Seed extracts from Myristica fragrans (Nutmeg) and Moringa oleifera (Drumstick tree) inhibits enzymes relevant to erectile dysfunction and metal-induced oxidative damage in rats' penile tissues

Spice-Derived Phenolic Compounds: Potential for Skin Cancer Prevention and Therapy

Skin cancer is a condition characterized by the abnormal growth of skin cells, primarily caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or artificial sources like tanning beds. Different types of skin cancer include melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Despite the advancements in targeted therapies, there is still a need for a safer, highly efficient approach to preventing and treating cutaneous malignancies. Spices have a rich history dating back thousands of years and are renowned for their ability to enhance the flavor, taste, and color of food. Derived from various plant parts like seeds, fruits, bark, roots, or flowers, spices are important culinary ingredients. However, their value extends beyond the culinary realm. Some spices contain bioactive compounds, including phenolic compounds, which are known for their significant biological effects. These compounds have attracted attention in scientific research due to their potential health benefits, including their possible role in disease prevention and treatment, such as cancer. This review focuses on examining the potential of spice-derived phenolic compounds as preventive or therapeutic agents for managing skin cancers. By compiling and analyzing the available knowledge, this review aims to provide insights that can guide future research in identifying new anticancer phytochemicals and uncovering additional mechanisms for combating skin cancer.

Grapefruit peel extract mitigates paroxetine-induced erectile dysfunction in rats through stimulation of erectile response, antioxidant status, and inhibition of key enzymes related with impaired penile erection

Despite the antidepressant potency of paroxetine, its side effect of erectile dysfunction is burdensome. Grapefruit peels (GFPs) are underutilized cultivar wastes with wide range of therapeutic potentials which have been attributed to their antioxidant behavior and phenolic contents' abilities to effectively inhibit enzymatic activities and manage endothelial dysfunction in cardiovascular disorders. This study aims to investigate the erectogenic potentials of GFP extract in a rat model of paroxetine-induced ED. Experimental rats were sectioned into five groups: [1: control; 2: paroxetine (10 mg/kg); 3: paroxetine + sildenafil (5 mg/kg); 4: paroxetine + GFP (50 mg/kg); 5: paroxetine + GFP (100 mg/kg)] and treated for 28 days. Sexual behavior of rats was assessed and effect of GFP on ecto-5' nucleotidases, phosphodiesterase-5, and adenosine deaminase (ADA) activities was determined in rats' penile tissues. The levels of malondialdehyde, nitric oxide (NO) as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities were also determined. HPLC-DAD analysis showed the presence of naringin, rutin, caffeic acid, quercitrin, quercetin, and kaempferol glycoside. Oral administration of paroxetine reduced erectile response as revealed by their low intromission and mounting numbers as well as high intromission and mounting latencies. Paroxetine caused a significant elevation of ADA and phosphodiesterase-5 activities and malondialdehyde levels with drastic reduction in levels of NO, SOD, and catalase activities in rats' penile tissues. However, GFP extract reversed PDE-5, ADA, and antioxidant activities to normal levels, raised the concentration of NO. These results suggest the erectogenic effects and protective potentials of GFP extract against paroxetine-induced erectile dysfunction. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Grapefruit peels are an environmental menace in many countries and this study showed that the peels can be used in the prevention / management of erectile dysfunction. The therapeutic potentials of the peels are due to the presence of bioactive compounds such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. Therefore, exploring the erectogenic potentials of the peels will translate to conversion of the wastes to therapeutic products.

