Tramadol/paracetamol treatment attenuates the development of collagen antibody-induced arthritis and interferes with prednisolone treatment in mice

The collagen antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA) model is highly effective in inducing arthritis, making it an attractive model for screening therapeutic compounds such as glucocorticoids (GCs). The severity of discomfort in this model makes it desirable to administer analgesics, but it is a prerequisite that these do not interfere with the model or tested therapeutics. In the present study, we studied the effect of 1 mg/mL tramadol and 3.5 mg/mL paracetamol (TP) on CAIA in male BALB/cAnNCrl mice and the possible interference of TP analgesia with the activity of the GC drug prednisolone (Pred). Our results showed that TP abolished the Pred-induced amelioration of CAIA, as well as several other Pred-induced effects, such as the reduction in thymus weight and the increase in insulin level. This most likely results from the effects of TP on the hepatic metabolism of this drug, since it strongly increased the Cyp3a11 expression in the liver. Altogether, we conclude that TP analgesia is not suitable for the CAIA model in male BALB/cAnNCrl mice, in particular when evaluating the effects of GCs such as Pred.

Steamed Panax notoginseng and its Saponins Inhibit the Migration and Induce the Apoptosis of Neutrophils in a Zebrafish Tail-Fin Amputation Model

Panax notoginseng (PN) is a Chinese medicinal herb that is traditionally used to treat inflammation and immune-related diseases. Its major active constituents are saponins, the types and levels of which can be changed in the process of steaming. These differences in saponins are causally relevant to the differences in the therapeutic efficacies of raw and steamed PN. In this study, we have prepared the extracts of steamed PN (SPNE) with 70% ethanol and investigated their immunomodulatory effect using a zebrafish tail-fin amputation model. A fingerprint-effect relationship analysis was performed to uncover active constituents of SPNE samples related to the inhibitory effect on neutrophil number. The results showed that SPNE significantly inhibited the neutrophil number at the amputation site of zebrafish larvae. And SPNE extracts steamed at higher temperatures and for longer time periods showed a stronger inhibitory effect. Ginsenosides Rh1, Rk3, Rh4, 20(S)-Rg3, and 20(R)-Rg3, of which the levels were increased along with the duration of steaming, were found to be the major active constituents contributing to the neutrophil-inhibiting effect of SPNE. By additionally investigating the number of neutrophils in the entire tail of zebrafish larvae and performing TUNEL assays, we found that the decreased number of neutrophils at the amputation site was due to both the inhibition of their migration and apoptosis-inducing effects of the ginsenosides in SPNE on neutrophils. Among them, Rh1 and 20(R)-Rg3 did not affect the number of neutrophils at the entire tail, suggesting that they only inhibit the migration of neutrophils. In contrast, ginsenosides Rk3, Rh4, 20(S)-Rg3, and SPNE did not only inhibit the migration of neutrophils but also promoted neutrophilic cell death. In conclusion, this study sheds light on how SPNE, in particular the ginsenosides it contains, plays a role in immune modulation.

Ginsenoside Rg1 Acts as a Selective Glucocorticoid Receptor Agonist with Anti-Inflammatory Action without Affecting Tissue Regeneration in Zebrafish Larvae

Glucocorticoids are effective anti-inflammatory drugs, but their clinical use is complicated due to the wide range of side effects they induce. Patients requiring glucocorticoid therapy would benefit from more selective glucocorticoid receptor (GR) agonists, capable of attenuating the immune response without causing these side effects. Ginsenosides, such as the compound Rg1, are natural plant compounds with structural similarity to classical glucocorticoids and well-documented anti-inflammatory effects. Here, we have investigated the activity of the ginsenoside Rg1 using a zebrafish larval model, in which amputation of the tail fin allows us to assess drug effects on inflammation, while the ability to regenerate the wounded tissue serves as a readout for side effects. We found that Rg1 attenuates neutrophilic inflammation at the amputation site, similarly to a classical glucocorticoid, beclomethasone. Mutation of the Gr abolishes this anti-inflammatory effect of Rg1. Rg1 and beclomethasone differentially modulate gene expression, suggesting that Rg1 induces transrepression, but not transactivation, activity of Gr. Interestingly, we found no effect of Rg1 on tissue regeneration, whereas beclomethasone inhibits tissue regeneration entirely. We conclude that Rg1 is a promising candidate for development as a selective glucocorticoid drug, and that zebrafish larvae provide a useful model system for screening of such GR agonists.

