Drug nutrient interactions with special reference to heroin and carotene functions in albino rats

Abstract

Heroin is the most widely used opium, probably because of its potency and high lipophilicity, which affords rapid brain access. It is rapidly biotransformed, by a hydrolytic process, to 6- MAM and then more slowly to morphine by blood and various tissues in the body, including the brain (Nakamura et al., 1975). Heroin is a central nervous system affecting, psychotropic, neuro-toxic, and is a potent agonist drug with a high addiction liability. Prolonged heroin use can cause respiratory diseases, pulmonary oedema, bradycardia, arryhythmias and hypothermia (Wills, 1994). and#946;- Carotene being antioxidants, scavengers of singlet oxygen, antimutagenic and above all anticarcinogenic and immunomodulator nutrient (Tschanz et al., 1996) may provide ample scope in preventing different adverse effects of heroin. Considering the manifold activities and regulations through and#946;-carotene, the present experiments have been designed to investigate whether the toxic and other adverse effects of heroin can be ameliorated through the interactions of heroin with and#946;- carotene. Experimental Design: Young adult albino rats weighing about 100-120 gm were taken for the experiments and were divided into three groups: Group I, II, and III. Each group was further divided into seven sub-groups namely A, B, C, D, E, F, and G containing six rats each. The treatment of different sub-groups was as follows: Sub-group Treatment A Control feeding B Oil feeding C and#946;- Carotene D and#946;- Carotene + Heroin (LD25) E and#946;- Carotene + Heroin (LD25) F Heroin (LD25) G Heroin (LD50) The heroin treatment was given through intra-muscular injection in alternate days whereas and#946;-carotene was given through oral feeding daily. The rats of Group I, II, and III were treated with heroin for 4, 6, and 7 weeks respectively. The content of the thesis has been illustrated in the course of nine chapters; each chapter containing an introduction, aims of the experiment, methods, results, discussion, and summary separately. Chapter 1: This Chapter includes general introduction and aims of the