Reserpine: a relic from the past or a neglected drug of the present for achieving cost containment in treating hypertension?

Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes-Dispersive Solid-Phase Extraction Coupled with UPLC-ESI-MS-MS for Simultaneous Determination of 10 Illegal Adulterants in Antihypertensive Functional Foods

A reliable method for simultaneous determination of 10 illegal adulterants including chlortalidone, hydrochlorothiazide, indapamide, metoprolol, nifedipine, nimodipine, nitrendipine, reserpine, triamterene and valsartan in antihypertensive functional foods by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry is presented in this article. The target chemicals were extracted with acetonitrile ultrasonically and cleaned up using multiwalled carbon nanotubes-dispersive solid-phase extraction. The separation was performed on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 Column (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.7 µm) with acetonitrile, 0.1% formic acid and 10 mmol/L ammonium acetate solution as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. Multiple reaction monitoring was applied for detection and sildenafil was used as the internal standard. The correlation coefficients of the method were >0.995, with the limits of detection of 0.022-0.30 ng/mL and the limits of quantification of 0.075-0.99 ng/mL. The interday and intraday relative standard deviations were <9.77% and the recoveries were in the range of 85.8-109%. The established method has been applied for the analysis of real samples, and reserpine was detected in a tonic wine sample with a content of 60.1 ± 3.2 mg/L.

Spectroscopic investigations of the charge-transfer interaction between the drug reserpine and different acceptors: towards understanding of drug-receptor mechanism

The study of the charge-transfer interaction of the drugs may be useful in understanding the drug-receptor interactions and the mechanism of drug action. Structural and thermal stability of charge-transfer (CT) complexes formed between the drug reserpine (Res) as a donor and quinol (QL), picric acid (PA), tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) or dichlorodicyanobenzoquinone (DDQ) as acceptors were reported. Elemental analysis, electronic absorption, spectrophotometric titration, IR, Raman, (1)H NMR and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the new products. The thermal stability of the synthesized CT complexes was investigated using thermogravimetric (TG) analyses, and the morphology and particle size of these complexes were obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The stoichiometry of the complexes (donor:acceptor molar ratio) was determined to be 1:1 for all complexes. Accordingly the formed CT complexes could be formulated as [(Res)(QL)], [(Res)(PA)], [(Res)(TCNQ)] and [(Res)(DDQ)]. It was found that the obtained CT complexes are nanoscale, semi-crystalline particles, thermally stable and formed through spontaneous reaction. The results obtained herein are satisfactory for estimation of drug Res in the pharmaceutical form.

Effects on neuroendocrinoimmune network of Lizhong Pill in the reserpine induced rats with spleen deficiency in traditional Chinese medicine

AIM OF THE STUDY

Lizhong Pill, composed of radix Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer), rhizoma Zingiberis (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae (Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz.) and radix Glycytthizae (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.), is a classical herbal product for curing spleen deficiency in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and reserpine treated rats show similar signs to TCM spleen deficiency pattern. This paper is aimed to explore the regulatory effect on neuroendocrinoimmune network by Lizhong Pill in reserpine induced TCM spleen deficiency rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

100 healthy adult male SD rats, with a mean weight of 200 g, were randomly divided into five groups in average: control group, reserpine treated group, atropine treated group, treatment groups with Lizhong Pill at high dose and low dose (equal to the dosage of crude drugs for 4 g/kg/d and 8 g/kg/d). Rats in reserpine treated group were induced by intraperitoneal injection of reserpine at 0.5 mg/kgd for 4 weeks. The levels of IL-1, IL-6 and gastrin were measured with radioimmunoassay, TNF-α and IFN-γ in serum were measured with ELISA, the level of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and substance P (SP) in small intestine were determined with radioimmunoassay, and the TNF-α and TGF-β positive cells in small intestine were detected by immunohistological staining. Data were analyzed with SAS 9.1 software package.

RESULTS

The rats in reserpine treated group, body weight, concentrations of IFN-γ, IL-1 and TNF-α in serum, expression of TGF-β in small intestine, VIP in small intestine decreased (P<0.05), and the level of IL-6 in serum, expression of TNF-α, SP in small intestine and gastrin were increased (P<0.05). Administration of Lizhong Pill at high dose could increase the body weights at day 21, and the weights of rats in Lizhong Pill groups were much higher compared to reserpine treated group. At high dose of Lizhong Pill could increase the level of TNF-α in serum. Lizhong Pill at high dose and low dose could reverse the changes of IL-1, IL-6 and IFN-γ, gastrin, expression of TGF-β and TNF-α, VIP and SP in small intestine.

CONCLUSIONS

The rats treated with reserpine, with similar signs to TCM spleen deficiency, show neuroendocrinoimmune disorders, and the restoration of the neuroendocrinoimmune disorders might be the part of mechanism of Lizhong Pill for reinforcing TCM spleen deficiency.

Reserpine-induced central effects: pharmacological evidence for the lack of central effects of reserpine methiodide

Reserpine, an alkaloid from Rauwolfia serpentina, was widely used for its antihypertensive action. However, its use has been reduced because of its sedative and extra pyramidal symptoms. In the present investigation, reserpine methiodide (RMI), a quaternary analogue of reserpine, was synthesized and pharmacologically evaluated in rats and mice for its central (barbiturate hypnosis, spontaneous motor activity, body temperature, and avoidance of conditioned response) and peripheral actions (blood pressure) in comparison with reserpine. The results indicate that reserpine produced a dose-dependent depression of the central nervous system. RMI at doses equal to and double the equimolar doses of reserpine did not produce any behavioural changes compared with control animals. Nevertheless, both reserpine and RMI were found to produce dose-dependent reduction in the blood pressure of anaesthetized rats, although only at higher doses of RMI, indicating that quaternization of reserpine not only attenuated the entry of RMI into the central nervous system, but also reduced its access to the target tissue in the periphery. It is speculated that the hypotensive actions of RMI may also be due to peripheral depletion of catecholamines. Key words: resperine methiodide (RMI), reserpine, behaviour, blood pressure, mice, rats.

Developing guidelines for local use: algorithms for cost-efficient outpatient management of cardiovascular disorders in a VA Medical Center

Local use of practice guidelines requires paying close attention to the concerns of the patient within the framework of society, to the professional and educational needs of the provider, and to the realities of cost. One Veterans Affairs facility took the challenge of balancing these factors and developed their own algorithms for three cardiovascular disorders.

Reserpine reconsidered: no association with serious peptic ulcer disease

A history of peptic ulcer disease is frequently cited as a contraindication to the use of reserpine. However, the risk of ulcer disease associated with the use of reserpine at current therapeutic doses is unknown. To address this question, the authors conducted a nested case-control study of the association between reserpine use and hospitalizations for peptic ulcer disease in elderly Tennessee Medicaid enrollees. When compared with that of nonusers of reserpine, the relative risk of hospitalization for peptic ulcer disease was 0.8 (95% CI, 0.6-1.0) among current users and 0.8 (95% CI, 0.5-1.3) among former users. The authors' data provide evidence that reserpine is not associated with ulcer disease in elderly persons and suggest that a history of ulcer disease need not be a contraindication to the use of this drug.