Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Volume:3 Issue: 3, Summer 2007

This research was conducted to investigate the physico-mechanical characteris-tics of the ethylcellulose-based coating membranes plasticized with different weight percents of dibutyl sebacate. In this experiment, free thin polymer sheetings of the sample formulations, by incorporating incremental weight percents of the plasticizer, were prepared employing a revised casting method of delayed solvent evaporation, whereby similar flat specimens of standard dimensions were subjected to tensile loadings and extensions. The data were analyzed to fairly decide on a moderate concentration of the plasticizer to provide a rationale explanation of a strong, hard, and tough structure among the specimens. The data revealed that 40% (w/w) of the ester results in the toughest structure amongst the similar specimens of the series leading to an ultimate toughness of 3.31 mj/m3.

Eight samples of flowering tops from six species of the genus Crataegus L., commonly called Hawthorn, from different geographic locations of Iran were standardized according to German Pharmacopoeia monograph on Crataegi folium cum flore (hawthorn leaf with flower) by high-performance thin-layer chromatograph-ic (HPTLC) fingerprinting combining with digital scanning profiling of their major polyphenolics as flavonoids and phenol carboxylic acids (PCAs). All of the species, except one, contained rutin and hyperoside as flavonoids, and chlorogenic and caffeic acid as PCAs in their flowering tops samples. HPTLC fingerprinting, rather than conventional TLC in the DAB 1997 hawthorn monograph, gave faster and more efficient qualitative and quantitative analysis of hawthorn plant material and their extracts that was appropriate for standardization of Crataegus spp. The corresponding digital scanning profiling provided an easy way for quantitative comparisons among the species. The HPTLC fingerprint is also suitable for rapid and simple authentication and comparison of subtle differences among samples of identical plant resource, but from different geographic locations.

The aim of this study was to evaluate aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) contamination in pasteurized milk samples in Mashhad, Iran. One hundred and ten milk samples from different supermarkets were collected during three months in spring and investigated by Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA). AFM1 was found in 100% of the milk samples. About 5.4% of the samples contained AFM1 greater than the maximum tolerance limit (0.05 μg/l) accepted by European Union. There was not a significant difference among the mean value of AFM1 in three months.

Aloe vera is a tropical plant belonging to the Liliaceae family. It has beneficialeffects in variety of diseases. The aim of this study was to formulate a topical cream from A. vera with wound burn healing effect and to perform its clinical trial. A total of 30 patients (20 males and 10 females in the age range of 20-50 years) with second degree burn wounds on their both hands were selected for the study. The subjects used A. vera topical formulation or silver sulfadiazine 1% cream on each hand as the test and control, symmetrically. The rate of healing was measured and compared on 0 to 18 days after treatment. Results indicated that average percent of healing with A. vera on day 10 was 90.6% compared with silver sulfadiazine which was only 29.8% (pA. vera on burn wounds without any adverse dermal toxic effects is very promisingand it may be employed in management of burn wound, routinely.

A convenient liquid chromatographic-single Quadrupole mass spectrometric (LC-MS) method was developed and validated for dexchlorpheniramine maleate (INN name: chlorphenamine) determination in human plasma. The need for just a single liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate and being highly sensitive were the advantages of this method. The linearity was also excellent over the range of 1 to 150 ng.ml-1 of dexchlorpheniramine maleate concentration. The method was statistically validated for its selectivity, linearity, precision and robustness. This method was successfully applied to the analysis of chlorpheniramine maleate in clinical studies.

The essential oil of Prangos ferulacea (Apiaceae) fruits was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometery (MS). Among the 39 identified constituents accounting for 99.99% of the total oil, the major components were chrysanthenyl acetate (26.53%), limonene (19.59%), alpha pinene (19.50%), delta-3-carene (6.56%), mesitaldehyde (6.09), and germacrene-B (3.55%). Antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was investigated against some gram positive and gram negative bacteria. The essential oil of P. ferulacea showed activity against Staphylococus aureus, S. epidermis, Eschrechia coli and Pseudomonas aeroginosa.

The composition of essential oil of leaves of the male and female shrubs of Juniperus chinensis L. (growing in Isfahan) was analyzed by gas choromatography(GC) and GC-mass spectrometery (MS). The main constituents of leaf oil of the male shrub were: bornyl acetate (26.1%), sabinene (18.3%), trans-sabinyl acetate (11.1%), myrcene (9.2%), limonene (6.1%), elemol (5.5%), α-cadinol (2.3%), δ-cadinene (2.2%), trans-thujone (1.6%), α-pinene (1.3%) and α-muurolol (1.1%); while the major constituents of leaf oil of the female shrub were: sabinene (18.0%), bornyl acetate (12.3%), carotol (11.4%), elemol (9.9%), myrcene (8.8%), α-pinene (6.4%), δ-cadinol (4.8%), limonene (3.9%), δ-cadinene (3.4%) and α-muurolol (2.7%).

To evaluate the enhancement effect of Berberis vulgaris var. integerrima seeds on the antibacterial activity of cephalexin and ceftizoxime against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli ethanol extract of the seeds were prepared. Disk diffusion and broth dilution methods were used to determine the antibacterial activity of two cephalosporins in the absence and presence of the extract and its various fractions separated by TLC. Clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were used as test strains. Total extract and one of its fractions enhanced the antibacterial activity of cephalexin and ceftizoxime. The active component of the extract involved in the enhancement of cephalexin and ceftizoxime antimicrobial activities had an Rf of 0.47 on TLC and a λmax of 209 nm. The highest fold decrease in MIC was observed for ceftizoxime plus the active fraction of the extract against Escherichia coli. Our preliminary results on the column chromatography and identification of the active component by high resolution mass spectroscopy showed that this minor compound may be categorized as a protoberberine structure compound. Therefore, the ethanolic extract of Berberis vulgaris var. integerrima seeds combined with cephalosporins may be useful against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.