Purification and Identification of Chemical Constituents of Basidiomycete Daedaleopsis tricolor Collected from Mazandaran Province, Iran

Background and purpose: Mushrooms are natural sources that have antitumoral effects, immunomodulatory and anti-oxidant effects. One of the fungus which remained intact is Daedaleopsis tricolor that belongs to the family of Polyporaceae. There are limited phytochemical investigations on other species of this genus, so, we aimed at performing a phytochemical analysis of this fungus. Materials and methods: Fungal components were extracted by hexane using maceration method. Then, the extract was concentrated under reduced pressure using a rotary evaporator. The concentration extract was subjected to silica gel column chromatography through mobile phases consisting of hexane: ethyl acetate. Three fractions of hexane purified extract were called F3, F2, and F1. They were analyzed by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR Spectroscopy and DEPT 90 and DEPT 135 experiments. Results: After analysis and receiving the spectrum results and comparing them with other studies, we identified ergosterol derived compounds, ergosterol peroxide, ergosta-7, 22-dien-3β-ol, and linoleic acid. Conclusion: The three compounds, including ergosterol peroxide, ergosta-7, 22-dien-3β-ol, and linoleic acid were reported for the first time in this fungus

Cytotoxic Effect of Methanolic Extract of Papaver rhoeas L. on Vero Cell Line and Its Antioxidant Activity

Background and purpose: Papaver rhoeas L (family: Papaveraceae) is commonly known as corn poppy. Recent studies have revealed that Papaver rhoeas L extract has cytotoxic, genotoxic, and antioxidant effects. The present study aimed at evaluating the cytotoxic effect and antioxidant activity of Papaver rhoeas L. methanolic extract on monkey kidney carcinoma cell lines (Vero). Materials and methods: Methanolic extract of Papaver rhoeas L. was prepared by maceration method. Cultivated cell line Vero was incubated with different concentrations (0, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1000µg/ml) of the extract for 72 hours and cell growth inhibition was determined using MTT assay. The antioxidant capacity was assessed using two methods: DPPH and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP). The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were also determined. Results: The IC50 of cisplatin, as a common drug, is significantly lower than that of the Papaver rhoeas L. (IC50= 15.96±0.26 μg/ml). Our results showed that Papaver rhoeas L. extract caused a significant decrease in proliferation in monkey kidney cancer cell line (IC50=80.07 μg/ml). The scavenging effect of the extract on DPPH• radical was found to be 5.74 μg/ml. The extract’s ferric reducing ability of plasma was 2.663 ± 0.002 μg/ml. Also, the extract had more total phenolic content rather than flavonoid contents. Conclusion: This study showed that methanolic extract of Papaver rhoeas L. has potent cytotoxic effect on cancer cell line Vero and considerable antioxidant activity. But further investigations are required to identify efficient compounds and molecular mechanism of this extract so that effective steps could be taken towards finding new drugs in treatment of diseases

Anti-diabetic Effect of Methanol Extract of Trametes versicolor on Male Mice

Background and purpose: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder caused by deficiency of insulin secretion (type I) or dysfunction of insulin (Type II). Investigating the efficacy of natural compounds in treatment of various diseases such as diabetes could be so useful. So, we studied the anti-diabetic effects of methanol extract of Trametes versicolor on male mice. Materials and methods: T. versicolor was collected from jungles of Neka (Mazandaran, Iran) and extracted with methanol. Thirty male mice were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=5 per group) as following: group I: nonediabitic (normal), group II, III, and IV were diabetic groups that received T. versicolor extract at 500, 1000, and 1500 mg/kg. Group V and VI were also diabetic groups that received 6 U/Kg insulin (Biphasic Isophane) and 0.9% normal saline, respectively. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal administration of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg body weight). Blood samples were taken 24 hr after the last injection. After centrifugation, the serum was isolated for measuring the levels of glucose, ALT, AST, ALP, cholesterol, triglycerides, BUN, creatinine, and HDL. Homogenized liver tissue (0.1 g) were also prepared for histological examination. Results: Compared with the control group, significant reductions were seen in serum glucose, triglycerides and ALT levels in treatment groups receiving the methanolic extract of T. versicolor (P<0.05). Moreover, pathology studies showed lower destruction of liver tissue in these groups.  Conclusion: The results showed that the methanol extract of T. versicolor might be effective in prevention of diabetes and have a protective effect on liver tissue

