Myrtus communis leaf extract protects against cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in rats.

In this study, the aim was to examine the potential protective effects of Myrtus communis subsp. communis leaf ethanol extract (MC) treatment against acute pancreatitis (AP) in rats. Thirty-two rats were grouped as the saline-pretreated control (C), MC-pretreated control (MC), saline-pretreated AP (AP), and MC-pretreated AP (MC + AP) groups. To induce AP, cerulein was administered (50 µg/kg) two times. The rats were given MC for 14 days before cerulein injection. Six hours after the final cerulein injection, the rats were sacrificed. Pancreatic damage was associated with an increase in the serum activity of lipase and amylase, the pancreatic activity of myeloperoxidase, and the pancreatic level of malondialdehyde, interleukin-1ß, and interleukin-6. AP also led to a decrease in the pancreatic level of anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 and glutathione. Pretreatment with MC before the induction of AP significantly reduced the pancreatic damage observed during the histological examination as well as reversed the biochemical changes evoked by AP. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Acute pancreatitis is characterized by high mortality (average about 5%; severe cases may reach about 30%). The current treatment for acute pancreatitis is mainly symptomatic. The introduction of herbal drugs may lead to the development of a new strategy in the treatment of this disease. This study revealed that MC reduced pancreatic injury by decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines, increasing antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10. To the authors' knowledge, this research is the first report showing that MC inhibits the development of AP. This observation suggests that MC may be useful in the prevention and the treatment of AP in clinical settings.

Evaluation of the wound healing potential of Aloe vera-based extract of Nerium oleander.

OBJECTIVE: Nerium oleander (Apocynaceae) and Aloe vera (Liliaceae) are among the widely used herbal remedies for treating skin diseases and possess numerous activities such as antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antioxidant. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible wound healing effect of Aloev era-based extract of the N. oleander leaf (NAE-8®) based on its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and DNA repair capacity along with histological changes and to compare them with the traditional silver sulfadiazine treatment (SSD). METHODS: Twenty-four Wistar albino rats were randomly grouped as follows: i) control, ii) burn alone (burn), iii) burn with topical NAE-8® (burn+NAE-8®) treatment, and iv) burn with topical 1% silver sulfadiazine (burn+SSD) treatment. All groups received their related topical application twice a day for 14 consecutive days. Upon completion of the experimental protocol, trunk blood and skin tissues were collected for measuring malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), myeloperoxidase (MPO), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), %DNA in the tail (%DNAT) levels along with histological examinations. RESULTS: Thermal injury-induced alterations in MDA, GSH, MPO, TNF-α, IL-1ß, and %DNAT levels were significantly reversed by NAE-8® treatment. These ameliorative effects were also supported by histological findings. CONCLUSION: Findings of the present study suggest that NAE-8® is a promising remedy for treating skin burn injury.

Antioxidant components of Viburnum opulus L. determined by on-line HPLC-UV-ABTS radical scavenging and LC-UV-ESI-MS methods.

Antioxidant activity of the juice and seed and skin extracts prepared with methanol, acetonitrile, and water of Viburnum opulus L. grown in Eastern Black Sea Region were studied with an on-line HPLC-ABTS method and off-line antioxidant methods, among which a linear positive correlation was observed. The fruit extracts were analysed with the HPLC-UV method optimised with 14 standard phenolics. Identification of the phenolic components in the juice was made using an HPLC-UV-ESI-MS method. Nineteen phenolic compounds in juice were identified by comparing the retention times and mass spectra with those of the standards and the phenolics reported in the literature. The major peaks in the juice belonged to coumaroyl-quinic acid, chlorogenic acid, procyanidin B2, and procyanidin trimer. Quite different antioxidant composition profiles were obtained from the extracts with the solvents of different polarities. The antioxidant activities of the seed extracts were higher than those of the skin extracts in general.