Research Journal of Pharmacognosy
Volume:4 Issue: 2, Spring 2017

Residues of medicinal plants after extraction and weeds are suitable candidates for bioethanol production. Significant barriers exist to make the conversion of lignocellulosic feedstock to biofuel cost effective and environmentally friendly; one of which is the lignin polymer. Brassicaceae family is one of the potential targets for biofuel production. The structural characteristics of lignin from Hirschfeldia incana, Sisymbrium altissimum and Cardaria draba were studied in comparison to that of Brassica napus.

Lignin deposition was observed by phloroglucinol and Mäule staining. The total lignin content was determined by Klason method. Maximum UV absorbance and FT-IR spectra were compared. Ratio of syringyl to guaiacyl lignin (S/G ratio) as a metric of lignin digestibility was determined by DFRC followed by GC-MS analysis. 1H-NMR spectra of the total lignin was compared with other spectroscopic methods.

Staining of thestem cross sections of C. draba showed higher G units in contrast to the higher S units in S. altissimum which was in agreement with 1H-NMR analysis. Total lignin content for H. incana, C. draba and S. altissimum was 27.10%, 23.8% and 24.5%, respectively. The specific maximum UV absorbance appeared between 230-260 nm. FT-IR analysis confirmed the presence of more aromatic structures in the seed maturation stage than the flowering stage. S/G ratio was 0.26, 0.10 and 0.22 for H. incana, C. draba and S. altissimum, respectively. 

Except Cardaria draba with the predominance of G subunits in lignin polymer, Hirschfeldia incana and Sisymbrium altissimum are suitable candidates for bioethanol production.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) as a neurodegenerative disorder is the most common form of dementia in the elderly. According to the amyloid hypothesis, accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, which are mostly constituted of Aβ peptide aggregates, triggers pathological cascades that lead to neuronal cell death. Thus, modulation of Aβ toxicity is the hopeful therapeutic approach for controlling the disease progression. Recently, several studies have indicated promising findings from herbal extracts against Aβ cytotoxicity. The aim of the present study was to assess the protective effect of the methanol extract of seven medicinal plants from Iran on Aβ-induced toxicity in primary neuron culture.

The methanol extracts of plants were prepared by maceration method. Primary cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) were taken from male mice at postnatal days 6-7 and cultured in cell culture medium containing 10% FBS and 25 mM KCl. After seven days in vitro (DIV7), the cells were incubated with aggregated Aβ (10 μM) alone or in combination with different concentrations of extracts in the cultured medium for 24 h and cell viability was assessed by MTT assay.

Our results indicated that Sanguisorba minor, Cerasus microcarpa, Ferulago angulata, Amygdalus scoparia and Rosa canina extracts significantly ameliorated Aβ-induced toxicity which indicated the protective effect of these extracts. Protective effects were not observed for Stachys pilifera and Alhagi pseudalhagi extracts.

Based on the protective effects of these plants against Aβ-induced toxicity, we recommend greater attention to their use in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Otostegia persica (Labiatae) is an endemic plant of Iran and is used for its anti-inflammatory properties in folk medicine of Sistan and Baluchestan province. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of O. Persica different fractions and identification of the natural compounds from the most active fraction.

Total extract of O. Persica was fractionated with petroleum ether (PE), chloroform (CL), ethyl acetate (EA), n-butanol (BU) and methanol (ME). The analgesic activities of different fractions were determined by formalin test. Then, activity of effective fractions was investigated on carrageenan-induced paw edema assay. Finally, the compounds of effective fraction were isolated and their structures were elucidated.

Anti-nociceptive activity of EA and BU fractions (100 mg/kg) and ME fraction (100 and 200 mg/kg) demonstrated significant difference with normal saline during the second phase of the formalin test. ME fraction showed higher analgesic effects in comparison to indomethacin (p<0.05), with IC50 equal to 85.87 mg/kg. Among EA, BU and ME fractions which were selected for anti-inflammatory investigation, EA could not reduce rat paw edema after 6 h. The swelling inhibition percentage of ME was similar to that induced by indomethacin at the same time (p>0.05). Vicenin-2 and isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside were elucidated from ME as the effective anti-inflammatory fraction.

It was concluded that the existence of flavonoids in O. persica extract could play an important role for its anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects similar to various non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase (NOS).

Astragalus is one of the most abundant genera of flowering plants in Iran. There are a few reports on phytochemical investigation of this valuable genus. Saponins, flavonoids and polysaccharides have been reported as the most important metabolites in Astragalus species. In the present research, we aimed to identify the foremost constituents of Astragalus maximus.

Phytochemical analysis of the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction of Astragalus maximus roots was performed using different methods of chromatography such as HPLC, SPE and preparative TLC. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectral evidence from 1D and 2D NMR including DQF-COSY, HSQC, HMBC, and DEPT, in comparison with reported values in the literature.

Analysis of the extract yielded three flavonoids namely liquiritigenin, formononetin, isoquercitrin and one acylated cycloartane-type saponin, astragaloside I.

