Antiobesity and Antioxidant Potentials of Selected Palestinian Medicinal Plants

Natural products as novel anti-obesity agents: insights into mechanisms of action and potential for therapeutic management

Obesity affects more than 10% of the adult population globally. Despite the introduction of diverse medications aimed at combating fat accumulation and obesity, a significant number of these pharmaceutical interventions are linked to substantial occurrences of severe adverse events, occasionally leading to their withdrawal from the market. Natural products serve as attractive sources for anti-obesity agents as many of them can alter the host metabolic processes and maintain glucose homeostasis via metabolic and thermogenic stimulation, appetite regulation, pancreatic lipase and amylase inhibition, insulin sensitivity enhancing, adipogenesis inhibition and adipocyte apoptosis induction. In this review, we shed light on the biological processes that control energy balance and thermogenesis as well as metabolic pathways in white adipose tissue browning, we also highlight the anti-obesity potential of natural products with their mechanism of action. Based on previous findings, the crucial proteins and molecular pathways involved in adipose tissue browning and lipolysis induction are uncoupling protein-1, PR domain containing 16, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ in addition to Sirtuin-1 and AMP-activated protein kinase pathway. Given that some phytochemicals can also lower proinflammatory substances like TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1 secreted from adipose tissue and change the production of adipokines like leptin and adiponectin, which are important regulators of body weight, natural products represent a treasure trove for anti-obesity agents. In conclusion, conducting comprehensive research on natural products holds the potential to accelerate the development of an improved obesity management strategy characterized by heightened efficacy and reduced incidence of side effects.

In Vivo Pharmacodynamics of Calophyllum soulattri as Antiobesity with In Silico Molecular Docking and ADME/Pharmacokinetic Prediction Studies

This study aims to determine the antiobesity activity of Calophyllum soulattri leaves extract (CSLE) on high fat diet-fed rats (HFD) and to predict the molecular docking and pharmacokinetics of selected compounds of Calophyllum soulattri to fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO). Daily body weight, organ, carcass fat (renal and anal), body mass index, total cholesterol, and total triglyceride levels were observed after CSLE was given orally for 50 days. Furthermore, body mass index of a CSLE dose of 50 mg/kgbw, 100 mg/kgbw and orlistat (120 mg/kgbw) group are 0.68, 0.57 and 0.52, respectively. The total body weight of the CLSE dose of 100 mg/kgbw group showed the lowest percentage change, followed by a CLSE dose of 50 mg/kgbw compared to the normal and positive control group. The carcass fat index of CSLE dose of 100 mg/kgbw was not significantly different from orlistat, which was in line with its total cholesterol level and triglyceride (p < 0.05). The binding affinity of selected compounds from Calophyllum soulattri (friedelin, caloxanthone B, macluraxanthone, stigmasterol, trapezifolixanthone, dombakinaxanthone, and brasixanthone B) to FTO are –8.27, –9.74, –8.48, –9.34, –8.85, –8.68 and –9.39 kcal/mol, which are better than that of orlistat at –4.80 kcal/mol. The molecular dynamics simulation showed that the interaction between Caloxanthone B compounds and obesity receptors was relatively stable. Lipinski’s rule determined the absorption percentage of all compounds above 90% with good drug-likeness. The results showed the potential of CSLE as an antiobesity drug candidate.

Phytochemical screening, cytotoxicity assessment and evaluation of in vitro antiplasmodial and in vivo antimalarial activities of Mentha spicata L. methanolic leaf extract

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Malaria causes extensive morbidity and mortality, and the decreasing efficacy of artemisinin and its partner drugs has posed a serious concern. Therefore, it is important to identify new antimalarials, and the natural compounds from plants provide a promising platform. Mentha spicata L. representing the Lamiaceae family has been used in traditional medicine for various diseases including malaria.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study was aimed at evaluating the antiplasmodial activity of M. spicata methanolic leaf extract using Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) cultures (Pf3D7 and artemisinin (ART)-resistant PfCam3.I^R539T strains) and antimalarial activity using Plasmodium berghei (Pb)-infected mice. Dry leaf powder and methanolic leaf extract were examined for in vivo antimalarial activity and the efficacy of oral versus parenteral administration was compared.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Leaves of M. spicata were collected and extracted using 70% methanol in water (v/v). [³H]-hypoxanthine incorporation assays and Giemsa-stained smears were used to assess the in vitro antiplasmodial activity of M. spicata methanolic extract against Pf3D7 and ART-resistant PfCam3.I^R539T strains. Cytotoxicity was evaluated in HeLa and HEK-293T cell lines using MTT assays. Hemolysis assays were performed using red blood cells (RBCs). In vivo antimalarial activities of M. spicata dry leaf powder and methanolic leaf extract were examined in P. berghei-infected mice by Rane's curative test and Peters' 4-day suppressive test.

