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Pharmacological Model (pharmacological + model)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences50%

Selected Abstracts

Spasmolytic and antidiarrhoeal properties of the Yucatec Mayan medicinal plant Casimiroa tetrameria

JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 9 2005
Michael Heinrich
The Maya of the Yucatán peninsula commonly use the leaves of Casimiroa tetrameria for treating gastrointestinal disorders, notably diarrhoea and dysentery, as well as gastrointestinal cramps. The phytochemical investigation resulted in the isolation of 13 compounds: eight polymethoxylated flavonoids (two as minor components with a main constituent), four flavonoid glycosides and one furanocoumarin. In this study we used two well-established models in order to assess the gastrointestinal effects of C. tetrameria extracts and isolated compounds: the USSING-chamber, a pharmacological model for diarrhoea, and the isolated guinea pig ileum, a model for modulatory effects on ileum contraction. Extracts and the class of polymethoxylated flavonoids showed strong inhibitory effects in both models, which provides ex-vivo evidence for the use of this botanical drug in the treatment of several gastrointestinal problems, most notably diarrhoea. The crude extract, polymethoxylated flavonoid-rich fractions and the polymethoxylated flavonoids tested showed prominent antisecretory activity. Polymethoxylated flavonoid-rich fractions also inhibited the histamine-induced contractions in the guinea pig model. The effects are not due to a single compound, but to a large number of structurally related compounds that all contribute to the effect. [source]

Role of the Neurokinin-1 Receptors in Ejaculation in Anesthetized Rats

THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 1 2009
Pierre Clement PhD
ABSTRACT Introduction., Several lines of evidence indicate a role for substance P in the control of ejaculation, although its mode of action needs to be clarified. Aim., The effects and sites of action of a selective antagonist for the substance P-preferred receptor (neurokinin-1 receptor subtype; NK1) were investigated in a pharmacological model of ejaculation. Methods., Ejaculation was induced in anesthetized rats by intracerebroventricular (icv) delivery of the dopamine D3 receptor preferring agonist 7-hydroxy-2-(di-N-propylamino)tetralin (7-OH-DPAT). The effects of the selective NK1 antagonist RP67580 on 7-OH-DPAT-induced ejaculation were measured following intraperitoneal (ip), icv, or intrathecal (it) (third lumbar spinal segment; L3) administration. Main Outcome Measures., Intraseminal vesicle pressure (SVP) and electromyogram of the bulbospongiosus muscle (BS) were recorded as physiological markers of emission and expulsion phases of ejaculation, respectively. Results., Upon ip, icv, or it administration, RP67580 significantly reduced the occurrence of ejaculation elicited by 7-OH-DPAT. A mild decrease in the occurrence of SVP and BS responses was observed in rats treated ip with RP67580, whereas only SVP responses were moderately affected following icv or it administration. Conclusion., These results show the multilevel regulation of 7-OH-DPAT-induced ejaculation by NK1 receptors. Clement P, Peeters M, Bernabe J, Laurin M, Alexandre L, and Giuliano F. Role of the neurokinin-1 receptors in ejaculation in anesthetized rats. J Sex Med 2009;6:126,134. [source]

Subjective Theories about (Self-)Treatment with Ayahuasca

ANTHROPOLOGY OF CONSCIOUSNESS, Issue 2 2010
JANINE TATJANA SCHMID
ABSTRACT Ayahuasca is a psychoactive beverage that is mostly used in ritualized settings (Santo Daime rituals, neo-shamanic rituals, and even do-it-yourself-rituals). It is a common practice in the investigated socio-cultural field to call these settings "healing rituals." For this study, 15 people who underwent ayahuasca (self-)therapy for a particular disease like chronic pain, cancer, asthma, depression, alcohol abuse, or Hepatitis C were interviewed twice about their subjective concepts and beliefs on ayahuasca and healing. Qualitative data analysis revealed a variety of motivational patterns, subjective effects, and user types. Most participants were convinced that ayahuasca had influenced their illness positively or improved their coping with their illness. More importantly, it had enhanced their well being in general. As a result, we concluded that the effects of ayahuasca should not be reduced to a pharmacological model. The substance should be conceptualized as a psychological catalyst that unfolds within different fields of sociocultural ideas. [source]

Wnt signaling in caudal dysgenesis and diabetic embryopathy

BIRTH DEFECTS RESEARCH, Issue 10 2008
Gabriela Pavlinkova
Abstract BACKGROUND: Congenital defects are a major complication of diabetic pregnancy, and the leading cause of infant death in the first year of life. Caudal dysgenesis, occurring up to 200-fold more frequently in children born to diabetic mothers, is a hallmark of diabetic pregnancy. Given that there is also an at least threefold higher risk for heart defects and NTDs, it is important to identify the underlying molecular mechanisms for aberrant embryonic development. METHODS: We have investigated gene expression in a transgenic mouse model of caudal dysgenesis, and in a pharmacological model using situ hybridization and quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: We identified altered expression of several molecules that control developmental processes and embryonic growth. CONCLUSIONS: The results from our models point towards major implication of altered Wnt signaling in the pathogenesis of developmental anomalies associated with embryonic exposure to maternal diabetes. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 82:710,719, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]