Haematological parameters and serum testosterone of West African dwarf rams treated with aqueous extract of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (Chaya)
April 2014
The effect of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (Chaya) plant extract on the haematological and serum testosterone of West African dwarf (WAD) breeding rams was carried out. The plant has been used traditionally for both medicinal and non-medicinal purposes. Eight West African dwarf rams were used in this study. The experiment spanned through 14 weeks. The weight of the animals was between 20 to 25 kg and the age between 18 to...
In vitro biological screening and chemical constituents of Euphorbia perbracteata Gage
April 2014
To assess the in vitro biological activity and chemical constituents of Euphorbia perbracteata using different polar solvents, the phytochemical constituents were screened and total phenols, antioxidants, flavonoids content, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity and IC50 values were calculated. Antimicrobial assay was carried out by using disc diffusion method and minimum inhibitory...
The first flavonoid isolated from Bromelia laciniosa (Bromeliaceae)
April 2014
Bromelia laciniosa is a native species of the Caatinga biome, popularly known as “macambira” and “macambira de porco”. This paper describes the isolation and structural characterization of the first chemical constituent isolated from the leaves of B. laciniosa, an unprecedented flavonoid in the Bromeliaceae family. The structure was established as 5,7-dihydroxy-3,3',4'-trimethoxyflavone...
Polyphenol derivatives from bioactive butanol phase of the Tunisian narrow-leaved asphodel (Asphodelus tenuifolius Cav., Asphodelaceae)
April 2014
Dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and butanol phases of the organic extract obtained from Asphodelus tenuifolius Cav., a plant growing spontaneously in Tunisia were assessed for antifungal and antibacterial effects using disc diffusion and dilution methods, respectively. The butanol phase exhibited significant antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis and Candida krusei and a considerable level of...
Aqueous leaves extract of Artemisia campestris inhibition of the scorpion venom induced hypertension
April 2014
The boiled leaves of Artemisia campestris (Asteraceae) was used as a folk-medicine against ophidian and scorpion envenoming in rural and nomad populations, but its bona fide mechanisms are still unknown. In this report, the effect of the aqueous dry leaves’ extract of this plant on hemodynamic variations induced by Buthus occitanus tunetanus venom was assayed in pregnant and non pregnant rats. Our results showed...
Acceleration of wound healing activity by Polygonatum odoratum leaf extract in rats
April 2014
Polygonatum odoratum is an important herbal medicine that is used in folk medicine for the treatment of various elements and its components are reported to have various biological effects. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of topical application of ethanol leaf extract of this plant on the rate of wound healing closure and histology of healed wound. Four groups of male Sprague Dawley rats, all were...
Effect of adenine sulphate on in vitro mass propagation of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni
April 2014
Stevia rebaudiana, a medicinal plant normally used as a natural herbal sweetener, has documented properties of antimicrobial, antihypertensive and anti-hyperglycemic and hence a boon to diabetic people. An efficient protocol has been developed for the in vitro plant regeneration established from nodal explants of stevia. Best shoot proliferation was observed when nodal explants were inoculated on Murashige and Skoog...
Biomass and essential oil production from menthe is influenced by compost and lime
March 2014
As a product of secondary metabolism, essential oils may exhibit variation in their composition according to mode of plant cultivation. The application of organic manure has been considered one of the key factors for increasing biomass and essential oil production in most of medicinal plants, as it provides nutrients and increases their uptake. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of organic fertilizer and lime...
Effects of a commercial mixture of herbal essential oils and vitamins (Provital®) and an organic acid (Totacid®) on performance and economical efficiency in broilers: A field study
March 2014
A farm study was carried out to evaluate the inclusion of a commercially available blend of herbal essential oils (Provital) and an organic acid (Totacid) on productive performance and economical efficiency of broiler chickens. A total of 31,800 day old straight run broiler chickens (Ross 308) were allocated to three experimental treatments in three houses (10,600 birds per each) in a commercial farm for 50 days....
Antioxidant and antibacterial activity of callus and adventitious root extracts from Rumex vesicarius L.
March 2014
The present work has been carried out for the in vitro production of biologically active constituents from Rumex vesicarius L. cultures. Calli and adventitious roots were tested for their antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Results of preliminary phytochemical screening revealed that cultures were rich in flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, carbohydrates and/or glycosides, coumarins and cardiac glycosides. Sterols...
