Trends in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Volume:2 Issue: 4, Dec 2016

Sir,We've read with much eagerness the article entitled “An overview of amenorrhea and respective remedies in Traditional Persian Medicine,” published in your venerable journal. The honorable authors compiled herbal remedies of amenorrhea in Traditional Persian  Medicine(TPM). Based on the findings of this study, 71 medicinal plants were found as emmenagogue in medical and pharmaceutical manuscripts of Persian medicine.The authors have also mentioned that only Foeniculum vulgare had therapeutic effects on amenorrhea in a randomized placebo-controlled trial.In a comprehensive survey, we searched the principle medical and pharmaceutical text books of Persian Medicine to extract and amass medicinal materia causing menstruation and then we also searched databases to achieve any evidance for the efficiency of the plants on amenorrhea. So we want to remind some points about the article issue and their findings.Selection proper key word is indispensable and helpful to search more completely  and exhaustively. According to the article issue, Using “Moder” as a main keyword may be necessary but the respectable authors have not exerted this essential key word. Based on the findings of our study, more than 150 medicinal plants have been mentioned as emmenagogue in ancient Persian Medicine  text books. Some of these herbal remedies are Vitex agnus-castus, Sesamum indicum, Paeonia lactiflora, Artemesia vulgaris L, Bitter Almond, Peganum harmala,  Ricinus communis, Valeriana officinalis, Brassica oleracea, Marrubium vulgare L,… that were not mentioned in the article. The difference in the keywords and failure to use the term “Moder” and its synonym in Arabic as a main keyword make differences in the findings(1-4).The strategy of search in data bases is not very clear.The worshipful authors did not mention that by what keywords emmenagogue activities of  plants have been searched in data bases. In addition to amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, menstruation and …, we searched by some other keywords like PCOs or hyperandrogenism which are the causes of amenorrhea. So despite of few studies in this field, addition to clinical study on fennel, emmenagogue effect of another more plants like Mentha longifoli, Vitex agnus-castus, Sesamum indicum, Cinnamomum verum, Trigonella foenum-graceum L.and Urtica dioica have been reported in some clinical trials(5-10).Plants with different mechanisms may be effective on menstruation. Some possible mechanisms like lowering LH and prolactin in addition to estrogenic activity have been expressed for inducing menstruation in different studies(11, 12).

The olive (Olea europaea from the Oleaceae family) leaves have had a lot of medicinal usages in traditional and modern medicine. In traditional Iranian medicine (TIM), it has special indications for wound healing and skin applications such as antiperspirant applications, and also its ash is used in ophthalmic traditional remedies. Literature survey was performed via electronic search on Pubmed, Scopus and Siencedirect. We found 270 articles related to the topic. Conventional pharmacy texts including Martindale, British pharmacopoeia and Lexi natural products as well as TIM texts were reviewed. Our results showed that Olive leaf has responsible effects such as antioxidant, antitoxic and anticancer properties. Also it has antimicrobial and antiviral effects as well as effects on nervous system, endocrine system, gastrointestinal system and cardiovascular system. It has therapeutic effects on some metabolic disorders and cutaneous complications and some miscellaneous effects such as anti-arthritis and anti-bone loss effects. Despite the large amount of studies on the possible effects of olive leaf has been done, the number of available products and their therapeutic targets are limited. It is expected that more extensive studies done on the olive leaf in clinical trials and according to its dose adjustment and special cautions, it becomes more popular herbal medicine in markets and clinics.

Apoptosis is critical for tissue homeostasis and for the physiological removal of abnormal cells. Bcl-2 family proteins are important regulators of apoptosis. It’s observed that antiapototic Bcl-2 family members are generally over expressed in many cancer cells. As a result, it has stimulated a growing interest in the discovery of small molecules targeting such proteins as potential anticancer therapeutics. With the aim of designing and virtual screening of new phenanthrene based Bcl-2 inhibitors, we performed a cross-docking study. This study is done for different available Bcl-2 X-ray crystal structures in order to find the most appropriate PDB code of this enzyme. After analytical analyses, we found a PDB code for the enzyme. Designed library of phenanthrene triazine containing different hydrazone moieties was further screened using selected crystal structure. It identifies the ligand which interacts the target with lower binding energy. As a conclusion, cross docking study could be a validated strategy for finding the most appropriate crystal structure for docking study. Our designed library of phenanthrene triazine-based derivatives containing hydrazone pendant could be served as potential candidates for Bcl-2 inhibition.

The protective effects of Artemia salina L. extract was examined against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced cell toxicity. In the in vitro model of study, markers such as cell viability, cellular reduced and oxidized glutathione, and lipid peroxidation in HepG2 cells was evaluated. Human liver cancer cell line HepG2 was treated with CCl4 and Artemia salina extract, and markers of hepatotoxicity were investigated. Artemia salina extract showed significant dose-dependent protective effects against the cytotoxicity of CCl4. This extract was able to normalize the levels of GSH, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive (TBARs), which were altered due to CCl4 intoxication in HepG2 cells. As the oxidative stress markers were ameliorated, it might be concluded that Artemia salina extract possesses protective effects probably due to its antioxidant constituents.

