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Incorporating the phytosomal form of silymarin in liposomal carrier system increased the oral bioavailability and showed better hepatoprotection and better anti-inflammatory effects compared with silymarin suspension.

Potu BK, Rao MS, Kutty NG, Bhat KMR, Chamallamudi MR, Nayak SR. Petroleum ether extract of Cissus quadrangularis (LINN) stimulates the growth of fetal bone during the intra-uterine developmental period: a morphometric analysis. Clinics. 2008;63:815-20. OBJECTIVE:The aim of the present study was to analyze the effect Cissus quadrangularis plant petroleum ether extract on the development of long bones during the intra-uterine developmental stage in rats. METHODS: Pregnant rats (n=12) were randomly assigned into either a control group (n=6) or a Cissus quadrangularis treatment (n=6) group. Pregnant rats in the Cissus quadrangularis group were treated with Cissus quadrangularis petroleum ether extract at a dose of 500 mg/kg body weight from gestation day 9 until delivery. The animals in the control group received an equal volume of saline. Newborn pups were collected from both groups for alizarin red S -alcian blue staining to differentiate ossified and unossified cartilage. The ossified cartilage (bone) was morphometrically analyzed using Scion image software. RESULTS: Morphometric analysis revealed that the percentage of the total length of ossified cartilage (bone) in pups born to treated dams was significantly higher (P<0.001-0.0001) than that of the control group. CONCLUSION:The results of the present study suggest that maternal administration of Cissus quadrangularis petroleum ether extract during pregnancy can stimulate the development of fetal bone growth during the intra-uterine developmental period. KEYWORDS:Estrogens; Phytoestrogens; Ossification; Alizarin red-Alcian blue. INTRODUCTIONThere is increasing evidence that the intra-uterine environment influences the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis later in life. 1 This is thought to occur through fetal programming, which refers to the ability of changes in environmental factors (e.g., nutrition, stress, and exposure to toxins) at critical periods during development to permanently alter the structure, physiology, or metabolism of the body. 1 Exposure to ethanol in utero has a number of effects on the developing skeleton, while these effects do not appear to normalize after birth. 2 Cissus quadrangularis (CQ) is a weed plant that is used commonly in India and Sri Lanka to hasten the fracture healing process. [3][4][5] Leaf, stem, and root extracts from this plant are used in the management of various ailments. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Phytochemical analysis of Cissus quadrangularis revealed a high content of ascorbic acid, carotene, phytosterol substances, and calcium, 15 and there are reports of the presence of β-sitosterol, δ -amyrin, and δ-amyrone. 16 All of these components have potentially different metabolic and physiological effects. [17][18][19] [25][26] This evidence implicates a direct effect of estrogen on the skeleton and alternatively on bone tissue turnover. Although several excellent reviews have documented the beneficial effects of phytoestrogens on humans and laboratory ani...

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Among the different doses tested, 50 μm of sesamol showed maximum protection against Dox-induced oxidative damage. This reflects the significance of sesamol in ameliorating the deleterious effects associated with cancer chemotherapy.

Latest reports suggest the involvement of insulin in modulating memory. A few published in-vitro studies favor the antidementia effect of insulin. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the prophylactic role of insulin and its combination with glucose and its possible mechanism(s) in an aluminum chloride (AlCl3)-induced cognitive dysfunction model in rodents, with a special focus on memory centers namely, the hippocampus and the frontal cortex. Male Wistar rats were exposed to AlCl3 (175 mg/kg orally) for 60 days. Insulin (0.5 IU/kg), Insulin (0.5 IU/kg) in combination with glucose (200 mg/kg), and rivastigmine (1 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally 45 min before the administration of AlCl3 for 60 days. Spatial memory was assessed using the Morris water-maze test. After 60 days of treatment, animals were killed, and the hippocampus and frontal cortex were collected and analyzed for acetylcholinesterase activity and antioxidant enzyme level. Blood glucose levels were also analyzed. Treatment with the standard drug, rivastigmine (1 mg/kg), produced a significant reduction in escape latency and increased the time spent in the target quadrant compared with the AlCl3-treated group. Insulin and its combination with glucose could not inhibit the behavioral impairments in aluminum-exposed rats. Treatment with insulin alone and its combination with glucose reversed the increased glucose levels. Insulin alone and its combination with glucose could not inhibit aluminum-induced oxidative stress and impaired cholinergic transmission in the hippocampus and frontal cortex regions. The study suggests the inability of prophylactic insulin administration against cognitive dysfunction induced by environmental toxin (AlCl3) in the hippocampus and the frontal cortex.

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs like ibuprofen impede tissue repair by virtue of retarding inflammation. The present study was undertaken to explore if linking of nitrooxyethyl ester to ibuprofen reverses its healing-depressant propensity. Nitrooxyethyl ester of ibuprofen (NOE-Ibu) was synthesized in our laboratory through a well-established synthetic pathway. NOE-Ibu was screened for its influence on collagenation, wound contraction and epithelialization phases of healing, and scar size of healed wound in three wound models, namely, incision, dead space, and excision wounds. Besides, its influence on the oxidative stress (levels of GSH and TBARS) was also determined in 10-day-old granulation tissue. NOE-Ibu was further screened for its antiinflammatory activity in rat paw edema model. NOE-Ibu promoted collagenation (increase in breaking strength, granulation weight, and collagen content), wound contraction and epithelialization phases of healing. NOE-Ibu also showed a significant antioxidant effect in 10-day-old granulation tissue as compared to ibuprofen. Results vindicate that the esterification of ibuprofen with nitrooxyethyl group reverses the healing-suppressant effect of ibuprofen. The compound also showed equipotent antiinflammatory activity as ibuprofen.