March 2012
Acacia nilotica: A plant of multipurpose medicinal uses
Acacia nilotica Lam (Mimosaceae) indigenously known as ‘Babul’ or ‘Kikar’ is a proverbial, medium sized tree and is broadly scattered in tropical and subtropical countries. It has an inspiring range of medicinal uses with potential anti-oxidant activity. This plant contributes a number of groups among which are alkaloids, volatile essential oils, phenols and phenolic glycosides, resins,...
March 2012
Hydroclathrus clathratus induces apoptosis in HL-60 leukaemia cells via caspase activation, upregulation of pro-apoptotic Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and ROS production
Hydroclathrus clathratus is a well-known endemic alga in Korea having antiviral effects. In this study, its ability to induce cytotoxicity and apoptosis in cultured HL-60 human promyelocytic leukaemia cells was investigated. Treatment of the human promyelocytic leukaemia cell line (HL-60), cells with various concentrations of H. clathratus ethyl acetate extract (HCE) resulted in growth...
March 2012
Anti-inflammatory activities of ethyl acetate extract of Polygonum jucundum and its phytochemical study
Polygonum spp. (Polygonaceae) has long been used as folk medicines in China to treat bacterial infection, blood coagulation and cancer and inflammatory diseases. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the ethnopharmacological activity of Polygonum jucundum. Its ethyl acetate extract (PJE, 200, 500 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (p.o)) produced a dose-related anti-inflammatory effects (P<0.05 to 0.001) of xylene -...
March 2012
Simultaneous analysis of eight phenolic compounds in Phyllanthus simplex Retz by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS
A new, simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of eight phenolic components in Phyllanthus simplex Retz. The chemical profile of the eight components, including gallic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, ferulic acid, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, 8,9-epoxy brevifolin, brevifolin and globulariacitrin were acquired...
March 2012
A clinical trial of the effect of St. John’s wort on migraine headaches in patients receiving sodium valproate
St John’s wort (Hypericum perfortum) a medicinal plant used for depression has been shown to increase the levels of brain serotonin, which may also influence migraine headache. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of H. perforatum on the frequency and intensity of migraine headaches in patients. In a clinical trial, 100 patients aged 15 to 45 years, with migraine headaches were randomly...
March 2012
Antioxidant, α-glucosidase inhibitory activities in vitro and alloxan-induced diabetic rats protective effect of Indigofera stachyodes Lindl. root
The antioxidant capacity of Indigofera stachyodes Lindl. root (ISR) extract had been determined by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azinobis (3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity using 96-microplate-based method test in vitro. Extracts of EtOAC (ISREA) and n-BuOH (ISRBU) were...
March 2012
Inhibitory effect of Dioscorea panthaica on CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in rats
Dioscorea panthaica (Dioscorea) is an herb commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine but the effects of DPE on liver fibrosis have not yet been reported. It was undertaken to evaluate the protective effects of the aqueous extracts of D. panthaica Prain et Burkil (DPE) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver fibrosis in rats and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these protective effects...
March 2012
The studying effect of drought stress on germination, proline, sugar, lipid, protein and chlorophyll content in purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) leaves
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) is one of the valuable medical plants. Drought also is one of the most important environment stresses that influences metabolism and growth of plant. The studying of physiological plant response rather than water stress can be influential equipment for understanding drought resistance mechanisms. In this study, the drought stress effects on germination and physiological...
March 2012
Ameliorative effect of 10-gingerol on drug induced hepatotoxicity in albino rats
In the present study, the ameliorative hepatoprotective effect of 10-gingerol (5 and 10 mg/kg)was examined in albino rats using the model of acute hepatotoxicity induced by diclofenac sodium (DCFS). Hepatotoxicity was induced in rats by an intraperitoneal (i.p) injection of DCFS in a dose of 150 mg/kg. Rats received 10-gingerol by i.p. injection for 6 consecutive days before induction of hepatotoxicity. Animals were...
March 2012
Oxidative behaviour of four Malaysian edible plant extracts in model and food oil systems
The present study was conducted to investigate the antioxidative behaviour of four local plant extracts in Malaysia-- red spinatch (Amarantus gangeticus), “kucai” (Allium odorum), Chinese cabbage (Brassica chinensis), and “kesom” (Polygonum minus)-- in palm olein system and in a linoleic acid model system. The antioxidative capacities of these local plants were then compared to the activity...
