Effect of Salvia officinalis and S. sclarea on rats with a high-fat hypercaloric diet

Effect of Bidens tripartita leaf supplementation on the organism of rats fed a hypercaloric diet high in fat and fructose

Herbs play an important role in folk medicine, and scientific research has confirmed the properties of their use as an alternative treatment, including the treatment and mild correction of metabolic disorders during disease. Trifid bur-marigold (Bidens tripartita) is a pharmacopoeial herbal raw material that is widely used in clinical practice as an external remedy for skin lesions and as an internal remedy for digestive and respiratory disorders. In this work, the general effect of dried leaves of B. tripartita on physiological activity and metabolic processes in model animals on a high-calorie diet was determined. For the experiment, three groups of 18 male white laboratory rats were formed and fed a hypercaloric diet (increased fat content and 20% fructose solution instead of water) for 27 days, in addition to 0.4% and 4.0% dried leaves of B. tripartita. The consumption of 0.4% and 4.0% of the medicinal plant resulted in a significant delay in the body weight gain and the average daily weight gain of the rats compared to the control group. Dried leaves of B. tripartita in the diet of rats decreased the relative weight of the thymus and increased the relative weight of the brain, and at a dose of 4.0%, increased the relative weight of the lungs and individual large intestines (cecum and colon). Dietary supplementation with B. tripartita caused an increase in globulin concentration and changes in protein coefficient. Blood parameters such as: urea, urea nitrogen, inorganic phosphorus, glucose and bilirubin levels changed depending on the dose. In the general blood test, consumption of dried leaves of B. tripartita caused a decrease in hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration and platelet count, but increased the number of eosinophils. Bidens tripartita at both concentrations significantly increased ALT activity with a corresponding change in the blood De Ritis ratio. The addition of 20 g of B. tripartita leaves to the diet increased alkaline phosphatase activity and decreased alpha-amylase activity, while 200 g increased blood gamma-glutamyltransferase activity. At the end of the experiment, the rats' orientation activity, determined in the open field, changed according to the herb dose consumed: 0.4% leaves caused an increase and 4.0% a decrease. Physical activity was reduced and emotional state increased, regardless of the dose of dried B. tripartita leaves, compared to the control group of animals. The results obtained show that the addition of B. tripartita dried leaves as a dietary supplement to a high-calorie diet is safe, does not cause pathological changes or side effects, and has a significant effect on metabolic processes. This provides theoretical support for the use of B. tripartita dried leaves in the manufacture of nutraceutical and pharmacological products for the correction of metabolic disorders in humans and animals. The doses and duration of their application require further studies.

An Update on Recent Studies Focusing on the Antioxidant Properties of Salvia Species

Nutrition has crucial effects and a significant role in disease prevention. Recently, nutraceuticals have attracted much attention in scientific research due to their pleiotropic effects and relatively non-toxic behavior. Among the biological effects displayed by plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family, such as antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and anticholinesterase, sage is well known for its antioxidant properties and is a rich source of numerous compounds that are biologically active, amongst them polyphenols, with more than 160 types identified. In this review we summarized some of the significant studies published in the last decade reporting the most employed extraction methods and the different assays that are useful for establishing the antioxidant properties of some sage species. Even though the scientific literature contains plenty of data regarding the antioxidant properties of many sage species, further studies are needed in order to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanism of action and the compounds responsible for their antioxidant activity. Finally, it should be taken into account that the data on the antioxidant properties of sage extracts are often difficult to compare with each other, since a series of variables in the extraction procedures, the type of assay used, and standardization may affect the final result.

Synthesis of Aminoalkyl Sclareolide Derivatives and Antifungal Activity Studies

Sclareolide was developed as an efficient C-nucleophilic reagent for an asymmetric Mannich addition reaction with a series of N-tert-butylsulfinyl aldimines. The Mannich reaction was carried out under mild conditions, affording the corresponding aminoalkyl sclareolide derivatives with up to 98% yield and 98:2:0:0 diastereoselectivity. Furthermore, the reaction could be performed on a gram scale without any reduction in yield and diastereoselectivity. Additionally, deprotection of the obtained Mannich addition products to give the target sclareolide derivatives bearing a free N-H group was demonstrated. In addition, target compounds 4-6 were subjected to an antifungal assay in vitro, which showed considerable antifungal activity against forest pathogenic fungi.

Effects of Origanum vulgare and Scutellaria baicalensis on the Physiological Activity and Biochemical Parameters of the Blood in Rats on a High-Fat Diet

The pharmacological effects of medicinal plants play a primary role in the mild correction of body weight in humans and animals, reducing the accumulation of fat in their bodies during a state of obesity. Origanum vulgare L. and Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi are widely used as food additives and medicinal plants, but their comprehensive physiological evaluation in model animals in a state of obesity has not been carried out. In a 30-day laboratory experiment on male rats which had developed obesity through a hypercaloric diet, the effects of adding the dry crushed grass O. vulgare or dry crushed roots of S. baicalensis to their feed was evaluated. During the experiment, the rats fed with O. vulgare increased in body weight to only 105.5% of their initial weight, while the body weight of the control group increased to 111.5%, and that of animals fed on S. baicalensis increased to 124.0% of their initial body weight. The average daily increase in the rats’ body weight when O. vulgare was added to their diet decreased to 205 mg/day, and when S. baicalensis was added, on the contrary, it increased to 1417 mg/day, compared to 700 mg/day among the control group. Under the influence of O. vulgare, the lipid metabolism of the rats normalized: the atherogenic index decreased to 33.7%, compared with the values of the control group, due to an increase in the concentration of high-density lipoproteins from cholesterol. The concentration of triglycerides decreased, and the concentration of glucose decreased. The roots of S. baicalensis being added into the diet of rats increased the activity of alkaline phosphatase and decreased the concentration of urea. The atherogenic index also decreased (by up to 35.5% in the control group) and the concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased, while the concentrations of triglycerides and glucose decreased. The physical activity of the rats showed a slight tendency to decrease when both O. vulgare and S. baicalensis were added to their diet. Both plant species contributed to a decrease in the emotional status of animals, which was most pronounced when the O. vulgare grass was added to the feed. The results of the study demonstrate the potential of the use of O. vulgare and S. baicalensis as herbal supplementations for the correction of hyperlipidemia and type-2 diabetes mellitus in overweight patients.