Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine最新文献

Objective: Destruction of dopaminergic neurons causes diseases. Various compounds with neuroprotective and antioxidant properties have been identified, including Hesperidin (HES) and Auraptene (AUR). We aimed in this study to evaluate the in vitro protective effects of these compounds in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line against the induced neurotoxicity of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA).

Materials and methods: The MTT test to assess cell viability was used. Flow cytometry was conducted for the cell cycle analysis using propidium iodide (PI) stain. The intracellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was assessed using 2, 7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA) probe and fluorimetry.

Results: Following 6-OHDA treatment, cell viability decreased, and G2/M arrest and ROS levels increased. Our intervention demonstrated that only HES has neuroprotective effects against 6-OHDA-induced toxicity.

Conclusion: HES protects SH-SY5Y cells against 6-OHDA-induced neural damage via inhibiting G2/M arrest, reducing the amount of ROS, and increasing cell viability. However, the different effects and more precise mechanisms are still unknown, and requires new research on animal and human models.

Objective: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as the most common chronic liver disease is associated with metabolic disorders including dysregulated lipid and glucose metabolism. There is no approved drug treatment for NAFLD; thus, new therapies are needed. We studied the antidyslipidemic effects of atorvastatin and/or possibly hepatoprotective effects of flaxseed/ flaxseed oil in a rat model of NAFLD.

Materials and methods: Fifty-six male Wistar rats were divided randomly into seven groups: 1) control, 2) high-fructose diet (HFD), 3) HFD +atorvastatin (20 mg/kg), 4) HFD+ flaxseed (40 g/kg), 5) HFD+ flaxseed oil (40 mg/kg), 6) HFD+flaxseed (40 g/kg) + atorvastatin (20 mg/kg) and 7) HFD+flaxseed oil (40 g/kg) +atorvastatin (20 mg/kg). The interventions were done for 23 weeks, after which anthropometric indices, lipid profile, liver enzymes, fasting blood glucose, and kidney indices were analyzed. Scoring of hematoxylin-eosin-stained liver sections was used to assess the severity of NAFLD.

Results: All the treatments reduced mesenteric fat mass, and the amount of fat around the liver, except in HFD+ flaxseed +atorvastatin group. The interventions improved NAFLD activity score, which considers steatosis, lobular inflammation, and hepatocyte ballooning. However, atorvastatin was most efficient in reducing inflammation and hepatocyte ballooning. While atorvastatin reduced only Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels, flaxseed or flaxseed oil mono- and combination therapies reduced serum levels of all liver enzymes. The interventions improved the serum lipid profile and all, except atorvastatin decreased fasting blood glucose.

Conclusion: Flaxseed therapies improved NAFLD-associated liver injuries and dyslipidemia, while atorvastatin mostly reduced hepatocyte ballooning and lobular inflammation.

Objective: This scoping review aims to examine the potential health benefits of Anvillea garcinii and its compounds and provide recommendations based on available research. A. garcinii is a plant species in the daisy family that has demonstrated several therapeutic and preventive effects.

Materials and methods: This review was conducted with a comprehensive approach. We meticulously searched multiple databases, including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane, SID, and Magiran, using the keyword "A. garcinii " on October 4, 2023.

Results: Research suggests that A. garcinii extract possesses several properties that could benefit health. These include anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hyperlipidemic, and anti-inflammatory activities. The extract also displays anti-oxidant properties, enhances insulin sensitivity, and inhibits α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Additionally, it exhibits hepatoprotective activity, cytotoxic activity against cancerous cells, anti-fungal, anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), anti-bacterial, anti-cholinesterase, and anti-tyrosinase activities.

Conclusion: The diverse health benefits of A. garcinii extract and its active compounds, such as germacranolide and parthenolide, present significant potential for use in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. This potential, especially in treating diabetes, gastric ulcers, and cancer, opens up exciting possibilities for the future.

Objective: Research studies have examined saffron's effects on inflammation, infection, and oxidative stress. Nevertheless, the effects of saffron on sepsis patients in the intensive care units (ICUs) have not yet been studied. Hence, this study will examine the effects of saffron supplementation on oxidative stress biomarkers, inflammation factors, and clinical outcomes in critically ill septic patients.