March 2012
Evaluation of anti-oxidant activity (in vitro) of Heckeria subpeltata (willd.) Kunth. leaves
Heckeria subpeltata (Willd.) Kunth. the fresh bark, leaves and root of the plant are extensively used by the kurichia, adiya, kuruma and kattunaika tribes of Wayanad for curing piles, dysentery, diarrhea, arthritis, jaundice, kidney problems, leucorrhoea, menstrual problems, ear pain, blood clot etc. The objective of the present study is to examine the antioxidant activity of methanolic and water...
March 2012
Comparison of the beneficial effects of guar gum on lipid profile in hyperlipidemic and normal rats
In this study, we searched the hypolipidemic effects of a dietary fiber in hyperlipidemic and normal rats. Rats were fed with high-fat diet (HFD) or a normal fed diet (NFD) for 12-weeks and then treated with 5, 10 and 20% guar gum in their regime for 28 days. Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly increased in HFD rats, while administration of guar...
March 2012
Assessment of nutritional and mineral composition of different parts of Schismatoglottis bauensis
The study was carried out to assess nutritional and mineral composition of dried whole plant, leaf, stem, rhizome and root of Schismatoglottis bauensis. Proximate analysis was carried out by measuring total protein, fats, carbohydrate, ash and moisture contents following official methods of Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Macro- (Ca, Na, K) and micronutrients (Fe, Cu, Zn) were analyzed using atomic...
March 2012
Antioxidant potential of ethanol extract of Brassica rapa L. root
Brassica rapa L. (turnip) roots were extracted with 70% ethanol, and then sequentially fractionated into n-hexane, chloroform, and ethyl acetate fractions. The ethanol extract possessed antioxidant potentials such as free radical scavenging, nitrite scavenging, and lipid peroxidation inhibitory activities as well as reducing power. Among solvent fractions of turnip roots extract, ethyl acetate fraction exhibited...
March 2012
Determination of two major xanthone glycosides in rhizome of Anemarrhena asphodeloides using high performance capillary electrophoresis
Anemarrhena rhizome known as “Zhi-Mu” is an important traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In this study, an accurate, rapid and reproducible high performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) method with ultraviolet (UV) detection has been established for the simultaneous determination of two major bioactive xanthone glycosides, mangiferin and neomangiferin in rhizome...
March 2012
Species-specific touch-down DAMD-PCR markers for Salvia species
Identification of genotypes and in some cases species in Salvia L. is complicated due to the morphologic similarities. This study utilized a touch-down directed amplification of minisatellite DNA polymerase chain reaction (Td-DAMD-PCR) technique to develop species-specific Td-DAMD-PCR markers for Salvia L. A total of 22 minisatellite core sequences as primers, and individuals and bulked samples from...
March 2012
Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of drought-endemic plants and enzymes production in Schefflera arboricola plants under pesticides stress
Antioxidant enzymes comprise the immune system in plants against abiotic and biotic stresses. In one part of the current study, the level of activity of four antioxidants has been examined in four unexplored Egyptian xerophytes. Their antimicrobial activity against seven virulent bacteria was also determined. In a second part of the study, the level of antioxidant enzymes was compared to their levels...
March 2012
Protective effect of laminarin polysaccharides on oxidative stress caused by exhaustive exercise
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of laminarin polysaccharides (LP) on exhaustive exercise-induced oxidative stress in rats. A total of thirty-two rats were randomly divided into the following four groups: Sedentary control group (C), exhaustive exercise group (E), LP treatment group (L) and exercise group subjected to exhaustive exercise and LP treatment (EL). Rats in the L and EL group...
March 2012
Effect of vermicompost produced from municipal solid waste on growth and yield of isabgol (Plantago ovata Forsk) and cumin (Cuminum cyminum)
Vermicompost has been identified as an alternative to fertilizer to increase soil fertility and crop production in agriculture. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of municipal solid waste vermicompost (MSV) as organic fertilization on the growth characteristics, phenological stages, and yield of isabgol (Plantago ovata Forsk) and cumin (Cuminum cyminum) under field condition. The experimental...
