Journal of Medicinal Plants
Volume:22 Issue: 88, Dec 2023

Solanum cernuum Vell. (Solanaceae) is a native plant from Brazil traditionally used for treating ulcers, liver damage, skin infections, gonorrhea, and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

To evaluate the impact of hydroalcoholic extract and cernumidine obtained from S. cernuum Vell. leaves against prostate primary smooth muscle cell culture and assess their potential effect in inducing apoptosis (annexin V assay by flow cytometry).

The hydroethanolic extract of S. cernuum was obtained by macerating powdered dried leaves followed by fractionation, furnishing 4.8 % w/w of cernumidine alkaloid as established by high performance liquid chromatographic analysis. Primary BPH smooth muscle cell culture was used in cell proliferation and apoptosis assays, whereby prostate smooth muscle cells were subjected to 0.125-5.0 mg/mL of hydroethanolic extract and 0.025-1.0 mg/mL of cernumidine for 48, 72, and 96 h.

Hydroethanolic extract (2 mg/mL) and cernumidine (1 mg/mL [3.3 × 10-6 M]) inhibited the cell growth by 60 % and 62 % at 96 h, respectively, and eventually led to cell death by apoptosis. On the other hand, only cernumidine (1 mg/mL) induced significant death by necrosis compared to control.

The obtained findings corroborate the use of S. cernuum in native medicine and indicate that cernumidine is a promising candidate for further studies focusing on BPH treatment.

There is a growing focus on aluminum compounds due to their significant impact on fertility, and reproduction. Natural products offer a promising solution for treating heavy metal toxicity as they are effective, have fewer side effects, and are relatively affordable.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Salvia sahendica hydroalcoholic extract on reproductive toxicity induced by aluminum (Al) exposure in rats.

Thirty-two adult male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control, AlCl3 orally administered group (40 mg/kg bw), S. sahendica hydroalcoholic extract gavaged group (100 mg/kg bw), and AlCl3+ S. sahendica treated group. The rats were treated daily for 70 consecutive days.

Oral administration of AlCl3 resulted in oxidative damage, indicated by an increase in malondialdehyde level and a decrease in total antioxidant content. Additionally, AlCl3-intoxicated rats exhibited significant declines in serum levels of male reproductive hormones testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). However, daily administration of S. sahendica to rats before AlCl3 was found to reduce testicular oxidative stress and improve reproductive markers in the serum, ameliorating the reproductive toxicity induced by Al administration.

These findings suggest that S. sahendica could potentially be used as an alternative agent to minimize reproductive toxicity associated with Al exposure.

Ferula assa-foetida is an herbaceous plant from Apiaceae family. Several pharmacological effects of oleo-gum resin of this plant were introduced in modern and traditional medicines such as digestive, antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, appetizing, insecticidal, and etc.

This study aimed to acute and sub-chronic toxicity of chloroform fraction of oleo-gum extract of Ferula in Wistar rats. The safety of this can guarantee its use in treatment and various industries.

Rats in six groups including male and female (kept separately) at different doses (50 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg, and 2000 mg/kg) and two control groups (control and DMSO( were selected to evaluate the acute toxicity of chloroform fraction of Ferula. For 30 days, 50 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg of sample was administrated to male and female rats. Mortality, appearance and behavioral changes, food intake, the weight of rats, and hematological, biochemical variables and histopathological changes were examined.

Physical and behavioral changes were not observed in acute and sub-chronic toxicity conditions. Food intake significantly differed between male and female DMSO control and other groups. In biochemical variables study, only SGOT (AST) showed a significant difference from the control group (DMSO) in acute toxicity and BUN, ALP and SGOT (AST) in sub-chronic toxicity. Also, any histopathological change was observed in spleen, liver, and kidney organs.

Oleo-gum resin of F. assa-foetida has not toxic effects, so it should be used with caution in the long term.

Essential oils have been utilized for various purposes throughout history. These aromatic substances have become increasingly popular in alternative medicine, aromatherapy, and personal care products.

