The Effects of Aloe Vera on TNF-a Levels, the Percentage of Nk Cells and Th 17 Cells in Rat That Received Izoniazid and Rifampycin

The Activity of Purple Sweet Potato Extract on Antituberculosis-Induced Liver Toxicity

BACKGROUND: The proportion of antituberculosis-induced liver injury on tuberculosis patients showed a relatively high incidence in many countries. Hepatic damage induced by antituberculosis drugs might potentially fatal. Isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF) are two main components of antituberculosis with crucial role for the incidence of liver injury. One of the herbal remedies that pose hepatoprotective action is purple sweet potato. Hepatoprotective action of purple sweet potato extract has been proved to pose antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. AIM: This study was designed to analyze the effect of purple sweet potato extract on rat interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α _(TNF-α) level, as well as liver histopathology feature in hepatic injury induced by INH-RIF. METHODS: This study was a randomized posttest-only control group design. Male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus), age 8–12 weeks, weight 180–220 g were included in this research (divided into three groups). Purple sweet potato extract was produced by maceration technique. IL-6 and TNF-α _level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, whereas liver histopathology examination was performed with hematoxylin and eosin staining. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA and post hoc test. RESULTS: Liver IL-6 level in the normal, control, and treatment groups was 2.272±0.473, 3.315 ± 0.536, and 2.548 ± 0.304, respectively (p < 0.001). Liver TNF-α _level in the normal, control, and treatment groups was 26.476 ± 1.681, 48.584 ± 1.359, and 32.547 ± 1.528, respectively (p < 0.05). Histopathology feature of the liver in the control group showed significant liver congestion, liver degeneration, liver necrosis, and infiltration of inflammatory cell. Otherwise, histopathology feature of the liver in the treatment group showed minimal lesion. CONCLUSIONS: Purple sweet potato ethanol extract lowered the liver concentration of IL-6 and TNF-α, as well as improving liver damage in Wistar rats induced with isoniazid and rifampicin.

Pharmacological Update Properties of Aloe Vera and its Major Active Constituents

Aloe vera has been traditionally used to treat skin injuries (burns, cuts, insect bites, and eczemas) and digestive problems because its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and wound healing properties. Research on this medicinal plant has been aimed at validating traditional uses and deepening the mechanism of action, identifying the compounds responsible for these activities. The most investigated active compounds are aloe-emodin, aloin, aloesin, emodin, and acemannan. Likewise, new actions have been investigated for Aloe vera and its active compounds. This review provides an overview of current pharmacological studies (in vitro, in vivo, and clinical trials), written in English during the last six years (2014–2019). In particular, new pharmacological data research has shown that most studies refer to anti-cancer action, skin and digestive protective activity, and antimicrobial properties. Most recent works are in vitro and in vivo. Clinical trials have been conducted just with Aloe vera, but not with isolated compounds; therefore, it would be interesting to study the clinical effect of relevant metabolites in different human conditions and pathologies. The promising results of these studies in basic research encourage a greater number of clinical trials to test the clinical application of Aloe vera and its main compounds, particularly on bone protection, cancer, and diabetes.

Evaluating the Effects of Chronic Administration of Natural Honey on the Development of Dependence on Morphine in the Male Rats

Background: According to the previous studies, the exact mechanism of dependence on opioids and withdrawal syndrome has not been fully understood but one of the most important mechanisms is the increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines in CNS. On the other way, previous studies showed that natural honey (NHO) has anti-inflammatory properties. This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of chronic administration of natural honey on the development of morphine dependence in male rats. Methods: Honey was prepared from Tarom Oliya region in Zanjan province. Experiments were performed on male Wistar rats weighing 225-275 g, randomly divided into 6 groups (n=8). The study groups included morphine group, the three doses of morphine plus honey group (at doses of 200,400 and 800 mg/kg, i.p.), the morphine plus vehicle group, and the saline group. The subcutaneous injections of additive doses of morphine were used for 9 days to create morphine dependency. On the 9th day, one hour after the morning dose of morphine, naloxone (4 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected, and symptoms of withdrawal syndrome were assessed for 60 minutes. Then, blood samples were taken to measure TNF-α. One-way ANOVA and Tukey tests were used to compare the results. P- Value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The results of this study showed that intraperitoneal injection of honey at 3 doses (200, 400 and 800 mg/kg with p <0.001) could significantly decrease the total score of the symptoms compared to the morphine-vehicle control group. Natural honey (NHO) could significantly decrease TNF-α at dose of 400 mg/kg. Conclusion: The results indicated that chronic administration of NHO had beneficial effects in reducing symptoms of morphine withdrawal syndrome, and this effect is probably due to the anti-inflammatory effect caused by the polyphenolic compounds in honey.<br />