October 2011
Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (Medicinal uses)
October 2011
Pharmacological activity of Althaea officinalis L.
Althaea officinalis belongs to family Malvaceae. It is one of the medicinal plants used therapeutically since ancient time. The leaves of the A. officinalis plant as well as the root are used as medicine. Roots of A. officinalis contain mucilage, flavonoids and glycosides, additionally the leaves contain the coumarin scopoletin. Due to having valuable secondary metabolites it exert...
October 2011
On-farm conservation of genetic diversity for endangered medicinal plants
Harvesting from wild plants, especially from those having medicinal uses, is causing loss of genetic diversity and habitat degradation. However, a large amount of the wild plants is harvested by poor households. Both in situ and ex situ conservation have disadvantages, such as large investment but little reward for indigenous inhabitants. Cultivated populations have relative high genetic diversity of...
October 2011
Strategies of functional food for hypertension prevention in China
Hypertension is not only among the common and leading causes of morbidity and mortality in China and the world, but also is the most important modifiable risk factor for life-threatening diseases. Prevalent reasons of hypertension in China involve heredity, obesity, diet with high sodium and low potassium as well as calcium intakes. All modifiable factors cause hypertension is summed up in dietary, especially the loss...
October 2011
Induced-differentiation of two flavones and two flavonols on a human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell line (KYSE-510)
The effects of two flavones (baicalein, chrysin) and two flavonols (galangin, kaempferol) on induction of differentiation in a human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (KYSE-510) cell line were investigated in this study. Four compounds were found to be able to inhibit proliferation of KYSE-510 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The inhibitory potency of them on the growth of KYSE-510 cells was in the order...
October 2011
Improvement of plants salt tolerance by exogenous application of amino acids
The present work has been performed to study the growth and metabolic activities of maize and broad bean plants which are shown to have a degree of sensitivity to salinity and to determine the role of amino acids proline or phenylalanine in increasing the salt tolerance of theses plants. Dry mass, water content, leaf area and photosynthetic pigment of maize and broad bean plants decreased with increasing salinity. These...
October 2011
Effect of ethanol concentrations and extraction time on acanthoside-D and total polyphenol contents and antioxidant activities in ethanol extracts of eleuthero
Eleutherococus senticosus has been used as a traditional medicine with tonic and sedative effects. Preliminary data would be necessary for eleuthero products to find out better biological functions. The effect of ethanol concentration and extraction time on the contents of acanthoside-D, polyphenols and antioxidant activities in ethanol extracts of eleuthero (Eleutherococus senticosus) was evaluated to provide...
October 2011
ScaNeem: Herbo-mineral therapy for scabies
A study was conducted to determine the efficacy and safety of herbal coded medicine, ScaNeem, for the treatment of scabies. Open randomized descriptive study was employed in this study. The drug ScaNeem was prescribed to 60 patients while benzyl benzoate was prescribed to 60 patients who were registered at Shifa Ul Mulk Memorial Hospital. They all belong to villages around Hamdard University and urban...
October 2011
Total phenols, antioxidant potential and antimicrobial activity of the methanolic extracts of Ephedra laristanica
The antioxidant activities of the methanolic extracts of Ephedra laristanica growing in Iran were evaluated using ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assays. FRAP values 2.1 mmol eq quercetin/g extracts, and IC50 values in the DPPH assay 4.6 mg/mL. This plant showed the high antioxidant activities. FRAP and DPPH assay results showed...
October 2011
Antimicrobial, antioxidant and in vitro anti-inflammatory activity and phytochemical screening of water extract of Wedelia trilobata (L.) Hitchc.
The aim of the study was to evaluate antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of dry and fresh parts of leaf, stem and flower from the water extract of Wedelia trilobata. The antimicrobial activity of water extracts of fresh and dry parts against 9 different strains of bacteria and 11 different species of fungi were determined using standard method (paper disc method). The fresh parts water...
October 2011
Oral traditional knowledge for the treatment of digestive system diseases investigated in North Jeolla Province, Korea
This study aims to record and conserve oral traditional knowledge for the treatment of digestive system diseases in North Jeolla Province, Korea. Data was collected with semi-structured questionnaires through the participatory rural appraisal method (PRA). This study reveals that overall 29 digestive system diseases have been treated with a total of 74 species of medicinal plants belonging to 69 genera in 40 families....
