فهرست مطالب hamid reza monsef-esfahani

 Paeonia daurica ssp. macrophylla (PD) (Paeoniaceae) is a perennial plant, growing in Iran. In Persian medicine, another species, Paeonia officinalis “Oode-saleeb” has been used especially for treating epilepsy and brain disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the sedative and hypnotic activity and the acute toxicity of P. daurica root extracts in mice. 

 Sedative and hypnotic effects of the aqueous extract, total hydro alcoholic 80% extract, and its fractions, hexane, chloroform, and methanol were examined by the righting reflex method. Plant samples (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) and vehicle (10 mL/kg) were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) 30 minutes before sodium thiopental injection (40 mg/kg, i.p.) in groups of seven mice. The time taken before losing the righting reflex and the time taken to regain the righting reflex were recorded as the onset of sleep and sleep duration, respectively. The findings of the study indicated that, with the exception of the chloroform fraction and the total hydroalcoholic extract administered at the dose of 50 mg/kg, all the samples demonstrated a reduction in sleep onset time produced by sodium thiopental. Furthermore, chloroform (200 mg/kg) was the most effective sample on sleep duration compared to diazepam (3 mg/kg) (p<0.001). 

 Results of this study demonstrated that Paeonia daurica root can be used as a sedative and hypnotic complementary drug.

This study aimed to assess the antinociceptive activity of extracts and fractions of Paeonia daurica subsp. macrophylla in BALB/c mice. Various doses of hydro-alcoholic extract (HE), hexane fraction (F-hexane), methanol (F-MeOH), and chloroform (F-CHCl3), as well as aqueous extracts (AE), were evaluated by a well-known model, a formalin-induced pain test in mice. All extracts, piroxicam 0.1 mg/kg, and negative control groups were administered 30 minutes before formalin injection. Flinching, licking, and biting reflexes were measured as painful factors compared with controls at intervals of 0 to 5 minutes, 0 to 15, and 0 to 60 minutes after formalin injection. The acute oral toxicity test of total ethanolic and aqueous extracts showed no signs of toxic effect up to a dose of 5000 mg/kg. In the formalin test at a time interval of 0 to 5 minutes, there was no significant difference between the results of the study groups. In the range of 0 to 15 minutes, the effect of AE (1 g/kg), HE (2, 3 g/kg), and F-hexane (1 g/kg) was significantly higher than the positive control group (p<0.01). In the time interval of 0 to 60 minutes as the total time of the experiment, the effect of AE (0.25 g/kg), AE (0.5, 1 g/kg), HE (2, 3 g/kg), F-hexane (1 g/kg) were significantly different than the positive control group. It can be concluded that extract of P. daurica ssp. macrophylla might be helpful in the treatment of pain in humans.

Medicinal plants have been considered as important sources of potent free radical scavengers as well as digestive enzymes inhibitors. Several plants are used in traditional and modern medicine for their biological properties such as anti-oxidant and anti-diabetic activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-diabetic and anti-oxidant activities of roots and aerial parts from three of five native Iranian herbaceaous Geum species, including G. iranicum, G. kokanicum and G. urbanum. The Geum species and their bio-active substances are getting a lot of attention due to their various biological effects, such as anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-tumor and anti-microbial activities.

The anti-diabetic activity of the Geum species was evaluated via α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition assays. The anti-oxidant effect was analyzed using the free radical scavenging method and the total phenolics content was determined via a colorimetric assay.

Based on our study, all the examined species revealed moderate to high anti-diabetic and anti-oxidant effects. Geum kokanicum roots showed the highest α-glucosidase inhibition activity (91.0%±1.7) at the concentration of 500 µg/mL and DPPH radical scavenging potential (IC50: 11.6±0.5 μg/mL).

The results demonstrated in-vitro anti-diabetic property of G. kokanicum, so detailed investigation to isolate the active compounds is suggested.

Natural products comprise a large section of pharmaceutical agents in the field of cancer therapy. In the present study, the organic extracts and fractions of various parts of Ornithogalum bungei were investigated for in vitro cytotoxic properties on three human cancer cell lines, hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), prostate cancer (PC3), and leukemia (K562) cells.

The present experimental study was conducted at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Tehran, Iran) during 2017-2019. Separately extracted plant materials, including bulbs, stems, and flowers of O. bungei were assessed by the tetrazolium dye-based colorimetric assay (MTT). The selected extracts were submitted to fractionation using vacuum liquid chromatography and after MTT assay, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50 (value for each fraction was determined. The data were analyzed using One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test. p

The cytotoxicity of the bulb’s methanol extract and the dichloromethane extract of aerial parts increased in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, cell viability decreased in a dose-dependent manner. In the HepG2 cell line, the best IC50 values of fractions from DCM extracts of aerial parts were determined to be 19.8±10.2 µg/mL after 24 hours of exposure and 19.39±6.4 µg/mL following 48 hours of exposure. In the PC3 cell line, after 48 hours of exposure, the IC50 values of fractions were unaccountable, while the percentage of inhibition for A6 to A11 in 24 hours of exposure was more than 40 µg/mL.

