Journal of Herbmed Pharmacology
Volume:8 Issue: 3, Jul 2019

Acacia nilotica is a valuable plant with medicinal properties that increasinglyincites the curiosity of many researchers. Its pharmacological properties are reported in manystudies, but the fact remains that the plant can be just as toxic as any modern pharmaceuticaldrug. It is very important to dispose sufficient knowledge on what are reported concerning itstoxicity profile. This review is aimed to provide comprehensive summary (all-in-one) of whathave been reported about the toxicity of A. nilotica and to determine the necessity or not toconduct more toxicological studies in a further step toward rationalizing its medicinal use. Scientific information about the toxicity and or safety of A. nilotica reported elsewherewere reviewed. Search engines such as Google, Bing and Baidu and databases of scientificjournals such as PubMed, Scopus, CAS, CABI, HINARI and AJOL were used to retrieve studiesfrom 1999 to 2017. Few studies have reported the toxicity potential of A. nilotica and most with very limitedinformation. Three of them have reported serious deleterious toxic effects of certain parts of theplant on major organ systems such as kidney and liver. Stem bark as part of A. nilotica appearedto be the most cited to cause observable clinical signs of toxicity and organs lesions. Overall, this review provided comprehensive information on what is known aboutthe toxicity of A. nilotica and showed the necessity to conduct more advanced long-term-basedtoxicological studies.

Staphylococcus aureus is among the pathogens capable of developing a broad spectrum of infections in human beings. In addition to the hospital, the bacterium is present in the community and has a high resistance to antibiotics, which is also increasing on an ongoing basis. Resistance to β-lactam antibiotic family is one of the concerns about the bacterium that has encountered the treatment of such infections with difficulty. Due to the increased resistance and importance of this bacterium, new strategies are needed to control this pathogen. One of these approaches is the use of medicinal plants, which has attracted many researchers in the last decade. Several studies have been carried out or are being designed using various herbs to find active ingredients to deal with this bacterium. The aim of this study was to present the antibacterial activity of different medicinal plants and the effects of their active ingredients on methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus and to clarify the pathway to further studies in this regard.

Lamium album, commonly known as white dead nettle, is a plant in the family of Lamiaceae. This plant is distributed all over Asia, Europe, and Africa. In the traditional medicine of Asia, it has been used for the treatment of a number of diseases such as trauma, fracture, paralysis, leucorrhoea, hypertension women’s pain, uterine hemorrhage, menorrhagia, vaginal and cervical inflammation. In recent years, L. album has been the subject of intensive experimental studies to evaluate its traditional use to reveal new biological properties. A wide range of pharmacological effects, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antidiabetic properties have been reported by these studies. This review presents an up-to-date overview of the current literature on the pharmacological and physiological effects of L. album. Also, phytochemical constituents responsible for the biological properties of L. album are presented and discussed.

Nepeta menthoides Boiss & Buhse is one of the endemic species in Iran. Named Ostokhodus, it is almost used as substitute of the Lavandula stoechas –the original Ostokhodus- in traditional Persian medicine (TPM) over the time and widely used for the management of some ailments such as anxiety, depression, dementia and chronic pain. The aim of this study is to review the pharmacological and phytochemical evidence on Nepeta menthoides for the assessment of the recommended traditional indications of this herb. In this review, all the relevant articles that met our inclusion criteria [English or Persian articles, having full text, evaluating therapeutic effects of N. menthoides and dated mainly from the year 1980 to 2018] were included by searching studies in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and SID. The search terms were "Nepeta menthoides, "Ostokhodus". Triterpenes and monoterpenes were the most chemicals reported from essential oil of N. menthoides. Several pharmacological properties via in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies have been reported including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, antidepressant and anxiolytic, anticholinesterase, neuroprotective, memory enhancing, anti-Alzheimer’s disease, anticancer and effect on opioid dependence. Some proposed traditional indications of this herb in TPM books are in accordance with pharmacological evidence like anti-nociceptive, anti-seizure, anti-Alzheimer’s disease, memory enhancing, neuroprotective, antidepressant, anxiolytic activity and anti-infective properties. Although some properties in TPM, such as anti-tussive and gastrotonic effects are not supported by scientific evidence, they need more investigations.

The leaves of Anthonotha macrophylla which are widely used in folkloric medicine in Africa were evaluated for antibacterial activity and its toxicological profile. Antibacterial activities of the leaves against clinical strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella pneumonia, Streptococcus pyogenes and Bacillus subtilis were compared with cefoxitin. Toxicological profiles were determined following the administration of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of the leaf extract and distilled water, as control, to male Albino rats for 28 days. Biochemical and hematological indices and body weights were determined and the vital organs were examined. The ethanol leaf extract of A. macrophylla demonstrated antibacterial activity against the pathogenic bacteria tested. Toxicological investigation of the leaf extract showed no significant alterations in hematological and biochemical indices, and the vital organs as well. The LD50 in rats was more than 5000 mg/kg. Findings suggest that the ethanol leaf extract of A. macrophylla possess good antimicrobial activity which supports the traditional use of this plant across Africa. The plant is also considered safe following oral exposure after 28 days.

