Antipyretic therapy: clinical pharmacology

Meloxicam and levamisole administration ameliorates FMD vaccination stress on frozen semen attributes in Sahiwal bulls

Vaccination-induced allergic reactions in bulls raise both body and testicular temperatures, leading to germ cell damage, epididymal dysfunction, accelerated testicular ageing, and increased sperm abnormalities that ultimately degrade semen quality. This study aimed to ameliorate vaccination stress and improve semen quality using meloxicam and levamisole. The present study was conducted at the Artificial Breeding Research Centre, ICAR-NDRI, Karnal, Haryana, with twelve Sahiwal breeding bulls that were divided into four groups: Group I (Control), Group II (Meloxicam), Group III (Levamisole), and Group IV (Meloxicam + Levamisole). Semen parameters were evaluated during pre- and post-vaccination. Treated groups showed significant improvement (p < 0.05) in initial progressive motility, live sperm, HOST, and acrosome integrity compared to the control, with the highest improvement observed in the combination group (meloxicam + levamisole). Sperm abnormalities, moribund, dead, apoptotic sperm, and lipid peroxidation were significantly higher in the control group. The meloxicam + levamisole group exhibited significantly lower (p < 0.05) sperm abnormalities and lipid peroxidation. Improvement was observed in semen quality with treatment (Meloxicam + levamisole-treated bulls) in percentage of live (+ 53.11%), moribund (- 33.83%), dead (- 36.70%), apoptotic spermatozoa (- 44.01%), and DNA fragmentation index (- 47.07%) in relation to the control groups on the 7th post vaccination day.

Influence of Ibuprofen on glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids in context of Alzheimer´s Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial disorder associated with neuroinflammation, elevated oxidative stress, lipid alterations as well as amyloid-deposits and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles. Ibuprofen, a globally used analgesic, is discussed to influence disease progression due to its anti-inflammatory effect. However, changes in lipid-homeostasis induced by Ibuprofen have not yet been analyzed. Here we investigate the effect of Ibuprofen on lipid classes known to be associated with AD. Ibuprofen treatment leads to a significant increase in phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and triacylglyceride (TAG) species whereas plasmalogens, which are highly susceptible for oxidation, were significantly decreased. The observed alterations in phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin levels in presence of Ibuprofen might counteract the reduced phosphatidylcholine- and sphingomyelin-levels found in AD brain tissue with potential positive aspects on synaptic plasticity and ceramide-induced apoptotic effects. On the other hand, Ibuprofen leads to elevated TAG-level resulting in the formation of lipid droplets which are associated with neuroinflammation. Reduction of plasmalogen-levels might accelerate decreased plasmalogen-levels found in AD brains. Treatment of Ibuprofen in terms of lipid-homeostasis reveals both potentially positive and negative changes relevant to AD. Therefore, understanding the influence of Ibuprofen on lipid-homeostasis may help to understand the heterogeneous results of studies treating AD with Ibuprofen.

Antitussive, Expectorant and Antipyretic Effect of the Ethanolic Extract of the Leaves of Momordica charantia L

The traditional use of the M. charantia L. plant to treat coughs, fever and expectoration is widely practiced in different cultures, but its effectiveness and safety still require scientific investigation. This study sought to perform a chemical analysis and evaluate the antitussive, expectorant and antipyretic effects of the ethanolic extract of M. charantia leaves (EEMc) in rats and mice. The EEMc was subjected to chemical analysis by HPLC-DAD, revealing the presence of the flavonoids astragalin and isoquercetin. Acute oral toxicity in mice did not result in deaths, although changes in liver weight and stool consistency were observed. EEMc demonstrated an antitussive effect at doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg in mice subjected to cough induction by citric acid nebulization. Furthermore, it showed expectorant activity at a dose of 300 mg/kg, assessed based on the elimination of the phenol red marker in bronchoalveolar lavage. In the evaluation of antipyretic activity in rats, fever induced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae was reduced at all doses tested during the first hour after treatment. This innovative study identified the presence of astragalin and isoquercetin in EEMc and indicated that the extract has antitussive, expectorant and antipyretic properties. Therefore, EEMc presents itself as a promising option in herbal medicine for the treatment of respiratory symptoms and fever.