Phytochemistry and pharmacology of the genus Macaranga: A review
March 2014
The genus Macaranga Thou. (Euphorbiaceae) comprises of about 300 species that are native mainly to the tropics of Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific regions. Plants of this genus have a long history of use in traditional medicine to treat cuts, swellings, boils, bruises and sores. Phytochemical work on this genus has reported over 190 secondary metabolites being isolated mainly from the leave extracts of different...
Essential oil composition and biomass productivity of Moroccan endemic Thymus satureioides Coss. & Ball. growing in the Agoundis Valley
March 2014
Thymus satureioides Coss. & Ball. (Th. satureioides) is an endemic thyme of Morocco. Thirty two samples of wild T. satureioides were collected from High Atlas Mountains (Valley of Agoundis). The essential oils (EO) isolated by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The yield of EO ranged from 0.2 to 2.3%. Twenty six components, representing more than...
In vitro antifungal and antioxidant activities of two Benin medicinal plants
March 2014
Casuarina equisetifolia (L.) (Casuarinaceae) and Oxalis corniculata (L.) (Oxalidaceae), two medicinal plants used in Bénin were screened for their antifungal activity against six strains of the genus Aspergillus (Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus parasiticus, Aspergillus ochraceus and Aspergillus nidulans). The antioxidant activity and phytochemical constituents were also...
Clinical response of broilers placed on varying levels of aqueous Cassia alata leaf extract
March 2014
This study examined the clinical response of 120 Anak broiler birds to inclusion of Cassia alata aqueous extract at different levels in their water (0, 5, 10 and 15 ml/L). The birds were allotted to four treatments of 10 birds each with three replicates. They were fed ad libitum and data were collected on haematological and serum parameters (packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, red blood cell count, white...
Behavioural assessment of Mikania micrantha Kunth roots in Wistar albino rats
March 2014
The present study was designed to evaluate the adaptogenic activity of methanolic and aqueous extract of roots of Mikania micrantha kunth in Wistar albino rats using different experimental models such as anoxia stress tolerance, swimming endurance and immobilisation stress. The plant was subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening. The parameters like anoxia stress tolerance and swimming endurance time were...
Antimicrobial potential and bioactive constituents from aerial parts of Vitis setosa Wall.
March 2014
Plants still represent untapped sources of novel compounds with potential therapeutic effects. Hence, the present investigation was carried out to study the in vitro evaluation of antimicrobial potential and to assess the bioactive constituents of the aerial parts of Vitis setosa Wall. The powdered aerial material was extracted with different solvents and examined for antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli,...
In vitro killing rate of Euphorbia heterophylla and Pterocarpus lucens extracts minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) on some clinical bacterial isolates
March 2014
In vitro antibacterial activity of methanol and ethanol leaf extracts of Euphorbia heterophylla and Pterocarpus lucens were investigated against six bacterial clinical isolates using the tube dilution and agar diffusion methods. Salmonella typhi was the most susceptible to methanol leaf extracts of E. heterophylla with a zone of inhibition ranging from 16 to 24 mm for 12.5 to 100 mg/ml concentration. This was followed...
New cultivation approaches of Artemisia annua L. for a sustainable production of the antimalarial drug artemisinin
March 2014
Artemisia annua L. is an important medicinal plant from which artemisinin was extracted to treat malaria effectively. Artemisinin is isolated from the aerial part of the A. annua harvesting from the wild is causing loss of genetic diversity and habitat destruction. The use of controlled environments can overcome cultivation difficulties and could be a means to manipulate phenotypic variation in bioactive compounds and...
Assessment of the antimicrobial activity of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Piper guineense leaves
March 2014
The antimicrobial activity of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of leaves of Piper guineense was determined on some bacteria and fungi, namely, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, using agar well diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The ethanolic extract was found to show more activity than the aqueous...
Anti-depression effect of Chimonanthus salicifolicus essential oil in chronic stressed rats
March 2014
The aim of this study was to investigate the interventional effect of the Chimonanthus salicifolicus essential oil on murine chronic stress-induced anxiety. Rats model of uncertainty empty bottle was established to induce anxiety. The exploratory change, grooming and attack behaviors were observed. After 7 days training period followed by continuous 14 days’ stimulation, rats serum level of glucose (GLU), total...
Antimicrobial activity and phytochemical screening of various parts of Ixora coccinea
March 2014
Ixora coccinea L. (Rubiaceae) has been used traditionally for a variety of ailments and also cultivated for ornamental purposes. The present study investigated antimicrobial activity of methanolic extracts of various parts of I. coccinea and determined the chemical groups of the active constituents. Antimicrobial activity was assessed using agar disc diffusion, microdilution and thin layer chromatography (TLC)...
