Oral Administration Of Ethanolic Extract Research Articles

Effect of different formulations of propolis on mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi

Propolis, a bee product, can be regarded as one of the potential natural sources in folk medicine, displaying strong antimicrobial activity. Previous work showed that propolis extracts exhibited in vitro activity against Trypanosoma cruzi (Higashi and de Castro, 1994). Different formulations of propolis were administered to experimentally Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mice and the parasitemia kinetics and survival rate were monitored. The oral administration of ethanolic extracts up to 1.2 g propolis/kg per day or propolis offered ad libitum in the drinking water (up to 4 g/kg per day) or added to the food (up to 5 g/kg per day) did not interfere with both parameters. The differences between in vitro and in vivo trypanocidal activity of propolis and future perspectives are discussed.

Beneficial effects of biota, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine on learning impairment induced by basal forebrain-lesion in mice.

The effects of biota (Biota orientalis ENDL.) on learning impairment produced by bilateral lesion of basal forebrain in mice were studied using step-through and step-down type passive avoidance tasks. Basal forebrain-lesion was generated by applying radiofrequency current. Behavioral experiment, started 15d after the survey, revealed prominent delay in the memory acquisition process in the lesioned mice. The operation also induced memory retention deficit in both learning tests. Chronic oral administration of ethanol extract of biota seeds at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg/d, from the day of surgery until the end of the behavioral test, dose-dependently improved memory acquisition impairment in the step-down test and memory retention disturbance in both behavioral tasks. The preparation also had a tendency to alleviate memory acquisition impairment in the step-through test. Although precise action mechanisms of biota extract remains speculative, such as what component works on which target, the present results clearly suggest that the preparation affects the learning and memory processes in the central nervous system and improves the impairment of memory acquisition and retention disturbances produced by basal forebrain-lesion.