March 2012
Enhanced production of artemisinin by hairy root cultures of Artemisia dubia
The current research was to enhance the artemisinin concentration in hairy root cultures, produced by transformation of Artemisia dubia with Agrobacterium rhizogenes LBA9402. These cultures were exposed to gibberellic acid and salicylic acid, separately, to determine growth rate and artemisinin production. Gibberellic acid increased the growth rate of hairy roots at its 0.001 mg/L concentration while...
March 2012
Developmental toxicity evaluation of methanol extracts of Carthamus tinctorius L. in the Balb/C pregnant mice during organogenesis period
The plant Carthamus tinctorius L. (Safflower), a member of the compositae is used as a food additive but also has medicinal applications. To assay its effects during the developmental phase, 80 pregnant mice were randomly divided into one control and three experimental groups (n= 20). The control group received only distilled water, whereas experimental groups were administered 0.7, 1.4, and 2.8 mg/kg/day of...
March 2012
The effect of sowing date and plant density on yield and yield components of roselle
In order to study the effect of sowing date and plant density on yield and yield components of roselle, a split-plot experiment was carried out in the research field of Islamic Azad University, Birjand Branch, Birjan, Iran in 2008 based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The main plot was sowing date at three levels of May 4, May 25 and June 14 and the sub-plot was plant density at four...
March 2012
Optimization of ultrasonic-assisted extraction of phillyrin from Forsythia suspensa using response surface methodology
Phillyrin is an abundant naturally occurring lignan, which makes it a potentially important raw material for a precursor of biologically active compounds. The objective of the current study was to optimize the extraction conditions for phillyrin from Forsythia suspensa. The optimum conditions were evaluated with preliminary experiments and optimized using response surface methodology. Statistical analysis of...
March 2012
Characterization of fatty acid composition from five perilla seed oils in China and its relationship to annual growth temperature
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce inflammation and may help prevent chronic diseases like heart disease and arthritis. Alpha-linolenic acid is a type of w-3 fatty acids and has been reported with a remarkably high content (>50%) only in seeds of several plant species, for example, Perilla and Linum usitatissimum L. It is a valuable compound obtained from plants which can provide health...
March 2012
Assessment of genetic variation in Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) based on morphological traits and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) genetic markers
In this study, a combination of random amplification of polymorphic deoxyribonucleic acid (RAPD) marker and morphological traits were used to establish the level of genetic relationships and polymorphism among nine genotypes of Elaeagnus angustifolia collected from 9 different locations of West Azarbaijan province. RAPD analysis using 9 random primers generated 122 scorable loci, of which 103 were polymorphic...
March 2012
Effects of chemical composition of wild bush tea (Athrixia phylicoides DC.) growing at locations differing in altitude, climate and edaphic factors
This study was conducted to determine the chemical composition of wild bush tea growing at locations differing in altitude, climate and edaphic factors. Samples were collected from 8 locations selected for their abundance of wild bush tea and replicated 6 times in the laboratory using a completely randomized design (CRD). The areas where bush tea samples were collected comprised of Khalavha, Louis Trichardt,...
March 2012
A Chinese herbal medicine production of anxiolytic and cognitive enhancing effects in a rat model of posttraumatic stress disorder
Free and Easy Wanderer Plus (FEWP) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been used to treat stress- and depression-related diseases in China. To study the effects of FEWP on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the present study investigated how chronic treatment with FEWP affected rodent behaviors in a modified single-prolonged stress and shock (SPS and S) model, which induces certain behavioral manifestations...
March 2012
Reversion of malignant phenotype of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells by saikosaponin D in vitro
The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Saikosaponin D (SSD) on the malignant phenotype of HepG2 cells and its potential mechanism in order to provide evidence for prevention and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with SSD. HepG2 cells in the logarithmic phase were randomly divided into two groups: SSD group and control group. Cells in the SSD group were treated with 10 mg/L SSD for 48 h and those...
March 2012
Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of essential oil of Skimmea laureola growing wild in the State of Jammu and Kashmir
Fresh plant material of Skimmea laureola growing wild in the state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir was collected and subjected to Clevenger-type hydro distillation apparatus for essential oil extraction. The essential oils have been analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Twenty components were identified, which yields about 96% of the total oils. The major components of the oils were...
