Pharmacognostic and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Securigera securidaca Seeds and Seed Oil

Background and objectives: Although weed plants are considered undesirable in a particular situation, some weed seeds can be a valuable and cheap source of therapeutic natural compounds. Securigera securidaca (L.) Degen & Dorfl (Fabaceae) is widely distributed in Europe, Australia and Asia as a weed plant. This study investigated the bioactive compounds of S. securidaca seeds as well as its potential anti-inflammatory properties. Methods:  The fatty acid and sterol content were investigated with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and phenolic compounds were detected using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). The thermostability of the oil was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Formalin-induced paw licking test and myeloperoxidase activity were investigated. The study was conducted by creating six groups of rats including a control group (vehicle-treated rats, 250 µL/kg, i.p.), formalin group (50 µL of 2.5% formalin), positive control (paracetamol, 100 mg/kg, i.p), and groups of S. securidaca seed oil (250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 μl/kg, i.p). Results: S. securidaca seeds contained a high level of polyunsaturated fatty acid content including linoleic acid (64.602 ± 0.793%) and oleic acid (15.353 ± 0.461%). Stigmasterol and campesterol were not detected in the oil but it contained esterified β-sitosterol (6.621 ± 0.08 mg/g). The seed oil couldn’t create a significant reduction in the MPO activity. It showed a slight but not significant effect on formalin-induced pain reduction. Conclusion: The seed is a rich source of linoleic acid which makes it a good candidate to be used in the pharmaceutical industry

Cytotoxic and Apoptotic Activities of Methanolic Subfractions of Scrophularia oxysepala

Herbs have played a positive role in medicine for thousands of years. In the current study, we investigated the cytotoxicity effects of Scrophularia oxysepala methanolic subfractions and the underlying mechanism responsible for cell death in human breast carcinoma (MCF-7 cells) and mouse fibrosarcoma (WEHI-164 cells). From 60% and 80% methanolic fractions, four subfractions (Fa, Fb, Fc, and Fd), yielded from size exclusion by Sephadex-LH20 column chromatography, were chosen. MTT assay revealed that all subfractions significantly reduced cell viability after 24 h and 36 h in a dose-dependent manner; it is worth noting that Fa and Fb subfractions had the highest cytotoxicity, with IC50 values of 52.9 and 61.2 μg/mL in MCF-7 at 24 h, respectively. ELISA, TUNEL, and DNA fragmentation assay revealed that antiproliferative effects of all subfractions were associated with apoptosis on cancer cells, without any significant effect on L929 normal cells. qRT-PCR data showed that, after 24 h treatment with IC50 concentrations of the subfractions, caspase-3 expression was increased in cancer cells while the expression of Bcl-2 was decreased. S. oxysepala methanolic subfractions induce apoptosis in MCF-7 and WEHI-164 cells and could be considered as a source of natural anticancer agents

Profiling of Plant Derived Natural Constituents by Using Magnetic Resonance Techniques

Plants are reservoirs of naturally occurring chemical constituents with a wide range of structural diversity. These biological compounds can be derived from different parts of plants such as leaves, barks, seeds, seed coats, flowers, and roots. A broad array of secondary metabolic compounds is present in the plants such as antibiotics, alkaloids, antimicrobials, food-grade pigments, and phenolics which have been reported to possess numerous health-related benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antiobesity activities. Therefore, the identification and detection of these compounds are of utmost importance in order to utilise their benefits into various fields. Wherein, magnetic resonance techniques, such as NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), and EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance), being far more reproducible, nondestructive, than other analytical techniques such as liquid chromatography, mass spectroscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography cover a much wider dynamic range of metabolites with easy sample preparation techniques with high speed and fidelity. Hence, these magnetic resonance techniques have been proven to be extremely useful in plant metabolite profiling and disease metabolomics, along with structural elucidation of bioactive compounds from plant sources. Therefore, the present review focuses on the effectiveness of magnetic resonance for the detection of plant-derived metabolites that may lead to new areas of research in various fields such as drug discovery and development, metabolomics, combinatorial chemistry, and assessing overall food safety and quality

Essential oil composition and in vitro antibacterial activity of Chenopodium album subsp. striatum

The objective of this study was to identify the bioactive compounds of essential oil and evaluate the antibacterial activity of the essential oil extracted from Chenopodium album subsp. striatum against multidrug-resistant bacterial strains (MDR) which were isolated from clinical specimens by conventional methods. Furthermore, eight different Gram-negative and Gram-positive multidrug-resistant bacterial strains were used to investigate the antibacterial potential of the essential oil. The antibacterial activity was tested using MIC and MBC microdilution method, well and disc diffusion in different concentration. The hydro-distillation of aerial parts powder yield was 0.466% (v/w). Essential oil showed bactericidal activity against both MDR Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains. MIC and MBC results were ranged from 0.31 to 2.5 and 0.62 to 5.0 mg/mL. The inhibition zones in well-diffusion method were ranged from 7 ± 0.6 mm to 15 ± 1.0 mm. Disc diffusion method was ranged from 7 ± 0.0 mm to 16 ± 0.6 mm depending on the type of bacteria strain and essential oil concentration. Essential oil of Ch. album had the greatest potential to be considered as an antibacterial agent against MDR bacteria strain. This potential was due to different biological and bioactive compounds like phytol, linalool, α-terpineol and linolenic acid in the plant

