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The 6-shogaol, is a flavanone type flavonoid that is abundant in citrus fruit and has a wide range of pharmacological effects. The present study attempted to evaluate the antiurolithic effect of 6-shogaol on ethylene glycol (EG) and ammonium chloride (AC)-induced experimental urolithiasis in rats. The efficacy of 6-shogaol 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg was studied in EG 0.75% (V/V) and AC 1% (W/V) experimentally induced urolithiasis in rats for 21 days. The weight difference, urine volume, the levels of calcium, phosphate, magnesium, oxalate and uric acid in urine was observed. The blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, uric acid in serum and levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) were also measured. Histopathological analyses in kidneys were also performed. The rats weights were higher in the 6-shogaol groups than the urolithiasis group. EG caused a significant increase in serum creatinine (p

Evaluation of the effects of methanolic extract of Cucumis melo in ethylene glycol-induced nephrolithiasis on Wistar rats. 0.75% solution of ethylene glycol (EG) in payable water was given to produce nephrolithiasis on Wistar rats. The action of oral intake of methanolic extract of Cucumis melo seed in nephrolithiasis is studied and is matched with the action of oral intake of Cystone (standard) on Wistar rats. EG resulted in hyperoxaluria and deposition of calcium oxalate as well as raised urinary excretion of oxalate and calcium. Supplementation with methanolic extract of Cucumis melo seed decreased the increased renal oxalate, indicating a regulatory effect on oxalate formation endogenously. The outcomes stipulate that the seed of Cucumis melo is endowed with antinephrolithiatic action.

The strategies to avoid the first-pass metabolism via nose to systemic pathway are been explored to improve the bioavailability of the therapeutic agents. The present study aimed to formulate and evaluate the chitosan (CH)-ethylcellulose (EC) based microspheres for the systemic delivery of domperidone (DOM) via the nasal route to improve its bioavailability which is poor (18%) owing to the extensive first-pass metabolism. The microspheres were prepared by the solvent evaporation method and evaluated for certain in-vitro and in-vivo parameters. In-vivo study for optimized DOM-Microsphs (F1) formulation was performed on Wistar rats for the evaluation of bioavailability and pharmacokinetic parameters after nasal administration and compared to nasally administered DOM solution (DOM-Sol), and orally administered DOM-Sol & commercially available tablet formulation (Com-Tab). In-vitro results of optimized formulation (F1) demonstrated that the microspheres were spherical with 21.12 ± 0.51 μm particle size, 84.79 ± 1.39% entrapment efficiency, 50.68 ± 0.96% drug loading, 81.2 ± 6.75% drug release in 8 h. DOM loaded microspheres demonstrated 2 fold ex-vivo permeation than that Com-Tab. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry spectra do not display the characteristic peak of DOM, thus recommending the encapsulation of the drug in the polymeric core. The relative bioavailability of optimized formulation administered nasally in comparison to DOM-Sol administered orally, DOM Com-Tab administered orally, and DOM-Sol administered nasally was found to be 3.75, 2.61, and 1.77 folds respectively indicating the superiority of developed formulation. The developed microspheres were found to be promising for the bioavailability enhancement of DOM through the nasal route by avoiding its first-pass metabolism. Therefore, the development of microspheres for nasal to systemic route might better choice and a finer option for DOM bioavailability enhancement as well as for avoiding the problem associated with the drug due to irregular drug concentration in the blood with oral administration of the conventional formulation.

Cancer is a main health challenge for the world due to unavailability of standard treatments and severe side effects of chemotherapy. It is the second major cause of casualty worldwide after cardiac disorder. Medicinal plants are used for the treatment of various diseases since ancient time. Due to toxicity of allopathic medicines, peoples are coming back toward the use of natural medicines for the treatment of diseases. Approximately 38% of Americans are using alternative medicine or herbal medicines and spend around $34 billion dollars yearly on it. Constituents isolated from plants showed a crucial role in the development of useful anticancer agent. These include etoposide, vincristine and vinblastine from Catharantus roseus, camptothecin from Camptotheca acuminata, podophyllotoxin from Podophyllum peltatum, etc. The aim of the chapter is to describe various anticancer plants and their possible mechanisms of action in the prevention of cancer.