PHYTOTHERAPY IN FUNGI AND FUNGAL DISEASE: A REVIEW OF EFFECTIVE MEDICINAL PLANTS ON IMPORTANT FUNGAL STRAINS AND DISEASES

Infectious diseases are among the most important common diseases worldwide that bring stupendous costs for human community. Medicinal plants are considered a rich source of antimicrobial agents and therefore can be used as antimicrobial remedies because of producing secondary metabolites. This article was designed to review the effective medicinal plants on fungi and fungal disease. In this study, the relevant articles published in Persian and English languages were searched for in the databases Magiran, Iranmedex, Irandoc, PubMed, Scopus, SID, Web of Science, and Science Direct using the search engine Google Scholar. To maximize the comprehensiveness of the search, the general terms antimicrobial, dermatophyte, mycotic, Iran, and anti-Candida as well as their Persian equivalents were used. AND and OR were used for combining searches. Medicinal herbs such as Zataria multiflora, Thymus vulgaris, Thymus kotschyanus, Punicagranatum L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Matricaria chamomilla L., Urtica dioica L., Mentha piperita L. and Salvia officinalis L., Thymus vulgaris, Salvia officinalis, Eucalyptus globulus, Myentha piperita, Oliveria decumbens, Echinophora Platyloba, Thymus eriocalyx and Thymus X-porlock, Achillea millefolium, Artemisia sieberi, Cuminum cyminum, Nigella sativa, Heracleum persicum, Hyssopus officinalis, Matricaria recutital, Menta spicata, Foeniculum vulgare, Pimpinella anisum, Plargonium graveolens, Rosmarinus officinalis, Saturia hortensis, Zataria multiflora, Thymus kotschyanus, Zataria multiflora, Ziziphora clinopodioides, Mentha piperita L., Physalis alkekengi L., Hymenocrater longiflorus Benth and are the most important Medicinal herbs effective on fungal diseases. Medicinal herbs mentioned in this study due to phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities have antifungal effects

Evaluation of antifungal activities of the essential oil and various extracts of Nigella sativa and its main component, thymoquinone against pathogenic dermatophyte strains

Objective. — Plant extracts and plant-derived compounds are valuable sources as folk medicine for the treatment and prevention of a wide range of diseases including infectious diseases. In the present study, the antifungal activities of the essential oil and various extracts Nigella sativa and its active principle, thymoquinone against Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum canis and Microsporum gypseum as pathogenic dermatophyte strains have been evaluated. In addition, the cytotoxic effects of N. sativa against murine macrophage cells were determined. Materials and methods. — In this study, the antifungal activity was studied by disk diffusion method and assessment of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of extracts using broth macrodilution method. In addition, the cytotoxic activity of N. sativa was evaluated by colorimetric assay (MTT). The components of the N. sativa essential oil were also identified by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) analysis. Results. — The results showed that the essential oil and various extracts of N. sativa particularly thymoquinone have potent antifungal effects on T. mentagrophytes, M. canis and M. gypseum as pathogenic dermatophyte strains. In the assessment of the cytotoxicity activity, it could be observed that N. sativa had no significant cytotoxicity in the murine macrophages at low concentrations. While, thymoquinone in comparison with essential oil and various extracts of N. sativa showed higher cytotoxicity on murine macrophage cells. In the GC/MS analysis, thymoquinone (42.4%), p-cymene (14.1%), carvacrol (10.3%) and longifolene (6.1%) were found to be the major components of N. sativa essential oil. Conclusion. — The findings of this study suggest a first step in the search of new antidermatophytic drugs and aid the use of N. sativa seeds in the traditional medicine for dermatophytic infections

Dry Sliding-Friction and Wear Behavior of Hot-Extruded Al6061/Si3N4/Cf Hybrid Metal Matrix Composite.

The effects of reinforcement addition and hot extrusion on the microstructures, micro hardness, friction, and wear behavior of aluminium (Al) hybrid composite were investigated. Al6061 dispersed with electroless nickel-coated Si3N4 (6wt.%) and copper-coated carbon fiber (Cf) (1wt.%) hybrid composites was developed through stir casting followed by hot extrusion. Optical micro structural studies confirmed that the size of reinforcements decreased, and their orientations were in the extrusion direction. The decrease in the grain size (29%) of hybrid composites was larger than that in the grain size of matrix alloys under hot-extruded conditions. The synthesized hot-extruded Al6061 hybrid composite exhibited a lower coefficient of friction (51%) and high wear resistance (39%) compared with the hotextruded Al6061base alloy

Ethenobothanical study of medicinal plants against parasites detected in Shiraz, southern part of Iran

