A new labdane diterpenoid, in vitro and in silico cytotoxicity, and protease inhibitory effects of phytochemicals from Juniperus polycarposK. Koch leaves

Cytotoxicity-guided purification of Juniperus polycarpos K. Koch leaves (Cupressaceae) led to the isolation of a new labdane diterpenoid, 3-(acetyloxy)-acetylisocupressic acid (1), together with isocupressic acid (2), 3,4-dimethoxycinnamoyl alcohol (3) and deoxypodophyllotoxin (4). The chemical structures of 1-4 were established by detailed 1D and 2D NMR, HRFAB-MS and LRESI-MS, as well as by comparing the spectral data with those reported in the literature. Compound 1 was ineffective against HepG2 cells and protease enzyme, while 2 showed potent cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells (IC50 of 3.73 μg/mL) compared to cisplatin (IC50 of 12.65 μg/mL). Computational analyses with CDK1 protein (a prominent protein in the cell cycle of HepG2 cells) revealed the binding affinity of 2 (-31.86 kcal/mol) was better than 1 (-19.70 kcal/mol) because the acetoxy groups did not allow binding deeply to the ATP binding site. Compounds 2 and 4 moderately inhibited the protease activity (IC50 = 52.7 and 63.0 μg/mL, respectively). Further in vitro and in vivo studies on the plant are strongly recommended.

Effects of Salvia mirzayanii extract administration on hyperglycemia improvement in diabetic rats: The role of GLUT4, PEPCK and G6Pase genes

Diabetes is a dangerous metabolic disorder by increasing incidence in human societies worldwide. Recently, much attention has been focused on the development of hypoglycemic agents, particularly the derivatives of herbal drugs, in the treatment of diabetes. This research aimed to study the anti-diabetic effect of Salvia mirzayanii in the diabetic rat models. First, the plant material was extracted from the leaves, and orally administered to the rats. After treating the animals with the aqueous extract of S. mirzayanii at a dose of 600 mg/kg, animal body weight for 12 weeks, fasting blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and body weight changes were examined. To analyze the anti-diabetic function of S. mirzayanii, we measured the expression of glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and glucose 6-phosphatase (G6Pase) genes in healthy and streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats. The expression levels of the genes of interest in muscle and liver tissues were determined using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). There were no significant differences in fasting blood glucose and OGTT between normal control (NC) group and the diabetic control (DC) group treated with S. mirzayanii. In contrast, there was a significant difference with the untreated DC (P < 0.05). The treatment of diabetic rats with S. mirzayanii significantly increased the expression of GLUT4 in the muscle and decreased the expression levels of PEPCK and G6Pase in the liver compared to the DC group (P < 0.05). These findings clearly show that S. mirzayanii can improve hyperglycemia by increasing the GLUT4 expression, and inhibiting the gluconeogenesis pathway in the liver. In general, the obtained results provided a new insight into the efficacy of S. mirzayanii aqueous extract as an anti-diabetic herbal medicine.

Efficacy of Herbal Supplementation of Purslane Freeze-dried Juice for Weight Loss: An 8-Week Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial

Background:

Obesity is a condition that has been linked to several ailments. The current investigation is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical experiment to examine how Portulaca oleracea L. tablets affect hunger and Body Mass Index (BMI).

Methods:

A total of 70 healthy people aged 18 - 65 years old with a BMI >25.0 kg/m² were chosen for an 8-week study. They were randomized into two groups, herbal medicine and placebo. Anthropometry, laboratory tests, and appetite assessment by questionnaire were performed at baseline and the end of the study period. In the end, the data were analyzed.

Results:

There were significant differences in appetite and BMI (p<0.05) between the two groups after 8 weeks. No serious adverse events occurred in the two groups, and herbal medicine was well tolerated. Purslane juice was found to be well tolerated and could be effective in the reduction of appetite and BMI, either in obese or overweight individuals, following 8 weeks of intervention.

