Molecular networking-assisted flavonoid profile of Gypsophila glomerata extract in relation to its protective effects on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatorenal damage in rats

The aim of the study was to provide an in-depth characterization of the methanol-aqueous extract from the aerial parts of Gypsophila glomerata Pall. Ex Adams (Caryophyllaceae) (EGG) and to assess its protective potential on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver and kidney damage in male Wistar rats. Twenty-two flavonoid C-, O- and C,O-glycosides in EGG were annotated by mass spectrometry-based molecular networking; nine of them are reported in this species for the first time. Fourteen-day oral administration of EGG at a dose 200 mg kg–1 bm prevented significantly CCl4-induced liver injury, discerned by an amelioration of the markers of oxidative stress (GSH and MDA) and transaminase activity. EGG decreased the serum level of urea and creatinine as well. The observed improvement of biochemical parameters was supported by histopathological observations. The protective hepatorenal effects of EGG, rich in 2"-О-pentosyl-6-С-hexosyl-apigenin/luteolin/methylluteolin and their acetyl- and methoxycinnamoyl-derivatives, were comparable with the effects of the positive control silymarin

THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF COMPLEX PHYSICAL FACTORS IN DISEASES OF THE EXTREMITIES DUE TO OVERSTRAIN AND MICROTRAUMATISM

The authors treated with drugs and complex physical therapy 65 patients with occupational diseases of the extremities. According to the physiotherapeutic procedures, the patients were divided into five groups: 1s t - treated with galvanic baths; 2 n d - with galvanic baths and diadynamic current; 3 r d - with galvanic baths and short-wave therapy; 4t h - with galvanic baths and paraffin, and 5t h - with galvanic baths and high-voltage, low-frequency current. Patient's improvement was evaluated according to the reduction of subjective complaints such as shivering and pain as well as to a series of objective parameters such as muscle strength, skin temperature, time for skin temperature restoration, and peripheral blood flow. The subjective complaints were better influenced than the objective indices. The combination of galvanic baths with short-wave therapy exerted the best effect in the patients with occupational diseases of the extremities

LC-MS analysis of phenolic compounds and oleraceins in aerial parts of Portulaca oleracea L.

Portulaca oleracea L. (purslane) is a well-known edible and ethnomedicinal plant and it has been called “vegetable for long life” in the Chinese herbal medicine. The plant is recognized for the high content of polyphenols, including flavonoids and phenolic acids.In this study, hydromethanolic purslane extracts from Bulgarian and Greek locations were screened for polyphenolic content. Based on polyphenols, saponins and DPPH antioxidant activity, an orthogonaldesign L9(34) was performed in order to improve the ultrasound assisted extraction procedure of dry and fresh plant material. An UHPLC-Orbitrap-MS method in parallel-reaction monitoring mode was developed for the simultaneous identification and quantification of 14 compounds comprising hydroxybenzoic, hydroxycinnamic and caffeoylquinic acids, as well as 2 flavonol glycosides. The quantitative analysis was validated for curve fit, range, instrumental detection limit (IDL), instrumental quantification limit (IQL), LOD, LOQ, precision, recovery and accuracy. The UHPLC-MS quantification method revealed good linearity (r2 > 0.9950), LOD < 925.85 ng/g dw and LOQ < 3055.31 ng/g dw. Moreover, 11 cylco-dopa amides (Oleraceins A-D, N-Q, S, U and W) were tentatively identified through UHPLC-MS and their MS2 mass fragmentation was described

