Improving health benefits with considering traditional and modern health benefits of Peganum harmala

Background

Medicinal plants are potential source of natural products that play an important role in preventing different human diseases. P. harmala is used traditionally as emmenagogue and an abortifacient agent in the Middle East, North of Africa and West of China. It belongs to the family of Zygophyllaceae and it is a wild growing flowering plant. Its seeds are main medicinal part of the plant.

Methods

The current searching was done by the keywords in main indexing systems including PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Institute for Scientific Information Web of Science as well as the search engine of Google Scholar. The keywords were wild rue, traditional medicine, Harman, health benefits, and pharmaceutical science.

Results

The most important uses of P. harmala in traditional pharmaceutical sciences are in cardiovascular, gasterointestinal, nervous, endocrine, neoplasm and tumors, pain relieving, organisms, diabetes, respiratory, disinfectant, anti-pyretic, skin and hair, rheumatism, arthritis and inflammation, and ulcers. Pharmacological effects of P. harmala are in cardiovascular system, nervous system, antimicrobial effects, antineoplasm, nervous system, endocrine, gastrointestinal effects, osteocytes, endocrine and respiratory system. Phenolic compounds are the main reason of antioxidant capacity.

Conclusions

Due to its pharmacological activities, P. harmala is a high potential medicinal herb and the suggestion is to increases by doing research in efficacy and safety.

Natural products of Alternaria sp., an endophytic fungus isolated from Salvadora persica from Saudi Arabia

This study is to evaluate the potential of endophytic fungi of Salvadora persica for the production of bioactive compounds against pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Forty-two fungal isolates were obtained from 135 young and old stem and 125 root segments. Those 42 isolates representing ten fungi include: Trichoderma sp. (the most common), two species of Alternaria, Rhizopus arrhizus and 6 sterile mycelia. The ten fungi were grown in liquid culture and their crude extracts were tested against pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Nine crude extracts gave positive reactions against pathogenic bacteria of which Alternaria sp. (A8) was chosen further study. The fungal isolate was growing as sterile mycelium and was identified by phylogenetic analyses based on LSU rDNA sequence data and it might represent undescribed species of Alternaria. Sixty-two bioactive chemical compounds were identified from the ethyl acetate crude extracts of Alternaria sp., of which the following were recorded as major compounds in the active sub-fractions. These compounds showed strong antibacterial activity in combination.

A review on traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and toxicology of the genus Peganum

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The plants of the genus Peganum have a long history as a Chinese traditional medicine for the treatment of cough, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, jaundice, colic, lumbago, and many other human ailments. Additionally, the plants can be used as an amulet against evil-eye, dye and so on, which have become increasingly popular in Asia, Iran, Northwest India, and North Africa.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

The present paper reviewed the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, analytical methods, biological activities, metabolism, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, and drug interaction of the genus Peganum in order to assess the ethnopharmacological use and to explore therapeutic potentials and future opportunities for research.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Information on studies of the genus Peganum was gathered via the Internet (using Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, Elsevier, ACS, Pudmed, Web of Science, CNKI and EMBASE) and libraries. Additionally, information was also obtained from some local books, PhD and MS's dissertations.

RESULTS

The genus Peganum has played an important role in traditional Chinese medicine. The main bioactive metabolites of the genus include alkaloids, flavonoids, volatile oils, etc. Scientific studies on extracts and formulations revealed a wide range of pharmacological activities, such as cholinesterase and monoamine oxidase inhibitory activities, antitumor, anti-hypertension, anticoagulant, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, insecticidal, antiparasidal, anti-leishmaniasis, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on this review, there is some evidence for extracts' pharmacological effects on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, cancer, diabetes, hypertension. Some indications from ethnomedicine have been confirmed by pharmacological effects, such as the cholinesterase, monoamine oxidase and DNA topoisomerase inhibitory activities, hypoglycemic and vasodilation effects of this genus. The available literature showed that most of the activities of the genus Peganum can be attributed to the active alkaloids. Data regarding many aspects of the genus such as mechanisms of actions, metabolism, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, potential drug interactions with standard-of-care medications is still limited which call for additional studies particularly in humans. Further assessments and clinical trials should be performed before it can be integrated into medicinal practices.