Arecoline

About: Arecoline is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 744 publications have been published within this topic receiving 16015 citations. The topic is also known as: methylarecaiden & methylarecaidin.

Traditional Chinese Treatment of Taeniasis

Abstract: Human taeniasis is infection of adult Taenia solium and Taenia saginata, but both clinical manifestations are similar. Taenia infection was serious and widespread in ancient China. Chinese people had paid long attention to taeniasis in ancient medical books and tried to eliminate the infection by means of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Some TCM against taeniasis are summarized referring to both the historical literature and recent modern results of research in this chapter. Omphalia lapidescens, Agrimonia pilosa, Semen moschatae, and Areca catechu are involved in the anthelmintic TCM. The origin, preparation, and use of the medical plants, their known chemical components, as well as their possible pharmaceutical functions and the anthelmintic mechanisms were introduced. The dried sclerotes of Omphalia lapidescens are ground into powder when used as medicine. Omphalia proteinase is the most effective ingredient in natural O. lapidescens. Its proteolysis is able to break down the proteins of the parasitic tapeworms. Experiments have shown that the proteolysis of the parasitic proteins may induce the anthelmintic activity of O. lapidescens. Agrimonia pilosa is a perennial herb. The clean dried whole plant is prepared for medical use. Each time 30–60 g dried herbs are boiled with water to produce a lotion for orally uptake (The herbal decoction). Agrimophol is the most effective ingredient of A. pilosa. The anthelmintic activity of agrimophol may owe more to direct killing effect than through the nervous system way. Semen moschatae is the dried seed of Cucurbita moschata and is commonly known as pumpkin seed. The pharmacological efficacy of pumpkin seed is not very potent, and thus it is generally combined with Areca seed for expelling tapeworms. When the therapy begins, the infected person should eat raw pumpkin seeds 150 g on an empty stomach first, then drink the prepared liquid decoction of Areca 300 ml (100 g dried Areca seeds are boiled in water to yield 300 ml decoction in advance). Half an hour later, the adult patient should ingest 60 ml of 50 % bitter salt followed by plenty of water (1,000–2,000 ml) to finish the treatment. Areca seed is the dried seed of Areca catechu. Four alkaloids (arecoline, arecaidine, guvacine, and guvacoline) in Areca seeds are most important biological components to kill the parasite. A recent study suggested that arecoline might cause nervous paralysis of cestodes as well as inhibit the acetylcholinesterase activity. These findings may explain why Areca seeds can paralyze the worms in the small intestine and then expel parasites from host’s intestine. In brief, TCM have been proved to be very successful in the fight against parasites, and many of them are still in use today.

Effect of arecoline and muscarinic and nicotinic cholinolytics on22Na incorporation into rat brain neurons

Abstract: Among the numerous effects of atropine-like substances in experimental animals, the appearance of slow-amplitude potentials similar to the waves found during natural sleep has been found on the EEG, and has been described as an EEG of \"sleep\" type [8, 9, 12]. However, the animals' behavior is characterized by wakefulness and increased motor activity. The reason for these effects may be that muscarinic cholinolytics disturb relations between excitation and inhibition among neurons, with the result that brain functions are disorganized= possibly because of a disturbance of ionic permeability of the neuron membranes.

Arecoline-associated changes in open-field behavior following swim stress in the rat. A possible relationship to water temperature

Abstract: The rat exhibits a reduction in movement in an open field following a 14-day course of forced swim stress at 12°C. The decrease in movement is greater in rats receiving arecoline relative to those receiving saline prior to placement in the open field. The authors report that when water temperature is increased to 20°, there is a categorical difference in the results. The saline control group exhibits a rise and the arecoline group no change in crossings.

Permeability characteristics of various types of areca nut preparations in Sprague–Dawley rat oral mucosa

Abstract: Background Oral submucous fibrosis is a potentially malignant oral disorder causatively linked to the habit of areca nut consumption. The various types of preparation of the nut alter the properties and consequently its capability to diffuse through the oral mucosa. Permeability of the nut through the mucosal tissue is an important factor in the production of lesions. Aims The present study attempts to evaluate the permeability of various areca nut preparations standardized against arecoline in the buccal mucosa of Sprague–Dawley rats. Apart from normal mucosal permeability, we also aimed to assess the lesional tissues induced by the application of the areca nut solutions. Materials and methods Healthy in-bred Sprague–Dawley rats aged 3–4 months and weighing 100–200 g were randomly selected and divided into five groups: the control group, the raw areca nut group, the boiled areca nut group, the roasted areca nut group and the pan masala and pure arecoline groups. Permeability was assessed using a Franz diffusion chamber over a period of 24–72 h. Histological assessment to determine depth in the tissue was also done. Results The highest average permeation depths were recorded in the boiled areca nut group (1178.21 μm), followed by the raw areca nut (1157.50 μm), the pan masala (1110.34 μm) and the roasted areca nut (1072.36 μm) groups, as compared with controls (350.79 μm). Overall, there occurred a mild increase in the permeation depths of the solutions in all groups at 72 h compared with 24 h. Statistical analysis revealed that the permeation values had a significant negative correlation with epithelial and keratin thickness. Conclusion There seems to be a time-dependent and solute (areca nut)-dependent pattern in the permeability characteristics. Diffusibility is continuous, persistent and progressive, and tissue reaction in the form of epithelial changes and fibrosis does not appear to be a significant barrier in the process. This study strongly supports the pathological changes seen in the disorders caused by the consumption of areca nut in humans.