October 2011
Elephantopus scaber induces cytotoxicity in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells via p53-induced apoptosis
Plants have not only been consumed as food but have also been adopted as folk medicine for centuries. Elephantopus scaber Linn, a herb from the Asteraceae family, has traditionally been taken as decoction or tea to cure various ailments and diseases throughout the world. Recent studies had also suggested that this plant posses various bioactivities such as anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory,...
October 2011
In-vitro pharmacological investigations of aerial parts of indigofera heterantha
Indigofera heterantha is locally used for various diseases. In current study we have made an effort to investigate various activities to scientifically validate some of its pharmacological activities. Among in-vitro assays no antibacterial activity was found while low antifungal activity was observed. Similarly low insecticidal and low to moderate phytotoxicity was identified in case of fractions...
October 2011
Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of Frankenia thymifolia Desf. fractions and their related biomolecules identification by gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
Frankenia thymifolia Desf. is an endemic xero-halophyte species common in the salted and arid region of Tunisia. In this study, two kinds of Frankenia shoot fractions were assessed on their polyphenol contents and biological activities. Then, the main phenolic and fatty acid compositions were identified. Results showed that polar fraction contains a highest polyphenol, flavonoïd and tannin contents...
October 2011
High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of Hoodia gordonii commercial powder
Hoodia gordonii is traditionally used by the San people in South Africa due to its properties of appetite and thirst suppression, and it is scientifically proven and explained by the presence of active glycoside P57. The scarcity of the plant due to the difficulty of cultivation coupled with the growing demand for products antiobesity on H. gordonii, created a setting in which the adulteration of other...
October 2011
Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of essential oils and solvent extracts of Thymus capitatus (L.) Hoffmanns and link from Morocco
Analysis of the chemical composition of Thymus capitatus essential oil from Morocco was carried out using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectral (GC-MS). The oil was dominated by p-cymene, carvacrol, geranyl acetate and borneol. The amounts of total phenolics and flavonoids in the solvent extracts were determined spectrometrically. The antioxidant activity of essential oil and...
October 2011
Effect of Allium sativa L. on pancreatic β. cells in comparison to Nigella sativa L. in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats
The present study was carried out to determine the effects of Allium sativa and Nigella sativaon glucose level, insulin level, and histological appearance of beta cells of pancreas in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Aqueous A. sativa extract and N. sativa oil were prepared and stored at -20°C till use. Forty eight male albino rats were divided into four groups (n = 12 in...
October 2011
Phytochemical and antimicrobial studies of leaf extract of Euphorbia neriifolia
The phytochemical analysis of leaf extracts (chloroform, ethanol, ethyl acetate, butanol and aqueous) of a medicinal plant, Euphorbia neiirifolia and their antibacterial activities against bacterial isolates, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsilla pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgarius, Pseudomonas fluroscens were investigated. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of flavonoids,...
October 2011
Triptolide inhibits cytokine-induced activation of retro-ocular fibroblasts from patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy
To explore the effects of Triptolide which has immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory properties on the expression of human leucocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), CD40 and Fas enduced by cytokines and the synthesis of hyaluronic acid (HA) on cultured retro-ocular fibroblasts (RFs) from patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy. Cultured RFs were incubated with IL-1 (100 U/mL) or...
October 2011
Study of the reaction of major weeds and some rice cultivars to Fusarium equiseti
Weeds are the most important damaging weeds of rice fields. In this research, Fusarium equiseti was isolated from Sagitaria trifolia, Alisma plantago-aquatica and Echinochloa spp.. Then, its effect in greenhouse conditions was examined in these weeds and five rice cultivars including 2 bred (Sepidroud and Khazar) and 3 indigenous (Ali Kazemi, Hashemi and Binam) in a completely...
October 2011
Systematic application of palyno-anatomical characterization of Setaria species based in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscope (LM) analysis
This study based on multiple parameters including morphology, epidermal leaf anatomy and palynological (light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy) systematics of 5 species of genus Setaria (Poaceae). The study is confined to five species of the genus Setaria that is, Setaria glauca, Setaria italica, Setaria tomentosa, Setaria verticillata and Setaria viridis. In this...
October 2011
The effects on motor behaviour and short-term memory tasks in mice following an acute administration of Mitragyna speciosa alkaloid extract and mitragynine
Mitragyna speciosa Korth. leaves have been traditionally used by Malay and Thai natives for its opium-like effect and coca-like stimulant ability to enhance tolerance for hard work. Mitragynine is the major indole alkaloid in this plant. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the alkaloid extract of M. speciosa leaves and its major alkaloid mitragynine on exploratory behaviour, short-term...
