Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine
Volume:15 Issue: 3, May-Jun 2025

Destruction of dopaminergic neurons causes diseases. Various compounds with neuroprotective and antioxidant properties have been identified, including Hesperidin (HES) and Auraptene (AUR). We aimed in this study to evaluate the in vitro protective effects of these compounds in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line against the induced neurotoxicity of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA).

The MTT test to assess cell viability was used. Flow cytometry was conducted for the cell cycle analysis using propidium iodide (PI) stain. The intracellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was assessed using 2, 7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA) probe and fluorimetry.

Following 6-OHDA treatment, cell viability decreased, and G2/M arrest and ROS levels increased. Our intervention demonstrated that only HES has neuroprotective effects against 6-OHDA-induced toxicity.

HES protects SH-SY5Y cells against 6-OHDA-induced neural damage via inhibiting G2/M arrest, reducing the amount of ROS, and increasing cell viability. However, the different effects and more precise mechanisms are still unknown, and requires new research on animal and human models.

Cyclophosphamide (Cy) as an alkylating chemotherapeutic agent with broad-spectrum efficacy in cancer treatment. Despite its wide spectrum of clinical usage, off-target multiple organ toxicity such as sperm and testicular injury is one of its toxic side effects. Since the Nasturtium officinale L. hydroalcoholic extract (NOE) contains a wide range of phytochemicals with various biological functions, the current study was designed to explore the protective potential of NOE on testicular toxicity caused by Cy in rats.

Forty-eight adult male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into eight groups (n=6): control, Cy [received a single dose of 75 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (i.p)], NOE+Cy (Prevention): received NOE 500 and 1000 mg/kg/day, orally for 21 consecutive days and on the last day received Cy, Cy+NOE (Treatment): received NOE 500 and 1000 mg/kg/day, orally for 7 days after Cy administration for 21 consecutive days, and NOE (500 and 1000 mg/kg/day). After experiments, the testicular weight and volume, testosterone level, and sperm parameters as well as histologic and histomorphometric changes of testis were examined.

Base on the results, Cy caused significant decreases in testicular weight and volume, decreased testosterone level and reduced sperm count, and motility whereas increased sperm abnormality (p<0.05). Cy significantly reduced seminiferous tubules diameter, and height of the seminiferous epithelium (p<0.05). Furthermore, disorganization of seminiferous tubules diameter was increased in Cy group (p<0.05). Interestingly, pre and post-treatment with NOE could effectively improve testicular weight and volume, and testosterone level as well as sperm parameters. Furthermore, NOE administration ameliorated seminiferous tubules diameter diameter, seminiferous epithelium height (p<0.05).

It is concluded that NOE may provide a potential protective effect for Cy-induced testicular damage.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as the most common chronic liver disease is associated with metabolic disorders including dysregulated lipid and glucose metabolism. There is no approved drug treatment for NAFLD; thus, new therapies are needed. We studied the antidyslipidemic effects of atorvastatin and/or possibly hepatoprotective effects of flaxseed/ flaxseed oil in a rat model of NAFLD.

Fifty-six male Wistar rats were divided randomly into seven groups: 1) control, 2) high-fructose diet (HFD), 3) HFD +atorvastatin (20 mg/kg), 4) HFD+ flaxseed (40 g/kg), 5) HFD+ flaxseed oil (40 mg/kg), 6) HFD+flaxseed (40 g/kg) + atorvastatin (20 mg/kg) and 7) HFD+flaxseed oil (40 g/kg) +atorvastatin (20 mg/kg). The interventions were done for 23 weeks, after which anthropometric indices, lipid profile, liver enzymes, fasting blood glucose, and kidney indices were analyzed. Scoring of hematoxylin-eosin-stained liver sections was used to assess the severity of NAFLD.

All the treatments reduced mesenteric fat mass, and the amount of fat around the liver, except in HFD+ flaxseed +atorvastatin group. The interventions improved NAFLD activity score, which considers steatosis, lobular inflammation, and hepatocyte ballooning. However, atorvastatin was most efficient in reducing inflammation and hepatocyte ballooning. While atorvastatin reduced only Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels, flaxseed or flaxseed oil mono- and combination therapies reduced serum levels of all liver enzymes. The interventions improved the serum lipid profile and all, except atorvastatin decreased fasting blood glucose.

Flaxseed therapies improved NAFLD-associated liver injuries and dyslipidemia, while atorvastatin mostly reduced hepatocyte ballooning and lobular inflammation.

This scoping review aims to examine the potential health benefits of Anvillea garcinii and its compounds and provide recommendations based on available research. A. garcinii is a plant species in the daisy family that has demonstrated several therapeutic and preventive effects.

This review was conducted with a comprehensive approach. We meticulously searched multiple databases, including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane, SID, and Magiran, using the keyword "A. garcinii " on October 4, 2023.

Research suggests that A. garcinii extract possesses several properties that could benefit health. These include anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hyperlipidemic, and anti-inflammatory activities. The extract also displays anti-oxidant properties, enhances insulin sensitivity, and inhibits α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Additionally, it exhibits hepatoprotective activity, cytotoxic activity against cancerous cells, anti-fungal, anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), anti-bacterial, anti-cholinesterase, and anti-tyrosinase activities.

