Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine
Volume:11 Issue: 2, Feb 2021

Some species of the Russelia genus have been used  different illnesses associated with pain and inflammation. The aim of this work was to characterize the biological activities (anti-inflammatory and analgesic) and antioxidant capacity of methanol and dichloromethane extracts of Russelia coccinea.

In this study, topical anti-inflammatory activity was tested in an in vivo model of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA) induced mouse ear edema of organic extracts (doses: 0.03, 0.1, and 0.3 mg/ear). The antinociceptive activity was assessed using the formalin test in mice of organic extracts (doses: 56, 100 and 300 mg/kg ). Moreover, the antioxidant capacity of the extracts was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiaziline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays.

Methanol (RcM) and dichloromethane (RcD) extracts of the R. coccinea aerial parts were found to inhibit ear edema (48.95 and 40.13%, respectively) at a dose of 0.3 mg/ear. Acute treatment with RcM produced a significant antinociceptive effect in the late phase of formalin-induced nociception. Moreover, RcM at doses of 56, 100 and 300 mg/kg showed a significant antinociceptive effect through the early and late phases in the formalin test. RcM and RcD showed weak antioxidant capacities in the ABTS and DPPH assays; however, when their reducing capacity was evaluated by the FRAP assay, RcM showed a reducing activity similar to Camellia sinensis standard at the proven concentration of 1000 μg/ml.

According to the experimental findings, the organic extracts of R. coccinea display remarkable antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities.

Goji berry has been used for thousand years inTraditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in China and other Asian countries as foods to promote health and as drugs to treat diseases. It has been claimed this important medicinal crop is the good source of compounds with valuable nutritional and bioactive properties which can also provide industrial sustainability in organic life.

All relevant papers in English language were collected. The keywords of wolfberry, goji berry, Chinese herbalism and western Medicine were searched in Google Scholar, Scopus, Research Gate and PubMed.

Besides its uses in food and culinary, wolfberry has long played important roles in TCM where they are believed to enhance immune system function, improve eyesight, protect liver, boost sperm production and improve circulation, among other effects. TCM calls for wolfberry to be prepared as a decoction or ground into a powder and mixed with other herbs. Additionally, Gojiberry is rich in ascorbic acid, thiamine and riboflavin. Moreover, Gojiberrycontains carbohydrates, organic acids, and so many minerals like potassium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, calcium, zinc and selenium.

This review article allowed verifying that wolfberry as asource of compounds with valuable nutritional and bioactive properties.

Evaluation of the healing and toxicological effects of Copaifera duckei Dwyer oleoresin (CDO). Rodents with skin lesions were divided into nine groups, including daily treatments with 1, 3 and 10% CDO, collagenase, antibiotic ointment and control groups, for 14 days. Treatment with 10% CDO reduced skin edema and hyperplasia, demonstrating anti-inflammatory effect of the oil. Reduction in the wound area was observed, indicating the healing effect of CDO. Histopathological analysis showed increases in angiogenesis and re-epithelialization in animals treated with the highest concentration. On the other hand, no alterations in ulcerations, inflammatory infiltrate, hemorrhage, congestion, degeneration, percentage of collagen fibers, number of cells stained with anti-macrophage migration inhibitory factor, or density of area stained with anti-collagen I and III were found. Toxicogenetic analysis revealed no differences in micronucleus frequencies or in the ratio of polychromatic erythrocytes to total erythrocytes between treated and negative control, demonstrating the absence of genotoxicity and cytotoxicity, respectively. There was no difference in levels of liver enzymes among groups, indicating the absence of hepatotoxicity. Formulations of CDO exerted beneficial effects on the stages of cutaneous wound healing and are promising options for the treatment of wounds.

