Comparative anti-inflammatory properties of Capsaicin and ethyl-aAcetate extract of Capsicum frutescens linn [Solanaceae] in rats.

Background: The analgesic effect of capsaicin (the active ingredient in Capsicum frutescens Linn. [Solanaceae]) had been reported in several studies. Current research is being directed at producing analgesics, anti-inflammatory agents with better side effect profile.

Effects of Ficus exasperata vahl. (moraceae) leaf aqueous extract on the renal function of streptozotocin-treated rats.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the possible reno-protective effect of Ficus exasperata leaf aqueous extract (FEE) in a rat experimental paradigm of diabetes mellitus. Forty Wistar rats (weighing 200-230 g) were divided into four (A, B, C, and D) groups, each group consisting of 10 rats. Group A rats served as 'control' animals and received citrate buffer (pH 6.

Contractile effect of Sclerocarya birrea (A Rich) Hochst (Anacardiaceae) (Marula) leaf aqueous extract on rat and rabbit isolated vascular smooth muscles.

Background: Sclerocarya birrea (Anacardiaceae) is traditionally used for treating hypertension. The pharmacological effects of S birrea leaf aqueous extract (SBE) on rabbit and rat vascular smooth muscles were investigated in this study.

Methods: Fresh S birrea leaves (1 kg) were air dried at 26 ± 1°C, milled, macerated in 2.

Hypoglycaemic and hypotensive effects of Ficus exasperata vahl. (Moraceae) leaf aqueous extract in rats.

The hypotensive and hypoglycaemic effects of Ficus exasperata (Vahl) (family: Moraceae) leaf aqueous extract (FEE) were investigated in experimental rat models. In this study, spontaneously-hypertensive rats (SHR) (type 1 diabetes), obese Zucker (type 2 diabetes) and Wistar rats were used. Three (A, B and C) groups of rats, each group consisting of 10 rats, were used.

The grapefruit: an old wine in a new glass? Metabolic and cardiovascular perspectives.

Grapefruit is a popular, tasty and nutritive fruit enjoyed globally. Biomedical evidence in the last 10 years has, however, shown that consumption of grapefruit or its juice is associated with drug interactions, which, in some cases, have been fatal. Grapefruit-induced drug interactions are unique in that the cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP3A4, which metabolises over 60% of commonly prescribed drugs as well as other drug transporter proteins such as P-glycoprotein and organic cation transporter proteins, which are all expressed in the intestines, are involved.

Dual effect of quercetin on rat isolated portal vein smooth muscle contractility.

This study examined the effects of quercetin on spontaneously contracting portal veins isolated from healthy young adult male and female Wistar rats (250-300 g). Quercetin (10(-7)-10(-4) M) always produced significant biphasic effects, comprising an initial brief stimulant effect (rise in basal tone), followed by a sustained, longer-lasting secondary relaxant (inhibitory) effect on the venous tissues. The initial brief contractions of the venous muscle preparations were not modified by preincubation of the tissues with prazosin (10(-6) M), suggesting that the initial upsurge in basal tone and increases in contractile frequencies of the venous tissues were probably not mediated via alpha1-adrenoceptor stimulation.

Antipyretic and antinociceptive properties of Mentha longifolia Huds. (Lamiaceae) leaf aqueous extract in rats and mice.

The antipyretic and antinociceptive properties of Mentha longifolia Huds. (Lamiaceae) leaf aqueous extract were investigated using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pyrexia in rats, and acetic acid and hot plate analgesia tests in mice. Pentoxifylline, paracetamol and morphine were used as standard drugs for comparison.

Grapefruit juice improves glycemic control but exacerbates metformin-induced lactic acidosis in non-diabetic rats.

Recent clinical studies have indicated that grapefruit juice (GFJ) improves insulin resistance and reduces weight gain in humans. The effect of GFJ on glucose tolerance and metformin-induced lactic acidosis in normal, non-diabetic in rats is hereby investigated. Three groups (A, B, C) of 20 male Wistar rats each, were treated with stepwise, escalated oral doses of 0, 1.

Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich) Hochst. ['Marula'] (Anacardiaceae): a review of its phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology and its ethnomedicinal uses.

A plethora of ethnotherapeutic properties and pharmacological actions have been attributed to Sclerocarya birrea (family: Anacardiaceae). It is one of the most highly valued indigenous trees of southern Africa. Reports in biomedical literature have indicated the presence of medicinally-important chemical constituents in the plant, notably: polyphenols, tannins, coumarins, flavonoids, triterpenoids, phytosterols, and so forth.

