Effects of Pistacia genus on gastrointestinal tract disorders: A systematic and comprehensive review.

Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders characterized by persistent and recurrence gastrointestinal symptoms are prevalent. The genus Pistacia is widely emphasized as the relief of gastrointestinal diseases in traditional medicine. This review aimed to investigate the latest evidence on the effect of the Pistacia genus on GI tract disorders. The systematic search was performed following to PRISMA guidelines. The databases PubMed and Scopus were searched from 1980 to 2022 with restrictions to the original studies. Electronic databases were searched in title/abstract, using the keywords relevant to GI tract disorders. Forty-eight studies were included in this review following the inclusion criteria. Fifteen and 22 studies were clinical and animal studies, respectively, of which 6 clinical and 13 animal studies were on Inflammatory Bowel diseases. Seven clinical studies were on functional GI disorders. The most pieces of evidence from animal and clinical studies were on the intestinal inflammation and peptic ulcer affecting the inflammation as well as oxidative stress through different mechanistic pathways. The most referred active phytochemicals seem to be terpenoid compounds. Various in vitro studies have also shown the inhibitory activity of the different plant parts of Pistacia herbs on several GI tract cancer cells. Available scientific evidence supports the effects of various components of Pistacia genus plants in the field of GI tract diseases, especially digestive inflammations. Further studies are required to systematically evaluate the natural products of the genus Pistacia, particularly in the context of digestive disorders.

Evaluation of the cytotoxic activities of the essential oil from Pistacia atlantica Desf. oleoresin on human gastric cancer cell lines.

Numerous herbal products have been the subject of research regarding their potential role in cancer prevention or adjuvant therapy. Pistacia atlantica and its main phytochemicals have garnered significant attention for their potential anti-cancer effects. The study aimed to assess the growth inhibitory effects of P. atlantica essential oil (PAEO) on MKN-45 and AGS cells. This study quantified the volatile compounds in PAEO using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Subsequently, MKN-45 and AGS cells were treated with varying concentrations of PAEO (5%, 2.5%, 1.25%, 0.625%, 0.3125%, 0.156%, 0.0781%, 0.0391%, 0.0195%) for 24 h. Cell viability was evaluated through the MTT assay. The impact of PAEO on gene expression was investigated by quantifying the mRNA levels of Bax and Bcl2 in the various experimental groups using quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. Additionally, flow cytometry was utilized to evaluate apoptosis in the treated cells. The analysis of PAEO revealed that α-pinene was the predominant monoterpene, constituting 87.9% of the oil composition. The cytotoxic effects of PAEO were evaluated, and it was found that the oil significantly reduced the viability of MKN-45 and AGS cells. The IC50 for MKN-45 cells was determined to be 1.94 × 10-3% after 24 h of treatment, while for AGS cells the IC50 was 2.8 × 10-3% after 24 h. Additionally, the research revealed that PAEO triggered a notable rise in apoptotic cells in both AGS and MKN-45 cell lines. Moreover, at the molecular level, the findings indicated an increase in Bax expression and a decrease in Bcl2 mRNA expression, providing further evidence of the induction of apoptosis in both MKN-45 and AGS cell lines following PAEO treatment. The findings of this study offer evidence supporting the cytotoxic effects of PAEO on gastric cancer cell lines by promoting apoptosis. The findings suggest that PAEO may offer potential as a therapeutic candidate in managing and treating gastric cancer.

Herbal foodstuffs in Avicenna's recommended diet to improve sperm quality and increase male fertility; an evidence-based approach.

Attention to diet was considered important issues in improvement of men infertility in Persian Medicine (PM). The purpose of this study was to extract herbal foodstuffs introduced by Avicenna, one of the greatest PM physicians to improve the semen production and to provide evidence of their impact on the basis of current studies."Canon of Medicine", the most important Avecinna's book, was searched with keywords equivalent to semen, fertility and infertility, main herbal foodstuffs were extracted and was searched with keywords sperm, semen, infertility, and fertility in Google scholar, PubMed and Scopus databases. Manuscripts from 1950 up to December 2019 were selected and reviewed. Almond, Onion, Chickpea, Garlic, Coconut, Palm date, Sesame, Fenugreek, Carrot, Fig, Grapes, Pistachio, Hazelnut and Walnut are among main foodstuffs which recommended by Avicenna and there is also evidence that they have positive effects on testosterone production and improvement of various sperm parameters, including count, motility and morphology. Containing large amount of different macro and micronutrients such as vitamins including vit B, C, A and E, minerals such as Mg, Se, Zn, Cu and Fe, important unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic and oleic acids, amino acids such as lysine and arginine and phytochemicals such as polyphenols, flavonoids, triterpenes and steroids can be considered as a main factor in the effectiveness of these foodstuffs. Designing a diet based on the fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that Avicenna has recommended, may be effective in treating male infertility but further studies are needed to clarify this issue. Research on the effectiveness of his other recommended foodsuffs may also offer new treatments and supplements for this purpose.

Saffron (Crocus sativus) in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers: Current findings and potential mechanisms of action.

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are major causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide and include malignancies of the GI tract such as the stomach, liver, pancreas, small intestine, colon, and rectum. Promising and selective anticancer effects of pharmacologically active components of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) have been shown in preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies. Saffron and its active components including crocin, crocetin, and safranal exert their anticancer effects through different mechanisms, including induction of apoptosis, influence on the cell cycle, and regulation of host immune response and anti-inflammatory activities. This review summarizes the recent literature on the chemopreventive properties of saffron in GI cancers to have a better understanding of the potential underlying mechanisms and hence the appropriate management of these malignancies.

Splenectomy may have more complications than currently proven.

The spleen has been one of the least understood major organs for centuries. Its significance is relatively well-known today but it seems that all aspects of its activities are not fully understood. Persian medicine (PM) has special views on the function of spleen; many side effects were reported in PM due to spleen dysfunction. On the other hand nowadays splenectomy as a treatment strategy is recommended for some disorders and increasing risk of infections is considered as the most important long term side effect of that. In this study, we hypothesize that splenectomy may have more side effects than currently proven. According to PM, spleen is in close connection with liver, cardiovascular system, stomach, bone, brain and skin, and that is why any kind of spleen dysfunction leads to change in blood viscosity, appetite and bone strength, liver dysfunction, mood and skin disorders, cancer formation and fever. Considering this viewpoint it can be hypothesized such side effects may also occur after splenectomy. Proven complications of splenectomy include hypercoagulated state, cardiovascular events and infectious diseases but there is also some evidence about increased risk of cancer, skin disease like systemic lupus erythematosus, mood disorder such as depression, defective bone formation and impairment of immunity which can be considered as different levels of evidence to confirm the hypothesis. But for some others such as changes in appetite, there are no studies let alone convincing evidence. Future research about theses possible complications may lead to novel results.