The diverse health benefits of A. garcinii extract and its active compounds, such as germacranolide and parthenolide, present significant potential for use in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. This potential, especially in treating diabetes, gastric ulcers, and cancer, opens up exciting possibilities for the future.

Although there are many drugs on the shelves of pharmacies to manage diabetes mellitus (DM), many people around the world still use herbal preparations to treat it. This study investigated the effect of an aqueous combination of olive leaves and ginger rhizome extracts on type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) using various physiological markers. Fifty-two Wistar rats were distributed into 2 healthy and 6 diabetic groups. Forty rats were given alloxan (150 mg/kg) as an intraperitoneal single-dose to induce T1DM. Treatments including insulin with/without individual and combined extracts, were started 4-day post-induction. The extracts were administered orally (500 mg/kg) and insulin was administered subcutaneously (6 IU/kg) in single-doses once a day. After one week of treatment, the blood samples were collected to measure Fasting blood glucose (FBG), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and creatinine. The diabetic group that received the combination of both extracts with insulin had a lower mortality rate after 14 days of treatment. The diabetic group receiving insulin with the olive leaves extract, demonstrated a decrease in ALT levels to 33.7 U/L (p=0.345) while maintaining the ALP levels within the normal range 126.9 U/L (p=0.463). Creatinine was significantly reduced to 1.1 mg/dl (p=0.028) and 0.7 mg/dl (p=0.028) in diabetic groups that received individual olive leaves and ginger extracts with insulin respectively. To conclude, this combination with insulin had powerful effects to improve the mortality rate in diabetic rats over other groups, and the two extracts separately were able to decrease the creatinine levels.

Research studies have examined saffron's effects on inflammation, infection, and oxidative stress. Nevertheless, the effects of saffron on sepsis patients in the intensive care units (ICUs) have not yet been studied. Hence, this study will examine the effects of saffron supplementation on oxidative stress biomarkers, inflammation factors, and clinical outcomes in critically ill septic patients. Ninety patients with sepsis will participate in this parallel double-blind, randomized clinical controlled trial. In addition to usual care, the intervention group (n=45) will receive a daily tablet containing 100 mg/day saffron for 7 days, and the control group (n=45) will receive a placebo tablet containing 100 mg/day corn starch for the same duration. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), and the NUTRIC Score will be used to assess the patients' clinical and nutritional status at the beginning and end of the study. Inflammatory markers including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and IL-18, indicators of oxidative stress including malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase, superoxide dismutases (SODs), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), level of Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), complete blood count (CBC), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) will be evaluated at beginning and end of the study. Twenty-eight days after the start of the intervention mortality rates will be assessed. Due to the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects, saffron might have beneficial effects in critically ill patients with sepsis.

Functional dyspepsia (FD), a common gastrointestinal problem. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of Rhus coriaria L. (sumac) on FD. This randomized controlled clinical trial study included 104 patients aged 18 to 60 years diagnosed with FD according to the ROME IV criteria. Four groups were formed: A) sumac extract + dietary changes, B) dietary changes, C) sumac extract and D) omeprazole. During the present eight-week study, patients' FD symptoms were assessed using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) in four sessions. The Nepean Dyspepsia Index (NDI-10) was used to measure the impact of the interventions on patients' quality of life. The study employed generalized estimating equation (GEE) analysis and found that symptom severity decreased across all groups during the intervention period. At the fourth week, no notable difference was noted between the omeprazole group and others. After the intervention, the severity of symptoms increased, especially in the omeprazole group, resulting in a significant difference compared to other groups. It seems that as a complementary treatment in FD, sumac might be effective with a more lasting effect with a significantly less recurrence of symptoms.

This study examined the impact of menthol, a natural monoterpene, on diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced molecular and histopathological changes in the livers of male mice. Forty male mice were divided into four groups: Control, Menthol (M), DEN, and DEN-M. The DEN and DEN-M groups received an intraperitoneal injection of DEN (25 mg/kg) at the age of 14 days. The M and DEN-M groups were also given menthol (50 mg/kg, three times a week for six months) via gavage. The expression of genes related to liver carcinoma was analyzed using real-time PCR. Subsequently, the liver tissue was microscopically examined following staining with hematoxylin-eosin. After one month, menthol reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the liver tissue of mice injected with DEN. It also prevented the increase in the expression of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) (p<0.001), programmed cell death 6 (p<0.05), hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) (p<0.001), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (p<0.001) in DEN-M animals compared with DEN group. After six months of session, the expression of AFP (p<0.05), HIF-1α (p<0.05), secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (p<0.001), and catenin beta 1 (p<0.01) was lower in group DEN-M compared with group DEN. Menthol also partially prevented DEN-induced various histopathological changes in the liver after six months of treatment. We concluded that menthol inhibits Wnt signaling and suppresses the expression of HIF-1α and VEGF in the liver of DEN-injected mice. It is probably a suitable option for the prevention and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Nasturtium officinale (N. officinale (NO)) has been widely used in traditional medicine. This study investigates the protective effects of NO against hepatic and renal damage induced by CCl4 and gentamicin, respectively, in rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into two arms: A (CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity) and B (gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity). Seventeen groups were formed by dividing arms A and B, with nine groups in arm A and eight groups in arm B (n=5). Rats were daily treated with various doses (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg BW) of N. officinale extract (NOE) (Total extract; Oral gavage) for 14 and 28 days in arm A and B, respectively. Biochemical and histopathological evaluations and gene expression analyses were conducted on blood, liver, and kidney tissues. NOE treatment significantly modulated B-cell lymphoma protein 2 (Bcl-2)-associated X (Bax) and B-cell lymphoma protein 2 (Bcl-2) expression in kidney tissue, reducing Bax (p<0.01) and increasing Bcl-2 (p<0.05). In liver tissue, NOE inhibited tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) (p<0.01) and Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) (p<0.001), while reducing AST and ALT activity (p<0.001). Additionally, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels significantly decreased (p<0.05) in nephrotoxic rats. Our findings highlight the capability of NOE as a promising therapeutic against liver and kidney damage induced by CCl4 and gentamicin, respectively, in animal models.

