Vol 70, No 6 (2021)

Herbal remedies used especially to treat and prevent dental and periodontal diseases are retrospectively analyzed. The authors show for this purpose the prospects for the use of phytoecdysteroids, such as insect molting and metamorphosis hormones and other arthropods (crayfishes, crabs, shrimps, krills, etc.), as well as those providing a wide spectrum of biological and pharmacological effects on warm-blooded organisms, not being hormones for them. As an illustration of the highly effective effect of ecdysteroids on the representatives of the animal world, the authors give a brief overview of some patents and discoveries, which are of fundamental importance for understanding the role of ecdysteroids and for designing drugs in medical and pharmaceutical practice. It is also shown that these substances are practically non-toxic and do not cause any adverse effects, even when they are used long, and that they can be of importance in the very urgent problem of import substitution in our time. It is stated that it is necessary to search for these substances in the representatives of the plant world and marine fauna. The paper analyzes the scientific works by the employees of the University and dental clinics of Ryazan and the Ryazan Region, as well as those of Moscow, on the effects of particularly ecdysteroids, as well as teas that contain plant species producing these compounds, for periodontal and dental diseases,. The plants included in the herbal teas in question are the sources of these substances and plant species of other families, the biologically active substances of which nuanced the action of the ecdysteroid-containing representatives of the Carvophyllacea family for the treatment of periodontitis and teeth.

Introduction. The medicinal plant raw materials (MPRM) of the Rosaceae family are widely used in medicine for the treatment of diseases of various origins. The underground organs of plants of this family contain tannins as the main component and exhibit a similar pharmacological effect. At the same time, the qualitative composition of tannins in various types of MPRM is very similar. The main groups of biologically active substances in the plant substances are currently identified using qualitative test tube reactions, thin-layer chromatography and less often the UV spectrum. Raman spectroscopy is not practically used to analyze in MPRM. Referring Raman spectroscopy to non-destructive methods of analysis is important for plant objects. Crushed and powder raw materials can be analyzed. Objective: to study whether Raman spectroscopy can be used to identify MPRM of one family, morphological group, and chemically similar (using the example of the underground organs of tormentil cinquefoil (Potentilla erecta) and greater burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis). Material and methods. The investigation objects were the rhizomes of tormentil cinquefoil and the rhizomes and roots of greater burnet, which had been harvested in the Sechenov University Botanical Garden, as well as industrial samples of raw materials. Spectroscopic analysis was carried out using a RAMAN module device to the Thermo Nicolet NRX-FT Raman IR-Fourier spectrometer. Results. The Raman spectra of the test powders of MPRM of both objects and the samples of standard substances showed fluctuations of molecules corresponding to the chemical composition. Raman spectroscopy could confirm the presence of gallic acid and glucose, as well as their derivatives (tannin and starch), in the underground organs of the examined objects. The resultant spectra of raw material samples had the similar maxima with those of the standards of polyphenolic structure and polysaccharides. But despite all the similarity of the Raman spectra, they have differences that make it possible to distinguish the objects under study, which can be used to characterize a specific type of raw materials. Conclusion. The conducted studies indicate that Raman spectroscopy allows identification of the chemically similar types, including those as powders. The studied spectra can become one of the additional spectral characteristics of the identity of pharmaceutical substances of plant origin.

Introduction. Clopidogrel is a representative of antiplatelet agents, which is effectively used in the combination treatment of cardiovascular diseases (acute coronary syndrome, ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, peripheral artery diseases, and others). In China, this drug is very often used for suicide. There have also been cases of clopidogrel poisoning in the treatment of COVID-19. The chemical and toxicological study of this drug is relevant in today's conditions. Objective: to investigate the distribution of clopidogrel in the organs of animals poisoned with this drug. Material and methods. The investigations were conducted on laboratory animals. TLC and extraction photometry were used as methods of analysis. Male rats were injected with a triple LD50 of clopidogrel bisulfate into the stomach. The test substance was extracted from the biomatrices of dead animals with diethyl ether and chloroform, eluted with chloroform-acetone (80:20) and ethanol-acetic acid-water (5:3:2) systems. The substance was identified by the Rf value (TLC). The analyte was quantitative determined using extraction photometry. Results. The largest amounts of the test substance were found in the liver (82.88±1.34 pg/g), intestines (54.43.6±1.97 pg/g), and urine (89.69±1.33 pg/g) of the animals. Conclusion. The findings suggest that for clinical laboratory studies, blood (serum) should be taken for analysis within the first three hours after taking clopidogrel. For the purposes of forensic chemical analysis in case of fatal poisoning with clopidogrel, it is recommended to send the stomach with the contents, intestines, liver, and urine for their examination.

Introduction. During the coronavirus infection pandemic, there remains relevant to search for drugs that have a therapeutic effect on the cytokine storm as the main cause of complications in this disease in humans. Objective: to evaluate the efficiency of in vitro and in vivo administration of Cortexin® and Pineamine® versus levilimab, adalimumab, and dexamethasone against proinflammatory cytokines. Material and methods. In an in vitro experiment, a model of a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytokine storm was created using the RAW 264.7 cell line, followed by measuring the level of TNFa in the culture medium. In an in vivo experiment, a murine model of septic shock was formed by a single intraperitoneal injection of LPS. The clinical condition and mortality of animals and their plasma level of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNFa were evaluated. Results. The in vitro study showed that Cortexin® and Pineamine® had a therapeutic effect on the level of TNFa in the culture medium. In the in vivo experiment, Cortexin® and Pineamine® decreased the severity of clinical signs of the disease and mortality in animals, exerted a therapeutic effect on IL-6 and TNFa levels in a cytokine storm, exceeding that for the comparison drug levilimab. Conclusion. Cortexin® and Pineamine® versus the comparison drug levilimab have shown a comparable or higher therapeutic activity in in vitro and in vivo models of cytokine storm. The results of the investigation and consideration of the safety profile and low cost of organic preparations have led to the conclusion that Cortexin® and Pineamine® are promising drug candidates for further design as an element of combination therapy or prevention of complications of diseases, the pathogenetic mechanism of which involves the overexpression of proinflammatory cytokines (including complications of the novel coronavirus infection COVID-19).