Antioxidant, hypoglycemic and anti-diabetic activities of Ziziphus spina-christi (L) Willd (Rhamnacae) leaf extract

Purpose: To investigate the antioxidant, hypoglycemic and antidiabetic activities as well as the phenolic composition of Ziziphus spina-christi (ZSC)Methods: Eighty percent methanol extract (ZSC-1), as well as ethyl acetate (ZSC-2), n-butanol (ZSC-3) and aqueous (ZSC-4) fractions were administered orally to mice at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg of body weight. The hypoglycemic and anti-diabetic activities of these fractions in the treated mice were evaluated after 7 and 15 days, using glibenclamide as a standard. Antioxidant activities in vitro were determined using stable free radical DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging techniques.Results: The strongest (p < 0.001) anti-diabetic activity (25.59 and 39.48 % after 7 and 15 days, respectively) was found following treatment with 500 mg/kg ZSC-3 fraction. Similarly, the highest (p > 0.001) hypoglycemic effect was achieved with 500 mg/kg ZSC-3 treatment (29.07 and 35.56 % after 7 and 15 days, respectively). ZSC-1 possessed the highest content of total flavonoids (36.2 mg/g) and total polyphenol (82.3 mg/g).Conclusion: Fraction ZSC-3 displayed potential hypoglycemic activity while ZSC-1, ZSC-2 and ZSC-3 possess remarkable DPPH scavenging ability equivalent to 89, 96 and 80.3 % of the activity of the standard drug respectively.Keywords: Ziziphus spina, Rhamnaceae, Hypoglycemic, Anti-diabetic, Flavonoids, Polypheno

Polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity of some wild Saudi Arabian asteraceae plants

AbstractObjectiveTo study the antioxidant properties of crude extract of different Asteraceae plants.MethodsThe antioxidant properties of six extracts were evaluated using different antioxidant tests, including free radical scavenging, reducing power, metal chelation, superoxide anion radical scavenging, total antioxidant capacity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation activities.ResultsPicris cyanocarpa (P. cyanocarpa) and Anthemis deserti (A. deserti) had powerful antioxidant properties as radical scavenger, reducing agent and superoxide anion radical scavenger while Achillia fragrantissima (A. fragrantissima) and Artemissia monosperma (A. monosperma) were the most efficient as ion chelator (100% at 100, 200 and 400 μg/mL) A. fragrantissima and Rhantarium appoposum (R. appoposum) showed 100% inhibition on peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion at 200 and 400 μg/mL, while butylatedhydroxy toluene and ascorbic acid showed 100 and 95% inhibition percentage at 400 μg/mL, respectively. Those various antioxidant activities were compared to standard antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyl toluene and ascorbic acid.ConclusionsIn most tests P. cyanocarpa and A. deserti had powerful antioxidant properties as radical scavenger, reducing agent and superoxide anion radical scavenger

Hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anti-amylase, and antiglucosidase effects of Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) against carbon tetrachloride-induced toxicity in rats

Purpose: To explore the hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anti-amylase, and anti-glucosidase effects of the medicinal plant Ziziphus spina-christi (L.). Methods: Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) methanol extract (ZS-1) and its ethyl-acetate (ZS-2), n-butanol (ZS3), and aqueous (ZS-4) fractions were evaluated for their hepatoprotective, anti-amylase, and antiglucosidase activities. Adult male Wister rats were divided into 11 groups (I- XI) with 6 mice per group. Group I was normal control, while the treatment groups were as follows: group II, CCl4; group III, Silymarin + CCl4; group IV, Ziziphus spina-christi total methanol extract (ZS-1), 100 mg/kg) + CCl4; group V, ZS-1 (200 mg/kg) + CCl4; group VI, ethyl acetate fraction (ZS-2), 100 mg/kg + CCl4; group VII: ZS-2 (200 mg/kg) + CCl4; group VIII, butanol fraction (ZS-3), 100 mg/kg) + CCl4; group IX, ZS-3 (200 mg/kg) + CCl4; group X, aqueous fraction (ZS-4), 100 mg/kg) + CCl4; group XI: ZS-4 (200 mg/kg) + CCl4. Silymarin was used as the standard. Biomarkers of liver and kidney toxicity and histopathological changes were evaluated. Results: Liver and kidney malondialdehyde (MDA), non-protein sulfhydryls (NP-SH) and total protein levels were elevated in CCl4-treated rats; however, ZS-1 and ZS-4 of Z. spina-christi significantly reduced these levels. ZS-2 and ZS-3 did not significantly improve the studied parameters. These results were confirmed by results from histopathological examination. ZS-1 and ZS-2 showed mild inhibitory activities against α-amylase and α-glucosidase (54 and 43 % at 100 µg/ml, respectively). Conclusion: The results indicate that ZS-1 and ZS-4 samples displayed dose-dependent hepatoprotective and nephroprotective effects, whereas ZS-2 and ZS-3 samples did not exhibit these effects. Similarly, α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes are considerably inhibited by ZS-1 and ZS-2