Ginger has protective effects on the kidney, however the molecular mechanism of this effect has not yet been fully elucidated. Therefore, this work studied molecular mechanisms of ginger effects on ethanol-induced kidney injury. Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: control, ginger (1 g/kg/day ginger extract by oral gavage), ethanol (4 g/kg/day ethanol by oral gavage) and ginger-ethanol group and treated daily for 28 days. Kidney function, expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α genes and oxidative stress parameters in kidney tissue, were evaluated. Total phenolic content (TPC) and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity of ginger extract were also evaluated.  Hydroethanolic extract of ginger showed a good level of DPPH scavenging activity and TPC.  In the ethanol group,  serum level of urea, creatinine and uric acid and the expression of NRF2 and TNF-α significantly increased compared to control group, while co-treatment with ginger in ginger+ethanol group significantly ameliorated them compared to the ethanol group. Ethanol exposure significantly reduced the activity of superoxide dismutase  (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) compared to the control values ,while the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) significantly increased. Ginger significantly ameliorated the level of MDA and activity of SOD, GPx and CAT in the ginger-ethanol group compared to the ethanol group. The results showed that ginger's protective effects against ethanol renotoxicity were mediated via enhancing the NRF2 and TNF-α expression.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a cluster of cardio-metabolic risk factors. MS is known as a highly prevalent disease worldwide. According to the existing evidence, consuming curcumin has positive effects on lipids profile, glucose, and body weight. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of nano-curcumin therapy on insulin resistance and serum level of afamin in patients with MS. Thirty MS patients (15 males and 15 females) received 80 mg/daily nano-curcumin for two months. The samples of fasting blood were collected from the participants at the beginning and 60 days after initiation of the intervention to measure biomarkers. Comparing pre- and post-treatment with nano-curcumin values revealed a significant decrease in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (p=0.017), insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (p=0.006), and afamin (p=0.047). Moreover, there was a significantly negative relationship between afamin and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p=0.044), as well as a significantly positive relationship between afamin and systolic (SBP) (p <0.001) and diastolic (DBP) (p <0.001) blood pressures. Results suggest that taking nano-curcumin for 60 days may have positive effects on afamin, FPG, insulin, and HOMA-IR in patients with MS, but would not significantly affect other metabolic profiles. More studies with larger sample sizes are required to confirm these findings.

There are several studies reporting the therapeutic effects of Berberis vulgaris on liver diseases. This study was done with the purpose of examining the effect of B. vulgaris oxymel (BO) in patients with refractory primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), who did not respond to current treatment.

Patients with PSC or PBC who were receiving ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA, 13-15 mg/kg/day) for at least six months, but their serum levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were still 1.5 folds higher than the normal upper limit during the last six months, were asked to participate in this quasi-experimental study. Patients were asked to take 0.5 ml/kg/day of BOtwo times a day for three months along with UDCA. At the end of the study, serum levels of ALP, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), total bilirubin (TB), direct bilirubin (DB), and creatinine as well as prothrombin time (PT), international normalized ratio (INR) and quality of life  (QOL) based on PBC-40 questionnaire were assessed as outcomes.

Our results showed that BO notably attenuated the serum levels of ALP, AST, ALT, GGT, TB, and DB, as well as PT and INR and significantly improved QOL.  

For first time, we showed that additional therapy with BOhas a promising effect in the treatment of refractory PSC and PBC.

The extract of Pinus eldarica bark contains many polyphenolic compounds that were studied due to their high antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-mutagenic effects. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to conduct phytochemical standardization and develop hard gelatin capsules from the extract of P. eldarica bark. Extraction was carried out by maceration method at room temperature for 72 hr using ethanol 70% followed by freeze drying. Quantification and standardization tests were performed using Folin-Ciocalteu method. Then, nine formulations were prepared containing different amounts of stearic acid (1-3%) and corn starch (3%, 10%, and 25%). Each formulation was characterized by FTIR and pharmacopoeial tests such as drug content, disintegration time, flowability parameters and drug release percent. The optimized formulation underwent stability studies at 75±5% humidity and 40±2°C. The total phenolic content of the extract in terms of gallic acid equivalent was 362.8±5.4 mg/g and the total procyanidin content in the extract was 174.386±2.5 mg/g. FTIR revealed no interaction between the components. The results presented that the best formulation of the capsules was achieved they contained 3% of stearic acid and 25% of corn starch. This formulation showed 91.69±0.33% of drug content, 9.36±0.02 min disintegration time and 83.02±0.81% release percent. Moreover, it showed good flowability. Stability studies on the optimized formulation displayed that the formulation was stable within 6 months in the accelerated condition. In conclusion, results of the present phytopharmaceutical evaluations confirmed this product as a promising herbal capsule formulation.