Moringa seed-supplemented diets modulate ACE activity but not its gene expression in L-NAME-induced hypertensive rats

Introduction: We investigated the effect of dietary inclusions of Moringa seed (5% and 10%) on blood pressure, angiotensin-1 converting enzyme (ACE) activity, and gene expression, as well as redox status in hypertensive rats.Material and methods: Wistar strain albino rats were fed moringa seed-based diets for two weeks prior L-NAME (40 mg/kg/day, p.o.) administration for another ten days. Subsequently, the blood pressure was monitored. Furthermore, the kidney homogenates were assayed for ACE activity and gene expression, as well as oxidative stress markers.Results: The increased (systolic =297 ± 59.30 mmHg; diastolic= 242 ± 51.96 mmHg) blood pressure, arginase activity, and reduced nitric oxide level were significantly ameliorated in hypertensive rats treated with the seed. However, the elevated ACE activity was significantly reduced but not the upregulated ACE1 gene. Also, the reduced antioxidant enzyme activities were ameliorated with a significant downregulation in their regulator-Nrf2. Rutin (4.07 ± 0.02 mg/g) and quercitrin (4.06 ± 0.01 mg/g), among others, were found in the seed.Discussion: This study suggests that moringa seed offers its antihypertensive properties by acting as an ACE inhibitor but not its gene modulator, and also modulates the antioxidant system through interaction with Nrf2.Conclusion: Moringa seed could act as an ACE inhibitor and not its gene modulator.

Diet, herbs and erectile function: A good friendship!

Plants and plant materials have been used for thousands of years to treat and control erectile dysfunction in men. This practice has spanned many cultures and traditions around the world, with the therapeutic effects of many plants attributed to their phytochemical constituents. This review explains how polyphenols (including phenolic acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, carotenoids, alkaloids and polyunsaturated fatty acids) in plants and plant food products interact with key enzymes (phosphodiesterase-5 [PDE-5], angiotensin-converting enzyme [ACE], acetylcholinesterase [AChE], adenosine deaminase [ADA] and arginase) associated with erectile dysfunction. By modulating or altering the activity of these physiologically important enzymes, various bioactive compounds from plants or plant products can synergistically or additively provide tremendous protection against male erectile problems.

Effect of cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) nut-supplemented diet on steroidogenic enzymes, hormonal and oxidative imbalances, and sperm parameters in cisplatin-induced reproductive toxicity in male rats

Cisplatin (CP) is a chemotherapeutic/anticancer drug culpable in sperm and testicular damage, but the use of dietary patterns has been reported to averse this effect. To date, no report on the use of roasted cashew nut-supplemented diets (RCNSD) against chemotherapy-induced testicular damage has been presented. In this study, the effect of 10% and 20% RCNSD on reproductive hormones, sperm parameters, testicular and epididymal antioxidant status, and steroidogenic enzymes activities in CP-induced rats were determined. Interestingly, these parameters were boosted, but with a decrement in radical species level in the testes/epididymis of CP-induced rats fed with RCNSD as against the untreated CP-induced rats. The modulatory effect of RCNSD on the tested reproductive parameters in studied tissues could be among the mechanism of action, by which RCNSD mitigates andrological toxicity. Hence, RCNSD could be harnessed as a functional food/nutraceutical agent for alleviating the andrological toxicity of CP-induced male reproduction. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Consumption of cashew nuts has been a great benefit to human health, as a result of its richness in nutritional constituents including biologically active amino acids, tocopherols, fatty acids, polyphenols, and selenium, among others. Cashew nuts are mostly consumed fried/roasted, with yoghurt, as a paste, or used as an ingredient in confectionery products. The folkloric use of cashew nuts in the management of cardiovascular diseases, male reproductive disorders, and diabetes has been reported. In this study, the ability of roasted cashew nut-supplemented diets to modulate reproductive hormones, sperm parameters, testicular and epididymal antioxidant status, and steroidogenic enzymes activities in CP-induced reproductive toxicity in male rats was revealed, thus, indicating its possible use, clinically, in the management of reproductive toxicity induced by cancer drugs.

