November 2010
Antitumor and antibacterial activity of four fractions from Heracleum persicum Desf. and Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume
At the present study tumor inhibition and antibacterial activity of the essential oils of Heracleum persicum and Cinnamomum zeylanicum was investigated. Methanol and petroleum ether were extracted from C. zeylanicum by potato disk method. These fractions showed cytotoxic effects in brine shrimp lethality assay (BSL). The authors found both H. persicum (57.16 %) and C....
November 2010
In vitro antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of Gunnera perpensa L. (Gunneraceae) from South Africa
Gunnera perpensa L. (Gunneraceae) is a medicinal plant used by Zulu traditional healers to induce labor, expel the placenta after birth and to relief menstrual pains. Phytochemical screening of the rhizomes revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, saponins, tannins and glycosides. Methanol extracts of G. perpensa exhibited strong scavenging of 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and...
November 2010
Nutritional and chemical evaluation of Momordica charantia
Momordica charantia is used for some medicinal purposes in traditional medicine. The nutritional and chemical compositions of M. charantia were investigated using standard analytical methods. The proximate composition showed the percentage moisture, ash, crude lipid, crude fibre, crude protein and carbohydrate content of the plant materials. The calorific values for leaf, fruit and seed were 213.26,...
November 2010
Evaluation of in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Laminaria japonica polysaccharides
In the present study, Laminaria japonica polysaccharides was investigated for its free radical scavenging activity using three different in vitro assays and antibacterial activity. Laminaria japonica polysaccharides effectively scavenged the following free radicals: superoxide radical (O2-), hydroxyl radicals (OH-) and 1,1-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH-). The radical scavenging...
November 2010
Hairy roots production of transgenic Catharanthus roseus L. plants with Agrobacterium rhizogenes under in vitro conditions
Hypocotyl explants of Catharanthus roseus L. gave rise to callus at a frequency of 90% when cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented BA (31.1 µM) and NAA (5.4 µM) on dark conditions. The calli (8 weeks old) were placed onto half strength liquid MS medium that had been polluted by bacterial clones of Agrobacterium rhizogenes. Transgenic of calli regenerated...
November 2010
Antiproliferative activity of extracts of some Bolivian medicinal plants
Twenty-six plant species from the native flora used in Bolivian folk medicine were selected for studies of bioactivity. They belonged to the following families namely: Asteraceae (11), Brassicaceae (1), Cactaceae (1), Caesalpinaceae (2), Chenopodiaceae (1), Frankeniaceae (1), Geraniaceae (1), Laureaceae (1), Oxalidaceae (1), Piperaceae (1), Plantaginaceae (1), Rosaceae (1), Solanaceae (1) and Verbenaceae (2). Their...
November 2010
Chemical composition, repellent and antimicrobial activity of Schinus molle L.
The aim of this research was to determine the repellent and antimicrobial activities of the essential oil and hexanic extracts obtained from the leaves and fruits ofSchinus molle L. (Anacardiaceae). The composition of essential oils and hexanic extracts were analyzed by GC-MS. Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis L.) adults and nine bacterial strains were used...
November 2010
Assessment of antioxidation potential of selected plants with antisickling property
Methanol extracts of herbs hitherto reported to have antisickling activity namely,Carica papaya leaf extract, Fagara zanthoxyloides root extract, Cajanus cajanseed extract and Parquetina nigrescens leaf extract, were evaluated in this study. An assessment of their antioxidation potential was determined by assaying for their phytochemical constituents, total phenol content, scavenging...
November 2010
Effects of AM fungi on growth, essential oil production and nutrients uptake in basil
The effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on root colonization, growth, essential oil content and composition and nutrient acquisition of basil (Ocimum basilicum) was investigated as complete randomized design with 4 treatments and 4 replications. Fungi inoculation treatments consisted: Gf (Glomus fasciculatum), Ge (Glomus etuonicatum), Gi (Glomus intraradices), and NM (non-mycorrhizal). The results...
