Biological Activities of Freshwater Algae,Spirogyra singularisNordstedt

Effectiveness of Pistacia atlantica on older adult knee osteoarthritis, a randomized triple blind clinical trial

Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of disability and aging is the major risk factor. One of the low-risk herbal medicines for reducing pain and inflammation in persian medicine is Pistacia atlantica gum. A triple-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed in order to evaluate the efficacy of P. atlantica gum ointment on knee osteoarthritis in elderly people. A total of 60 patients were randomly allocated to two groups. The intervention group used 4% P. atlantica ointment and the control group used placebo, topically applied three times a day, for 8 weeks. The patients were evaluated before and after the intervention using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scale. There were significant differences (p < .001) between two the groups in terms of joint stiffness and pain as well as function. Within groups, regarding the effect size (EF) in joint stiffness was 2.82 and 0.74 in the Pistacia and placebo groups, respectively. Regarding pain, the effect size of the intervention and placebo groups were 3.90 and 0.99, respectively. In addition, regarding function, the effect size of the intervention and the placebo groups were 4.33 and 1.17, respectively. Therefore, it seems that topical P. atlantica is significantly better than the placebo in the old patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Tanshinones and mental diseases: from chemistry to medicine

The prevalence of mental diseases, especially neurodegenerative disorders, is ever-increasing, while treatment options for such disorders are limited and insufficient. In this scarcity of available medication, it is a feasible strategy to search for potential drugs among natural compounds, such as those found in plants. One such plant source is the root of Chinese sage, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Labiatae), which contains several compounds reported to possess neuroprotective activities. The most important of these compounds are tanshinones, which have been reported to possess ameliorative activity against a myriad of mental diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, and glioma, along with promoting neuronal differentiation and manifesting antinociceptive and anticonvulsant outcomes. This review offers a critical evaluation of the utility of tanshinones to treat mental illnesses, and sheds light on the underlying mechanisms through which these naturally occurring compounds confer neuroprotection.

Concurrent production of carotenoids and lipid by a filamentous microalga Trentepohlia arborum

During the study of Trentepohlia arborum it became clear that its cells are rich in lipids and carotenoids. Thus, lipid content, composition and fatty acids profiles in individual lipid classes, as well as pigment profiles, responding to different culture conditions, were further investigated. The results showed that the predominant carotenoids and lipid fraction in total lipid in this study was β-carotene and TAG, respectively. The lipid content increased significantly under high light while nitrogen-replete conditions induced the highest carotenoids content. However, only with a double stress of high light and nitrogen-deficiency it was possible to maximize the productivities of both carotenoids and lipids. Carotenoids (mainly β-carotene) accounted for ca. 5% of the microalgal lipid under the double stress. Data herein show the potential of T. arborum for the production of both lipids and carotenoids, and hence provide an appropriate way to produce different products from T. arborum.

Rhodiola rosea L. and Alzheimer's Disease: From Farm to Pharmacy

Rhodiola rosea L. (roseroot) is a common member of the family Crassulaceae, known as one of the most important popular medicinal plants in the northern region of Europe. The roots of R. rosea possess a wide range of pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antiinflammatory, anticancer, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective effects that are because of the presence of different phytochemicals such as phenols and flavonoids. In addition, the presence of salidroside, rosavins, and p-tyrosol are responsible for its beneficial effects for the treatment of on depression, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction. A plethora of studies report that R. rosea has potent neuroprotective effects through the suppression of oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and excitotoxicity in brain tissues and antagonism of oncogenic p21-activated kinase. However, to our knowledge, no review articles have been published addressing the neuroprotective effects of R. rosea. Therefore, the present article aims at critically reviewing the available literature on the beneficial effects of R. rosea on as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases where oxidative stress plays a major role in disease development and progression. We also discuss the cultivation, phytochemistry, clinical impacts, and adverse effects of R. rosea to provide a broader insight on the therapeutic potential for this plant.

Ginsenoside Rd and ischemic stroke; a short review of literatures

Panax ginseng is a well-known economic medical plant that is widely used in Chinese traditional medicine. This species contains a unique class of natural products-ginsenosides. Recent clinical and experimental studies have presented numerous lines of evidence on the promising role of ginsenosides on different diseases including neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancer. Nowadays, most of the attention has focused on ginsenoside Rd as a neuroprotective agent to attenuate ischemic stroke damages. Some of the evidence showed that ginsenoside Rd ameliorates ischemic stroke-induced damages through the suppression of oxidative stress and inflammation. Ginsenoside Rd can prolong neural cells' survival through the upregulation of the endogenous antioxidant system, phosphoinositide-3-kinase/AKT and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 pathways, preservation of mitochondrial membrane potential, suppression of the nuclear factor-kappa B, transient receptor potential melastatin, acid sensing ion channels 1a, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1, protein tyrosine kinase activation, as well as reduction of cytochrome c-releasing and apoptosis-inducing factor. In the current work, we review the available reports on the promising role of ginsenoside Rd on ischemic stroke. We also discuss its chemistry, source, and the molecular mechanism underlying this effect.

