The inhibitory effect of Orengedokuto on lipid peroxide and sialidase was investigated using rats affected with carrageenin cotton pellet-induced granuloma and adjuvant arthritis. As a result, in the case of rats with carrageenin cotton pellet-induced granuloma, a significant inhibitory effect on granuloma formation was observed in the Orengedokuto treated rats (150 mg/kg/day) which showed a decrease in serum lipid peroxide (p < 0.001) and an increase in acid soluble glycoprotein (p < 0.001). In the case of adjuvant-induced arthritic rats, however, the condition of the arthritis was not improved at all, and was even aggravated in spite of the decrease in serum lipid peroxide.
We quantitatively determined the relative contributions of hormonal factors and the nervous system to the total glucose response after stimulation of the cholinergic neurons in the central nervous system of fed rats. Hepatic venous plasma glucose, glucagon, insulin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine were measured during 120 min after injection of neostigmine (5 X 10(-8) mol) into the third cerebral ventricle in rats subjected to bilateral adrenodemedullation (ADMX) to prevent epinephrine secretion (observed insulin secretion), with and without intravenous infusion of somatostatin to prevent glucagon and insulin secretion. Injection of neostigmine in intact rats resulted in increases in glucose, glucagon, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Comparison of glucose areas suggests that 22% of the hyperglycemic response is due to the glucagon effect, that 29% is due to the epinephrine effect, and that an unknown factor other than epinephrine or glucagon, which may include activation through direct neural innervation of the liver via alpha-adrenergic receptor, contributes 49%. The suppressive effect of epinephrine on insulin secretion, which is potentially stimulated by direct neural activation of the pancreas, contributes 18% of the net hyperglycemia.
The effect of Sho-saiko-to on the concentration of vitamin E in serum and on the granuloma formation in Carrageenin cotton pellet-induced rats was investigated. As a result, in the granuloma rats of Sho-saiko-to group, a significantly improved inhibitory effect on granuloma formation and a higher concentration of vitamin E in serum, cholesterol and phospholipid were observed compared to the control group. Despite this lipid-increasing action by Sho-saiko-to, the concentration of serum lipid peroxide was significantly lower than in the control group. Furthermore, a significant negative correlation between the concentration of vitamin E and granuloma weight was observed. These results suggest that vitamin E plays an important role in promoting the anti-inflammatory effect of Sho-saiko-to.
57 patients with osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine were treated by low power (Ga-Al-As Diode) laser irradiation. They were classified by clinical signs, symptoms and X-ray in three groups. The effective ratio of laser treatment in the first group with lumbar pains due to hypertension of muscles was 93.8%. Laser treatment proved ineffective for patients with extremely severe osteoporosis in the second group. 70% of patients in the third group with leg pains similar to ischial neuralgie improved remarkably. These results showed that low power laser irradiation was effective for osteoarthritis patients without miserable osteoporotic change.
The effects of electrical stimulation of the medial amygdala (AMYG) and dorsal hippocampus (DHPC) on the rates of 14C transfer from 14C-1-acetate into adrenocortical steroids in adrenal slices of hypophysectomized rats were investigated. The 14C transfer rates into corticosterone were increased by stimulation of the AMYG and DHPC. The 14C transfer rates into cortisol were increased by the AMYG stimulation but were not altered by the DHPC stimulation. From these results, it might be suggested that these limbic structures were involved in the regulation of adrenocortical steroidogenesis without participation of the pituitary.
To find out whether the hippocampus is involved in central nervous system-mediated glucoregulation, we injected saline, neostigmine, dopamine, norepinephrine, bombesin, beta-endorphin, somatostatin, and prostaglandin F2 alpha into the dorsal hippocampus in anesthetized fed rats. After injection of dopamine, norepinephrine, bombesin, beta-endorphin, somatostatin, or prostaglandin F2 alpha, the level of hepatic venous plasma glucose did not differ from that in saline-treated control rats. However, neostigmine, an inhibitor of acetylcholine esterase, caused a dose-dependent increase in the hepatic venous plasma glucose concentration. This neostigmine-induced hyperglycemia was dose-dependently suppressed by coadministration of atropine, but not by hexamethonium. Injection of neostigmine (5 X 10(-8) mol) resulted in an increase not only in glucose but also in glucagon, epinephrine, and norepinephrine in hepatic venous plasma. In bilateral adrenalectomized rats, neostigmine-induced hyperglycemia was suppressed, but the hepatic venous plasma glucose concentration still increased significantly. These results indicate that the hippocampus is involved in central nervous system-mediated glucoregulation through cholinergic muscarinic activation, partly via epinephrine secretion.
The relationship of acute pain-relief effects of low power (Ga-Al-As Diode) laser irradiation and thermogram of 19 Rheumatoid Arthritis patients was examined. The maximum skin temperature (MST) level of 10 patients (52.6%) dropped immediately after irradiation. Laser treatment was effective in 90% of these cases. The MST level of 8 patients (42.1%) rose immediately after irradiation. Laser treatment was ineffective in 5 of 8 cases. The effective ratio of irradiation of patients whose MST levels dropped was statistically high. (P0.05) When MST levels rise, irradiation would be ineffective. The thermogram in cases at 10 minutes after irradiation showed no relationship to acute pain-relief effects of laser therapy.
