In vitro and in vivo antileishmanial effects of Pistacia khinjuk against Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major

The present study aims to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antileishmanial activities of Pistacia khinjuk Stocks (Anacardiaceae) alcoholic extract and to compare its efficacy with a reference drug, meglumine antimoniate (MA, Glucantime), against Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major. This extract (0–10

In Vitro

The present study aims to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antileishmanial activities of Pistacia khinjuk Stocks (Anacardiaceae) alcoholic extract and to compare its efficacy with a reference drug, meglumine antimoniate (MA, Glucantime), against Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major. This extract (0–100 µg/mL) was evaluated in vitro against promastigote and intracellular amastigote forms of L. tropica (MRHO/IR/75/ER) and then tested on cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in male BALB/c mice with L. major to reproduce the antileishmanial activity topically. In vitro, P. khinjuk extract significantly (P<0.05) inhibited the growth rate of promastigote (IC50 58.6±3.2 µg/mL) and intramacrophage amastigotes (37.3±2.5 µg/mL) of L. tropica as a dose-dependent response. In the in vivo assay, after 30 days of treatment, 75% recovery was observed in the infected mice treated with 30% extract. After treatment of the subgroups with the concentration of 20 and 30% of P. khinjuk extract, mean diameter of lesions was significantly (P<0.05) reduced. To conclude, the present investigation demonstrated that P. vera extract had in vitro and in vivo effectiveness against L. major. Obtained findings also provide the scientific evidences that natural plants could be used in the traditional medicine for the prevention and treatment of CL

Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Activity of Alkaloid Extracts of Four Papaver Species

Background and Aim: The use of bioactive compounds of medicinal plants in prevention, control and treatment of human diseases has a long history. Most of plant bioactive compounds have highly complex chemical structures, and their chemical syntheses are often uneconomical. Moreover, their production is still dependent on plants. Plants of Papaveraceae family contain a variety of bioactive compounds that have many uses in traditional and modern medicine. In the present study, we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of alkaloid extracts of four plant species of Papaveraceae family against some human pathogens. Materials and Methods: Crude alkaloid compounds of Papaver macrostomum, Roemeria refracta, Papaver somniferum and Glaucium grandiflorum plants were extracted using cain method.  The antimicrobial activity of plant alkaloid extracts against Pseudomonas aeroginosa PTCC 1310, Listeria monocytogenes PTCC 1297, Staphylococcus aureus PTCC 1189, Klebsiella pneumoniae PTCC 1290 and Candida albicans PTCC 5027 pathogens were assessed using agar diffusion method. Results: The results of this study indicated that the alkaloid extracts of tested plants were effective against fungal and bacterial pathogens. All plant alkaloid extracts exhibited more inhibitory effect against fungal pathogen than the bacterial pathogens. Comparison of MIC and MBC values for bacterial pathogens revealed that all plant alkaloid extracts showed more inhibitory effects against the gram-positive bacteria than gram-negative bacterial pathogens. The results also showed that the alkaloid extracts of R. refracta have stronger inhibitory effect against fungal and bacterial pathogens compared with other plants. Conclusion: The antimicrobial compounds present in the plant species of Papaveraceae family are suitable candidates to produce new antibiotics. The results of this study demonstrated that antimicrobial compound in R. refracta plant could be used in the treatment of infectious diseases caused by C. albicans and S. aureus pathogens

Chemical Composition, in Vitro Antibacterial and Cytotoxicity Effect of Nectaroscordum tripedale Extract

Background and Aim: The present study investigated the antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities of the methanol extract of Nectaroscordum tripedale leaves. Materials and Methods: Methanolic extract of Nectaroscordum tripedale was investigated for its phytochemical components, antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity. The antibacterial potentialities of methanol extract of Nectaroscordum tripedale leaves were investigated by the disc diffusion and broth dilution method against five bacterial isolates including three food-borne pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli) and two healthcare-associated pathogens (Methicillin resistance Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and cytotoxicity activity were evaluated on acute myeloid leukemia cell line (KG-1a) and normal lymphocyte cells and  the effect of Nectaroscordum tripedale extract and methotrexate in 0.01, 0.1, 1, and 2 mg/ml concentrations on these cells were compared. Results: The extract was found to contain 27 chemical compounds. The maximum zone of inhibition was observed in Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of Nectaroscordum tripedale for E. coli and MSRA were similar (166 and 322 µg/ml, respectively). While the high level of MIC and MBC is related to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The percentage of lysis for extract and methotrexate on the KG-1a was seen after 24 hours. Conclusions: In comparison with methotrexate, Nectaroscordum tripedale had minimal effect on normal cells. The present study revealed that the methanol extract of Nectaroscordum tripedale leaves has significant antibacterial activities along with moderate cytotoxicity's on the cancer cells that may lead to new drug development

PCR Detection of Coxiella burnetii in Milk Samples of Ruminants, Iran

Background:      The importance of common diseases between humans and animals (zoonosis), and whose health impacts on the community individuals are obvious to everyone. One of these diseases is human infection with Coxiella burnetii and Q fever. Due to the importance of this subject and lack of published documents regarding the presence and distribution of this bacterium in Lorestan province, we aimed to determine the prevalence of C. burnetii in this area. Methods:  A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2013 to March 2014. A total of 500 raw milk samples was collected from 130 cattle, 200 sheep, and 170 goats in both warm and cold seasons from 20 selected villages in Khorramabad and Nourabad regions, Lorestan province, Iran. The presence of C. burnetii in collected specimens was tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results:     A total of 9 (1.8%) milk specimens were positive for the presence of C. burnetii (3 sheep milk samples and 6 goat milk samples). All positive milk samples were obtained from 2 villages (Daraei and Ghalebi) around of the Khorramabad region during the winter season. However, all collected samples from Nourabad were negative for presence of C. burnett.   Conclusion:     The presence of C. burnetii in raw milk of ruminants in the cold seasons could be related to climate changes. Therefore, further investigations via various methods seems to be needed