Diabetes, a chronic metabolic disease, has many complex complications and an increasing prevalence in various societies. Despite conventional drug treatments and limited surgical and tissue transplant methods, a definitive diabetes treatment remains to be found. Restoring damaged beta cells to insulin production or prompting other pancreatic cells to secrete insulin is an essential goal of diabetes research. The present study investigated the antidiabetic and regenerative effects of Peganum harmala seed extract (PHSE) on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in rats.

In this experimental in vivo study, male Wistar rats (200±10 g) were placed in 5 groups: control, untreated diabetic and diabetic groups treated with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg doses of PHSE. Fasting blood sugar (FBS), C-peptide, insulin, and antioxidant parameters (total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and nitric oxide (NO)) of serum were measured. Pancreatic tissue was used for histologic staining and assessment of the expression of genes related to beta cell regeneration.

PHSE significantly improved FBS, weight loss, insulin, c-peptide, TAC, NO, and expression of pancreatic genes (insulin, PDX1 and neurogenin-3) (p<0.05). It also increased the number of pancreatic beta cells.

PHSE has considerable regenerative and antidiabetic effects on changes caused by diabetes in rats’ serum and pancreas.

This research attempted to increase the bioactivity and solubility and reduce the side effects of Tamoxifen (TMX) by using the cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) extracted from walnut shells as a carrier and studied the interaction behavior of CNCs-TMX with hemoglobin. The synthesized CNCs and CNCs-TMX were analyzed through the usage of XRD, FTIR, TEM, SEM, and multi-spectroscopic techniques. A real-time PCR assay was also conducted to further unravel the underlying mechanism of CNCs-TMX. Our synthesized products including CNCs and CNCs-TMX had spherical morphologies in small sizes of 17.42 nm and 56.38 nm, respectively. The changes in FTIR spectrum signified the induced alterations in the samples functional group during the steps of preparation, while the crystallinity index of CNCs was 71.35%. Fluorescence spectroscopy confirmed the quencher functionality of CNCs-TMX along with the dominance of static quenching mechanism. Also, synchronous fluorescence displayed its binding to Hb in the vicinity of Tryptophanresidue. FRET was applied to calculate the interaction energy transfer of 0.18 nm. Next to achieving satisfactory results from oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation studies, the presence of CNCs-TMX caused a reduction in hemoglobin affinity for oxygen. Our findings pointed out the remarkable potential of TMX-loaded CNCs, derived from walnut shell, in suppressing the proliferation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells by quelling the RAS/RAF/MEK/MAPK signaling pathways. The gathered data approved the promising applicability of the obtained CNCs from walnut shell in the delivery system of anti-cancer drugs throughout pharmaceutical applications.

Aloe dry juice as a purgative agent is widely used in phytotherapy. In Iranian traditional medicine to decrease Aloe side effects, some plants are added, and this polyherbal formulation is named "Ayarij-e-Faiqra" (AF). Based on the anti-fertility properties of Aloe, this study investigates the anti-fertility effects of Aloe-based polyherbal formulation to find the impact of accompanying plants on the anti-fertility effects of Aloe. In this study, forty male rats were classified into the following groups: the control group, the sham group receiving only busulfan carrier solution (DMSO 50%) on days 1 and 21 via intraperitoneal injection, the busulfan group received intraperitoneally 10 mg/kg of busulfan on days 1 and 21, the Aloe group received 25 mg/kg of Aloe-dry juice, and the AF group was administered with 71 mg/kg (containing 25 mg/kg of Aloe dry juice). Treatment was performed by gavage for 56 days. Testis weight and histological alterations, sexual hormone levels (testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone), and classical and functional sperm parameters were examined. Our findings showed that AF negatively affects testicular tissue architecture and sperm quality such as count, motility, morphology, and viability which were accompanied by an imbalance of testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone hormones. In addition, reaction oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis increased in the sperm cells of the AF group while decreasing their mitochondrial membrane potential. The plants presented in the formulation of AF cannot cover the anti-fertility side effects of Aloe.