Hepatoprotective role of Abelmoschus esculentus (Linn.) Moench., on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury

A Review: Pharmacological Activity and Phytochemical Profile of Abelmoschus esculentus (2010-2022)

Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench (okra) which belongs to the family Malvaceae is a commonly consumed vegetable that consists of the seed component which is rich in polyphenolic compounds. The aim of this study is to highlight the chemical and biological diversity of A. esculentus. This plant contains many vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates in addition to flavonoids, terpenes, phenolic compounds and sterols. These variations in the chemical composition resulted in different therapeutic activities including antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, wound healing, hepatoprotective, immunomodulator, neuroprotective, and gastroprotective activities in addition to cardioprotective activity.

Effects of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) on inflammatory mediators: A systematic review of preclinical studies

Objective: Present study aimed to systematically review the available investigations about the effects of okra on important inflammatory mediators including C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis...

Protective Effect of Red Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) Pods against Sodium Nitrite-Induced Liver Injury in Mice

Vegetables, drinking water, and preserved meats may contain sodium nitrite (NaNO2), which causes liver disease by inducing oxidative stress. Phytochemicals are highly recommended as an alternative to synthetic drugs and affordable medicines to treat liver disease because they have fewer or no side effects. Therefore, this study aims to determine the antioxidant and hepatoprotective potential of red okra fruit ethanol extract against NaNO2-induced liver damage. Thirty-six male mice were separated into six groups. The normal control group (WA) was given distilled water only, and the NaNO2 (SN) group was given only 50 mg/kg BW NaNO2. The other four groups (P1, P2, P3, and P4) were given NaNO2 and red okra ethanol extract at doses of 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg/kg BW, respectively. Gavage was administered orally for 21 consecutive days. Commercial kits define all biochemical parameters according to the manufacturer's instructions. Liver tissue staining followed standard protocols using hematoxylin and eosin. The study revealed that NaNO2 induction causes oxidative stress and damages the liver. The activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) significantly increased in the groups treated (P2-P4) with ethanol extract of red okra (p < 0.05). Besides, the oxidants (malondialdehyde, F2-isoprostanes, and nitric oxide) in the liver homogenate significantly decreased in the P4 group, which were given red okra ethanol extract (p < 0.05). Likewise, red okra pods decreased significantly for the serum biochemical parameters of liver damage (aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and alanine aminotransferase) in the P3 and P4 groups (p < 0.05). Then, it led to a restoration of the histological structure compared to exposed mice (SN), as the pathological scores decreased significantly in the P3 and P4 groups (p < 0.05), as well as the number of the necrotic and swollen liver cells was reduced. Hepatocytes returned to normal. The results showed that the ethanol extract of red okra fruit could be helpful as an affordable medicine. It is an antioxidant and hepatoprotective agent to protect the liver from damage caused by NaNO2.

Anti-demodectic effects of okra eyelid patch in Demodex blepharitis compared with tea tree oil

Demodex infection gradually develops to Demodex blepharitis, which is characterized as chronic inflammation of the eyelid and meibomian gland (MG) and ultimately leads to MG dysfunction. In the present prospective study, the anti-demodectic effects of an okra eyelid patch in patients Demodex blepharitis were investigated. A total of 52 patients with Demodex blepharitis with ocular discomfort were recruited. Patients were randomized to receive either an okra eyelid patch treatment (treatment group, n=27) or tea tree oil (TTO) eye care patch treatment (control group, n=25) for three months. The Demodex count, the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) score, MG expressibility (MGE) and meibum quality, Schirmer I test (SIT), tear break-up time (TBUT) and corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) were determined prior to treatment and after 1 and 3 months of treatment. Changes in the parameters were compared between the treatment group and control group after 1 and 3 months of treatment. The average survival time in the okra group was 115.25±11.87 min, which was significantly lower compared with the average ST of 378.75±37.94 min in the blank group (P<0.01). After 3 months of okra eyelid patch treatment, the Demodex count was significantly reduced from 10.15±4.53 to 1.30±1.41 (P<0.01) and the OSDI score of the patients was reduced by 16.84±10.17 (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the Demodex count (P=0.716) and OSDI (P=0.873) between the treatment and control groups. The rate of complete Demodex eradication in the treatment group (11/27, 40.74%) was slightly lower than that in the control group (12/25, 48%), but there was no significant difference between the two groups (χ2=0.277, P=0.598). Regarding the other ocular parameters, no significant difference was observed in the TBUT, meibum quality and MGE between the two groups (P<0.05). TTO group has a significantly improvement compared with Okra group in terms of SIT (P=0.035) and CFS (P=0.023). In conclusion, okra eyelid patch treatment is able to significantly eradicate ocular Demodex as well as markedly alleviate ocular symptoms. Due to causing less irritation than TTO, the okra eyelid patch may be more suitable for sensitive patients with Demodex blepharitis, such as the elderly and children. The study was registered as a clinical trial in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) in November 2018 (registration no. ChiCTR-1,800,019,466).

