Velvet antler polypeptides promoted proliferation of chondrocytes and osteoblast precursors and fracture healing.
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AIM: To study the effects of velvet antler (VA) total polypeptides (VATP) and VA polypeptides, VAP-A, VAP-B, and VAP-C on proliferation of chondrocytes and osteoblast precusors. METHODS: Chondrocytes (rabbit and human fetus) and osteoblast precusors (chick embryo) were incubated in the culture medium containing VATP or VAP-A, VAP-B, and VAP-C. [3H]TdR incorporation into DNA was measured. Fracture healing-promoting action of VATP was determined in rats. RESULTS: VATP 50-200 mg.L-1 and VAP-B 12.5, 25, and 50 mg.L-1 showed most marked proliferation-promoting activity for rabbit costed chondrocytes and increased incorporation of [3H]TdR from (73 +/- 9) Bq (control group) to (272 +/- 55), (327 +/- 38), and (415 +/- 32) Bq, respectively (P < 0.01). The activity of VAP-A was weaker than that of VAP-B, and VAP-C had no activity. VATP 10 and 20 mg.kg-1 by local injection into the cross-section fracture area accelerated healing of radial fracture. The healing rate of VATP-treated group was higher (75%) than that of control group (25%) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: VATP accelerated fracture healing by stimulating proliferation of chondrocytes and osteoblast precursors. (+info)
Comparative efficacy of two microdoses of a potentized homoeopathic drug, Cadmium Sulphoricum, in reducing genotoxic effects produced by cadmium chloride in mice: a time course study.
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BACKGROUND: Cadmium poisoning in the environment has assumed an alarming problem in recent years. Effective antimutagenic agents which can reverse or combat cadmium induced genotoxicity in mice have not yet been reported. Therefore, in the present study, following the homeopathic principle of "like cures like", we tested the efficacy of two potencies of a homeopathic drug, Cadmium Sulphoricum (Cad Sulph), in reducing the genotoxic effects of Cadmium chloride in mice. Another objective was to determine the relative efficacy of three administrative modes, i.e. pre-, post- and combined pre and post-feeding of the homeopathic drugs. For this, healthy mice, Mus musculus, were intraperitoneally injected with 0.008% solution of CdCl2 @ 1 ml/100 gm of body wt (i.e. 0.8 mcg/gm of bw), and assessed for the genotoxic effects through such studies as chromosome aberrations (CA), micronucleated erythrocytes (MNE), mitotic index (MI) and sperm head anomaly (SHA), keeping suitable succussed alcohol fed (positive) and CdCl2 untreated normal (negative) controls. The CdCl2 treated mice were divided into 3 subgroups, which were orally administered with the drug prior to, after and both prior to and after injection of CdCl2 at specific fixation intervals and their genotoxic effects were analyzed. RESULTS: While the CA, MNE and SHA were reduced in the drug fed series as compared to their respective controls, the MI showed an apparent increase. The combined pre- and post-feeding of Cad Sulph showed maximum reduction of the genotoxic effects. CONCLUSIONS: Both Cad Sulph-30 and 200 were able to combat cadmium induced genotoxic effects in mice and that combined pre- and post-feeding mode of administration was found to be most effective in reducing the genotoxic effect of CdCl2 followed by the post-feeding mode. (+info)
Can homeopaths detect homeopathic medicines by dowsing? A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
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Dowsing is a method of problem-solving that uses a motor automatism, amplified through a pendulum or similar device. In a homeopathic context, it is used as an aid to prescribing and as a tool to identify miasm or toxin load. A randomized double-blind trial was conducted to determine whether six dowsing homeopaths were able to distinguish between Bryonia in a 12c potency and placebo by use of dowsing alone. The homeopathic medicine Bryonia was correctly identified in 48.1% of bottle pairs (n=156; 95% confidence interval 40.2%, 56.0%; P=0.689). These results, wholly negative, add to doubts whether dowsing in this context can yield objective information. (+info)
Treatment of canine atopic dermatitis with a commercial homeopathic remedy: a single-blinded, placebo-controlled study.
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A commercial homeopathic remedy and a placebo were administered orally as individual agents to 18 dogs with atopic dermatitis. The pruritus was reduced by less than 50% in only 2/18 dogs; 1 of these dogs was receiving the homeopathic remedy, the other was receiving the placebo. One dog vomited after administration of the homeopathic remedy. (+info)
Authentication of oviductus ranae and its original animals using molecular marker.
