garlic
The effect of garlic supplements on the pharmacokinetics of saquinavir.

Piscitelli SC, Burstein AH, Welden N, Gallicano KD, Falloon J.

Pharmacy Department, Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1880, USA.

Herbal therapies are widely used, but there are few data on their interactions with conventional medications. This study evaluated the effect of garlic supplements on the pharmacokinetics of saquinavir. Ten healthy volunteers received 10 doses of saquinavir (Fortovase) at a dosage of 1200 mg 3 times daily with meals for 4 days on study days 1-4, 22-25, and 36-39, and they received a total of 41 doses of garlic caplets taken 2 times daily on study days 5-25. Blood samples were obtained on study days 4, 25, and 39 for determination of saquinavir plasma pharmacokinetic parameters. In the presence of garlic, the mean saquinavir area under the curve (AUC) during the 8-h dosing interval decreased by 51%, trough levels at 8 h after dosing decreased by 49%, and the mean maximum concentrations (Cmax) decreased by 54%. After the 10-day washout period, the AUC, trough, and Cmax values returned to 60%-70% of their values at baseline. Patients should use caution when combining garlic supplements with saquinavir when it is used as a sole protease inhibitor.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11740713&dopt=Abstract garlic



garlic
Differential effects of garlic oil and its three major organosulfur components on the hepatic detoxification system in rats.

Wu CC, Sheen LY, Chen HW, Kuo WW, Tsai SJ, Lii CK.

Department of Nutrition and Health Science, Fooyin Institute of Technology, 151, Chinghsueh Road, Taliao, Kaohsiung County 831, Taiwan.

The objective of this study was to compare the modulatory effect of garlic oil and its three organosulfur compounds, diallyl sulfide (DAS), diallyl disulfide (DADS), and diallyl trisulfide (DATS), on rat hepatic detoxification enzyme activity, and protein and mRNA expression. Rats were orally administered garlic oil (80 or 200 mg/kg bw), DAS (20 or 80 mg/kg bw), DADS (80 mg/kg bw), or DATS (70 mg/kg bw) three times a week for 6 weeks. Control rats received corn oil. According to the results, garlic oil and DAS in dosages of 200 and 80 mg/kg bw, respectively, significantly increased pentoxyresorufin O-dealkylase (PROD) activity as compared with the that of the control rats (P < 0.05). In contrast, N-nitrosodimethylamine demethylase activity in rats that received DADS and DATS was significantly lower than that in the control rats (P < 0.05). Ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase and erythromycin demethylase activities were not influenced by garlic oil, DAS, DADS, or DATS. To the phase II enzyme, garlic oil, DADS, and DATS significantly increased the glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity toward ethacrynic aicd (P < 0.05). Immunoblot assay showed that the protein contents of cytochrome P450 1A1, 2B1, and 3A1 were increased by garlic oil and each of three allyl sulfides, and the change among the allyl sulfides was in the order of DAS > DADS > DATS. The placental form of GST (PGST) level was also increased by garlic oil and the three allyl sulfides, but the increase among the allyl sulfides was DATS congruent with DADS > DAS. P450 2E1, however, was suppressed by each garlic component. Northern blot results indicated that the changes in P450 1A1, 2B1, 3A1, and PGST mRNA levels by garlic components were similar to those noted in the protein levels. These results indicate that the modulatory effect of garlic oil on hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes can be attributed to its three major allyl sulfide components DAS, DADS, and DATS. These three allyl sulfides vary in modulatory activity, and this variation is related to the number of sulfur atoms in the molecule.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11782211&dopt=Abstract garlic



garlic
The protective effect of garlic oil on hepatotoxicity induced by acetaminophen in mice and comparison with N-acetylcysteine.

Kalantari H, Salehi M.