RESULTS

Phytochemical screening of M. spicata methanolic leaf extract indicated the presence of reducing sugars, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, glycosides, sterols, saponins, alkaloids, coumarins, tannins, carbohydrates, and proteins. In vitro studies carried out using Pf cultures showed that M. spicata methanolic leaf extract had significant antiplasmodial activity against Pf3D7 cultures with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 57.99 ± 2.82 μg/ml. The extract was also effective against ART-resistant PfCam3.I^R539T strain with an IC₅₀ of 71.23 ± 3.85 μg/ml. The extract did not show significant in vitro cytotoxicity, hemolysis, and in vivo toxicity. In vivo studies performed using Pb-infected mice treated with M. spicata dry leaf powder and methanolic leaf extract showed ∼50% inhibition in parasite growth at 1500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg doses, respectively. There was also a significant delay in the mortality of treated mice. Parenteral administration was found to be appropriate for the in vivo treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Our in vitro and in vivo findings from Pf and Pb parasites suggested the therapeutic potential of M. spicata leaf extract as an antimalarial. M. spicata leaf extract could also inhibit the growth of ART-resistant Pf strain. Further studies on fractionation and active component analysis of M. spicata leaf extract would be required to identify the bioactive phytochemicals having pharmaceutical and therapeutic values. Such efforts would help us in developing new antimalarials to combat malaria.

Anti-Diabesity Middle Eastern Medicinal Plants and Their Action Mechanisms

Over the last four decades, the escalation in diabetes and obesity rates has become epidemic all over the world. Diabesity describes the strong link between T2D and obesity. It correlates deeper with the elevated risks of developing cardiovascular disease hypertension, stroke, and several malignancies. Therapeutic usage of medicinal plants and natural products in the treatment of diabetes and obesity has long been known to physicians of Greco-Arab and Islamic medicine. Improved versions of their abundant medicinal plant-based formulations are at present some of the most popular herbal treatments used. Preclinical and clinical data about medicinal plants along with their bioactive constituents are now available, justifying the traditionally known therapeutic uses of products derived from them for the prevention and cure of obesity-related T2D and other health problems. The aim of this review is to systematize published scientific data dealing with the efficiency of active ingredients or extracts from Middle Eastern medicinal plants and diet in the management of diabesity and its complications. Google Scholar, MEDLINE, and PubMed were searched for publications describing the medicinal plants and diet used in the management of T2D, obesity, and their complications. The used keywords were “medicinal plants” or “herbals” in combination with “obesity,” “diabetes,” “diabetes,” or nephropathy. More than 130 medicinal plants were identified to target diabesity and its complications. The antidiabetic and anti-obesity effects and action mechanisms of these plants are discussed here. These include the regulation of appetite, thermogenesis, lipid absorption, and lipolysis; pancreatic lipase activity and adipogenesis; glucose absorption in the intestine, insulin secretion, glucose transporters, gluconeogenesis, and epigenetic mechanisms.

Effects of the Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KU15120 Derived from Korean Homemade Diced-Radish Kimchi Against Oxidation and Adipogenesis

Intestinal microflora can influence abnormal adipocyte growth. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the probiotic properties and antioxidant and antiobesity effects of isolated strains from homemade kimchi. Among the isolated strains, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KU15120 showed high tolerance to artificial gastric juice and bile salt conditions, high adhesion to HT-29 cells, nonproduction of β-glucuronidase, nonhemolysis, and acceptable resistance to antibiotics. It showed high antioxidant activity, including DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging and antioxidant activity, as determined by the β-carotene bleaching assay. Oil red O staining and intracellular triglyceride levels revealed reduced lipid accumulation, which confirmed the anti-adipogenic activity of L. plantarum KU15120. In addition, the expression levels of fatty acid synthase, CCAAT/enhance-binding protein α, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, were significantly lower in the probiotic-treated group than in the control group. These results suggest that L. plantarum KU15120 has probiotic properties, antioxidant, and antiobesity effects and could be used as a therapeutic probiotics.

