Cholesterol-reducer, antioxidant and liver protective effects of Thymbra spicata L. var. spicata

Nutritional and Physiological Properties of Thymbra spicata: In Vitro Study Using Fecal Fermentation and Intestinal Integrity Models

(Poly)phenolic-rich Mediterranean plants such as Thymbra spicata have been associated with several health-promoting effects. The nutritional value, as well as physiological interaction of T. spicata with the gastrointestinal tract, has not been investigated before. The nutritional composition of T. spicata leaves was here characterized by standard analytical methods. T. spicata leaves were subjected to ethanolic extraction, simulated gastrointestinal digestion, and anaerobic microbial gut fermentation. Phenols/flavonoid contents and radical scavenging activity were assessed by colorimetric methods. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The effect on intestinal integrity was evaluated using a Caco-2 monolayers mounted in a Ussing chamber. T. spicata contains a high amount of fiber (12.3%) and unsaturated fatty acids (76% of total fat). A positive change in VOCs including short-chain fatty acids was observed without significant change in viable microbe. T. spicata and carvacrol (main phenolic compound) enhanced ionic currents in a concentration-dependent manner without compromising the Caco-2 monolayer's integrity. These effects were partially lost upon simulated digestion and completely abolished after colonic fermentation in line with polyphenols and carvacrol content. Conclusion: T. spicata represents a promising nutrient for the modulation of gut microbiota and the gut barrier. Further studies must better define its mechanisms of action.

The Potential of Lamiaceae Herbs for Mitigation of Overweight, Obesity, and Fatty Liver: Studies and Perspectives

Numerous plants, plant extracts, and plant-derived compounds are being explored for their beneficial effects against overweight and liver diseases. Obesity is associated with the increased prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), becoming the most common liver disease in Western countries. Obesity and NAFLD are closely associated with many other metabolic alternations such as insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases. Many herbs of the Lamiaceae family are widely employed as food and spices in the Mediterranean area, but also in folk medicine, and their use for the management of metabolic disorders is well documented. Hereby, we summarized the scientific results of the medicinal and nutraceutical potential of plants from the Lamiaceae family for prevention and mitigation of overweight and fatty liver. The evidence indicates that Lamiaceae plants may be a cost-effective source of nutraceuticals and/or phytochemicals to be used in the management of metabolic-related conditions such as obesity and NAFLD. PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and SciFinder were accessed to collect data on traditional medicinal plants, compounds derived from plants, their reported anti-obesity mechanisms, and therapeutic targets.

Effect of Origanum dubium, Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum, and Lavandula angustifolia essential oils on lipid profiles and liver biomarkers in athletes

This study aims to determine the effects of essential oils of Origanum dubium (DUB), Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum (HIR), and Lavandula angustifolia (LAV) on lipid profiles and liver biomarkers in athletes. Thirty-four trained athletes were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups or the control group (CON). The concentrations of serum lipids and liver biomarkers were assessed before and after the 14-day essential oil intervention. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed 68.0 and 82.1% carvacrol in DUB and HIR, respectively, and 34.50% linalyl acetate and 33.68% linalool in LAV essential oils. One-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated a significant difference (p = 0.001) among the groups for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) when the associated preintervention values were used as a covariate. The related pairwise comparisons revealed that DUB (p = 0.001) and HIR (p = 0.024) had greater HDL-C values than CON. From the two-way ANOVA, an interaction between time (before vs. after) and the groups (DUB vs. HIR vs. LAV vs. CON) was found for HDL-C (p = 0.030). Findings indicated a significant increase in DUB (p = 0.0001) and HIR (p = 0.010) for HDL-C, and there was a significant decrease in DUB (p = 0.023) for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. However, there was no difference in total cholesterol, triglycerides, and all liver biomarkers.