The Emerging Therapeutic Role of Prostaglandin E2 Signaling in Pulmonary Hypertension

Mild-to-moderate pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a common complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is characterized by narrowing and thickening of the pulmonary arteries, resulting in increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and ultimately leading to right ventricular dysfunction. Pulmonary vascular remodeling in COPD is the main reason for the increase of pulmonary artery pressure (PAP). The pathogenesis of PH in COPD is complex and multifactorial, involving chronic inflammation, hypoxia, and oxidative stress. To date, prostacyclin and its analogues are widely used to prevent PH progression in clinical. These drugs have potent anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory, and stimulating endothelial regeneration properties, bringing therapeutic benefits to the slowing, stabilization, and even some reversal of vascular remodeling. As another well-known and extensively researched prostaglandins, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and its downstream signaling have been found to play an important role in various biological processes. Emerging evidence has revealed that PGE2 and its receptors (i.e., EP1-4) are involved in the regulation of pulmonary vascular homeostasis and remodeling. This review focuses on the research progress of the PGE2 signaling pathway in PH and discusses the possibility of treating PH based on the PGE2 signaling pathway.

Neurogenic Fever after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Animal Models: A Systematic Review

The observation of neurogenic fever resulting from subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in animal models is a useful tool for the interpretation of its pathophysiology in humans, which is still a major challenge in the management of neurocritical patients. This systematic review aims to identify the prognostic factors and pathophysiological elements that determine the onset of neurogenic fever and its severity in animal models. In addition, our study aims to analyze which pharmacological treatments are most effective. All the articles available in Pubmed, Embase, and the Biological Science Collection until August 2021 concerning in vivo experimental studies on SAH animal models, including full texts and abstracts written in English and Italian, were considered. The risk of bias was assessed with SYRCLE's Risk of Bias tool. In total, 81 records were retrieved; after excluding duplicates, 76 records were potentially relevant. A total of 64 articles was excluded after title and abstract screening. The remaining 12 studies were evaluated as full texts, and 6 other studies were excluded (SAH-induced animal studies without a body temperature assessment). In one study, body temperature was measured after SAH induction, but the authors did not report temperature recording. Therefore, only five studies met the search criteria. The high methodological heterogeneity (different animal species, different temperature measurement methods, and different methods of the induction of bleeding) prevented meta-analysis. Synthesis methodology without meta-analysis (SWiM) was used for data analysis. The total number of animals used as controls was 87 (23 rabbits, 32 mice, and 32 rats), while there were 130 animals used as interventions (54 rabbits, 44 mice, and 32 rats). The presence of blood in the subarachnoid space, particularly red blood cells, is responsible for neurogenic fever; the role of hemoglobin is unclear. The mechanism is apparently not mediated by prostaglandins. The autonomic nervous system innervating brown adipose tissue is undoubtedly implicated in the onset of neurogenic fever. The activation of the central adenosine-1 receptor is effective in controlling the temperature of animals with neurogenic fever (by inhibiting thermogenesis of brown adipose tissue).

A Case Series of Clinical Limitations to the Clinical Course of Neurogenic Fever

Nurses play a vital role in the care of neurocritical patients. Fever is a common and dangerous occurrence, and there is a substantial lack of consistency in how to maintain normothermia in these patients. We present five cases in which patients were confirmed to have neurogenic fever (NF) and the documented interventions. In all five cases, temperature and interventions were not documented consistently, making it difficult to assess how nurses acted to avoid hyperthermia in these patients. Additional research is needed to determine interventions, processes, procedures, and documentation of NF in neurocritical patients.

New Insights into the Role of Glutathione in the Mechanism of Fever

Glutathione is one of the most important and potent antioxidants. The development of pharmacological compounds that can either increase or decrease glutathione concentrations has allowed investigation into the role of glutathione in various biological processes, including immune responses. Recent findings have shown that glutathione not only affects certain factors involved in immunological processes but also modifies complex immune reactions such as fever. Until recently, it was not known why some patients do not develop fever during infection. Data suggest that fever induction is associated with oxidative stress; therefore, antioxidants such as glutathione can reduce pyrexia. Surprisingly, new studies have shown that low glutathione levels can also inhibit fever. In this review, we focus on recent advances in this area, with an emphasis on the role of glutathione in immune responses accompanied by fever. We describe evidence showing that disturbed glutathione homeostasis may be responsible for the lack of fever during infections. We also discuss the biological significance of the antipyretic effects produced by pharmacological glutathione modulators.