Bronchorelaxant property of 'African potato' (Hypoxis hemerocallidea corm) aqueous extract in vitro.

This study was undertaken to investigate the bronchorelaxant effect of Hypoxis hemerocallidea corm ('African potato') aqueous extract (APE) on spasmogen-provoked contractions of guinea-pig isolated tracheal smooth muscle preparations. APE (25-400 mg/ml) relaxed spasmogen (histamine-, carbachol- and potassium-)-induced contractions of the isolated tracheal muscle preparations in a concentration-dependent manner. The relaxant effects of APE on spasmogen-evoked contractions of the tracheal muscle preparations were not altered by bath-applied propranolol (0.

Uterotonic effect of Harpagophytum procumbens DC (Pedaliaceae) secondary root aqueous extract on rat isolated uterine horns.

Some traditional health practitioners of South Africa have claimed that Harpagophytum procumbens DC (family: Pedaliaceae) secondary root is a useful obstetric remedy for induction or acceleration of labour, as well as for expelling retained placentas in pregnant women. In the present study, therefore, we investigated the effect of H. procumbens secondary root aqueous extract (HPE) on longitudinal, tubular uterine horn muscle strips taken from non-pregnant and pregnant, young adult, female rats.

Cardiovascular effects of Ekebergia capensis Sparrm (Meliaceae) ethanolic leaf extract in experimental animal paradigms.

The purpose of this study was to examine the in vivo effects of Ekebergia capensis leaf ethanolic extract (EKE) on the blood pressure of anaesthetised normotensive male Wistar rats and conscious weanling Dahl salt-sensitive (DSS) rats, which develop hypertension as they age. To investigate possible mechanism(s) of the extract's hypotensive effects, the contractile or relaxant responses to EKE in the absence or presence of reference drugs were evaluated in Wistar rat isolated aortic rings precontracted with methoxamine hydrochloride (ME, 10 microM). Acute intravenous administration of EKE elicited hypotensive responses in anaesthetised animals, while sub-chronic treatment with the extract averted the development of high blood pressure in weanling DSS rats.

Spasmolytic effect of Psidium guajava Linn. (Myrtaceae) leaf aqueous extract on rat isolated uterine horns.

Globally, primary dysmenorrhoea is one of the most frequent gynaecological disorders in young women. It is associated with increased uterine tone, and exaggerated contractility of uterine smooth muscles. In many rural African communities, a number of medicinal plants, including Psidium guajava Linn.

Biphasic effect of Psidium guajava Linn. (Myrtaceae) leaf aqueous extract on rat isolated vascular smooth muscles.

In this study, we examined the effects of Psidium guajava Linn. leaf aqueous extract (PGE) on isolated, spontaneously-contracting portal veins, as well as on endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded descending thoracic aortic ring preparations of healthy, normotensive rats. Graded concentrations of PGE (0.

Antidiarrhoeal activity of Psidium guajava Linn. (Myrtaceae) leaf aqueous extract in rodents.

The leaf of Psidium guajava Linn. (family: Myrtaceae) is used traditionally in African folk medicine to manage, control and/or treat a plethora of human ailments, including diarrhoea. In this study, we examined the antidiarrhoeal activity of Psidium guajava leaf aqueous extract (PGE) on experimentally-induced diarrhoea in rodents.

Antidiarrhoeal activity of Hypoxis hemerocallidea Fisch. & C. A. Mey. (Hypoxidaceae) Corm ('African potato') aqueous extract in rodents.

This study investigated the antidiarrhoeal activity of Hypoxis hemerocallidea corm aqueous extract (APE) on experimentally-induced diarrhoea, gastrointestinal motility, intestinal transit and enteropooling in rodents. H. hemerocallidea corm aqueous extract (APE, 50-400 mg/kg, p.

Uterolytic effect of Hypoxis hemerocallidea Fisch. & C.A. Mey. (Hypoxidaceae) corm [;African Potato'] aqueous extract.

Extracts of Hypoxis hemerocallidea corm (African potato) are commonly used by some traditional health practitioners in KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa as natural antenatal remedy to prevent threatening or premature abortion and miscarriage, and to ensure successful confinement. In this study, we investigated the uterolytic activity of H. hemerocallidea corm aqueous extract on spontaneous, rhythmic contractions of uterine horns taken from pregnant rats and guinea-pigs, as well as on spasmogen-provoked contractions of stilboesterol-primed, oestrogen-dominated, non-pregnant rat and guinea-pig isolated uterine horns.

