Trends in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Volume:4 Issue: 2, Jun 2018

In the present report, we describe a middle- age man who experienced decrased visual acuity and metamorphopsia several times since administration of desmpressin nasal spray.Ophthalmologic examination revealed that visual acuity of OD: 4/10 and OS: 9/10 with correction. pigmentary change and retinal elevation was present in fundus examination. Finding was documented with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and Fluorescein angiography (FA).The patient was diagnosed as central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) due to consumption of desmopressin nasal spray.We conclude that desmopressin might be developed of CSCR but more study is recommended to confirm this hypothesis that there is association between this kind of drug and development of CSCR.

Oral drugs may have adverse effects that affect vision. There are some drugs that are confirmed to induce ciliary effusion such as topiramate. Here we present a case of sudden onset decreased vision after consumption of chlordiazepoxide for a while.

This review comprises some biological activities of vanadyl Schiff base complexes in terms of antidiabetic, antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-fungal activity. The structure activity relationship for the potential biological activities of these compounds is also discussed.

Lactuca sativa L. (Garden Lettuce), is an edible herb cultivated in Iran and other parts of the world. In Traditional Iranian Pharmacy books, garden lettuce is named "Kass Bostani" and  Hakim Aqili classified it as a "Ghazā'ye Dawā'ee" (Ghazā means Food; Dawā means Drug). It is said to be soporific, prescribed to cure insomnia and to be useful in thirst and feeling of hotness and burning in the stomach. Seeds of this herb reduce semen, suppress libido and are useful in cases of frequent nocturnal emissions. Fixed oil obtained from seeds of this plant is reputed to have hypnotic and brain moistening properties. In this study we aimed to analyze the fatty acid composition of the crude seed oil of Lactuca sativa L. Methyl esterification of the fatty acids was performed by the method of Ken'ichi Ichihara et al but with a slight modification. Components of the oil were then extracted by n-hexane and analyzed by Gas chromatography-Mass spectroscopy and Gas Chromatography methods. Identified constituents which represented 98.20% of the total elutes were the methyl esters of linoleic (52.38%), oleic (34.42%), palmitic (7.25%), stearic (2.66%), arachidic (1.32%) and myristic (0.17%) acids. Total percentages of methyl esters of the saturated and unsaturated fatty acids identified in our examined oil are 11.4 and 86.80% respectively. In conclusion, seed fat of Lactuca sativa L. like many other plant fats, is rich in unsaturated fatty acids.

The cholestatic liver disease ensues with a hepatic accumulation of cytotoxic molecules. Several hydrophobic bile acids are known as cytotoxic agents accumulated in the liver during cholestasis. Chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) is a toxic hydrophobic bile acid. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are well-known mechanisms of bile acids cytotoxicity. In the current study, CDCA effect on isolated liver mitochondria was monitored by analyzing the changes in mitochondrial dehydrogenases activity, mitochondrial permeabilization, and mitochondrial membrane potential. On the other hand, taurine (1 mM) and carnosine (1 mM) were added as potential protective agents against CDCA-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Increasing concentrations of CDCA (100 µM - 1000 µM) impaired mitochondrial membrane potential, decreased mitochondrial dehydrogenases activity and enhanced mitochondrial permeabilization and swelling. It was found that taurine and carnosine supplementation preserved mitochondrial function in the presence of CDCA. The results mention that toxicologically relevant concentrations of CDCA impaired mitochondrial function. On the other hand, taurine and carnosine might be applicable as protective agents against bile acids-induced mitochondrial impairment and toxicity.

Urmia Lake is one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world. Water evaporation and saturation cause a lot of salt crystals formation on the lake beach. In this study, extremely halophilic strains were isolated from salt crystals that formed in distinct regions of lake. The isolation was performed by means of modified Marine agar medium and their DNA were extracted and amplified by PCR using universal primers that amplify archaeal 16S rDNA. The amplified archeal DNA fragments were purified, and were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis which was compared to known sequences by a Blast search at NCBI (National Center for Biological Information). Similarity analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences of all isolates indicated that the archaeal isolates belong to three different halophilic genera of euryarcheota: Halorubrum, Haloarcula and Halobacterium. These extreme halophilc archaea can be used as a potential source of new therapeutic metabolites and enzymes as well as antibiotic compounds along with novel biotechnological applications.

Heavy metals are environmental pollutants which pose toxicity toward biological systems. Most organs are susceptible to heavy metals-induced toxicity. Hence, finding protective agents against heavy metals-induced toxicity is valuable. The post-nuclear supernatant (PNS) has been accepted as an in vitro model for assessing xenobiotic-induced toxicity toward biological systems. Monitoring the toxic effects of a large number of xenobiotics in a short time is one of the superiorities of PNS system. The goal of the present study was to validate the PNS as an in vitro model for investigating the effect of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, As, Hg, Cr, and Pb)-induced toxicity and evaluating the potential protective effects of glycine and betaine. Markers of oxidative stress including ROS formation, lipid peroxidation and glutathione content in addition of succinate dehydrogenase activity (MTT test) were monitored in the presence of heavy metals alone or in combination with glycine (1 mM) and betaine (100 µM). Our results suggest that PNS preparations can be used as an appropriate model for future investigation of xenobiotics-induced toxicity and estimation of the protective properties of different agents. Indeed, further evaluations in other experimental models could reveal the protective properties of betaine and glycine against heavy metals-induced organ injury.

Today soil and environmental pollution by heavy metals, has become a serious problem for human health. This pollution can be absorbed by agricultural products and enter the body.The purpose of this research is to investigate the contaminant of 2 medicinal plants by 4 heavy metals in shiraz city. To achieve this, 2 kinds of medicinal plants Matricaria chamomilla and Lavandula angustifolia were chosen and then were bought from 6 different herbalist in Shiraz and then were registered in medicinal plants herbarium of school of pharmacy, shiraz university of pharmaceutical sciences. Plarograph was used for measuring the concentration of Copper, Zinc, Cadmium, and Lead in this study. And according to the results, it can be found that the concentration of heavy metals in these two medicinal plants wasn't more than the Standard concentration which was reported for similar plants. And at last it doesn’t need to be worry.