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Standardized aqueous extract of Neem (Azadirachta indica) leaves (AIE) has been reported to show both ulcer protective and ulcer healing effects in normal as well as in diabetic rats. To study the mechanism of its ulcer protective/healing actions, effects of AIE (500 mg/ kg) was studied on various parameters of offensive acid-pepsin secretion in 4 hr pylorus ligation, pentagastrin (PENTA, 5 microg/kg/hr)-stimulated acid secretion and gastric mucosal proton pump activity and defensive mucin secretion including life span of gastric mucosal cells in rats. AIE was found to inhibit acid-pepsin secretion in 4 hr pylorus ligated rats. Continuous infusion of PENTA significantly increased the acid secretion after 30 to 180 min or in the total 3 hr acid secretion in rat stomach perfusate while, AIE pretreatment significantly decreased them. AIE inhibited the rat gastric mucosal proton pump activity and the effect was comparable with that of omeprazole (OMZ). Further, AIE did not show any effect on mucin secretion though it enhanced life span of mucosal cells as evidenced by a decrease in cell shedding in the gastric juice. Thus, our present data suggest that the ulcer protective activity of AIE may be due to its anti-secretary and proton pump inhibitory activity rather than on defensive mucin secretion. Further, acute as well as sub acute toxicity studies have indicated no mortality with 2.5 g/kg dose of AIE in mice and no significant alterations in body or tissues weight, food and water intake, haematological profile and various liver and kidney function tests in rats when treated for 28 days with 1 g/kg dose of AIE.

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The involvement of cholecystokinin (CCK) in human anxiety is well documented. Exogenous administration of CCK-2 receptor agonists, such as cholecystokinin-tetrapeptide and pentagastrin, provoke panic attacks in man. Patients with panic disorder (PD) are hypersensitive to CCK-2 receptor stimulation compared to healthy volunteers and patients with other anxiety disorders, and they differ from healthy subjects in CCK metabolism and genetic characteristics of the CCK-2 receptor system. This article reviews the corpus of work supporting the role of CCK in anxiety and suggests three research approaches which can further enhance our understanding of the CCK-2 system in PD. These approaches include: i) searching for a specific anomaly of the CCK-2 receptor system, ii) establishing a relationship between CCK-2 receptor polymorphism and vulnerability to pharmacologically-induced or spontaneous panic attacks, and iii) evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of CCK-2 receptor antagonists which possess adequate pharmacokinetic properties.

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We examined the ability of intravenous (i.v.) challenge with pentagastrin to induce behavioural and cardiovascular effects consistent with panic attack in conscious rhesus monkeys. For behavioural evaluation, 4 naive male rhesus monkeys familiar with minimal manual restraint necessary for drug administration received a rapid i.v. bolus of pentagastrin (4, 8 or 16 micrograms/kg) or water on four separate occasions according to a randomised cross-over design. Behaviour was rated by a blind observer continuously during, and for the first 5 min immediately following i.v. injections while the monkey sat on the handler's lap, and then for a further 25 min in an individual observation cage. In separate experiments, the ability of pentagastrin to alter cardiovascular parameters which may accompany panic or anxiety (elevated heart rate and blood pressure) was explored. For cardiovascular studies, 8 male or female rhesus monkeys with femoral artery catheters were chair restrained and received a bolus injection of pentagastrin (4, 8 or 16 micrograms/kg) or saline into the saphenous vein at 30 min intervals. Blood pressure and heart rate were monitored continuously using a Statham Gould pressure transducer. Pentagastrin induced no consistent behavioural or cardiovascular changes. Similar pilot studies using CCK4 also failed to reveal such effects. We conclude that CCK-induced panic-like effects may not be demonstrable following challenge with pentagastrin under laboratory conditions in rhesus monkeys.

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Gastrin is trophic for normal gastric and colonic mucosa. We examined the potential trophic effects of chronic gastrin administration on the growth of mouse colon adenocarcinoma (MC-26). Thirty-three mice bearing transplantable MC-26 colon cancers were treated with varying doses (125, 250, or 500 micrograms/kg/day) of pentagastrin. Significant increases in tumor weight and DNA content were observed. Fundic mucosal weight and DNA content in these mice showed a dose-related trophic response. The weight of control fundic mucosa was 10 mg and rose to 20, 45, and 65 mg with increasing doses of gastrin. The DNA content of control fundic mucosa was 155 micrograms and rose to 220, 340, and 480 micrograms as the dose of gastrin was increased. Pentagastrin stimulated growth of the MC-26 colon cancer, but the threshold for gastrin-stimulated tumor growth was different from that of normal mucosal growth. The hyperplastic response of the fundic mucosa was increased by increasing gastrin doses; whereas, colon cancer hyperplasia was maximal at the lowest dose tested (125 micrograms/kg/day) and did not increase further with increasing doses of hormone. Mice bearing gastrin-stimulated tumors died at a significantly greater rate than did mice with untreated tumors (80% of control mice and none of the treated mice were alive at day 55). The effects of gastrin treatment on the growth of MC-26 colon cancer persist after treatment is discontinued; mice with tumors that were treated with gastrin for either 7 or 14 days and in which the treatment was stopped were all dead by 35 or 28 days, respectively, after the end of treatment.

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The elevation of plasma immunoreactive gastrin known to occur during the induction of adjuvant-induced arthritis (Rooney et al., 1973) has been shown to be maximal at 7 days after injection. Gastrin administered exogenously accelerated and exacerbated the inflammatory joint disease. Some evidence has been presented that the endogenous immunoreactive gastrin had biological activity in terms of gastric acid secretion.

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Duodenal ulcers were produced in rats by the subcutaneous infusion for 6-48 hours of two gastric secretagogues in combination: pentagastrin (2 or 4 microgram kg-1 min-1) and carbachol (0-4 or 0-8 microgram kg-1 min-1). With increasing duration of infusion and higher doses there were increases in the incidence, severity, number and perforation rate of duodenal ulcers, their caudad distribution and mortality from peritonitis. This method of producing duodenal ulcers may sufficiently resemble the clinical situation to provide a model for the study of anti-ulcer drugs and the natural history of duodenal ulcers.

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Pentagastrin is found to be a highly active stimulator of the gastric glands secretion. With its intraperitoneal introduction to albino rats the drug displays a low acute toxicity. On its re-administration to rabbits and albino rats in doses significantly exceeding the diagnostic ones no substantial influence on the growth of the animals, hematological, enzymological, proteinological blood indices and morphological condition of internal organs was noted.

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