EVALUATION OF THE EXHAUSTIVE EXTRACTION YIELDS FOR TEUCRIUM POLIUM L. FROM DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE WEST BANK - PALESTINE

Objective: Teucrium polium L. aerial parts have been used by local populations of Palestine for the treatment of various diseases as diabetes mellitus, amoeba, intestinal spasms and diarrhea for that the interest of using this herbal remedy among researchers and populations increased, this study was aimed to evaluate the best area in Palestine that may be considered the best source of collection and cultivation for Teucrium polium plant in the future, to be a good source for manufacturing active pharmaceutical dosage forms from this plant.Method: The yield of the organic and water extraction method assessed by using exhaustive extraction method, by steeping the plant in ethanol, water and hexane to extract all the chemical ingredients without heating to prevent destroying or changing the plant chemical constituents.Results: the best aqueous and organic yields were in Bethlehem region (6.4%, 2.6 %), while the lowest aqueous and organic yields were in Qalqilya (4.96%, 1.16%).Conclusion: We recommended the pharmaceutical companies; Bethlehem region as the best area for cultivation and collection Teucrium plant for manufacturing the best standardized pharmaceutical dosage forms also we recommended the researchers to use the Teucrium plant from this region for their scientific research.Â

Phytochemical, antimicrobial and antioxidant preliminary screening of a traditional Palestinian medicinal plant, Ononis pubescens L.

Antibiotic resistance has become a serious global concern, and the discovery of novel antimicrobial herbal constituents may provide valuable solutions to overcome this problem. It is important to identify new sources of natural antioxidants and antimicrobials. The present study describes for the first time the antioxidant, and antibacterial activities of various fractions of Ononis pubescens L., a traditional Palestinian medicinal plant. Methods: Antimicrobial activity was tested against selected strains from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and clinical isolates including Shigella sonnie, Staphylococcus aureus, Entrococuss feacium, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Candida albicans and Epidermatophyto flacosum using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay, while antioxidant activity was analyzed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method. Results: A mixture of phytochemicals was found in all of the studied fractions of O. pubescens, which also showed remarkable potential with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Conclusion: The current study provides initial data that justify the use and importance of Ononis species in Palestinian folkloric medicine. Our results showed that Ononis pubescens n-hexane fraction has powerful antibacterial bioactivity against Staphylococcus aureus, as well as the acetone, n-hexane and methanol fractions which showed excellent potential against Epidermatophyto flacosum fungi, while the acetone fraction showed the highest antioxidant activity among other fractions. Further investigations are needed to identify and characterize these constituents.Financial support None. Acknowledgements The authors wish to thank An-Najah National University for its support to carry out this work and many thanks to the technicians Mohamad Arar and Linda Esa

REVIEW OF THE TAXONOMY, ETHNOBOTANY, PHYTOCHEMISTRY, PHYTOTHERAPY AND PHYTOTOXICITY OF GERMANDER PLANT (TEUCRIUM POLIUM L.)

 Medicinal plants and phytogenic products have used for treatment of various diseases from ancient times in the folklore medicine all over the world.Crude plants extracts are now considered a valuable source for natural products used in the development of medicines against various diseases, forthe development of pharmaceutical preparations, and for novel biomedical researches.Germander (Teucrium polium L.) is a shrubby plant widely distributed in the mountains, hills and deserts of the Mediterranean regions andconsidered one of the most useful traditional medicinal plants in Palestine and other Middle Eastern countries. It has been used for centuries inthe ethnopharmacology for the treatments of many pathophysiological conditions, such as diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatism,inflammations, also used as diuretic, antipyretic, tonic, diaphoretic, analgesic, antihyperlipidemic and other disorders. During the last five decades,apart from the phytochemical characterization of the components of the T. polium plant, there has been significant interest in the medicinal applicationsand biological activity of this plant. This review summarizes more than 50 years of scientific knowledge of Germander. It provides an overview onits taxonomy, biological activities, the most well-known isolated compounds from all the plants parts, clinical studies, and pharmacological activities.Evidence-based medicinal applications of the plant extracts have been discussed along with their safety evaluation, especially the recent evidence forhepatotoxicity secondary to the long term use of this plant.Keywords: Teucrium polium L, Biological activity, Ethnobotany, Phytochemical constituents, Phytotherapy, Phytotoxocity

Ethnopharmacological survey of home remedies used for treatment of hair and scalp and their methods of preparation in the West Bank-Palestine

