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Biomedical subjects

Muhammad Raza

Publications and source records attributed to Muhammad Raza.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Modification by L-NAME of codeine induced analgesia: possible role of nitric oxide.

Objectives were to investigate the effect of nonselective nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, L-NAME on codeine-induced analgesia and to see the role of NO in its antinociceptive effect. Also, to see if L-NAME can potentiate the antinociceptive response of sub-effective dose of codeine and to explore if opioid receptors have some role to play in L-NAME effects. Mice were injected with selected doses of codeine or other selected agents intraperitoneally and the latency to hot plate was recorded at zero, 15, 30, and 60 min of the treatments. The antinociceptive response of codeine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) was studied in comparison to those of the NOS inhibitor, L-NAME, and of nitric oxide donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Assessment of nitrates and nitrites (NOx) in the sera of treated mice were also made. Codeine (20 mg/kg dose), induced analgesia significantly and dose dependently only after 15 min. L-NAME at 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg dose levels significantly changed the nonanalgesic effect of codeine (10 mg/kg) to highly significant analgesia. The effect of L-NAME 40 mg/kg was significantly higher than the other two doses and was almost equal to that of the higher dose of codeine. Naloxone itself did not show any intrinsic effect but almost abolished the L-NAME-codeine induced analgesia. Similarly, SNP (1 mg/kg) reversed the decrease in reaction time by L-NAME-codeine to its control values, significantly. Pretreatment with L-NAME rendered the nonanalgesic dose of codeine significantly analgesic almost in an equal potency to the high dose of codeine alone and indicate that the NO modulatory effect on the opioid analgesic codeine is probably, at least in part, through opioid receptors.

Analgesia↗

Effects of losartan on blood pressure, oxidative stress, and nitrate/nitrite levels in the nitric oxide deficient hypertensive rats.

Losartan, an angiotensin II type-1 receptor (AT1) antagonist, was used to investigate whether it can offer protection against the sustained hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, and renal damage induced by chronic inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) by Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). We studied the involvement of both NO metabolism and oxidative stress in L-NAME-induced hypertension, and how AT1 receptor antagonism may interact. Male Wistar albino rats were subjected to NO synthesis inhibition by the use of L-NAME (60 mg/kg/day), and the effects of losartan (10 mg/kg/day) in drinking water for six weeks were observed. After six weeks, animals were subjected to the measurements for systolic, mean, and diastolic blood pressure (BPs, BPm, and BPd, respectively). Under light ether anesthesia blood was withdrawn for ACE activity, NOx and creatinine determinations. Heart and kidneys were weighed, and organ indices were calculated comparing to their body weights. These tissues were immediately preserved for GSH, MDA, NOx estimations. Chronic L-NAME treatment raised BPs, BPm, and BPd, respectively, above the normal. Treatment also increased NOx in plasma, significantly decreased it in the heart, and tended to increase it in kidney. L-NAME caused GSH depletion in the heart and kidney tissues with a concomitant increase in MDA contents in both the tissues. Plasma creatinine doubled in L-NAME-treated animals. Plasma ACE activity showed a nonsignificant decrease below control. Concurrent treatment with losartan almost completely inhibited any rise in blood pressure. Losartan replenished the partly depleted cardiac and renal antioxidant GSH and ameliorated the increase of oxidative stress damage index, MDA. However, losartan alone did not change appreciably the plasma level or cardiac and renal contents of NO,. Losartan plus L-NAME treatment caused an increase in plasma ACE activity above control. Furthermore, losartan ameliorated the L-NAME induced increase in creatinine back to value nonsignificantly different from control.

Analysis of Variance↗

Doxycycline decreases monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in human lung epithelial cells.

Certain antibiotics possess anti-inflammatory properties and could potentially be used to treat inflammatory lung diseases associated with an influx of monocytes such as panbronchiolitis, asthma, cystic fibrosis, and bronchitis. Doxycycline is reported to possess anti-inflammatory effects. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a major inflammatory cytokine and a powerful chemoattractant for monocytes. The authors hypothesized that doxycycline exerts its anti-inflammatory effects, in part, by reducing MCP-1 production. To test this hypothesis, A549 human lung epithelial cells were stimulated with cytomix in the presence or absence of doxycycline. In stimulated cells doxycycline decreased MCP-1 production by 95% and in monocyte chemotaxis assays migration decreased by 55%. However, doxycycline did decrease expression of MCP-1 mRNA and did not effect its stability. These data demonstrate that doxycycline modulates MCP-1 production and suggest that doxycycline may provide a new anti-inflammatory therapy for chronic lung diseases.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