amirhossein abdolghaffari

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the leading causes of nosocomial infections, therefore, it is necessary to develop a suitable vaccine candidate to prevent infections caused by this bacterium. Autolysin protein as a virulence factor plays an important role in bacterial division. Monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) as a Toll-like receptor 4 agonist is currently used as an adjuvant. In this study, autolysin protein along with MPLA was investigated as a vaccine candidate.

Recombinant autolysin was expressed with IPTG and purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. To increase the immunogenicity of vaccine candidates, Monophosphoryl lipid A (biologic and synthetic) was formulated in combination with Alum in four groups of Balb/c mice. Animals were injected subcutaneously three times at intervals of two weeks. Total IgG and IgG1, IgG2a isotype antibodies were measured in sera by indirect ELISA technique. Then, experimental mice were challenged with a sub-lethal dose of Staphylococcus Strain (5×108 CFU) and following that, the number of bacteria from internal organs was assessed. Also, the survival rate was monitored daily for 30 days.

Total IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a isotype antibody levels were significantly improved in vaccinated groups in comparison to the control group. Bacterial burden in the internal organ (Liver, spleen, and kidney), and animal mortality of the vaccinated group especially r-Autolysin+Alum+MPLA Synthetic and r-Autolysin+Alum+MPLA biologic were decreased in comparison to the control group.

We concluded that synthetic MPLA is a reliable candidate for immune response improvement against Staphylococcal infection.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the most common form of dementia in the old age population, making it a worldwide concern. Unfortunately, few drugs have been presented for treatment of mild and moderate AD. To meet this need, more effective anti-AD agents are emerging. Accumulating evidence supports the beneficial roles of natural-based products in brain function, neurotransmission, neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, and the prevention of amyloid fibrillation and neuronal injury. Several in vitro, preclinical, and clinical studies suggest that saffron (its bioactive compounds) is a potential nutraceutical with antioxidant, radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, hypotensive, neuroendocrine, and neuroprotective effects. It has also been proposed that saffron may delay the onset of AD, prevent its progression or help to attenuate the symptoms of the disease. Therefore, we performed a comprehensive search on this plant and its derivatives for AD treatment. Saffron and its active constituents interfere with AD by improving learning behavior, spatial memory, and cognitive function; protecting against neuronal loss; inhibiting beta-amyloid aggregation and neurotoxicity; preventing senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) formation; suppressing the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity; and reducing neuroinflammation. Given conclusive scientific findings, saffron and its derivatives might counter neurodegenerative diseases through multiple pathways. Further clinical trials are expected to confirm the neuroprotective properties of this herb and also to translate such findings to improve patients’ outcomes.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a recurrent chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. In Iranian traditional medicine, the oleo-gum-resin of the genus Pistacia is recommended for treatment of various diseases including gastrointestinal disorders. The present study investigated the therapeutic action of a combination of Pistacia atlantica subspecies kurdica oleo-gum-resin and honey in acetic acid-induced colitis in rats.

 Pistacia atlantica oleo-gum-resin was mixed with honey. The mixture was suspended in distilled water. Following induction of colitis with 4% acetic acid in all animals, except in sham group,themixture was orally administered for two consecutive days at the concentrations of 100, 200, 400 mg/kg. Other groups included the control, sham and a standard group (dexamethasone). Microscopic and histopathologic examinations were conducted in inflamed colonic tissue. The inflammatory biomarkers of colitis including interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) and the gene expression level of toll like receptor-4 (TLR-4) were assessed.

Pistacia atlantica oleo-gum-resin+ honey induced significant progress in macroscopic and microscopic scores. Colonic levels of MPO, IL-6, and TNF-α significantly declined in rats treated with the mixture; while significant decrease in mucosal gene expression of TLR-4 and significant improvement of colitis were observed. Pistacia atlantica oleo-gum-resin (400 mg/kg) + honey (400 mg/kg)reduced inflammation of the bowel and colonic ulcer severity shown by downregulation of inflammation cytokines, reduction of neutrophil infiltration, and suppression of TLR-4 expression.

