Current Issue : January - March Volume : 2018 Issue Number : 1 Articles : 6 Articles
Several Cirsium species are known for their uses in traditional medicine and consequently are studied for their phytochemical\ncontent and their biological activities. In the framework of a previous study conducted on eight extremophile plants from Tunisia,\nwe highlighted that the crude methanolic extract of C. scabrum, a not investigated thistle, showed moderate but quite selective\ncytotoxic activity against the cancerous cell line J774 compared to the noncancerous cell line WI38 (IC50 = 11.53 ...
Background: Penthorum chinense Pursh (Penthoraceae, PCP), a well-known Miao ethnomedicine, has been traditionally\nused to treat several liver-related diseases, such as jaundice and viral hepatitis. The aims of the present study were\nto evaluate the probable properties of the aqueous extract of PCP on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)ââ?¬â?induced acute liver\ninjury in mice.\nMethods: C57BL/6 mice were orally administered an aqueous extract of PCP (5.15 and 10.3 g/kg BW) or silymarin\n(100 mg/kg) once daily for 1 week prior to CCl4 exposure. Silymarin serves as a positive drug to validate the effectivenes\nof PCP.\nResults: A single dose of CCl4 exposure caused severe acute liver injury in mice, as evidenced by the elevated serum\nlevels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine phosphatase (ALP), and the\nincreased TUNEL-positive cells in liver, which were remarkably ameliorated by the pretreatment of PCP. PCP was also\nfound to decrease the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), restore the glutathione (GSH) and enhance the activities of\nsuperoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in the liver. In addition, the pretreatment of PCP inhibited the degradation\nof hepatic cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), up-regulated the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related\nfactor 2 (Nrf2) and its target proteins in CCl4-treated mice.\nConclusion: Results indicated that the pretreatment of PCP (10.3 g/kg BW) effectively protected against\nCCl4-induced acute liver injury, which was comparable to efficacy of silymarin (100 mg/kg). This hepatoprotective\neffects might be attributed to amelioration of CCl4-induced oxidative stress via activating Nrf2 signaling pathway....
Aim. To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of hydroalcoholic extracts of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel and juice,\nagainst the microorganisms considered the main etiologic agents of dental caries. Methods.The values of the minimum inhibitory\nconcentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined against Streptococcus mutans Clarke\nATCC 25175 strain and Rothia dentocariosa clinical isolate. Results. Peel extracts inhibit effectively the growth and survival of\nS. mutans ATCC 25175 strain and R. dentocariosa clinical isolate with MIC and MBC values of 10 ...
Mangroves are salt tolerant plants able to grow in extremely saline habitats and tolerate salinity by various eco-physiological mechanisms. The fresh leaves of Rhizophora mucronata were collected from Krusadai Island, Mandapam, Rameswaram. Mosquitoes are one of the most dangerous vectors among the group of arthropods. Infections due to mosquitoes are a major worldwide health problem, with high endemicity in developing countries. In the present study, we determined the larvicidal activity of acetone, diethyl ether, ethanol and methanol extracts of a mangrove plant Rhizophora mucronata against (4th instar larvae) Aedes aegypti. Mosquito larvicidal assays were conducted and their mortality rate was identified after 24 hours to evaluate the larvicidal activity of the crude extract of Rhizophora mucronata. All the extracts showed moderate toxic effect on larvae after 24 h of exposure; however, the highest mortality was found in methanol and ethanol extract against the larvae of Aedes aegypti (LC50= 10.73 and LC90= 31.44)....
�²-Glucan is a dietary fibre, found in many natural sources, and controls chronic metabolic diseases effectively. However, ...
Spondias purpurea is used in folk medicine to treat diarrhea and diuresis. The objective of this study was to evaluate\nthe phytochemical profile and antioxidant and antiulcer activities of the hexane extract of the leaves of S. purpurea\n(SpHE). Phytochemical profile was evaluated via thin layer chromatography (TLC) and HPLC. SpHE was screened for\nantioxidant activities using DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and phosphomolybdenum assays. To determine its antiulcer properties,\nanimals were pretreated with injured control, lansoprazole, ranitidine, carbenoxolone, or SpHE (12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg)\nand were screened; acute ulcers were induced by HCl/ethanol, absolute ethanol, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug\n(NSAID). TLC revealed the presence of flavonoids, whereas HPLC analysis showed the presence of caffeic acid and\nepigallocatechin. The phenolic compounds and in vitro assays showed antioxidant activity. After gastric ulcer induction\nby using HCl/ethanol, SpHE reduced the area of ulcerative lesions by 82, 91, and 88%, respectively. In ethanol, SpHE\nreduced the area of ulcerative lesions by 77, 93, and 92%, respectively. In the NSAID, the percentages of protection\nwere 70, 76, and 78%, respectively. SpHE promoted the minimization of ulcers, increased the levels of reduced\nglutathione, and decreased tumor necrosis factor. S. purpurea has antioxidant and antiulcer properties....
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