Nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity evaluation of Crocus sativus stigmas in neonates of nursing mice

Background: Crocus sativus, known as saffron crocus, is best known for the spice saffron. Saffron use spans more than 3500 years, however, its toxicity on neonates during lactation has not yet evaluated. Objectives: This study was aimed to examine the acute toxicity of saffron on adult mice and its nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity on neonates of lactating mothers that used saffron during lactation. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, following acute toxicity evaluation, 32 pregnant mice were randomly designated into four equal groups. Following delivery, the mothers of groups 1 to 4 were administered orally (by gavage) normal saline (control group), 500, 1000 or 2000 mg/kg/day of saffron for three weeks, respectively. The newborns’ kidney and liver parameters were assessed at the end of the study for possible nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity evaluation. The kidney and liver tissue samples of newborns were histopathologically studied after staining with Hematoxylin & Eosin. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Scheffe’s tests Results: The LD50 value of saffron was calculated to be 4120±556 mg/kg in mice. To evaluate lactating toxicity, saffron was administered orally to the mothers once daily for 21 days, after delivery, during lactating period. Saffron increased serum urea nitrogen (p< 0.05). Histological studies indicated that saffron did not have any toxic effect on liver, however, histopathology changes were seen in the kidney of neonates. Conclusions: From the results of present study, it might be concluded that saffron is a nearly safe spice, however, nursing mothers should avoid high doses of this spice. © 2014, Society of Diabetic Nephropathy Prevention. All rights reserved

Plants antioxidants: From laboratory to clinic

Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education: Eating whole vegetables, fruits and grains, which all are rich in antioxidants, provides protection against most of oxidative stress induced diseases, however, this does not mean that antioxidants will prevent or fix the problem, especially not when they are taken out of their natural context. It should be noted that although the results of the studies are inconclusive, but most of the studies conducted till now have had limitations due to their relatively short duration and conducting on patients with existing diseases. © 2013, Society of Diabetic Nephropathy Prevention. All rights reserved

Identification of medicinal plants of Urmia for treatment of gastrointestinal disorders

The gastrointestinal tract is one of the most important organs of the human body and is vulnerable to different diseases. Available drugs often have low efficacy or are associated with many adverse effects. Therefore, alternative drugs are necessary to treat gastrointestinal complications. This study intended to identify medicinal plants in Urmia, Iran, that can affect common gastrointestinal disorders and diseases. Data was collected from public resources via interviews and questionnaires applied from April to June 2013. Herbarium specimens were collected from the region and authenticated by a botanist. A total of 41 indigenous medicinal plants from the Urmia region, belonging to twenty families, have a traditional medicinal role in the treatment of parasitic and infectious diseases, diarrhea, reflux, gastroenteritis, peptic ulcer, constipation, bloating, among other gastrointestinal tract disorders. Analysis showed that most plants affecting the gastrointestinal tract belonged in the Asteraceae family (24%). The most used part of the plants was the seed at 17%. Decoction at 65% was the most popular form of treatment used. Some of the medicinal plants discussed in this article have new implications presented for the first time. Pharmacological studies on the therapeutic effects of the indigenous plants mentioned in this study are necessary in order to investigate their claimed clinical effects and the use of their effective compounds to produce natural and useful drugs. Currently, there is no data on the herbal plants used to treat gastrointestinal disorders in northwestern Iran. Therefore, these findings are important for the management of gastrointestinal disorders and to conduct future studies on traditional medicine for drug development. (C) 2014 Sociedade Brasileira de Farmacognosia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved

Turmeric: A spice with multifunctional medicinal properties

Curcuma longa (Turmeric), belonging to Zingiberaceae family is one of the most useful herbal medicinal plants. Extensive researches have proven that most of the turmeric activities of the turmeric are due to curcumin. It has various useful properties with antioxidant activities and is useful in conditions such as inflammation, ulcer and cancer. It also has antifungal, antimicrobial renal and hepatoprotective activities. Therefore, it has the potential against various cancer, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease and other chronic and hard curable diseases. The purpose of this review was to provide a brief summary of the new and current knowledge of the effects of curcumin. The recently published papers in international cites such as PubMed/Medline, Science Citation Index and Google Scholar about turmeric were searched. Recent studies have authenticated the use of turmeric for various diseases especially oxidative stress induced ones such as cancer, diabetes mellitus and inflammatory disorders. It also is used as hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anticoagulant and anti-HIV to combat AIDS. Curcumin, as a spice, exhibits great promise as a therapeutic agent. It has very low toxicity, too. As the global scenario is now changing towards the use of non-toxic plant products having traditional medicinal use, development of modern drugs from turmeric should be emphasized for the control of various diseases. Further evaluation needs to be carried out on turmeric in order to explore the concealed areas and their practical clinical applications, which can be used for the welfare of mankind

Silymarin and diabetic nephropathy.