March 2012
Antidiabetic and hypolipidemic effects of Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) in alloxan-diabetic rats
The objective of this study was to examine the effects of increasing doses of Ceylon cinnamon’s aqueous extract on fasting plasma glycemic and lipidemic profiles, as well as body weight gain, food intake and food efficiency ratio (FER) in alloxan-diabetic rats. Cinnamon extract was administered to rats at different dosages (200, 400, 600 and 1200 mg/kg bw) for thirty days followed by a fifteen day wash out period....
March 2012
Variation of thymol, carvacrol and thymoquinone production from wild and cultivated Origanum syriacum of South Lebanon
Essential oils from wild and cultivated Origanum syriacum were prepared monthly by hydrodistillation. Their composition in thymol, carvacrol and thymoquinone were studied byGas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Essential oils extraction ranged from 3.82 and 3.44% in February to 8.4 and 6.8% in may, from cultivated and wild samples respectively. The essential oil composition for all samples was...
March 2012
Significant pathway analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana fodllowing treatment with paraquat (PQ)
Paraquat (PQ), as a non-selective herbicide, has been used worldwide for weed control in agriculture. However, some medicine plant would be also weeded in this process. Thereby, herbicide antidote is advocated. In this study, we performed two pathway analysis methods, namely, component-based approaches and protein-protein interaction (PPI)-based approach, to identify more significant pathways associated with PQ...
March 2012
Chemical composition and in vitro antifungal activity of the essential oil from Cuminum cyminum against various Aspergillus strains
Antifungal activity of the essential oil obtained from Cuminum cyminum (C. cyminum) was investigated against different Aspergillus strains. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the chemical composition of the oil was performed to determine their different components. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) of C....
March 2012
Elemental dispersive spectrophotometer analysis and morpho-anatomical characterization of Panicum species from Pakistan
The present study was conducted to identify, evaluate and compare the anatomical data and elemental composition of the Panicum species present in Pakistan. The study is based on the six species of the genus Setaria represented in Pakistan. The elemental dispersive spectrophotometer (EDS) detector was used for the first time in Pakistan for quantitative and qualitative determinations of the elements...
March 2012
In vitro pharmacological activity of the crude acetone extract of Erythrina caffra Thunb: antibacterial and antifungal assessment
The antimicrobial activity of stem bark acetone extract of Erythrina caffra Thunb. against medically important pathogens was evaluated by determining the inhibition zones and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the extract. The result showed that the extract had good antimicrobial activity against the tested bacterial and fungal isolates with the increases in the inhibition zones being...
March 2012
Pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and oral bioavailability evaluation of isoimperatorin by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry
A simple and specific high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) method was developed to investigate the plasma pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and oral bioavailability of isoimperatorin (ISOIM), and osthole was employed as internal standard (IS). The separations were performed on a Shim-pack (VP-ODS) C18 analytical column (150 × 2.0 mm, 5 μm) with the column...
March 2012
Whole-plant profiling of total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant capacity and nitric oxide scavenging capacity of Turnera subulata
Turnera subulata is a medicinal plant used as an herbal remedy for coughs and bronchitis. Unlike two other members of the genus, Turnera diffusa and Turnera ulmifolia, which dominate the ethnopharmacological and pharmacological literature, very little is known about the bioactive properties of T. subulata. In this study, whole-plant profiling of the total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well...
March 2012
Green tea polyphenol protecting human retinal pigment epithelial cells from ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced injuries in vitro
Green tea polyphenol (GTP) is water-soluble medical additives which possess particular significance as free radical scavengers or antioxidants in biological systems. The present study investigated the protective effect of green tea polyphenols against ultraviolet B (UVB)–induced damage to human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Microstructure of RPE cells was examined by transmission electron microscopy and...
March 2012
Effect of media type and explants source on micropropagation of Dalbergia sissoo: A tree of medicinal importance
Attempts were made to evaluate suitable cultural conditions for micropropagation ofDalbergia sissoo from nodal meristem. The best shoot formation response (88%) was obtained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium (Murashige and Skoog, 1962) containing 1.0 mg/l 6-benzylamino-purine (BAP) + 0.25 mg/l α- naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) after 10.8 days of explants inoculation and average shoot length was recorded to be...