Parasitic diseases are a major public health problem with negative effects on the lives of hundreds millions of people around the world, especially in tropical developing countries. WHO estimates that three and a half billion people worldwide are infected with parasitic diseases that between four hundred and fifty million people suffer from this disease. Little research has been reported on use of medicinal plants in the region of Shiraz. Study was done through interviews to collect information on the direct method. The questionnaire will include personal information herbalists and native plant list with local information, including name of plant, parts used, use and effects of traditional treatment. The results showed last 15 plants from 12 families as antiparasitic drug used in Shiraz. Most parts of plants used include leaves and fruits that were allocated 25. The highest form of traditional medicine recorded decoction with 82. The results of comparing the different regions of Iran antiparasitic medicinal plants indicates that the Artemisia absinthium, Artemisia, Sisymbrium irio, Asafoetida, artichokes, almonds, thyme and chamomile in different cultures shared and used as an antiparasitic medicinal plants. Plants such as Ficusjohannis Boiss, Acanthophyllum spp., Lagenaria vulgaris, Achilleamillefolium L., Cinnamomumverum and Nigella sativa for the first time as antiparasitic herbs are reported. Based on the high prevalence of parasitic diseases, and number of herbs in this study are reported for the first time as an antiparasitic medicinal plants, it is suggested scientific study done for assaying antiparasitic effects reported and revealing effective ingredient of these plants

A review of the antiparasitic medicinal plants used in ethnobotany of different regions of Iran

Parasitic diseases are considered the most prevalent infectious diseases worldwide, involving half of global population particularly in developing countries. Given the necessity of producing nature- and plant-based drugs for parasitic diseases, this study is to report the medicinal plants used in different regions of Iran. In this review article, the terms parasite, ethnobotany, and medicinal plants were used to search for the articles, the books, and the documents about Iran traditional medicine in domestic and international databases including Information, SID Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Islamic World Science Citation Center, Magiran. Satureja, wormwood, Artemisia Zagros, tobacco, Sisymbrium irio, walnuts, nettle, garlic, zucchini and chamomile are the most important antiparasitic medicinal plants of Iran

Prevalence of liver fluke infections in slaughtered animals in Lorestan, Iran

Fasciola spp. and Dicrocoelium dendriticum as liver flukes, contaminate ruminants and other mammalian extensively and cause major diseases of livestock that create considerable economic losses. This retrospective study has been done to evaluate contamination rate of slaughtered animals with fasciolosis and dicrocoeliosis at Lorestan abattoirs. In this survey, prevalence rate of fasciolosis and dicrocoeliosis in slaughtered animals in a 3-year period (2010�2013) has been analyzed. A total of 356,605 livestock including 265,692 sheep and 90,913 goats were slaughtered in the 3-year period and overall 39,613 (11.1 ) livers were condemned. Fascioliasis and dicrocoeliosis were responsible for 6.3 and 4.8 of total liver condemnations in this period, respectively. Fasciola spp. and D. dendriticum infection in sheep (7.1 and 5.6 , respectively) were considerably higher than goats (3.9 and 2.6 , respectively). The annual prevalence rates showed a significant decline in the fasciolosis and dicrocoeliosis infection in goats (p < 0.001). Data showed significant seasonal pattern for distomatosis in sheep and goats (p < 0.001). Liver condemnations due to fasciolosis were prevalent in sheep and goats slaughtered during spring and autumn, respectively, whereas dicrocoeliosis were common in spring season for both sheep and goats. This survey provides baseline data for the future monitoring of these potentially important parasitic infections in the region. © 2014, Indian Society for Parasitology

Comparative Examination of the Therapeutic Deficiency of Oral Metronidazole Plus Prangos ferulacea Vaginal Cream Versus Oral Metronidazole Plus Placebo Vaginal Cream in Accelerating Trichomonas Vaginalis Infection Recovery: A Triple-Blind Clinical Trial

Objectives: Trichomonas infection is prevalent in the United States and a metronidazole oral tablet is the medication of choice for treating this infection. Based on various side-effects of oral or vaginal metronidazole and the increase in microbial resistance against chemical antibiotics, the use of herbal medicine with fewer side-effects seems to be essential. Laboratory experiments indicate the strong anti-microbial effects of Prangos ferulacea (PF) medicinal herb. However, no clinical trial has focused on its anti-microbial effects in humans. Thus, the present study aimed to determine the effects of PF vaginal cream on accelerating Trichomonas vaginalis infection (TVI) recovery. Materials and Methods: The present randomized clinical trial was conducted on 80 non-pregnant women visiting the healthcare centers affiliated with Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2018. Trichomonas infection was diagnosed based on patient complaints, clinical observations, as well as wet mount and stained microscopic tests. The women were randomly divided into two groups of 40 each. One group received oral metronidazole plus PF vaginal cream while the other received oral metronidazole plus placebo vaginal cream for 7 days. Clinical observations, along with wet mount and stained microscopic tests were performed during 7 days following the treatment. Finally, data were analyzed using independent-samples t test, as well as chi-square, Fisher exact, Mann-Whitney U, and McNemar tests at the significance level of P 4.5, and positive amine test) and 85 was related to the microscopic criteria of wet mount (x40) and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (x100). In addition, the response to treatment with oral metronidazole and placebo vaginal cream was 91.25, 83.12, and 80 based on the patient complaint, clinical criteria, and microscopic criteria, respectively. Eventually, the analysis of the patient complaint, clinical criteria, and microscopic criteria in each group revealed a significant difference before and after the treatment (P < 0.001) Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the PF herbal vaginal cream can be used for the treatment of TVI as an effective treatment along with oral metronidazole