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Ahwaz University Medical Sciences, Ahwaz, Iran. ahwazpharmacy yahoo.com

OBJECTIVE: The aim and purpose of this study was to find out the protective effect of garlic oil in liver toxicity induced by acetaminophen overdose and the comparison of its effect with N-acetylcysteine in albino male mice (18-22 g). METHODS: This study was undertaken during the period from January 1999 through to August 2000, at the School of Pharmacy, Ahwaz University of Medical Sciences, Ahwaz, Iran. All animals were fasted over night and were divided into 8 groups. Each group consisted of 10 mice. Garlic oil was administered intraperitoneally in doses of 100mg/kg, 200mg/kg and 500 mg/kg. Immediately after this, a toxic dose of acetaminophen (500 mg/kg orally) was administered followed by another administration one hour later (500 mg/kg orally). Twenty-four hours after the last administration, blood was withdrawn from the jugular vein of the mice and serum enzyme activities were measured and compared with the control groups. The liver samples were studied for the histopathological examination. RESULTS: The results in group which received 200mg/kg of garlic oil showed good protection activity as compared with the positive control group. The histopathological observations also showed that the area of liver damage was reduced significantly as compared with the positive control group. The severity of injury was variable among the animals and there was less evidence of necrosis in this group. Some protection was observed in other doses of garlic oil but these were not much significant. The results obtained one hour after acetaminophen intoxication (post treatment) showed a less protective effect as compared with the group which received garlic oil simultaneously after acetaminophen intoxication. CONCLUSION: Garlic oil, as similar to N-acetylcysteine, can eliminate electrophilic intermediates and free radicals through conjugation and reduction reactions. Therefore it protects the liver from toxic doses of acetaminophen. In the present study we also observed the protection by the garlic oil. The clearance of the toxic metabolites of the acetaminophen from the liver occurs much faster in immediate treatment with garlic oil (200mg/kg).

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11802181&dopt=Abstract garlic



garlic
Pseudomonas salomonii sp. nov., pathogenic on garlic, and Pseudomonas palleroniana sp. nov., isolated from rice.

Gardan L, Bella P, Meyer JM, Christen R, Rott P, Achouak W, Samson R.

UMR 077 de Pathologie Vegetale INRA-INH-Universite, BP 57, 42 rue G. Morel, 49071 Beaucouze , France. gardan angers.inra.fr

A total of 26 strains, including 15 strains isolated from garlic plants with the typical symptoms of 'Cafe au lait' disease and 11 strains isolated from diseased or healthy rice seeds and sheaths infested by Pseudomonas fuscovaginae, were compared with 70 type or reference strains of oxidase-positive pathogenic or non-pathogenic fluorescent pseudomonads. The strains were characterized by using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Numerical taxonomy of phenotypic characteristics showed that the garlic and rice strains were related to each other. However, they clustered into separate phenons, distinct from those of the other strains tested, and were different in several nutritional tests. On the basis of DNA-DNA hybridization, the garlic and rice strains constituted two distinct DNA hybridization groups, indicating that they belonged to separate species. The two groups of strains were also well differentiated by siderotyping. Garlic strains were pathogenic to garlic plants and either weakly pathogenic or non-pathogenic on rice; rice strains were either weakly pathogenic or non-pathogenic on rice and non-pathogenic on garlic. A phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences confirmed that the two groups of strains belonged to the y-Proteobacteria and to the genus Pseudomonas. The names Pseudomonas salomonii sp. nov. and Pseudomonas palleroniana sp. nov. are respectively proposed for the garlic strains and the rice strains. The type strains are P. salomonii CFBP 2022(T) ( = ICMP 14252(T) = NCPPB 4277(T)) and P. palleroniana CFBP 4389(T) (= ICMP 14253(T) = NCPPB 4278(T)).

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12508870&dopt=Abstract garlic



garlic
Effect of garlic bulb extract on the growth and enzymatic activities of rhizosphere and rhizoplane fungi.

Muhsin TM, Al-Zubaidy SR, Ali ET.

Department of Biology, College of Education, University of Basrah, Iraq. timuhsin gpu.srv.ualberta.ca

Eighteen fungal species were isolated from rhizospheric soil and rhizoplane samples of three plant crops in southern Iraq. The fungal isolates were examined for the activities of four enzymes (amylase, cellulase, phenoloxidase, and protease), as well as their growth, against crude garlic extract added to the culture agar medium. A high reduction or inhibition of enzymatic activities was observed for the fungi treated with garlic extract compared with untreated fungal cultures. However, most of the species showed inhibition of enzymes due to the effect of garlic extract. The growth of the fungal species was also remarkably reduced by the garlic extract.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11811642&dopt=Abstract garlic