Evaluation of the developmental toxicity of solvents, metals, drugs, and industrial chemicals using a freshwater snail () assay.

A freshwater snail assay was employed to assess the embryotoxicity of solvents including acetone, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, dimethyl-sulfoxide, glycerin, metals/metalloids including mercuric chloride (HgCl), cadmium chloride (CdCl,), antimony salts Sb and Sb, drugs including colchicine, hydroxyurea, cyclophosphamide, an industrial chemical sodium azide (SA), an anionic surfactant dodecyl sodium sulfate-(DSS), HO and sodium chloride (NaCl). The assay consists of exposing egg masses (EM) to the substances for 96-hr and following up embryo/snail development for lethality, abnormal morphology (teratogenicity), and day of hatching up to day 10 or 14 after spawning. Based upon concentration-response relationships, LCs (embryolethality), ECs (teratogenicity) and ICs (hatching retardation) and 95%CIs were determined for tested chemicals.

Evaluation of the maternal and developmental toxicity of 6-methylmercaptopurine riboside in rats.

Thiopurine prodrugs (azathioprine, AZA, and 6-mercaptopurine, 6MP) are embryotoxic to rodents and rabbits. Little is known about the developmental toxicity of 6-methylmercaptopurine riboside (6MMPr), a thiopurine drug metabolite that is thought to mediate its liver toxicity. A limb bud assay found that 6MMPr impairs the in vitro morphogenetic differentiation of mouse limb extremities, being more potent than 6MP in the assay.

Protective effects of a chemically characterized extract from leaves on acetaminophen-induced liver injury.

Distinct parts of Swartz. (Solanaceae) are popularly used for a variety of therapeutic purposes. This study determined the phytochemical composition of a phenolic fraction of leaf aqueous extract and investigated its antioxidant and liver-protective properties.

Preliminary studies on drug delivery of polymeric primaquine microparticles using the liver high uptake effect based on size of particles to improve malaria treatment.

Malaria is the most common parasitic disease around the world, especially in tropical and sub-tropical regions. This parasitic disease can have a rapid and severe evolution. It is transmitted by female anopheline mosquitoes.

Transplacental Transfer of Primaquine and Neurobehavioral Development of Prenatally Exposed Rats.

Primaquine (PQ) not only eliminates gametocytes but also kills liver dormant forms of and . Owing to these unique therapeutic properties, it is an essential drug. Although PQ has been used for over 70 years, its toxicological database has gaps such as the absence of studies on its reproductive and developmental toxicity and kinetics in pregnancy.

Malaria-induced Alterations of Drug Kinetics and Metabolism in Rodents and Humans.

Background: Infections and inflammation lead to a downregulation of drug metabolism and kinetics in experimental animals. These changes in the expression and activities of drug-metabolizing enzymes may affect the effectiveness and safety of pharmacotherapy of infections and inflammatory conditions.

Objective: In this review, we addressed the available evidence on the effects of malaria on drug metabolism activity and kinetics in rodents and humans.

Off label, compassionate and irrational use of medicines in Covid-19 pandemic, health consequences and ethical issues.

When Covid-19 emerged in December last year, there was no vaccine nor was there specific effective treatment for this fast-spreading and life-threatening viral respiratory infection. Clinical trials were planned and are in progress to investigate whether drugs used for influenza, HIV and other viruses, and also anthelmintics (ivermectin, nitazoxanide, niclosamide), and antimalarials (chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine) showing antiviral activity in in vitro assays, are effective and safe for Covid-19. So far there is no convincing evidence that these antiviral and antiparasitic drugs are of any benefit for Covid-19.

Antenatal exposure to antidepressant drugs and the risk of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders: a systematic review.

This study investigated whether antenatal exposure to antidepressants (ADs) increases the risks of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), schizophrenia and other mental illnesses, and cognitive and developmental deficits in infants or preschool children. PubMed, EMBASE, BIREME/BVS databases were searched to identify studies examining associations of ADs in pregnancy with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Twenty studies addressed ASD and/or ADHD risks while 30 focused on developmental and cognitive deficits in infants or preschool children.

The tale of lenalidomide clinical superiority over thalidomide and regulatory and cost-effectiveness issues.

In April 2017, the National Sanitary Surveillance Agency (ANVISA-Brazil) approved lenalidomide (LEN) for multiple myeloma (MM) and myelodysplastic syndrome. ANVISA had rejected the first application in 2010, and denied a request for reconsideration in 2012. The reason for rejection was the lack of comparative effectiveness studies proving that LEN was more effective than thalidomide (THAL), a strictly controlled drug regulated by Federal law 10.

A critical appraisal of the harm reduction argument for heat-not-burn tobacco products.

Heat-not-burn products (HNBs) are efficient nicotine delivery devices that heat tobacco instead of burning it, as conventional cigarettes do. Since heating yields less carbon monoxide and other tobacco pyrolysis-derived toxicants, tobacco companies claim that HNBs are less harmful than conventional cigarettes are. Although this hypothesis is plausible, no long-term clinical trials and/or observational studies are available to corroborate it.

Chemical profile, liver protective effects and analgesic properties of a Solanum paniculatum leaf extract.

Background/aim: Solanum paniculatum L. (Solanaceae) is a plant native to South America where it is used in traditional medicine for different therapeutic indications. This study evaluated the chemical composition and the hepatoprotective and analgesic activities of S.

Study on the developmental toxicity of β-ionone in the rat.

β-ionone (BIO) is used in fragrances, toiletries and non-cosmetic products, and as a flavor food additive. Notwithstanding the widespread human exposure, there are limited data on the reproductive toxicity of BIO. This study evaluated the developmental toxicity of BIO (0, 125, 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg body weight/day) given orally to rats on days 6-15 of gestation (GD6-15).

Maternal and developmental toxicity of the hallucinogenic plant-based beverage ayahuasca in rats.

Rats were treated orally with ayahuasca (AYA) on gestation days (GD) 6-20 at doses corresponding to one-(1X) to eight-fold (8X) the average dose taken by a human adult in a religious ritual, and the pregnancy outcome evaluated on GD21. Rats treated with 4X and 8X doses died during the treatment period (44 and 52%), and those that survived showed kidney injury. Rats surviving the 8X dose showed neuronal loss in hippocampal regions and in the raphe nuclei, and those from the 2X dose neuronal loss in CA1.

A newly validated high-performance liquid chromatography method with diode array ultraviolet detection for analysis of the antimalarial drug primaquine in the blood plasma.

Introduction:: Primaquine (PQ) diphosphate is an 8-aminoquinoline antimalarial drug with unique therapeutic properties. It is the only drug that prevents relapses of Plasmodium vivax or Plasmodium ovale infections. In this study, a fast, sensitive, cost-effective, and robust method for the extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array ultraviolet detection (HPLC-DAD-UV ) analysis of PQ in the blood plasma was developed and validated.