Materials and methods: Ninety patients with sepsis will participate in this parallel double-blind, randomized clinical controlled trial. In addition to usual care, the intervention group (n=45) will receive a daily tablet containing 100 mg/day saffron for 7 days, and the control group (n=45) will receive a placebo tablet containing 100 mg/day corn starch for the same duration. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), and the NUTRIC Score will be used to assess the patients' clinical and nutritional status at the beginning and end of the study. Inflammatory markers including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and IL-18, indicators of oxidative stress including malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase, superoxide dismutases (SODs), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), level of Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), complete blood count (CBC), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) will be evaluated at beginning and end of the study. Twenty-eight days after the start of the intervention mortality rates will be assessed.

Discussion: Due to the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects, saffron might have beneficial effects in critically ill patients with sepsis.

Objective: Male infertility is a common issue that affects people worldwide and presents challenges in terms of treatment. In recent times, there has been significant interest in the use of herbal remedies as a potential solution for male infertility. In this study, we aimed to assess and compare the effects of clomiphene, carrot seed, and education based on traditional Persian medicine on the sperm parameters in idiopathic male infertility.

Materials and methods: Sixty male patients experiencing infertility were randomly divided into four groups: Clomiphene, Clomiphene + Carrot, Clomiphene + Lifestyle modification, and Clomiphene + Carrot + Lifestyle modification. In the herbal group, patients received four capsules of carrot seeds, for a total of 2 g daily for 90 days. Meanwhile, subjects in the Clomiphene group were administered one tablet of clomiphene, containing 50 mg, per day for a duration of 90 days. Sperm parameters were analyzed at the beginning and end of the study.

Results: After the 90-day intervention, the groups that received clomiphene combined with carrot and lifestyle interventions showed significant improvements in various sperm parameters. These improvements were statistically significant compared to the control group.

Conclusion: The combination of carrot seeds along with clomiphene and education based on traditional Persian medicine was found to improve sperm parameters in cases of idiopathic male infertility without any adverse effects.

Objective: Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis is a common including endemic infectious disease in many parts of the world and Iran. Due to Arctium lappa wide therapeutic applications, the anti-leishmanial effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of its leaves (L), roots (R) and seeds (S) has been investigated in this research.

Materials and methods: The leaves, seeds and roots of the greater burdock plant were extracted. In the in vitro phase, its cytotoxic and anti-leishmanial effects on promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania major(L.major) were investigated. In the in vivo stage, the leishmaniasis mouse model was dosed with concentrations of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg and the liver and spleen parasite burden was checked.

Results: The results of this research in the in vitro phase showed that the antileishmanial effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of leaves, roots and seeds on the promastigote and amastigote forms of L. major has a significant relationship with the increase in the concentration of the extract (for all p≤0.001). Also, exposure time and interaction effect of concentration and exposure time were significant. In the in vivo phase the significant effect of the increase in concentration (L: p≤0.001, R: p=0.02, S: p=0.03), exposure time (L: p≤0.001, R: p≤0.001, S: p≤0.01) and the interaction effect of these two factors (L: p=0.002, R: p≤0.001, S: p≤0.001) on reducing the size of the wound was shown.

Conclusion: The investigation established that hydroalcoholic extract of the leaves, roots, and seeds of the greater burdock in high concentration exhibited beneficial inhibitory effects on the leishmanial lesions.

Objective: Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the respiratory system affecting over 300 million people worldwide. Lavandula stoechas L. (L. stoechas) has traditionally been used to manage inflammatory diseases and against multiple medical conditions. In this study, we aimed to explore the anti-inflammatory effects of the hydro-alcoholic extract of L. stoechas in a mice model of acute asthma.

Materials and methods: Thirty-five male BALB/c mice were placed into five distinct study groups: (1) control, (2) ovalbumin (OVA) + Al(OH)3, (3) OVA + L. stoechas (200 mg/kg), (4) OVA + L. stoechas (300 mg/kg) and (5) OVA + dexamethasone. Sensitization of the mice involved intraperitoneal administration of 75 µg OVA + 2mg Al(OH)3 on days 1 and 8. Subsequently, between days 15 and 17, the mice underwent intranasal challenges with 50 µg of OVA. On days 13-18, the mice were administered either L. stoechas (200 and 300 mg/kg) orally or dexamethasone intraperitoneally (used as a positive control). On day 19, both bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and lung tissue samples were collected for biochemical and immuno-histological analyses.

Results: The L. stoechas extract-treated groups displayed notable reductions in histological alterations and inflammatory cell infiltration, surpassing the effects observed in the OVA group. Moreover, the L. stoechas treatment group exhibited lowered TNF-α and IL-6 expression levels.

