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Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with rising prevalence in developing countries, and limited success of current therapies, natural products have immense potential for therapy due to their "disease modifying and side-effect neutralizing" potential. Myrica salicifolia is traditionally used for gastrointestinal diseases and have reported antiinflammatory activities, but its use in IBD has not yet been studied. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of the root extract of M. salicifolia (Ms.Cr) were investigated using the acetic acid-induced UC model in rats. For 6 days, the rats were given either vehicle (10 mL/kg), lower (200 mg/kg), and higher (400 mg/kg) doses of Ms.Cr, or the positive control drug (prednisolone; 2 mg/kg) orally. A single dosage of 5% acetic acid (1.0 mL) was administered intrarectally to rats on day 6 to induce UC. Disease activity index (DAI), histological observations, the biochemical parameters related to oxidative stress, and specific cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were determined to assess the effect of Ms.Cr. In comparison to the AA-induced colitis rats, Ms.Cr's pretreatment significantly decreased DAI, colonic ulceration, and inflammatory score. Total glutathione levels and catalase activity were considerably recovered in the colitis group treated with Ms.Cr, whereas enhanced lipid peroxidation in colon tissues was significantly decreased. Moreover, Ms.Cr pretreatment also caused inhibition of the activation of IL-6 and TNF-α in the colonic tissues of respective groups. Based on these findings, Ms.Cr might be developed to treat UC in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In the present study, the protective effect of Roflumilast (ROF, a selective phosphodiesterase (PDE-4) inhibitor) was investigated against cadmium (Cd)-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Methods: A total of 24 rats were selected and randomly divided into four groups (n = 6). Group 1 served as the control; groups 2–4 administered with CdCl2 (3 mg/kg, i.p.) for 7 days; groups 3 and 4 were co-administered with ROF in doses of 0.5 and 1.5 mg/kg, orally for 7 consecutive days. Nephrotoxicity was evaluated by measuring urine volume, urea and creatinine levels in urine and serum. Oxidative stress was confirmed by measuring malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) levels in kidney tissue followed by histopathological studies. Results: CdCl2 administration results in a significant (p < 0.01) decrease in urine volume, urea, and creatinine levels in urine, as well as GSH, SOD, and CAT levels in renal tissue. In addition, Cd also produced significantly increased (p < 0.01) urea and creatinine levels in serum and TBARS levels in renal tissues. Rats treated with ROF significantly (p < 0.01) restore the altered levels of kidney injury markers, nonenzymatic antioxidant, as well as depleted enzymes in dose-dependent manner. An increased expression of NF-κB p65 and decreased expression of GST and NQO1 in the Cd only treated group were significantly reversed by high dose of ROF (1.5 mg/kg). Histopathological changes were also ameliorated by ROF administration in Cd-treated groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, ROF treatment showed protective effect against renal damage and increased oxidative stress induced by Cd administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to develop olmesartan medoxomil (OLM) loaded poly (d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles by nanoprecipitation technique. Olmesartan medoxomil nanoparticles (F1–F3) were prepared using PLGA as polymer and Pluronic acid 127 as a surfactant. Developed PLGA nanoparticles were evaluated for particle size, polydispersity index (PI), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), drug entrapment efficiency (EE%) andin vitrodrug release. Optimised PLGA nanoparticle (F3) had particle size of 97.8 ± 6.3 nm, EE of 58.33% and drug release of 37.1% after 24 h of study. SEM images confirmed that developed nanoparticles were spherical in shape with a smooth surface. DSC, FTIR, and XRD spectra indicated formation of PLGA nanoparticles. The results suggest that PLGA polymer-based nanoparticle could be a potential option for sustained drug delivery of OLM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]