vehicle (%25 DMSO in saline), was injected and after 30 minutes, naloxone (4 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected and withdrawal signs were recorded for 45 minutes. The results showed that methanolic extract of Artemisia austriaca could reduce the morphine withdrawal symptoms in a dose-dependent manner. Conclution: The results of the present study indicate that Artemisia austriaca has beneficial effects in reducing withdrawal syndrome of morphine. The underlying mechanisms of this effect may consist of reduction of inflammatory response and attenuating of pro-inflammatory cytokines activation by its alkaloids content.

Onopordon acanthium L. is an important medicinal plant which has been used in Iranian medicine. In the present study, total phenolic content (TPC) was evaluated and antibacterial properties of n-hexane and methanol extracts of O. acanthium L. seeds were screened. TPC was determined by Folin–Ciocalteu reagent method. Antibacterial activities of O. acanthium were investigated using disc diffusion method, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and resazurin microtiter assay against some gram-positive bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Micrococcus loteus as well as gram-negative ones Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia. The TPC was found to be 168.56 ± 4.89 mg of gallic acid/g of extract. Plant methanol extract showed significant antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria; Staphylococcus epidermidis and Micrococcus luteus (with MIC= 0.612 mg/ml), while n-hexane extract demonstrated negligible to no inhibitory activity against gram negative and gram-positive bacteria. The results of the present study suggested the effect of O. acanthium methanol extract against the tested bacteria in vitro, may contribute to the in vivo efficacy of this extract.

Imipenem, a member of the carbapenem class of beta-lactam antibiotics, is a broadly active antimicrobial. Due to indiscriminate use, drug resistance has spread in many hospitals. The aim of this study was to evaluate utilization of imipenem in Imam Khomeini educational hospital in Sari. Over a three-month period from September to November 2010, all patients who received imipenem during hospitalization were included. Demographic data, duration of imipenem therapy, dose, dosage adjustment in renal insufficiency and co-prescribed antimicrobials were extracted from patient's medical files. Recommendations of UpToDate 20.2 and Sanford 2009 were considered as standards of rational imipenem prescribing. Data analysis was performed by SPSS 17 software. A total of 100 patients with a mean age of 51.4±21.4 were enrolled in the study. Dose and duration of imipenem therapy were appropriate in 64 (64%) and 50 (50%) patients, respectively. In 83 (83%) cases, empiric antibiotic therapy was initiated within the first day of admission which included imipenem in 31 patients (37%). All patients received imipenem as empiric therapy. The most common co-prescribed antimicrobial agent with imipenem was vancomycin (66 cases). Imipenem was administered by consult of an infectious specialist just in 30% of patients. 14 imipenem prescriptions (14%) required dosage adjustment according to the patient's renal function, whereas it was performed only for 5 (35%) patients. Culture tests were carried out for 29 (29%) cases. High rate of empiric prescription of imipenem without considering culture and antimicrobial susceptibility results, lack of attention to dosage adjustment in renal insufficiency and initiation of antimicrobial therapy at the time of admission were the most important aspects of irrational use of imipenem that observed in this study. Providing a reliable culture/sensitivity setup and prescribing of imipenem based on a specific guideline are recommended.

After abdominal surgery, postoperative adhesion is a serious problem that threats the patients. The Present study evaluated the protective effects of morphine on abdominal adhesion in an experimental model in rat. Materials: An experimental intraabdominal adhesion model was created in 24 adult male rats by ischemic bottom method. The animals were divided into three groups. The control group was not treated by morphin. In the morphine group, the animals received morphine as 10 mg/kg once a day for three days after surgery. In group 3, the addicted animals to morphine received morphine as 10 mg/kg daily after surgery. Drug dependency was confirmed by naloxone. Adhesions were evaluated by nair and swollon scoring system 10 days after surgery. There was a significant differences regard to the length (P<.05), thickness (P<.05), and severity of adhesions (P<.05) among the control, morphine, and morphine-addicted groups. Morphine reduced the severity of postoperative adhesions the present study. Morphine could affect postoperation adhesion through suppression of inflammation. It is suggested that opioid receptor(s) might involve in this process. Therefore, selective ligands could be used and offer a pharmacologic strategy in preventing adhesion formation.

Lamiaceae family is one of the main sources of aromatic and medicinal plants. In the present study essential oil constituents, free radical-scavenging activity and total phenolic content of the aerial parts of four Lamiaceae taxa, Ziziphora tenuior (ZT), Scutellaria orientalis subsp. virens (SO), Eremostachys laciniata subsp. iberica (EL) and Phlomis herba-venti subsp. pungens (PH), collected from "Mishu-Dagh" region (Northwest of Iran) were investigated. GC and GC-MS were applied for the analysis of plants oils. Free radical-scavenging activity and total phenolic content of the plants hydroalcoholic extracts and their polar and non-polar fractions were also evaluated using DPPH and Folin-Ciocalteu methods, respectively. A total of 58 compounds were identified in essential oils, among them 1,8-cineol (19.6%), germacrene D (16.5%), linalool (10.2%) and germacrene D (11.7%) were characterized as main compounds in ZT, SO, EL and PH oils, respectively. In DPPH assay, polar fractions of EL and ZT exhibited considerable free radical-scavenging activity (IC50; 11.0 ± 2.3 and 12.7 ± 2.7 μg ml-1, respectively) in comparison with BHT (IC50; 10.8 ± 2.1 μg ml-1). The former fractions were also found to contain the highest total phenolic content (231.9 ± 9.3 and 214.1 ± 11.3 mg EGA/g, respectively). The present study introduces these four taxa as the plants with terpene rich oils and suggests them as potential sources of free radical-scavenging compounds.