Jundishapur Journal of Natural Pharmaceutical Products
Volume:13 Issue: 2, May 2018

Chlorella vulgaris and Dunaliella salina has been utilized as a part of nourishment and medicine to enhance the human way of life. This work was directed to assess the impacts of chloroform, methanol, and acetone (in ratio of 2/1/1 respectively) extract from C. vulgaris and D. salina on in-vitro biofilms formed by Streptococcus mutans along with their antibacterial activity.
The standardized combinatorial extract was primarily examined for their antimicrobial properties using disc diffusion, well diffusion, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) methods. The crystal violet assay was used for assessing anti-biofilm activity of S. mutans. Moreover, toxicity properties of these extracts were evaluated on Brine shrimp Artemia urmiana.
The best observed clear zones were 13.5 ± 0.92 mm for C. vulgaris and 18.5 ± 0.97 for D. salina in disc diffusion assay as well as 19 ± 0.87 mm for C. vulgaris and 25.4 ± 0.97 mm for D. salina in well diffusion assay. In addition, significant antibiofilm activity was recorded in the concentration of 4 mg/ml for C. vulgaris and 2 mg/ml for D. salina. Findings indicated appropriate antimicrobial activity for D. salina and C. vulgaris extract.
In addition, the biofilms of S. mutans were more effectively prohibited by D. salina extract than C. vulgaris extract. Moreover, D. salina extract showed less mortality in comparison with C. vulgaris extract in brine shrimp mortality test. The anti-adherent and antibacterial potential of both microalgae on in vitro biofilms formed by S. mutans were verified, which provides the importance of studies regarding these microalgae extracts for controlling dental plaque formation and consequent dental cavities formation.

The plants belonging to Cruciferae family are of importance due to their potential to curb some diseases such as cancer through their bioactive compounds. In fact, the plants of this family can be considered as a potent source for discovering and developing novel anticancer compounds.
In the present study, total extracts of four cruciferous plants from Iran namely Cardaria draba (CD), Rorippa sylvestris (RS), Sameraria nummularia (SN), and Cardamine uliginosa (CU) were screened for cytotoxicity action using shrimp lethality assay.
The plant materials were extracted with 80% ethanol and the cytotoxicity effects of extractives were finally determined at times of 24 and 48 hours by the shrimp toxicity bioassay technique. The median lethal concentrations (LC50) of each extractive against shrimps were calculated using probit analysis and compared with vincristine sulfate (VS).
The 24 h LC50 values for CD, RS, SN, and CU extractives against brine shrimp were calculated as 147.21 ± 4.13, 169.39 ± 4.29, 162.97 ± 4.95, and 176.88 ± 4.80 μg/mL, respectively. The minimum and maximum 48 h LC50 values of 78.17 ± 3.10 and 120.97 ± 2.73 μg/mL were obtained for CD and CU extracts, respectively, when compared to that of VS with the value of 1.02 ± 0.18 μg/mL. There was no significant association (R2 The study concludes that Cardaria draba extract has more potent cytotoxic activity than the other extracts and it has a remarkable potential for development of natural - based novel anticancer drugs.

Drug allergy is subtype of adverse drug reactions that is mediated by immunologic mechanism. Sever drug allergy is poorly understood in children that leads to hospitalization.
The goal of this research was to study severe drug hypersensitivity reactions in hospital-admitted children in southwestern Iran.
This is a retrospective study conducted in Namazee hospital, southwestern Iran, the medical records of 33 children with drug allergies during 2011 till 2014 were reviewed.
Drug allergies have mainly been studied in adults. In the current study, 19 patients were females (57.9%) and 14 were males (42.1%). Maculopapular rashes were seen in 90.9% of these patients (30 persons). Overall, drug reactions were seen more commonly in females. The mean age was also higher in females. The highest rate of drug reactions were seen with beta lactams and phenobarbital, including 42.4% of patients (14 persons) and 39.4% of patients (13 persons), respectively. Dress syndrome and Steven-Johnson syndrome were the most common reactions in these patients, including 27.3% (9 persons) and 24.2% of patients (8 persons), respectively. Toxic epidermal necrosis was the least common reaction in the patients, involving only 6.1% of patients (2 persons).
Maculopapular rashes were the most common drug reactions. In the current study, drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome was the most common and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) was the least common cause of admission.

Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, a high-incidence disease, arises from an imbalance of bilirubin production and elimination. Neonatal jaundice requires medical attention in the clinic. Finding new therapeutic approaches, besides available strategies such as phototherapy, seems necessary. In traditional beliefs Cichorium intybus could exert hepatoprotective effects.
In this study we evaluated the effect of administration of hydroalcoholic Cichorium intybus extract to the lactating rats in δ-aminolaevulic acid-induced hyperbilirubinemia in rat neonates.
We injected δ-aminolaevulic acid (i.p, 80 micromolar) three times at the intervals of 4 hours to rat newborns (7 to 10-day-old). Cichorium intybus extract (p.o, 25 and 50 mg/kg) was administered to lactating rats at the time of interval of 2 hours (0 - 10 hours). After neonatal feeding, we assessed the bilirubin plasma levels in 0, 8, 16, and 48 hours.
Injection of δ-aminolaevulic acid significantly enhanced the conjugated and total bilirubin concentration in rat newborns. Maternal administration of Cichorium intybus extract at the dose of 25 and 50 mg/kg led to significant reduction of bilirubin plasma levels in neonates after feeding. The dose of 50 mg/kg showed a more potent effect.
Taken together, treatment of lactating rats with Cichorium intybus extract exerts protective effects in the δ-aminolaevulic acid-induced hyperbilirubinemia of rat neonates.

It is observed that the levels of retinol binding protein-4 (RBP-4) and cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in people with obesity, diabetes and low physical activity, such as postmenopausal females, are more than those of the healthy individuals.
The current study aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks of circuit resistance training (CRT) and Zataria multiflora supplementation (ZMSuppl) on RBP-4 and TNF-α in postmenopausal females.
Forty-eight untrained postmenopausal females participated in the study and were divided into four groups (n = 12) of control (Con), CRT, ZMSuppl and CRT along with ZMSuppl (CRT ZMSuppl). CRT program included 12 stations (30 seconds for each station, 85% one repetition maximum) for eight weeks (three sessions/week). 500 mg of ZMSuppl was consumed daily after breakfast in ZMSuppl and CRT ZMSuppl groups. Blood samples were taken 48 hours before the first session and 48 hour after the last session of training to measure plasma RBP-4 and TNF-α.
A significant reduction was observed in plasma TNF-α in the CRT ZMSuppl group in comparison with Con (P The current study showed that intense CRT causes significant reduction only in plasma RBP-4; but this reduction was higher in RBP-4 and also in TNF-α, when ZMSuppl was added to CRT. Therefore, it may be an effective method to reduce disorders and abnormalities related to inflammatory factors resulting from menopause.

Pulmonary fibrosis is an idiopathic and chronic inflammatory interstitial lung disease that responds only weakly to available medical therapies and has a potentially fatal prognosis. Hibiscus sabdariffa L. contains several antioxidants, such as protocatechuic acid (PCA) and anthocyanins, which may be beneficial for the treatment of fibrosis.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of the H. sabdariffa L. extract (HSE) on angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and compare it with that of enalapril in a rat model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.
Female Wistar rats (weighing 180 g- 235 g) were randomly divided into seven groups (n = 8). The negative and positive control groups were intratracheally administered a single dose of saline (1 mL/kg) and bleomycin (7.5 UI/kg/mL) respectively. The treatment groups were orally administered enalapril (20 mg/kg), PCA (100 mg/kg) and HSE (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) daily for one week before and three weeks after bleomycin administration. The animals were sacrificed 24 hours after the last administration of the therapeutic agent. The transforming growth factor-β1, platelet-derived growth factor, tumor necrosis factor-α and angiotensin II (ANG II) levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and also the malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydroxyproline (HP) levels in lung tissue were measured. The presence of fibrosis, inflammatory cells, connective tissue and collagen deposition in the lung was microscopically evaluated using Masson’s trichrome staining.
The results showed a significant increase in the lung index and the levels of MDA, HP, ANG II and pro-inflammatory cytokines after bleomycin administration. Pre-treatment with enalapril, PCA and HSE resulted in a reduction in the levels of the above factors. Enalapril and HSE (400 mg/kg) treatment could mitigate the progression of fibrosis clearly via ACE blocking and a decrease in the level of oxidative stress. Enalapril, PCA and HSE could prevent the infiltration of fibroblasts, inflammatory cells and alveolar thickening caused by bleomycin.
Our results indicate that HSE, which has demonstrated anti-hypertensive effects in herbal medicine, can be useful for the treatment of inflammatory and fibrotic disorders.