October 2011
Interactive effects of Silicon and Aluminum on the malondialdehyde (MDA), proline, protein and phenolic compounds in Borago officinalis L.
Aluminum stress is considered as a restricting factor for plant products. Therefore, many compounds have been applied to minimize the harmful effects of stress. Recently, the mitigating role of Silicon (Si) in Aluminum (Al) stress has received some attention. Si is known to increase tolerance in higher plants. Si in plants provides structural support and improves tolerance to diseases, drought and metal toxicity. We...
October 2011
Effect of pruning lateral branches on four varieties of medicinal castor bean plant (Ricinuscommunis L.) yield, growth and development
In order to study the effect of pruning lateral branches on four varieties of castor bean yield, growth, and development, an experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station of Saatlo in Urmia, Iran, during 2010 growing season. Experimental design was split plot, completely randomized block design with three replications. The main plots were varieties of castor bean (that is, 80-23, 80-29, 80-12-1 and...
October 2011
Antimicrobial, insecticidal and phytotoxic activities of Indigofera heterantha roots
Indigofera heterantha is a medicinal plant available in northern areas of Pakistan. Locally used for various diseases. In this study, we have made an effort to investigate various activities to scientifically validate some of its pharmacological activities of its root extract and fractions. Among in vitro assays no antibacterial activity was found while low antifungal activity was observed. Similarly, low...
October 2011
Quantitative determination of total aconitines in commercial Aconitum L. Chinese medicine
Aconitines is predominant bioactive constituents in Aconitum L. Chinese medicines, which often cause serious toxicities problem in clinical application. This experiment evaluates the qualities of commercial Aconitum L. Chinese medicines by investigating the content of total aconitines. It was determined by the visible spectrophotometric method. The commercial 20 Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata, 26...
October 2011
Aliphatic aldehyde rich volatile constituents of Houttuyania cordata from southwest China
Houttuynia cordata is an aromatic herb with great importance in the food, pharmaceutical and fragrance industries. Previous studies have shown that its essential oil mainly contains two types of compounds, terpenes and aldehydes. The essential oil composition of a newaccesssion from southwest China was investigated. Head-space solid phase microextraction(HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass...
October 2011
Protective effect of Pedicularis decora Franch root extracts on oxidative stress and hepatic injury in alloxan-induced diabetic mice
Pedicularis decora (P. decora) has been known to have antioxidative effect, but the effect of its successive extracts has not been well studied. Our objective was to investigate the effect of n-butanol and water extracts of P. decora Franch root on the oxidative stress and hepatic injury in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Diabetes was induced in ICR mice by a single alloxan injection (150 mg...
October 2011
Conservation of medicinal plants in Ajlun woodland / Jordan
Local knowledge about natural resources is becoming increasingly important in defining strategies and actions for conservation of medicinal plants. This study is trying to display the threatened status of medicinal plants of Ajloun heights region; identify the most important factors affecting the plants in their natural habitats. Previous studies summarized the presence of 46 medicinal plant species grown in the study...
October 2011
Hepatoprotective activity of aqueous extract of Khaya senegalensis bark in rats
This study was designed to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of Khaya senegalensis bark (Meliaceae) against CCl4- induced liver damage in rats. Aqueous extract of the bark of K. senegalensis was orally administered to rats at 250 and 500 mg/kg for five days which was significantly alleviate the damage that induced to liver by CCL4. The levels of AST, ALT, ALP, bilirubin, total protein and albumin, in groups treated...
October 2011
Antioxidant, cytoprotective, growth inhibitory and immunomodulatory activities of extracts of Dysoxylum cauliflorum Hiern., a Malaysian Meliaceae
Dysoxylum species have long been used to treat inflammatory conditions and fever throughout Asia, but there is very limited published information on the pharmacological properties of Dysoxylum cauliflorum Hiern, a member of the Meliaceae family found in the primary rain forest of Malaysia and elsewhere in South-east Asia. To characterise the biological actions of this plant, extracts of the leaf and bark parts were...
October 2011
Foliar epidermal anatomy of some ethnobotanically important species of wild edible fruits of northern Pakistan
The present study is focused on the foliar epidermal anatomy of some ethnobotanically important species of wild edible fruits that is, Berberis lycium Royle, Diospyrous lotus L., Morus alba L., Morus leavigata Bureau, Morus nigra L., Morus laevigata var. rubra L., Myresine africana L., Pistacia integerrima J. L. Stewart, Prunus persica L., and Zanthoxylum armatum DC., Prodr. The objective of the present study is to...
