Naturally occurring benzodiazepines may codetermine chronotypes.

Determinants of individual differences in sleep-wake cycles and vigilance are being recognized as major factors of influence in both physical and mental health. Alterations of an accustomed circadian sleep-wake rhythm are commonly seen in the early stages of the majority of psychiatric disorders and, by themselves, predispose to significant morbidity even in the absence of an underlying illness. While it is well known that disruptions of sleep respond favourably to benzodiazepines, agents which have been prescribed for insomnia since their industrial synthesis in the early 1960s, little attention has been paid to putative central nervous system effects of naturally occurring benzodiazepines.

Pharmacological profile of apigenin, a flavonoid isolated from Matricaria chamomilla.

Dried flowers of Matricaria chamomilla L. are largely used to provide sedative as well as spasmolytic effects. In the present study, we examined in particular the pharmacological property of a fraction isolated from a methanolic extract of M.

Naturally occurring benzodiazepines: current status of research and clinical implications.

Naturally occurring benzodiazepines (BZDs) were first detected in mammalian tissues in 1986. They comprise a variety of 1,4-benzodiazepines corresponding to drugs commercially available for the treatment of anxiety disorders, sleep disturbances and epileptic seizures. Several biosynthetic pathways leading to the formation of BZDs are currently being discussed and have led to the proposition of possible precursor molecules.

Endogenous benzodiazepine-like compounds and diazepam binding inhibitor in serum of patients with liver cirrhosis with and without overt encephalopathy.

Background/aim: Despite some controversy, it has been suggested that endogenous benzodiazepine plays a role in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the concentrations of endogenous benzodiazepines and the peptide, diazepam binding inhibitor, in the blood of patients with liver cirrhosis with and without overt encephalopathy, and to compare these levels with those of consumers of commercial benzodiazepines.

Subjects: Normal subjects (90), benzodiazepine consumers (14), and cirrhotic patients (113) were studied.

Benzodiazepine-like compounds in the plasma of patients with fulminant hepatic failure.

Background: Benzodiazepine-like compounds have been implicated in the pathogenesis of encephalopathy after fulminant hepatic failure.

Methods: The levels and the nature of benzodiazepine-like compounds were determined in six cases of fulminant hepatic failure during the course of the disease. Blood samples were collected on admission and a few days later, when the neurologic status had improved in five cases and immediately before death in one case.