Treatment of tetanus in childhood with MgSO4 - benefits and risks

Тетанус е остра инфекциозна болест, характеризираща се с клиничната триада мускулна ригидност, мускулен спазъм и дисфункция на автономната нервна система. Овладяването на болезнения, протрахиран мускулен спазъм и ригидност е основен момент в лечението. В кли-ничната практика са използвани редица медикаменти като бензодиазепини, опиати, пропофол, дантролен, баклофен, мускулни релаксанти. Алтернативно средство за контрол е MgSO4.Представяме клиничен случай на 12-год. Дете с тетанус, при който за първи път в нашето от-деление бе използвана продължителна интравенозна инфузия на MgSO4. Медикаментът бе при-ложен за контрол на мускулните спазми в комбинация с Dormicum, Tilidine и Baclofen. С добавянето към терапията на MgSO4 успяхме да овладеем мускулния спазъм и да намалим ригидността, избягвайки повишаване на дозите на седативи и опиати, както и провеждането на ендотрахеална интубация с последваща трахеостомия, изкуствена белодробна вентилация (ИБВ) и мускулна релаксация.Решението да представим нашия опит за управление на тетанус с прилагане на непрекъсната i.v. Инфузия с MgSO4 бе продиктувано от факта, че в литературата се откриха само единични клинични случаи. Посочените дози бяха твърде вариабилни, може би защото децата бяха с различна степен на тежест на заболяването, със или без подкрепяща ИБВ. Тези факти ни мотивираха да опишем подробно нашия клиничен случай с оглед подкрепа на бъдещата кли-нична практика у нас.Tetanus is an acute infectious disease characterized by clinical triad muscle rigidity, muscle spasm and dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. The management of the painful, protracted muscle spasm and rigidity is a basic element in the treatment of tetanus. Numerous medications such as benzodiazepines, opiates, propofol, dantrolene, baclofen, muscle relaxants have been used in clinical practice. An alternative agent is MgSO4.We present a clinical case of tetanus in a 12-year-old child, in which a prolonged intravenous infusion of MgSO4 was used for the first time at our intensive care unit. The drug was used to control muscle spasms in combination with Dormicum, Tilidine and Baclofen. With the addition of MgSO4 to the therapy, we managed to control muscle spasms and to reduce rigidity, avoiding increase in the doses of the sedative and opiate, as well as endotracheal intubation followed by tracheostomy, mechanical ventilation and muscle relaxation.The decision to present our experience of managing tetanus by application of continuous i.v. infusion with MgSO4 was due to the fact that only single clinical cases were described in the literature. Furthermore, the indicated doses were too variable, perhaps because the children were with varying severity of tetanus, with or without supportive artificial lung ventilation. These facts motivated us to describe our clinical case in detail in order to support future local clinical practice

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) products – How variable is the primary material?

Background: Saint John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum L., HP) is commonly registered in Europe under the THR scheme (Traditional Herbal Registration) or licensed as a medicine. Nonetheless unregulated medical products and food supplements are accessible through the internet which are often of poor (Booker et al. 2018). The species’ natural distribution stretches through large regions of Europe to China and four subspecies have been distinguished. When compared to the European Pharmacopoeia reference, the presence of additional compounds was linked to so-called Chinese HP. Aim: In order to obtain an integrated picture of the entire chemoprofile, the chemical composition of HP materia prima was studied using a combination techniques well-established in the relevant industries and on The impact of phytogeographic factors on the material prima can shed light on whether the variability of the final products is strongly influenced by these factors of whether they relate to poor processing, adulteration, or other factors linked to the processing of the material.. Methods: 86 Hypericum samples (77 H. perforatum) were collected from 14 countries. Most were authenticated and harvested in the wild; others came as roughly ground material from commercial cultivations, markets and pharmacies. The samples were analysed using HPTLC and 1H-NMR-based PCA. Results and Discussion: Limited variability in the in chemical variability was foundNonetheless, the typical fingerprint of Chinese HP was observed in each specimen from China. Additional compounds were also detected in some samples collected in Spain. Rutin is not necessarily present in the crude material. The variability previously found in the marketed products can be ascribed only partially to the geographical origin of harvested material, but mainly to the plant part harvested, closely related to harvesting techniques, processing and probably time of harvest. Conclusions: HP can be sourced in a consistent composition (and thus quality) from different geographical sources. However, chemical variability needs to be accounted for when evaluating what is considered authentic good material. Therefore, the processing and good practice are all stages of primary importance, calling for a better (self-)regulation and quality assurance along the value chain of a herbal medical product or botanical