Total phenolic and flavonoid contents in different extracts of Nepeta binaludensis Jamzad aerial parts were evaluated by colorimetric methods and the best results were found in 50% hydro-methanol extract with total phenolic (4.42 ± 0.0014 mg of gallic acid/g of dry mass of plant) and flavonoid (0.8 ± 0.0009 mg of quercetin/g of dry mass of plant) contents. Antioxidant activity of the extracts were also evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhedrazyl (DPPH) assay. The best result was found in 50% hydro-methanol extract (the half-maximal inhibitory concentration IC50 = 3.0 mg/mL). A good correlation between the radical scavenging activity and total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extracts was observed. Antimicrobial activity of 50% hydro-methanol and ethyl acetate extracts of the aerial parts of N. binaludensis were also evaluated on four different bacteria and a fungus in the current study. Considerable antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (4.0 mg/mL) and Streptococcus pyogenes (4.0 mg/mL) were observed for ethyl acetate extract in comparison with the other samples.

Development of a new iron-chelating medication may eventually serve as treatment of iron overload diseases, such as thalassemia and other iron related disorders. Coriander sativum, a plant rich of phenol and flavonoids, has an iron-chelating effect in-vitro. The ethanolic extract of C. sativum was investigated for its in-vivo ameliorating effect on hepatic damage in rats with experimental iron overload.
Twenty-four adult male wistar rats were randomly divided to 4 groups: healthy control, iron overload, iron overload treated with deferoxamine, and 200 mg/kg of C. sativum extract, respectively. Assessments were performed for serum iron, ferritin, and serum markers of hepatic and cardiac damages, antioxidant enzyme, and lipid peroxidation levels.
The results indicated serum iron and ferritin concentration were significantly increased in the iron overload group compared to healthy controls (P The study showed that the hydro-alcoholic extract of C. sativum has iron-chelating and liver protective effects similar to deferoxamine against experimental iron overload condition in rats.

Vitamin D increases the contents of tyrosinase in cultured human melanocytes, which raises its possible role in modulating melanogenesis.
In this study, the level of 25 (OH) D was measured before and after NBUVB therapy and its relationship with outcome of NBUVB therapy in patients with vitiligo was also assessed.
This study was conducted on 30 patients with generalized vitiligo (less than 30% body surface) and 30 healthy individuals without age and gender limitations. The patients received NBUVB therapy 2 times a week for 15 weeks. We measured the serum vitamin D level and involvement area (VASI score, vitiligo area, and severity index) at baseline and 30 sessions post treatment.
The level of vitamin D increased significantly compared to baseline measurements. Vitamin D level changes were not significantly associated with clinical outcome in which VASI score decreased.
Vitamin D did not improve clinical outcomes. Thus, we suggest that further studies be conducted to understand the mechanisms of pigmentation due to NBUVB therapy in vitiligo.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most typical type of dementia and memory loss, is a complicated and progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Due to the multi-factorial etiology of AD, the multi-target-directed ligand (MTDL) approach can be a potential method in seeking new drug candidates for this disease.
In this study, over 200 tacrine-naphtoquinone hybrids have been designed and their drug-likeness, molecular docking, and descriptor analysis were conducted to find out a drug candidate with less toxicity and better binding affinity than tacrine. The Docking analysis was conducted using human acetylcholineesterase (1ACJ), human butyrylcholineesterase (4BDS), and β-secretase (BACE1) (1w51) enzymes using Autodock 4.2 and Vina.
Promising results were obtained on the types of interactions. Based on molecular docking on 3 targets as well as protein ligand interaction fingerprint (PLIF) studies, the compounds with better results were introduced as good candidates for synthesis. The validity of docking protocols was confirmed using a set of familiar active ligands and decoys on these targets by means of 2 known statistical metrics such as the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) and Enrichment Factor (EF).
Structure activity relationship (SAR) studies, in these class of compounds, show that the hydroxyethylamine, as a linker, is an essential group to improving binding site to AChE and BACE-1 targets.