Potential of Aucklandia Lappa Decne Ethanolic Extract to Trigger Apoptosis of Human T47D and Hela Cells

Breast and cervical cancers are global health concerns and major cause of deaths among women. Current treatments such as chemotherapy are associated with several drawbacks that limit their effectiveness. Several anticancer remedies have been found with natural products in the past and the search continues for more examples. Cytotoxic natural compounds may have considerable benefits for cancer therapy either in potentiating the impact of chemotherapy or curtailment of harmful effects. Therefore, discovery and identification of new drugs for breast and cervical cancer treatment are of high priority. The present study addressed the potential role of the ALD (Aucklandia lappa Decne) in suppressing proliferation of T-47D, HeLa and HEp-2 cells in comparison with the non-cancer HCC1937 BL cell line. Treatment with an ALD extract of T-47D, HeLa, and HEp-2 cells resulted in reduction in cell viability in MMT assays. Furthermore, lyophilized ALD principally suppressed cancer cell line growth and proliferation through induction of either intrinsic or extrinsic apoptotic pathways as demonstrated by significantly suppressed release of LDH, and NO production in a dose-dependent manner, and activation of death receptors in T-47D and HeLa cells but not the HEp-2 cell line. Interestingly, lyophilized ALD significantly (p<0.005) repressed the growth of HEp-2 and T-47D cells after treatment for 48hrs while 24hrs treatment significantly suppressed T-47D and HeLa cells. We report for the first time that lyophilized ALD selectively influences apoptosis through alternative apoptotic pathways in both breast and cervical human cancer cells.

Effect of Olea oleaster and Juniperus procera leaves extracts on thioacetamide induced hepatic cirrhosis in male albino mice

The effect of Olea oleaster and Juniperus procera leaves extracts and their combination on thioacetamide (TAA)-induced hepatic cirrhosis were investigated in male albino mice. One hundred sixty mice were used in this study and were randomly distributed into eight groups of 20 each. Mice of group 1 served as controls. Mice of group 2 were treated with TAA. Mice of group 3 were exposed to TAA and supplemented with O. oleaster leaves extracts. Mice of group 4 were treated with TAA and supplemented with J. procera leaves extracts. Mice of group 5 were subjected to TAA and supplemented with O. oleaster and J. procera leaves extracts. Mice of groups 6, 7 and 8 were supplemented with O. oleaster, J. procera, and O. oleaster and J. procera leaves extracts respectively. Administration of TAA for six and twelve weeks resulted in a decline in body weight gain and increased the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin. Histopathological evaluations of hepatic sections from mice treated with TAA showed severe alterations including increase of fibrogenesis processes with structural damage. Treatment of mice with these extracts showed a pronounced attenuation in TAA induced hepatic cirrhosis associated with physiological and histopathological alterations. Finally, this study suggests that the supplementation of these extracts may act as antioxidant agents and could be an excellent adjuvant support in the therapy of hepatic cirrhosis.