O. bungei growing in Iran showed significant potentials as a cytotoxic agent with selective effects on different cancer cell lines.

Salvia reuterana, commonly known as Maryam Goli Esfahani, is a member of the Labiateae family. In Iranian folk medicine, aerial parts of S. reuterana have been used as sedative and anxiety. Evaluation of various extracts of the plant for their analgesic activity revealed that treatment of mice with n-hexane extract (500 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly increased the latency time as compared to the control group. Fractionation of the hexane extract of S. reuterana led to the isolation of sclareol as the main compound (0.19% w/w). Column chromatography was used to isolation of compounds from S. reuterana and spectroscopic method including NMR was used to identification of the isolated compound. Evaluation the analgesic effect of sclareol using hot plate, tail flick and formalin tests in mice confirmed the potent analgesic effect of sclareol as an effective compound of S. reuterana. These results showed that the n-hexane extract of aerial parts of S. reuterana and its main constituent sclareol showed significant analgesic activity in different rodent nociceptive behavioral tests.

A bioassay-guided fractionation technique was used to evaluate the active constituents of the perennial plant L. officinale W.D.J. Koch (Apiaceae) against multidrug resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Column chromatography was used to isolation of compounds from L. officinale and spectroscopic methods including 1D and 2D NMR (Nuclear magnetic resonance) and HRMS (high resolution mass spectrometry) were used to identification of the isolated compounds. Also, to evaluate antibacterial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was carried out by broth micro-dilution method. Finally, molecular docking (MD) was performed using the Schrödinger package to evaluate interactions between the active compounds and InhA protein.

Phytochemical analysis of the ethyl acetate extract of the plant roots led to isolation of bergapten (1), isogosferol (2), oxypeucedanin (3), oxypeucedanin hydrate (4), imperatorin (5), ferulic acid (6) and falcarindiol (7). Falcarindiol and oxypeucedanin indicated a moderate activity on MDR M. tuberculosis with MIC values of = 32 and 64 μg/mL, respectively. Antibacterial activity of falcarindiol was also observed against S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains with the MIC values of 7.8 and 15.6 μg/mL, respectively. The results of docking analysis showed a good affinity of oxypeucedanin (3) and falcarindiol (7) to InhA enzyme with docking score values of -7.764 and -7.703 kcal/mol, respectively.

Finally, 7 compounds were isolated from L. officinale that compounds 2-6 report for the first time from this plant. On the basis of the molecular docking (MD) study, oxypeucedanin (3) and falcarindiol (7) as active compounds against M. tuberculosis may be proposed as potential inhibitors of 2-trans-enoyl-ACP reductase (InhA), a key enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of the mycobacterial cell wall. Moreover, antibacterial activity of falcarindiol against methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was remarkable.

A new phthalide, namely 7-methoxy-3-propylidenephthalide (1), along with two known compounds (2, 3) were isolated from the roots of the edible herb Levisticum officinale W.D.J. Koch, commonly known as lovage and well known in traditional medicine for its spasmolytic and diuretic effects. The structure of the new compound was established by HRMS and 1D & 2D NMR (1H 1H COSY, HMQC, and HMBC) spectroscopic analysis. All compounds are reported for the first time from L. officinale. Compounds 1-3 were tested against two Gram negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and two Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus [VRE] faecium) bacteria strains. Compound 3 was active against S. aureus, E. coli and vancomycin-resistant E. faecium with MIC values of 16, 64 and 128 μg/mL, respectively.

Infectious diseases are still one of the main causes of death according to the World Health Organization (WHO) reports. Plants due to their biochemical metabolites have been considered as one of the important sources for investigation in this field. Ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological researches are considered effective in developing new anti-infectives. Sumac (Rhus coriaria L.) has been used as an anti-infective agent by ancient Iranian medical sages.
The aim of this study was to isolate bioactive agents of sumac epicarp with probable antibacterial activity.
Grounded epicarp of sumac fruit was fractionated with different solvents. The fractions were dried and subjected to antibacterial investigation. Ethyl acetate fraction showed the strongest antibacterial activity. This fraction was further investigated through TLC-bioautography which led to the isolation of two crystallized compounds. The structure of these compounds (1 and 2) was identified using spectroscopic techniques. Isolated compounds were tested for antimicrobial activities.
Compound 1 which was named 1,2-dioxo-6-hydroxycyclohexadiene-4-carboxilic acid was isolated from R. coriaria L. for the first time. It showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] = 0.02%). Compound 2 which was identified as gallic acid showed weak antibacterial effects on both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria (MIC > 0.1%).
This is the first report about the chemical structures of antibacterial constituents of R. coriaria L. Previous studies have shown anti-methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) activity of sumac total extract. Compound 1 as the most effective anti-S. aureus component of sumac extract would be responsible for this activity and could be the subject matter for future investigations.