Hypoglycaemic effect of mollic acid glucoside, a 1alpha-hydroxycycloartenoid saponin extractive from Combretum molle R. Br. ex G. Don (Combretaceae) leaf, in rodents.

In this study, we investigated the hypoglycaemic and antidiabetic properties of mollic acid glucoside (MAG), a 1alpha-hydroxycycloartenoid extractive from Combretum molle leaf, in rodents. Stepwise, escalated doses of MAG (5-80 mg/kg p.o.

Cardiovascular effects of Helichrysum ceres S Moore [Asteraceae] ethanolic leaf extract in some experimental animal paradigms.

The aim of this study was to examine some in vivo and in vitro cardiovascular effects of Helichrysum ceres leaf ethanolic extract (HCE) in experimental animal paradigms. The acute effects of HCE on blood pressure were studied in anaesthetised normotensive male Wistar rats challenged with intravenous hypotonic saline infusion after a 3.5-hour equilibration for four hours of one-hour control, 1.

Diabetes mellitus and responses of the urinary bladder to acetylcholine: an in vitro study.

This study was prompted by the inconsistent reports and apparent controversies that exist in the biomedical literature on the responses of diabetic bladder strips to cholinergic nerve stimulation or exogenously-administered muscarinic agonists, especially acetylcholine (ACh). In the present study, acetylcholine-induced contractions of urinary bladders isolated from normoglycaemic (normal) and streptozotocin-treated, diabetic Wistar rats were examined under physiological conditions. Mechanical contractile changes of the isolated urinary bladders of STZ-treated, diabetic rats in response to bath-applied acetylcholine were compared with those obtained from isolated urinary bladders of normal, age-matched, control rats.

'African potato' (Hypoxis hemerocallidea corm): a plant-medicine for modern and 21st century diseases of mankind? - a review.

The traditional uses, therapeutic attributes, phytochemical and pharmacological profiles of 'African potato' (Hypoxis hemerocallidea corm) extracts have been reviewed. Available biomedical evidence suggests that 'African potato' is a potential plant-medicine for some modern and 21st century diseases of mankind. Thus far, biomedical evidence has revealed that 'African potato' extracts possess antiinflammatory, antineoplastic, antioxidant, antidiabetic and antiinfective properties in vivo and in vitro.

Cardiovascular effects of mollic acid glucoside, a 1alpha-hydroxycycloartenoid saponin extractive from Combretum molle R Br ex G Don (Combretaceae) leaf.

The cardiovascular effects of mollic acid glucoside (MAG), a 1alpha-hydroxycycloartenoid saponin extractive from Combretum molle R Br ex G Don (Combretaceae) leaf, have been investigated in some experimental animal paradigms. The plant extract (MAG, 5-80 microg/ml) produced concentration-dependent, significant (p < 0.05-0.

Effects of Persea americana Mill (Lauraceae) ["Avocado"] ethanolic leaf extract on blood glucose and kidney function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and on kidney cell lines of the proximal (LLCPK1) and distal tubules (MDBK).

Extracts of Persea americana Mill (Lauraceae) ("Avocado") have been traditionally used to treat hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Accordingly, we studied the hypoglycaemic and renal function effects of P. americana leaf ethanolic extracts (PAE) in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Anticonvulsant effect of Rhus chirindensis (Baker F.) (Anacardiaceae) stem-bark aqueous extract in mice.

Extracts of Rhus chirindensis stem-bark are used extensively in South African traditional medicines for the treatment, management and/or control of an array of human ailments, including childhood convulsions and epilepsy. In this study, we investigated the anticonvulsant activity of the plant's stem-bark aqueous extract (RCE, 50-800 mg/kg i.p.

Protective effects of Annona muricata Linn. (Annonaceae) leaf aqueous extract on serum lipid profiles and oxidative stress in hepatocytes of streptozotocin-treated diabetic rats.

Extracts from various morphological parts of Annona muricata Linn. (Annonaceae) are widely used medicinally in many parts of the world for the management, control and/or treatment of a plethora of human ailments, including diabetes mellitus (DM). The present study was undertaken to investigate the possible protective effects of A.