diospyros and Fever

Cuticle pigmentation was shown to be associated with body temperature for several relatively large species of insects, but it was questioned for small insects. Here we used a thermal camera to assess the association between drosophilid cuticle pigmentation and body temperature increase when individuals are exposed to light. We compared mutants of large effects within species (Drosophila melanogaster ebony and yellow mutants). Then we analyzed the impact of naturally occurring pigmentation variation within species complexes (Drosophila americana/Drosophila novamexicana and Drosophila yakuba/Drosophila santomea). Finally we analyzed lines of D. melanogaster with moderate differences in pigmentation. We found significant differences in temperatures for each of the four pairs we analyzed. The temperature differences appeared to be proportional to the differently pigmented area: between Drosophila melanogaster ebony and yellow mutants or between Drosophila americana and Drosophila novamexicana, for which the whole body is differently pigmented, the temperature difference was around 0.6 °C ± 0.2 °C. By contrast, between D. yakuba and D. santomea or between Drosophila melanogaster Dark and Pale lines, for which only the posterior abdomen is differentially pigmented, we detected a temperature difference of about 0.14 °C ± 0.10 °C. This strongly suggests that cuticle pigmentation has ecological implications in drosophilids regarding adaptation to environmental temperature.

Topics: Animals; Body Temperature; Diospyros; Drosophila; Drosophila melanogaster; Fever; Pigmentation

Pharmacological studies were conducted with the hexane extract of the dry stem of Diospyros variegata Kruz. (Ebenaceae) on experimental animals for evaluating the analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activities. In the analgesic test, the hexane extract elicited inhibitory intensity on acetic acid-induced writhing response and on the late phase of formalin test but possessed only a weak effect on the tail-flick response and on the early phase of formalin test. The hexane extract also elicited antipyretic action when tested in yeast-induced hyperthermia in rats. In addition, the hexane extract showed an anti-inflammatory effect when tested in ethyl phenylpropiolate (EPP)- and arachidonic acid (AA)-induced rat ear edema.

Topics: Acetic Acid; Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; Analgesics, Opioid; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Aspirin; Diospyros; Fever; Formaldehyde; Hexanes; Inflammation; Male; Methanol; Mice; Morphine; Pain; Pain Measurement; Phenylbutazone; Plant Extracts; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reaction Time; Solvents

The methanol extract of Diospyros mespiliformis was evaluated for its claimed folkloric usage in the relief of pain and fever. Antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of the extract were evaluated in rats and mice. Studies were carried out on yeast-induced pyrexia in rats, acetic acid-induced writhing in mice, formalin test and egg albumin-induced anti-inflammatory activity in rats. The extract (50 and 100 mg/kg i.p.) gave a potent antipyretic effect for 100 mg/kg and significant activity (P<0.05) against all the analgesic and anti-inflammatory models used. The LD(50) of the extract was estimated to be 513.80+/-33.92 mg/kg i.p. in mice. These results provide support for the use of the plant in relieving pain and fever.

Topics: Animals; Diospyros; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Fever; Medicine, Traditional; Mice; Pain; Pain Measurement; Plant Extracts; Rats; Rats, Wistar