October 2011
Purification, chemical characterization and in vitro antioxidant activities of alkali-extracted polysaccharide fractions isolated from the fruits of Schisandra chinensis
The alkali-extracted crude polysaccharide was extracted from the fruits of Schisandra chinensis, and further purified by DEAE-cellulose and Sepharose CL-6B chromatography, giving three polysaccharide fractions coded as ASPS-a-1, ASPS-b-2 and ASPS-b-3. In this study, their chemical and physical characteristics of polysaccharide fractions and antioxidant capacity, including scavenging activity against...
October 2011
Meta-analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana under abscisic acid and salt stress
To investigate the abscisic acid and salt stress on Arabidopsis and find the potential response genes, we collected the gene expression profiles of Arabidopsis under abscisic acid (ABA) and salt stress from NCBI, and merge the 2 different datasets by meta-analysis method. Thus, the different expressed genes identified from the merged data presented the responses of Arabidopsis under both abscisic acid and salt stress....
October 2011
Bioactive ingredients in adzuki bean sprouts
Adzuki bean sprouts are consumed as food and herb medicine in Chinese folk. In this study, the main bioactive ingredients of adzuki bean sprouts were evaluated. As seeding days progressed, the free amino acids in the sprouts were rapidly increased while mineral elements and unsaturated fatty acids were reduced. After seeding for 3 days, the highest content of γ-aminobutyric acid could be investigated, and the...
October 2011
The physiological response of suspension cell of Capparis spinosa L. to drought stress
This study was conducted to investigate the drought tolerance and initial mechanism of Capparis spinosa L suspension cell to water stress. The suspension callus inoculated in liquid Murashige and Skoog medium contained 0 to 15% (m/v) polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000) and physiological index were assessed. The result indicated that drought stress led to hydrogen peroxide accumulation more than in the control which led the...
October 2011
Inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) primer screening and preliminary evaluation of genetic diversity in Rheum tanguticum
Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Balf. is an important medicinal plant endemic to Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) was used to assess genetic diversity of four R. tanguticum populations from Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai, China. Fifteen efficient primers were screened and amplified 342 polymorphic bands out of which 340 (PPB = 99.42%) were polymorphic. Nei's gene diversity (He)...
October 2011
In vitro antileishmanial activity of the medicinal plant - Satureja khuzestanica Jamzad
Infections due to protozoa of the genus of Leishmania are responsible for a significant burden of disease, especially in the developing countries. Furthermore, the incidence of leishmaniasis continues to rise due to lack of a vaccine. Drugs commonly used for the treatment of the disease show varying level of effectiveness and also have associated side effects. There is therefore, a need to develop newer drug therapies....
October 2011
Antimicrobial activities of Sapium sebiferum L. belonging to family Euphorbiaceae
The in vitro antimicrobial activity of the crude methanolic and ethanolic leaf extract of Sapium sebiferum L. was studied against four gram negative and two gram positive bacteria. The results showed that both the extracts showed antimicrobial activity. Maximum zone of inhibition was observed in the methanolic extract against Escherichia coli which was 29.5 ± 0.50. However, ethanolic extract showed least...
October 2011
Antimicrobial screening of fruit, leaves, root and stem of Rubus fruticosus
Current investigation has been carried out to evaluate antimicrobial potential of an indigenous medicinal herb Rubus fruticosus fruit, leaves, root and stem. Crude methanolic extracts were screened against eight bacterial strains for example Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Micrococcus luteus, Citrobacter, Bacillus...
October 2011
The immunomodulatory effects of Cordyceps sinensis on dendritic cells derived from chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
Cordyceps sinensis (CS), a tonic herb in Chinese traditional medicine, is an excellent antitumor agent. However, the underlying mechanisms of its antitumor effects remain unclear. In the present study, we evaluated the role of C. sinensis in the differentiation and function of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs) from patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and attempted to elucidate its antitumor mechanisms....
October 2011
Net photosynthesis of Panax ginseng on the different age in mountain area, Korea
Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer is an important pharmaceutical plant in North Eastern Asia. Five mountain forests, namely: Hongcheon, Sangju, Jinan, Poonggi and Andong were selected to compare net photosynthesis of P. ginseng in Korea. The net photosynthesis of 5 years old ginseng showed the highest values in all the forest areas. Obviously, net photosynthetic rates of forest ginseng grown in every five mountain forests...
Advertisement
Advertisement
