The anti-ulcer activity of the oil and mucilage obtained from flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) was evaluated in a rat model of ethanol-induced gastric ulcer. Our results show that pretreatment of rats with flaxseed oil and flaxseed mucilage significantly reduced the number and length of gastric ulcers induced by ethanol. Flaxseed oil was more effective than flaxseed mucilage in reducing the number of ulcers. The reduction in ulcer severity (cumulative length in mm) provided by an oral dose of flaxseed oil (5 ml/kg) was more prominent than that obtained by ranitidine (50 mg/kg). This study indicates that both flaxseed oil and flaxseed mucilage can provide a cytoprotective effect against ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in rats. arabic 19 English 94
A Dugani, Aisha Mohamed Ali Dugali(1-2008)

Marine fungi are a promising source for bioactive compounds [1]. The fungal strain 222 has been isolated from wood collected at the coast of the Greifswalder Bodden, Baltic Sea, Germany and produces structurally new naphthalenone derivatives, balticols A to F. They possess antiviral activities [2]. Since other naphthalene compounds are known for their anti-inflammatory activities we investigated whether the balticols have an influence on inflammatory immune cells. Balticols (1 and 10µg/ml) were added to rat mononuclear cells (F344-MNC) which were cultured alone or together with H9c2-cardiomyocytes. The latter represents a model of inflammation similar as observed after myocardial infarction. MNC's were collected after 48h and analyzed for T-, B-, NK-, TH-cells and CTL's by flow cytometry. Dexamethasone (Dexa, 10–9 mol/l) served as positive control. None of the balticols except balticol E changed the number of control MNC's. The proportion of T-cells was decreased by balticol B and D, but ICAM-1+T-cells increased. Balticol D decreased TH- and increased B-cells as Dexa which additionally decreased CTL's. None of the substances influenced NK cells. After co-culture with cardiomyocytes TH-cells were decreased while CTL's and ICAM-1+T-cells increased. Balticol D partly anticipated the decrease of TH. Balticol E decreased T-cells, especially TH-cells, but stimulated ICAM-1+T-cells. Dexa anticipated the increase of CTL's, had no influence on the proportion of TH-cells and diminished ICAM-1+T-cells. In summary, balticols B, D and E influence unstimulated MNC's. Unambiguous anti-inflammatory effects were detected using Dexa and balticol E which exerts its effect due reduction of T-cells. arabic 14 English 83
B. Haertel, Muftah A. Shushni, Ulrike Lindequist(1-2010)

مرض الاكتئاب هو عبارة عن اضطراب عقلى واسع الانتشار يصيب الملايين من الاشخاص حول العالم وهو احدالاسباب المهمة المؤدية للإعاقة في جميع أنحاء العالم و في أسوأ حالاته يمكن أن يؤدي إلى الانتحار, والوفاة المأساوية المرتبطة بفقدان نحو 850 ألف شخص سنويا. هناك العديد من النواقل العصبية التى لها دور معروف في آليات الاكتئاب, والعقاقير المضادة له. ان المونوامين (السيروتونين والدوبامين والنورادرينالين) من المعروف أنها لها دور واضح فى هذا الشأن ولكن دور حمض غاما امينوبيمتاريك ( الجابا ) لا يزال غير واضح بشكل جيد, كما انه هناك العديد من الدراسات المعملية و السريرية التى أظهرت نتائج متضاربة بشأن الدور الحاسم للجابا في الاكتئاب. لذلك تقرر دراسة إذا كان الجابا له دور مباشر في علاج الاكتئاب من خلال دراسة التأثير المضاد للاكتئاب للأدوية المختلفة التي تنشط نظام الجابا بآليات مختلفة فى نموذج الكآبة المعترف به وهو (اختبار سباحة اليأس السلوكى) و هذه الأدوية تشمل؛ ( الدايازيبام ) وهو مضاد للقلق يعمل كمحور ايجابى للجابا عندما يتحد مع مستقبلات البنزوديازيبين، ( البرازولام ) الذى يعمل كمعزز لمستقبل (الجابا أ) ولديه ثأثير مزدوج كمضا د للقلق والاكتئاب عندما يتحد مع مستقبلات البنزوديازيبين، ( الزولبيدم ) وهو عقار منوم يستعمل على نطاق واسع و يعمل على مستقبل (الجابا أ) ويظهر جادبية عالية الى ( مستقبل الجابا أ الفرعى ( الفا1)، مضاد الصرع ( فيغاباترين) وهو مثبط غير رجعى وذو انتقائية عالية لئنزيم (غاما امينوبيمتاريك اسيد ترانزامينيز)، وأخيرا كان من الضرورى أن نشمل فى دراستنا مضاد الاكتئاب القياسى (الأميبرامين) الذى يعمل بتثبيط إعادة امتصاص ( السيروتونين، والنورادرينالين) من قبل الخلايا العصبية نتائج الدراسة المتصلة بقياس مدّة السكون الحركى فى اختبار سباحة اليأس السلوكى بعد 60 دقيقة من اعطاء الدواء اظهرت أن كل الأدوية المختارة المنشطة لنظام الجابا بآليات مختلفة ماعدا الجرعة العالية من ( البرازولام) قد انتجت زيادة مهمة فى مدّة السكون الحركى (مفعول مسبب للاكتئاب). هذه النتائج تدل على أن الناقل العصبى المثبط (الجابا)، ربما يكون قد سبب المفعول المشابه للاكتئاب نتجية تأثيره المسبب لنقص توفر المونوامين فى مناطق معينة من الدماغ، وللذلك استنتاجنا أن الزيادة فىنشاط نظام الجابا بالآليات المختلفة لن ينتج عنه مفعول مضاد للاكتئاب. Abstract: Depression is a common mental disorder affecting many millions of people worldwide and among the leading causes of disability worldwide. At its worst, depression can lead to suicide, a tragic fatality associated with the loss of about 850,000 lives every year. Many neurotransmitters have been suggested to be involved in the mechanisms of depression and antidepressant drugs. The role of the monoamines (serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine) is well recognized. On the other hand, the role of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) is still not well recognized and many of the animal and clinical studies are showing conflicting findings regarding a crucial role of GABA in the pathophysiology of depression. Therefore, it was decided to examine if GABA has a direct role in depression by studying the antidepressant effect of different drugs that enhance GABA system by different mechanism by using a will established model of animal depression (forced swim test-FST). The drugs included diazepam an anxiolytic which acts as positive allosteric modulator of GABA when it binds to benzodiazepine receptors; alprazolam that act as GABAA receptor agonist with reported anxiolytic-antidepressant effect when it binds to benzodiazepine receptors; zolpidem which is a widely used hypnotic agent acting at the GABAA receptor and displays a high affinity to 1-GABAA receptor; the antiepileptic vigabatrin which is an irreversible and highly selective inhibitor of γ-aminobutyric acid transaminase; and finally imipramine was included as a standard antidepressant drug which acts by inhibiting the re-uptake of the neurotransmitters noradrenaline and serotonin. The results related to the measurement of the duration of immobility during FST after 60 min of drugs treatment showed that there was a tendency for all drugs (except for the high dose of alprazolam) to prolong the duration of immobility in dose dependent manner i.e. a depressant like action. These findings suggest that the neurotransmitter GABA might have produced a depressant like action by decreasing the availability of monoamines at certain brain areas. It was concluded therefore that increasing central GABAergic activity by different mechanisms will not result in an antidepressant activity.
نجوى أحمد الزحاف (2009)