Effects of continuous intravenous infusion of morphine and morphine‐tramadol on the minimum alveolar concentration of sevoflurane and electroencephalographic entropy indices in dogs

ObjectiveTo compare the effects of continuous rate infusions (CRIs) of intravenous (IV) morphine and morphine-tramadol on the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane, and on electroencephalographic entropy indices in dogs.DesignProspective study.AnimalsEight young, healthy German shepherds, weighing 26.3 ± 3.1 kg (mean ± SD).MethodsAnaesthesia was induced and maintained with sevoflurane. A standard tail-clamp technique was used for MAC determination. Within one anaesthetic period, MAC was first determined during sevoflurane anaesthesia alone (MAC_B); then during morphine infusion (MAC_M), (loading dose 0.5 mg kg⁻¹IM; CRI, 0.2 mg kg⁻¹hour⁻¹⁾ then finally during morphine-tramadol infusion (tramadol loading dose 1.5 mg kg⁻¹IV; CRI, 2.6 mg kg⁻¹ hour⁻¹) (MAC_MT). At each change, periods of 45 minutes were allowed for equilibration. Stated entropy (SE), response entropy (RE), and RE-SE differences were measured five minutes prior to and during tail clamping.ResultsThe MAC_B was 2.1 ± 0.3vol%. The morphine and morphine-tramadol infusions reduced MAC to 1.6 ± 0.3vol% and 1.3 ± 0.3vol%, respectively. MAC was decreased below baseline more during morphine-tramadol than during morphine alone (39 ± 9% versus 25 ± 6%, respectively; p = 0.003). All SE and RE and most RE-SE differences were increased significantly (p < 0.05) over pre-stimulation in all groups when the dogs responded purposefully to noxious stimulation. When no response to noxious stimulation occurred, the entropy indices did not change.Conclusion and clinical relevanceIn dogs, combined morphine-tramadol CRI decreased sevoflurane MAC more than morphine CRI alone. Entropy indices changed during nociceptive responses in anaesthetized animals, suggesting that entropy measurements may be useful in determining anaesthetic depth in dogs.     

Drimane Sesquiterpene-Conjugated Amino Acids from a Marine Isolate of the Fungus Talaromyces minioluteus (Penicillium Minioluteum)

Four new sesquiterpene lactones (3, 4, 6 and 7) and three known compounds, purpuride (1), berkedrimane B (2) and purpuride B (5), were isolated from the marine fungus, Talaromyces minioluteus (Penicillium minioluteum). New compounds were drimane sesquiterpenes conjugated with N-acetyl-l-valine, and their structures were elucidated by analysis of spectroscopic data, as well as by single crystal X-ray analysis. The isolated compounds could not inhibit the apoptosis-regulating enzyme, caspase-3, while three of the compounds (2, 3 and 7) exhibited weak cytotoxic activity.     

Estrogenic activities of sesame lignans and their metabolites on human breast cancer cells

Sesame lignans (sesamin, sesamolin) and their metabolites (enterodiol, ED; enterolactone, EL; and sesamol) have been evaluated for their estrogenic activities. ED and EL have been indicated to have estrogenic/antiestrogenic properties on human breast cancer cells; however the estrogenic activities of sesamin, sesamolin and sesamol have not been reported. In the present study, estrogenic potencies of sesame lignans and their metabolites were determined by estrogen responsive element (ERE) luciferase reporter assay in T47D cells stably transfected with ERE-luc (T47D-KBluc cells) and quantifying pS2 and progesterone receptor gene expression in T47D cells. All tested compounds except ED possessed ability of ERE activation with a very low potency compared to estradiol (E2). These effects were abolished by coincubating tested compounds with 1 μM ICI 182?780, suggesting that estrogen receptors were directly involved in their ERE activations. Among tested compounds, sesamol showed the highest ability in ERE induction. The coincubation of increasing concentration of E2 (10(-12)-10(-6) M) with 10 μM of tested compounds resulted in a downward shift of E2-ERE dose-response curves. In contrast, at the low concentration of E2 (10(-12) M), sesamin and sesamol significantly exhibited additive effects on the E2 responses. The inhibitory effect in a dose-dependent manner was also observed when 1-100 μM sesamol was coincubated with 1 nM E2. Sesamin, sesamol and EL significantly induced pS2 gene expression whereas only sesamol could significantly induce progesterone receptor gene. The data obtained in this study suggested that sesame lignans and their metabolites possess weak estrogenic/antiestrogenic activity.