Background: Sildenafil, a selective phosphodiesterase -5 (PDE-5) inhibitor increases cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and amplifies many biological actions of nitric oxide (NO) which is an important mediator of gastric mucosal defense ; was evaluated in this study using different doses for its cytoprotective effect on gastric mucosal damage induced by indomethacin . We also evaluated the effect of this drug on NO production, Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis, Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and Interlukin-4 (IL-4) expression.
Methods: The study was performed between April and July 2008 in the Department of Pharmacology / College of Medicine /Baghdad University .It was conducted on 80 adult male albino rats, divided into 8 groups, the first served as a control received the vehicle, the second received indomethacin orally of 60mg/kg .The third and fourth groups were pretreated 30 minutes prior indomethacin with oral sildenafil 10 and 20mg/kg respectively. The other groups were pretreated 30 minutes prior to sildenafil (10and20mg/kg) with intraperitoneal NG-L-Arginine Methyl Ester (L-NAME) 20mg/kg with or without L-Arginine. The rats were then sacrificed after 4 hours and their stomachs were isolated and submitted to macroscopical assessment and for the measurement of the gastric PGE2, MPO, and IL-4.
Results: Sildenafil (10 and 20 mg/kg) pretreatment resulted in a significant (p<0.01) decrease in the gastric damage score. The MPO activity was significantly (p<0.01) decreased, while the level of IL-4 was significantly (p<0.01) increased. On the other hand PGE2 level was not changed. L-NAME given 30 min before 10 and 20 mg/kg sildenafil, significantly (p<0.01) abolished the protective effects of sildenafil and also reversed the effects of sildenafil on MPO activity and IL-4 levels. On the other hand addition of L-Arginine resulted in the restoration of the protective effects of sildenafil which was also reflected on the gastric damage score, MPO activity and IL-4 levels.
Conclusions: The results demonstrate that the injurious effect of indomethacin can be reduced or ameliorated by sildenafil pretreatment, and that the protective effect of sildenafil against
indomethacin was through an NO dependent pathway.
Background: Antioxidant, sedative, anticancer, and antibacterial properties are among the numerous pharmacological characteristics of Galium verum. Aim: The primary goal of this research was to investigate the therapeutic effects of G. verum extract against folic acid-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). Materials and methods: 18 male rats were assigned into three groups: Control, AKI, and G. verum. AKI was induced by a dose of folic acid (250 mg/kg, i.p.) while G. verum (250 mg/kg) was administrated for 7 consecutive days. Results: G. verum methanol extract contains flavonoids, anthraquinones, tannins, iridoids, triterpen
... Show MoreIntroduction: Nitrofurantoin (NFT) is abroad spectrum bactericidal antibiotic. The bioavailability of NFT is affected by many factors. Samafurantin® tablets containing 50 mg NFT were manufactured by Samarra drug industry. Urinary excretion studies were employed since; the urinary tract is the main site of NFT action and excretion. Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of Uricol® and food on secondary pharmacokinetic parameters of Samafurantin® tablets with different doses by applying urinary data. Methods: Twelve healthy male volunteers participated in this study. Urine samples were collected from each volunteer after overnight fasting at a specified time intervals which considered as a blank sample for meas
... Show MoreExposure to lead results in significant accumulation in most of vital organs, and free radical damage has been proposed as a cause of lead-induced tissue damage, where oxidative stress is a likely molecular mechanism. This study was designed to evaluate therapeutic effects of melatonin in lead-induced organ toxicity in rats. The therapeutic effects of melatonin on lead induced toxicity in rats were evaluated using 36 rats, which were allocated into 3 groups and treated as follows: Group I, includes 12 rats injected subcutaneously with 0.2 ml physiological saline for 30 days, followed by treatment with a daily dose of 20mg/kg melatonin, administrated I.P for the successive 30 da