According to the results of our study, cycloartane-type saponin and flavonoids were the important metabolites in A. maximus.

Datura innoxiaMilleris one of the two species of Datura (Solanaceae) which grow in Iran. There are many reports of the biological activities of Datura and in the present study the ability of Datura innoxia for inhibiting angiogenesis was evaluated.

The methanol extract and petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol fractions of Datura innoxia flowers were obtained by maceration method. The extract and fractions were further evaluated for their cytotoxicity and anti-angiogenesis properties in HUV-EC-C cells through MTT and wound healing assays, respectively.

The methanol extract and the petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol fractions were cytotoxic to HUV-EC-C cells (IC50 11.25, 63.3, 8.75 and 9.27 μg/mL, respectively). The chloroform fraction demonstrated the most anti-angiogenesis activity in the wound healing assay.

Evaluating the above activities of the compounds isolated from Datura innoxia might be a proper follow up of the present study.

Most antiepileptic drugs that are commonly being used in the clinic have a wide range of unwanted side effects; while some species of pistachioshave been used in the traditional medicine to treat epilepsy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anticonvulsant effects of the hydroalcoholic extract of Pistacia vera L. in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced chemical kindling.

this study was carried out on 40 male Wistar rats. Chemical kindling was induced by intraperitoneal administration of PTZ (40 mg/kg) on every alternate day (30 days). The hydroalcoholic extract of P. vera (50 and 100 mg/kg) were administered orally every day (30 days). In days which animals received both PTZ and extract, PTZ was injected 30 min after extract administration. Convulsive behavior was observed for 30 min after PTZ injection and scored according to racine scale. Diazepam was used as the reference anticonvulsant drug.

Pretreatment with 50 and 100 mg/kg of P. vera extract decreased seizure scores, stage 4 latency and stage 5 duration compared to the control group. The anti-epileptic effects of P. vera extract were comparable to diazepam.

The present findings demonstrated that the hydroalcoholic extract of P. vera may inhibit the development of seizure behavior following chronic PTZ-induced model of epilepsy in rats.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neuropathologic disorder that is caused by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons of dense part of nigra. Oxidative stress has been found in the pathophysiology of PD. Since α-pinene has strong anti-oxidant effects, the purpose of this research was to study its effects on movement disorders and memory and lipid peroxidation in PD.

Thirty five male rats were divided in 5 groups: control, vehicle, PD (received injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)) and Parkinson's groups receiving doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg via gavage for two weeks. Generating animal models for Parkinson was done by intracerebral injection of 6-OHDA in the left side of the brain in medial forebrain bundle (MFB). After the injection, the movement balance of the rats was measured by Rotarod. Memory test was done by shuttle box; their brain was extracted to analyze malondialdehyde (MDA) in striatum, hippocampus and blood.

The  results showed that Parkinson caused, movement disorder (p<0.01), avoidance memory reduction (p<0.001) and malondialdehyde accumulation in hippocampus (p<0.05) and striatum (p<0.001) tissues and in blood (p<0.001). Administration of 200 and 100 mg/kg α-pinene improved the movement disorder (p<0.05). Administration of both doses of 200 and 100mg/kg showed improvement in avoidance memory (p<0.001) and (p<0.01), respectively. Malondialdehyde showed reduction in striatum (p<0.001) and hippocampus (p<0.05, p<0.001), respectively in the treatment groups after administration of both doses. In the blood, the dose of 200 α-pinene significantly reduced MDA in the tretment groups. Conclosion: The results of this research show that α-pinene could reduce the symptoms of PD in rats.

The aerial part extracts of Eremostachys macrophylla  from Labiatae family, which has been traditionally used in wound healing, snake bites, rheumatism and joint pains, were investigated for general toxicity, anti-proliferative, free radical scavenging and anti-bacterial effects.Moreover, preliminary phytochemical investigations were carried out on the extracts.

Extracts were prepared using a soxhlet apparatus with n-hexane, dichloromethane (DCM) and methanol (MeOH), respectively. Brine shrimp lethality test (BSLT) and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay were performed to evaluate general toxicity and free radical scavenging properties, respectively. Anti-proliferative and anti-bacterial activities were assessed by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and disc diffusion methods, respectively.  MTT assay was carried out on one normal and two cancer cell lines including human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), human colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT-29) and human lung carcinoma (A-549), respectively. Additionally, all the extracts were tested for the presence of various phytoconstituents by different reagents.

The n-hexane extract was the most active fraction in BSLT whereas the MeOH extract showed significant free-radical-scavenging activity. The results indicated that the n-hexane and MeOH extracts possessed anti-proliferative effects against HT-29 cells while all the three extracts were effective against A-549 cell line. None of these three extracts showed any significant effect against HUVEC.The extracts didn’t show any antimicrobial effects against Gram positive, Gram negative and Candida albicans species.

Considering the results, the species might be a good candidate for further phytochemical and biological studies for the isolation of active and pure ingredients and clarification of anti-neoplastic mechanism.