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Two pairs of diagnostic primers, IHm01-L/IHm01-H and IHm02-L/IHm02-H, for distinguishing the Chinese crude drug Oviductus Ranae from its substitutes were designed based on sequences of Cyt b gene fragment of the original animals of the drug and substitutes. Total DNAs were extracted from crude drugs purchased from five drugstores in different regions, as well as from original animals of the drug, Rana chensinensis, and seven species of related ranid species. Diagnostic polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) were performed using the two pairs of primers with the total DNAs of the original animals as a template. The result showed that a 240 bp DNA segment was clearly amplified from all templates of Rana chensinensis using primers IHmO1-L and IHm01-H, whereas no DNA band appeared from other templates. While using primers IHm02-L and IHm02-H, we got a clear 140 bp DNA band from all the templates of R. huanrenensis and 3 oviducts of the same species, no PCR product was observed from the other samples. A set of PCR reactions was employed to identify crude drugs from the five drugstores using the two pairs of primers together with HsmL1 and HsmH1 reported in our previous study. The results show that only 20% of the Oviductus Ranae currently sold in markets are qualified products and the rest are not. (+info)
Protective effects of polypeptide from Chlamys farreri on Hela cells damaged by ultraviolet A.
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AIM: To study the protective effect of polypeptide isolated from Chlamys farreri (PCF) on Hela cells damaged by ultraviolet A (UVA) in vitro. METHODS: Cell proliferation was determined by MTT method; intra-cellular free calcium [Ca2+]i and rates of apoptosis and death were measured by flow cytometry (FCM). RESULTS: PCF (0.5 %-2 %) enhanced the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT), and stimulated cell proliferation. The concentration of [Ca2+]i was increased while the amounts of MDA and the rates of apoptosis and death of the cells were decreased. The differences between the PCF groups and control group were significant (P<0.05, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: PCF protected Hela cells against damage by UVA via its anti-oxidative mechanisms. (+info)
A systematic review of systematic reviews of homeopathy.
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Homeopathy remains one of the most controversial subjects in therapeutics. This article is an attempt to clarify its effectiveness based on recent systematic reviews. Electronic databases were searched for systematic reviews/meta-analysis on the subject. Seventeen articles fulfilled the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Six of them related to re-analyses of one landmark meta-analysis. Collectively they implied that the overall positive result of this meta-analysis is not supported by a critical analysis of the data. Eleven independent systematic reviews were located. Collectively they failed to provide strong evidence in favour of homeopathy. In particular, there was no condition which responds convincingly better to homeopathic treatment than to placebo or other control interventions. Similarly, there was no homeopathic remedy that was demonstrated to yield clinical effects that are convincingly different from placebo. It is concluded that the best clinical evidence for homeopathy available to date does not warrant positive recommendations for its use in clinical practice. (+info)
Recent advances in traditional plant drugs and orchids.
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The main objective of this paper is to review recent advances in plant drug research and developments in orchid study, in an attempt to provide useful references for plant drug studies. Plants have been used as medicine for millennia. Out of estimated 250 000 to 350 000 plant species identified so far, about 35 000 are used worldwide for medicinal purposes. It has been confirmed by WHO that herbal medicines serve the health needs of about 80 percent of the world's population; especially for millions of people in the vast rural areas of developing countries. Meanwhile, consumers in developed countries are becoming disillusioned with modern healthcare and are seeking alternatives. The recent resurgence of plant remedies results from several factors: 1) the effectiveness of plant medicines; 2) the side effect of most modern drugs; and 3) the development of science and technology. It has been estimated that in the mid-1990s over 200 companies and research organizations worldwide are screening plant and animal compounds for medicinal properties. Actually, several important drugs used in modern medicine have come from medicinal plant studies, eg, taxol/paclitaxel, vinblastine, vincristine, topotecan, irinotecan, etoposide, teniposide, etc. As for drugs derived from orchids, some novel discoveries, both in phytochemical and pharmacological properties, were reported by some universities. However, studies on plants are very limited. Only about a third of the million or so species of higher plants have been identified and named by scientists. Of those named, only a tiny fraction has been studied. Nowadays the linking of the indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants to modern research activities provides a new approach, which makes the rate of discovery of drugs much more effective than with random collection. (+info)