Journal of Medicinal Herbs
Volume:7 Issue: 4, Winter 2016

Cervical cancer is the most common   female genital cancer and the second most common cancer in women in the   world. Since the herbal ingredients have been used for centuries to treat   cancer, purpose of the present study was to determine the cytotoxic   effect of hydroalcoholic extract from Satureja bachtiarica Bungeon   Hela cancer cells line. Hela cells line and natural fibroblast cells line were cultured in RPMI 1640 and DMEM Containing fetal bovine serum and antibiotics, respectively. The cells were exposed to different doses of hydroalcoholic extract of Satureja bachtiarica Bunge (0.156, 0.312, 0.625, 1.25, and 2.5 mg/ml) and were incubated for 24, 48 and 72 hr, respectively. After the incubation period, the modified MTT colorimetric test was used in order to determine cell toxicity of the extract. The results of MTT test Showed that hydroalcoholic extract of Satureja bachtiarica Bunge has dose-dependent anti-cancer effect on Hela cancer cells, so that by increasing the concentration of extract and incubation in 72h, the most percentage of cell death was observed (p < 0.05). The extract of plant didn’t show any significant cytotoxicity on natural fibroblast cell line. Therefore, it seems that its compounds will be applied in treating cancer through more researches. Considering the low side effects of herbal medicines, especially antioxidants including Satureja bachtiarica Bunge can be used to treat cancer with drug therapy.

 Anise studies have demonstrated different properties such as anti-cancer, anti-fungal,   antibacterial, antioxidant, strengthen the liver, gastrointestinal tract,   wounds heal and strengthen the nerve cells. Outbreaks of listeriosis in the   general population are 7.0 per 100,000 populations. Pregnant women, infants,   the elderly and immunocompromised patients or those weaknesses comprise most cases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the   effect of intravenous and oral administration of anise herb to BALB/c race of mice with listeriosis.   2 units of listeria monocytogenes were prepared in 0.5 Mc Farland concentrations   and injected to BALB/c trace mouse intraperitoneal. Before and after   treatment, the mice were examined for agglutination test.  The results of this study indicated that the effect of oral treatment with aqueous extract is better than injection of essential oil of anise.   According to results of the present study, anise aqueous extract was recommended as a potential antibacterial agent against listeria monocytogenes.

Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds is an aromatic perennial herb that belongs to the   family Lamiaceae. The aim of this study was to identify chemical composition of aerial parts   (including leaf, stem and flowers) of M. longifolia collected from   (Kamu mountain) Isfahan province. The essential oils were extracted   using the hydrodistillation method and analysed by GC-MS. The essential oil yields obtained from the aerial   parts of M. Longifolia were1.34, 0.76 and 0.97 ml/100 g dry   matter in leaf, stem and flowers, respectively. Results indicated significant   differences (p < 0.01) among the aerial parts for the main   constituents in the essential oil. The major constituents of the leaf oil   were 1,8-cineole (37.16%), piperitenone oxide (18.97%), sabinene (13.94%),   α-pinene (8.92%) and pulegone (6.14%). The major constituents of the stem oil   were 1,8-cineole (36.81%), pulegone (18.61%), piperitenone oxide (12.21%),   sabinene (7.05%) and the major constituents of the flower oil were   piperitenone oxide (37.67%), 1,8-cineole (23.02%), sabinene (13.56%) and   α-pinene (10.45%). Differences in the volatile composition of the plant material could be attributed to the growth and cultivation conditions of the plant, to the methods of extraction and to the harvesting time.

Solanum anomalum Thonn. ex Schumach. (family Solanaceae) is a shrub growing up to 2 metres tall. The edible fruits are gathered from the wild and consumed locally and the leaves are used locally in the treatment of various diseases. Evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of leaf extract of Solanum anomalum was carried out to ascertain its uses in traditional medicine. The crude leaf extract (70 – 210 mg/kg) of Solanum anomalum was investigated for anti-inflammatory activity using various experimental models; carragenin, egg albumin and xylene induced oedema. The extract (70 -210 mg/kg) caused a significant (p The plant, Breynia nivosa, possesses antiinflammatory property which can be exploited in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Vaginal disease has always been a great concern of women. Medicinal plants as natural resources with fewer side effects can effectively treat these infections given the diversity of these infections, resistance to antibiotics and side effects of existing drugs. The present study aimed to compare antimicrobial effects of methanol extract of Francoeuria Undulata on growth of several gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria causing vaginal infections. Francoeuria Undulata as an indigenous Iranian plant was collected in two harvest times (T1 and T2). Methanol extract of aerial parts of the plant was prepared. The effects of various concentrations (62.5, 125, 250 and 500 mg/ml)of methanol extracts were studied onKlebsiella and Enterobacter as gram-negative pathogens. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of bacterial growth and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) were determined using macro-dilution method. Data analysis was performed using ANOVA. The results showed that methanol extracts of aerial parts of Francoeuria Undulata inhibit bacterial growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter aerogenes. MICs varied from 125mg/ml to 250 mg/ml in the old and new harvest times. Therefore, the smallest diameter of inhibition zone belonged to Klebsiella pneumoniae at 62.5mg/ml concentration in the old harvest time and the largestdiameter of inhibitory zone belonged tothe second strains of Klebsiellapneumoniae at 500mg/ml concentration in the new harvest time. The findings of the study indicated that methanol extracts of Francoeuria Undulata at two old and new harvest times had strong antibacterial and inhibitory effects on gram-negative bacteria causing vaginal infections.