First report of fatty acids in Mimosadiplotricha bee pollen with in vitro lipase inhibitory activity

Bee pollen (BP) is full of nutrients and phytochemicals, and so it is widely used as a health food and alternative medicine. Its composition and bioactivity mainly depend on the floral pollens. In this work, BP collected by Apis mellifera with different monoculture flowering crops (BP1-6) were used. The types of floral pollen in each BP were initially identified by morphology, and subsequently confirmed using molecular phylogenetic analysis. Data from both approaches were consistent and revealed each BP to be monofloral and derived from the flowers of Camellia sinensis L., Helianthus annuus L., Mimosa diplotricha, Nelumbo nucifera, Xyris complanata, and Ageratum conyzoides for BP1 to BP6, respectively. The crude extracts of all six BPs were prepared by sequential partition with methanol, dichloromethane (DCM), and hexane. The crude extracts were then tested for the in vitro (i) α-amylase inhibitory, (ii) acetylcholinesterase inhibitory (AChEI), and (iii) porcine pancreatic lipase inhibitory (PPLI) activities in terms of the percentage enzyme inhibition and half maximum inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀). The DCM partitioned extract of X. complanata BP (DCMXBP) had the highest active α-amylase inhibitory activity with an IC₅₀ value of 1,792.48 ± 50.56 µg/mL. The DCM partitioned extracts of C. sinensis L. BP (DCMCBP) and M. diplotricha BP (DCMMBP) had the highest PPLI activities with an IC₅₀ value of 458.5 ± 13.4 and 500.8 ± 24.8 µg/mL, respectively), while no crude extract showed any marked AChEI activity. Here, the in vitro PPLI activity was focused on. Unlike C. sinensis L. BP, there has been no previous report of M. diplotricha BP having PPLI activity. Hence, DCMMBP was further fractionated by silica gel 60 column chromatography, pooling fractions with the same thin layer chromatography profile. The pooled fraction of DCMMBP2-1 was found to be the most active (IC₅₀ of 52.6 ± 3.5 µg/mL), while nuclear magnetic resonance analysis revealed the presence of unsaturated free fatty acids. Gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection analysis revealed the major fatty acids included one saturated acid (palmitic acid) and two polyunsaturated acids (linoleic and linolenic acids). In contrast, the pooled fraction of DCMMBP2-2 was inactive but pure, and was identified as naringenin, which has previously been reported to be present in M. pigra L. Thus, it can be concluded that naringenin was compound marker for Mimosa BP. The fatty acids in BP are nutritional and pose potent PPLI activity.

Cassia fistula Leaves; UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS Based Metabolite Profiling and Molecular Docking Insights to Explore Bioactives Role Towards Inhibition of Pancreatic Lipase

The present work was aimed at investigating hydroethanolic leaf extracts of Cassia fistula for their antioxidant and pancreatic lipase (PL) enzyme inhibitory properties. The most active extract was selected to profile the phytoconstituents by UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS technique. Among the tested extracts, the 80% hydroethanolic extract exhibited the maximum levels of total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC) with a contribution of 201.3 ± 2.6 mg of gallic acid equivalent per gram of extract (GAE/g extract), and 116.3 ± 2.4 mg of rutin equivalent per gram of extract (RE/g extract), respectively. The same extract also showed promising 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and PL inhibitory activity with an IC₅₀ (half maximal inhibitory concentration) of 30.5 ± 2.8 µg/mL and 17.31 ± 1.18 μg/mL, respectively. The phytochemical profiling of 80% hydroethanolic extract confirmed the presence of 23 metabolites of immense medicinal significance. Docking studies were conducted to investigate the potential interactions of compounds identified in the study. The docking study-based binding energy data and the interaction scheme both revealed the possible role of the identified compounds towards PL inhibitor. Moreover, energies of frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), ionization potentials (IP), electron affinities (EA) and molecular electrostatic potentials (MEP) were also explored. The findings of the current work suggest that C. fistula is a promising natural source of antioxidant and antiobesity agents, which may be exploited to add pharmacological functionalities to food.