Characterization of ginsenoside extracts by delayed luminescence, high-performance liquid chromatography, and bioactivity tests

Ginsenoside extracts are often used as raw materials for various pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food supplement products. Development of a direct, rapid, cheap, and comprehensive measurement tool for the quality assessment of ginsenoside extracts, and indeed all herbal extracts, is urgently needed. In addition, a bioactivity-based assessment should be linked with quality control. In this report, we try to develop a novel quality control tool using ginsenoside extracts as an example. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to detect nine principal ginsenosides in 11 batches of ginsenoside extracts. Delayed luminescence (DL) was used to analyze the same ginsenoside extract samples. DL measurements showed the same results in terms of differentiating 11 ginsenoside extract samples compared with chemical analysis, and DL properties could be closely linked to index ginsenosides in the quality control of ginsenoside extracts. Next, a zebrafish tail-fin amputation model was used to study differences in anti-inflammatory effect between the ginsenoside extract batches. The results indicate that both chemical analysis and DL measurements could partially reflect biological activity. Thus, DL may serve as a rapid, direct, sensitive, and systemic tool for studying the overall properties of ginsenoside extracts. Our proposal for linking bioactivities as a tool for evaluation of the quality of ginsenoside extracts opens a new direction for quality control.

Lymph node hemangioma in one-humped camel

Hemangioma is a benign tumor of blood and lymphatic vessels. It is common in skin, mucosa and soft tissues, and its occurrence in lymph nodes is extremely rare. A 10 year-old she-camel was slaughtered at Nyala slaughterhouse, South Darfur State, Sudan. Grossly, the carcass was emaciated. The left ventral superficial cervical lymph node was enlarged, hard on palpation and protruded outside the body. Its cut surface was dark red in color and measured (18 cm) in diameter. Histopathologically, the sections revealed vascular masses were composed of non-encapsulated clusters of small and medium sized with thick and thin-walled, filled with blood, separated by courageous stroma and surrounded by closely packed proliferating capillaries. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first record of the left ventral superficial cervical lymph node hemangioma in a camel in the Sudan.

Liver abscesses in dromedary camels: Pathological characteristics and aerobic bacterial aetiology

The study was carried out at Nyala abattoirs, South Darfur State, Sudan during a period from 2009 to 2011. Slaughtered camels (822) were examined for pathological changes of liver abscesses and identification of the involved aerobic bacteria. Grossly, a total of 111 (13.5%) liver abscesses were recorded in different camel ages; 90 (81.1%) were less than seven years old and 21 (18.9%) were more than seven years old. Histopathology of sectioned tissues revealed necrotic abscesses with infiltration of inflammatory cells, hydropic degeneration with swelling of hepatocytes comprising the sinusoid and different size of vacuoles in the hepatic cells. Proliferation of bile ducts with fibrous tissue and infiltration of inflammatory cells was also recorded. Investigation of bacteria revealed 90 aerobic isolates; they were identified to 52 (57.8%) gram positive cocci, 20 (22.2%) gram positive rods and 18 (20.0%) gram negative rods. Staphylococcus spp. (41.1%), Corynebacterium spp. (17.9%) and Streptococcus spp. (13.3%) were the most frequently identified bacteria involved in liver abscesses of camels in the region. Further studies are required to assess the pathogenicity of bacterial isolates from camel livers. This is particularly important from a public health perspective, since some people of Sudan are known to consume raw camel liver.