The aim of the present study was to investigate antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of a few medicinal plants against oral bacteria. Salvia officinalis, Lippie citriodora, Mentha piperita, Echinacea purpurea and Matricaria chamomilla were extracted. Isolates from oral cavity were identified by microbiological and molecular methods. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration were determined by Broth microdilution method. The anti-biofilm activity of essential oils and extracts investigated and as a mixture by Broth dilution method. Toxicity of the herbal mixture was assayed by in Wistar rats treated with intradermal injection. Wound healing properties of the herbal mixture against infected wounds on the back of the rats were investigated. Anti-biofilm activity was investigated on tooth surfaces. Bacterial structure changes and fine- structure study were performed by light microscopy and Transmission electron microscopy. The lowest MIC and MBC for the plant mixtures was 0.0002 mg/ml belonged to Streptococcus pyogenes and the highest values (0.025 mg/ml) belonged to Eikenella corrodens. The essential oils of S. officinalis, L. citriodora and M. piperita, but not E. purpurea and M. chamomilla extracts, were able to remove the biofilms created by the studied bacteria. The herbal mixture was able to completely heal the wound skin of rats in 21 days (p It was concluded that the essential oils of S. officinalis, L. citriodora and M. piperita had significant effects on inhibition of oral bacteria biofilm formation.

Sleep-duration is related to obesity. Curcumin can affect behavioral changes that arise from sleep deprivation in animal models. In this study, we assessed the effects of curcumin on sleep-duration in metabolic-syndrome (MetS) patients.

This study was a double-blind clinical trial in 120 adults with MetS. All participants received crude curcuminoids in a simple formulation (n=40), phospholipidated curcuminoids (n=40) or placebo (n=40) 1 g/day during 6 weeks. Demographic data, anthropometric indices and serumbiochemical factors were documented forall volunteers at baseline and after the intervention. A standard questionnaire was used for evaluating physical-activity-level (PAL) and patients’ sleep-duration, including night time sleep and daily napping. Based on the time of sleep, sleeping hours were classified into: night time sleep; daily naps and total sleeping hours in 24 hours.

A total of 120 participants aged 38.72±10.05 years old were enrolled into the study. We did not find significant differences in biochemical factors, sleep-duration or PAL at baseline among the 3 groups (p>0·05). Moreover,curcumin did not exert any significant effect on sleep-duration before, or after, adjustment for confounding factors in the overweight and obese individuals, or in total population (p>0.05).

The results showed that curcumin does not have an effect on sleep-duration in subject with MetS.

Protective effects of raspberry (Rubus fruticosus L.) fruit extract on pituitary-gonadal axis and testicular tissue in diabetic male rats, were investigated. Sixty male rats were divided into control, sham (saline treated), streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic, and STZ-diabetic animals treated with 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg/day of raspberry extract. After 4 weeks, blood samples were obtained and left testes were removed and prepared for histopathological studies. Serum levels of Luteinizing hormone (LH), Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, Nitric oxide (NO), and malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity level were assayed. Sperm number and motility in the epididymis samples were measured. Data were analyzed using ANOVA (one-way analysis of variance). Serum levels of LH, FSH and MDA significantly increased in diabetic rats, however, treatment with the extract significantly reversed the alterations. Serum levels of testosterone and NO, activity of SOD and CAT, and sperm number and motility significantly decreased and severe destruction of testicular histology was observed in diabetic animals while treatment with the extract significantly reversed the pathologic alterations observed in diabetic rats.  According to the results, 100 and 200 mg/kg of the extract were able to effectively reverse the diabetes complications. Our findings demonstrated that the fruit extract of raspberry has protective effects on male reproductive system in diabetic rats partially due to its improving effects on NO system, and SOD and CAT activity.