Journal of Medicinal Herbs
Volume:13 Issue: 3, Autumn 2022

 Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the prevalent age-related medical conditionin men. In the last 20 years, alternative therapies, especially those based on herbs, are increasingly preferred. The most popularly consumed herb is Serenoa repens, a plant growing in the subtropical south-eastern United States which has shown very efficient results compared to pharmacological conventional treatments both in terms of cost and risks associated with them. Nevertheless, the same trial found no difference between S. repens and placebo according to the American Urological Association Symptom Score Index. As more and more consumers are turning increasingly towards natural therapies, it would be appropriate to promote the recognition of the value of other medicinal plants with potential applicability through comprehensive research. For this purpose, a descriptive comparison between several South-American plants little publicised in the pharmaceutical market is presented to slightly narrow the gap between the reliable evidence-based and popular information for consumers and the pharmaceutical industry.

Experimental: 

With this approach, a review of the literature was conducted through an electronic consultation of two databases, Science Direct and Google Scholar™.

 This narrative review highlights the wide range of natural medicines available for controlling the inflammatory symptoms of the lower urinary tract, which could be more explored from a pharmacological and chemical point of view.

Recommended applications/industries:

 The future use of natural products requires further investment in pre-clinical research and in clinical trials that investigate stability and a profitable pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic ratio. Although they are well tolerated and used daily by South American populations, the industry's proper commercial focus on these natural remedies cannot be separated from appropriate phyto-vigilance actions promoted

 Antibiotic resistance is one of the global public health threats facing modern health care system. The development of new effective agents has been challenging. Thus, the interest in the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of bacterial infections has increased. Therefore, the aim of this study was to review Nigerian medicinal plants with antibacterial activity.

Experimental: 

This study retrieved data from published articles on Nigerian medicinal plants with antibacterial activity. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were adopted. A systematic search of PUBMED CENTRAL was conducted. The included studies were those published in peer-reviewed English language journals between 1st January 2000 and 31st December 2020 and reported on the key terms; Nigerian medicinal plants with antibacterial activity. 

 The database searches yielded a total of 817 results, and 765 articles were ineligible. After reviewing relevant titles and abstracts, a total of 52 articles on antibacterial were retrieved for full text review. After extensive review of each article, 13 articles were excluded and a total of 39 articles were retained. Furthermore, 4 articles were also removed due to lack of specific compounds stated. Finally, only 35 articles met the inclusion criteria for the assessment of antibacterial activity of Nigerian medicinal plants. The narrative synthesis of the included studies revealed different plants families with broad activities against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Among the bacterial isolates, Staphylococcus aureus was tested more, followed by Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the bacteria were subjected to 97 medicinal plants species for antibacterial activity.

Recommended applications/industries: 

The results from this study reveal that many Nigerian medicinal plants contain bioactive compounds with potentials of antibacterial activity and suggest that they could be employed as alternative in the treatment of bacterial infections after safety profiles is appraised.

Commercially sold herbal remedies are fast gaining recognition among the Nigerian populace for the treatment of various ailments. The aim of this study was to assess the curative potential of Gbogbonise Epa Ijebu herbal remedy in male Wistar rats infected with Salmonella enteric serovar typhi (S.typhi).

Experimental:

 A total of 60 male Wistar rats weighing 150+50 g (mean+SD) were randomly assigned into 10 groups of 6 rats each. Group 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 10 were infected with one ml of S. typhi suspension with a concentration of 106 CFU/mL in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Group 4, 5 and 6 which served as the Zero control, undiluted herbal control and diluted herbal control, respectively. Group 7 and were 8 were treated with 500 mg/Kg/bid and 250 mg/kg/bid herbal remedy, respectively, while group 9 and 10 were treated with equal volume of Ciprofloxacin and herbal remedy, 500 mg/kg/bid and 250 mg/kg/bid, respectively, orally twice daily for 7days. Bacterial loads in rectal swab, intestine and gall bladder, as well as the anti-S.typhi O and H serum antibodies of the test and control rats were evaluated at pre-infection, post-infection and post-treatment phases using standard microbiological and serological methods.