Low immunity causes the body to become more easily infected, resulting in inflammation. If the immune system is functioning properly, this inflammation will end in healing. The immune system has a protective role in the body, and its anti-inflammatory role is vital. During trauma, the initial immune response is marked by inflammation. The use of date-seed extract, although not steeped date seeds, has been studied as an anti-inflammatory agent. This study is aimed at demonstrating the anti-inflammatory effect of steeped date seeds (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in rats with CCl4-induced inflammation. This experiment included a pre- and post-test with control group design. Male Wistar rats (approximately 2–3 months of age, ranging in weight from 150 to 200 g) were assigned to the following groups: negative control (NC), positive control (PC), T1 treatment dose 1 g/kg, T3 treatment dose 3 g/kg, T5 treatment dose 5 g/kg, and healthy control (HC). Groups 1–5 were subjected to CCl4 induction at a single dose of 2 mL/kg before treatment. The levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), glutathione (GSH), and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) were compared in groups using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by a least significant difference (LSD) post hoc test for comparisons between means. Levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), GSH, and IFN-γ were significantly different among the HC and treatment groups after CCl4 induction. After 14 days of steeped date-seed treatment, TNF-α decreased, but GSH and IFN-γ levels increased significantly (P = 0.001). Administration of steeped date seeds at a dose of 5 g/kg can increase GSH and IFN-γ, and decrease TNF-α, the strongest inflammatory marker in CCl4-induced rats. The findings of this study indicate that date-seed supplementation can support body immunity by regulating pro-inflammatory mediators.

Primary dysmenorrhea is defined as painful menses with cramping sensation in the lower abdomen with normal ovulatory cycles which has no pelvic pathology. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of inhalation of Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) essential oil on alleviating primary dysmenorrhea. This randomized double-blinded clinical trial included 96 students (48 in lavender and 48 in placebo groups) from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Single students with regular menstrual cycles suffering from primary dysmenorrhea regarding the verbal multi-dimensional scoring system were included. The intervention group was administered to inhale lavender essential oil (diluted in sesame oil in 2:1 ratio). The control group only inhaled sesame essential oil. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess the pain score at the baseline and 1, 2, 4, and 48 hours after intervention. Generalized estimation equations method was used for data analysis. The students’ mean ± standard deviation (SD) age was 20.32±1.38 years. No significant difference was found in demographic and menstrual characteristics between groups. The mean VAS was not significantly different between groups at the baseline. Lavender inhalation reduced the mean±SD primary dysmenorrhea score of 2.92±0.2 according to VAS significantly during 48 first hours adjusted for baseline VAS (P < 0.001). It could be concluded that lavender inhalation can decrease primary dysmenorrhea. The observed effectiveness of lavender inhalation as an inexpensive therapy without evidence of adverse event supports the interest for potential application of this therapy.

Gynura procumbens (GP) is a medicinal plant with numerous beneficial pharmacological activities. The aim of this study was to identify the bioactive phytoconstituents in GP ethanol extract and hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and aqueous fractions of GP, and also to evaluate the cell viability of GP ethanol extract and its fractions-treated RAW264.7 cells. The ethanol GP leaf extract was prepared and further subjected to fractionation. The cell viability of GP ethanol extract and its fractions-treated RAW264.7 cells were measured by PrestoBlue. The phytoconstituents of GP ethanol extract and its fraction were determined by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). RAW264.7 cells exposed to the GP ethanol extract and its fractions showed significantly high proliferation and weak cytotoxic effect on the macrophages, with an average inhibitory concentration of 90% at 24, 48, and 72 hours of incubation. However, at a concentration of 10 μg/mL, the aqueous GP fraction clearly displayed anti-proliferative properties because the cell viability of aqueous GP fraction-treated RAW264.7 cells reduced to 64%, 29% and 4% after 24, 48 and 72 hours of incubation, respectively. The GP extracts and its fractions contained mainly fatty acids, flavonoids, sesquiterpenoids, and products of chlorophyll breakdown. GP ethanol extract and its fractions at certain concentrations may act as immunomodulators, as they induced promising proliferation activity of macrophages. Further studies are needed to determine either the identified chemical compounds influenced on the proliferation of macrophages solely or cooperatively.