The genus Scrophularia: a source of iridoids and terpenoids with a diverse biological activity

Context: Scrophularia genus (Scrophulariaceae) includes about 350 species commonly known as figwort. Many species of this genus grow wild in nature and have not been cultivated yet. However, some species are in danger of extinction. Objective: This paper reviews the chemical compounds, biological activities and the ethnopharmacology of some Scrophularia species. Materials and methods: All information was obtained through reported data on bibliographic database such as Scopus, United States National Agricultural Library, Biological Abstracts, EMBASE, PubMed, MedlinePlus, PubChem and Springer Link (1934–2017). The information in different Pharmacopoeias on this genus was also gathered from 1957 to 2007. Results: The structures of 204 compounds and their biological activity were presented in the manuscript: glycoside esters, iridoid glycosides and triterpenoids are the most common compounds in this genus. Among them, scropolioside like iridoids have shown potential for anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and wound healing activity. Among the less frequently isolated compounds, resin glycosides such as crypthophilic acids have shown potent antiprotozoal and antimicrobial activities. Conclusion: The Scrophularia genus seems to be a rich source of iridoids and terpenoids, but isolation and identification of its alkaloids have been a neglected area of scientific study. The diverse chemical compounds and biological activities of this genus will motivate further investigation on Scrophularia genus as a source of new therapeutic medications

Pharmacological Studies of Syrian Rue (Peganum harmala L., Zygophyllaceae)

Syrian rue (Peganum harmala L., Zygophyllaceae) has been used in traditional medicine of Central Asia, the Middle East, and Caucasus areas (Azerbaijan) for centuries, mainly as ritual and psychedelic plant.  At full growth, this erect, dichotomously branched shrub is about 1 m in height with a dense foliage consisting of narrow, linear, pinnate leaves with acute spreading lobes, and small solitary, axillary, white flowers and globe capsules enclosing numerous angular seeds.  All parts of the plant (including roots) contain alkaloids.  The seeds contain β-carbolineses (harmine, harmalol and harman) with the active hallucinogen being the alkaloid harmine.  The seeds contain a red pigment used for coloring wool and carpets and for use as a spice and, in traditional medicine, as valuable aphrodisiac

Effect of Brown Algae Cystoseira trinodis Methanolic Extract on Renal Tissue

Background: C.trinodisis brown algae of Oman Sea coast is used traditionally as a diuretic in Chabahar, Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran. But no researches have been conducted on the distractive effects of this alga on the renal tissues until now. Methods: Forty-two adult male mice were divided into 6 groups. Control group received normal saline (E0), group (E1) treated with 5mg/kg methanolic extract (ME) and group (E2) to (E5) received 10, 15, 25 and 50 mg/kg of ME of alga respectively. All animals in 6 groups were treated for 2 weeks (once every other day). Finally, histopathological evaluations were made especially by morphology and photometric method. Results: ME of C.trinodis induced histological damage in kidney. Administration of ME in all experimental groups induced severe glomerular congestion, hyaline cast and severe interstitial inflammatory centers in treated groups. All distractive parameter in test groups increased with increasing dose of extract (p<0.05). Conclusion: Results showed that ME of the C.trinodis has a nephrotoxic effect on the renal tissues

Contact Toxicity and Chemical Composition of Essential Oil of Acantholimon scorpius

Background: Plumbaginaceae plants family is a valuable natural insecticidal compound. This research focused on contact toxicity and chemical composition of essential oil obtained from Acantholimon scorpus. Methods: The essential oil from the aerial parts of A. scorpius was extracted by hydrodistillation method and tested for their toxicity against Oryzeaphilus mercator (Coleoptera: Silvanidae) and Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenerbrionidae). Chemical compounds of the essential oil was analyzed by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Results: The essential oil showed toxic effect on tested insects. This oil showed 90.0% mortality of O. mercator and 85.2% mortality of T. castaneum at a dose of 12 μl /l air after 48h of exposure. The constituents of this oil were identified, representing more than 82.9% of the total essential oil composition. Hexadecanoic acid, tetrahydrogeranyl acetone and oleic acid were the main compounds of the essential oil. Conclusion: According to the result the essential oil of A. scorpius showed a noticeable insecticidal activity in contact toxicity model

Fereshteh Valipour Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Silver Nanoparticles Embedded in Smart Poly (N-Isopropylacrylamide)-Based Hydrogel Networks

In recent study, we report the synthesis and antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles embedded in smart poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based hydrogel networks. A series of thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-methacrylic acid-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) [P(NIPAAm-MAA-HEM)] with various cross-linking ratio have been obtained by cross-linking free radical polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm), methacrylic acid (MAA), and hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEM) in the presence of triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) as cross-linker. Highly stable and uniformly distributed silver nanoparticles have been obtained with hydrogel networks via in situ reduction of silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ) using sodium borohydride (NaBH 4 ) as reducing agent. The formation of silver nanoparticles has been confirmed with ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results demonstrated that employed hydrogels have regulated the silver nanoparticles size to 50-150 nm. The preliminary antibacterial activity performed to these hydrogel-silver nanocomposites