Abstract Background Natural products have many uses and purposes, including those linked to pharmaceutics and cosmetics. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of natural remedies for the treatment of hair and scalp disorders in the West Bank, Palestine. Methods An ethnopharmacological survey of herbal remedies and other natural products used in cosmetics and cosmeceuticals was carried out in the West Bank, Palestine. A questionnaire was distributed to 267 herbalists, traditional healers, hairdressers and rural dwellers. Collected information included: the names of plants and other natural products, the parts used, hair conditions, diseases and problems for which these products were used and also their methods of preparation. To identify the most important species used, the factor of informant’s consensus (Fic), fidelity level (Fl) and the use-value (UV) were calculated. Results Collected data showed that 41 plants are utilized for the treatment of hair and scalp disorders, belonging to 27 families; among them Lamiaceae and Rosaceae, which were the most commonly used. Plant oils and their fruits are the most commonly used parts. Hair loss, dandruff, split hair endings and lice treatment, are reported as the most treated disorders. The number of plant species used consisted of 19, 14, 13, and again 13 with a factor of informant’s consensus (Fic) for these disorders corresponding to 0.93, 0.94, 0.95 and 0.92, respectively. Fl was 100% for many plants; the highest UV value (0.84) was registered for Lawsonia inermis, which belongs to the Lythraceae family. Conclusions This study showed that many natural remedies are still used in Palestine for the treatment of scalp and hair disorders as well as for cosmeceutical purposes. This study is of great importance as it allows us to have a greater perspective on our folkloric use of these natural products. A combined scientific effort between informants and the scientific community, working in this field, may help in the discovery of new cosmetics, cosmeceutical and nutraceutical products

Synthesis and Spectral Identification of Three Schiff Bases with a 2-(Piperazin-1-yl)-N-(thiophen-2-yl methylene)ethanamine Moiety Acting as Novel Pancreatic Lipase Inhibitors: Thermal, DFT, Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and Molecular Docking Investigations

Three new tetradentate NNNS Schiff bases (L1–L3) derived from 2-(piperidin-4-yl)ethanamine were prepared in high yields. UV–Visible and FTIR spectroscopy were used to monitor the dehydration reaction between 2-(piperidin-4-yl)ethanamine and the corresponding aldehydes. Structures of the derived Schiff bases were deduced by 1H and 13C NMR, FTIR, UV–Vis, MS, EA, EDS, and TG-derived physical measurements. DFT/B3LYP theoretical calculations for optimization, TD-DFT, frequency, Molecular Electrostatic Potential (MEP), and highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) / were performed for L2. The in vitro antimicrobial activities of the three Schiff bases were evaluated against several types of bacteria by disk diffusion test using Gentamicin as the standard antibiotic. Schiff bases revealed good antioxidant activity by the DPPH method, and the IC50 values were compared to the Trolox standard. Pancreatic porcine lipase inhibition assay of the synthesized compounds revealed promising activity as compared to the Orlistat reference

Ethnopharmacological survey of medicinal plants practiced by traditional healers and herbalists for treatment of some urological diseases in the West Bank/Palestine

Abstract Background Throughout history, every civilization in the world used plants or their derivatives for treatment or prevention of diseases. In Palestine as in many other countries, herbal medicines are broadly used in the treatment of wide range of diseases including urological diseases. The main objective of this research is to study the use of herbal remedies by herbalists and traditional healers for treatment of various urological diseases in the West Bank regions of Palestine and to assess their efficacy and safety through the literature review of the most cited plants. Method The study included a survey part, plant identification and a review study. The first part was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Face to face questionnaires were distributed to 150 traditional healers and herbalist in all regions of the West Bank of Palestine. The literature review part was to assess the most cited plants for their efficacy and toxicity. Results One hundred forty four herbalists and traditional healers accepted to participate in this study which was conducted between March and April, 2016. The results showed that 57 plant species belonging to 30 families were used by herbalists and traditional healers for treatment of various urinary tract diseases in Palestine. Of these, Apiaceae family was the most prevalent. Paronychia argentea, Plantago ovata, Punica granatum, Taraxacum syriacum, Morus alba and Foeniculum vulgare were the most commonly used plant species in the treatment of kidney stones, while Capsella bursa-pastoris, Ammi visnaga and Ammi majus were the most recommended species for treatment of urinary tract infections and Portulaca oleracea used for renal failure. In addition Curcuma longa and Crocus sativus were used for enuresis while Juglans regia, Quercus infectoria, Sambucus ebulus and Zea mays were used for treatment symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia. Fruits were the most common parts used, and a decoction was the most commonly used method of preparation. Through literature review, it was found that Paronychia argentea has a low hemolytic effect and contains oxalic acid and nitrate. Therefore, it could be harmful to renal failure patients, also Juglans regia, Quercus infectoria and, Sambucus ebulus are harmful plants and cannot be used for treatment of any disease. Conclusions Our data provided that ethnopharmacological flora in the West Bank regions of Palestine can be quite wealthy and diverse in the treatments of urinary tract diseases. Clinical trials and pharmacological tests are required evaluate safety and efficacy of these herbal remedies