Hepatoprotective effect of nanoniosome loaded Myristica fragrans phenolic compounds in mice-induced hepatotoxicity

In this study, nanoniosome‐loaded Myristica fragrans' (MF) phenolic compounds (NLMP) were synthesized and characterized for their physical properties, and hepatoprotective effects on mice with liver toxicity induced by L‐asparaginase (LA) injection. According to the results, NLMP has a spherical shape with a 263 nm diameter, a zeta potential of −26.55 mV and a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.192. The weight and feed intake of mice induced with hepatotoxicity were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased after they were treated with NLMP (2.5 mg/kg body weight of mice). In addition, the blood levels of triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (Chol), liver enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP)) and total bilirubin were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased. A significant increase (p ≤ 0.05) in the blood levels of the antioxidant defence system (glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)) were also reported after NLMP treatment. NLMP was also led to a significant decrease (p ≤ 0.05) in inflammatory‐related gene expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and Interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) in the liver, as well as a meaningful (p ≤ 0.05) increase in the expression of SOD as an antioxidant status biomarker. Consequently, the NLMP is recommended as a potential dietary supplement to alleviate the symptoms of LA‐induced hepatotoxicity.

Salicylic Glycosides in Salix mucronata with Antioxidant and Antiinflammatory Activities

The leaves of Salix mucronata (safsaf willow), widely distributed along the Nile River in Egypt, is used in traditional medicine. This prompted us to examine the bioactive components in its leaves using in-vitro antioxidant and antiinflammatory assays. Bioassay-guided purification of the methanolic extract afforded six known phenolic compounds (1-6). Hexane extract did not contain bioactive compounds except chlorophyll. Pure isolates 1-3 and 6 inhibited lipid peroxidation (LPO) by 56-86% at 5 μg/mL and cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX-1 and -2) by 22-75% at 25 μg/mL. This is the first report on the bioassay-guided characterization of constituents in S. mucronata leaves. Our results support the anecdotal medicinal claims of safsaf leaves.