Current Issue : October-December Volume : 2023 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
Solanum aculeastrum, a member of the Solanum genus, has a rich history of traditional use in various populations throughout tropical and southern Africa for treating different ailments. This study investigated the antimicrobial activities of S. aculeastrum fruit extracts grown in Zambia against Escherichia coli (E. coli) (ATCC 25922), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (ATCC 25923), and Candida albicans (C. albicans). After being dried in an oven at 50˚C for eight days, the fruits of S. aculeastrum were pulverised and subjected to extraction using methanol and distilled water as solvents. The resulting crude extract was then filtered, concentrated using a water bath, and packed into airtight containers separately. The disc diffusion method was employed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the extracts. The results showed that both the methanolic and aqueous extracts demonstrated antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and C. albicans, but not against E. coli. The zone of inhibition was greater in S. aureus than in C. albicans. This study highlights the importance of researching plants for their medicinal properties, which can pave the way for discovering natural product-based drugs with potential antimicrobial properties. These findings recommend further studies on plants used in African traditional medicine....
To identify potent plant extracts with strong antioxidant activity, we evaluated the free radical scavenging activity of 184 plant extracts obtained from the Freshwater Bioresources Culture Collection (FBCC) of Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources (Republic of Korea), as various plant extracts have been used therapeutically to prevent chronic diseases associated with oxidative stress. From them, three plant extracts (FBCC-EP858 from Ammannia multiflora, FBCCEP920 from Ammannia coccinea, and FBCC-EP1014 from Salix gracilistyla) were selected based on their abilities to scavenge the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical with more than 80% efficiency. We found that these extracts had in vitro half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values ranging from 11.89 to 14.26 μg/mL and strong total antioxidant activity (corresponding to approximately 0.18, 0.22, and 0.23 mM Trolox, respectively). We also studied the effect of these extracts on RAW 264.7 macrophages and found that FBCC-EP920 significantly downregulated relative cell viability at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. However, the other two extracts, FBCC-EP858 and FBCC-EP1014, did not affect cell viability at the same concentration. Additionally, all three extracts inhibited hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential in RAW 264.7 macrophages. An additional experiment in zebrafish larvae showed that the three extracts reduced 2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA) fluorescent intensity induced by H2O2. The extracts also upregulated the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression, and an HO-1 inhibitor, zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), attenuated the extract-induced antioxidant activity both in vivo and in vitro. Taken together, these findings suggest that the extracts from A. multiflora, A. coccinea, and S. gracilistyla have potential free radical scavenging and antioxidant capacities both in vivo and in vitro by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. These results could be useful for the prevention and treatment of various oxidative stress-mediated human diseases....
Traditional medicine claims that various components of the Phoenix dactylifera (date plant) can be used to treat memory loss, fever, inflammation, loss of consciousness, and nerve disorders. The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Phoenix dactylifera fruit extracts (PDF) against rat sickness behaviour caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by assessing behavioural and biochemical parameters. PDF was prepared by extracting dry fruits of P. dactylifera with a methanol:water (4:1, v/v) mixture. The PDF was evaluated for phenolic and flavonoid content and HPLC analysis of quercetin estimation. AdultWistar rats were treated with LPS, PDF + LPS and dexamethasone + LPS.Water and food intake, behavioural tests such as locomotor activity, tail suspension and forced swim tests were conducted. Furthermore, alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) were estimated in plasma and malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), nitrite, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), were estimated in the brain. PDF ameliorated LPS-induced sickness behaviour by reducing MDA, nitrite, IL-6, and TNF-α levels and improving GSH, behavioural alteration, water and food intake in the treated rats. In the plasma of the treated rats, PDF also decreased the levels of ALT and AST. The outcomes demonstrated the efficacy of PDF in reducing the sickness behaviour caused by LPS in rats. The authors believe that this study will provide the groundwork for future research to better understand the underlying mechanisms of action and therapeutic efficacy...
The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro, in vivo, and safety of Stachys lavandulifolia Vahl. methanolic extract (SLME) against acute toxoplasmosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii RH strain in mice. Methods: MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay was used to evaluate the in vitro effect of the SLME on T. gondii tachyzoites. Totally, 72 male BALB/c mice (40 mice for in vivo evaluation of SLME and 32 mice for its toxicity effects on liver and kidney serum enzymes) were used for the present investigation. At first, 40 mice were orally pre-treated with the SLME at doses of 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg/day for two weeks. Mice were checked daily, and the rate of survival and the mean number of tachyzoites were recorded. Liver lipid peroxidation (LPO) and nitric oxide (NO) levels, the effects on kidney and liver function, as well as the expression level of the proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), were studied by the quantitative real-time PCR. Flow cytometry analysis was performed on the effects of SLME on the detection of apoptotic and necrotic cells in T. gondii tachyzoites. Results: The SLME at the concentrations 75 and 150 μg/mL completely killed the tachyzoites after 2 hr of incubation. SLME at 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg/day increased the survival rate of infected mice by the sixth, seventh, and eighth days, respectively. SLME also significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the LPO and NO levels and upregulated the IL-1β and IFN-γ mRNA gene expression levels, whereas no considerable change was observed in the serum level of kidney and liver enzymes. Flow cytometry analysis revealed the prompted early and late apoptosis after exposure to T. gondii tachyzoites with various concentrations of SLME. Conclusion: We found the relevant in vitro anti-Toxoplasma effects of SLME against T. gondii. Moreover, the results confirmed the promising in vivo prophylactic effects of SLME. SLME provokes the innate immune system, induces apoptosis, modulates the proinflammatory cytokines, and inhibits hepatic injury in infected mice. With all these descriptions, further surveys are required to support these findings and elucidate this plant’s possible mechanisms of action....
The predominant objective of the research is to establish the anti-inflammatory and analgesic spectrum-effect relationship of Chloranthus fortunei (A. Gray) Solms-Laub (CF), to reveal the pharmacodynamic basis of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of CF. The fingerprints of ten batches of CF from various origins were established by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and evaluated for similarity, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and principal component analysis (PCA). The anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of CF were evaluated with the xylene-induced ear swelling in mice and the acetic acid torsion test, while the anti-inflammatory and analgesic spectrum-effect relationship of CF was evaluated by gray relational analysis (GRA) and partial least squares regression analysis (PLSR) to effectively elucidate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic substance basis of CF. The ten batches of CF HPLC fingerprints established in this work successfully identified a total of 13 common peaks that refer to 4 components, with peak 1 being neochlorogenic acid, peak 3 being chlorogenic acid, peak 5 being cryptochlorogenic acid, and peak 10 being rosmarinic acid. The HCA results presented that the ten batches of CF samples were clustered into 3 categories, which was consistent with the PCA results. Simultaneously, the results of the spectrum-effect relationship also indicated that neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, and rosmarinic acid were the possible antiinflammatory and analgesic substances of CF. In order to better understand the anti-inflammatory and analgesic substance basis of CF, this experiment established the anti-inflammatory and analgesic spectrum-effect relationship of CF, which can provide a scientific foundation for the quality evaluation and further research as well as the usage of CF herbs....
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