Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Effect of Medicinal Plants against Some Food-Borne Pathogen

Background: Pulicaria gnaphalodes, Ducrosia anethifolia, Trachyspermum copticum, Foeniculum vulgare Mill and Majorana hortensis Minch are widely used as herbal plants in traditional medicine and they have been reported to have a variety of therapeutic effects. This study was carried out to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of essential oils (EOs) extracted from these medicinal herbs against six species of food-borne microorganisms. Materials and Methods: The EOs were analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The detection of inhibitory effect of the EOs on the tested bacteria was carried out by agar disk-diffusion method and then MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) and MBC (Minimum Bactericidal Concentration) of the EOs against six bacteria were determined. Results: The analysis of the components of the essential oils (EOs) extracted by gas chromatography spectrometry allowed the identification of 63 compounds of the five tested EOs. All of these five tested EOs indicated an antimicrobial effect against strains of Bacillus sp and Listeria Monocytogenes ATCC1297. Essential oils from T. copticum, M. hortensis and F. vulgare possessed a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity against the growth of the six bacteria with zone diameter of inhibition (ZDI) between 14-32 mm, depending on the susceptibility of the tested organism. Conclusion: Antibacterial efficacy shown by these plants provides a scientific basis and thus validates their use as medicinal remedies. Isolation and purification of different phytochemicals may further yield significant antibacterial agents

Quality-by-design model in optimization of PEG-PLGA nano micelles for targeted cancer therapy

Poly (D,L-Lactic-co-Glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer approved by FDA for clinical uses. Surface functionalization of self-assembly micelles made of PLGA with Poly- Ethylene Glycol (PEG) improves its stability and half-life in blood circulation via inhibiting adsorption of proteins on the surface and consequently decreasing opsonization rate. The purpose of present study was to optimize PEG amount absorbed on PLGA (PEGabsPLGA) micelles by application of quality by design approach. Based on risk assessment, effect of three variables including PLGA concentration, PEG concentration and molecular weight (MW) of PLGA were studied. Central composite design was implemented for design of experimentation with 26 runs. The PEGabsPLGA nano drug delivery system (NDDS), produced by o/w method, was optimized according to particle size, polydispersity index (PDI) and zeta potential values. Validation of the model was successfully performed with three representative formulations from the design space. As a result, 43.79 mg of PLGA with MW of 30,000-60,000 was incorporated with 12.61 mg of PEG to obtain a 69 nm NDDS (predicted 67.72 nm) with the PDI value equal to 0.124 (predicted 0.112). The results successfully led to the preparation of the most stable nanoparticles which were stable at room temperature for six months.Q2WOS:0004510080000442-s2.0-8505527889

On the estimation of survival time and contributory risk factors in the elderly participants in the Tehran lipid and glucose study. A 10-year follow-up

ABSTRACT       In the increasing population of the elderly in Iran, so far no prospective health studies have been undertaken.  This study was conducted to identify the risk factors of survival time of the elderly of ages above 60 years. Material and Methods: Individuals above 60 years old were recruited in the primary phase of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) during 1998-2001. They were followed up for 10 years and their vital status were registered (1998-2008).  Age and sex mortality rates for age groups (60-69, 70-79, 80+) were calculated and by using Cox proportional hazard model the hazard rates were estimated. Results: Out of 929 males, 154 (17%) and out of 869 women 85(10%) died during the follow-up years. Cox model showed that diabetes on an average reduces 4.4 years and 2.5 years and smoking reduces 5 and 6.6 years of males' and females' survival time, respectively. BMI>33Kg/m2 and dis-lipoproteinemia reduce 4.5 years and 4 years of women's life span.  Tehranian native men on an average live 3 years shorter than other male residents. In addition, hypertension and history of MI, stroke or sudden death of father, brother or son reduce 3.3 years and 4.1 years of men's life time. Conclusion: The elderly population is in need of a healthy ageing to be gained from prevention and intervention. Identification of life time reducing risk factors of elderly helps the policymakers to develop some protocols to increase the life span of the population.

Floristic investigation in Podol, Lemazan and Bedoo mountain in Bandar Lengeh city, Hormozgan province, Iran

Abstract Floristic survey of Podol, Lemazan, Bedoo mountain (located in 90 km eastern of Bandar Lengheh, Hormozgan province), with about 45000 hectars area and maximum elevation of 1150 meters above the sea level, and 133.7 milimeter annual precipitation, was the main goal of the present work. The collected specimens were identified using taxonomic methods. List of plant species, life forms, chorotypes and their medicinal values were presented. The results showed that 156 plant species belonging to 130 genera and 43 families of vascular plants grow in the area. Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Chenopodiaceae and Brassicaceae with 23, 16, 10, 9 and 8 species are the largest families, and Salvia, Astragalus, Heliotropium and Plantago with 5, 4, 4, 4 and 3 species are the largest genera in the region, respectively. The life forms frequency were 39.1% Therophytes, 24.36% Chamaephytes, 22.44% Hemicryptophytes, 12.18% Phanerophytes and 1.92% Cryptophytes, indicating the sever climate conditions in the region. Also, 35.89% of species are Saharo-Syndian and Irano-Turanian, 30.77% are Saharo-Syndian. Furthermore, 12 endemic species and 64 medicinal species are inhabitate in this region, indicating the importance of flora and vegetation of the studies area

Lentiviral vectors titration using real-time PCR

Lentiviral vectors (LVs) are useful vehicle for genetransfer to dividing and non-dividing cells and genetic manipulations. However, the use of lentiviruses in studies requires an accurate titration technique.Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is a sensitive technique for the indication and quantitation of retrovirals particles. In this study, we used the qPCR for lentiviral vector titeration. The puromycin resistance gene as templates for an SYBR green-based real-time qPCR method and detect lentiviral copy number integrated lentiviral DNA. Consequently, this studyshowed that theusing ofantibioticresistance genesviral particles titration maybeefficient with highly accuracy.