Conclusion:

The trial indicated the effectiveness of this extract on appetite and BMI. However, long-term investigations with larger populations are needed to determine the tolerability and permanent effectiveness of this natural medicament.

Improvement of Phenolic Compound Extraction by Using Ion Exchange Chromatography and Evaluation of Biological Activities of Polyphenol-enriched Fraction of Rosa canina Fruits

Background

Rosa canina has been traditionally known as a medicinal plant. Different applications of fruits (Rose hip) comprise the food, perfume, and cosmetic industries.

Objectives

This study aimed to prepare an enriched polyphenolic fraction from Rosa canina in addition to its biological activities.

Methods

Poly phenolic enriched fraction was prepared using Amberlite XAD-7 for removing unwanted components. Phenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins content analyses showed that they increased significantly compared to the extract. HPLC analysis showed that this fraction is a rich source of ascorbic acid.

Results

The results of the DPPH, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), ABTS, and nitric oxide assay confirmed that the antioxidant activities of the fraction had been increased compared to the extract. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay and cellular antioxidant activity of the fraction also confirmed its potential antioxidant activity. This fraction showed xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity at 100 µg/mL concentration. Comet assay analysis revealed that this fraction at 25 - 100 µg/mL concentrations inhibited H₂O₂ genotoxicity in human lymphocytes.

Conclutions

This study suggests that the fruit of Rosa canina could be considered as a potential antioxidant, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, and an antigenotoxic source, and the application of Amberlite XAD-7 improves extraction efficiencies through enrichment of phenolic compounds in this plant.

Reassessing the molecular structures of some previously isolated abietane diterpenoids with a naphthalene moiety and the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of quinone diterpenoids

Crystals of previously described para-naphthoquinone abietane diterpenoids 12,16-dideoxy-aegyptinone B and 12-deoxy-salvipisone were obtained from Zhumeria majdae Rech.f. & Wendelbo. However, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis followed by reinterpretation of their NMR data revealed that their structures require revision, and they should be revised to the two ortho-naphthoquinones, zhumerianone C and aethiopinone, respectively. Interestingly, a further search through literature revealed that there were more of such cases, in which differentiation between the ortho-/para-orientation had not been carried out correctly in the structure elucidation of naphthalene containing abietane diterpenoids. Therefore, in the current study, we pointed out some 1D and 2D NMR generalizations that would help the unambiguous deduction of the ortho-/para-orientation of naphthalene containing abietanes and revised the structure of some previously described compounds accordingly. Based on these generalizations, structures of sibiriquinones A and B, sahandinone, and sahandone were revised to the known structures 1,2-didehydromiltirone, miltirone, saprorthoquinone, and sahandone B, respectivelyand tebesinone B, arucadiol, and sahandol II were revised to three undescribed structures. It was also proposed that structures of palmitoyl arucadiol and compounds with the salvifolane skeleton need revision. Furthermore, these structure revisions shed light on the structure-activity relationship of the quinone diterpenoids, approving that the ortho-quinone is the critical structural component for cytotoxicity in these compounds.

An investigationof the inhibitory effects of dichloromethane and methanol extracts of Salvia macilenta, Salvia officinalis, Salvia santolinifola and Salvia mirzayanii on diabetes marker enzymes, an approach for the treatment diabetes

Background

Diabetes mellitus is a type of metabolic disease characterized by elevated blood sugar. The main strategy for its treatment is to inhibit carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes, including α-amylase and α-glucosidase. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of Salvia extracts in inhibiting diabetes marker enzymes.

Materials and methods

This experimental study was performed in vitro. The studied plants included Salvia mirzayanii, Salvia macilenta, Salvia officinalis and Salvia santolinifola and inhibitory effects of their methanolic and dichloromethane extracts were investigated. After calculating the percentage of α-amylase inhibition and IC50 of the extracts, Km and Vmax were also determined using prism7.Statistical analysis was performed employing with Graph Pad instat3 software.

