Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine
Volume:12 Issue: 2, Mar-Apr 2022

Decreased thyroid hormones along with increased blood fats and overweight, lead to atherosclerosis and eventually cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of alcoholic extract of aerial parts of Anvilea garcinii and atorvastatin on the lipid profile and thyroid hormones in hypercholesterolemic rats.

In this study, 40 male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups (n=8): control, hypercholesterolemic vehicle and three experimental groups. The control group, received water and normal food daily, the hypercholesterolemic vehicle group received drug solvent (atorvastatin dissolved in distilled water) and three experimental groups received alcoholic extract of A. garcinii (100 and 300 mg/kg) and atorvastatin (10 mg/kg) as gavage. At the end of the 45- day period, blood samples were prepared from all groups and the amount of desired factors was measured and analyzed.

The amount of lipid profiles (cholesterol, HDL, LDL, VLDL,TG) and thyroid stimulating hormone in the vehicle group were increased compared to the control group, while the amount of these factors were decreased in the experimental groups compared to the vehicle group. Furthermore, the level of thyroid hormones in the hypercholesterolemic vehicle group was decreased compared to the control group, while the level of these hormones was increased in the experimental groups receiving the extract compared to the vehicle group.

Alcoholic extract of A. garcinii aerial parts, may increase thyroid hormones, and sequentially reduce blood lipids; thus, it could be a good candidate for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and hypothyroidism.

Nephropathy is known to be the leading cause of kidney failure in diabetic patients. Troxerutin, as a flavonoid component, could provide a novel protective strategy in the prevention of diabetic nephropathy. A large number of reports on the salutary effects of troxerutin inspired us to investigate its effect on the nephropathy signaling events (i.e., expression of TGF-β, miRNA192, and SIP1) in type-1 induced diabetic rats.

50 male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups including control group, sham group treated with troxerutin for 4 weeks, diabetic group induced by streptozotocin (STZ) injection, DI group including insulin-treated diabetic animals and DT group treated with troxerutin. Ultimately, rat kidneys were extracted, and the level of miR-192 (using qPCR), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), and smad interacting protein 1 (SIP1) using an ELISA kit, was measured.

The level of TGF-β and miRNA192 significantly increased in the diabetic group. However, their expression levels decreased following the administration of troxerutin and insulin (p<0.05) compared to control group. SIP1 was down-regulated in the diabetic group, whereas a spike in the expression levels was observed after troxerutin administration compared to control and troxerutin groups (p<0.05). However, no significant difference was found in the effects of insulin and troxerutin on the level of miR-192, SIP1, and TGF- β.

According to the previous literatures, during the progression of nephropathy, TGF-β represses SIP1 (the repression region in the collagen gene) by increasing the expression of miR-192. Ultimately, in this study, diabetes led to up-regulation of TGF-β while troxerutin proved to have a protective effect on the kidney by increasing SIP and lowering miR-192 levels.

Falcaria vulgaris is a herb with various applications in traditional medicine, including treatment of skin and gastric ulcers, liver diseases and gastrointestinal problems. It contains many valuable and important compounds with antioxidants and anti-ulcer properties, including carvacrol, spathulenol, limonene, tannins and saponins. In recent years, besides confirming many of its conventional uses, new beneficial properties of this plant have been identified. The purpose of this review is to investigate the therapeutic applications and botanical characteristics of F. vulgaris in traditional medicine and experimental studies.

This study was a systematic review using the keywords "Falcaria vulgaris," "Therapeutic properties" and "Animal studies", 100 articles were extracted from various databases, including PubMed, SinceDirect, SID (scientific information database) and google search engines without time limit; after several stages of title monitoring and abstracts review, finally, 70 articles were selected for this study.

In traditional medicine of different countries, several therapeutic properties have been reported for F. vulgaris, most of which are attributed to its antioxidant content and the presence of tannins and saponins. In recent decades, many studies have been done to identify and confirm the medicinal properties of F. vulgaris, including antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-diabetic effects, healing properties of skin and stomach ulcers, and protection of the liver and kidney.