Fermented dairy products are one of the most prevalent vehicles for the delivering of probiotic bacteria to the consumer. A minimal concentration of 106 CFU/g(mL) of a product is required to exert probiotic effects. In this study, we first evaluated the selectivity of WCM 50 and WCM 100 (Wilkins-Chalgren agar supplemented with 50 mg/L and 100 mg/L mupirocin), as well as mMRS (De Man Rogosa Sharpe agar supplemented with 0.1 mg/L Clindamycin plus 10 mg/L Ciprofloxacin) media, using pure cultures of prevalent Bifidobacterial and Lactobacilli probiotic strains. For each strain, the selectivity and cell recovery rate on each medium was compared statistically with that obtained on the non-selective media. Afterwards, one tuf gene-based specific primer set was designed for the detection of Bifidbacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 in commercial probiotic yoghurts. The specificity of designed primer set was evaluated by operation of PCR reactions with extracted DNAs from reference strains and commercial probiotic yoghurts. Finally, strain BB-12 was detected, enumerated and confirmed through tuf gene-based PCR, selective plate count (using WCM 100 medium) and fructose-6-phophate-phosphoketolase assay (F6PPK) respectively, during shelf life and after expiry date of commercial probiotic yoghurts. The results showed that WCM 100 was completely selective for Bifidobacteria, with the recovery about 100%. However, mMRS was not completely selective for Lactobacilli. The PCR assays confirmed the specificity of tuf gene-based primer set for strain BB-12. Although the counts of strain BB-12 had significant decrease during shelf-life, but these counts didn’t fell below CODEX standard (106 CFU/mL), until expiry date of products.

Various studies have shown that genetic factors contribute substantially to the development and progression of diabetes. Renin-angiotensin system has long been proven to have a major role in cardiovascular physiology and pathology. Its major product Angiotensin II (Ang II) with pro oxidant properties has shown to predict the future risk of diabetes. Fluoxetine, a drug of choice in management of depression, was observed to reduce fasting blood sugar (FBS). In the present study, six common polymorphisms of genes encoding for RAS components were determined in DNAs extracted from venous blood of 100newly diagnosed depressed individuals taking 12 weeks of fluoxetine. Blood samples were collected prior and after the period of treatment in order to measure FBS. Our results indicate that carriers of GG genotype of ACE A2350G showed significantly lower FBS levels after fluoxetine treatment (P=0.043). On the other hand haplotype analysis designate a significant association between DTG carriers of ACE I/D, A-240T and A2350G (P=0.001) and reduced FBS levels. In conclusion, this study supports the hypothesis that RAS genetic variations affect blood glucose after a course of treatment in Iranian population with depression

Brine shrimp lethality test is a useful and appropriate method for toxicity identification of compounds in plants. As well as this, Artemia spp. are among the most worldwide salt water organisms that can be used in this kind of experiments. Many plants are being used for treatment of variable diseases and have many applications in pharmaceuticals and medicine. However some of them have toxic components that limit their use and can create some risks for consumers. This study investigated the toxicity of two kinds of microalgae and three kinds of plants against larvae of Artemia urmiana (A. urmiana). This study aimed to evaluate the toxicity degree of active metabolites in some plants and microalgae against A. urmiana nauplii as a standard toxicity evaluating method. After 48 h of incubation, newly hatched Artemia nauplii were exposed to different concentrations of herbal extracts. Brine shrimp lethality test was used for investigation of samples toxicity in different doses between 100 to1000 μg /ml in time intervals. Results showed that these herbal extracts have high potential larvicidal properties on A. urmiana. Ephedra Intermedia had the maximum and Dunaliella Salina had the minimum effects on mortality respectively. Achieved results indicated that there were straight correlation between dose of extracts and mortality of brine shrimp nauplii. The extracts potency of toxicity was as follows: E. intermedia > C. procera >O. persica > C. vulgaris > D. salina.

Osteoporosis is generally associated with decrease and degeneration of bone tissue which may lead to fragileness and fracture. A part from conventional interventions, application of natural medicine in prevention and management of osteoporosis is also given consideration. Accordingly, current study aimed to assess the possible effects of Elaeagnus angustifolia L. (Elaeagnaceae) fruits hydroalcohol- ic extract on some biochemical parameters related to bone density. In an 8-week intervention, seventy virgin rats were distributed in seven study groups and sixty of those were bilaterally ovariectomized. Groups were as; first or control with no surgery or intervention, second as ovariectomized control group with no intervention, third ovariectomized with estradiol (2 mg/kg)-injected, fourth as ovariectomized with E. angustifolia extract (oral, 500 mg/kg), fifth as ovariectomized E. angustifolia extract (oral, 1000 mg/kg), sixth as ovariectomized rats with E. angustifolia extract (oral, 1500 mg/kg), and seventh as ovari- ectomized and received both E. angustifolia extract (oral, 1000 mg/kg) and estradiol (IM, 2 mg/kg). At the end, mean serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and prostatic acid levels in each group were evaluated. Neither estradiol, nor extract could elevate the serum calcium and phosphorus levels. Also the level of alkaline phosphatase remained stable. Prostatic acid phosphatase -usually increases during osteoporosis- significantly declined in intervention groups (extracts), dose dependently. To assess the pre- ventive effects of E. angustifolia, the intervention was performed once after ovariectomy. The negative results for some parameters may be related to poor osteoporosis intensity. Although impacts of the extract on serum calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase was not satisfactory, significant decline in tartrate- resistant (Prostatic) acid phosphatase was found. Based on the results, E. angustifolia may have positive preventive effects on osteoporosis. However, complementary studied are to be added to this study to con- clusively proved the results.