The combination might be a promising supplement for treatment of inflammatory disorders.

Althaea officinalis L., Lavandula angustifolia Mill. and Rosa x damascena Herrm. are used to treat excision or burn lesions in traditional medicine.

To evaluate the healing effect of a polyherbal ointment containing L. angustifolia, R. x damascena, and A. officinalis combination on wounds caused by third grade skin cut.

To evaluate the wound healing effect of this polyherbal formulation, an ointment containing the extract of A. officinalis, the essential oil of R. x damascena (2 % essence) and the essential oil of L. officinalis (2 % essence) in an eucerin base (20:20:10:50) was prepared. The formulation was examined using excision wound test for 14 days and the percentage of healing effect in each group was calculated. Formalin induced rat hind paw edema method was used for determination of anti-inflammatory activities of the same formulation.

The percentage of recovery in the polyherbal formulation group was significantly higher than the other groups. Histological studies also confirmed these results. Herbal formulation treated group showed significant improvement in terms of re-epithelialization, angiogenesis, collagen deposition, and reducing inflammation. The percentage of wound healing was 99.07 ± 0.34, 99.22 ± 0.35, 98.45 ± 0.733, 98.75 ± 0.88 and 63.72 ± 5.64, for the polyherbal formulation, L. angustifolia, R. damascena, A. officinalis extracts, and the placebo group, respectively.

This polyherbal formulation could act as a wound healing agent, possibly due to the suppression of inflammatory mediators. The presence of phenolic compounds might be a reason behind the therapeutic effect of these plants.

Ethnomedicinal plants are of interest for treatment of various wound types.

This study aimed to evaluate burn wound healing potential of the hydro-alcoholic extract of the flowers of Lilium candidum L. in rats.

DPPH free radical scavenging power, total flavonoids, and the phenolic content of the extract were evaluated. Following burn wound induction, 30 Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups; silver sulfadiazine cream 1% (reference standard), eucerin (control), and 5%, 10% and 20% ointments of L. candidum flowers extract (treatment groups). Wound contraction and the percentage of wound healing were measured every day until 14th day and the histological changes were evaluated.

DPPH assay of L. candidum extract indicated high antioxidant activity. Total phenolic content of L. candidum extract was equal to 157 mg gallic acid equivalent/g; while total flavonoid was measured as 32.4 mg quercetin equivalent/g dried extract. The mean of wound area was significantly different in three 5%, 10% and 20% extract-treated rats in comparison with the control. Although, 20% ointment of L. candidum flowers extract demonstrated the best wound healing improvement, even better than silver sulfadiazine. Histopathological analysis confirmed the wound healing activity of L. candidum and promoting tissue repair, especially for the ointment containing 20% extract.

Regarding the high content of phenolic compounds and flavonoids, besides potent antioxidant properties of the flowers of L. candidum, the use of its ointments led to significant decrease of burn wound area, suggesting that these extract ointments can treat burn wounds and improve the healing processes.

Trachyspermum ammi (T. ammi) has been used for the treatment of various digestive disorders with considerable therapeutic effects such as anticholinergic and anti-oxidant activities.This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the hydro-alcoholic extract of the fruits of T. ammi in an experimental model of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

The rats were classified into seven groups, including sham (no stress), control (saline recipients), loperamide and fluoxetine (10 mg/kg/day) (positive controls), and the plant groups at the doses of 150, 250 and 500 mg/kg/day for 5 days under restrictive stress, 2 days before receiving the treatment. All medicines were given as gavage. The effect of the plant extract on gastric emptying and the transit of the small intestine was evaluated. The levels of the inflammatory and oxidative related biomarkers, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and lipid peroxidation (LPO), also the myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were measured.

The gastric emptying and the transit of the small intestine were significantly reduced in all T. ammi treated groups, and no significant difference was observed at the dose of 500 mg/kg/day compared with the loperamide group. The levels of TNF-α and MPO activities decreased in the treatment groups compared with the control, and the LPO level was decreased at the concentrations of 250 and 500 mg/kg/day compared to the control. The antioxidant levels significantly increased in the rats treated with T. ammi at the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg/day.