Antimicrobial activities of some Saudi Arabian herbal plants

Background: Several edible plants are used in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since early time to control microbial infections. In the present study, twenty-four Saudi Arabian medicinal plants d according to traditionally used were select and investigated for the antimicrobial activitiesMaterials and Methods: This study was designed at evaluating the antimicrobial activities of the methanol extracts of twenty-four species of sixteen plant families used in the traditional medicine by Saudi Arabian people for the treatment of numerous ailments of the microbial and non-microbial origin against four Gram-positive, four Gram-negative bacteria and four fungi and yeast using the agar well diffusion method.Results: Of most of the plants tested were found to be active against two to eight organisms. Five plants were active against eight organisms. The data appeared that extracts of Echium arabicum (SY-176), Rhantarium epapposum (SY-180), Rumex vesicarus (SY-181), Ziziphus nummularia (SY-188), Caylusea hexagyna (SY-197) and Artemisia monosperma (SY-198) have anti-microbial activity against the most of tested bacteria, fungi and yeast. Whereas (SY-181), the extracts of Teucrium oliverianum (SY-175), Zilla spinosa (SY-187), and Rhazya stricta (SY-195) have poor action against the tested bacteria, fungi and yeast.Conclusion: The antimicrobial activity of plant extracts against bacteria was more effective than against fungiKeywords: Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, yeast, medicinal plants, Saudi Arabi

Phytochemical investigation of Rhus tripartita and its activity against cyclooxygenases and acetylcholinesterase

Purpose: To investigate the inhibitory activity of crude methanol extract, fractions and two pure compounds from Rhus tripartita stem cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE); also, to evaluate their antioxidant properties in in-vitro assays.Methods: R. tripartita extract and fractions were examined as inhibitors of COX-1 and COX-2 and AChE. Their antioxidant properties were also evaluated using various antioxidant tests, including free radical scavenging, nitric oxide, and total antioxidant capacity.Results: Ethyl acetate fraction (RT2), aqueous fraction (RT4), subfraction RT2-II, and subfraction RT2-III had a potent inhibitory effect on AChE with low IC50 values. At the same time, a subfraction (RT2-III) was an effective COX-2 inhibitor (94.5 % at 10 μg/mL) followed by ethyl acetate fraction (RT2; 79.39 %), aqueous fraction (RT4; 70 %), total extract (RT; 66.18 %), subfraction RT2-III (64.08 %), compound 5 (epicatechin; 61.25 %), compound 2 (taxifolin; 55.63 %), subfraction RT2-II (46.85 %), and butanol fraction (RT3; 40.80%). RT2, RT4, RT2-II, RT2-III, and compound 2 each showed 100 % inhibition at 20 μg/mL.Conclusion: The ethyl acetate fraction (RT2), aqueous fraction (RT4) and subfractions RT2-II and RT2- III are effective natural inhibitors of AChE. Subfraction RT2-III is the best COX-2 inhibitor, followed by ethyl acetate fraction RT2 and aqueous fraction (RT4). These bioactive materials can be considered natural COX-2 and AChE inhibitorsKeywords: Cyclooxygenase, Anti-nflammatory, Acetylcholinesterase, Anacardiaceous, Taxifolin, Epicatechi

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES OF SOME SAUDI ARABIAN HERBAL PLANTS

Background: Several edible plants are used in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since early time to control microbial infections. In the present study, twenty-four Saudi Arabian medicinal plants d according to traditionally used were select and investigated for the antimicrobial activities Materials and Methods: This study was designed at evaluating the antimicrobial activities of the methanol extracts of twenty-four species of sixteen plant families used in the traditional medicine by Saudi Arabian people for the treatment of numerous ailments of the microbial and non-microbial origin against four Gram-positive, four Gram-negative bacteria and four fungi and yeast using the agar well diffusion method. Results: Of most of the plants tested were found to be active against two to eight organisms. Five plants were active against eight organisms. The data appeared that extracts of Echium arabicum (SY-176), Rhantarium epapposum (SY- 180), Rumex vesicarus (SY-181), Ziziphus nummularia (SY-188), Caylusea hexagyna (SY-197) and Artemisia monosperma (SY-198) have anti-microbial activity against the most of tested bacteria, fungi and yeast. Whereas (SY- 181), the extracts of Teucrium oliverianum (SY-175), Zilla spinosa (SY-187), and Rhazya stricta (SY-195) have poor action against the tested bacteria, fungi and yeast. Conclusion: The antimicrobial activity of plant extracts against bacteria was more effective than against fung

EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCES FOR THE PROMISING HERAPEUTIC ROLE OF VITIS VINIFERA SEED EXTRACT AGAINST NONALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS

Objective: The present study was planned to investigate the possible therapeutic effect of methanolic extract of Vitis vinifera seeds on high fat diet-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in forty adult female Wistar rats.Methods: The animals were divided into four groups, (G1)was served as healthy control group and the other three groups received high fat diet for 32 weeks for induction of NASH were assigned as follow: (G2) in which the animals bearing NASH were left untreated, (G3) in which the animals bearing NASH were treated with Vitis vinifera seed extract in a dose of 0.28g/kg b. wt (GSH) and (G4) in which the animals bearing NASH were treated with Vitis vinifera seed extract in a dose of 0.14g/kg b. wt (GSL).Results: The results revealed significant increase in serum ALT activity, plasma glucose, insulin levels, serum resist in, NF-κB, TNF-α, HGF levels, hepatic TNF-α and HGF gene expression levels. While, serum albumin, adiponectin levels and hepatic adiponectin gene expression level were decreased significantly in NASH group. Conversely, treatment of NASH groups with GSH or GSL resulted in significant decrease in serum ALT activity, plasma glucose, insulin levels, serum resist in, NF-κB, TNF-α, HGF levels, hepatic TNF-α and HGF gene expression levels. However, serum albumin, adiponectin levels and hepatic adiponectin gene expression level were increased significantly as a consequence of treatment with GSH or GSL.Conclusions: The efficacy of Vitis vinifera extract against NASH might be attributed to its strong hepatoprotective potential and powerful anti-inflammatory activity in addition to its potent role in ameliorating insulin resistance indices.Â

Biochemical and histological evidences for the antitumor potential of Teucrium Oliverianum and Rhazya stricta in chemically-induced hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Teucrium oliverianum and Rhazya stricta are medicinal plants used in traditional and herbal medicine for the treatment of diabetes, liver diseases and inflammatory conditions. The present study was planned to investigate the antitumor efficacy of Teucrium oliverianum and Rhazya stricta in chemically-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats.Materials and Methods: Forty adult male rats weighing 170-200 g were divided into four groups; each group was comprised of ten rats: (1): Normal healthy animals served as negative control group, (2):  Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) group in which the rats were orally administered Nnitrosodiethylamine (dissolved in 0.9% normal saline), in a dose of 20 mg/kg b.wt. five times a week for six weeks, (3): HCC group treated with Teucrium oliverianum extract in a dose of 600 mg/kg b.wt for two months and (4): HCC group treated with Rhazya stricta extract in a dose of 750 mg/kg b.wt for two months. Serum alanine  aminotransferase (ALT), asparatate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and  gammaglutamyl transferase (γ-GT) activities were estimated. Serum  carcinoembyronic antigen (CEA), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), alpha-L-fucosidase (AFU), glypican-3 (GPC-3), golgi protein 73 (Gp-73) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were determined. Histopathological examination of liver tissue sections was also carried out.Results: The HCC group showed significant elevation in serum AST, ALT, ALP and γ-GT activities as well  as CEA, AFP, AFU, Gpc-3, Gp 73 and VEGF levels versus the negative control group. Photomicrograph of liver tissue sections of rats in HCC revealed hepatic parenchyma with foci of anaplastic hepatocellular carcinoma as well as other foci of cystic cholangio carcinoma associated with areas of telangictasis with haemorrhage as well as individual hepatocellular necrosis.Conclusion: Treatment of HCC groups with Teucrium oliverianum or Rhazya stricta extract experienced significant improvement in the measured biochemical parameters as well as in the structural  organization of the liver. In conclusion, the current study provided experimental evidences for the antitumor efficacy of Teucrium oliverianum and Rhazya stricta against hepatocellular carcinoma. Such effect could be attributed to hepatoprotective properties, antiproliferative activity and antiangiogenic potential.Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma, Teucrium oliverianum, Rhazya stricta, rat

A Phytochemical Analysis, Microbial Evaluation and Molecular Interaction of Major Compounds of Centaurea bruguieriana Using HPLC-Spectrophotometric Analysis and Molecular Docking

Centaurea is one of the most important genera within the family Asteraceae. An investigation of the phytochemical composition of Centaurea bruguieriana using Gas-Chromatography coupled to Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was performed. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the minimum inhibitory concentration method (MIC) and validated by molecular docking for the major compounds of the most active fraction (1,10-di-epi-cubenol and methyl 8-oxooctanoate) of C. bruguieriana against three bacterial receptors (TyrRS, DNA gyrase, and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR)). Evaluation of antioxidant activity was conducted using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to identify and quantify the contents of major compounds from ethyl acetate fraction (luteolin 7-O-glucoside, chlorogenic acid, kaempferol and isorhamnetin). The antimicrobial activity test showed that the chloroform fraction was more active against all microbial strains. The results of the molecular docking of two major compounds from chloroform fraction showed that good affinities were made between 1,10-di-epi-cubenol and the three selected receptors (TyrRs: −6.0 Kcal/mol against −8.2 Kcal/mol obtained with clorobiocin (standard); DNA gyrase: −6.6 Kcal/mol against −9.1 Kcal/mole obtained with clorobiocin; DHFR: −7.4 Kcal/mol against −6.3 Kcal/mol obtained with SCHEMBL2181345 Standard). Antioxidant evaluation showed that the ethyl acetate fraction was the most active fraction in DPPH (IC50 49.4 µg/mL) and ABTS (IC50 52.8 µg/mL) models. HPLC results showed the contents of luteolin 7-O-glucoside (7.4 µg/mg), and chlorogenic acid (3.2 µg/mg). Our study demonstrated that C. bruguierana is a promising source of bioactive compounds