Withania coagulans is a traditional plant that possesses diverse pharmacological characteristics including anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hyperlipidemic, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects.
This study evaluated the effect of preischemic administration of Withania coagulans extract (WCE) on antioxidant status and histopathological alteration of the striatum region in rat model of brain global ischemia reperfusion (I/R).
48 male Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n = 12): Control, Sham operated (Sham), I/R, and WCE I/R. The animals received WCE or distilled water by oral gavage for 30 days before I/R except the control group. I/R was induced by two common carotid obstructions for 30 minutes. Three days following I/R, the animals were sacrificed, the brain was removed, and striatum was dissected out. Antioxidant statuses such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) activities, and malondialdehyde (MDA) level were measured and histological alteration was investigated in corpus striatum by Nissl and TUNEL staining.
The results showed that the CAT, SOD, and GPx activities decreased and MDA level increased in I/R group compare to the control group. Preischemic administration of WCE significantly decreased MDA level and increased antioxidant statuses in the striatum region compared to I/R group (P We concluded that WCE by its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects could modify ischemia reperfusion damage in rat striatum.

Scrophularia umbrosa is a plant used as a traditional herb.
This study was designed to investigate the antimalarial activity and free radical scavenging of methanol, DCM and n-Hexane extract of aerial parts and seed, as well as total phenol, total flavonoid contents, and phytochemical identification.
GC-MS technique were used for identification of the chemical compositions of the DCM and n-Hexane extract as well as HPLC and NMR techniques for methanolic extract. The hemozoin formation has been suggested as a desirable drug target to antimalaria sieve scheme. In the present study, we used the spectrophotometric assay to screen the potency of plant extracts. The DPPH method has been used for antioxidant activity screening of the extracts and fractions. AlCl3 and Folin -Ciocalteu reagents, respectively, were used for total flavonoid and total phenol contents of samples.
Our results showed that n-hexane and the MeOH extracts of the aerial parts, and seed did not display any impressive prevention of heme biocrystallization confidants, however, the DCM extract of aerial part, in the comparison with the blank, showed slightly antimalarial effects. Furthermore, fractions (20%, 40%, and 60%) of MeOH extracts of aerial part and seed of S. umbrosa had moderate to strong antioxidant activity and it is possible to conclude that there is a positive relation between phenolic and flavonoid compositions as well as antioxidant activity. GC-MS data showed that volatile portions of DCM and n-Hexane extracts of various organs from S. umbrosa are containing few identifiable compounds. In addition, Aucubin and Luteolin-7-O-rutinoside were also recognized from MeOH extracts.
Based on the results, the fractions of extracts could be evaluated by 1HNMR for predicting of groups of natural compounds as well as interfacing chemical and biological assessments.

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the influence of deuterium-depleted water (DDW) consumption on healthy animals and animals with hepatorenal toxicity. The influence of deuterium-depleted water on hepatorenal toxicity was investigated in Wistar rats. Deuterium-depleted water consumption during 42 days caused changes in isotopic D/H composition of rats’ plasma and lyophilized tissues of internal organs (liver and kidney). Moreover, deuterium-depleted water influenced plasma biochemical parameters. Concentration of creatinine and bilirubin, as well as aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities were reduced in plasma of rats with hepatorenal toxicity. Deuterium-depleted water consumption during 42 days influenced the body and internal organ weights while integral index of chronic intoxication did not increase in rats with chronic intoxication. It was also revealed that deuterium-depleted water consumption did not display any toxic effects.