Antioxidant and anti-lipoxygenase activities of extracts from different parts of Lavatera cretica L. grown in Algarve (Portugal)

Background: Lavatera cretica L. was used in folk medicine as anti-inflammatory among other applications. As inflammation is many times associated with oxidative processes, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the ability of aqueous extracts obtained from different parts of L. cretica to prevent oxidation or inflammation using several methods in vitro. Materials and Methods: The capacity of samples for preventing lipid peroxidation, scavenging free radicals, chelating metal ions, reducing power, and inhibiting lipoxygenase activity was investigated. This last assay also permits to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity. The quantification of total phenols was performed using Folin-Chiocalteu reagent. Results: The highest concentrations of total polyphenols and flavonoids were found in the leaf extract (254.62 6.50 mg gallic acid equivalent/gram; dry weight). Leaf and flower extracts were the most active for scavenging 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt free radicals [Inhibition concentration (IC 50 = 2.88 0.54 and IC50 = 4.37 0.54 g/mL, respectively)], and leaf extract was also the best for scavenging hydroxyl radicals (IC 50 = 0.81 0.05 g/mL). Bract plus sepal extract possessed the best capacity for preventing lipid peroxidation when lecithin liposome was the lipid substrate (IC 50 = 0.19 0.03 g/mL) and scavenging superoxide anion radicals (IC 50 = 1.13 0.48 g/mL). Leaf and flower extracts were the best lipoxygenase inhibitors (IC 50 = 0.013 0.0034 g/mL in both extracts). Conclusions: L. cretica extracts were able to scavenge free radicals, inhibit lipid peroxidation and lipoxygenase activity. With these attributes, this plant can have an important role in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders

Cardiopoietic cell therapy for advanced ischemic heart failure: results at 39 weeks of the prospective, randomized, double blind, sham-controlled CHART-1 clinical trial

Cardiopoietic cells, produced through cardiogenic conditioning of patients' mesenchymal stem cells, have shown preliminary efficacy. The Congestive Heart Failure Cardiopoietic Regenerative Therapy (CHART-1) trial aimed to validate cardiopoiesis-based biotherapy in a larger heart failure cohort

Innovative Biochemometric Approach to the Metabolite and Biological Profiling of the Balkan Thistle (Cirsium appendiculatum Griseb.), Asteraceae

The widespread genus Cirsium Mill. (Asteraceae) is renowned in traditional medicine. In the present study, an innovative biochemometric-assisted metabolite profiling of the flower heads, aerial parts and roots of Cirsium appendiculatum Griseb. (Balkan thistle) in relation to their antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory potential was developed. The workflow combines ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC–HRMS) with partial least-square analysis to discriminate the herbal extracts and identify the most prominent biological activities. The annotation and dereplication of 61 secondary metabolites were evidenced, including 15 carboxylic (including hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic) acids and their glycosides, 11 acylquinic acids, 26 flavonoids and 9 fatty acids. All compounds were reported for the first time in the studied species. The root extract revealed the highest cupric and ferric reducing power (618.36 ± 5.17 mg TE/g and 269.89 ± 8.50 mg TE/g, respectively) and antioxidant potential in phosphomolybdenum (3.36 ± 0.15 mmol TE/g) as well as the most prominent enzyme inhibitory potential on α-glucosidase (0.72 ± 0.07 mmol ACAE/g), acetylcholinesterase (4.93 ± 0.25 mg GALAE/g) and butyrylcholinesterase (3.80 ± 0.26 mg GALAE/g). Nevertheless, the flower heads were differentiated by their higher metal chelating activity (32.53 ± 3.51 mg EDTAE/g) and total flavonoid content (46.59 ± 0.89 mgRE/g). The partial least-square discriminant and heat-map analysis highlighted the root extract as the most active and a promising source of bioactive compounds for the therapeutic industry