Carcinogenicity of some folk medicinal herbs in rats

Twelve medicinal herbs were bioassayed to correlate a high incidence of esophageal carcinoma in natives of different places with their habitual consumption of these products. Outbred NIH Black rats were given 72 weekly sc injections of the total aqueous extracts of the plant materials. The tanninrich plant extracts from Areca catechu and Rhus copallina produced local tumors in 100 and 33%, respectively, of the experimental animals. Other materials included Diospyros virginiana and extracts from plants not rich in tannins. Diospyros and extracts of Sassafras albidum and Chenopodium ambrosiodes were tumorigenic in over 50% of the treated animals.

Temporal and regional differences in brain concentrations of lithium in rats

Lithium (Li) concentrations have been estimated in several peripheral tissues (serum, heart, kidney, liver and skeletal muscle) and different brain areas (cortex, caudate nucleus, hypothalamus, diencephalon, midbrain, pons-medulla and cerebellum) at different intervals (0.5 to 48 h) after administrations of 3 mEq/kg of lithium chloride (LiCl). The Li concentrations in the brain areas increased gradually, reaching their peak at 8 h; the hypothalamus showed the highest concentration measured between 0.5 and 8 h; after 8 h the highest concentration was observed in the caudate nucleus, followed approximately by those of the cortex, rest of the diencephalon, and other areas. Concentration of Li in the skeletal muscle, although initially less, was maintained at a higher percentage of the initial level for more than 24 h compared to the other peripheral tissues.

Effects of lithium on foot shock-induced aggressive behavior in rats

The effects of lithium chloride (LiC1; 1, 2, 3 mEq/kg, i.p.) were studied on foot shock-induced aggressive behavior categorized as 'hyperreactivity' 'pre-attack' and actual 'fight' or 'attack' scores in rats. The attack score was significantly decreased at all doses between 2 to 48 hr post-drug intervals. LiCl also antagonized both amphetamine-induced facilitation and scopolamine-induced suppression of the shock-induced aggression; these effects suggest a probable role of lithium in normalizing induced disturbances of both central adrenergic and cholinergic mechanisms and may at least partly be responsible for its psychotherapeutic efficacy as a "mood normalizer".

Carcinogenicity of Camellia sinensis (tea) and some tannin-containing folk medicinal herbs administered subcutaneously in rats

In an attempt to correlate the high incidence of esophageal carcinoma in natives of certain places with their habit of using herbaceous folk medicines, we performed bioassays of several plant extracts and the fractions prepared from them. Fourteen extracts and fractions from 6 plants were injected sc into NIH Black rats. The tannin fractions from Quercus falcata pagodaefolia, Diospyros virginiana, and Camellia sinensis were very active and produced tumors at the injection site in 66% or more of the treated animals. Tannin fractions from 3 other plants and total aqueous extracts from 5 to 6 tested plants were also tumorigenic rats. The induced tumors were malignant fibrous histiocytomas similar, if not identical, to those encountered in humans. The experiment indicated a possibility of induction of tumor in man by the tested plant materials.

Interactions of adrenergic stimulants and blockers on self-stimulation behavior in rats

Self-stimulation behavior in rats was facilitated by two adrenergic stimulants, amphetamine (0.5 or 1 mg/kg, intraperitoneal, i.p., or 100 mug, intracerebroventricular, i.c.v.) and cocaine (5 mg/kg, i.p.). Three alpha-adrenergic blockers (phenoxybenzamine, dibenamine, phentolamine) and a beta-adrenergic blocker (propranolol) decreased self-stimulation responding at 100 mug i.c.v. doses, but showed very little effect at small i.p. doses. Pretreatment with alpha- and beta-adrenergic blockers (i.c.v.) also decreased amphetamine-facilitated responding. The effects of amphetamine or cocaine (i.p.) were not significantly altered by these blockers at the doses used. The depressant effects of the alpha- and beta-adrenergic blockers on self-stimulation behavior appear to be nonspecific with respect to the type of adrenergic receptors.

Effects of microinjection of ouabain into the hypothalamus in cats

1. In cats anaesthetized with chloralose, repeated injections of 20 mug ouabain were made either into the cerebral ventricles, or into the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH), or intravenously whilst the electrocardiogram, arterial blood pressure and respiration were recorded.2. The injections produced cardiac arrhythmias preceded by sinus bradycardia, variable changes in arterial blood pressure and respiratory depression. Death occurred either from ventricular fibrillation or from cardiac arrest.3. The arrhythmias which occurred after the injections into the cerebral ventricles were not peripheral effects produced after absorption of the ouabain into the blood stream, because with intravenous injections larger amounts were required to produce the arrhythmias and to cause death than with intraventricular injections. The arrhythmias which resulted in death were due to an action on the VMH. With microinjections of ouabain into this region of the brain death occurred earlier and after smaller doses than after intraventricular injections.4. While sinus bradycardia was abolished by bilateral vagotomy other cardiac arrhythmias were prevented by acute cardiac sympathectomy and cervical cord transection. Thus both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems appear to be involved in the production of these arrhythmias.5. Since some of the cardiac arrhythmias obtained with ouabain in anaesthetized cats resemble the cardiotoxic effects seen in clinical practice during treatment with digitalis glycosides it is concluded that these effects, too, are, at least in part, central in origin, caused by an action on the VMH and mediated mainly via the sympathetic nervous system.

A prospective study of comorbidity of alcohol and depression

Objective: The aim of the work was to study the socio-demographic variables and their co-morbidity to alcohol consumption and presence of depressive symptomatology. Design: This was a prospective cross-sectional study. Materials and methods: The study was carried out in 53 patients, who were admitted in the wards of Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital (KMCTH) with the diagnosis of mental and behavioural disorder due to the use of alcohol according to ICD-10. The patients were taken from 1st February 2006 to 30th December 2006. All patients were rated using Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Comparison of alcohol intake, depressive symptomatology and their associations with various socio-demographic variables were done using standard statistical procedures. Results: The present study has shown that more than 94.3% of the patients were suffering from depressive episode. Among all the patients, 11.3% were suffering from severe depressive episode. Alcohol intake was more significantly correlated (p = .002) with Brahmin and Chhetri caste. The other significant correlation of alcohol intake and sociodemographic variable was Nuclear family (p=.001). Among these patients the severity of depression was significantly (p= .001) associated with duration of alcohol intake. Marital status was another important factor affecting comorbidity of alcohol intake and presence of depressive symptoms (p =.002). Students of 10th to 12th grades of school were found to be using alcohol more often (45.3%). Middle socio-economic status (60.4%) was using alcohol more frequently than other socioeconomical classes. Conclusion: Severity of depression and alcohol intake was found to be significantly associated with various socio-demographic variables such as caste, family structure, marital status and educational status. Key words: Co-morbidity, ICD-10, Depression, alcohol-related disorders doi: 10.3126/kumj.v6i3.1709 Kathmandu University Medical Journal (2008), Vol. 6, No. 3, Issue 23, 340-345