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Objective:Trans-resveratrol has been shown to have neuroprotective effects and could be a promising therapeutic agent in the treatment of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). This study aimed to investigate the involvement of the adenosine A1 receptor (A1R) in trans-resveratrol-induced neuroprotection in rats with collagenase-induced ICH. Methods: Sixty male Sprague–Dawley rats weighing 330–380 g were randomly divided into five groups (n = 12): (i) control, (ii) sham-operated rats, (iii) ICH rats pretreated with vehicle (0.1% DMSO saline, i.c.v.), (iv) ICH rats pretreated with trans-resveratrol (0.9 µg, i.c.v.) and (v) ICH rats pretreated with trans-resveratrol (0.9 µg) and the A1R antagonist, DPCPX (2.5 µg, i.c.v.). Thirty minutes after pretreatment, ICH was induced by intrastriatal injection of collagenase (0.04 U). Forty-eight hours after ICH, the rats were assessed using a variety of neurobehavioural tests. Subsequently, rats were sacrificed and brains were subjected to gross morphological examination of the haematoma area and histological examination of the damaged area. Results: Severe neurobehavioural deficits and haematoma with diffuse oedema were observed after intrastriatal collagenase injection. Pretreatment with trans-resveratrol partially restored general locomotor activity, muscle strength and coordination, which was accompanied with reduction of haematoma volume by 73.22% (P < 0.05) and damaged area by 60.77% (P < 0.05) in comparison to the vehicle-pretreated ICH group. The trans-resveratrol-induced improvement in neurobehavioural outcomes and morphological features of brain tissues was inhibited by DPCPX pretreatment. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the A1R activation is possibly the mechanism underlying the trans-resveratrol-induced neurological and neurobehavioural protection in rats with ICH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topical route of administration is the most commonly used method for the treatment of ophthalmic diseases. However, presence of several layers of permeation barriers starting from the tear film till the inner layers of cornea make it difficult to achieve the therapeutic concentrations in the target tissue within the eye. In order to circumvent these barriers and to provide sustained and targeted drug delivery, tremendous advances have been made in developing efficient and safe drug delivery systems. Liposomes due to their unique structure prove to be extremely beneficial drug carriers as they can entrap both the hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. The conventional liposomes had several drawbacks particularly their tendency to aggregate, the instability and leakage of entrapped drug and susceptibility to phagocytosis. Due to this reason, for a long time, liposomes as drug delivery systems did not attract much attention of researchers and clinicians. However, over recent years development of new generation liposomes has opened up new approaches for targeted and sustained drug delivery using liposomes and has rejuvenated the interest of researchers in this field. In this review we present a summary of current literature to understand the anatomical and physiological limitation in achieving adequate ocular bioavailability of topically applied drugs and utility of liposomes in overcoming these limitations. The recent developments related to new generation liposomes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to examine the effects of a palm-oil-derived vitamin E mixture containing tocotrienol (~70%) and tocopherol (~30%) on plasma lipids and on the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in rabbits given a 2% cholesterol diet. Eighteen New Zealand White rabbits (2.2-2.8 kg) were divided into three groups; group 1 (control) was fed a normal diet, group 2 (AT) was fed a 2% cholesterol diet and group 3 (PV) was fed a 2% cholesterol diet with oral palm vitamin E (60 mg/kg body weight) given daily for 10 weeks. There were no differences in the total cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels between the AT and PV groups. The PV group had a significantly higher concentrations of HDL-c and a lower TC/HDL-c ratio compared to the AT group (P< 0.003). The aortic tissue content of cholesterol and atherosclerotic lesions were comparable in both the AT and PV groups. However, the PV group had a lower content of plasma and aortic tissue malondialdehyde (P< 0.005). Our findings suggest that despite a highly atherogenic diet, palm vitamin E improved some important plasma lipid parameters, reduced lipid peroxidation but did not have an effect on the atherosclerotic plaque formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]