Journal of Medicinal Plants
Volume:21 Issue: 81, Mar 2022

Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. (Milk thistle) is a perennial herb with medicinal properties. The seeds of these plants contain silymarin compounds with flavonolignan structure and antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective effects. The major bioactive constituent of S. marianum is silybin A and B. It is used in the treatment of various liver conditions and exhibits high anti-tumor promoting activity.

The purpose of this study was to purify, identify, and standardize of silybin A and B from the seeds extract of Silybum marianum.

At first, the milk thistle seeds were defatted with hexane and then extracted with methanol as solvent. Isolation and further purification of silybin A and B was carried out by column chromatography using Diaion HP-20 resin, silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 as stationary phase, respectively. 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR techniques were used to identify these compounds. Finally, the HPLC method has been used to standardize.

1H-NMR and 13C-NMR techniques characterized the structure of silybin A and B extracted from Silybum marianum L. and standardization and determination of their purity was performed using HPLC.

Our proposed system presented significant advantages in increasing efficiency and reducing cost, and the diastereoisomers of silybin A and silybin B in silymarin were successfully isolated with high purities.

Plants of the genus Scutellaria, commonly known as skullcap, belong to the Lamiaceae family. There are 22 species of Scutellaria in Iran, 10 species of which are native to Iran. Plants of this genus have several effects including neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, anti-cancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, and antioxidant. They are also effective in insomnia and dementia conditions.

The aim of this study was to investigate the composition of essential oils and aromatic waters of some native Scutellaria species from Iran.

Aerial parts of Scutellaria pinnatifida with different subspecies such as mucida, viridis, and alpina, Scutellaria tournefortii, and Scutellaria tomentosa were collected from different regions of Iran. The essential oils and hexane extracts of aromatic waters of selected plants in this genus were obtained by hydrodistillation with clevenger type apparatus and analyzed by GC-MS.

The results of this study showed that germacrene D, caryophyllene derivatives and linalool are found in abundance in the essential oils of these plants. The main terpenoids in the aromatic waters of these plants were linalool and 1-octen-3-ol.

The analysis of the essential oils and aromatic waters of Scutellaria species demonstrated that different geographical factors such as altitude and the season of plant collection can be effective on the production of plant secondary metabolites.

The green synthesis of nanoparticles using plants presents important advantages over other biological systems. Natural compounds present in plant extracts can reduce metal ions to nanoparticles in a single-step green synthesis process. Seeds of fenugreek with various compounds and antioxidant activity are suitable for green synthesis.

In this study, the performance of fenugreek seeds extract was evaluated for iron nanoparticles production.

The fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) seeds were extracted with a distilled water solution at environmental temperature and this aqueous extract was used for the iron nanoparticles synthesis. Response surface methodology was applied to optimize nanoparticle production by considering three independent variables: the extract to metal ion ratio (1.5-6.5), incubation time (30-90 min), and temperature (35-65 °C).

Mixing the fenugreek seeds extract and iron salt solution with a volume ratio of 1.5 at 36.5 °C for 90 min led to the optimization of iron nanoparticle production with the narrowest size distribution. At the optimized condition, the nanoparticle size was in the range of 20-40 nm.

Iron nanoparticles were successfully synthesized with fenugreek seed extract. Physical parameters such as time, temperature, and mixing volume ratio of the extract to metal ions can control the average size of the synthesized green iron nanoparticles.

Diabetes, one of the most common metabolic diseases in many societies, has influenced the quality of human life for many years. Traditional, alternative, and complementary medicine use individual or mixed plant prescriptions to reduce adverse consequences of diabetes. This is based on the human experience of treating and managing disease complications in different geographic areas, over a hundred years.

This research tries to find and recommend the most influential traditional medicine prescription for the inhibition of key enzymes associated with diabetes.

Considering the full and widespread use of the medicinal plants, in this research, 15 most reliable Iranian and Iraqi herbal prescriptions in controlling diabetes were studied for the inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. Chemicals of the most effective prescription for the inhibition of these enzymes were separated by using the HPTLC method. For chromatogram development, a mobile phase consisting of ethyl acetate: toluene: methanol: formic acid was used. A direct enzyme inhibitory assay on the HPTLC plate was used to investigate the most effective molecules. Thereafter, the influential molecules were identified by using LC-ESI/MSMS.

Based on the results, prescription No. 3, (from the Iraqi herbal prescription) containing the extract of Prunus mahaleb L. and Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A.Webb was identified as the best α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitor.

The chemical and molecular analysis of this extract which was performed by the HPTLC method and further by LC-ESI/MSMS, indicates two compounds of catechin and epicatechin.