Results

The results here in revealed that methanol extracts of Salvia santolinifola (with IC50 = 54.72 ± 9.6 μg / ml) and Salvia officinalis with (IC50 = 54.87 ± 5.7 μg / ml) and dichloromethane extract of Salvia officinalis with (IC50 = 71.20 ± 14.3 μg / ml) had the greatest inhibitory effect on α-amylase comparing to acarbose with (IC50 = 42.94 ± 3.8 μg / ml) as a standard. Tukey test results showed that there is a significant difference between IC50 of acarbose comparing to methanol extract of Salvia mirzayanii and dichloromethane extracts of Salvia mirzayanii and Salvia santolinifola with P value ˂0.001 in α-amylase inhibition.

Conclusion

The extracts had significant inhibitory effects on α-amylase inhibition. Among the extracts of the studied species, methanol extract of Salvia santolinifola demonstrated the greatest inhibitory effect on α-amylase.

Examination the antioxidant potentials and antidiabetic properties of phenolic extracts of some Iranian honeys

Introduction: In most ancient cultures, honey has been used for both nutritional and medical purposes. Objectives: In this research, phenolic extracts of four Iranian honeys were evaluated to determine the antioxidant potentials using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging, nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging and reducing power by ferric reducing activity of plasma (FRAP) method. Additionally, anti-diabetic properties of honey and phenolic extracts were evaluated by determination of α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition. Patients and Methods: Besides, reducing potential was evaluated by ferric-reducing antioxidant power method. Moreover, determination of phenolic and flavonoid contents was performed. Moreover, inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase of honey and phenolic extracts were evaluated. Results: With considering to antioxidant potentials, Gavan (Astragalus) sample showed the greatest phenolic (3817±1.52 mg GAE/100 g), flavonoid contents (3.1±0.005 mg QE/100 g), and DPPH radical scavenging (IC50 = 2±0.003 mg/mL). Bahareh honey had the highest NO radical scavenging (IC50=0.0403±0.0009 mg/mL) and Meymand honey possessed the highest reducing potential by FRAP method (IC50=0.0018±0.000003 mg/mL). The maximum inhibition of α-glucosidase was shown in Meymand honey extract (46±0.1%). After sugar isolation, Zataria honey had the highest inhibition of α-glucosidase (54±0.6%) and the mode of α-amylase inhibition was noncompetitive by this honey. Whole extract (23±0.1%) and phenolic extract of Gavan honey presented the maximum inhibition of α-amylase (31.2±0.1%). Conclusion: Honey samples showed antioxidant potentials and anti-diabetic properties by retardation of α-amylase and α-glucosidase.

Preparation and Evaluation of Possible Antioxidant Activities of Rose Traditional Tablet"(Qurs-e-Vard)" A Selected Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) Formulation via Various Procedures

BACKGROUND

Free radicals can lead to liver dysfunction. Quality control of traditional formulations ensures their safe, pure, and pharmaceutical efficacy. "Qurs-e-Vard", containing petals of Rosa damascena Mill., fruits of Rhus coriaria L. and roots of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. has been suggested as a hepatoprotective preparation in Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM).

OBJECTIVE

This study was directed at the evaluation of the phytochemical characterization, standardization, and in vitro antioxidant activity determination of a solid formulation and its components.

METHODS

Some qualitative and quantitative controls were performed like ash value, heavy metals investigation, and microbial contamination. The phytochemical assays were used for obtaining total phenolic and flavonoid contents with spectrophotometric methods. 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-c (DPPH) and Nitric Oxide (NO) assays were run for determining Radical scavenging activities of the formulation and its components. Ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP) was determined as well.

RESULTS

Total phenolic contents of hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts of the polyherbal formulation measured respectively, (376±0.93) and (297.6±0.96) mg of gallic acid/g of dry matter. Total flavonoid contents of the formulation were also measured (36.27±0.98) for hydroalcoholic extract and (17.79±0.86) mg of quercetin/g of dry matter for aqueous extract. The IC50 of hydroalcoholic and aqueous extract was obtained (88.14±1.15) and (140.78±2.98) μg/ml, respectively. NO scavenging percentages (200μg/ml) of hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts were measured (59.11±2.15) and (65.08±2.35). FRAP values of hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts were achieved (255.24±3.45) and (134.57±3.45) μg/ml as well.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicated that this polyherbal formulation and its components have justifiable antioxidant effects.