In this study, essential oils from the aerial parts of four Allium species and three Brassicaceae members, namely Fortuynia garcinii, Draba verna, and Thlaspi arvense were evaluated for their antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.

The radical-scavenging properties were tested using DPPH assay. Antimicrobial activities were examined on nine standard pathogens: three Gram-positive bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Streptococcus pyogenes, three Gram-negative bacteria including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica and two fungi Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium oxysporum as well as the yeast Candida albicans.

The IC50 values of antioxidant assay ranged from 124.66 to 155.04 μg/ml. Allium zagricum showed the best antioxidant effects with IC50 of 124.66 μg/ml compared to standard vitamin E (IC50 = 10.40 μg/ml). Similarly, the MIC values of 25-400 μg/ml with Fortuynia garcinii fruits-Zahedan were assessed as the best antimicrobial effects, while they were higher than the MIC values recorded for positive controls (0.06-16 for amikacin and 32-256 for clotrimazole).

Essential oils extracted from Allium zagricum and Fortuynia garcinii can be prescribed for the treatment of oxidative stress-related and infectious diseases.

Phyllantus emblica contains quite high levels of vitamin C as an antioxidant, premature aging and anti-inflammatory. Simplicia is formulated into a hydrogel because it has good dispersion power on the skin.

This research aims to develop a hydrogel formula with the active ingredient Phyllantus emblica L. Fruit nanosimplicia as an anti-inflammatory and anti-aging.

Nano simplicia is made using a high-energy ball mill and characterized through phytochemical analysis, particle size analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Hydrogels are formulated with simplicia concentrations (2, 4, 6 %). Assessment of hydrogels encompasses organoleptic evaluations, consistency, dispersibility, pH, thickness, stability, skin irritation, efficacy against aging, and anti-inflammatory.

The anti-aging hydrogel made from P. emblica fruit nanosimplicia is a dark brown, uniform substance with a pH range of 5.26-6.28 and spreadability between 6.1-6.8. It remains stable after 4 weeks of storage at room temperature and is non-irritating to the skin. Results showed that the 6 % hydrogel preparation was the most effective in increasing moisture by 17.90 %, improving evenness by 15.83 %, reducing pore size by 15.30 %, diminishing pore spots by 22.67 %, and decreasing wrinkles by 28.06 %. Hydrogel concentrations of 2 %, 4 %, and 6 % showed inhibitory results of 0.7 %, 6.6 %, and 8.19 % respectively.

Phyllanthus emblica nanosimplicia was successfully incorporated into a hydrogel formulation and remained stable for four weeks of storage. Hydrogel 6% exhibited superior anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties.

Coagulation disorders involve a wide range of medical issues resulting from a deficiency or absence of certain coagulation factors in plasma. While existing therapies exist, herbal medicine presents an alternative and effective approach for treating bleeding disorders. Terminalia chebula Retz has been reported for its efficacy in ethnobotanical practices for bleeding stopping.

  The in vivo effectiveness of T. chebula Retz as an herbal medicine was examined using mice.

Thirty-two mice were randomly divided into three treatment groups (n = 8) receiving different doses (2000, 1000, and 500 mg/kg/day), along with a negative control group. Blood samples were collected from the tail and heart on the 16th and 18th day of treatment, respectively, to determine coagulation parameters, including bleeding time (BT), clotting time (CT), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and platelet count (PLT).

The results demonstrated the effectiveness of T. chebula hydroalcoholic extract in promoting primary and secondary homeostasis. There was a significant decrease in bleeding time (70 %) and a substantial increase in platelet count (80 %). Moreover, the extract led to a notable reduction in clotting time (80 %) indicating its impact on primary homeostasis through platelet aggregation. Additionally, T. chebula extract shortened the coagulation time in both PT (70 %) and aPTT (20 %) tests, reflecting its influence on the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of secondary hemostatic parameters, respectively.

In conclusion, the optimal concentration (500 mg/kg/day) of hydroalcoholic extract of T. chebula appears to be effective in promoting blood coagulation through primary and secondary homeostasis.