Avicenna Journal of Medical Biochemistry
Volume:11 Issue: 2, Summer and Autumn 2023

 Due to numerous advantages derived from the use of plants, at least 70% of the indigenes of the Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area (LGA) depend on plants.

 The present study was performed to survey medicinal plants used for wound healing by the indigenes of communities in Uzo-Uwani LGA, Nigeria.

 A survey was conducted from February to September 2022 to find out plants that are employed for wound healing by the indigenes. Information was gathered through oral interviews, including semi-structured questionnaires, with traditional medicine practitioners in each community, herbalists, and elderly villagers.

 Overall, 33 plants belonging to 26 families were identified consisting of trees (51.51%), herbs (33.33%), and shrubs (15.15%), and 15.15%, 36.36%, and 48.48% were endangered, threatened, and neither threatened nor endangered, respectively. From the findings, 51.51%, 24.24%, and 24.24% were collected wild, wild plus cultivated, and cultivated, respectively. Fabaceae (21.21%) and Asteraceae (9.10%) families were the highest used species for wound healing, respectively, followed by Liliaceae (6.10%) and Rubiaceae (6.10%) families. Leaves (36.36%) were the most frequently used part, followed by the stembarks (27.27%), whole plant (12.12%), and roots (9.10%), seeds (9.10%), as well as shoot, fruits/pods, and aerial parts (3.03% each). Decoction (72.72%) and infusion (27.27%) were the prominent methods of use. Pycnanthus angolensis had the highest use value (1.04%), fidelity level (100%), informants’ consensus factor (0.66 %), and Rahman’s similarity index (RSI) (84.06%) but low citation.

 Our findings documented medicinal plants used as ethnomedicinal prescriptions for wound healing by the indigenes with the view to providing alternate drug sources.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in developing countries and hemorheological indices are the main factors in developing these diseases.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the impact of eight weeks of moderate intensity aerobic training combined with supplementation of aqueous extract of Cynodon dactylon L. Pers on hemorheological parameters in non-athletic young men.

A total of 40 young non-athletes (with a mean age of 35.63±6.43 years and a body mass index (BMI) of 23.55±2.13 kg/m2 ) were randomly assigned to one of four groups, including control (C), aerobic exercise (E), the C. dactylon extract (CD), and aerobic exercise+C. dactylon extract (E+CD). Changes in fibrinogen, blood and plasma viscosity, and hematocrit were measured at two stages (baseline and 24 hours after the intervention ended).

The blood fibrinogen level in three groups of E, CD, and E+CD showed a significant decline compared to the baseline status (P<0.05). Additionally, there were significant decreases in blood viscosity levels in groups E (P=0.006), CD (P=0.048), and E+CD (P=0.001) after eight weeks of intervention. The plasma viscosity also showed a significant reduction only in group E after eight weeks of intervention (P=0.004). Moreover, hematocrit level significantly decreased in group E+CD (P=0.018).

The findings of this study suggest that eight weeks of moderate intensity aerobic exercises alone and in combination with the consumption of the aqueous extract of C. dactylon L. Pers could improve hemorheological indices and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

It has been known for centuries that plants and plant-derived chemicals are useful in treating diseases, with Aloe vera being one of the biologically active plants. A significant role is played by the C-reactive protein (CRP) in many inflammatory conditions, while leukocytes play an integral role in the response of the immune system to infectious diseases.

This study explored the potential anti-inflammatory effects of Aloe vera methanolic extract on the total white blood cell (TWBC) count and CRP levels in Wistar rats received formalin.

A total of 25 Wistar rats were divided into five groups (A to E), with group A serving as the control and the other groups receiving formalin to induce inflammation, followed by increasing doses of Aloe vera extract. The CRP level was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, and the TWBC count was determined using a Sysmex haematology autoanalyzer.

Research findings showed that 200 mg of Aloe vera methanolic extract effectively reduced the CRP level (0.056±0.0027) (P=0.04), while 600 mg of the extract significantly increased the TWBC count (13.920±4.757) (P=0.03).

These findings suggest that Aloe vera extract may be an effective natural supplement for improving the immune system function and reducing inflammation in the body. However, further research is needed to fully understand the underlying mechanisms for these effects and to determine the optimal doses and potential side effects.

Systemic inflammation is associated with severe coronavirus disease. Hyponatremia can be caused by inflammation related to non-osmotic stimuli.

This study was conducted to investigate hyponatremia status and interleukin 6 concentration as well as their possible relationship in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy people.

In this cross-sectional study, 24 COVID-19 patients and 24 healthy individuals referred to hospitals in Hamadan were included in the study in order to evaluate the relationship between hyponatremia and inflammation. The study was conducted after receiving ethical approval and informed consent from the participants. Complete blood count (CBC), inflammatory markers, electrolytes, creatinine, liver enzymes, ferritin, albumin, and D-dimer were measured using Selectra-Pro XI autoanalyzer, Pars Azmoun kits, and Human Interleukin 6 ELISA Kit Catalog MBS760693. All analyses were performed at a significance level of 0.05.

In this study, there was no statistically significant difference in age and gender between 24 healthy people and 24 participating patients (P>0.05). The level of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus was significantly decreased in patients with COVID-19 compared to controls (P<0.001). The level of inflammatory markers, ferritin, albumin, D-dimer, and liver enzymes in the patient group was significantly increased compared to the control group (P<0.01).