Hypoglycemic effects of aqueous extract of Salvia mirzayanii Rech. F& Esfand in diabetic patients; a randomized controlled trial study

Introduction: Medicinal plants are used in diabetes treatment. Salvia mirzayanii Rech. F& Esfand was used for diabetes treatment in Iranian traditional medicine. Objectives: The main objective of this study is to investigate the antidiabetic effects of aqueous extract of S. mirzayanii in diabetic patients. Patients and Methods: In the present randomized controlled trial study, the patients were divided into trial (n=27) and control (n=25) groups. The trial group received daily one capsule containing 450 mg of aqueous extract of Salvia mirzayanii; the control group received daily one capsule containing 450 mg of caramelized flour and 5% aqueous extract of S. mirzayanii. Fasting blood samples were collected at the beginning of the study and after 3 months, fasting blood sugar (FBS), HbA1 C, insulin, HOMAIR index, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and lipid profile were evaluated. Results: Types of used drugs, gender, age, and body mass index (BMI) were not significantly different between trial and control groups before treatment. Additionally, after treatment, BMI did not significantly change between these two mentioned groups. The results showed that FBS and HbA1 C levels did not change significantly in the trial group after treatment; however, in this group, insulin secretion was increased significantly (P=0.015). Nevertheless; after treatment, HOMA-IR index did not significantly change between the two mentioned groups. In the trial group, after treatment, liver enzymes (ALT and AST) levels did not change significantly. After the treatment, LDL-C was changed in the trial group. Conclusion: The herbal drug used in the present study enhanced insulin secretion, and improved LDL-C level in diabetic patients.

An Overview on Indications and Chemical Composition of Aromatic Waters (Hydrosols) as Functional Beverages in Persian Nutrition Culture and Folk Medicine for Hyperlipidemia and Cardiovascular Conditions

Hydrosol beverages in Persian nutrition culture and ethnomedicine are the side products of essential oil industry that are used as delicious drinks or safe remedies. To investigate indications and chemical composition of hydrosol beverages for hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular conditions, Fars province was selected as the field of study. Ethnomedical data were gathered by questionnaires. The constituents of hydrosols were extracted with liquid/liquid extraction and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Statistical analysis were used to cluster their constituents and find the relevance of their composition. A literature survey was also performed on plants used to prepare them. Thymol was the major or second major component of these beverages, except for wormwood and olive leaf hydrosols. Based on clustering methods, although some similarities could be found, composition of barberry, will fumitory, dill, and aloe hydrosols have more differences than others. These studies may help in developing some functional beverages or new therapeutics.

Natural herbicide activity of Satureja hortensis L. essential oil nanoemulsion on the seed germination and morphophysiological features of two important weed species

The aim of the present study was to obtain an oil/water (O/W) nanoemulsion (NE) containing garden savory (Satureja hortensis) essential oil (EO) and evaluating its herbicidal activity against Amaranthus retroflexus and Chenopodium album. Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were employed to determine the chemical composition of the EO. Carvacrol (55.6%) and γ-terpinene (31.9%) were the major EO components. Low energy method was applied, allowing achievement of EO nanodroplets. The NE also presented low polydispersity, and the mean droplet was below 130nm even after storage for 30d. Laboratory tests showed that the NE at different concentrations (100, 200, 400, 800, and 1000μL.L^-1) significantly (P≤0.05) reduced the germination indices and the seedling's growth in dose-response. The inhibitory effect was the greatest at 800μL.L^-1 NE. Overall, root length was more inhibited as compared to shoot length. Post-emergence application of NE at different concentrations (1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000μL.L^-1 of EO) on 2-4 true leaves' stage of the weeds caused significant (P≤0.05) decrease in the growth factors in dose-dependent manner. Complete lethality was observed by 4000μL.L^-1 NE sprayed on the weeds. Spraying of NE significantly (P≤0.05) reduced chlorophyll content in the tested weeds. Increasing in relative electrolyte leakage (REL) 1 and 5d after treatment represented significant cell membrane disruption and increased cell membrane permeability. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) pictures confirmed NE droplet size and demonstrated membrane destruction. The study approved that the NE of S. hortensis EO has herbicidal properties as it has high phytotoxic effect, and interferes with the germination, growth and physiological processes of the weeds. The production of NE from S. hortensis EO is a low energy method that offers a promising practical natural herbicide for weed control in organic agricultural systems.

Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activities of the Essential Oil From Salvia mirzayanii Leaves

Resistance of many pathogens to available drugs is a global challenge and is leading to growing interest in natural alternative products. In this study, chemical composition and in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities of the essential oil from Salvia mirzayanii were investigated. The chemical constituents of essential oil from S mirzayanii were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The antimicrobial activity was determined by broth microdilution. The main identified compounds were 1,8-cineole (41.2 ± 1.3%), linalool acetate (11.0 ± 0.5%), and α-terpinyl acetate (6.0 ± 0.4%) (mL of essential oil/g of plant material). The MIC₉₅ were 0.03 to 0.5 µL/mL and 16 to 128 µL/mL for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, respectively. These results indicated that Salvia mirzayanii essential oil significantly inhibited the growth of standard and clinically isolated tested yeasts by MIC₅₀ 0.03 to 1 µL/mL. Potent antibacterial and antifungal activities of Salvia mirzayanii essential oil may be considered in future study, particularly against antibiotic-resistant cases.

A Survey on Chemical Constituents and Indications of Aromatic Waters Soft Drinks (Hydrosols) Used in Persian Nutrition Culture and Folk Medicine for Neurological Disorders and Mental Health

In Persian nutrition culture, drinking aromatic waters (hydrosols, distillate) has a long history as functional beverages or therapeutic remedies. The co-distilled water with essential oils, which contains partial amounts of more water-soluble volatile compounds are diluted and used as beverages. Since the solubility of volatile components is different in water, the overall composition, and thus the biological activities of aromatic waters seem to be different from the essential oils they were co-distilled with. Despite the essential oils, chemical constituents of many aromatic waters have not been evaluated scientifically. This research investigated hydrosols used for mental and neurological health maintenance in Persian nutrition culture and their chemical constituents. Constitutions of these hydrosols were extracted by liquid/liquid extraction method and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Furthermore, cluster analysis was used to evaluate the relevance of these hydrosols chemical constituents. About 93 compounds were identified from 20 aromatic waters. the major or second major constituents were thymol (azarol howthorn, frankincense, lemon balm, valerian, shadab), phenethyl alcohol (damask rose, dog-rose, starflower), carvacrol (basil, creeping buttercup, lemon balm); eugenol (shadab, dog-rose, starflower, basil), camphor (yarrow and wormwood), carvone (oriental plane), caryophyllene (cuminum), cinnamaldehyde (Chinese cinnamon), p-cymen-7-ol (musk willow), limonene (lemon verbena), linalool and α-terpineol (bitter orange), menthol (date palm) and methyl 5-vinylnicotinate (olive). Although, these hydrosols prepared from plants belong to different genus and families, but cluster analysis showed obvious similarities between their chemical constituents. Results of this investigation showed in many cases that the constituents of aromatic waters are different from the pure essential oil.

The effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Achillea eriophora DC. on blood pressure of anaesthetized male rat

Achillea eriophora (Asteraceae) is a medicinal plant commonly used in Iran. This study was performed to determine the cardiovascular effects of hydroethanolic extract of A. eriophora (HEAE) and the underlying mechanisms in anaesthetized rats. The acute effects of intravenous (i.v.) administration of different doses of HEAE (40, 50, 60, 80 mg/kg), and its probable interaction with cholinergic and nitrergic systems were investigated in the presence of ACh and NOS blocker (L-NAME) as well as ethanol (HEAE solvent in sham group). Intravenous administration of different doses of HEAE induced hypotension. HEAE (60 mg/kg) significantly reduced mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), systolic arterial blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic arterial blood pressure (DBP) compared to control rats that treated with ethanol only, but no change in heart rate (HR) was seen in both groups. The results showed significant decrease in MAP, SBP, DBP and increase of HR in the presence of HEAE plus ACh (10 µg/kg) compared to when ACh was injected alone. Finally i.v. administration of HEAE, significantly reduced MAP and DBP in L-NAME (5 mg/kg) treated animals, while bradycardic responses to L-NAME were not significantly changed by HEAE. It can be concluded that Achillea eriophora induced hypotensive effect via lowering total peripheral resistance and cardiac output that may be synergist with cholinergic and independent of nitrergic system.

Antileishmanial Activities of Greek Juniper (Juniperus excelsa M.Bieb.) Against Leishmania major Promastigotes

Petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol fractions of Greek juniper (Juniperus excelsa M.Bieb. from the family Cupressaceae) were evaluated for antileishmanial activities against Leishmania major promastigotes compared to meglumine antimoniate (Glucantime). In vitro toxicity assay was performed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide and microplate ELISA reader. Extracts were prepared in ethanol/dimethyl sulfoxide (80/20) at 10 to 0.62 mg/mL. The standard was prepared in phosphate-buffered saline at 500 to 15.62 mg/mL. Both leaf and fruit extracts and related fractions showed strong inhibitory effects against promastigotes, significantly different from that of the standard. The leaf extract and the respective petroleum ether fraction showed maximum effectiveness compared to other fractions and also fruit extract and fractions (IC₉₀ = 1.89 ± 0.03 and 0.90 ± 0.03 mg/mL, respectively). Regarding the potent activities of nonpolar fractions of Greek juniper leaf extract, these fractions can be suggested for further investigation.

Development and Assessment of a Gas Chromatographic Based Method for the Quantification of Thymol from Cream Based Formulation

INTRODUCTION

Herbal medicines have been used for different illnesses. However, standardization of these medicaments should be done before introducing for treatment purposes. Ajwain an essential oil, is traditionally used for neuropathic pain.

OBJECTIVE

To develop and assess a gas chromatographic-based method for the quantification of thymol in Ajwain essential oil, current work was performed.

METHODOLOGY

Both pure thymol and Ajwain creams were prepared and subjected to hydrodistillation method under temperature-controlled procedure to re-extract the applied essential oil and pure thymol. Previously, Ajwain seeds essential oil composition was analyzed and identified using GC/MS. After re-extraction, GC/FID was applied quantitatively to determine the thymol content in the Ajwain and thymol creams. The parameters represented in International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines were considered for the determination.

RESULTS

Thymol content in a 50 g laminated tube of Ajwain cream was calculated as 2.34 g ± 0.02. Regarding the total thymol content of a 50 g laminated tube of Thymol cream (2.43 g), recovery percent for Ajwain cream was calculated as 96.29 %.

CONCLUSION

Using hydrodistillation for an essential oil- containing cream sample via Clevenger proved to be a simple and convenient method to work up and extract active volatile components of such semisolid formulation. However, the extraction yield was profoundly related to the condenser temperature. The current employed determination method is introduced as a rapid and reliable method and thus, can be suggested for the quality control assessment of phytopharmaceutical semisolid preparations containing thymol and similar volatile constituents.

Cytotoxic activity of ten algae from the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea on human breast cancer cell lines; MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and T-47D

BACKGROUND

Seaweeds have proven to be a promising natural source of bioactive metabolites for drug development.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to monitor the ethanol extract of ten algae from the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, for their in vitro cytotoxic activity on three human breast cancer cell lines.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Three human breast cancer cell lines including MDA-MB-231(ER(-)), MCF-7(ER(+)), and T-47D (ER(+)) were treated by different concentrations of total ethanol (90%) algae extracts and the cytotoxic effects were evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Doxorubicin (Ebewe, Austria) was used as a positive control. After 72 h of incubation, the cytotoxic effect of the algae was calculated and presented as 50%-inhibitory concentration (IC50).

RESULTS

The results indicated Gracilaria foliifera and Cladophoropsis sp. to be the most active algae in terms of cytotoxic effects on the investigated cancer cell lines. The IC50 values against MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and T-47D cells were, respectively, 74.89 ± 21.71, 207.81 ± 12.07, and 203.25 ± 30.98 µg/ml for G. foliifera and 66.48 ± 4.96, 150.86 ± 51.56 and >400 µg/ml for Cladophoropsis sp. The rest of the algal extracts were observed not to have significant cytotoxic effects in the concentration range from 6.25 µg/ml to 400 µg/ml.

CONCLUSION

Our data conclusively suggest that G. foliifera and Cladophoropsis sp. may be good candidates for further fractionation to obtain novel anticancer substances. Moreover, stronger cytotoxic effects on estrogen negative breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231(ER(-))) in comparison to estrogen positive cells (MCF-7 and T-47D) suggest that the extract of G. foliifera and Cladophoropsis sp. may have an estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor-independent mechanism for their cellular growth inhibition.

Chemical composition analysis of rose water samples from Iran

CONTENT

Rosa damascena Mill. (Rosaceae) is an important ornamental and medicinal plant and a source of fragrance. Its hydrosol is known in Iran as golab (rose water) and has applications in religious ceremonies, food, and pharmaceuticals. Hydrosol is traditionally and industrially produced by distillation. The increase in market demand has led to production of inferior products for hydrosol that contain synthetic essences or essential oils of other plants, or that have been diluted with water. Inferior product often may be distinguished via its color changes and weak odor. However, details need to be determined by chemical analysis.

OBJECTIVE

The current study evaluated the composition and quality of 10 rose water samples purchased from local markets in Shiraz, capital of Fars province in Iran.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The essential oils of the samples were extracted and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

RESULTS

RESULTS revealed that phenethyl alcohol, geraniol, and β-citronellol were the main constituents of most samples. In total, 22 constituents were detected and identified in the samples. Identification was determined for 60.97-96.07% of the essential oil components.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

It was concluded that Pelargonium and Dianthus essential oils and synthetic essences had been added to some samples. Dibutyl phthalate was also detected in most samples. This substance, which commonly exists as polyethylene terephthalate, may have been released into the samples from their containers.

Management of insomnia in traditional Persian medicine

Insomnia is a sleep disorder which affects 10-48% of general population. Different measures, such as pharmacotherapy and behavioral management, are applied for insomnia and associated complaints. In traditional medical systems, herbal medicines are considered beneficial. Therefore, the present paper compiles pharmacological and medical insights into the management of insomnia according to Traditional Persian Medicine. Herein, preserved medical and pharmaceutical manuscripts of Persian medicine from 10th to 18th century A.D. were investigated for information about concepts of insomnia treatment and herbal remedies. Additionally, for all herbal remedies, an extensive search of scientific databases, such as MEDLINE and Scopus, has been performed to find related works concerning hypnotic, sedative, and anxiolytic as well as narcoleptic effects. Insomnia (generally called Sahar in Persian manuscripts) is a well-known disorder. Herbal medical intervention was the major treatment prescribed by Iranian physicians. Totally, 36 medicinal herbs related to 25 plant families are derived from the searched literature. These remedies were applied orally, topically, and nasally. Based on scientific data, 50% of reported herbs have relevant pharmacological effects. Besides historical elucidation, this paper presents medical and pharmacological approaches that had been applied by Persian practitioners in order to deal with sleep complications. Considering the fruitful results of these findings, this essay should encourage researchers to conduct more investigations in this field in order to understand the mechanisms and effects of traditionally applied herbs still unknown to modern medicine.

Diabetes and related remedies in medieval Persian medicine

Diabetes Mellitus is a common metabolic disorder presenting increased amounts of serum glucose and will cover 5.4% of population by year 2025. Accordingly, this review was performed to gather and discuss the stand points on diagnosis, pathophysiology, non-pharmacological therapy and drug management of diabetes this disorder as described in medieval Persian medicine. To this, reports on diabetes were collected and analyzed from selected medical and pharmaceutical textbooks of Traditional Persian Medicine. A search on databases as Pubmed, Sciencedirect, Scopus and Google scholar was also performed to reconfirm the Anti diabetic activities of reported herbs. The term, Ziabites, was used to describe what is now spoken as diabetes. It was reported that Ziabites, is highly associated with kidney function. Etiologically, Ziabites was characterized as kidney hot or cold dystemperament as well as diffusion of fluid from other organs such as liver and intestines into the kidneys. This disorder was categorized into main types as hot (Ziabites-e-har) and cold (Ziabites-e-barid) as well as sweet urine (Bole-e-shirin). Most medieval cite signs of Ziabites were remarked as unusual and excessive thirst, frequent urination and polydipsia. On the management, life style modification and observing the essential rules of prevention in Persian medicine as well as herbal therapy and special simple manipulations were recommended. Current investigation was done to clarify the knowledge of medieval scientists on diabetes and related interventions. Reported remedies which are based on centuries of experience might be of beneficial for- further studies to the management of diabetes.

Analysis of the essential oil components from different Carum copticum L. samples from Iran

Background:

The family Apiaceae is defined with the diversity of essential oil. Fruits of Ajwain (Carum copticum), a famous herb of Apiaceae, accumulate up to 5% essential oil which is remarked as important natural product for food and flavoring industry, as well as pharmacological approaches. It is believed that differences in essential oil profile in a certain plant are resulted from various cultivation situations and locations, time of cultivation and also different extracting method.

Objective:

Present study aimed to evaluate major components of ten different collected Ajwain samples from random cultivation locations of Iran.

Materials and Methods:

Samples were individually subjected to hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus for the extraction of essential oil. GC/MS analysis for samples was carried out using Agilent technologies model 7890A gas chromatograph with a mass detector.

Results:

The yield of extracted essential oil was calculated as 2.2 to 4.8% (v/w) for ten samples. Major oil components were thymol, para-cymene and gamma-terpinene. Five of ten samples have thymol as the main component with amount of 35.04 to 63.31%. On the other hand, for four samples, para-cymene was major with amount of 40.20 to 57.31% and one sample had gamma-terpinene as main constituent containing 37.43% of total oil. Accordingly, three different chemotypes, thymol, para-cymene and gamma-terpinene can be speculated from collected samples.

Conclusion:

While these components possess pharmacological effect, screening of different chemotypes not only represent the effect of cultivation situations and locations but also can be beneficial in further investigation.

In vitro antioxidant properties evaluation of 10 Iranian medicinal plants by different methods

Background

There is an interest in finding new and safe antioxidants from natural sources such as medicinal plants.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of ten Iranian medicinal plants extracts.

Materials and Methods

For antioxidant activity, the radical scavenging activity, reducing power and phenolic contents of ethanol plant extracts were determined. Gallic acid was used as standard reference with well-documented antioxidant activity.

Results

The highest antioxidant activity in terms of DPPH radical scavenging was found in Verbascum sinuatum L. Var (VS) with an IC50 equal to 263.52 ± 5.981 μg/ml and Rosa damascena Mill (RD) with and IC50 equal to 287.9 ± 5.675 μg/ml that are higher than gallic acid (IC50 = 25.32 ± 5.593 μg/ml). The highest antioxidant activity in terms of ferric reducing capacity was also found in Verbascum sinuatum L. Var extracts (in 85.08 ± 8.66 μg/ml concentration with absorbance 0.5). Also, this extract contains the highest phenolic compounds (8.53 ± 0.11 mg/g).

Conclusion

In this study, Verbascum sinuatum L. Var contains the highest level of phenolic compounds may be contribute to higher free radical scavenging activity and reducing power in comparison to the other plant extracts. Therefore this plant is a good candidate as natural antioxidant.