Anticancer, Free Radicals, and Digestive Enzyme Inhibitory Activities of Rubus sanctus Schreb Root Four Solvent Fractions

BACKGROUND

Humankind used herbal products as a source of medicines since they understood their therapeutic benefits from ancient times. Therefore, the current research aimed to determine the anticancer, antioxidant, and metabolic enzyme inhibitory activities of Rubus sanctus (RS) root four solvent fractions for the first time.

METHODS

The antioxidant, antilipase, and anti-α-amylase potentials of (RS) four solvent fractions were evaluated using standard biomedical assays. Moreover, the DNA cell cycle of liver cancer was assessed using a propidium iodide (PI) assay. At the same time, the apoptosis activity was estimated utilizing flow the cytometry method.

RESULTS

The methanol and acetone (RS) fractions showed the highest antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 0.078 ± 0.22 and 0.67 ± 0.25 μg/ml, respectively, compared with Trolox, which has an antioxidant IC50 value of 2.039 ± 0.52 μg/ml. Moreover, the methanol (RS) fraction has the highest anti-α-amylase activity with an IC50 value of 20.12 ± 0.34 μg/ml compared with acarbose, which has an IC50 value of 6.565 ± 0.3 μg/ml. Also, the acetone (RS) fraction revealed the highest antilipase activity with an IC50 value of 6.03 ± 1.23 μg/ml compared with the positive control orlistat which has an IC50 value of 0.39 ± 0.45 μg/ml. The aqueous, methanol, acetone, and hexane fractions of the (RS) roots decreased the secretion of the α-fetoprotein in the liver cancer cells. The acetone fraction was the most potent α-fetoprotein inhibitor with an average of 237 ± 12.5% compared with the average of the untreated cells, which was 4066.6 ± 202%. The hexane fraction was the most effective in diminishing apoptosis with an average of 14.5 ± 1.6%, compared with 49% ± 2 untreated cells' average. In inhibiting cell cycle progression, it was recognized that methanol fraction seems to be the most powerful amplifier of the (RS) effect, as it increased the proportion of the cells with an average of 24.5 ± 2.2%, compared with 7.4 ± 1.8% in the doxorubicin (DOX). Data indicated a decrease in cell proliferation rate by prolonging the G2-M phase and thus slowing cancer progression. Our results suggest that (RS) roots four solvent fractions have potential anticancer activity.

CONCLUSION

The (RS) roots four solvent fractions have potential anticancer, antioxidant, antilipase, and α-amylase inhibitory activities. It could be a promising source for applications in the functional food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries.

Comparative lipid and uric acid suppressing properties of four common herbs in high fat-induced obese mice with their total phenolic and flavonoid index

Our present study was designed to investigate the comparative anti-obesity efficacy of ethanolic extract of Azadirachta indica A. Juss., Trigonella foenum-graecum L., Allium sativum L. and Zingiber officinale Roscoe in high fat-induced mice with their total phenolic and flavonoid profile. Total phenolic and flavonoid content were determined by Folin–Ciocalteu's and Aluminium chloride UV method respectively. In our study, 55 healthy mice were separated into 11 groups to take their respective treatments. Lipid and uric acid profile were estimated by using the enzymatic colourimetric method. Ethanolic extract of A. indica contained the highest phenolic and flavonoid content. A. indica normal and high fat diet group showed reduced weight gaining tendency than other extract groups. A. indica at a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight significantly (p < 0.001) reduced serum cholesterol (SC), triglyceride (TG), and uric acid (UA) level than other three extracts when compared with the control group. Thus, a considerable correlation was found between serum uric acid reducing potentials of the present experimental extracts with a lipid-lowering profile. Pathological examination revealed that the average weight of liver and kidney were significantly decreased in A. indica normal. Results obtained from the present study it can be concluded that ethanolic extract of A. indica possesses better lipid-lowering efficacy than the other three herbs.

•

Ethanolic extract of A. indica contained the highest phenolic and flavonoid content.

•

A. indica significant reduced the serum TC, TG, and UA level than other three extracts when compared with the control group.

•

The average weight of liver and kidney were significantly decreased in A. indica.

