The bio-distribution of the antidepressant clomipramine is modulated by chronic stress in mice: effects on behavior

Screening of Weight-Loss Herbal Products for Synthetic Anti-Obesity Adulterants: A Target-Oriented Analysis by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

BACKGROUND

The medical and social impact of being overweight, as well as the difficulty in making long-term changes in diet, physical activity, and pitfalls associated with allopathic management, lure obese individuals to over-the-counter weight-loss herbal products (WHPs). However, the safety of herbals is questionable, as reports from all over the world suggest adulteration with synthetic weight loss agents. Objective: The present study was carried out to develop a rapid and sensitive method to screen potential weight loss adulterants in WHPs. Methodology: We procured 33 licensed brands of WHPs that are available in Puducherry (India) and through web stores. Drug-free spiked herbal matrices were used for internal proficiency testing. Spiked herbal matrices and samples were extracted and centrifuged. The supernatant was collected and subjected to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses. Isocratic elution was carried out by the mobile phase of methanol: 0.1% v/v formic acid (70%:30% v/v) through a C₁₈ column. Analytes were monitored in electrospray ionization positive and negative modes, and an multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) scan was used. Results: Run time was 12 min. Intra- and inter-day precision was < 15% and recoveries were in the range of 99% to 115%. Limit of quantification (LOQ) of the analytes were in the range of 0.1 to 0.3 ng/ml. Conclusion: We developed a sensitive and rapid validated method for the detection of potential adulterants in WHPs. None of the WHPs analyzed were found to contain adulterants. The proposed method will be useful for routine monitoring. WHPs analyzed in this study were not adulterated indicating that WHPs from licensed sources are reliable.

Screening of herbal medicines for potential allopathic antidiabetic adulterants: An analytical study

Background:

There are several reports worldwide on adulteration of herbal medicines (HMs) with allopathic drugs. In India, only a few studies have reported adulteration of HMs with antidiabetics and there are no systematic studies.

Aims:

To develop a rapid and validated method for detection of allopathic antidiabetic adulterants and to explore the extent of adulteration in HMs sold in South India.

Materials and Methods:

Standards and solvents were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. Different brands of antidiabetic HM samples with manufacturing licenses were procured from dispensaries. Spiked drug free psyllium husk as solid and flask seed oil as liquid herbal matrices were used for method development. The spiked matrices with different concentrations were extracted with methanol and subjected to centrifugation. The supernatant was collected and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Isocratic elution was carried on a C18 column with 0.1% (v/v) formic acid:methanol (3:7, v/v) as a mobile phase. All drugs were monitored for two ion products in positive electrospray ionization mode using multiple reaction monitoring scans.

Results:

The retention time was 9 min. Limit of detection is 10 Pictograms (pg) for all analytes except for metformin, which was 370 pg. Recoveries of analytes range from 96% to 117%. Forty different brands of antidiabetic HMs were analyzed. Adulterant peaks were not observed in the mass chromatograms of HMs.

Conclusions:

A single-run method was developed by LC-MS/MS for the detection of proposed antidiabetics in HMs from licensed manufacturing units and online sold HMs across herbal dispensaries in Puducherry union territory, India. None of the HMs was found to be adulterated with proposed allopathic antidiabetic adulterants.

The Emerging Role of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors in the Pathophysiology of Chronic Stress-Related Disorders

Chronic stress-related psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, depression, and alcohol abuse are an enormous public health concern. The etiology of these pathologies is complex, with psychosocial stressors being among the most frequently discussed risk factors. The brain glutamatergic neurotransmitter system has often been found involved in behaviors and pathophysiologies resulting from acute stress and fear. Despite this, relatively little is known about the role of glutamatergic system components in chronic psychosocial stress, neither in rodents nor in humans. Recently, drug discovery efforts at the metabotropic receptor subtypes of the glutamatergic system (mGlu1-8 receptors) led to the identification of pharmacological tools with emerging potential in psychiatric conditions. But again, the contribution of individual mGlu subtypes to the manifestation of physiological, molecular, and behavioral consequences of chronic psychosocial stress remains still largely unaddressed. The current review will describe animal models typically used to analyze acute and particularly chronic stress conditions, including models of psychosocial stress, and there we will discuss the emerging roles for mGlu receptor subtypes. Indeed, accumulating evidence indicates relevance and potential therapeutic usefulness of mGlu2/3 ligands and mGlu5 receptor antagonists in chronic stress-related disorders. In addition, a role for further mechanisms, e.g. mGlu7-selective compounds, is beginning to emerge. These mechanisms are important to be analyzed in chronic psychosocial stress paradigms, e.g. in the chronic subordinate colony housing (CSC) model. We summarize the early results and discuss necessary future investigations, especially for mGlu5 and mGlu7 receptor blockers, which might serve to suggest improved therapeutic strategies to treat stress-related disorders.

Chronic Antidepressant Treatment in Normal Mice Induces Anxiety and Impairs Stress-coping Ability

Antidepressants are clinically used for patients with major depression. Antidepressant treatments in certain groups of patients are effective for relieving depression as well as anxiety disorder. However, it is not clearly known whether the use of current antidepressants in healthy persons is beneficial for upcoming depression- and anxiety-inducing life events. To address this question, normal mice were intraperitoneally administered with imipramine or fluoxetine for more than 2 weeks, and behaviors related to anxiety and depression were evaluated. Mice treated with imipramine or fluoxetine for more than 14 days exhibited significantly decreased immobility time in the forced swim test and tail suspension test, but these mice exhibited enhanced anxiety in several behavioral tests. Furthermore, chronic antidepressant treatments followed by sub-threshold level of stress in normal mice profoundly aggravated antidepressant-induced anxiety-like behaviors without further affecting depression-related behaviors. Chronic antidepressant treatments followed by sub-threshold level of stress produced swollen vesicles and ulcerations on the lips as well as a watery and inflammatory nose. Mice given chronic antidepressant treatments displayed intestinal abnormalities evidenced by a highly enlarged and inflamed small intestine full of defecation materials. These results suggest that chronic antidepressant treatment in normal mice provokes anxiety-like behaviors and impairs their stress-coping ability.