Study the antimicrobial effects of chitosan-based edible film containing the Trachyspermum ammi essential oil on shelf-life of chicken meat

Packaging using chitosan-based edible films incorporated with natural essential oils is a safe and economic way to increase the shelf-life and acceptability of food products and especially chicken meat. Trachyspermum ammi is a natural medicinal plant with high antimicrobial effects cultivated in Iran. The present research was done to study the antimicrobial effects of chitosan-based edible film containing T. ammi essential oil on shelf-life of chicken meat. T. ammi fruits were collected and dried. Essential oil was extracted from plants using the Clevenger’s apparatus. High molecular weight chitosan with 1% and 2% concentrations of T. ammi essential oil were used for coating of chicken fillets. Treatments were stored at 4°C for 12 days. Count of the total aerobic, total psychrophilic and coliform bacteria had ranges of 3.8±0.25 to 8.32±0.26, 4±0.23 to 8.65±0.28 and 1.8±0.09 to 5.62±0.16 CFU/g during the storage period. Antimicrobial effects were significantly increased with the incorporation of T. ammi essential oil (P<0.05). Antimicrobial effects were also depended on the concentration of T. ammi essential oil (P<0.05). Chitosan film incorporated with 2% T. ammi essential oil had the highest inhibitory effects on total aerobic, total psychrophilic and coliform bacteria (P<0.05). Our results pointed out that the incorporation of T. ammi essential oil at 2% concentration has potential for using the developed chitosan edible film as an active packaging of chicken meat

Experimental validation and computational modeling of anti-influenza effects of quercetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside from indigenous south African medicinal plant Rapanea melanophloeos

BACKGROUND : Influenza A virus (IAV) is still a major health threat. The clinical manifestations of this infection are related to immune dysregulation, which causes morbidity and mortality. The usage of traditional medication with immunomodulatory properties against influenza infection has been increased recently. Our previous study showed antiviral activity of quercetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (Q3R) isolated from Rapanea melanophloeos (RM) (L.) Mez (family Myrsinaceae) against H1N1 (A/PR/8/34) infection. This study aimed to confirm the wider range of immunomodulatory effect of Q3R on selective pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines against IAV in vitro, to evaluate the effect of Q3R on apoptosis pathway in combination with H1N1, also to assess the physical interaction of Q3R with virus glycoproteins and RhoA protein using computational docking. METHODS : MDCK cells were exposed to Q3R and 100CCID50/100 μl of H1N1 in combined treatments (co-, pre- and post-penetration treatments). The treatments were tested for the cytokines evaluation at RNA and protein levels by qPCR and ELISA, respectively. In another set of treatment, apoptosis was examined by detecting RhoA GTPase protein and caspase-3 activity. Molecular docking was used as a tool for evaluation of the potential anti-influenza activity of Q3R. RESULTS : The expressions of cytokines in both genome and protein levels were significantly affected by Q3R treatment. It was shown that Q3R was much more effective against influenza when it was applied in co-penetration treatment. Q3R in combination with H1N1 increased caspase-3 activity while decreasing RhoA activation. The molecular docking results showed strong binding ability of Q3R with M2 transmembrane, Neuraminidase of 2009 pandemic H1N1, N1 and H1 of PR/8/1934 and Human RhoA proteins, with docking energy of − 10.81, − 10.47, − 9.52, − 9.24 and − 8.78 Kcal/mol, respectively. CONCLUSIONS : Quercetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside from RM was significantly effective against influenza infection by immunomodulatory properties, affecting the apoptosis pathway and binding ability to viral receptors M2 transmembrane and Neuraminidase of 2009 pandemic H1N1 and human RhoA cellular protein. Further research will focus on detecting the detailed specific mechanism of Q3R in virus-host interactions.The National Research Foundation, South Africahttps://bmccomplementalternmed.biomedcentral.comam2020Paraclinical SciencesVeterinary Tropical Disease

Association of levels of interleukin 17 and T-helper 17 count with symptom severity and etiology of chronic heart failure: a case-control study

Aim To assess the association between the levels of interleukin 17 (IL-17) and T-helper 17 count and symptom severity and etiology of chronic heart failure. Methods This single-center prospective case-control study, conducted from December 1, 2015 to January 1, 2017 in Tehran Heart Center, evaluated gene expression of IL-17, relative count of (CD4+IL17+) Th17 cells and CD4+ helper T-cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 42 patients with CHF and 42 matched controls. A multiple regression model assessed the predictors of peripheral IL-17 expression and Th17 count in patients with CHF. Results IL-17 expression was increased in patients with CHF, both at baseline and after stimulation. IL-17 and Th17 counts were higher in patients with advanced New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class (class IV) than in controls and patients with class I. Th17 cell population expanded in patients with CHF, more prominently in patients with class IV than in controls and patients with class I, regardless of the ischemic or non-ischemic CHF origin. Multiple regression model showed that NYHA was the only meaningful predictor of IL-17 levels and Th17 count. Conclusion We demonstrated the lymphocytic origin of IL-17 production in advanced CHF and the ability of disease severity to predict IL-17 levels