F. vulgaris has a variety of biological properties and is used as a valuable plant in medical research that helps to improve health and prevent some diseases.

Calliandra portoricensis (CP) is used in Nigeria for the treatment of breast diseases. We investigated the effects of fraction from CP on 7,12-dimethylbenz-[a] anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary gland tumours. Female Wistar rats (40) were allotted into five equal groups. Group 1 served as control, group 2 received DMBA (50mg/kg), groups 3 and 4 received DMBA and were treated with CP at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg respectively, while the fifth group received DMBA and vincristine (0.5mg/kg). The DMBA was injected intraperitoneally once while vincristine and CP were given twice and thrice per week, respectively. Administration of DMBA caused a significant decrease in body weight gain by 52%. In addition, DMBA significantly increased organo-somatic weight of mammary gland by 4.0 folds. Moreso, DMBA significantly increased inflammatory and oxidative stress markers; serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β), lipid peroxidation (LPO) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) by 27%, 18% and 435%, respectively. Similarly, mammary NO (nitric oxide) and LPO were increased by 468% and 21%, respectively. In contrast, DMBA decreased the levels of apoptotic markers; BAX, caspases-3 and -9 by 20%, 15% and 18%, and mammary superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione-s-peroxidase (GPx) by 45%, 51% and 68%, respectively. Histology revealed gland with malignant epithelial cells and high nucleo-cytoplasm in DMBA-administered rats. Treatment with CP at 100 mg/kg decreased LPO, MPO, IL-1β and NO by 28%, 35%; 78% and 85%, respectively, and ameliorated DMBA-induced cyto-architectural anomalies. Fraction of CP protects mammary gland from DMBA insults via antioxidative and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

The present randomized clinical trial assessed the antihyperglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of hydro-ethanolic extract of Ribes khorassanicum. Eighty type 2 diabetic patients were randomly allocated to placebo or intervention groups and respectively received placebo or extract capsules (700 mg, bid) beside their conventional medication for 3 months. Patients' blood pressure and blood levels of fasting blood glucose (FBS), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), 2 hr postprandial glucose (2hPPG), triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured at the beginning of the study and after 3 months of treatment. For determination of plant safety, liver enzymes (SGOT and SGPT) and kidney function (in terms of urea, creatinine, and microalbumin levels) were assessed and patients were asked to report adverse effects. The R. khorasanicum hydro-ethanolic extract supplementation significantly decreased the levels of FBS, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL-C in the extract group compared to the placebo group (p<0.05-p<0.01). However, 2hPPG, HbA1c, HDL-C, SGOT, SGPT, urea, creatinine, and urine microalbumin values were not significantly different between the placebo and the extract groups. No adverse effects were reported by the patients. Co-supplementation of diabetic patients with R. khorasanicum extract ameliorated hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia without causing any adverse effects; therefore, the plant extract may be recommended as a complementary therapy to improve diabetes-induced metabolic disturbances.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common skin disorder with symptoms including severe pruritus and eczematous lesions. AD affects between 5 and 20% of people in their life. Silymarin (SM) is a polyphenolic flavonoid from Silybum marianum L.  and has several therapeutic characteristics including antiallergic, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. Fumaria officinalis is a small plant that has a high antioxidant power and modulating effects on the immune system. Therefore, the current study intended to examine the influence of these two herbs extract on severity and symptoms of AD in patients. 40 patients with mild to moderate eczema randomly received mometasone 0.1% or the herbal cream. Treatment course was 2 weeks and patients were examined before and after 2 weeks of treatment using the SCORAD system. The reduction of SCORAD score was significant in both groups (p=0.04 in the herbal group and p=0.03 in the mometasone group) but no significant difference was observed between the groups. Mean SCORAD score was 27.66±5.9 before therapy and 4.77±1.6 after therapy in the mometasone group and mean SCORAD score was 26.05±7.1 before therapy and 6.944±2.6 after therapy in the herbal group. The current study indicated the impact of these two herbs extract on severity and symptoms of AD in patients; these plants may be a new treatment in reducing eczema symptoms and its problems.

