Osama M. Salama

Grape seed extract prevents azathioprine toxicity in rats

Azathioprine (Aza) is an important drug commonly used in the therapy of autoimmune system disorders. It induces hepatotoxicity and hazard effects that restrict its use. The effects of administration of grape seed extract and folic acid on Aza toxicity by gavage (simultaneously) daily for 4 weeks were studied by determining the changes in some hematological parameters and liver histology. The glutathione level (GSH) and lipid peroxidation content as malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver tissue were measured. The repeated intake of Aza (25 mg/kg body weight) induced anemia characterized by decreased erythrocyte and leukocyte counts and reticulocyte and hematocrit percentages, while the prothrombin time was significantly increased. Moreover, Aza caused a significant decrease in phagocytic activity and lymphocyte percentage. Aza induced hepatic damage as indicated by pronounced changes in the histological structure, a significant increase in serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and MDA content in the liver tissue. Meanwhile, the GSH activity was significantly decreased. Co‐treatment with grape seed extract and Aza minimized the previously mentioned hazard effects of Aza and significantly protected the hepatic tissue by ameliorating the antioxidant activity. Folic acid administration, simultaneously, with Aza only improved the anemia. It may be concluded that grape seed extract is a useful herbal remedy, especially for controlling oxidative damages and is considered as a potent protective agent against Aza hepatotoxicity. Copyright

Thin-layer chromatographic scanner, spectrophotometric and high-performance liquid chromatographic methods for the determination of colchicine

One high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) and two thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) methods are proposed for the determination of colchicine in crude drugs and pharmaceutical preparations. The TLC scanner method is based on measurement of the absorbance of the separated colchicine spot; alternatively, after scraping the spot from the plate and elution the absorbance can be measured spectrophotometrically. The HPLC assay was carried out isocratically on a reversed-phase column using MeOH-H2O (60 + 40). The recoveries were 99.2 +/- 1.23, 99.1 +/- 1.12 and 99.1 +/- 2.01% for the TLC scanner, spectrophotometric and HPLC methods, respectively. The methods were shown to be sensitive and specific and can be used as an alternative to the pharmacopoeial methods having been applied to the determination of colchicine in corms of Merendera persica and in three pharmaceutical preparations.