Current Issue : April-June Volume : 2023 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 5 Articles
Monteverdia ilicifolia is a Brazilian native plant, traditionally used to treat gastric diseases that are now associated with Helicobacter pylori and are commonly associated with several human diseases. We point out the M. ilicifolia extract as active against H. pylori. The crude extract produced with acetone:water presented the best H. pylori inhibitory activity of all five extracts (MIC 64 μg/mL). The ethyl-acetate fractions from crude extracts produced with ethanol and acetone showed a MIC of 64 μg/mL. Both ethyl-acetate fractions and the crude extract produced with acetone showed an antioxidant capacity of between 14.51 and 19.48 μg/mL in the DPPH assay. In the FRAP assay, two ethyl-acetate fractions (EAF2 and EAF4) presented the antioxidant capacity of 5.40 and 5.15 mM Trolox/g of extract. According to the results obtained from the antioxidant and antibacterial assays, two fractions (EAF2 and nBF5) were analyzed by mass spectrometry and confirmed the presence of monomeric, dimeric, trimeric tannins, and glycosylated flavonoids. Some compounds were tested using bioinformatics to evaluate the best enzyme inhibitors and the molecular interaction between the enzyme and the tested ligands. The presence of these polyphenol compounds could play an important role in antioxidant and inhibitory capacities against H. pylori and can be used to assist in the treatment or prevention of infection by H. pylori....
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder mainly characterized by obesity, hyperglycemia, altered lipid profile, oxidative stress, and vascular compromise. Physalis peruviana is a plant used in traditional Colombian medicine for its known activities of glucose regulation. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-diabetic activity of the butanol fraction from an extract of Physalis peruviana calyces in two doses (50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg) in induced type 2 diabetic mice. Blood glucose levels were evaluated once a week, demonstrating that a dose of 100 mg/kg resulted in greater regulation of blood glucose levels in mice throughout the experiment. The same overall result was found for the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA- IR). The lipid profile exhibited improvement compared to the non-treated group, a dose of 100 mg/kg having greater protection against oxidative stress (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and malondialdehyde levels). Histopathological findings in several tissues showed structure preservation in most of the animals treated. The butanol fraction from Physalis peruviana at 100 mg/kg showed beneficial results in improving hyperglycemia, lipidemia, and oxidative stress status, and can therefore be considered a beneficial coadjuvant in the therapy of diabetes mellitus....
In recent decades, the use of herbs and plants has been of great interest, as they have been the sources of natural products, commonly named as bioactive compounds. In specific, the natural compounds from the Capparaceae family which has been proved to have antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antimicrobial and anti-carcinogenic activities, by several studies. Cleome arabica L. (CA) specie is the most used medicinal plants in Tunisia and elsewhere in North African countries for treatment of various diseases including diabetes, rheumatism, inflammation, cancer, and digestive disorders. The current work was undertaken to estimate the total phenolic, flavonoid and condensed tannin contents, to identify and quantify the polyphenolic compounds, and to evaluate the antioxidant and the anti-inflammatory proprieties of CA fruits extract against formalin induced chronic inflammation in Female Wistar rats. In fact, the antioxidant activity was tested by Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging (DPPH), Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and Nitric Oxide radical (NO·). Anti-inflammatory effect of fruits extract was examined using formalin (2%) induced paw edema in rats. Molecular docking tools were used to investigate the interaction of some compounds from CA fruits extract with the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) target protein. Our results showed that, the total phenolic, flavonoid and tannins contents, which were assessed by the Folin-Ciocalteu, Quercetin, and Catechin methods, respectively, were 230.22 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry weight (mg GAE/g DW), 55.08 mg quercetin equivalent/g dry weight (QE/g DW) and 15.17 mg catechin equivalents/g dry weight (CatE/g DW), respectively. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of five polyphenolic compounds whose catechin was found to be the most abundant compounds. The antioxidant activity of extract was quantified by DPPH, FRAP and NO· tests and IC50 reached the values of 3.346 mg/mL, 2.306 and 0.023 mg/mL, respectively. Cleome fruits ameliorated the histological integrity of the skin and alleviated the disruptions in hematological parameters (WBC, LYM, RBC, and HGB), inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α),C-reactive protein, and some oxidative stress markers (TBARS (−49%) and AOPP (−42%) levels, SOD (+33%) and GPx (+75%) activities, and GSH (+49%) content) induced by formalin injection. Moreover, the in-silico investigation had shown that CA fruits extract compounds have a stronger interaction with COX-2 active site, more than the reference drug “indomethacin” (two H-bonds). Our research gives pharmacological backing to the healthcare utilization of Cleome plant in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and oxidative harm....
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory disease with limited therapeutic options. Pseudognaphalium affine (D. Don) Anderb. is a medicinal and edible plant used to treat cough, asthma, and COPD for a long time in folk medicine. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of Pseudognaphalium affine (D. Don) Anderb. extract (GAE) and investigate the possible underlying mechanism in vivo and in vitro. In vivo, the administration of GAE in a rat COPD model could significantly ameliorate lung damage and pulmonary function by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Western blot and real-time PCR results showed that GAE could suppress nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), which indicated that GAE down-regulated the NF-κB pathway. Moreover, GAE protected against tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α induced inflammatory response in BEAS-2B and inhibited the NF-κB pathway. All data suggested that GAE exhibited its anti-COPD effect by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines, which may be associated with the inhibition of the NF-κB pathway....
Medicinal plants have great prominence in research into the development of new medicines. Eugenia uniflora L. (Myrtaceae) is an edible and medicinal plant with economic value in the northeast region of Brazil. Several preparations from E. uniflora leaves and its fruits are employed as a source of nutrients and bioactive compounds. In this study we evaluated the preclinical toxicology of crude extract and vaginal gel obtained from the leaves of E. uniflora (5%, 10%, and 15%) aiming to provide safety for its use in the treatment of vulvovaginitis. Both formulations were applied to the vaginal cavity for 14 days. Detailed observations of the vaginal region, including pruritus, swelling, irritation, burning, pain, and vaginal secretion, as well as the estrous cycle were evaluated. On the fifth day, blood samples were obtained from the supraorbital plexus for biochemical and hematological analyses. The animals were subsequently euthanized. All animals underwent necropsy and macroscopic examination of the vaginal mucosa and reproductive system. A histological examination was also performed. No clinically significant changes were detected during the entire experimental period. All biochemical, hematological, or histopathological parameters were within the normal range for the species. The data obtained allow us to suggest that the E. uniflora vaginal formulations are safe in this experimental model....
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