Polyphenolic Composition of Crataegus monogyna Jacq.: From Chemistry to Medical Applications

The abundance of scientific evidence has shown that many synthetic drugs can cause serious adverse effects in patients. Recently, the search of natural therapeutic agents with low adverse effects has attracted much attention. In particular, considerable interest has focused on edible and medicinal plants, which play an important role in human diet, and have been used for disease treatment since ancient times. Crataegus monogyna Jacq. (hawthorn) is one of the most important edible plants of the Rosaceae family and is also used in traditional medicine. Growing evidence has shown that this plant has various interesting physiological and pharmacological activities due to the presence of different bioactive natural compounds. In addition, scientific evidence suggests that the toxicity of hawthorn is negligible. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide a critical review of the available scientific literature about pharmacological activities as well as botanical aspects, phytochemistry and clinical impacts of C. monogyna.

Luteolin as an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective agent: A brief review

According to the World Health Organization, two billion people will be aged 60 years or older by 2050. Aging is a major risk factor for a number of neurodegenerative disorders. These age-related disorders currently represent one of the most important and challenging health problems worldwide. Therefore, much attention has been directed towards the design and development of neuroprotective agents derived from natural sources. These phytochemicals have demonstrated high efficacy and low adverse effects in multiple in vitro and in vivo studies. Among these phytochemicals, dietary flavonoids are an important and common chemical class of bioactive products, found in several fruits and vegetables. Luteolin is an important flavone, which is found in several plant products, including broccoli, pepper, thyme, and celery. Numerous studies have shown that luteolin possesses beneficial neuroprotective effects both in vitro and in vivo. Despite this, an overview of the neuroprotective effects of luteolin has not yet been accomplished. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide a review of the available literature regarding the neuroprotective effects of luteolin and its molecular mechanisms of action. Herein, we also review the available literature regarding the chemistry of luteolin, its herbal sources, and bioavailability as a pharmacological agent for the treatment and management of age-related neurodegenerative disorders.

Kaempferol and inflammation: From chemistry to medicine

Inflammation is an important process of human healing response, wherein the tissues respond to injuries induced by many agents including pathogens. It is characterized by pain, redness and heat in the injured tissues. Chronic inflammation seems to be associated with different types of diseases such as arthritis, allergies, atherosclerosis, and even cancer. In recent years natural product based drugs are considered as the novel therapeutic strategy for prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases. Among the different types of phyto-constituents present in natural products, flavonoids which occur in many vegetable foods and herbal medicines are considered as the most active constituent, which has the potency to ameliorate inflammation under both in vitro and in vivo conditions. Kaempferol is a natural flavonol present in different plant species, which has been described to possess potent anti-inflammatory properties. Despite the voluminous literature on the anti-inflammatory effects of kaempferol, only very limited review articles has been published on this topic. Hence the present review is aimed to provide a critical overview on the anti-inflammatory effects and the mechanisms of action of kaempferol, based on the current scientific literature. In addition, emphasis is also given on the chemistry, natural sources, bioavailability and toxicity of kaempferol.

Chemical composition and biological activities of trans-Himalayan alga Spirogyra porticalis (Muell.) Cleve

The freshwater alga Spirogyra porticalis (Muell.) Cleve, a filamentous charophyte, collected from the Indian trans-Himalayan cold desert, was identified on the basis of morpho-anatomical characters. Extracts of this alga were made using solvents of varying polarity viz. n-hexane, acetonitrile, methanol and water. The antioxidant capacities and phenolic profile of the extracts were estimated. The methanol extract showing highest antioxidant capacity and rich phenolic attributes was further investigated and phytochemical profiling was conducted by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) hyphenated technique. The cytotoxic activity of methanol extract was evaluated on human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 and colon carcinoma RKO cell lines. The anti-hypoxic effect of methanol extract of the alga was tested on in vivo animal system to confirm its potential to ameliorate oxidative stress. The antioxidant assays viz. ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging capacities, β-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching property and lipid peroxidation exhibited analogous results, wherein the algal extracts showed significantly high antioxidant potential. The extracts were also found to possess high content of total proanthocyanidin, flavonoid and polyphenol. GC/MS analysis revealed the presence of thirteen chemotypes in the methanol extract representing different phytochemical groups like fatty acid esters, sterols, unsaturated alcohols, alkynes etc. with substantial phyto-pharmaceutical importance. The methanol extract was observed to possess anticancer activity as revealed from studies on HepG2 and RKO cell lines. In the present study, S. porticalis methanol extract also provided protection from hypoxia-induced oxidative stress and accelerated the onset of adaptative changes in rats during exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. The bioactive phytochemicals present in this trans-Himalayan alga are of enormous interest and can be utilized sustainably for discovery of novel drugs against oxidative stress.