The aim of the present study was to assess olive leaf extract (OLE) effects on learning and memory deficits in a model of diabetes induced by streptozotocin (STZ) in rats. The rats were divided as: (1) control rats, (2) diabetic rats, and (3–6) diabetic rats treated by 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of OLE or metformin. Using the passive avoidance test (PA), we investigated fear learning and memory behaviors. In cortical and hippocampus tissues, total levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and thiol were measured along with the activity of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Learning and memory behavior impairment were significantly developed in diabetic rats as shown by the impairment of the PA task compared to the control group (p<0.001). In addition, elevated levels of MDA and reduced overall concentrations of thiol, CAT and SOD activity were obvious in diabetic rats’ cortex and hippocampus tissues (p<0.01–p<0.001). Meanwhile, OLE in a dose-dependent manner, improved memory deficit and cognitive performance that was attributed to a reduction of lipid peroxidation and elevation of total thiol concentration, and CAT and SOD activity levels in the brain tissues (p<0.05–p<0.001).  OLE could be effective in improving cognitive impairment in STZ-induced diabetes by oxidative stress depression.

Hypercholesterolemia is now considered a major risk factor for development of atherosclerosis. The phospholipase A2 superfamily of enzymes has causal involvement in atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is one of the main causes of mortality in developed countries and in some developing countries such as Iran. The present study was designed to investigate the antihypercholesterolemic and antiatherogenic potentiality of ethanolic extracts of Ocimum basilicum (O. basilicum) and Otostegia persica (O. persica) in high-fat diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rats. In this study, 35 male rats were randomly divided into 1 normal diet and 4 high-fat diet groups. After two months of high-fat diet, measurement of cholesterol and LDL showed a significant difference between the groups. The 5 groups were as follows: Healthy rats receiving physiological serum, hypercholesterolemic rats without any treatment, hypercholesterolemic rats receiving quinacrine (30 mg/kg), hypercholesterolemic rats treated with extract of O. persica (300 mg/kg), and hypercholesterolemic rats treated with O. basilicum extract (300 mg/kg). Treatment was carried out for 40 days and finally, blood samples were collected and examined for cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, C-reactive protein, phospholipase A2, and interleukin-6 levels. Treatment of hypercholesterolemic rats with ethanolic extracts of O. persica and O. basilicum did not cause significant changes in cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL or HDL levels. They caused a significant decrease in the levels of inflammatory factors of IL-6, PLA2 and CRP (p <0.05). Ethanolic extracts of O. persica and O. basilicum have antisclerotic effects by reducing the inflammatory factors and PLA2 activity.

Teucrium persicum is an Iranian endemic plant used in Iranian traditional medicine. The total phenolic and total flavonoid contents, and antioxidant potential of the methanolic extract of T. persicum were determined. The MTT test was used to evaluate the inhibitory effect of the extract on the viability of A-375 cells. The clonogenic, micronucleus formation, and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining methods were used to evaluate the survival and proliferation of A-375 cells. Apoptosis was evaluated by using DNA fragmentation assay and measuring the activity of caspase 3/7. To study the effect of the extract on the migration of A-375 cells, the in vitro wound-healing (scratch) assay was employed. The average total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant properties of the extract were 6.97±0.011 mg Ellagic acid (EGA)/g, 46.83±0.0019 mg of the ethoxyquin (1,2-dihydro-6-ethoxy-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline; EQ)/g of dried extract, and 10±0.002 μg/ml, respectively. The IC50 value of the T. persicum methanolic extract was 13 μg/ml for 48 hr. The DNA fragmentation pattern and the activity of caspase3/7 suggested that the reduction of the cell viability may be due to apoptosis induction. Microscopic observations showed nuclear condensation, a considerable increase in micronuclei formation, and inhibition of the colony formation in A-375 cells treated with 7 μg/ml to 15 μg/ml of the extract. Wound-healing assay supported the anti-migration activity of the extract. T. persicum has significant antioxidant and cytotoxic properties. Surely, more detailed molecular and biochemical studies are needed to find the mechanism(s) behind these effects.