In Vitro Assessment of Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Cytotoxic Activities of Essential Oil and Methanolic Extract of Satureja rechingeri Jamzad: Biological activities of Satureja rechingeri Jamzad

Satureja rechingeri Jamzad is a highly aromatic species of Lamiaceae. This species is one of the rare and endemic plants of Iran. This study aimed to assess the biological properties such as the antibacterial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activity of essential oil (EO) and methanolic extract of S. rechingeri collected from the west of Iran and analyzed the plant EO constituent. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was performed for analyzing the EO. The antioxidant activities of extract from S. rechingeri were evaluated using DPPH radical scavenging assay. The major component of S. rechingeri EO was carvacrol (86.45%). The minimum inhibitory concentration value was 15.625 µl/ml for the bacterial strains. The extract exhibited antioxidant activity in DPPH radical scavenging assay (EC50 = 47.56 µg/mL). In addition, the total phenolic content in the plant methanolic extract was 79.9 mg/g gallic acid. The highest toxicity for essential oil was found in the MCF7 cell line with an IC50 value of 47.71 µg/ml. Carvacrol was the main component of S. rechingeri EO. The plant extract and EO showed considerable antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. It seems that this plant could be a commercial source of carvacrol

Flaxseed powder and magnesium hydroxide syrup on the intestinal function of patients with acute myocardial infarction in intensive care units

Background: Flaxseed powder seems to improve bowel movements in these patients. Therefore, this study compares the effects of flaxseed powder and magnesium hydroxide on bowel movements of acute myocardial infarction patients hospitalized in ICU. Methods: The population of the present parallel randomized controlled clinical trial included 70 acute myocardial infarction patients hospitalized in ICU who had no history of chronic constipation. The patients in the intervention group were given three sachets of flaxseed powder (each sachet was 3 g) twice a day for four days. The patients in the control group were given 20 cc of magnesium hydroxide syrup each morning. The Bristol scale was used to describe stool consistency. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the number of bowel movements within five days after intervention are 1.86 ± 1.08 and 1.6 ± 0.65 in the intervention and the control groups, respectively. The frequency of normal stool consistency of the first bowel movement is 94.3% for the intervention group and 85.7% for the control group, which shows no significant differences between the two groups in terms of stool consistency and bowel movement frequency (P=0.510). The bowel movements started on average after 35.2±97.97 hours in the flaxseed group and 24.771±2.677 hours in the magnesium hydroxide group (P=0.023). Conclusion: The results showed that flaxseed powder increases bowel movement frequency and improves the patients’ stool consistency, but the differences between the two groups are insignificant. Finally, the time to the first defecation was shorter in the magnesium hydroxide group

Oxidative stress in liver of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice fed a high-fat diet: A treatment role of Artemisia annua L.

Objective. The aim of this study was the investigation of a treatment role of Artemisia annua L. (AA) on liver dysfunction and oxidative stress in high-fat diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetic (HFD/STZ) mice

Efficacy of Camellia sinensis extract against Candida species in patients with denture stomatitis

Background and Purpose: Denture stomatitis is a chronic inflammation disease of the oral mucosa, which is specified by erythematous lesions mainly in the upper palate. Nystatin as a polyene, a class of antifungal agents, is one of the effective drugs to treat denture stomatitis. Considering the expansion of utilizing herbal drugs to cure many kinds of diseases, the present study was conducted to investigate the effects of Camellia sinensis (green tea), which has the most chemical and influence similarity with nystatin, against denture stomatitis. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 22 patients with a positive mycological evidence for denture stomatitis caused by Candida species. The study population was divided into two groups, namely green tea and nystatin, receiving green tea mouthwash 0.5% and nystatin suspension 100,000 U/ml, respectively. The lesion size and number of yeast colonies were measured before and after the treatment. Results: According to the results, both groups showed reduced lesion size, clinical improvement, and significant reduction of Candida colony count in both group of patients were showedafter the therapeutic. Based on the results of polymerase chain reaction, Candida albicans was the most common species isolated from denture stomatitis. There was no significant difference between the two study groups in terms of Candida species distribution (P=0.700). Conclusion: Green tea demonstrated a comparable anti-Candida activity with regard to nystatin; therefore, it could be recommended as an alternative treatment. Keywords: Camellia sinensis, Candidiasis, Denture stomatitis, Green tea, Nystati