The safety assessment of herbal products is critical for their appropriate pharmacological applications. Garcinia cowa Roxb., commonly known as Cha-muang in Thai, has ethnopharmacological relevance ...in inflammation, infectious diseases, and diabetes. The leaf extracts of G. cowa have been extensively reported for their anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidative effects. Notably, chamuangone is their major active constituent that contributes to various pharmacological properties.
The current study aims to establish a standardized chamuangone enriched extract (CEE) and assess its acute and sub-acute toxicities in animal models.
CEE was established from G. cowa leaves using microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), followed by fractionation and enrichment through silica gel vacuum and column chromatography. The concentration of chamuangone in the leaves was quantified using validated quantitative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The safety profile of CEE was thoroughly evaluated in rodents according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines, specifically 425 and 407. The effect on oxidative stress markers such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were also evaluated in various organs.
Base on the quantitative HPLC analysis the CEE containing 73.0 ± 2% w/w of chamuangone in the extract. In the acute toxicity study, following up and down procedure the female rats were dosed with CEE at 1750 and 550 mg/kg body weight (b.w.), with CEE 1750 mg/kg b.w. identified as toxic, causing mortality, while CEE 550 mg/kg b.w. was deemed safe. The LD50 value was calculated according to the standard protocols, resulting in 970 mg/kg b.w. In histopathological examination, CEE 550 mg/kg b.w. were safe in all the selected organs while the CEE 1750 mg/kg b.w. treated rats exhibited toxic effects in histological tissues sections in the form of necrosis in brain, cardiac muscle hypertrophy, liver inflammation, mild untoward in the spleen, fibrosis in lungs, pancreatitis, pyelonephritis, and ovaries cyst. Administration of CEE at doses of 550 mg/kg b.w. (single dose) in acute and 100 mg/kg b.w. (regularly 28-days) in sub-acute toxicities studies significantly (p < 0.05) decreased levels of uric acid, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Importantly, the CEE 550 and 100 mg/kg b.w. also significantly increased the levels of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GSH and CAT) and decreased malondialdehyde levels. Normal histopathology was observed in the sub-acute toxicity study in all treated groups.
The study successfully concludes that CEE at a dose of 100 mg/kg b.w. is safe for therapeutic application or use as a chemo preventive functional food utilizing green extraction methods. However, chronic toxicity studies are recommended to validate safety concerns over an extended period.
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•A chamuangone enriched extract (CEE) was prepared from Garcinia cowa leaves.•CEE was standardized by a validated HPLC method to contain 73% w/w chamuangone.•CEE exhibited an LD50 of 970 mg/kg in an in vivo acute toxicity test.•CEE (100 mg/kg) did not produce any toxicologically significant in sub-acute toxicity test.•CEE decreased uric acid, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels and modulated oxidative stress.
Andrew Wyllie was a key figure in the discovery of the programmed cell death process termed apoptosis. He pioneered the study of apoptosis when this was a little‐known phenomenon and discovered the ...first biochemical marker of the process, internucleosomal DNA degradation. Andrew recently passed away, aged 78, but leaves a legacy of scientific achievement that opened up a new field of research.
Christine Watson, Gerry Melino and Seamus Martin pay tribute to Andrew Wyllie (Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge), who was a key figure in the discovery of apoptosis, programmed cell death. He pioneered the study of apoptosis when this was a little‐known phenomenon and discovered the first biochemical marker of the process, internucleosomal DNA degradation. Andrew recently passed away, aged 78, but leaves a legacy of scientific achievement that opened up a new field of research.
Burnout is a state of exhaustion resulting from prolonged and excessive workplace stress. We sought to examine biological underpinnings of burnout, focussing on mechanisms and physical consequences.
...We searched the literature on burnout and evaluated studies examining biological parameters in patient populations (i.e. 'clinical' burnout) as well as in individuals from the general population judged as having some degree of burnout evaluated using a dimensional approach.
Findings suggest that burnout is associated with sustained activation of the autonomic nervous system and dysfunction of the sympathetic adrenal medullary axis, with alterations in cortisol levels. Limited studies have also shown altered immune function and changes in other endocrine systems. Consequences of burnout include increased allostatic load, structural and functional brain changes, excito-toxicity, systemic inflammation, immunosuppression, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and premature death. Limitations of studies include variability in study populations, low specificity of burnout measures, and mostly cross-sectional studies precluding examination of changes across the course of burnout.
Further examination of biological mechanisms of burnout would benefit from more homogeneous clinical samples, challenge tests and prospective studies. This would assist in differentiation from conditions such as depression and aid with development of specific treatment targets for burnout.
Fever is indisputably one of the most common symptoms triggering the quest
for health care provision, globally, but particularly so in low and middle-income
countries (LMIC), where infectious ...diseases remain highly prevalent, and where
fever is a well-known cause of premature mortality. The epidemiology of fever is
highly variable, with a myriad of different potential etiologies, and heavily
dependent on a variety of parameters, including among others, the age of the
individual affected, the presence of concomitant conditions, the geographical
distribution and circulation of different pathogens, and the implementation of
different control measures destined to decrease the risk of certain diseases.
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