Diclofenac (DIC) is one of the compounds derived from acetic acid which isknown for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic attributes. Silymarin is a flavonoid compoundwhich is derivate from Silybum marianum seeds. This research was done to assess the protectiverole of silymarin against liver toxicity induced by DIC in male rats. Randomly, 40 male Wistar rats were assigned into five groups as follows: Group 1:control group, Group 2: DIC-only treated (50 mg/kg, i.p), Group 3: silymarin-only treated (200mg/kg, p.o); Groups 4 and 5: DIC (50 mg/kg, i.p) plus silymarin (100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg, p.o,respectively) treated. Various biochemical, molecular, and histological parameters were evaluatedin serum and tissue. In the DIC-only treated group, the levels of liver glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxidedismutase (SOD), intracellular glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) significantly diminished andthe levels of total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), nitrite, alanine aminotransferase (ALT),malondialdehyde (MDA), serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), and TNF-α gene expression were remarkably elevated relative to control animals. In otherhands, treatment with silymarin caused a noticeable elevation in GPx, SOD, GSH, CAT and aremarkable reduction in levels of total bilirubin, ALP, nitrite content, ALT, MDA, serum TNF-α,AST and TNF-α gene expression relative to DIC-only treated group. Histopathological injurieswere also improved by silymarin administration. The results confirm that silymarin has an ameliorative effect on liver toxicity inducedby DIC and oxidative stress in male rats.

All parts of the mango plant contain secondary metabolites that possess several beneficial properties. In the present study, evaluation of in vitro anti-oxidant, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory activities of five Indian cultivars of mango fruit peel extracts were carried out. Different solvent (hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol) extracts of five Indian cultivars of mango fruit peels were prepared by using soxhalate, and the aqueous extract was prepared by maceration. In vitro anti-oxidant activities of these extracts were determined by using 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azinobis 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging methods. Their anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory activities were determined by agar-well diffusion and HRBC (human red blood cell) methods, respectively. All the five mango peel extracts showed good anti-oxidant activities, especially the methanolic extract of peel of Sindhura cultivar showed better IC50 values of DPPH (21.62±1.82 μg/mL), ABTS (21.33±1.94 μg/mL), H2O2 (19.87±2.61 μg/mL) and NO (57.29±2.17 μg/mL) radical scavenging activities than other extracts. It also possessed higher contents of phenolics (169.18±3.28 mg of GAE/g) and flavonoids (26.18±1.84 mg of QE/g) than the other extracts. All peel extracts of five cultivars of mango fruit revealed good anti-microbial activities against bacterial and fungal cultures and also possessed significant anti-inflammatory activity. The present study revealed that all the mango peel extracts have potential antioxidant activity, as well as better anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory activities.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-dependent neurodegenerative disorder and major cause of mortality in the elderly. AD has a complex pathophysiology and needs new multi-targeted compounds to halt the disease progression through several mechanisms. Medicinal plants contain various compounds with heterogeneous pharmacological effects, therefore are a good source. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of total extracts of Sanguisorba minor and Ferulago angulata on beta-amyloid (Aβ)-induced toxicity in primary neural cell culture. Cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) were cultured according to standard protocols. The cultured neurons were incubated with Aβ alone or in combination with different concentrations of extracts for 24 hours. Cell viability was measured by methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium (MTT) assay. In addition acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and oxidative stress markers were measured after incubation. Also, the effects of different concentrations of the extracts on AChE activity of the cultured neurons were investigated. For measuring the acute toxicity of the extract, LD50 was estimated by limit test. Both extracts could protect CGNs against Aβ-induced cell death. Aβ-induced oxidative stress and increase of AChE activity were ameliorated by both extracts. S. minor extract dose-dependently reduced AChE activity in cultured CGNs. LD50 of both extracts was estimated above 2000 mg/kg and considered as safe. Both studied extracts protected CGNs against Aβ-induced toxicity by ameliorating oxidative stress mechanism. According to these results, these extracts are recommended for further investigation in AD treatment.

This study evaluated antioxidant effects of hexane, chloroform, chloroform-methanol, aqueous and butanol extracts of leaves and seeds of Allium ampeloprasum subsp. persicum. Various extracts were evaluated for total phenolic content, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and H2O2 scavenging activities. Total phenolic content varied from 2.46 to 8.12 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) per gram for various extracts with the highest level for butanol leave extract. Butanol leave extract showed the lowest IC50 of DPPH scavenging. FRAP assay showed stronger antioxidant capacity for leaves than seeds’ extracts and butanol extract was comparable to ascorbic acid at the concentration 50 μg/mL. In H2O2 scavenging activity assay, butanol and chloroform-methanol leave extracts showed the least IC50 value. Our results revealed moderately low amount of phenolic compounds and weak DPPH scavenging activity for all extracts of A. ampeloprasum subsp. persicum. However, leaves extracts showed good total antioxidant capacity and H2O2 scavenging activity.