Antitumor Activity of Ethanolic Extract from Thymbra Spicata L. aerial Parts: Effects on Cell Viability and Proliferation, Apoptosis Induction, STAT3, and NF-kB Signaling

Thyme-like plants including Thymbra spicata L. are widely used as food and folk medicinal remedies in the Mediterranean area. This study aimed to explore the in vitro antitumor potential of polyphenol-enriched extracts from aerial parts of T. spicata. The ethanolic extract significantly inhibited proliferation of different human tumor cell lines, without significant effects on non-neoplastic cells. A deeper investigation of the molecular mechanism sustaining the in vitro antitumor activity of the extract was carried on the human breast cancer cells MCF-7 in comparison with the normal breast cells MCF-10A. The effects on MCF-7 cells were associated with the following: (i) production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and release of nitric oxide; (ii) apoptosis induction; and (iii) reduction in STAT3 and NF-kB phosphorylation. The ethanolic extract from T. spicata leaves might represent a novel therapeutic tool in combination with conventional chemotherapy to reduce the adverse side effects and drug resistance.

Modeling and optimizing microwave-assisted extraction of antioxidants from Thymbra Spicata L. and characterization of their phenolic constituents

Response surface methodology was used for modeling and optimizing microwave-assisted extraction of antioxidants from Thymbra spicata L. as a factor of temperature, extraction time, solvent concentration, and solvent-to-solid ratio. The prepared extracts showed maximum antioxidant properties, including total phenolic content (TPC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and radical scavenging activity (RSA) at the optimum operating conditions. All models calculated for the three responses that are TPC, TAC, and RSA were noteworthy (p < 0.0001) and showed a significant relationship between the response and independent parameters. There was a close relationship between the experimental and the predicted values obtained using the proposed method. The phenolic antioxidant profile of Thymbra spicata L. extract was characterized with the UPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS system and rosmarinic acid was found as a major component (1089.2 ± 10.9 mg/100 g-DS). In the future, this optimized and modeled MAE method can be applied in food and pharmaceutical industries to effectively extract antioxidants from edible Thymbra spicata L. plant.

Antisteatotic and antioxidant activities of Thymbra spicata L. extracts in hepatic and endothelial cells as in vitro models of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Thymbra spicata, a member of the Lamiaceae family, is native to eastern Mediterranean area. Leaves of this plant are rich in phenolic compounds and are a popular remedy of traditional medicine in Lebanon to prevent and/or counteract hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To evaluate the antisteatotic and antioxidant activities of extracts from leaves of Thymbra spicata L. using in vitro models of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a leading cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality worldwide, for whom no effective treatments are still available.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two different extracts from Thymbra spicata L. aerial parts were prepared using water (TW) or ethanol (TE) as solvent. Their chemical composition was characterized by gas and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Both extracts were tested on cultured hepatic and endothelial cells treated to mimic in vitro a multisistemic pathology such as NAFLD. We assayed the effects on lipid accumulation, free radical production, lipid peroxidation, cell migration.

RESULTS

Both the total phenolic and the total flavonoid contents were higher in the ethanolic extract. Rosmarinic acid was the most abundant polyphenol in TW, while TE was richer in carvacrol. Our findings demonstrated that both extracts ameliorated lipid accumulation, oxidative stress and inflammation in the NAFLD cellular models. However, the aqueous extract was more effective to reduce hepatic steatosis, and the ethanolic extract had higheranti-oxidant potential and wound healing activity.

CONCLUSIONS

T. spicata extracts could be promising bioactive products to develop natural therapeutic agents or dietary supplements to treat NAFLD and obesity-related metabolic disease. Our findings suggest that while the ethanolic extract might be used in preventing endothelium dysfunction, the aqueous extract would act better as lipid-lowering agent.