The current pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and severity of the infection and high mortality have almost unprecedented challenges in the health systems of most countries around the world.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of Iranian traditional polyherbal medicine (Imfluna) containing a mixture of echinacea, stachys, artemisia, hyssopus, polybody, alpinia, ginger, and ginseng extract on symptoms of COVID-19 infected patients.

In this placebocontrolled and double-blind clinical trial, a total of 60 voluntarily approved patients with COVID-19 were randomly assigned to the placebo and Imfluna groups. Patients in each group, in addition to receiving standard medications, took two 500 mg capsules of Imflona or placebo every 8 hours for 2 weeks. The patient's vital signs, including the severity of shortness of breath, cough, and body temperature, were recorded during the study. Also blood ESR, liver and kidney function tests were performed at baseline and endpoint.

The results showed that patients in the Imfluna-treated group had significantly greater improvement in daily cough, shortness of breath and ESR compared with the placebo group. In addition, lung lesions improved in the Imfluna-treated group, although not significantly.

Patients with COVID-19 who were treated with Imfluna for 2 weeks had better comfort and fewer symptoms associated with the disease with no any drug side effects.

Hypericum perforatum L. belongs to the Hypericaceae family has been considered due to its medicinal properties. The use of nanofertilizers can improve the yield and medicinal value of plants. Selenium has a protective role and a positive effect on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of plants.

Due to the importance of secondary metabolites of this plant and its economic value as well as the use of environmentally friendly fertilizers, this study was performed in the greenhouse of Shariati University of Tehran in 2019 in the form of a randomized complete block design with 3 replications.

Nano selenium and selenate selenium were applied at concentrations of 6, 8, 10 and 12 mg/L in the rosette stage. Essential oil components were identified using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

The results showed that the highest amount of α-pinene with 22 % was obtained in the control treatment and also in the treatments of 6 and 8 mg/L sodium selenate with 21.6 % and 19.5 %. The maximum content of n-octane was in the foliar application of 12 mg/L nano selenium with 16 %. Maximum nonane was obtained with 18 % and 16 % of 12 and 10 mg/L sodium selenate, respectively.

Sodium selenate treatments are recommended if the purpose is producing normal hydrocarbon compounds.

Withania coagulans (Stocks) Dunal is a well-known medicinal plant due to its many healing properties.

The aim of the present study was to induce friable callus and subsequently establish the plant cell suspension cultures for the production of two important withanolides i.e. withaferin A (WFA) and withanolide A (WNA).

In vitro callus induction was carried out from young leaf and internodal explants cultured on MS medium fortified with various concentrations (0, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 mg/L) of auxins (2,4-D, NAA, and IAA) solely or in combination with BAP (0., 0.5 and 1.0 mg/L) in a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with five replications. The plant cell culture was then established for the production of both withanolides.

The percentage of callogenesis from the leaf (25.0-96.0 %) was higher than internodal explants (23.2-85.4 %). The high percentage of friable calli was achieved from leaf explants cultured on MS medium fortified with 2.5 mg/L 2,4-D + 0.5 mg/L BAP. Cell suspension culture was established from derived friable callus cultured on MS medium supplemented with 1.5 mg/L IAA + 0.5 mg/L BAP. The highest accumulation of biomass (172 g/L fresh weight and 15 g/L dry weight) and the production of both withanolides were observed in the fourth week of the culture period. The plant cells produced 0.08 and 21 µg/L WFA and WNA at this time, respectively.

These results can be used for future research on biosynthesis pathways of withanolides as well as their production in bioreactors.

Thalictrum minus L. is a medicinal plant contains berberine, which is used for complementary treating of some diseases. Excessive harvesting of this species from rangelands to extract the alkaloid has endangered its survival.

This study was aimed for in vitro propagation of this species and berberine production.

The seeds were germinated at in vitro culture conditions. Then, the leaves were used as explants for callus induction in two MS and LS basal media supplemented with BA (0, 0.1, 0.5 and 1 mg/L) in combination with different concentrations of auxins, NAA, 2,4-D or IAA.

The results showed that MS medium with the plant growth regulator combination of 0.5 mg/L BA and 0.5 mg/L NAA had the highest callus formation and 100 % regeneration. Some calli were transferred to three liquid culture media (MS, LS, or ½ MS) with 1 mg/L BA + 0.1 mg/L NAA or without plant growth regulator to produce the berberine. The HPLC results identified 6 % of berberine in the liquid medium. This amount of berberine can be easily released into the culture medium, therefore, it will be easier to extract. 

This method can be successfully used for propagation and extraction of berberine without plant destruction.