Diets supplemented with raw and roasted pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L) seeds improved some biochemical parameters associated with erectile function in rats

This study investigated the effect of diet supplemented with raw and roasted pumpkin seeds on some key biochemical parameters relevant to erectile function in corpus cavernosal tissues of male rats. Rats were fed with basal diets (NC), diet supplemented with raw (5% and 10%) and roasted (5% and 10%) pumpkin seeds for the evaluation of adenosine deaminase (ADA), phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5), arginase, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities, including nitric oxide level and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Diet supplemented with roasted pumpkin seeds showed better PDE-5, ADA, arginase activities, as well as NO and MDA levels. No significant difference was observed in AChE activities of rats treated with raw and roasted pumpkin seeds. The modulatory effects of raw and roasted pumpkin seeds on enzymes associated with erectile dysfunction suggest the biochemical rationale for its therapeutic role in enhancing erectile function. However, roasted pumpkin seeds (10%, w/w of diet) possess more beneficial effects than the raw seeds. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Pumpkin is a nutritious vegetable used in folklore for the treatment of bladder, prostate, and kidney diseases. The seeds are known to contain phenolic compounds which exert different health benefits. Processing of foods has been shown to either improve the quality or reduce the bioactive components which affect its functionality. In this study, roasting improved the biochemical parameters associated with erectile function in male rats. Roasted pumpkin seeds also reduced the oxidative stress parameters in rats' penile tissues when compared to raw pumpkin seeds. This study revealed that thermal processing associated with roasting could improve the antioxidant activity of pumpkin seeds and crucial enzymes related to erectile function. Hence, consumption of roasted pumpkin seeds could be more beneficial compared to raw pumpkin seeds.

Extracts from Almond (Terminalia catappa) leaf and stem bark mitigate the activities of crucial enzymes and oxidative stress associated with hypertension in cyclosporine A-stressed rats

We investigated the effect of extracts from the leaf (ALE) and stem bark (ABE) of Almond tree on activities of some crucial enzymes [angiotensin-1 converting enzyme (ACE), arginase, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5), adenosine deaminase (ADA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase], and thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) associated with hypertension in normal adult male Wistar albino rats and Cyclosporine A (CsA)-stressed rats. The result revealed that CsA-stressed rats treated with captopril and extracts (ALE and ABE) had lowered ACE, arginase, AChE, PDE-5, ADA activities, and TBARS level, coupled with improved SOD and catalase activities compared with untreated CsA-stressed rats, which had reversed these biochemicals compared to normal rats. This suggests that the extracts could be explored to suppress hypertension and other cardiac injury known with CsA treatment; the potentials that could be linked with the constituent polyphenols. However, further studies including blood pressure should be determined to ascertain this claim. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Drug-induced cardiotoxicity, hypertension, and organ damage are among the most common side effects of pharmaceutics. Therefore, it becomes imperative to find natural, effective, and alternative therapy with little or no side effect to combat drug toxicity. The use of Almond (leaf and stem bark) in folklore for the treatment/management of hypertension and other heart-related diseases without full scientific basis is on the increase. Hence, this study provides some biochemical evidences on the effect of Almond leaf and stem back extracts on crucial enzymes and oxidative stress markers involve in the incidence of hypertension in the course of Cyclosporine A administration. The findings of this study indicated that the studied plant materials could be promoted as nutraceutical agents to neutralize drug-induced cardiac injury and hypertension.

Promising role of medicinal plants in the regulation and management of male erectile dysfunction

Male erectile dysfunction (ED) refers to incompetency to reaching and retaining adequate penile tumescence for sexual intercourse. Over 152 million men globally suffer from ED and by 2025, the number of affected individuals is anticipated to be around 322 million. Pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapies such as phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors, alprostadil, penile prosthesis surgery, and hormonal replacement are available for management and recuperation of ED. Nevertheless, such therapies are reported to have adverse effects as well as life-threatening. Accordingly, diversity of medicinal plant species and bioactive active compounds are preferred as therapeutic options because they are natural, abundant, available, low-cost and cause fewer or no side effects. This current review will emphasise the aetiology, risk factors, mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of ED, treatments of ED as well as their side effects. It also provides medicinal plants that are proven effective in vivo and in vitro for the mitigation and treatment of male ED. This knowledge could be used in the future in drug discovery for the development of more natural drugs with no side effects.