The Role of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants in Liver Diseases

A complex antioxidant system has been developed in mammals to relieve oxidative stress. However, excessive reactive species derived from oxygen and nitrogen may still lead to oxidative damage to tissue and organs. Oxidative stress has been considered as a conjoint pathological mechanism, and it contributes to initiation and progression of liver injury. A lot of risk factors, including alcohol, drugs, environmental pollutants and irradiation, may induce oxidative stress in liver, which in turn results in severe liver diseases, such as alcoholic liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Application of antioxidants signifies a rational curative strategy to prevent and cure liver diseases involving oxidative stress. Although conclusions drawn from clinical studies remain uncertain, animal studies have revealed the promising in vivo therapeutic effect of antioxidants on liver diseases. Natural antioxidants contained in edible or medicinal plants often possess strong antioxidant and free radical scavenging abilities as well as anti-inflammatory action, which are also supposed to be the basis of other bioactivities and health benefits. In this review, PubMed was extensively searched for literature research. The keywords for searching oxidative stress were free radicals, reactive oxygen, nitrogen species, anti-oxidative therapy, Chinese medicines, natural products, antioxidants and liver diseases. The literature, including ours, with studies on oxidative stress and anti-oxidative therapy in liver diseases were the focus. Various factors that cause oxidative stress in liver and effects of antioxidants in the prevention and treatment of liver diseases were summarized, questioned, and discussed.

Carvacrol modulates oxidative stress and decreases cell injury in pancreas of rats with acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is considered as major problem around the world and the incidence of AP is increasing. Carvacrol (CAR), a monoterpenic phenol, has good antioxidant activity. This in vivo study was designed to evaluate whether CAR provide protection against AP that developed by pancreas injury. The rats were randomised into groups to receive (I) no therapy; (II) 50 µg/kg cerulein at 1 h intervals by four intraperitonally (i.p.) injections; (III) 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg CAR by one i.p. injection; and (IV) cerulein plus CAR after 2 h of cerulein administration. 12 h later, serum samples were obtained to assess pancreatic function, the lipase and amylase values. The oxidative stress markers were evaluated by changes in the amount of lipid peroxides measured as malondialdehyde (MDA) and changes in main tissue antioxidant enzyme levels including SOD, CAT and GSH-PX. Histopathological examination was performed using scoring systems. Additionally, oxidative DNA damage was determined by measuring the increases of 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) formations. We found that the increasing doses of CAR decreased AP-induced MDA and 8-OH-dG levels. Moreover, the pancreas antioxidant enzyme activities were higher than that of the rats in the AP group when compared to the AP plus CAR group. In the treatment groups, the lipase and amylase were reduced. Besides, histopathological findings in the pancreatic tissue were alleviated (p < 0.05). We suggest that CAR could be a safe and potent new drug candidate for treating AP through its antioxidative mechanism of action for the treatment of a wide range of disorders related to pancreas.

Chemistry and multibeneficial bioactivities of carvacrol (4-isopropyl-2-methylphenol), a component of essential oils produced by aromatic plants and spices

Aromatic plants produce organic compounds that may be involved in the defense of plants against phytopathogenic insects, bacteria, fungi, and viruses. One of these compounds, called carvacrol, which is found in high concentrations in essential oils such as oregano, has been reported to exhibit numerous bioactivities in cells and animals. This integrated overview surveys and interprets our present knowledge of the chemistry and analysis of carvacrol and its beneficial bioactivities. These activities include its antioxidative properties in food (e.g., lard, sunflower oil) and in vivo and the inhibition of foodborne and human antibiotic-susceptible and antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria, viruses, pathogenic fungi and parasites, and insects in vitro and in human foods (e.g., apple juice, eggs, leafy greens, meat and poultry products, milk, oysters) and food animal feeds and wastes. Also covered are inhibitions of microbial and fungal toxin production and the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiarthritic, antiallergic, anticarcinogenic, antidiabetic, cardioprotective, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective properties of carvacrol as well as metabolic, synergistic, and mechanistic aspects. Areas for future research are also suggested. The collated information and suggested research might contribute to a better understanding of agronomical, biosynthetic, chemical, physiological, and cellular mechanisms of the described health-promoting effects of carvacrol, and facilitate and guide further studies needed to optimize the use of carvacrol as a multifunctional food in pure and encapsulated forms, in edible antimicrobial films, and in combination with plant-derived and medical antibiotics to help prevent or treat animal and human diseases.

