Vol 8, No 3-4 (2008)

The review of literature and proper data devoted to pharmacology of peptide drugs. The classification of peptide drugs was described. In the experiments, the comparative central effects of polypeptide drugs cortexin and cerebrolysin in dose range 1 µg, 10 µg and 100 µg were studied in Wistar rats after their administration into the cerebral ventriculi and in dose 1 mg/kg intraperitoneally. Both drugs induced moderate psychoactivating action, cortexin being more effective compared with cerebrolysin. This phenomenon was registered in all methods studied: open field, elevated plus-maze, intruder-resident, self-stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus. It is suggested that cortexin and cerebrolysin have the same mode of action, but cortexin was more effective than cerebrolysin. The difference in intravernticular and intraperitoneal effects of drugs was that in the first case both drugs possessed anxiolytic actition, and in the second case the anxigenic effect was registered. Perhaps, the central anxiolytic effect of drugs was associated with nonspecific action of polypeptides following their administration into brain ventriculi. Besides, at the second part of investigatiuons, the Wistar rat pups in age of 4 days were injected intraperitoneally with corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), activating stress system, or heat shock proteins 70 kDa (HSP-70), intracellular shaperons, possessing antistress properties. In adult rats of 90-100 days old, the effects of nootropics noopept and cortexin (1 mg/kg i.p.) were assessed. The activation of stress or antistress systems with CRH or HSP-70 respectively changed the drugs effects significantly. These effects were different in males and in females and depended on animal gender. The spectrum of pharmacological activity of noopept and cortexin changed. Noopept demonstrated preferable psychoactivating and antiaggressive effects but cortexin showed mild antiolytic and antidepressant activity. It is suggested that behavioral effects of nootropics depends on condition of the formation of stress system in early ontogeny.

The treatment of human neuroblastoma NB-1 cells by db-cAMP induced the high frequency of neural cells bearing neurite as well as more than two-fold elevated activity of sialidase associated with plasma membrane (SAPM). The elevated silaidase activity was accompanied by increasing the quantity of mRNA for that enzyme as was estimated by RT-PCR. The neural cells with elevated SAPM activity and developed neurite were shown to have high activity of another enzyme (acetylcholinesterase) that is strongly considered as a biochemical marker of neural cell differentiation. Due to our experimental work it has been reasoned that elevated activity of sialidase associated with plasma membrane is closely related to neural cell differentiation and can be considered as a key factor for therapy of disorders connected to damage of cells of neuronal orogon

The anticonvulsant action of novel antiepileptic drug levetiracetam (LVT) on the content of aspartate, glutamate, glycine, taurine and GABA in brain structures of Krushinsky-Molodkina (KM) rats were studied using HPLC/FD techniques. The treatment with LVT anticipated decrease of levels of glutamate, glycine and taurine produced by seizure attack. In medulla oblongata LVT prevented the elevation of GABA level induced by the audiogenic stress. Thus, the anticonvulsant action of LVT against audiogenic seizures is likely to be related to the normalizing effect upon the levels of both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter amino acid in the frontal cortex and medulla oblongata of KM rats.

Carboxim possesses the properties of inreversible-reversible inhibitor of acetylcholine esterase, reducing the velocity of phosphorilation for the enzyme and defending it from inreversible inactivation. Carboxim in use with atropine (in subeffective doses 5 + 5 mg/kg) increases the defense from phosphororganic inhibitors of acetylcholine esterase in 6-11-fold when used as preventive (defense index equal 26.2) or curative (defense index equal 24.9) agent.

The psychological peculiarities of emotional and motivational state following placebo therapy were studied in 40 alcoholic patients in postabstinent period. The significant differences were revealed between patients groups. It was concluded that the differential approach was necessary to treat the abstinent syndrome and in postdetoxification period.

The treating of alloxane-diabetic rats for 8 days with shoot's decoctions Vaccinium myrtillis, Vaccinium uliginosum, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Empetrum hermaphroditum and herb's decoction Rubus hamaemorus decreased blood glucose concentration at 45-th min. glucose-tolerance test to intact animal's level. Rutine, decoctions Empetrum hermaphroditum, Rubus hamaemorus, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Vaccinium myrtillis increased blood insuline concentration, but rutine and Arctostaphylos didn't lowered hyperglycemia. Antidiabetic activity was discovered for 5 from 9 plants. So the searching and introduction of antidiabetic plants in phytotherapeutic practice have good perspectives.