Oxidative stresses caused by free radicals are known to promote many diseases such as inflammation and cancer; therefore, any plant product that can inhibit free radical production can play an important role in preventing diseases. We aimed to compare the fracture rate and the scavenging activity of free radicals, and the antioxidant composition of rolB-transformed hairy root of Catharanthus roseus with those of the plantʼs natural root and leaf. Hairy root of the Madagascar periwinkle (C. roseus) were induced using Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain ATCC 15834 to transfer the rolB gene. PCR analysis was used to identify the geneʼs presence in the transformed hairy root. Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and HPLC were used to determine total phenolics and gallic acid. This study also entailed rapid screening of antioxidant by dot-blot DPPH staining on thin-layer chromatography (TLC), radicals fracture rate, free radical scavenging by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and nitric oxide-scavenging activities by Griess reagent. Our results showed that phenolic and gallic acid content in the ethanol extract of hairy root was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) than that naturally found in the root and leaf of C. roseus. The hairy root extract had the highest dot-blot staining and fracture rate of radicals and the lowest IC50 for inhibition of DPPH• and •NO. The transgenic hairy root of C. roseus showed high number of scavenging radicals, whereas the most active ethanol extract of hairy root registered by the highest level of gallic acid and total phenolic content. The transformed hairy roots can be considered as a rich natural source of antioxidants.

Salvia hydrangea is one of the medicinal plants belonging to Lamiaceae family. Medicinal plants can be marketed as fresh or dried products; however aromatic plants are often dried before extraction to reduce moisture content. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of different drying methods on qualitative and quantitative changes in essential oil of sage. To determine the effect of drying methods on qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the plant essential oil, samples were dried in sunlight, shade, mechanical oven at 65ºC and then compared with fresh samples. The essential oils of all samples were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed using GC and GC–MS. The results showed that different drying methods had significant effects on essential oil content. According to results fresh herbs had the highest essential oil content followed by shade drying, sun drying and oven drying samples, respectively. Significant changes in chemical compound amount of the essential oils were observed which associated with the drying methods. Significant differences occurred among several constituents in the extracted essential oils, including a-pinene, camphene, phellandrene, 1,8-cineole and bornylacetate. Drying of Salvia hydrangea aerial parts in the shade is more suitable for obtaining higher amount of oil yield and percentage of a-pinene and 1,8-cineole. Therefore, shade drying could be recommended for extraction of essential oil from this plant on an industrial scale.

Increasing of drug resistances and more attention to the hazards of side effects of synthetic drugs has caused extensive researches on medicinal plant resources. The aim of this study was to determination of the chemical composition of native Silybum marianum and Foeniculum vulgare extractions in Ardabil, Iran; and investigation of their anticancer effect on liver cancer cell line HepG2 and antimicrobial effects on Staphylococcusaureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to propose a solution to control or treatment. The chemical compositions of extractions performed through Soxhlet were analyzed by GC/MS system. The anticancer effect was assayed by MTT method and their antimicrobial activities were tested using disc-diffusion assay as well as MIC and MBC values estimated according to the microdilution method. The analysis of S. marianum extract showed the presence of 29 compounds, mostly (2.63%) Nonane, (4.68%) Camphor, (2.84%) Borneol, (3.65%) Trans-anethole, (8.78%) Viridiflorol, (34.26%) α–Selinene, (2.34%) Longiborn-9-ene, (2.52%) amorphane-B, (5.00%) Erucylamide, (10.15%) o-Terphenyl and (46.8%) α-androst-8-ene;F. vulgare extract contained 14 compounds, mainly (5.53%) Fenchone, (5.53%) α- Thujone, (2.84%) Nonane, (79.10%) trans-Anethol and (2.51%) Hentriacontane. The effects of F. vulgare extract on Staphylococcus and S. marianum extract on Pseudomonas were remarkable. In the combined design, there was no clear effect. MIC and MBC values confirmed the results of the sensitivity test. The cytotoxic effects of extractions on liver cancer cells were the optimum in 25μg/ml after 48 hours. According to the results, these compounds are able to replace by chemical preservatives in food and drugs industries.