... Show MoreAbstract Liver cancer with hepatocellular carcinoma a serious clinical illness that progresses quickly and has a bad prognosis because to increased malignancy. Fibrosis is the precursor of liver cancer, which progresses to cirrhosis and carcinoma Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) is a chemical molecule that has been used as a carcinogenic agent to promote cancer in test animals because of its strong carcinogenic potential. Herbal plants have long been used as inexpensive, effective alternatives to pharmaceuticals in various liver-associated complications, since they contain many bioactive compounds useful in liver disorders. Hibiscus tiliaceus L. (Malvaceae) contain various phytochemicals in the plant extracts such as Flavonoids, phe
... Show MoreThe purpose of present study is to evaluate the effect of co-administration of curcumin (CUR) at various doses on the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of tacrolimus (TAC), a CYP 3A4 substrate in healthy male rabbits. Healthy male rabbits (n=18) were employed in an in vivo, parallel-randomized study. Three groups of rabbits were selected and separated: The rabbits in the first group (control group) received 1 mg/kg TAC orally. Blood samples (1.5-2 mL) were drawn from rabbits' ear marginal veins at the following time frames: 15.0, 30.0, 45.0, 60.0, 90.0, 120.0, 150.0, 180.0 and 300 minutes after TAC administration post dosing and analyzed by using a TAC chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLIA) detection kit. In the second and third gro
... Show MoreThe current study, performed during the period from February 2021 to June 2022 at the University of Thi- Qar/ College of Education for Pure Sciences, and aimed to follow the changes in external morphological features at different Embryonic developmental stages in pregnant rats treated with different doses of amlodipine. Usage In this study, 18 pregnant rats were randomly divided into three groups, each with six pregnant rats. Each group received different concentrations of amlodipine (0.3, 0.5) in oral doses until the 20th day of gestation, while the control group was injected with 0.9% normal saline. Teratomas are bizarre tumors derived from embryonic tissue that are normally found only in the gonadal and sacral regions of adults. Primary
... Show MoreBackground: Hypothyroidism is a decrease in the production of the thyroid hormones and leads to gland dysfunction. Ashwagandha extract was used as an ayurvedic treatment and supposed to be as antihypothyroidism agent.
Objectives: to investigate the impact of ashwagandha (Ash) extract on propylthiouracil (PTU)-induced hypothyroidism in rats.
Subjects and Methods: The rats were divided into three groups, control group, PTU (hypothyroid) group (6mg/kg/day by oral route), PTU (6mg/kg/day by oral route) +Ash (50mg/kg/day by oral route) treated group. All treatment continued for
... Show MoreLiver is considered as the first target for the toxic effects of toxins and other xenobiotics, and this can be attributed to its role as a site which receive all absorbed xenobiotics from the gastrointestinal tract and its role as a major site for biotransformation of xenobiotics. The present study was designed to evaluate the possible hepatoprotective effect of benfotiamine against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. The study was conducted on 48 male albino rats; the animals were allocated into 8 groups (6 rats in each group) and treated as follow: 4 groups treated with oral doses of either normal saline, benfotiamine (100 mg/kg), thiamine (100 mg/kg), N-acetylcystein (400 mg/kg) only without induction of hepatic damage. Th
... Show MoreCataract, which is the opacity inside clear ocular lens of eye, result in the scattering of visible light as it passes via the lens and consequently deterioration in optical image. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether safranal, an active constituent of Crocus sativus L. stigmas, has a protective effect on the cataract in the rat's pups. The animals were randomly divided into five groups, each of which consisted of 7 rat pups. Group I served as normal control (vehicle administration). For testing cataract induction, animals of Groups II, III, and IV were administered a single subcutaneous injection of sodium selenite on postpartum day 12. After sodium selenite intoxicatio
... Show MoreBack ground: methotrexate is an antifolate that is widely used in cancers and inflammatory or auto- immune diseases, it is also known to be contraindicated in pregnancy, breast feeding and not recommended in patients planning to be parents since it has a harmful effect on fetus and gonads.
Ovarian function can be evaluated by certain parameters like the levels of female hormones or anti- Mullerian hormone which is considered as a good indicator for this purpose or histopathological examination of ovarian follicles especially the primordial follicles.
Objective: the aim of this study is to determine the effect of two different concentrations of me
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