PURPOSE This study aims to investigate the additive effect of the Hedera helix (HH) and Rhizoma coptidis (RC) extracts mixture on antitussive and expectorant activities in animals. MATERIALS AND METHODS The expectorant assay was performed with phenol red secretion in mice trachea. Mice or guinea pigs were randomly divided into groups of 8 each, including negative and positive control groups. ...

Consumption of liquid oral medicine by frequently ill children, significantly increases the risk of tooth demineralization. In this study a survey was conducted wherein the pediatricians, pharmacist and medical representatives of Bhopal city were enquired about the most commonly prescribed liquid oral medicines for children. The four categories of medicines reported were: antipyretics/analgesic...

1. Dextromethorphan is a widely used antitussive agent which is a non-narcotic codeine analogue. We have investigated whether inhaled administration of dextromethorphan provides antitussive activity in a citric acid induced cough model. 2. Twenty normal subjects underwent repeated cough challenge with 5% citric acid. Subjects were studied on six occasions. Study medication consisted of oral dex...

Delineation of neural mechanisms involved in reflex cough is essential for understanding its many physiological and clinical complexities, and the development of more desirable antitussive agents. Brainstem networks that generate and modulate the breathing pattern are also involved in producing the motor patterns during reflex cough. Neurones of the ventrolateral medulla respiratory pattern gen...

Capsaicin, the pungent extract of red peppers, has been used in clinical research for almost three decades. Capsaicin has gained favor as the provocative agent of choice to measure cough reflex sensitivity, as it induces cough in a safe, reproducible, and dose-dependent manner. One of the major uses of capsaicin cough challenge testing has been to evaluate the effect of a pharmacological interv...

The opium alkaloid noscapine is a commonly used antitussive agent available in Europe, Asia, and South America. Although the mechanism by which it suppresses coughing is currently unknown, it is presumed to involve the central nervous system. In addition to its antitussive action, noscapine also binds to tubulin and alters microtubule dynamics in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we show that n...

The opium alkaloid noscapine is a commonly used antitussive agent available in Europe, Asia, and South America. Although the mechanism by which it suppresses coughing is currently unknown, it is presumed to involve the central nervous system. In addition to its antitussive action, noscapine also binds to tubulin and alters microtubule dynamics in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we show that n...

Cough remains a major unmet clinical need, and preclinical animal models are not predictive for new antitussive agents. We have investigated the mechanisms and pharmacological sensitivity of ozone-induced hypertussive responses in rabbits and guinea pigs. Ozone induced a significant increase in cough frequency and a decrease in time to first cough to inhaled citric acid in both conscious guinea...

BACKGROUND Menthol is a commonly used ingredient in many over the counter cough remedies, but there is little objective evidence as to its efficacy. METHODS Twenty healthy subjects received a cough challenge consisting of five inhalations of 33 mumol citric acid from an air driven dosimeter. The challenge was repeated at hourly intervals for five hours. Five minutes before each challenge subj...

We report a case of probable poisoning with codeine phosphate in a 3-month-old infant, which was associated with excessive dosing and concomitant use of antihistamines. Investigation into the patient's drug history identified the recent use of a proprietary cough and cold medicine containing codeine phosphate and dexchlorpheniramine. The prescribing information, available from a popular prescri...