The influence of extraction solvents on the anticancer activities of Palestinian medicinal plants
March 2014
Palestine has a rich and prestigious heritage of herbal medicines. To investigate the impact of variable extraction techniques on the cytotoxic effects of medicinal plant extracts, 5 well-known medicinal plants from Palestine were extracted with 90% ethanol, 80% methanol, acetone, coconut water, apple vinegar, grape vinegar or 5% acetic acid. The resulting 35 extracts were screened for cytotoxic activities against three...
Byrsonima intermedia preparations inhibits trypsin and chymotrypsin activities from Aedes aegypti larval gut
March 2014
This work describes the larvicidal activity of the ethanolic crude extract (EEB) as well as the hexanic (FH), chloroform (FCL), ethyl acetate (FAE) and remaining (FR) fractions obtained from Byrsonima intermedia leaves and bark against Aedes aegypti. Hexanic and remaining fractions from the leaves demonstrated larvicide activity against A. aegypti larvae on the 3rd stage, with LC50 values of 250 and 125 μg/ml-1,...
Effect of methyl jasmonate on isoflavonoid accumulation and antioxidant enzymes in Pueraria mirifica cell suspension culture
March 2014
The effect of methyl jasmonate (MJ) on the isoflavonoid accumulation and activities of three antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase) were studied in Pueraria mirifica cell suspension culture after MJ elicitation for up to 6 days. Treatment with MJ at a concentration of 1.0 µg/ml induced the highest isoflavonoid contents at the first day after elicitation, when compared to...
Medicinal characteristics of Smyrnium cordifolium Boiss. plant extract in rats
March 2014
The most common sleep disorder is insomnia and about 35% of all people suffer from this disturbance. A trend in using herbal medications for this disorder is increasing globally. Current study aimed to investigate the hypnotic characteristics of Smyrnium cordifolium Boiss (SCB) plant extract. From an experimental study, 96 healthy male Wistar rats were equally divided into 12 groups. For hypnotic evaluations, a negative...
High temperature stress decreases root iridoid glycosides biosynthesis of Scrophularia ningpoensis during florescence
March 2014
Radix Scrophulariaceae is an herbal medicine used as antipyretic and antibacterial. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of high temperature stress on the secondary metabolites of Scrophularia ningpoensis Hemsl (S. ningpoensis). Potted S. ningpoensis plants of three ecotypes in florescence were subjected to high temperature stress for 15 days. Results showed that under high temperature stress,...
Antimicrobial activity of the leaf extract and fractions of Lupinus arboreus
February 2014
The antimicrobial effect of the leaf extract and fractions of Lupinus arboreus was investigated. The crude methanol extract (CME) of the dried leaves obtained by 48 h cold maceration was fractionated into n-hexane fraction (HEF), ethyl acetate fraction (EAF), and methanol fraction (MEF); and evaluated using modified agar-well diffusion method. The results showed that the extract and fractions at varying concentrations,...
Hypotensive activity, toxicology and histopathology of different extracts of Berberis vulgaris
February 2014
A number of plants have been used widely in the traditional system of medicine or Tibb-e-Unani (Unani medicine) in the management of many diseases but these mostly, have not been investigated for their described effects. In this study, the hypotensive, toxicology and histological activities were studied in normotensive albino rats at different doses of ethanolic extract of root pulp (BRE) and aqueous extract of root...
Assessment of the medicinal uses of plant species found on termitaria in the Pendjari biosphere reserve in Benin
February 2014
Medicinal plants are important in the life of African populations and there is nowadays an increasing need to gathering information related to them. In order to highlight the importance of termitaria to local populations, we investigated within the Pendjari Biosphere reserve the medicinal uses made from plant species found in association with them. We laid out plots in fields and fallows surrounding the Pendjari...
Altered sex expression by plant growth regulators: An overview in medicinal vegetable bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.)
February 2014
Bitter gourd is one of the popular vegetables for its medicinal values. It is monoecious cucurbitaceous plants which have imbalance sex ratio of male-female flowers that causes lower fruit yield. Different research works on cucurbits like bitter gourd and other related crops in respect of plant growth regulators, plant nutrients, and priming practices have been conducted in different parts of the world. Literatures...