Conclusion: Our results demonstrated the potential of L. stoechas as an anti-inflammatory agent in acute asthma.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the potential impact of royal jelly (RJ) on hippocampal neurons in an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model with pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizures by assessing luteinizing (LH) and follicle-stimulating (FSH) hormones.

Materials and methods: Fifty-six female rats (n=7/group) were divided into groups receiving saline (CTL, OVX, RJ, and OVX-RJ) and those undergoing PTZ-induced seizures (PTZ, PTZ-OVX, PTZ-RJ, and PTZ-OVX-RJ). OVX rats underwent bilateral ovary removal, followed by a 15-day RJ treatment at 300 mg/kg. The seizure model commenced 24 hours after the final RJ dose. Serum LH and FSH levels were measured, and Golgi staining assessed hippocampal neuron morphology.

Results: The RJ group exhibited elevated LH and FSH levels compared to CTL. However, the PTZ-RJ group showed no significant changes in these hormones relative to the PTZ and CTL groups. In OVX-RJ rats, LH and FSH levels decreased compared to the RJ group, while PTZ-OVX-RJ rats showed increased levels. Dendritic spines remained unchanged in both the RJ and PTZ-RJ groups compared to the CTL and PTZ groups, respectively. Notably, OVX-RJ exhibited reduced spines compared to the RJ group, while PTZ-OVX-RJ showed an increase.

Conclusion: RJ may protect against estrogen deficiency and seizure-related adverse effects on hippocampal neurons in OVX rats, highlighting its potential as a beneficial dietary supplement.

Objective: The plant Indigofera argentea Burm. f., belonging to the family Fabaceae, is locally known as Hathio, Jantar and Neel. This plant is commonly found in deserted habitat and used traditionally to treat inflammatory and gastric disorders. The current study was designed to evaluate the phytochemical profile, toxicity and intestinal anti-inflammatory effects of the whole plant crude extract against acetic acid-induced inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in mice.

Materials and methods: To study the phytochemical composition, preliminary phytochemical analysis along with HPLC and LCMS of the crude extract of Indigofera argentea (Ia.Cr) was performed. For the evaluation of intestinal anti-inflammatory activity, animals were divided into five groups (normal control, intoxicated, standard and two treatment groups) of six animals each and ulcerative colitis (UC) was induced by intrarectal administration of acetic acid (200 µl of 7.5%) and extent of damage caused by ulcerative colitis was measured by colonic mucosal damage index, disease activity index, and hematological and histological changes. Lipo-peroxide activity by malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPX-1), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were determined in colon tissues. Pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α) were quantified by ELISA immunoassay.

Results: Pre-treatment with Ia.Cr significantly amended macroscopic damage, and hematological and histopathological alterations. Ia.Cr decreased oxidative parameters such as MDA and increased antioxidant activities of GPX-1, CAT and SOD. Ia.Cr also decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory biomarkers significantly.

Conclusion: Results of this study indicated that Ia.Cr protected mice against acetic acid-induced inflammatory bowel disease by decreasing endogenous inflammatory biomarkers and oxidative damages.

Objective: Debates about the efficacy of herbal products in oral care have inspired researchers to conduct a large number of trials. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the antibacterial efficacy of aqueous and alcoholic herbal extracts against Streptococcus mutans (SM) as the main cariogenic microorganism.

Materials and methods: Online databases PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Magiran were searched for randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of herbal products against SM published up to July 2023. Meta-analyses were performed for immediate and long-term effects based on random effect model.

Results: Out of 57 studies that met the selection criteria for systematic review, 26 were subjected to meta-analysis. Considering both immediate and long-term effects on salivary SM, aqueous and alcoholic herbal extracts were significantly superior in the reduction of SM over non-herbal agents (immediate: SMD = -1.16; 95%CI: -2.03, -0.29, long-term: SMD = -0.76; 95%CI: -1.35, -0.17). However, the difference was not significant in the reduction of SM of plaque (SMD = -0.30, 95%CI: -1.25, 0.65). The subgroup analyses showed no significant difference compared to chlorhexidine (p>0.05). The overall quality of evidence was considered low based on GRADE tool.

Conclusion: Current evidence suggests encouraging results for herbal extracts in reduction of SM, but not over chlorhexidine. However, there is still insufficient evidence to recommend them as the first option for oral care. High-quality randomized controlled trials are required to assert the safety and effectiveness of them for preventing dental caries.