Several studies have shown that nurses working in the ICUs experience high levels of anxiety. Anxiety can not only negatively affect them, but may decrease the quality of care provided by them. The present study aimed to assess the effect of Valerian on anxiety among nurses working in the ICUs of Zanjan teaching hospitals.
In this clinical trial, nurses working in morning and evening shifts were recruited to the study. A dose of 530 mg Herbal Sedamin capsules containing dried roots of Valeriana Officinallis were consumed by the nurses in the intervention group twice a day for one week. The control group received placebo. The Speilberger's State-Trait anxiety inventory was completed by the nurses at baseline and after the intervention. The independent t-test and paired t-test were used to analyse data.
After the intervention in two groups (Valerian and Placebo), the trait and state anxiety scores were significantly lower than before of the intervention. But there were no significant differences in the trait and state anxiety scores of the questionnaire between the experimental group and control groups after the intervention (P=0.846).
It seems that the special and different nature of the ICUs has hampered the effectiveness of this herbal medicine. Further studies with higher doses, or in other settings is suggested.

Geum iranicum Khatamsaz (Rosaceae) is an endemic plant in Iran. The infusion and decoction of the plant have been used by local people for medicinal purposes. Our previous work on phytochemical studies on G. iranicum showed that the root was rich in sugars and sucrose was identified as a major one in it. In this study, the content of sucrose in the hydro-alcoholic (1:1) extract of the root of G. iranicum was analyzed using HPLC. The amount of sucrose has been evaluated as 31.75% in the extract and 8.16% in the dried root. As a result, the presence of high amount of sucrose in the root of G. iranicum can be applicable for preparation of any pharmaceutical formulations of this plant.

The essential oils and aromatic water, known as Arak in traditional Iranian medicine, comes from the aerial part of Teucrium persicum Boiss., which is grown in Fars Province located in Iran. The samples were collected in summer and the oils and aromatic water were obtained through steam distillation. The chemical composition of the oils was analyzed using GC-MS. An analysis of the chemical profile of the isolated oils revealed the presence of more than 80 compounds, mainly oxygenated monoterpenes and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. The principal components of essential oil were α-cadinene (9.7%), 1,4-cadinadiene (9.2%) and α-terpinyl acetate (7.9%). The major constituents in the Arak were determined to be linalool (10.4%), α-cadinene (7.5%) and γ-terpineol (7.3%). Most of the compounds identified from different oils were similar, but their amounts differed. The oil revealed a higher content of total phenolics than the Arak (1.71 ± 0.12 mg GAE/g DW and 1.36 ± 0.11 mg GAE/g DW, respectively). The antioxidant activity of the oils was calculated by using a ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP), DPPH radical scavenging activity, and a reducing power assay (RP). The FRAP value points to a considerably higher reducing power of essential oil (220 ± 7.2 µmol Fe2+/g DW) compared to that of Arak (113 ± 5.4 µmol Fe2+/g DW). Essential oil exhibited higher radical scavenging potential (IC50 = 0.29 mg/mL) than Arak (IC50 = 4.19 mg/mL). The reducing power of essential oil (51.7 ± 4.3 µg BHA/g DW) was higher than that of Arak (34.1 ± 2.7 µg BHA/g DW). The studied essential oils showed good antioxidant activities, which were higher than those of Arak.

Toxic and direct teratogenic potential of two dominant Iranian cultivars of Carthamus tinctorius (safflower), floret extracts, IL 111 and LRV 51 51, were investigated. The extracts are commonly used in foods and medicinal products. Neither death nor alteration of stereotype activities was observed with IL 111 and LRV 51 51 extracts up to 17 g/kg in 48 h in mice and rats. Haemoglobin was decreased, prothrombin time was prolonged, serum TG, LDH, CPK and cholesterol was increased in rats which received IL 111 (1 g/kg) for 9 weeks (p50: 78 and 106 µg/ml, respectively). The total number of differentiated (stained) limb bud foci was also decreased when cells were exposed to either of C. tinctorius extracts (p<0.01). When the cytotoxicity was taken into account, the ratio of Alcian stained differentiated cells to the cytotoxicity was not significantly altered with any of the extracts, suggesting no remarkable level of teratogenicity.

Three major flavonoid fractions were separated from a methanol extract of Calendula officinalis flowers by preparative TLC. These fractions were evaluated for the inhibition of parent and tamoxifen resistant T47D human breast cancer cells. We also examined the effect of quercetin and isorhamnetin on the growth of parent and resistant T47D cells in the presence and absence of tamoxifen. It was found that quercetin increased cell proliferation of the resistant T47D cells at the presence of tamoxifen but no effect was detected by using quercitin alone. The fractions isolated from  Calendula officinalis did not show any inhibitory effects on the cells. Isorhamnetin did not have any proliferative or anti-proliferative activity on the both cell lines.