Effect of Roasting on Fatty Acid Profile of Brown and Yellow Varieties of Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L)

Purpose: To monitor changes in fatty acid profiles of brown and yellow varieties of flaxseeds in the raw and roasted states using gas chromatography (GC).Methods: Samples of flaxseeds were extracted with n-hexane in a Soxhlet apparatus for 8 h. Methylesterification of the samples was performed by methanolic boron trifluoride (BF3-MeOH) method according to American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS). Fatty acid (FA), analyzed using GC equipped with a split/splitless capillary injector and flame ionization detector (FID).Results: The results indicate that lipid content varied with the type of seed. Seed oil content was 53.31 ± 0.30 and 45.20 ± 0.20 % for roasted and unroasted brown flax, respectively, and 10.25 ± 0.04 % for the yellow type. The yellow and roasted brown type, at 300oC, showed the lowest and highest oil content, respectively. The highest calculated oxidizability (COX) value was found for the unroasted brown type (13.19 ± 0.01 %) whilst the lowest amount was observed for the roasted brown seed at 350oC (12.79 ± 0.01 %). COX value for yellow type was 5.62 ± 0.01 %.Conclusion: This study shows that the fatty acids content of flaxseeds vary with roasting conditions. This is significant because flax seed fatty acid composition influences the applications of the oil.Keywords: Oil, Flaxseed, Roasting, Fatty acid, Linum usitatissimum, Calculated oxidizability valu

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

Abstract 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 IC 50 values 14.03 mg/mL and 18.05 mg/mL, respectively. The IC 50 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 and propose its potential as an anti-diabetic agent for treatment of noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients

The effects of concurrent treatment of silymarin and lactulose on memory changes in cirrhotic male rats

Introduction: Chronic liver disease frequently accompanied by hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Changes in the permeability of the blood-brain barrier in HE, make an easier entrance of ammonia among other substances to the brain, which leads to neurotransmitter disturbances. Lactulose (LAC), causes better defecation and makes ammonia outreach of blood. Silymarin (SM) is a known standard drug for liver illnesses. The purpose of this research was to determine the results of LAC and SM combined treatment, on the changes in memory of cirrhotic male rats. Methods: The cirrhotic model established by treatment with thioacetamide (TAA) for 18 weeks. Cirrhotic rats randomized to four groups (n = 7): TAA group (received drinking water), LAC group (2 g/kg/d LAC in drinking water), SM group (50 mg/kg/d SM by food), SM+ LAC group (similar combined doses of both compounds) for 8 weeks. The control group received drinking water. The behavior examined by wire hanging (WH), passive avoidance (PA), and open field (OF) tests. Results: Our findings showed that treatment with SM+LAC effectively increased PA latency, compared with the control group. The results showed that the administration of LAC and SM+LAC affected the number of lines crossed, the total distance moved and velocity in the OF tests. Conclusion: SM and LAC have anti-inflammatory effects that are memory changing. It may be due to their useful effects. These results indicated that SM+LAC restored memory disturbance and irritated mood in the cirrhotic rats. Comparable neuroprotection was never previously informed. Such outcomes are extremely promising and indicate the further study of SM+LAC

Antimicrobial activity and main chemical composition of two smoke condensates from Peganum harmala seeds

The smoke of Peganum harmala seeds is traditionally used in Iran as a disinfectant agent. The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial activity of two smoke condensates from Peganum harmala seeds. Furthermore the composition of smoke preparations was studied using gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy analysis. The most prevalent compound detected in a dichloromethane extract was harmine. Standard harmine as well as the dichloromethane extract showed antimicrobial activity against all test strains. Harmine was not detected in an n-hexane extract and we did not observe antimicrobial activity from this smoke preparation at the tested concentrations

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

Abstract 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-foetida which was collected from Neishabour, Iran, was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). The minimum inhibitory concentrations of the essential oil was investigated against both Grampositive (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 MIC of 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

The removal of ρ-chlorophenol in aqueous cultures with free and alginate-immobilized cells of the microalga Tetraselmis suecica

The present study aimed at evaluating the ability of some isolated cyanobacterial and microalgal strains for the removal of ρ-chlorophenol (ρ-CP), an environmentally harmful contaminant. To identify the most efficient species, a screening program was carried out using 15 microalgal and cyanobacterial strains. Among them, Tetraselmis suecica was able to remove 67 % of the ρ-chlorophenol at an initial concentration of 20 mg L−1 from the medium within a 10-day period. The efficacy of the process was dependent on the ρ-chlorophenol concentration. At concentrations above 60 mg L−1 of the pollutant, no removal was observed due to the inhibitory effect of ρ-chlorophenol on the T. suecica cells. The effect of cell immobilization in alginate beads on T. suecica removal capacity was also examined. Using this technique, the removal efficacy for the initial ρ-CP concentration of 20 mg L−1 increased up to 94 %

Detection of Helicobacter pylori in Oral Lesions

Background and aims. Helicobacter pylori is a microaerophilic gram-negative spiral organism. It is recognized as the etiologic factor for peptic ulcers, gastric adenocarcinoma and gastric lymphoma. Recently, it has been isolated from dental plaque and the dorsum of the tongue. This study was designed to assess the association between H. pylori and oral lesions such as ulcerative/inflammatory lesions, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and primary lymphoma. Materials and methods. A total of 228 biopsies diagnosed as oral ulcerative/inflammatory lesions, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and oral primary lymphoma were selected from the archives of the Pathology Department. Thirty-two samples that were diagnosed as being without any pathological changes were selected as the control group. All the paraffin blocks were cut for hematoxylin and eosin staining to confirm the diagnoses and then the samples were prepared for immunohistochemistry staining. Data were collected and analyzed. Results. Chi-squared test showed significant differences between the frequency of H. pylori positivity in normal tissue and the lesions were examined (P=0.000). In addition, there was a statistically significant difference between the lesions examined (P=0.042). Chi-squared test showed significant differences between H. pylori positivity and different tissue types except inside the muscle layer as follows: in epithelium and in lamina propria (P=0.000), inside the blood vessels (P=0.003), inside the salivary gland duct (P=0.036), and muscle layer (P=0.122). Conclusion. There might be a relation between the presence of H. pylori and oral lesions. Therefore, early detection and eradication of H. pylori in high-risk patients are suggested

Quantification of sucrose in the root of Geum iranicum Khatamsaz

Geum iranicum Khatamsaz (Rosaceae) is an endemic plant in Iran. The infusion and decoction of the plant have been used by local people for medicinal purposes. Our previous work on phytochemical studies on G. iranicum showed that the root was rich in sugars and sucrose was identified as a major one in it. In this study, the content of sucrose in the hydro-alcoholic (1:1) extract of the root of G.  iranicum was analyzed using HPLC. The amount of sucrose has been evaluated as 31.75% in the extract and 8.16% in the dried root. As a result, the presence of high amount of sucrose in the root of G. iranicum can be applicable for preparation of any pharmaceutical formulations of this plant

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