Phytochemical investigation and antioxidant activity of extracts of Lecythis pisonis Camb.
February 2014
Phytochemical investigation of the ethanol extract of leaves, twigs and fruit shell of Lecythis pisonis Camb. revealed the presence of squalene, a- e b-amyrin, lupeol, 3b-friedelinol, ursolic and oleanolic acids, (E)-phytol, sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside and kaempferol-3-O-rustinoside. Structural elucidation was achieved using ultra violet (UV), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and...
Evaluation of whitening efficacy and safety of the water extract from bamboo shavings
February 2014
This aim of this study was to evaluate the whitening efficacy of the water extract from bamboo shavings (WEBS) in malignant melanoma cells (B-16) of mice. The safety of WEBS was evaluated by the acute oral toxicity test, the repeated skin irritation test and the acute eye irritation test was also evaluated. WEBS showed strong inhibitory effects against the activity of tyrosinase in B-16 cells in a dose dependent manner,...
Phytochemical and in vitro anti-bacterial properties of Hibiscus sabdariffa L (Roselle) juice
February 2014
The anti-bacterial properties of aqueous and ethanol extracts of the calyces of Hibiscus sabdariffa on five bacteria genera, namely, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae and Streptococcus mutans were evaluated using agar well and disc diffusion methods. Six bioactive compounds were identified from phytochemical analysis of the juice extract of H. sabdariffa. Analysis...
An anatomical study of medicinal species Ajuga orientalis L. (Lamiaceae) from Turkey
February 2014
Ajuga orientalis (Lamiaceae), with a wide distribution area in Turkey, is a traditionally used medicine in the treatment of some skin diseases in Anatolia. The aim of this study was to determine the anatomical characteristics of the root, stem, leaf, petiole, calyx and corolla of medicinal species of A. orientalis in cross sections. As a result of the study, it was found out that the pith rays of the root composed...
Antioxidant and anticancer activities of Moringa oleifera leaves
February 2014
Moringa oleifera leaves extracted with methanol and dichloromethane were screened for antioxidant activity. The in vitro cancer antiproliferative and chemopreventive properties were also investigated. Radical scavenging assays with 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2´-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) were used to determine the antioxidant activity. The antiproliferative assay was...
Antibacterial and cytotoxic antibacterial potential of ethanol extract and fractions from Aristolochia galeata Mart. ex Zucc
February 2014
The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the phytochemical, antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of ethanol extract and hexane, dichlorometane, ethyl acetate and hydroethanolic fractions from Aristolochia galeata’s rhizomes. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum lethal concentration (MLC) were evaluated by the broth microdilution assay to investigate the antibacterial activity of various...
Phytochemical analysis and biological activity of a precipitate from Pavetta crassipes
February 2014
Precipitate obtained from the aqueous extract of a Pavetta crassipes K. Schum (Rubiaceae) was analyzed for biological activity and phytochemical makeup. Phytochemical studies of the precipitate showed the presence of flavonoids. Antimicrobial studies showed that the precipitate inhibited the growths of Corynebacterium ulcerans, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 6.25 mg/ml with corresponding minimum...
New antioxidant and cholinesterase inhibitory constituents from Lonicera quinquelocularis
February 2014
A phytochemical investigation on the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of Lonicera quinquelocularis (whole plant) led to the isolation of three new and two known compounds. The crude extract and the various soluble fractions were screened for cytotoxic activities. The ethyl acetate soluble fraction was found to be more cytotoxic. The chloroform soluble fraction showed moderate activity while the other fractions and crude...
Influence of oil content and yield of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. cv. Soroksary seeds by adapting different plant densities
February 2014
In this experiment, the effect of different plant densities on the oil content and yield of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Cv. Soroksary seeds was studied at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Karaj, Iran (Latitude 35° 47´ N and Longitude 50° 59´ E) in 2008. Different spacing studied were 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 cm and the distance between rows in all treatments was 40 cm using a complete...
Recovery effect of Zingiber officinale on testis tissue after treatment with gentamicin in rats
February 2014
Ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale R., family: Zingiberaceae) is used medicinally and as a culinary spice. Gentamicin is synthetic antibacterial agent antibiotic with a very broad spectrum against microbial pathogens, especially the gram-negative. The aim of this study was to investigate the recovery effect of ginger on testis after treatment with gentamicin in rats. The forty male Wistar rats were selected and...
