Current Issue : January-March Volume : 2026 Issue Number : 1 Articles : 5 Articles
Background/Objectives: Obesity is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by the excessive expansion of adipose tissue and impaired energy homeostasis. Natural products, such as plant extracts, are gaining attention as potential anti-obesity agents. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the anti-obesity effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) extract alone and as a mixture with long pepper (Piper longum L.) extract in a mouse model of high-fat diet-induced obesity. Methods: Male ICR mice were fed a high-fat diet to induce obesity and were orally administered ginger extract (60 mg/kg/day) or a 1:1 mixture of ginger and long pepper extracts (30 mg/kg/day each) for 8 weeks. Body weight, fat mass, glucose tolerance, and serum lipid levels were measured. Results: Ginger extract alone significantly reduced body weight gain and visceral and subcutaneous fat accumulation and improved glucose homeostasis and serum lipid profiles compared to the high-fat diet group. These effects were more pronounced than those observed with the mixture group. Ginger extract upregulated lipolytic markers via activation of the protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway and increased expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), indicating browning of white adipose tissue. Conclusions: Ginger extract alone exhibited significant anti-obesity effects compared to the mixture with long pepper extract. These findings suggest that ginger extract may serve as a promising natural agent for the prevention and management of obesity-related metabolic dysfunction....
Metabolic anticancer therapy based on enzymatic arginine (Arg) deprivation (ADT) is currently being evaluated in clinical trials. The combination of ADT with low doses of the plant cytotoxic analogs of Arg, canavanine (Cav) or indospicine (Isp), have been proposed as being more efficient and selective against malignant cells. The leguminous plant Indigofera spicata contains one of the highest known amounts of Isp. Here we demonstrate for the first time that the Isp-containing ethanolic extract from I. spicata is growth-inhibiting and toxic for cultured human colorectal and ovarian carcinoma cells. The extract reduces the viability of colorectal carcinoma cells two-fold under Arg-deficient conditions and entirely abrogates their residual proliferative potential (growth recovery) after the treatment. Pre-exposure of the extract to recombinant human arginase I (rhARGI) as a therapeutic Arg-depleting agent did not impact the extract’s efficacy. Further development of Isp as a component of combinatorial anticancer metabolic targeting strategies is discussed....
The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance and the limited availability of antiviral therapeutics for pathogens such as human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) underscore the need for novel, plant-derived antimicrobial substances. In this study, we evaluated the antiproliferative, antibacterial, and antiviral activities of aqueous leaf extracts from two plants commonly found in North America, Osage orange (M. pomifera) and spearmint (M. spicata). Both extracts exhibited no significant cytotoxic or morphologic impact on HEp-2 human cancer cells up to 25 mg/mL. However, both extracts demonstrated strong dosedependent antibacterial activity, significantly inhibiting replication of E. coli and S. aureus at concentrations ≥ 1 mg/mL. Antiviral assays revealed that both extracts inhibited hRSV infectivity, with spearmint extract showing higher potency (EC50 = 1.01 mg/mL) compared to Osage orange (EC50 = 3.85 mg/mL). Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) identified three major extract constituents: 3-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (Osage orange), and R-(-)-carvone (spearmint). Among these, only carvone significantly inhibited hRSV in vitro, suggesting its key role in spearmint’s antiviral activity. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of Osage orange and spearmint leaf extracts, particularly as sources of water-soluble compounds with antimicrobial properties, and support further investigation into their mechanisms of action and broader clinical relevance....
Some species of Cyperaceae are used in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders by traditional communities in several countries, including Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan, and India. Although these ethnomedicinal uses are being confirmed through in vivo pharmacological trials, many plants in this family still lack scientific investigation. In this context, the present study aimed to review the pharmacological potential of Cyperaceae species in experimental models of gastrointestinal disorders and correlate it with the phenolic compounds and flavonoids present in these plants. The articles were retrieved from different databases, from the first report on the topic published in 1997 to August 2025. A total of 10 Cyperaceae species were identified that showed pharmacological potential against gastrointestinal disorders, including representatives of the genera Cyperus (6 spp.), Fimbristylis (2 spp.), Lagenocarpus (1 spp.), and Pycreus (1 spp.). The extracts of these plants demonstrated potential antiulcerogenic, gastroprotective, antidiarrheal, and intestinal anti-inflammatory effects in rodent models of ulcerative colitis, with particular attention on Cyperus rotundus L. A diverse array of bioactive compounds were identified in the Cyperaceae family, including luteolin, kaempferol, caffeic acid, quercetin, ferulic acid, rutin, myricetin, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, apigenin, catechin, and orientin. These phytochemicals have been widely studied in experimental models of gastrointestinal disorders. It is likely that the flavonoids and phenolic compounds identified in Cyperaceae species are related to the pharmacological potential of these plants and can be used in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Additional studies are needed to investigate the pharmacological potential of other Cyperaceae used empirically in traditional medicine for the treatment of diseases affecting the digestive system....
Several natural products have been shown to display antiviral activity against the hepatitis B virus (HBV), among a number of other viruses. In a previous study, the hydro-alcoholic extracts (n = 66) of 31 species from the Venezuelan Amazonian rain forest were tested on the hepatoma cell line HepG2.2.15, which constitutively produces HBV. One of the species that exerted inhibitory activity on HBV replication was Senna silvestris. The aim of this study was the bioassay-guided purification of the ethanol fraction of leaves of S. silvestris, which displayed the most significant inhibitory activity against HBV. After solvent extraction and two rounds of reverse-phase HPLC purification, NMR analysis identified salsolinol as the compound that may exert the desired antiviral activity. The purified compound exerted inhibition of both HBV DNA and core HBV DNA. Pure salsolinol obtained from a commercial source also displayed anti-HBV DNA inhibition, with an approximate MIC value of 12 μM. Although salsolinol is widely used in Chinese traditional medicine to treat congestive heart failure, it has also been associated with Parkinson’s disease. More studies are warranted to analyze the effect of changes in its chemical conformation, searching for potent antiviral, perhaps dual agents against HBV and HIV, with reduced toxicity....
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