•

A. indica possesses better lipid-lowering efficacy than the other three herbs.

Pharmacological and Antioxidant Activities of Rhus coriaria L. (Sumac)

Rhus coriaria L. (Anacardiaceae), commonly known as sumac, is a commonly used spice, condiment, and flavoring agent, especially in the Mediterranean region. Owing to its bountiful beneficial values, sumac has been used in traditional medicine for the management and treatment of many ailments including hemorrhoids, wound healing, diarrhea, ulcer, and eye inflammation. This plant is rich in various classes of phytochemicals including flavonoids, tannins, polyphenolic compounds, organic acids, and many others. By virtue of its bioactive, Rhus coriaria possesses powerful antioxidant capacities that have ameliorative and therapeutic benefits for many common diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. This review describes the phytochemical properties of R. coriaria and then focuses on the potent antioxidant capacities of sumac. We then dissect the cellular and molecular mechanisms of sumac’s action in modulating many pathophysiological instigators. We show how accumulating evidence supports the antibacterial, antinociceptive, antidiabetic, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and anticancer effects of this plant, especially that toxicity studies show that sumac is very safe to consume by humans and has little toxicity. Taken together, the findings we summarize here support the utilization of this plant as an attractive target for drug discovery.

Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) roxb. (Bahera) in health and disease: A systematic and comprehensive review

BACKGROUND

Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb. is one of the oldest medicinal herbs of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka as well as South-East Asia. Its medicinal utility has been described in the different traditional medicinal systems, such as Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and traditional Chinese medicine.

PURPOSE

The present study is aimed at providing a comprehensive overview on the traditional medicinal use, major phytoconstituents, biological and pharmacological activities and related mechanisms of actions and clinical studies of T. bellirica. Another objective is to describe current limitations and future direction of T. bellirica-related research.

METHODS

PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and EBOSCO host databases were selected to explore literature published between 1980 and 2020 (till March). Keywords used in various combinations comprised of Terminalia bellirica, phytoconstituents, health effects, pharmacological activities, molecular targets, in vitro, in vivo, clinical studies, and disease prevention.

RESULTS

A broad spectrum in vitro and in vivo studies suggested various biological and pharmacological effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, renoprotective, antidiabetic, anti-hyperlipidemic, and anticancer activities. Diverse bioactivities of T. bellirica have been ascribed to the presence of many bioactive phytochemicals, such as glucoside, tannins, gallic acid, corilagin, ellagic acid, ethyl gallate, galloyl glucose, chebulagic acid, and arjunolic acid.

CONCLUSION

Preclinical and clinical studies have suggested that T. bellirica plant and its phytoconstituents have immense potential for prevention and treatment of various diseases. Additional in vivo studies and clinical trials are warranted to realize the complete medicinal attributes of this plant.

The Pharmacological Activity of Camellia sinensis (‎L.‎) ‎Kuntze‎ on Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders: A Systematic Review

Tea made from Camellia sinensis leaves is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide. This systematic review aims to update Camellia sinensis pharmacological activity on metabolic and endocrine disorders. Inclusion criteria were preclinical and clinical studies of tea extracts and isolated compounds on osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity written in English between 2014 and 2019 and published in Pubmed, Science Direct, and Scopus. From a total of 1384 studies, 80 reports met inclusion criteria. Most papers were published in 2015 (29.3%) and 2017 (20.6%), conducted in China (28.75%), US (12.5%), and South Korea (10%) and carried out with extracts (67.5%, especially green tea) and isolated compounds (41.25%, especially epigallocatechin gallate). Most pharmacological studies were in vitro and in vivo studies focused on diabetes and obesity. Clinical trials, although they have demonstrated promising results, are very limited. Future research should be aimed at providing more clinical evidence on less studied pathologies such as osteoporosis, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. Given the close relationship among all endocrine disorders, it would be of interest to find a standard dose of tea or their bioactive constituents that would be beneficial for all of them.

Phytopharmacological Strategies in the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disease which corresponds to 90% of the worldwide cases of diabetes, mainly due to epigenetic factors such as unhealthy lifestyles. First line therapeutic approaches are based on lifestyle changes, most of the time complemented with medication mostly associated with several side effects and high costs. As a result, the scientific community is constantly working for the discovery and development of natural therapeutic strategies that provide lower financial impact and minimize side effects. This review focus on these nature-based therapeutic strategies for prevention and control of T2DM, with a special emphasis on natural compounds that present pharmacological activity as dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4), alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase, lipase, and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitors.