The outcome of this study showed that the administration of the herbal remedy (500 mg/Kg/bid) resulted in a significant reduction (P<0.001) in the rectal (1.8±04 Log CFU/mL), intestinal (4.25±0.05 Log CFU/Intestine) and gall-bladder (1.85±0.25 Log CFU/Gall-Bladder) bacterial load, as well as the anti-S. typhi O (93.3±22.3) and H (93.3±22.3) serum antibodies level of the test groups compared to the infection control (3.8±0.20 Log CFU/mL, 8.3±0.10 Log CFU/Intestine, 4.3±0.06 Log CFU/Gall-Bladder and 173.3±32.1, respectively).

Recommended applications/industries: 

The outcome of this study further underscores the curative potential of the herbal remedy as claimed by the manufacturers and vendors.

The use of composite flour and combined additives in wheat flour to improve their nutritional and health benefits have increased. This study focuses on the examination and comparison of the phenolic characterization, antioxidant properties, mineral content, starch profile, in vitro starch digestibility and in vitro α-amylase inhibition present in produced composite bread and wheat bread.

Experimental: 

Sphenostylis stenocarpa flour (SSF) and combined additives (dry gluten powder, fungal α-amylase and sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate) were incorporated into wheat flour to produce composite SSF bread. Wheat flour bread was prepared as a control.

The HPLC result showed higher values of gallic acid (1806.68 µg/100 g), p-coumaric acid (104.49 µg/100 g) and quercetin (22054.67 µg/100 g) in SSF bread while sinapic acid (195.88 µg/100 g), caffeic acid (1372.90 µg/100 g), ferulic acid (535.79 µg/100 g) were higher in control bread. Ferric-reducing antioxidant properties and mineral contents (Zinc, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn and copper) were higher in SSF in comparison to control bread (P<0.05). The SSF bread had higher resistant starch and slowly digestible starch values but decreased total starch and rapidly digestible starch values. The in vitro starch digestibility (IVSD) value was also 0.54 times lower in SSF compared to control bread. The α-amylase inhibitory potential of SSF bread (56.77%) was significantly higher (P<0.05) in comparison to control bread (29.96%). It could be concluded that the incorporation of Sphenostylis stenocarpa in baked products such as bread will be of high nutritional benefits to humans.

Recommended applications/industries: 

Sphenostylis stenocarpa is an underutilized bean that is rich in minerals, antioxidant properties and slow starch digestion potency which can be explored to prevent or manage the pathologic conditions that are related to sugar metabolisms. The utilization of underutilized Sphenostylis stenocarpa will go a long way in combating food insecurity.

This study was aimed at investigating the prophylactic effects of hydroethanolic extract of Ixora coccinea leaf (HEICL) on Cisplatin (cis diamminedichloroplatinum-II, CDDP)-induced alteration in atherogenic, haematological, and biochemical profiles in male Wistar rats.

Experimental:

 Thirty male rats were assigned into 6 groups (n=5) in which groups A, B, C, and D received normal saline (0.2 mL), CDDP (10 mg/kg), HEICL at 200 mg/kg, and HEICL at 400mg/kg. Groups E and F received CDDP 10 mg/kg with HEICL at 200 mg/kg, and 400 mg/kg, respectively.

The phytochemical analysis of the AEAC revealed the presence of some phytochemical constituents such as alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, reducing sugar, phenol, resin, and volatile oil. However, glycosides, steroids, and anthraquinone were absent. The Acute toxicity result indicated that HEICL has an LD50 above 5000mg/kg. CDDP caused a significant (P<0.05) decrease in the haematological parameters relative to the control but administration of CDDP with HEICL improved the parameters. CDDP caused a significant (P<0.05) increase in the levels of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), but a significantly (P<0.05) lower level of HDL. Treatment with CDDP and HEICL significantly (P<0.05) abrogated these CDDP-induced alterations. Similar ameliorative effects of HEICL were found in CDDP-induced alterations in atherogenic indices, such as Castelli's Risk Index I (CRI-1), Castelli's Risk Index II (CRI-II), Atherogenic Coefficient (AC), and Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP) indices relative to the control.

Recommended applications/industries: 

The above study suggests that HEICLmay be useful in treating heart conditions because it protects against CDDP-induced alterations in the haematological, lipid, and atherogenic parameters.

