Background and Aim: The beta toxin is causing the most severe Clostridium perfringens-related diseases. This work was dedicated to developing a vaccine against beta toxin using C. perfringens type C (NCTC 3180). Materials and Methods: The crude toxoid harvest contained 710 limits of flocculation (Lf)/mL. The vaccine was formulated. Each 1 mL of the final vaccine product contained at least 50 Lf/mL of beta toxoids, 0.2 mL 3% aluminum hydroxide gel (equivalent to 5.18 mg of aluminum), <0.001% W/V thiomersal, formaldehyde <0.05% W/V, and ∼0.7 mL phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.2). The efficacy of the vaccine was evaluated by potency, stability, and safety tests. Results: The vaccine demonstrated 24.36 IU/mL (standard deviation, ±0.56) and 14.74 IU/mL (±0.36) of neutralizing antibodies in rabbits and cattle, respectively. Indeed, these levels were above the minimum recommended by international protocols since the obtained antibody levels had 2.43- and 1.47-fold increase in both rabbits and cattle, respectively, over the minimum antitoxin level suggested by the United States Department of Agriculture. Interestingly, our formulation was capable of inducing 1.65-fold higher immune responses in rabbits than that stimulated in cattle (65% increase) with a significant difference (p<0.0001). The vaccine was stable up to 30 months. The vaccinated rabbits were suffered from a temporarily slight increase in temperatures in the first 10 h without any significant difference (p>0.05). Conclusion: The research showed a procedure for the manufacturing process of the vaccine against C. perfringens beta toxins with a feasible quantity and the vaccine described here showed to be effective in eliciting levels of neutralizing antibodies higher than required by international standards. In addition, The vaccine was stable up to 30 months. Thus, it may represent an effective and safe for preventing C. perfringens-related diseases in rabbits and cattle, although further studies to prove its efficacy in the field on other farm animals are still needed.

Caltrop (Tribulusterrestris L.) is a weed plant widely growing in warm climate. The crude caltrop has multidirectional pharmacological action favorable for the development of drug preparations. As in European countries caltrop is a non-officinal plant, it seems feasible to develop raw material standardization parameters for creation of novel drugs. In the course of thin layer chromatography research the following compounds were identified in caltrop herb purveyed during the fruiting season: rutin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, diosgenin. Diosgenin content in this raw material was determined by densitometry to be min. 0,11%.

Introduction. With due consideration of the properties of fatty acids, as well as their importance for normal life activity and human development, research into the fatty acid composition of poorly studied plants and the search for new domestic plant sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids is a mainstream trend in modern pharmacy. Aim. Aim of research – determination of fatty acid qualitative composition and content in threshed grass, stalks, roots and seeds of Night-scented stock ‘Queen of Night’ and ‘Evening Scent’ cultivars as grown in Ukraine. Methods. Gas chromatography. Results. Both cultivars of Night-scented stock taken for analysis had similar fatty acid composition – 5 saturated, 5 (4 for seeds) monounsaturated and 2 polyunsaturated fatty acids, Quantitatively, in all tested parts of the herb polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acid dominated, making in total 88.92% and 88.62% in the seeds of Queen of Night and Evening Scent cultivars, respectively, and averaging 65% in other parts of the tested cultivars. Linolenic and linoleic acids prevailed among the polyunsaturated fatty acids, whereas oleic acid prevailed among the monounsaturated. Conclusion. Night-scented stock can be utilized as a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids for the development of drugs and for standardization of tested raw materials.

This study describes the identification and quantitative determination of furostanol glycosides in caltrop herb harvested in the fructification period. Furostanol glycosides were identified by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and quantified by UV-vis spectrophotometry. The furostanol glycosides were visualized on the TLC plate as pink spots after treatment with dimethylamine benzaldehyde solution. UV-vis spectrophotometry quantified these substances to the amount of at least 0.4 %. The data on the identification and quantification of furostanol glycosides obtained in the course of this research was implemented in the development of the Ukrainian State Pharmacopoeia for caltrop herb.

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