Inclusion of vegetables in the diet not only provides dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, trace elements but also significantly reduces the risk of several diseases. Raphanus sativus L. Var. caudatus belongs to the family Brassicaceae are pods of Radish, and are commonly known as Mungra or Sungra in Pakistan and India. The English name for this species is Rat-tailed radish. This variety of radish is unique, less familiar to the population, and not commonly used as a food source. Furthermore there have been very few studies that report on the potential antioxidant and anti-cancer capabilities of this radish. The present study was designed to evaluate anxiolytic potential of Raphanus caudatus in mice using different behavioral paradigms. The ethanol extract of the plant was evaluated at three different doses i.e. 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg. The extract at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg produced a significant (p < 0.05) reduction of anxiety-like behavior in mice and results are comparable to standard anxiolytic drug diazepam.
Background: Pakistan has witnessed a rise in the migration of professionals from the country in the last few years eventually leading to a brain drain. It is believed that the pharmacy students of Pakistan are ingrained with migration tendency. This study aimed to find out the factors influencing the trend, country of choice and reasons for migration. The study also looked into hurdles anticipated by the students during and after migration. Methods: A cross sectional study of 5 month duration was conducted in 3 cities of Pakistan targeting pharmacy students with a survey questionnaire. A total of 539 responses were gathered and analyzed in SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics, cross tabs and chi square test were used. Results: The prevelance of emigration was found to be 94.06% (91.72% -95.90% for 95% CI). The mean value of level of urgency was reported at 6.42/10 (SD 2.49). Lack of infrastructure for pharmacists and security issues in the country were major push factors for Pakistan (41.4%). Tough pharmacy license exam was reported as a major push factor for developed countries (21%). Family ties (46.2%) and desire to serve the country (33.6%) were major pull factors of Pakistan. More employment opportunities (24.7%) and lucrative salary (17.8%) were major pull factors for developed countries. USA was chosen as the most favored country for migration (24.9%) followed by Canada (21.9%). Conclusion: The pharmacy students appeared more poised to emigrate from Pakistan with high urgency. This idea was supported by pull factors of developed countries and push factors of Pakistan however, pull factors of Pakistan appeared promising in reducing the level of brain drain but it was unclear as to what extent this could overcome migration tendency.
Background: Currently-available antidepressant agents produce various adverse effects, and are expensive. At present, various plants are being evaluated for their possible role against numerous diseases, and no doubt, the role of traditional and complementary medicines in the development of effective therapy is incredible. The present study was designed to evaluate antidepressant-like activity of Raphanus sativus L. Var. caudatus at different doses in mice. Materials and Methods: Antidepressant potential of ethanolic extract of Raphanus caudatus L. was evaluated at three different doses 250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg by using forced swim test and tail suspension test on albino male mice. The results were compared with control and standard mice groups administered with normal saline and Fluoxetine respectively. In both parameters immobility period was recorded two times during 60 days dosing. Results:The ethanol extract at all three tested doses (250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg /kg) and standard fluoxetine demonstrated notable antidepressant-like activity (p<0.05) in both FST and TST paradigms. Conclusion: Our results clearly show that Raphanus caudatus ameliorate depression-like behavior in rodent model, and can be used to establish newer antidepressant approaches in future. However, mechanism-based studies are needed to establish the mechanistic action of Raphanus caudatus L.
The current study was designed with the aim to investigate anti-anxiety potential of Hibiscus rosa sinensis roots and its possible mechanism of action. For this purpose hole board test, elevated plus maze test and light/dark exploration test were employed. The ethanol extract of plant was administered orally at two different doses i.e. 100 and 500 mg/kg for consecutive 14 days. The results of present investigation indicate that plant extract significantly (p < 0.05) increased the number of head dips and rearings as compared to control on respective days of observation. The extract increased the time of permanence in open arms and the number of head dips in elevated plus maze. In light/dark test, our study indicate that Hibiscus rosa sinensis significantly (p < 0.05) increased the time spent in light compartment and number of entries as compared to control. In addition the anxiolytic effects of HRS at highest tested dose were blocked by flumazenil, a GABA-A receptor antagonist that indicate that Hibiscus rosa sinensis potentiated the GABAergic actions. The results propose that the ethanol extract of Hibiscus rosa sinensis has prospective anxiolytic effect in mice via inhibition of ionotropic GABA receptors, using different behavioral paradigms.
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