Medicinal plants growing in the Judea region: network approach for searching potential therapeutic targets

Plants growing in the Judea region are widely used in traditional medicine of the Levant region. Nevertheless, they have not so far been sufficiently analyzed and their medicinal potential has not been evaluated. This study is the first attempt to fill the gap in the knowledge of the plants growing in the region. Comprehensive data mining of online botanical databases and peer-reviewed scientific literature including ethno-pharmacological surveys from the Levant region was applied to compile a full list of plants growing in the Judea region, with the focus on their medicinal applications. Around 1300 plants growing in the Judea region were identified. Of them, 25% have medicinal applications which were analyzed in this study. Screening for chemical-protein interactions, together with the network-based analysis of potential targets, will facilitate discovery and therapeutic applications of the Judea region plants. Such an approach could also be applied as an integrative platform for further searching the potential therapeutic targets of plants growing in other regions of the world

Prediction of C. elegans Longevity Genes by Human and Worm Longevity Networks

Intricate and interconnected pathways modulate longevity, but screens to identify the components of these pathways have not been saturating. Because biological processes are often executed by protein complexes and fine-tuned by regulatory factors, the first-order protein-protein interactors of known longevity genes are likely to participate in the regulation of longevity. Data-rich maps of protein interactions have been established for many cardinal organisms such as yeast, worms, and humans. We propose that these interaction maps could be mined for the identification of new putative regulators of longevity. For this purpose, we have constructed longevity networks in both humans and worms. We reasoned that the essential first-order interactors of known longevity-associated genes in these networks are more likely to have longevity phenotypes than randomly chosen genes. We have used C. elegans to determine whether post-developmental inactivation of these essential genes modulates lifespan. Our results suggest that the worm and human longevity networks are functionally relevant and possess a high predictive power for identifying new longevity regulators

THE IMPACT OF ROCKY TOPOGRAPHY ON SHRUBLAND HERBACEOUS PRODUCTI VITY IN SEMI-ARID ENVIRONMENTS

One of the consequences of soil erosion in arid and semi-arid environments is the emergence of rocky shrublands. While their existence is well documented, gaps exist in our understanding of processes affecting the soil fertility inside them and in their surrounded environment which is crucial for their successive sustainably management. Our aims were as follows: (i) assessing the impact of various parameters (geographical, chemical and physical) on the herbaceous cover in shrublands located in arid rocky areas; (ii) assessing the impact of the rocky topography on the fertility parameters at the inter-patches and surrounded matrix areas. Geographically, the site of study is located in private family farm at Chiran area, northern Negev, Israel. It has semi - arid climate (precipitation 200 mm year-1) with hilly rocky topography. Ecologically the area is sustainably grazed shrubland characterized by patch-matrix patterns.For analyzing the impact of the above mentioned parameters we chose 24 patches belonging to different geographic groups: “Inside the rock”, “Adjacent to rock”, “Parallel to rock” and “Slopped”). From each patch we took soil and herbaceous biomass samples from predefined locations based on the geographical patterns of each group. Four methodologies were implemented for analysis as follows: (i) comparisons between the actual values; (ii) ranking the differences between the patches” sub-plots; (iii) correlating the soil parameters with the herbaceous biomass using regression analysis; (iv) spatial analysis of the different parameters based on kriging. The results demonstrate that the most influential parameter in the plots inside the patch were the Soil Organic Matter and clay content. The soil moisture in this study did not affect the area fertility. The rocky topography, together with the patch spatial patterns had high impact on the values of the examined parameters, even when compared to the surrounding matrix. Altogether, the presented results indicate that the patch fertility is affected by combination of different soil parameters and the geographic topography of a given patch. Additionally, reciprocal effects between the patches and their surrounding environment are also important determinants of fertility. The techniques and methodologies demonstrated here could be applied to other landscapes as well

Cannabis as a Source of Approved Drugs: A New Look at an Old Problem

Cannabis plants have been used in medicine since ancient times. They are well known for their anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-cancer, anti-oxidative, anti-microbial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal activities. A growing body of evidence indicates that targeting the endocannabinoid system and various other receptors with cannabinoid compounds holds great promise for addressing multiple medical conditions. There are two distinct avenues in the development of cannabinoid-based drugs. The first involves creating treatments directly based on the components of the cannabis plant. The second involves a singular molecule strategy, in which specific phytocannabinoids or newly discovered cannabinoids with therapeutic promise are pinpointed and synthesized for future pharmaceutical development and validation. Although the therapeutic potential of cannabis is enormous, few cannabis-related approved drugs exist, and this avenue warrants further investigation. With this in mind, we review here the medicinal properties of cannabis, its phytochemicals, approved drugs of natural and synthetic origin, pitfalls on the way to the widespread clinical use of cannabis, and additional applications of cannabis-related products

Medicinal Properties of Anchusa strigosa and Its Active Compounds

Anchusa strigosa is a widespread weed in Greece, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and Iran. The purpose of this study was to identify the phytochemicals of Anchusa strigose and estimate the pro-wound healing (pro-WH) and antimicrobial activities of its active compounds. An identification of volatile compounds was performed by GC/MS analysis; HPLC, LC-ESI-MS, and MALDI-TOF-MS were also applied. Our results demonstrate that two specific combinations of compounds from A. strigosa extract significantly enhanced WH (p < 0.001). Several flavonoids of the plant extract, including quercetin 3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol, kaempferol 3-O-β-rhamnopyranosyl(1→6)-β-glucopyranoside, and kaempferol 3-O-α-rhamnopyranosyl(1→6)-β-galactopyranoside, were effective against drug-resistant microorganisms. In addition, all the above-mentioned compounds had antibiofilm activity against Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis

Effect of Bioactive Phytochemicals from Phlomis viscosa Poiret on Wound Healing

Phlomis viscosa Poiret is an evergreen shrub growing in Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria with acknowledged pro-wound healing (WH) properties. In this study, we evaluated the pro-WH potential of selected compounds found in this plant. Among the pro-WH compounds (identified by us) was a combination of three chemicals—diosmin, 1-octen-3-ol, and himachala-2,4-diene which enhanced WH significantly both in in vitro and in vivo models. The determined phytochemicals combination could be used for the treatment of chronic wounds. The effect of the extracts, diosmin, 1-octen-3-ol on the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-6 (A) and IL-8 (B) by human dermal fibroblasts was significant (p < 0.001). In addition, the beneficial effect of extracts of P. viscosa and its phytochemicals on WH was evidenced by inhibiting the growth of several WH delaying microorganisms

Medicinal Properties of Lilium candidum L. and Its Phytochemicals

Lilium candidum L., known as Madonna, meadow, or white lily, is a bulbous plant from the Liliaceae family, originating in the Middle East. L. candidum has been abundantly used in folk medicine since ancient times to relieve a variety of ailments, including age-related diseases, burns, ulcers, and coughs. The aim of this article is to investigate the anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic activities of L. candidum extracts and its active phytochemicals. Some active volatile phytochemicals were identified using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Significant (p < 0.001) anti-diabetic properties of the extracts kaempferol, linalool, citronellal, and humulene were demonstrated by an elevation in glucose uptake by adipocytes. The significant (p < 0.01) effect of the plant extracts kaempferol, citronellal, and humulene on the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 8 (IL-8) was demonstrated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Altogether, L. candidum and its rich collection of phytochemicals hold promising medicinal potential, and further investigations of its therapeutic prospects are encouraged