November 2010
Microwave-assisted extraction of tannins from Chinese herb Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb
Tannins are water soluble polyphenols. Previous studies showed that Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb contains high levels of tannins. In this study, a microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method was evaluated for the extraction of tannins. The optimal extraction conditions were as follows: irradiation power 500 W, ratio of solvent to material 35 ml/g, irradiation temperature 30°C and irradiation time 15 min. Under...
November 2010
Inhibition of hormone sensitive lipase and pancreatic lipase by Rosmarinus officinalis extract and selected phenolic constituents
Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Rosemary) has been long claimed to have hypogylcemic-hypolipidemic dual effects in folkloric medicine. In an effort to explain rosemary's claimed benefits, numerous published studies have investigated an array of pharmacologic activities of the plant including anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic and metabolic effects. The question remained, however, as how rosemary would target both...
November 2010
Treatment of canine diabetes mellitus using Momordica charantia capsule and a restricted-fat high-fiber diet
The purpose of this study was to investigate effect of the Momordica charantia (MC) capsules, combined with insulin hormone and a high-fiber diet on the treatment of diabetic dogs. Twenty-five client-owned dogs with naturally occurring diabetes mellitus were entered into the study. All dogs were fed with a commercially available restricted-fat high-fiber diet and received insulin subcutaneously once a day....
November 2010
Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the hexane and benzene extracts of the Piper betle (leaf stalk) (Family: Piperaceae) from India
The oily fraction of the leaf stalk of Piper betle of Indian origin, led to the identification of number of esters compounds. The hexane eluates of n-hexane extract of P. betle yielded a waxy fraction which was rechromatographed on silica gel column. Its hexane and 25% benzene eluates yielded waxy liquids, which were small in amount and was not separated by column chromatography. Hence they were...
November 2010
A study on elemental contents of medicinally important species of Artemisia L. (Asteraceae) found in Pakistan
Genus Artemisia is cosmopolitan in distribution and its several species are being used in folk therapeutic treatments worldwide. In this study, elemental compositions of seventeen indigenous species...
November 2010
Biochemical, haematological and histopathological studies of extract of Ageratum conyzoides L. in Sprague Dawley rats
This study was conducted to evaluate the safety potential of the leaf extract ofAgeratum conyzoides Linnaeus in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats using biochemical, haematological and histological indices of toxicity. Four groups of seven male SD rats per group were used for the study. To group A was administered 0.25% CMC-Na/ kg body weight and was used as the control group, while groups B, C and D were respectively...
November 2010
Effect of perforations of culture vessel cap on growth and leaf microstructure of in vitro plantlets of Artemisia annua L.
Glandular trichomes on leaf epidermis of Artemisia annua was a major site for artemisinin production. The influence of culture vessel fitted with or replaced with perforated cap was investigated on growth and microstructures of in vitro A. annua leaves. Increment in height and fresh biomass of plantlets regardless of clones (TC1, TC2 and Highland) in culture vessel fitted with normal cap were...
November 2010
Rice bran phytic acid (IP6) induces growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis on human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells
Phytic acid (inositol hexaphosphate or IP6) is one of the bioactive compound that is present in cereals, nuts and legumes. IP6 is a naturally occurring polyphosphorylated carbohydrate, recognized to posses various significant health benefits including anticancer effects. Several in vitro and in vivo studies provide convincing evidence for the anticarcinogenic properties of commercial rice...
November 2010
N-acetylcysteine an Allium plant compound protects against chromium (VI) induced oxidant stress and ultrastructural changes of pancreatic beta-cells in rats
The present study was carried out to determine the effectiveness of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in alleviating chromium (VI)-induced beta-cell damages in rats. Sixty male albino rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 15/group). Group I remained untreated; Group II received single dose of potassium dichromate (50 mg/kg b.w., s.c.); Group III received NAC (200 mg/kg b.w., i.p.) before chromium (VI) injection (50...
November 2010
Some observations on Saudi medicinal plants of veterinary importance
Current study was undertaken during summer 2010 in Saudi Arabia, with the aim to investigate the significance of medicinal plants and their use in the treatment of different ailments in livestock. The plants were collected, properly identified, and their folklore traditional uses were recorded. Ethno-veterinary information was collected through the show-and-tell/semi-structured method and personal interviews during...
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