Medical therapy for sudden death

Preliminary Investigation into the Anticonvulsant, Sedative and Muscle Relaxant Effects of the Methanolic Extract of Capparis spinosa L. Leaves in Mice

Background Capparis spinosa L is a Mediterranean plant. In Libya, the plant grows in rocky areas and at high altitudes. It is commonly used by the inhabitants of the Mediterranean region in their kitchen and treatment of many diseases.

Aim This study was undertaken to investigate the central nervous system depressant, anticonvulsant, and the muscle relaxant activities of orally administered methanolic extract from the leaves of C. spinosa L. (MECS) in mice.

Methods The oral administration of three doses of the MECS in mice (500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg) were evaluated in the picrotoxin (PC)-induced convulsion model, ketamine-induced sleep, and rota rod test. Diazepam was used as a reference drug for comparison. Results were analyzed using SPSS program version 16. Data are presented as mean ± SEM, and compared using one-way ANOVA followed by Duncan's test. The significance level was set at p < 0.05

Results Oral administration of MECS (1000 and 2000 mg/kg) significantly prolonged the onset of seizures (p < 0.01) and produced dose-dependent protection against PC-induced seizures compared with the control group (12.5% and 50% protection, respectively). MECS significantly (p < 0.05) and dose dependently reduced ketamine sleep latency (from 3.16 ± 0.16 to a minimum of 1.5 ± 0.22 minutes) and prolonged ketamine-induced sleeping time (from 11.33 ± 1.99 to a maximum of 33.33 ± 0.95 minutes). In the accelerated rotarod test, MECS significantly (p < 0.01) decreased the riding time on the rotarod (from 128.83 ± 14.6 to a minimum of 1.83 ± 0.47 seconds) as compared with the normal saline control group.

Conclusion The results showed that the MECS possesses anticonvulsant, sedative, and muscle relaxant properties in mice.

Construction of different types of ion-selective electrodes and validation of direct potentiometric determination of phenytoin sodium

The construction and performance characteristics of phenytoin sodium selective electrodes are detailed. Two types of electrodes: plastic membrane I and coated wire II, were constructed based on the incorporation of phenytoin sodium with tungstosilicic acid. The influence of membrane composition, kind of plasticizer, pH of the test solution, soaking time and the electrodes’ foreign ions were investigated. The electrodes showed a Nernstian response with a mean calibration graph slope of 30.9±0.1 and 28.9±0.1 mV decade−1 at 25°C for electrode I and II respectively, over a phenytoin sodium concentration range of 5×10−3−5×10−6 M and 1×10−3−1×10−6 M with a detection limit 1.3×10−6 M and 2.5×10−7 M for electrode I and II, respectively. The electrodes gave average selective precision and were usable within the pH range 6–10. Interference studies from common cations, alkaloids, sugars, amino acids and drug excipients are reported. The results obtained by the proposed electrodes were also applied successfully for the determination of the drug in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids.