Journal of Pharmacopuncture最新文献

Objectives: This toxicological study was performed to assess for potential toxicity and to determine the approximate lethal dose of SU-Eohyeol pharmacopuncture (SUEP) following a single intramuscular injection of SUEP into male and female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.

Methods: The groups in our experiment consisted of an experimental group treated with SUEP at a dose of 1.0 mL/animal and a control group injected with a normal saline solution, and five male and female rats were placed in each group. Each animal was administered a single intramuscular injection. We monitored all rats for clinical signs and body weight changes for 14 days after administration. At the end of the observation period, the rats were euthanized and autopsied, and localized tolerance examinations were conducted at the site of administration of the test substance.

Results: There were no deaths in either sex in the SUEP-treated group. There was no significant difference between the SUEP-treated group and the control group in the clinical signs and weight changes among the rats. In addition, no significant SUEP-related changes were observed on autopsy findings or local tolerance examinations at the injection site by histopathological examination.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that the approximate lethal dose of a single intramuscular administration of SUEP in female and male rats under the conditions of this study is greater than 1.0 mL/animal. To determine the safety of the use of SUEP in Korean medical clinical practice, additional toxicity studies will be needed.

Objectives: Insulin resistance (IR) is major cause of type 2 diabetes (T2D), and adipokines (e.g., adiponectin, leptin, and resistin) play an important role in insulin sensitivity. Medicinal plants are frequently used for T2D treatment. This study investigates the effect of Artemisia annua L. (AA) extracts on adipokines in mice with high-fat-diet (HFD)/streptozotocin (STZ)-induced T2D.

Methods: We divided 60 mice into 12 groups (n = 5 per group) control, untreated T2D, treated T2D, and 9 other groups. T2D was induced in all groups, except controls, by 8 weeks of HFD and STZ injection. The treated T2D group was administered 250 mg/kg of metformin (MTF), while the nine other groups were treated with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of hot-water extract (HWE), cold-water extract (CWE), and alcoholic extract (ALE) of AA (daily oral gavage) along with 250 mg/kg of MTF for 4 weeks. The intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) was performed, and the homeostasis model assessment of adiponectin (HOMA-AD) index and blood glucose and serum insulin, leptin, adiponectin, and resistin levels were measured.

Results: Similar to MTF, all three types of AA extracts (HWEs, CWEs, and ALEs) significantly (p < 0.0001) decreased the area under the curve (AUC) of glucose during the IPGTT, the HOMA-AD index, blood glucose levels, and serum insulin, leptin, and resistin levels and increased serum adiponectin levels in the MTF group compared to the T2D group (p < 0.0001). The HWEs affected adipokine release, while the CWEs and ALEs decreased leptin and resistin production.

Conclusion: Water and alcoholic AA extracts have an antihyperglycemic and antihyperinsulinemic effect on HFD/STZ diabetic mice. In addition, they decrease IR by reducing leptin and resistin production and increasing adiponectin secretion from adipocytes.

Since ancient times, plants have been a major source of novel drug molecules and have been used in the treatment of different infectious diseases. Secondary plant metabolites have miraculous healing properties and show potent therapeutic responses when used in combination drug therapy. The prime objective of this review is to summarize the concept of drug combination with special emphasis on the synergistic interactions between plant-derived bioactive phytochemicals with commercially available antimicrobial agents. The study also assesses the roles, importance, and applicability of phytochemicals in the management of different diseases. The review focuses on different aspects of combined antimicrobial activities, the possible mechanisms involved, and the current status of research in the field. The study was conducted based on an extensive literature survey that resulted in the following hypothesis: secondary metabolites derived from plants possess remarkable therapeutic activities. The study was designed as a systematic review that ensures unbiased and accurate representations of the relevant data and information. Jadad scale selection criteria were used for qualitative analysis of the articles to assess them based on the relevant secure score (minimum and maximum scores range between 1 and 5, respectively). Articles with secure scores > 3 were considered for the study. A comprehensive literature survey was conducted using resource databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, Bielefeld Academic Search Engine, Research Gate, Scopus, Medline, and Science Direct up to June 2019. This article contains concise information about the most commonly used bioactive phytochemicals with potent antifungal and antibacterial effects.

Objectives: Herbal medicine is a worldwide health topic. Vitex agnus-castus L. (VAC) is a popular plant used for gynecologic problems due to its hormonal effects. The aim of this study is to reveal VAC extract effect on fetus when this herb is used started from antenatal period or during pregnancy.

Methods: Performed from starting day of January 2019 till February 2019, 48 rats were assigned in randomly divided eight-member six groups control (C1), treated group with 365 mg/kg VAC from initiation of insemination (T1) and 30 days prior to pregnancy (T2), control that underwent caesarean section on 15th day of gestational age (C2) and treated group with 365 mg/kg VAC from initiation of insemination (T3) and 30 days prior to pregnancy (T4) that underwent caesarean section. Weight, sex and number of fetuses, abortion and still birth rate and estradiol level were evaluated using t-test by SPSS software.

Results: We showed increased weight among T1 group considering totally and sex-dependent which is significant (all p-value < 0.05). We also detected significantly decreased weight in T2 in total (p-value < 0.0001) and when considering female fetuses (0.043) but not males (0.17). Although the results showed slightly non-significant increased weight among fetuses of T3 (totally or based on the fetus sex) compared to the control group (C2), T4 group had statistically decreased weight compared to control group. Pregnancy rate and pregnancy outcome were affected by VAC usage. The time of VAC initiation also affected live birth and abortion rates.

Conclusion: VAC extract may affect pregnancy rate, live birth rate, abortion and stillbirth rates. Its effect on the weight and the sex showed dual pattern depends on the time of initiation and pregnancy trimester of evaluation. Prescribing this medicinal plant for patients being prone to pregnancy should be with caution. Further study is recommended.

Objectives: The chemical composition of cactus pear seed oil (Opuntia ficus-indica [L.] Mill.) was analyzed in terms of its fatty acid composition, tocopherol content, phenolic identification, and the oil's phenolic-rich fraction antioxidant power was determined.

Methods: Fatty acid profiling was performed by gas chromatography coupled to an FI detector. Tocopherols and phenolic compounds were analyzed by LC-FLD/UV, and the oil's phenolic-rich fraction antioxidant power was determined by phosphomolybdenum, DPPH assay and β-carotene bleaching test.

Results: Fatty acid composition was marked by a high unsaturation level (83.22 ± 0.34%). The predominant fatty acid was linoleic acid (66.79 ± 0.78%), followed by oleic acid (15.16 ± 0.42%) and palmitic acid (12.70 ± 0.03%). The main tocopherol was γ-tocopherol (172.59 ± 7.59 mg/kg. In addition, Tyrosol, vanillic acid, vanillin, ferulic acid, pinoresinol, and cinnamic acid were identified as phenolic compounds in the analyzed seed oil. Moreover, the oil's phenolics-rich fraction showed a significant total antioxidant activity, scavenged DPPH up to 97.85%, and effectively protected β-carotene against bleaching (97.56%).

Conclusion: The results support the potential use of cactus pear seed oil as a functional food.

Objectives: Antivenom serums have been used extensively for over a century and are the only effective treatment option for snake bites and other dangerous animal envenomations. In therapeutic serum centers, a wide range of antivenoms is made from animal serum, mainly equine and sheep, that are immunized with single or multiple venoms. This work aimed to use caprylic acid (CA) to purify therapeutic snake antivenom.

Methods: Plasma was obtained from equine immunized with a mixture of venoms. Immunized plasma was obtained by precipitation of different concentrations (2-5%) of CA. This methodology was compared to that based on ammonium sulfate (AS) precipitation. Sediment plasma proteins were purified by ion-exchange chromatography. Protein assay, SDS-PAGE, and agar gel diffusion were performed.

Results: The total protein precipitation with AS was higher than precipitation with CA, but the best results were obtained when CA was added to the plasma until a final CA concentration of 5% was reached. Chromatography and electrophoresis indicated a stronger band for the 5% CA, and the gel diffusion assay showed antigen-antibody interaction in the purified serum.

Conclusion: The use of CA compared to the routine method for purifying hyperimmune serums is a practical and cost-effective method for preparing and producing therapeutic serums. It constitutes a potentially valuable technology for alleviating the critical shortage of antivenom in Iran.

Objectives: Post-term pregnancy is a condition associated with increased maternal and fetal complications. Administration of castor oil causes cervical stimulation by increasing the production of prostaglandins. We examined the effects of castor oil on cervical ripening and labor induction through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: The search process was performed to obtain relevant articles from databases including Pubmed, Cochrane library, Scopus, Science direct, SID, Iran Medex, and Google Scholar using the English keywords of cervical ripening, post-term, castor oil, labor induction, Bishop score, and pregnancy considering all possible combinations without time constraints and their Persian equivalents from national databases.

Results: A total of eight related articles from the 19 primary studies were extracted and systematically reviewed. According to a cumulative chart, the difference in the post-intervention Bishop score was statistically significant (standard mean difference [SMD] 1.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.67-2.11, p = 0.001), indicating an effect of castor oil on increasing the Bishop score. In addition, the difference in labor induction was statistically significant after the intervention (odds ratio 11.67, 95% CI 3.34-40.81, p = 0.001), indicating an effect of castor oil on increasing the odds ratio of labor induction (experience of vaginal delivery).

Conclusion: This meta-analysis showed that oral administration of castor oil is effective for cervical ripening and labor induction. Midwives should closely monitor pregnant women with prolonged labor and collaborate with obstetricians to employ castor oil as a safe intervention to induce cervical ripening and labor to prevent undue caesarean surgery.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a significant cause of cancer mortality which has led to focused exploration of the pathology of GC. The advent of genome-wide analysis methods has made it possible to uncover genetic and epigenetic fluctuation such as abnormal DNA methylation in gene promoter regions that is expected to play a key role in GC. The study of gastric malignancies requires an etiological perspective, and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) was identified to play a role in GC. H. pylori infection causes chronic inflammation of the gastric epithelium causing abnormal polyclonal methylation, which might raise the risk of GC. In the last two decades, various pathogenic factors by which H. pylori infection causes GC have been discovered. Abnormal DNA methylation is triggered in several genes, rendering them inactive. In GC, methylation patterns are linked to certain subtypes including microsatellite instability. Multiple cancer-related processes are more usually changed by abnormal DNA methylation than through mutations, according to current general and combined investigations. Furthermore, the amount of acquired abnormal DNA methylation is heavily linked to the chances of developing GC. Therefore, we investigated abnormal DNA methylation in GC and the link between methylation and H. pylori infection.