The effects of Feijoa sellowiana fruits on the antioxidant defense system, lipid peroxidation, and tissue morphology in rats

CONTEXT

The fruits of Feijoa sellowiana Berg. (Myrtaceae) have been used to treat goiter in traditional Turkish medicine.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the in vivo antioxidant activities of different polarities of the fruit extracts in blood and tissue (liver, kidney, brain, and heart) antioxidant defense systems in standard pellet diet and in high fat diet consumed, male rats were assessed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The extracts (methanol, n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and aqueous) were administered orally to male rats at 50 mg/kg doses daily for 4 weeks. The blood and tissue malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, plasma nitrate (NO(x)) level, total triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine, cholesterol, triglyceride, protein, and glucose levels were determined, and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities; plasma antioxidant activity (AOA) were experimentally studied.

RESULTS

Blood MDA level (7.81 ± 0.4) was significantly decreased; GSH level (29.65 ± 1.21) and AOA (1.52 ± 0.08) were increased in ethyl acetate extract as compared with control and the other extracts. In addition, all the extracts decreased MDA levels and increased GSH levels (except brain tissue homogenate) in the tissue homogenates. Erythrocyte SOD and CAT activity levels were unchanged in F. sellowiana extracts. However, the extracts had no effect on plasma NO(x). In the histopathological examinations, any changes or damage in the vital organs were seen in animals.

CONCLUSION

The experimental data demonstrated that F. sellowiana extracts displayed remarkable antioxidant activity and decreased lipid peroxidation in rats; furthermore, no histopathological changes or damage have been observed in the vital organs of rats.

Chemical analysis and antimicrobial activities of the essential oils of Satureja thymbra L. and Thymbra spicata L. and their main components

This work covers the chemical composition and antimicrobial activities of the essential oils isolated from Satureja thymbra and Thymbra spicata analyzed using GC/MS. The main components of S. thymbra oil were thymol (33.8 %), ?-terpinene (30.8 %) and p-cymene (11.8 %). The main components in T. spicata oil were carvacrol (74.5 %) and ?-terpinene (11.2 %). The oils and their main components, thymol and carvacrol, were assayed by applying the microdilution method for antibacterial and antifungal activity against food poisoning, plant, animal and human pathogenic microorganisms. The oil of T. spicata and carvacrol showed the highest antimicrobial activity.

Beneficial effects of Aesculus hippocastanum L. seed extract on the body's own antioxidant defense system on subacute administration

AIM OF THE STUDY

Seeds of Aesculus hippocastanum L. have long been used in European phytotherapy to treat inflammatory and vascular problems. In Turkish folk medicine, tea prepared from the crushed seeds was used to pass kidney stone and against stomach ache, while a fraction of seed was swallowed to alleviate hemorrhoids symptoms. In order to evaluate the in vivo effects of escin mixture from Aesculus hippocastanum seed on the blood and tissue antioxidant defense systems in standard pellet diet (SPD) and in high-fat diet (HFD) consumed male mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Escin mixture was obtained from the ethanol extract of seeds. Escin mixture was administered orally to male mice fed either standard pellet diet (SPD) or high-fat diet (HFD) at 100mg/kg doses daily for 5 weeks and the tissue (liver, kidney and heart) and blood samples were collected at the end of experimental period. The effect of escin mixture on the plasma antioxidant activity; blood and tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels; erythrocyte and tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activity (CAT) in SPD and HFD consumed animals were experimentally studied.

RESULTS

Escin mixture prohibited the adverse effects of oxidative stress and showed a protective effect on the liver architecture both in SPD and HFD consumed male mice. Escin mixture prohibited the adverse effects of oxidative stress and showed a protective effect on the liver architecture both in SPD and HFD consumed male mice. Combined administration of high-fat diet with escin mixture decreased blood (p<0.01), liver (p<0.01), kidney (p<0.05), and heart (p<0.05) of MDA, liver SOD (p<0.01) and CAT (p<0.05) levels and increased blood (p<0.01) and liver GSH (p<0.001) levels in mice.

CONCLUSION

The present results indicate that Aesculus hippocastanum increase the antioxidative defense system of the body and prevent HFD-induced lipid peroxidation in male mice.