[Some remarks on Pazzini's book collection].

The paper describes the private book collection owned by Adalberto Pazzini and kept in the Library of the Sezione di Storia della Medicina. Gathered from the 1930s to the 1970s, the collection allows a reconstruction of the 'state of the art' of medical history in this period in Italy. Books were sent and dedicated to Pazzini by colleagues, mostly active in Italy and in the Spanish-speaking countries; many of them deal with the history of medicine, but some also with medicine itself.

Spasmolytic effects of nonprenylated rotenoid constituents of Boerhaavia diffusa roots.

Boerhaavia diffusa is an Ayurvedic remedy used traditionally for the treatment of a number of diseases, including those affecting the gastrointestinal tract. In the current investigation, a methanol extract obtained from roots of B. diffusa exhibited a significant spasmolytic activity in the guinea pig ileum, probably through a direct effect on the smooth muscle.

Effect of Boswellia serrata on intestinal motility in rodents: inhibition of diarrhoea without constipation.

Clinical studies suggest that the Ayurvedic plant Boswellia serrata may be effective in reducing diarrhoea in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of a Boswellia serrata gum resin extract (BSE) on intestinal motility and diarrhoea in rodents. BSE depressed electrically-, acetylcholine-, and barium chloride-induced contractions in the isolated guinea-pig ileum, being more potent in inhibiting the contractions induced by acetylcholine and barium chloride.

Inhibition of rat vas deferens contractions by flavonoids in-vitro.

Flavonoids are a large heterogeneous group of benzo-gamma-pyrone derivatives, which are abundantly present in our diet. In this study we investigated the effect of ten flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, morin, galangin, rutin, apigenin, flavone, naringenin, hesperitin and silybin) on the contractile response elicited by electrical field stimulation in the rat isolated vas deferens. All flavonoids tested inhibited vas deferens contractions.

Isolation of new rotenoids from Boerhaavia diffusa and evaluation of their effect on intestinal motility.

A bioassay-guided separation of a methanolic extract obtained from the roots of Boerhaavia diffusa L. (Nyctaginaceae) allowed us to isolate five compounds belonging to the class of rotenoids: the known boeravinone D ( 1), boeravinone E ( 2), compound 5 and two novel compounds that we have named boeravinone G ( 3) and boeravinone H ( 4). The structures of the new molecules have been determined on the basis of their HR-EI-MS, (1)H- and (13)C-NMR and 2D-NMR (HMQC, HMBC) data.

Effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester on gastric acid secretion in vitro.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), one of the major components of propolis (honeybee resin), has demonstrated a wide spectrum of activities including suppression of eicosanoids by inhibition of cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of CAPE on basal and secretagogues-stimulated gastric acid secretion in vitro. In the isolated, lumen-perfused, stomach preparation of mouse, CAPE (10-100 microM) did not affect the basal gastric acid secretion nor the secretion stimulated by histamine, pentagastrin, isobutyl methylxanthine and high levels of K+.