Oxidative stress causes lipid peroxidation, damages various macromolecules, tissues and organs, and is involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases. Antioxidant supplementation could help scavenge free radicals and prevent oxidative stress. This study evaluated the phytochemicals, antioxidant compositions and in vitro antioxidant activities of a combined extract of Spermacoce radiata and Hypselodelphy spoggeana leaves (CEESH).

Experimental: 

This study determined phytochemicals and antioxidant vitamins contained in CEESH. The in vitro antioxidant activities of CEESH comprising DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), nitric oxide, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were assayed.

The phytochemical results indicated substantial amounts of total phenols, alkaloids, and terpenoids, along with moderate amounts of tannins, flavonoids, and steroids in CEESH with a low glycoside concentration, but saponin was not detected. The plant extract also showed substantial concentrations of vitamins A, C, and E.The DPPH, nitric oxide, FRAP, TAC and TBARS for the CEESH indicated that the extract has substantial free radical scavenging activities. The CEESH demonstrated a dose-dependent significant increase in the nitric oxide, TAC, and TBARS scavenging activities, while the CEESH showed dose-dependent marked increase in FRAP within a concentration range of 40–640 µg/mL. The half-optimal effective concentration (EC50) values of the CEESH for DPPH, nitric oxide, and TBARS were 7.23, 39.40, and 63.41 µg/mL, respectively.

Recommended applications/industries: 

These findings suggest that CEESH contains abundant phytochemicals and antioxidant vitamins and possesses high free radical scavenging potential. Therefore, CEESH could be a viable therapeutic agent for managing oxidative stress.

The Mehrabad village people in Shahrbabak and Province Kerman, Southeast Iran, have used medicinal plants and traditional remedies for ethnoveterinary practices, such as treating domestic animals during livestock breeding, since ancient times.

Experimental: 

This study aimed to identify the plants used in their conventional ethnoveterinary methods and to propose suggestions for future conservation and sustainable use of this knowledge between 2019 and 2020. Data were collected from the local Buyi people through semi-structured interviews.

A total of 36 plant species, belonging to 25 families, used in ethnoveterinary practices by the Mehrabad people. During the survey, it was observed that the most prevalent families concerning the number of species were Apiaceae (13.51%), Followed by Papilionaceae (10.81%) followed by Chenopodiaceae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae, Rosaceae, and Solanaceae (5.40% each), and the remaining families (2.70%) species. Sources and habits of medicinal plant types of growth that were herbs (60.97%), shrubs (24.39%), and trees (14.63%). Leaves (23.80%) were the most widely used plant parts for ethnoveterinary medicine, followed by Seeds (19.05), Aerial parts (19.05), and Fruits (16.66). Oral administration was the most common (70.45. %), followed by cutaneous (topical) administration (13.63%), chewing (9.09%), and smoking (6.81%). Older farmers had more excellent EVM knowledge than those who were younger.

Recommended applications/industries: 

The information obtained in this study may help in the use and discovery of new drugs and further studies are needed to prevent the extinction of traditional veterinary knowledge (ethnoveterinary). Oral administration was the most common (42.76%), followed by cutaneous (topical) administration (36.18%).

The use of synthetic additives is one of the main approaches for preventing microbial growth and oxidative reactions in meat products. These preservatives were recently marked as unhealthy to humans; therefore, the consumers demand for fresh, natural, and negligibly processed products with lower content of artificial additives is increasing.

Experimental:  

The effect of Satureja bachtiarica Bunge essential oil (EO) and tomato powder (TP) to optimize sausage formulation with reduced nitrite content was investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the effects of different levels of EO (200-400 ppm), TP (5-15%) as Hurdles, and sodium nitrite (SN) (0-300 ppm) in sausage formulation during storage (0- 24 days). Dependent variables including residual nitrite, pH, color indices, microbial load, and hardness were investigated and finally model optimization and validation were conducted.

The results showed that residual nitrite was strongly depending on initial added nitrite and storage time (p<0.001), so the use of nitrite substituent was undeniable to have an improved sausage formulation without microbial defect. RSM represented a quadratic model for all responses except in texture which was linear and the pH and microbial load showed interaction. The optimized predicted values for SN, EO and TP were 56 ppm, 378 ppm and 5%, respectively. The model validation revealed that the results of the experiments were in good agreement with the predicted values.

Recommended applications/industries:

 The results of the present study can be useful for consideration in meat products industry to reduce the nitrite level in sausage formulation.