Acetylmelodorinol, chrysin and polycarpol, together with benzoic acid, benzoquinone and stigmasterol were isolated from the leaves of Mitrella kentii (Bl.) Miq. The compounds were evaluated for their ability to inhibit prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) and thromboxane B 2 (TXB 2 ) production in human whole blood using a radioimmunoassay technique. Their inhibitory effect on platelet activating factor (PAF) receptor binding to rabbit platelet was determined using 3 H-PAF as a ligand. Among the compounds tested, chrysin showed a strong dose-dependent inhibitory activity on PGE 2 production (IC 50 value of 25.5 µM), which might be due to direct inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzymatic activity. Polycarpol, acetylmelodorinol and stigmasterol exhibited significant and concentration-dependent inhibitory effects on TXB 2 production with IC 50 values of 15.6, 19.1 and 19.4 µM, respectively, suggesting that they strongly inhibited COX-1 activity. Polycarpol and acetylmelodorinol showed strong dose-dependent inhibitory effects on PAF receptor binding with IC 50 values of 24.3 and 24.5 µM, respectively.

Background: The fat extracted from the nut of the African Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) is called Shea butter. It has multiple uses at the local level as it is used in cosmetic products and as a cocoa butter substitute in chocolate industries. It has a high nutritious value and is also a valuable product on the local, national, and international markets, making it the ideal candidate to research and invest in.Aim: This study is a comparative experimental study of the possible burn healing effects between imported South African raw Shea butter and samples in a Libyan market.Method: The control samples were brought from South Africa (Benin traditional markets). A total of 18 different samples were collected from different sale centers in Tripoli, including pharmacies, beauty shops, and spices shops, in addition to one sample brought from Poland. Animal experiment on burn healing effect was carried out on nine male Sprague Dawley (350–400 g) rats aged 6–8 weeks old. After shaving the animal’s dorsum hair, a metal cube was used to create a deep second degree burn wound, and the cube was heated to 100°C for 20 seconds. Medication with Shea butter (control, T1, and T2) was initiated daily for one for these groups by the application of a thin film of the Shea butter samples on the burned areas. On days 1, 3, and 7, the rats were anesthetised and a sample from the burned scar tissue and skin adjacent were evaluated using pathological parameters.Results: The histological study indicates that the use of Shea butter T1 as topical treatment induces an immune response, which enhances the form of the presence of a large number of inflammatory cells in the epidermis and dermis layers. The treatment of burned skin with T2 lasted for 72 hours and it showed slightly significant healing in the normal structure of proliferative granulation tissue with accumulation of fibroblasts and inflammatory cells surrounding the sebaceous glands and hair follicles. Small areas of the epidermis which formed few layers were observed and some hair roots were grown. This was well seen in cases of T1 and T2. Shea butter bought as raw might have a bad effect on burned skin. Conclusion: Shea butter bought as raw might have bad effect on burned skin. On the other hand, the sample from Poland had a therapeutic effect, which was because of the additives such as avocado oil, grape seed oil, and others.

Chemical constituents and biological activities of the Mitrella kentii leaf oil were investigated in this study. Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to determine the chemical constituents of the oil. The oil was evaluated for its ability to inhibit prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) productions in human whole blood using a radioimmunoassay technique. Its inhibitory effect on platelet-activating factor (PAF) receptor binding with rabbit platelets using 3H-PAF as a ligand and its free radical scavenging effect on DPPH were also investigated. Caryophyllene oxide (33.8%), E,Z-farnesol (6.9%), benzyl benzoate (6.5%) and viridiflorol (6.5%) were among the major components of the oil. Even though weak inhibitory activities were observed in both PGE2 and TXB2 assays, significant results were obtained in both PAF receptor binding inhibition and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging effect with IC50 value of 6.6 µg/mL and 155.6 µg/mL respectively. These promising activities warrant the development of the oil as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Aims: This article aimed to study the effect of different caffeine concentrations on behaviour and motor activity of mice. Place and Duration of Study: This study took place in Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tripoli, and was conducted between 2017 to 2018. Methodology: The experiment was carried out using 24 male mice (25-30 gm). Plus maze was used for screening antianxiety effect of caffeine. While swimming maze was used to test the antidepressant effect. Descriptive statistics was performed using SPSS (version 22), followed by one sample Kolmogorov-Simirnov test. One-Way ANOVA was applied to compare between groups and Post Hoc test (LSD).  Results: At a dose of 100 mg/kg, caffeine produce significant decrease in the duration of immobility using forced swimming maze; while the lower (25 mg/kg) and the higher (200 mg/kg) doses did not produce any changes compared to the control. In plus maze, Caffeine decreases the anxiety measure at the dose used of 100 mg/kg; but did not change the anxiety measure when lower (25 mg/kg) or higher (200 mg/kg) doses used compared to the control. The spontaneous motor activity was decreased significantly after administration of the higher dose of 200 mg/kg; the lower dose (25 mg/kg) showed insignificant increase, while the dose of 100 mg/kg produce insignificant decrease in the spontaneous motor activity. Conclusion: Caffeine has dose dependent effect, in a dose 100 mg/kg it produce anxiolytic and antidepressant like action, while lower (25 mg/kg) and higher (200 mg/kg) doses did not show any changes. Caffeine also produce dose dependent decrease in the spontaneous motor activity, this indicate that caffeine produce CNS depression with higher doses.