Siberian ginseng ([SG]; Eleutherococcus senticosus) is a commonly used herbal preparation. The objective of this study was to assess in normal volunteers (n = 12) the influence of a standardized SG extract on the activity of cytochrome P450 CYP2D6 and 3A4. Probe substrates dextromethorphan (CYP2D6 activity) and alprazolam (CYP3A4 activity) were administered orally at baseline and again followin...

BACKGROUND Serious drug abuse and addiction related to dextromethorphan-containing cough preparations has been a problem in the United States since the 1950s, but few physicians are aware of it. Physicians must be alert to the type of substances and quantities used and misused by patients in obtaining a thorough routine history of over-the-counter medication use. METHODS We describe the case ...

BACKGROUND Cough causes concern for parents and is a major cause of outpatient visits. It can impact on quality of life, cause anxiety and affect sleep in parents and children. Several remedies, including honey, have been used to alleviate cough symptoms. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness of honey for acute cough in children in ambulatory settings. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Coch...

1. The anticonvulsant potency of a series of structurally-dissimilar compounds which possess nanomolar affinities for high-affinity sigma binding sites was examined in the Mg2+-free model of epileptiform activity in rat hippocampal slices. Extracellular field potential recordings in the CA1 region were employed to examine the effects of test compounds on spontaneous epileptiform activity and mu...

BACKGROUND Ketamine is analgesic in experimental and clinical studies of inflammatory, neuropathic, and postoperative pain. Its role in the treatment of visceral pain is less known. The authors investigated the effect and site of action of ketamine on reflex responses evoked by urinary bladder distension (UBD). The effects of other clinically available N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antag...

Over 50 allelic variants of cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) encoding fully functional, reduced-activity, or nonfunctional proteins have been described. Compared with Caucasians, studies in black populations demonstrate a tendency toward slower CYP2D6 activity, attributed in part to the presence of a variant allele associated with reduced activity, the CYP2D6*17 allele. To investigate the kinetic c...

The O-demethylation of dextromethorphan to dextrorphan in humans is catalyzed primarily by cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6). However, contrary to conventional wisdom, preparations of recombinant cytochrome P450 (P450) expressed from CYP2D6*1 cDNA also appear to produce significant amounts of 3-methoxymorphinan, the N-demethylated metabolite of dextromethorphan, when assayed in vitro. We hypothesize...