Nephropathy is one of the most important complications of diabetes mellitus and drug induced toxicity. Nephrotoxicity is mostly related to oxidative stress and nowadays much attention has been made towards the possible kidney protective properties of medicinal plants. Studies revealed, silymarin is useful for diabetic nephropathy. The combination of metformin, silymarin and renin-angiotensin system inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers may have additive kidney protective property to prevent or slowing the progression of diabetic nephropathy

Prophylactic activity of cyproheptadine and Bellergal on migraine headache

Background: A wide range of preventive medications for migraine attacks, with varying efficacy is currently in use. Studies comparing the efficacies of these drugs would be of value in the proper treatment of the disease. The present study compared the frequency, duration and intensity of migraine attacks during and following treatment with cyproheptadine (4 mg, twice daily) or Blellergal (belladonna 0.1 mg, ergotamine 0.3 mg and phenobarbital 20 mg). Methods: 118 patients 15 to 45 year-old with migraine headaches were randomly allocated to groups I (n=36), II (n=40) and III (n=42) and treated during three consecutive phases of 45 days. In phase one all groups received two oral placebo tablets daily. In phase two, group I continued with placebo, groups II and III received cyproheptadine (4 mg, twice daily) and Bellergal (three tablets daily), and finally, in phase three all groups were treated with placebo, respectively. Results: Cyproheptadine and Bellergal treatments significantly reduced the frequency, duration and intensity of migraine attacks. These parameters remained low during phase three (placebo) in cyproheptadine treated patients as compared to those who only received placebo. But there was a rebound effect following discontinuation of Bellergal. Conclusion: Cyproheptadine and Bellergal seem to preventive migraine attacks. Cyproheptadine is a preferred choice because its effects were partially preserved following withdrawal

Serum anti-hepatitis B surface antigen in hemodialysis patients.

To evaluate the immune response to hepatitis B vaccination in stable hemodialysis (HD) patients, a retro-prospective investigation was conducted on 68 HD patients. Participants were vaccinated against hepatitis B virus with an intramuscular hepatitis B vaccination schedule, 40 micrograms at 0, 1, and 6 months. The serum antibody level against hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs) in HD patients was 35±55. In this study, no significant differences of Anti-HBs antibody between diabetic and non-diabetics or male and female subjects were observed. There were not any significant correlation between antibody against HBs-Ag and serum albumin. There was not significant correlation between anti-HBs antibody and age, proportion of HD, duration of HD or dialysis efficacy. In this study, there was not significant correlation between serum antibody level against hepatitis B surface antigen and some demographic indices of HD patients, however, these findings need to re-test in other centers with more participants

Systematic Review of Premenstrual, Postmenstrual and Infertility Disorders of Vitex Agnus Castus.

INTRODUCTION Vitex agnus-castus, also called vitex is aboriginal to the Mediterranean region, with long leaves, tender stem, flowers and ripening seeds. The aim of this study was to overview premenstrual, postmenstrual and infertility disorder of Vitex agnus-castus. METHODS This review article was carried out by searching studies in PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, and IranMedex databases. The initial search strategy identified about 87 references. In this study, 43 studies were accepted for further screening, and met all our inclusion criteria (in English, full text, therapeutic effects of Vitex agnus-castus and dated mainly from the year 2009 to 2016). The search terms were Vitex agnus-castus, premenstrual, postmenstrual, infertility disorder properties and pharmacological effects. RESULT Vitex agnus-castus was shown to contribute to the treatment of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Moreover, the result of the present study showed that this valuable plant is helpful in alleviation of pain resulting from postmenstrual disease. Furthermore, it was found that Vitex agnus-castus is beneficial in infertility disorder. CONCLUSION Vitex agnus-castus (AC) is a phytopharmaceutical compound and is shown to be widely used to treat PMS and PMDD. In addition, it was shown to be beneficial in post-menstrual cases and it can also contribute to treatment of infertility cases in both men and women. Dopaminergic compounds available in this plant help to treat premenstrual mastodynia as well as other symptoms of the premenstrual syndrome