March 2012
The effect of cycocel and daminozide on some growth and flowering characteristics of Calendula officinalis L., an ornamental and medicinal plant
The effect of spray application of two plant growth retardants (cycocel and daminozide) on the growth, flowering and amount of essential oils of Calendula officinalis L. was investigated. Combinations of cycocel (CCC) (0, 500, 1000 and 1500 mg/L) and daminozide (B9) (0, 1500, 3000, and 4500 mg/L) was used three times. Plant height, number of flowers per plant, number of leaves per plant, flower dry weight,...
March 2012
Antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds of Chiltepin (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum) and Habanero (Capsicum chinense): A comparative study
Phenolic compounds, carotenoids content (red and yellow), extractable colour (total pigments) and antioxidant activity in fruits from Chiltepin and Habanero pepper were investigated. The Habanero pepper had significantly higher total phenolic content (5.92 ± 0.47 mg/g GAE) than the Chiltepin pepper (4.85 ± 0.23 mg/g GAE). On the other hand, the highest content of total antioxidant...
March 2012
Antiulcerogenic activity of aqueous fraction from leaves of Arctium lappa L. (Asteraceae)
Arctium lappa L. (A. lappa L) is an important medicinal plant used in Brazil to heal gastric ulcers. This study reveals the pharmacological action of this traditional medicine use. The aqueous extract obtained from the liquid-liquid partition of the 70% ethanol extract of the A. lappa was challenged against in vivo Hydrochloric acid (HCl)/ethanol-, piroxicam- and...
March 2012
Effect of quizalofop on protective enzymes and photosynthesis in Radix Isatidis
The experiment was aimed to study the effect of Quizalofop on Radix Isatidis (RI) and its response mechanisms, and select a safe and efficient type and concentration of herbicide. With the help of random block methodology to figure out the different doses of Quizalofop effect after spraying, the pattern of the concentration of some protective enzymes were identified, and some photosynthetic characteristics were also...
March 2012
Analysis of influencing factors in determining characters for photosynthesis in Lonicera japonica Thunb.
This paper examined eight additional parameters relating to photosynthetic rate of Lonicera japonica Thunb. Correlation analysis, regression analysis and factor analysis were used to analyze the relationship between net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and environment factors, which included stomatal conductance (Sc), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), transpiration rate (Tr), air temperature (Ta), leaf...
March 2012
Effect of heat shock on some biochemical and molecular criteria of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graceum L.)
Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graceum L. cv. Baladi) is a winter plant which grows at 20±2°C. It is an important medicinal plant with great therapeutic effect. It is also a natural antioxidant source, it acts as anticancer, has antidiabetic effect, enhances insulin sensitivity, decreases serum total lipids, and decreases serum cholesterol. The objective of the present work is to detect the...
March 2012
Effect of crude extracts from Commiphora swynnertonii (Burtt) against selected microbes of animal health importance
Ethanolic extracts from resin, root bark, stem bark and leaves of Commiphora swynnertoniiwere tested against fungi and bacteria using agar well diffusion method. The fungi includedCandida albicans and Aspergillus niger whereas the bacteria species includedStaphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli....
March 2012
Study of the effect of physical state of medium and different concentrations of sucrose, ferric ethylenediamine- tetraacetic acid (FeEDTA) and CuSO4 in enhancing the micropropagation system of Stevia rebaudiana
Stevia rebaudiana is a sweet herb native to Paraguay and Brazil. Its leaves are well known for containing sweet glycosides which are intensely sweet compounds with zero caloric value. A comparison of effect of state of medium on the in vitro growth of S. rebaudiana was studied under controlled conditions. Different concentrations of benzyl amino purine (BAP) and kinetin (Kin) (1, 2 and 3 mg/L)...
March 2012
Effects of different combinations of prescription of invigorate blood and diffuse Bì formula on myocardial protection of hyperlipidemia rats with isoproterenol-induced ischemic injury
This research aimed at observing the effects of different combinations of prescription ofinvigorate blood and diffuse Bì formula (IBDB) on resisting myocardial ischemic injury and adjusting blood lipid to seek for the best combination for IBDB. The research used the model of hyperlipidemia rats with isoproterenol-induced myocardial ischemic injury and treated by gavage with 8 different combinations of IBDB using...
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