Portulene, a new diterpene from Portulaca oleracea L

A review of hepatoprotective plants used in saudi traditional medicine

Liver disease is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality across the world. According to WHO estimates, about 500 million people are living with chronic hepatitis infections resulting in the death of over one million people annually. Medicinal plants serve as a vital source of potentially useful new compounds for the development of effective therapy to combat liver problems. Moreover herbal products have the advantage of better affordability and acceptability, better compatibility with the human body, and minimal side effects and is easier to store. In this review attempt has been made to summarize the scientific data published on hepatoprotective plants used in Saudi Arabian traditional medicine. The information includes medicinal uses of the plants, distribution in Saudi Arabia, ethnopharmacological profile, possible mechanism of action, chemical constituents, and toxicity data. Comprehensive scientific studies on safety and efficacy of these plants can revitalise the treatment of liver diseases.

In vitro investigation of the potential health benefits of wild Mediterranean dietary plants as anti-obesity agents with α-amylase and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities

BACKGROUND

Inhibition of digestive enzymes is one of the most widely studied mechanisms used to determine the potential efficacy of natural products as anti-obesity agents. In vitro studies reported here were performed to evaluate the inhibitory activity of formulations of edible plants from Italy on amylase and lipase by monitoring the hydrolysis of nitrophenyl caprilate and the hydrolysis of glycoside bonds in digestible carbohydrate foods.

RESULTS

The formulation obtained from Capparis sicula exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect on pancreatic lipase (IC50 = 0.53 mg mL(-1) ) while the Borago officinalis formulation exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect on α-amylase (IC50 = 31.61 µg mL(-1) ). In order to characterise the extracts, high-performance thin-layer chromatography analysis of the formulations was performed, revealing the predominance of (±)-catechin in Mentha aquatica formulation, rutin in C. sicula, and caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid in Echium vulgare.

CONCLUSION

The results obtained indicated that the extracts of C. sicula and B. officinalis could be good candidates for further studies to isolate pancreatic lipase and α-amylase inhibitors, respectively.

Two new alkaloids from Portulaca oleracea and their cytotoxic activities

Two new alkaloids named (3R)-3,5-bis(3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-dihydro-2(1H)-pyridinone (1) and 1,5-dimethyl-6-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,2,4-triazin-3(2H)-one (2), together with two known compounds (7'R)-N-feruloyl normetanephrine (3) and N-trans-feruloyl tyramine (4) were isolated from the air-dried aerial parts of Portulaca oleracea L. Their structures and configurations were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including 1D NMR, 2D NMR, and HR-MS techniques. In addition, compounds 1-4 were tested for in vitro cytotoxic activities against human lung (K562 and A549) and breast (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-435) cancer cell lines.

Inhibition of key enzymes linked to obesity by preparations from Mediterranean dietary plants: effects on α-amylase and pancreatic lipase activities

One of the most important strategy in the treatment of obesity includes the development of nutrient digestion and absorption inhibitors. Inhibition of digestive enzymes is one of the most widely studied mechanisms used to determine the potential efficacy of natural products as hypolipidemic and hypoglycaemic agents. In vitro studies here reported were performed to evaluate the inhibitory activity of five species(as hydroalcoholic extracts) of edible plants from Calabria region (Italy) on amylase and lipase by monitoring the hydrolysis of p-NPC and the hydrolysis of glycoside bonds indigestible carbohydrate foods. The formulation obtained from Clematis vitalba L. exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect on pancreatic lipase (IC50=0.99 mg/ml) and on α-amylase(IC50=31.52 μg/ml). In order to explore metabolome production HPTLC analysis of the extracts was performed, revealing the predominance of (±)-catechin, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid in C. vital ba formulation at concentration of 23.18±3.14,13.63±0.65 and 18.88±0.76 mg/g, respectively. GC/MS analysis was used to identify fatty acids and terpene composition.

Effects of Portulaca oleracea L. seeds in treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus patients as adjunctive and alternative therapy

ETHNPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: To investigate antidiabetic activity of purslane seeds on type-2 diabetic subjects and to provide scientific basis for the clinical use of Portulaca oleracea (PO).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A thirty subject with type-2 diabetes divided into two groups, to receive 5 g of PO seeds twice daily while in the second group, their participants receive 1,500 mg of metformin/day. All participants were requested to report the effects of treatments on diabetic manifestations, their weights, body mass index (BMI), adverse effects, fasting and post-prandial blood glucose during treatment schedule. Blood samples from participants before and after treatment were taken for serum separation, which are used for measurement of serum lipids, liver enzymes, total and direct bilirubin, albumin, and insulin.

RESULTS

It showed a significant decrease in serum levels of triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (T(C)), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL(C)), liver alanine-, aspartate- and gamma glutamyl transaminase (ALT, AST, and GGT), total and direct bilirubin, fasting and post-prandial blood glucose, insulin, body weight and BMI while a significant increase in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL(C)) and albumin but non-significant change of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in PO seeds treated subjects. Metformin (M) group has the same results of PO group except in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL(C)), LDL(C), and ALP levels had a different pattern.

CONCLUSIONS

PO seeds could be effective and safe as adjuvant therapy for Type-2 diabetic subjects. These results demonstrated that PO seeds possessed notable hypoglycaemic, hypolipidaemic and insulin resistance reducer effects; possibly due to its contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids, flavonoids, and polysaccharides.