Moringa oleifera leaf and seed inclusive diets influenced the restoration of biochemicals associated with erectile dysfunction in the penile tissue of STZ-induced diabetic male rats treated with/without Acarbose drug

We aim to evaluate the effect of Moringa leaf (ML) and seed (MS) inclusive diets on critical biomarkers [acetylcholinesterase (AChE), monoamine oxidase (MAO), angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE), adenosine deiminase (ADA) and arginase activities, and thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) level] associated with erectile dysfunction (ED) in the penile tissue of diabetic male rats treated with/without Acarbose (ACA). About 60 mg/kg BW streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats were fed with ML and MS inclusive diets and cotreated with ACA for 14 days. The result indicated that AChE, MAO, ADA, ACE, and arginase activities, as well as TBARS level were (p < .05) restored in the diabetic rats fed with ML/MS inclusive diets treated with/without ACA compared to the untreated diabetic rats. In conclusion, the combination therapy of ML/MS inclusive diets plus ACA could be explored toward the management of diabetic-induced ED. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: We discovered in this study, treatments of diabetic rats with ACA and co-fed with 2% and 4% of Moringa leaf and seed inclusive diets for 14 days, could be of great benefit toward the management of ED caused by diabetes, as evidenced by the expression of some ED-related biomarkers in the penile tissue of diabetes male rats, compared to that of ACA treated alone. Thus, it seems reasonable to explore the effect of food-drug interaction on the large-scale clinical trial to manage diabetes complications, such as the potential effect of Moringa leaf and seed inclusive diets co-administered with ACA for the holistic management of diabetes-induced erectile dysfunction (ED).

Fractionated Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Kernel Oil from Torreya fargesii

Polymethylene-interrupted polyunsaturated fatty acids (PMI-PUFAs) are emerging functional lipids with proven antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, a typical PMI-PUFA, sciadonic acid (C20:3, 5c 11c 14c), was enriched in the kernel oil of Torreya fargesii (T. fargesii) by fractionation. Fractionated kernel oil of T. fargesii (containing 25% sciadonic acid) showed equal stability and similar radical scavenging ability compared with the non-fractionated oil. In anti-inflammatory tests, fractionated kernel oil was shown to inhibit the activity of phosphodiesterase (PDE-5, efficiency 80% at 133.7 μg/mL) and lipoxygenase-5 (LOX-5, efficiency 65% at 66.7 μg/mL) more effectively than the non-fractionated oil. This shows that increasing the amount of sciadonic acid can enhance the anti-inflammatory effect of the kernel oil. This research also indicates that fractionation is a feasible way to obtain sciadonic acid-rich functional oil with potential pharmacological effects.

Phenolic analysis and erectogenic function of African Walnut (Tetracarpidium conophorum) seeds: The impact of the seed shell on biological activity

This study investigated the erectogenic potential of African walnut seed (AWS). The extract from AWS cooked with/without shell interacted with phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5), arginase, angiotensin-I converting enzymes (ACE), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE); enzymes associated with erectile dysfunction (ED) and Fe²⁺ -induced malonaldehyde (MDA) production in the isolated penile tissue. The results showed that the extracts inhibited the enzymes and MDA production, but Walnut cooked with shell had the highest effect. This agreed with increased phenolic acids and flavonoids, found in the AWS cooked with the shell, compared with that cooked without shell. The inhibition of enzymes and antioxidative potentials could be among the possible mechanisms of actions of AWS in the management/treatment of ED. However, cooking walnut seed with the shell seem to be a contributing factor, as this could prevent possible leaching out of the phytochemicals that could be responsible for these biological effects. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Walnut seed possesses a high content of phenolic compounds and inhibit enzymes relevant to the management of erectile dysfunction. Traditionally, Walnut seed is being cooked with/without the shell and consumed for the purpose of alternative medicine in folklore. Our investigation revealed the possible mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect Walnut seed in the management of ED, but the impact of the shell during cooking contributes to this effect. This result will inform the consumers and food scientist on the importance of cooking Walnut seed with the shell in order to maximize its nutraceutical values.