The severity of stress-induced IBS was reduced in a dose-dependent manner by the hydro-alcoholic extract of the fruits of T. ammi, confirming the effectiveness of this plant in the management of IBS.

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is an Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) that causes long-lasting inflammation and ulcers in digestive tract. The current study aimed to evaluate the protective effects of gallic acid on the 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced UC in rats.

Forty-two adult Wistar rats were divided into seven groups (n=7) and UC was induced in six groups using TNBS solution. They received different daily doses of gallic acid (25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/kg/day, p.o). On the 11th day, the colon tissues were removed and examined regarding the macroscopic and histopathology lesions. Also, Disease Activity Index (DAI) and Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were measured in the colon homogenate.

Pretreatment with this natural agent remarkably reduced the macroscopic scores of colon in rats with UC in comparison with the control group. DAI was also reduced by gallic acid significantly. Histopathological findings confirmed the beneficial effects of gallic acidonthe animal model of UC. Gallic acid induced a significant decrease in the levels of inflammatory mediators like MPO.

We may conclude that gallic acid can be used as an effective medicine for treatment of UC in animal model, however it needs to be confirmed by human models.

Cucurbita moschata Duchesne (pumpkin) is a well-known plant with several pharmacological effects. The aim of the present study was to assess burn wound healing activity of C. moschata peel extract (CE). Also, standardized CE was assessed for antioxidant activity and antibacterial effects against major pathogens of burns.
Healing properties of topical preparation of 10% and 20% concentrations of CE were assessed on second degree burn in rats during a 14-day period as well as histological studies, total antioxidant power, lipid peroxidation and total thiol content of skin tissue samples.
Radical scavenging IC50 and ferric-reducing antioxidant power value were 4.015±0.20 mg/ml and 142.63±2.65 mmol Fe2, respectively. Total mucilage content was 13.8%. The optimal results were obtained by 20% CE that showed 90.80±5.86 % wound closure and tissue repair as well as significant reduction of tissue oxidative stress biomarkers. Histological analyses confirmed wound healing activity of pumpkin peel extract.
Considering the high mucilage content of the plant, providing a moist environment for wound, C. moschata peel extract could be a natural remedy for treatment of burns. Further clinical studies are suggested to confirm C. moschata peel extract as a wound healing agent.

Burns are known as one of the most common and destructive forms of injury with a vast spectrum of consequences. Despite the discovery of various antibacterial and antiseptic agents, burn wound healing still has remained a challenge to modern medicine. Plants, with a valuable traditional support, have been considered as potential agents for prevention and treatment of disorders in recent years. However, modern scientific methods should be applied to validate the claims about the therapeutic effects of the herbal products.. This study was conducted to evaluate the wound-healing activity of a poly herbal cream (PHC), retrieved from Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM), in a rat burn wound model in Iran.. In this experimental study, PHC containing aqueous extracts of Malva sylvestris and Solanum nigrum leaves and oily extract of Rosa damascena petals was used. Second-degree burn wounds were induced in four groups of five rats each. Group 1 received no treatment while groups 2, 3 and 4 were given cream base, silver sulfadiazine (SS) 1% and PHC, respectively to compare the efficacy of PHC with the negative and positive control groups. The percentage of wound healing on days 2, 6, 10 and 14 and histopathological parameters of healed wounds on the 14th day were assessed. Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of PHC were evaluated using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and micro-dilution methods, respectively.. There was a significant improvement in healing percentage of PHC-treated rats in comparison to the other groups at the end of the treatment period (87.0% ± 2.1% for PHC in comparison to 32.2% ± 1.6%, 57.0% ± 5.3% and 70.8% ± 3.5% for the control, cream base and SS groups, respectively). Moreover, the healed wounds in PHC-treated animals contained less inflammatory cells and had desirable re-epithelialization with remarkable neovascularization. In addition to the antioxidant activity, PHC exhibited antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus.. Poly herbal cream experimentally and histopathologically revealed a burn wound healing activity probably due to the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities of its phytochemical contents. Therefore, this study confirms the use of M. sylvestris, S. nigrum and R. damascena in burn prescriptions in ITM..