[The estrogenic activities of 2-[3-estrone-N-ethyl-piperazine-methyl]tetracycline(XW630)--a new compound with anti-osteoporosis activity]

2-[3-Estrone-N-ethyl-piperazine-methyl] tetracycline (XW630) showing anti-osteoporosis activity is a new compound with piperazine-tetracycline in the steroid structure of estrone. The affinity of XW630 with uterine estrogen receptor and its estrogenic activity were studied in this paper. The relative affinities of estrone, estradiol and XW630 with estrogen receptor (ER) of the uterine myoma tissues were found to be 0.325, 1.000 and 0.011, respectively, by the competitive assay. The estrogenic activity index of estrone, estradiol and XW630 were shown to be 9.70, 10.30 and 6.90, respectively, by the uterine weight assay using immature mice. These indexes indicate that: the estrogenic activity of XW630 is about 1/1960 that of estrone and 1/7742 that of estradiol. The vaginal smear assay of oophorectomized mice also showed that the estrogenic activity of XW630 is less than that of estrone and estradiol.

Role of digitalis-like substance in the hypertension of streptozotocin-induced diabetes and simulated weightlessness in rats

We have examined the role of plasma Na+-K+ pump inhibitor (SPI) in the hypertension of streptozotocin induced insulin dependent diabetes (IDDM) in reduced renal mass rats. The increase in blood pressure (BP) was associated with an increase in extracellular fluid volume (ECFV), and SPI and a decrease in myocardial Na+,K+ATPase (NKA) activity, suggesting that increased SPI, which inhibits cardiovascular muscle (CVM) cell NKA activity, may be involved in the mechanism of IDDM-hypertension. In a second study, using prolonged suspension resulted in a decrease in cardiac NKA activity, suggesting that cardiovascular deconditioning following space flight might in part result from insufficient SPI.

[Comparison of pharmacological effects between cultispecies Sichuan Fritillary bulb (F. wabueasis, F. mellea) and wild Sichuan Fritillary bulb (F. unibracteata)]

The ethanol extracts from the cultured Sichuan Fritillary bulb have been proved similar to those from the wild one in treating coughing in mice, expectoration in rats, asthma in guinea pigs, bronchodilation of isolated lungs in mice, and cyclic nucleotide(cAMP, cGMP) in the plasma and lungs of mice. The acute toxicity of the cultured and wild species is also similar to each other. However, in terms of asthma relieving and cAMP level increment in the lungs, the cultured species F. wabueasis is significantly superior to the wild species of Fritillary bulb.

Determination of lignocaine hydrochloride by ion-pairing flow injection with piezoelectric detection

A rapid and simple method for the determination of lignocaine hydrochloride by ion-pairing flow injection analysis was developed. It is based on the formation of an ion pair between lignocaine hydrochloride and sodium dodecyl phenylsulfonate and piezoelectric detection. The calibration curve was linear between 0.01 and 2.00 mg ml-1, with a detection limit of 8 micrograms ml-1, an RSD of 0.29% (10 replicates) and a sampling frequency of 120 h-1. The proposed method was satisfactorily applied to the determination of lignocaine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical preparations.

Effects of head down tilt on hemodynamics, fluid volumes, and plasma Na-K pump inhibitor in rats

BACKGROUND

Hindquarter suspension in rats has been used as a model of simulated weightlessness (SW) for ground based study of the effects of microgravity on the cardiovascular system (CVS).

METHODS

Using this rat model of SW we tested the hypothesis that CVS deconditioning following spaceflight results, in part, from a decrease in the circulating concentration of sodium-potassium pump inhibitor (SPI). Control rats similarly prepared were not suspended.

RESULTS

During the first hour of suspension, central venous pressure (CVP), blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), cardiac output (CO), plasma volume (PV), extracellular fluid volume (ECFV), urine output (UV), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), and the plasma level of SPI increased. Plasma renin activity (PRA) and myocardial Na+, K(+)-ATPase activity (NKA) decreased. By the end of 4 h of SW, the changes in CVP, BP, HR, ECFV, and UV persisted, but PV, plasma ANP and SPI, and myocardial NKA activity returned to control levels. By the end of 1 d of SW, ECFV and plasma SPI levels had decreased but the myocardial NKA had not increased. At day 4, CVP and BP were the same as in control sham treated rats. Plasma SPI levels were decreased at day 4 but the myocardial NKA was not different, whereas renal NKA was increased. At day 7, myocardial NKA and renal NKA were increased and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) membrane potentials were hyperpolarized.

CONCLUSIONS

These data indicate that prolonged SW causes a decrease in plasma SPI level which, by hyperpolarizing VSMC, may play a role in the CVS deconditioning seen in astronauts following spaceflight.

[Effects of total saponins of semen ziziphi Spinosae on brain damages and brain biochemical parameters under cerebral ischemia of rats]

Total saponins of Semen Ziziphi Spinosae (ZS) can reduce the contents of water and MDA in ischemic rat's brain tissues, elevate the activity of SOD, CK and LDH, cut down the content of lactate and alleviate the damages of nerve cells in brain. The study shows that ZS possesses protective effects on cerebral ischemic injuries.

A study on oliguric standard in the elderly

Water deprivation test was done in 44 healthy elderly persons, 26 were male, and 18 were female. They were deprived of the intake of water for 25 hours. The results showed that the maximal renal concentration function both in the elderly males and females was 887 +/- 91 mmol/L and 888 +/- 127 mmol/L respectively. The renal excretion of waste products in 24 hours both in the elderly males and females was 815 + 170 mmol/d and 620 + 132 mmol/d respectively. On the basis of point estimation, the minimal essential urine volume per day in the elderly males and females was 926 ml/d and 708 ml/d respectively, if the daily urine volume of the elderly is less than this level, then, the metabolic products generated per day can not be excreted by the kidney, and it would result in disorders of internal environment. Therefore, the oliguric standard in elderly males and females must be less than 926 ml/d and 708 ml per day respectively.

Fluconazole is a potent inhibitor of antipyrine metabolism in vivo in mice

Fluconazole, a bis-triazole antifungal, is distinguished from imidazole antifungals (e.g. ketoconazole) by its potency and pharmacokinetic characteristics. Imidazole-containing compounds are well documented to inhibit the hepatic cytochrome P-450-dependent enzyme system; whether this effect occurs with a bis-triazole agent is unknown. The [14C]antipyrine breath test was employed to investigate the effects of fluconazole on this enzyme system in CD-1 male mice. Control, ketoconazole (100 mg/kg), and fluconazole (1 and 10 mg/kg) were studied in single- and multiple-dose experiments. Fluconazole had potent inhibitory effects on the total (mean = -73% +/- 2%), demethylase (mean = -90% +/- 2%), and nondemethylase (mean = -60% +/- 4%) elimination rate constants (all p less than 0.001). The fraction of the administered radioactivity excreted as 14CO2 was decreased by 50-80% in the fluconazole groups (p less than 0.001). These effects were seen after single- and multiple-dose studies; however, return to baseline occurred more quickly in the multiple-dose group. These effects were significantly more pronounced than those observed with equipotent doses of ketoconazole. These results provide evidence that fluconazole is a potent, partially selective, and reversible inhibitor of the cytochrome P-450-dependent enzyme system in mice. Future studies will be required to assess this property and possible interactions with drugs metabolized by this enzyme system in humans.