Evaluation of anti-inflammatory effect of Salvadora persica in IBD-induced rat

Background and objectives: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are among the most prevalent diseases in developed countries. In general, IL-6 and TNF-α are considered as the main causes of tissue damage in the intestine. Salvadora persica is a domestic and abundant plant growing in some central and southern areas of Iran. The main objective of the current study was to evaluate the potential anti-inflammatory effect of the hydro-alcoholic extract of Salvadora persica in a rat model of IBD. Methods: Acute colitis was induced by intra-rectal administration of 100 mg/kg TNBS dissolved in a total volume of 0.25 mL of 50% ethanol. Twenty-four h after colitis induction, saline, S. persica extracts (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) and sulfasalazine (100 mg/kg) were orally administered to the corresponding groups of animals. The dose administration was repeated daily for seven consecutive days. Aftewards, body weight changes, macroscopic and microscopic lesions were assessed by dissecting 8 cm of the distal colons of the animals. TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA expression were also evaluated by real-time PCR. Results: The obtained results showed that sulfasalazine and S. persica extracts were significantly able to reduce the body weight loss, macroscopic and microscopic lesions compared to the untreated control. Additionally, they were able to decrease the expression of TNF-α mRNA in the colon tissue. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that Salvadora persica extract had an acceptable anti-inflammatory effect on the induced colitis in rat, and one of its notable mechanisms could be through TNF-α pathway

α-Amylase inhibitory property, antioxidant activity and toxicological study of Salvia chloroleuca

Background and objectives: Salvia chloroleuca Rech. f. & Allen., is an endemic species growing wildly in north east and center parts of Iran but there is no information about its safety. To provide information about the safety of the species, we evaluated its acute and sub chronic toxicity in rats. Methods: In acute toxicity study, the aqueous methanol (80%) extract at a single dose of 2000 mg/kg/day was administered orally to male and female rats and signs of toxicity two weeks after administration were observed. For the subchronic toxicity test, the extract at doses of 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg/day were orally administered to the rats of both sexes for 45 days. Mortality, clinical signs of toxicity and body weight changes were monitored during the study. Moreover, α-amylase enzyme inhibition, total phenol content, and antioxidant (DPPH and FRAP assays) activity of different fractions of aerial part were evaluated. Results: The methanol and aqueous methanol (80%) extracts showed α-amylase enzyme inhibition with IC50 values 14.03 mg/mL and 18.05 mg/mL, respectively. The IC50 value for ethyl acetate, methanol and aqueous methanol (80%) extracts in radical scavenging assay were calculated as 288.83, 97.93, and 108.02 μg/mL, respectively. Among all extracts, methanol (228.4±12.05) demonstrated the highest FRAP value, followed by methanol (80%) extract (220.4±8.08) and ethyl acetate extract (156.4±10.06). In acute toxicity and subchronic study, neither mortality nor changes in behavior or any other parameter were observed. Conclusion: Our findings indicate potent in vitro α-amylase and antioxidant activity of S. chloroleuca andpropose its potential as an anti-diabetic agent for treatment of noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients

Isolation and characterization of phytochemicals of Johrenia paucijuga (DC.) Bornm.

Background and objectives: The genus Johrenia belongs to Umbelliferae family and contains five species that are endemic to Iran. Johrenia paucijuga grows widely in the north-west, west and center of Iran. So far, there has been no research about phytochemistry of J. paucijuga. In the present study, phytochemicals of the plants have been isolated and their structures have been elucidated. Methods: The aerial parts were dried and cut into small pieces, then extracted with ethyl acetate and methanol using perculator apparatus at room temperature. The methanol extract was extracted again with, petroleum ether and butanol. The separation and isolation process was carried out using column (silica gel and Sephadex LH-20) and thin layer chromatographic (TLC) methods. Structure elucidation of the purified compounds were based on ¹H and ¹³C-NMR data, in comparison with those reported in the previous literatures. Results: The isolated compounds from the ethyl acetate and butanol extracts of J. paucijuga were identified as β-sitosterol, β- stigmasterol and quercetin. Quercetin is a bioactive flavonoid widely used as a health supplement. β- sitosterol and β-stigmasterol are phytosteroles (plants sterols) with chemical structure similar to that of cholesterol and are sometimes used in treating hypercholesterolemia. Conclusion: Regarding the valuable biological properties of the isolated compounds, different biological effects could be expected from the plant

Essential oil analysis and antibacterial activity of Ferula assa-foetida L. aerial parts from Neishabour mountains

Background and objectives: Ferula assa-foetida (asafoetida) is a native Iranian species which grows in different regions and climates in Iran. The plant is well known in Iranian Traditional Medicine as well as folk medicine for treatment of diseases. Several studies have been carried out on the essential oil of this species collected from different areas of Iran. This study is the first report about the essential oil of the plant collected from Neishabour mountains that is a potent area for growing this valuable plant species. Methods: Essential oil of the aerial part of Ferula assa-foetidawhich wascollected from Neishabour, Iran, was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). The minimum inhibitory concentrations of the essential oil was investigated against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia) bacteria using microdilution method. Results: Twenty three components representing 97.06% of the total oil were identified. (E)-1-propenyl sec-butyl disulfide (53.77%), (Z)-1-propenyl sec-butyl disulfide (35.6%) and α-pinene (3.4%) were identified as major components. The MICof the essential oil ranged from 12-24 mg/mL against all tested bacteria. Conclusion: The results indicated that among various compounds identified in the essential oil of F. assa-foetida L. from Neishabour mountains, disulphide compounds were the major constituents of the oil. In comparison to other reports of this plant around the country, disulphide compounds could be the reason of its moderate antibacterial effect