The results of this study showed a higher incidence of hyponatremia and an increased level of interleukin-6 in COVID-19 patients. It seems that the use of strategies to reduce inflammation will help in the proper management of the disease.

A common oral inflammatory disease known as apical periodontitis (AP) is caused by the intrusion of microorganisms into the dental pulp, resulting in an inflammatory response and bone degradation in periapical tissues. A growing body of evidence indicates that the receptor-interacting serine-threonine kinase 3 (RIPK3) is closely associated with AP.

This study sought to address the requirement for effective RIPK3 inhibitors by examining the potential of cinnamic acid natural metabolites capable of inhibiting RIPK3.

The binding affinity of 20 cinnamic acids to the RIPK3 active site was evaluated by using AutoDock 4.0 software. The most favorable scores were assigned to the highest-ranking cinnamic acids based on their ΔGbinding values to the RIPK3 catalytic domain. A 100-nanosecond (ns) computer simulation was performed using molecular dynamics for the most efficacious inhibitor of RIPK3, and the findings were contrasted with those obtained for free RIPK3. The Discovery Studio Visualizer tool was employed to showcase the interactions between the RIPK3 active site and the highest-ranking metabolites.

The binding affinity of cynarin, rosmarinic acid (RosA), and chlorogenic acid (CGA) to the RIPK3 active site was noteworthy, as the ΔGbinding values were<-10 kcal/mol. Furthermore, cynarin exhibited inhibition constant values at the picomolar range. Upon complexation with cynarin, the RIPK3 conformation attained stability after approximately 25 ns of simulation.

In general, cynarin, RosA, and CGA have the potential to be therapeutically beneficial in treating AP due to their ability to inhibit RIPK3.

Gaining insight into the underlying molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is crucial.

This study aimed to employ a systems biology approach to identify new non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for AD.

Gene expression data series GSE122063 and microRNA (miRNA) expression data series GSE90828 were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The Limma package under R software was used to assess differentially expressed miRNAs and differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Afterward the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by the STRING software and evaluated with Cytoscape software. The multilayer perceptron neural network (MLP-NN), a widely used artificial neural network (ANN), was employed to classify two groups.

A total of 1388 DEGs were identified in AD patients compared to the control group, and 11 differentially expressed miRNAs were found in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in comparison to the control group. The results revealed that EGFR, identified as a hub gene, was targeted by miR-15b-3p and let-7a-5p, while TLR4, another hub gene, was targeted by miR-15b-3p. The MLP-NN constructed using both hsa-let-7a-5p and hsa-miR-15b-3p achieved a sensitivity of 0.857 and an area under the curve of 0.917 in detecting Alzheimer’s patients.

Our findings suggest that miR-15b-3p, by targeting EGFR and TLR4, and let-7a-5p, by targeting EGFR, may play a significant role in AD. Additionally, the constructed ANN utilizing the expression levels of plasma miR-15b-3p and let-7a-5p could serve as a potential non-invasive diagnostic tool with high sensitivity for AD detection.

 Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrinopathies in women of childbearing age. As a complex structure, the extracellular matrix (ECM) and its components, including glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and collagens, are highly affected by hormonal alterations.

 This study aimed to evaluate the level of GAG and hydroxyproline in the follicular fluid (FF) of women with PCOS.

 Overall, 62 women referring to Fatemieh Hospital Infertility Center in Hamadan were evaluated in this study. FF samples were taken from 31 women with PCOS during ovarian puncture and 31 healthy women. Oocytes were evaluated in the different stages of maturation, namely, metaphase II (MII) and germinal vesicle (GV). Commercially available kits were used to measure the levels of glycosaminoglycans and hydroxyproline.

 The results of the present study showed that the count of oocytes in women with PCOS was significantly higher than that in healthy women. Evaluating GAG and hydroxyproline levels indicated that their levels were meaningfully higher in the FF of women with PCOS.

 In general, the results of this study suggested that ECM changes in PCOS followed by alterations in the levels of GAGs and hydroxyproline may lead to an increase in the level of GAG and hydroxyproline in the FF. The evaluation of these markers may be the subject of further studies.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a spectrum of liver diseases, from steatosis to cirrhosis. Simple steatosis remains stable over time, and its development into non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) takes several years. Several pathways are involved in the progression of NAFLD, including the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), Hedgehog (Hh), Hippo, and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathways. These pathways have a complex interplay, and each pathway can either activate or inhibit other signaling pathways. This review summarizes the evidence implicating that a decline in the activity of the inflammatory and fibrogenic pathways decreases NAFLD. Considering the spectrum of NAFLD and fibrogenic signaling pathways and their cross-talks, it was expected that the activity of the pathways would increase through the occurrence of simple steatosis. However, the expression and activity of fibrogenic signaling pathways decreased in simple steatosis. The levels of Hh ligands, TGF-β1 gene expression, Smad2/3 and P-smad2/3 protein expression, and Taz gene and protein expression decreased in simple steatosis. In addition, the expression of Fos proto-oncogene, AP-1 transcription factor subunit (FOS), MYC, interleukin-1β, early growth response factor 1, and AMPK decreased in simple steatosis. Probably, hepatocyte metabolism is changed in simple steatosis to decrease the risk of production of different oxidative stress molecules, cellular proliferation, and apoptosis, as well as inflammatory and fibrogenic responses, as a potential defensive strategy. However, it should be noted that some changes in the liver tissue metabolism, including AMPK reduction, could be the consequence of high-energy balances in simple steatosis.