Downy Lavender Oil: A Promising Source of Antimicrobial, Antiobesity, and Anti-Alzheimer's Disease Agents

Lavandula pubescens Decne (LP) is one of the three Lavandula species growing wildly in the Dead Sea Valley, Palestine. The products derived from the plant, including the essential oil (EO), have been used in Traditional Arabic Palestinian Herbal Medicine (TAPHM) for centuries as therapeutic agents. The EO is traditionally believed to have sedative, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antidepressive, antiamnesia, and antiobesity properties. This study was therefore aimed to assess the in vitro bioactivities associated with the LP EO. The EO was separated by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of LP plants and analyzed for its antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticholinesterase, and antilipase activities. GC-MS was used for phytochemical analysis. The chemical analysis of the EO composition revealed 25 constituents, of which carvacrol (65.27%) was the most abundant. EO exhibited strong antioxidant (IC₅₀ 0.16–0.18 μL/mL), antiacetylcholinesterase (IC₅₀ 0.9 μL/mL), antibutyrylcholinesterase (IC₅₀ 6.82 μL/mL), and antilipase (IC₅₀ 1.08 μL/mL) effects. The EO also demonstrated high antibacterial activity with the highest susceptibility observed for Staphylococcus aureus with 95.7% inhibition. The EO was shown to exhibit strong inhibitory activity against Candida albicans (MIC 0.47 μL/mL). The EO was also shown to possess strong antidermatophyte activity against Microsporum canis, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Epidermophyton floccosum (EC₅₀ 0.05–0.06 μL/mL). The high antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, and antimicrobial potentials of the EO can, therefore, be correlated with its high content of monoterpenes, especially carvacrol, as shown by its comparable bioactivities indicators results. This study provided new insights into the composition and bioactivities of LP EO. Our finding revealed evidence that LP EO makes a valuable natural source of bioactive molecules showing substantial potential as antioxidant, neuroprotective, antihyperlipidemic, and antimicrobial agents. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that LP EO might be useful for further investigation aiming at integrative CAM and clinical applications in the management of dermatophytosis, Alzheimer's disease, and obesity.

Seeds

A wide variety of plant species provide edible seeds. Seeds are the dominant source of human calories and protein. The most important and popular seed food sources are cereals, followed by legumes and nuts. Their nutritional content of fiber, protein, and monounsaturated/polyunsaturated fats make them extremely nutritious. They are important additions to our daily food consumption. When consumed as part of a healthy diet, seeds can help reduce blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure.

Biological Properties and Bioactive Components of Mentha spicata L. Essential Oil: Focus on Potential Benefits in the Treatment of Obesity, Alzheimer's Disease, Dermatophytosis, and Drug-Resistant Infections

In the present study, the medicinal aromatic plant Mentha spicata has been investigated as a source of essential oil (EO) and pharmaceuticals. The quantity and composition of EO from M. spicata cultivated in Palestine were analyzed seasonally over a three-year period. A significantly higher EO content was produced in summer and fall months (2.54–2.79%). Chemical analysis of EO revealed 31 compounds with oxygenated monoterpenes (90%) as the most abundant components followed by sesquiterpene and monoterpene hydrocarbons (6 and 3%, respectively). M spicata can be characterized as a carvone chemotype (65%). EO and carvone have shown strong inhibitory activities against the principal enzymes associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and overweight diseases (cholinesterase and porcine pancreatic lipase) and also shown strong antidermatophytic activity against Microsporum canis, Trichophyton rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, and Epidermophyton floccosum. The pancreatic lipase inhibition and the synergism showed the potential activity of M. spicata EO and carvone and that their combinations with standard drugs can be useful for the treatment of obesity and overweight. The results also demonstrated that, in addition to their significant inhibitory activity against biofilm formation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), M. spicata EO and carvone had a strong inhibitory effect on metabolic activity and biomass of the preformed biofilm. The current study supports the utilization of M. spicata EO as a traditional medicine and opens perceptions to find more potent substances in the EO for the management of obesity, AD, and dermatophytosis and for combating drug-resistant bacterial infections.