Comparative genetic and chemical profiling performed on Alstonia scholaris in China and its implications to standardization of Traditional Chinese Medicine
February 2014
Validity of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is oppugned very often because of the bugs of quality, effectiveness, and repeatability. Standardization of TCMs is one way to make a change. How to realize standardization of TCMs and with what measures to shape the quality control system, is provoking much debate in the TCM field. Genetic and chemical profiling were comparatively performed on Alstonia scholaris in China...
Effects of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction (HLJDD) on fever induced by lipopolysaccharide and inflammation induced by carrageenan
February 2014
This study aimed to investigate the antifebrile and anti-inflammatory effect of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction (HLJDD). The rabbits received intravenous injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) after orally administered with HLJDD and the rectal temperatures of rabbits were monitored. The concentrations of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in serum were assayed using rabbit IL-1β...
Water extracts of dietary mushrooms, Agrocybe aegerita and Hypsizigus mamoreus, inhibit antigen expression of human hepatitis B virus
February 2014
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is prevalent but the current treatments remain to be improved. This study evaluated the effect of dietary mushrooms on expression of surface (HBsAg) and e (HBeAg) antigens of HBV. Hot-water extracts (HWE) of dietary mushrooms, Agrocybe aegerita (AA), Hypsizigus mamoreus (HM) and Flammulina velutipes (FV), were prepared and subjected to gel permeation chromatograph for molecular weight...
Effects of extracts from Linum usitatissimum on cell vitality, proliferation and cytotoxicity in human breast cancer cell lines
February 2014
The seeds of flax (binomial name: Linum usitatissimum L.) are well known for their high content of phytoestrogens. In the present study, extracts from roots, leaves and stems of flax were analysed for their content of compounds, which might have phytoestrogen-like properties, by pyrolysis field ionisation mass spectrometry. All extracts were tested on the human breast cancer cell lines MCF7 (estrogen receptor positive)...
Study on callus induction and plant regeneration of Leuzea carthamoides via tissue culture system
February 2014
Leuzea (Rhaponticum carthamoides) is a valuable medicinal plant from Asteraceae. Micropropagation could be a good alternative for the mass propagation of Leuzea carthamoides. To investigate the callogenesis of leaf explants, 12 different hormonal combinations including different concentrations of 16-benzylaminopurine (BA) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) were studied in two separable experiments. In both...
Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of substituted halogenated coumarins
February 2014
Pathogens frequently display resistance to current drugs, which frequently lack selectivity/efficacy and have detrimental side effects. Thus, there is a constant need for novel therapeutic agents. Coumarins belong to the family of lactones, having a benzopyrone system that can be isolated from plants as well as total synthesis that can be carried out in the laboratory. To date, many chemical reactions have been...
Polygonatum cirrhifolium Royle and Polygonatum verticillatum (L.) Allioni: Status assessment and medicinal uses in Uttarakhand, India
February 2014
Polygnatum verticillatum (Linn) All. and Polygonatum cirrhifolium (Wall.) Royle (Liliaceae) growing in the Himalayan region is assigned as vulnerable by International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). To elucidate the status of the plants in the Uttarakhand Himalaya population assessment of the species is done in the study region. The study area is divided into five sites (Kilburry,...
A sensitive high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) method for the quantitation of α-obscurine in rat plasma and its application to pharmacokinetic studies
February 2014
A simple and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the determination of α-obscurine in rat plasma has been developed and validated. Separation was achieved on Century Sil EPS C18 (5 μm, 200 × 4.6 mm i.d). The mobile phase, water:methanol:triethanol amine (39:61:0.05 v/v/v), was delivered at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The detector was set at 250 nm. No interfering chromatogram...
Allelopathic effects of Cassia tora and Cassia uniflora on Parthenium hysterophorous L.
January 2014
Laboratory studies on the seed powder and water extract of seeds of Cassia tora and Cassia uniflora on the germination of Parthenium seeds was studied. Seed powders of both weeds were much inhibitory on seed germination of Parthenium than the water extract. Seed powder of Cassia tora showed maximum germination inhibition of 98% and water extract of 67%, whereas seed powder of C. uniflora showed germination inhibition of...
Standardization of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) Calyx cultivated in Sudan
January 2014
Herbal products have become increasingly popular throughout the world; one of the impediments in its acceptance is the lack of standard quality control profile. This research was conducted to standardize Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) cultivated in Sudan. For this purpose, world health organization (WHO) monograph for medicinal plants was used to assess certain particulars of the plant including macro and microscopical...
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