A review of the protective effects of quercetin-rich natural compounds for treating ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury causes dysfunction of tissues and organs, and oxidative stress plays an important role. During IR, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are increased. Antioxidants are used to decrease ROS associated with IR. We review the protective effects of quercetin-rich natural antioxidants against IR. We searched PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Cochrane databases using the keywords: ischemic reperfusion, quercetin, antioxidant and herbal medicine. The effects of quercetin during IR have been reported for animal models in vitro and in vivo. Quercetin-rich plants including Abelmoschus esculentus, coriander, Hypericum perforatum, onion, Psidium guajava, buckwheat and Rosa laevigata Michx have been used to reduce oxidative stress damage to various organs during IR.

Effects of curcumin nanoparticle on the histological changes and apoptotic factors expression in testis tissue after methylphenidate administration in rats.

The present article sought to evaluate the impact of curcumin-loaded superparamagnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs) on the histological variables and apoptotic agents in adult male rats after 3-weeks of methylphenidate (MPH) oral administration (20 mg/kg) versus vehicle therapy on the testis. Twenty-four male rats have been categorized randomly into four groups, in which Group 1 has been chosen as the controls, and Group 2 has been a vehicle and taken the sesame oil as curcumin carrier. Moreover, Group 3 has been taken MPH (20 mg/kg by gavage for 21 consecutive days). Group 4 received MPH plus Curcumin nanoparticles (5.4 mg/100 g) for twenty-one consecutive days. Then, testis histology, apoptosis as well as stereology have been examined. According to the examinations, curcumin nanoparticles are significantly capable of improving the sperms and stereological variables; for example, round spermatid and Leydig cells by enhancing the level of the serum testosterone in comparison with the MPH and vehicle groups. Besides, it was found that the gene expression in inflammation pathways and apoptosis genes largely diminished in the treatment group by curcumin nanoparticles in comparison with the MPH and vehicle groups, also we observed considerable differences for the weight of testes between the examined groups. Therefore, Curcumin effectively inhibited the testis damages and MPH-induced apoptosis, indicating possible protecting features of the Curcumin nanoparticles in opposition to MPH.

Medicinal plants in treatment of hypertriglyceridemia: A review based on their mechanisms and effectiveness.

BACKGROUND: Hypertriglyceridemia (HTg) defines as high amounts of triglyceride (TG) in the blood which can lead to serious complications over time. HTg is usually a part of metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and dyslipidemia. Different medications have been used to treat HTg but experimentally, many herbs have been recommended for treating HTg as an adjuvant therapy. In most cases, the recommendations are based on animal studies and limited evidences exist about their mechanisms and clinical usefulness. PURPOSE: This review focused on the herbs which have been shown TG lowering effect. METHOD: The search was done in PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases a 20-year period between 1997 to 2017 with keywords search of medicinal plant, plant extract, hypertriglyceridemia, dyslipidemia, hyperlipidemia, lipoprotein lipase and apolipoprotein. RESULTS: According to the results, many plants showed positive effects but Allium sativum, Nigella sativa, Curcuma longa, Anethum graveolens and Commiphora mukul had the best TG lowering effect with exact mechanisms of action. CONCLUSION: It seems that use of these plants as complementary therapeutics or extraction of their active ingredients along with currently available drugs will improve the management of HTg in patients.

Toxicity assessment of Ferula gummosa administration during pregnancy, lactation, and juvenile period in rat.

Ferula gummosa is widely used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments. This work evaluated the safety of F. gummosa root in pregnancy, lactation, and juvenile periods. This study was performed in three parts: (1) pregnant rats were received diet containing 0 (control), 150 , or 700 mg/kg of F. gummosa root during pregnancy; (2) Lactating rats were treated with diet containing the root (0, 150, or 700 mg/kg) during lactation period; (3) juvenile rats were received 4 weeks diet containing the root (0, 150, or 700 mg/kg). F. gummosa at both doses had no significant effects on the duration of pregnancy, maternal weight, and the number of delivered pups, but at dose of 700 mg/kg decreased birthweight of the pups. In lactation period, F. gummosa had no significant effects on mortality, body weight, body length, the weight of organs, and blood biochemical parameters of offspring. In juvenile rats, food consumption, body weight, and WBCs number were decreased in treated groups. No histopathological lesions were detected in the brain, heart, liver, lungs and kidney of offspring, and juvenile rats in treated groups. LC/MS/MS analysis confirmed systemic absorption of active constituents of the root by the oral route of administration. In conclusion, F. gummosa root did not produce significant toxic effects during pregnancy, lactation, and juvenile period. But, decrease in birthweight of delivered pups and in weight gain of juvenile rats should be considered in the long-term consumption of this plant.

Ctotoxic and apoptogenic effects of Perovskia abrotanoides flower extract on MCF-7 and HeLa cell lines.

OBJECTIVE: Perovskia abrotanoides Karel, belongs to the family Lamiaceae and grows wild alongside the mountainous roads inarid and cold climate of Northern Iran. The anti-tumor activity of P. abrotanoides root extract has been shown previously. This study was designed to examine in vitro anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of flower extract of P. abrotanoides on MCF-7 and Hela cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cells were cultured in DMEM medium with 10% fetal bovine serum, 100 units/ml penicillin and 100 µg/ml streptomycin and incubated with different concentrations of plant extracts. Cell viability was quantified by MTT assay. Apoptotic cells were determined using propidium iodide (PI) staining of DNA fragmentation by flow cytometry (sub-G1 peak). RESULTS: P. abrotanoides extract inhibited the growth of malignant cells in a time and dose-dependent manner and 1000 µg/ml of extract following 48h of incubation was the most cytotoxic dose against Hela cell in comparison with other doses; however, in MCF-7 cells,1000 and 500 µg/ml PA induced toxicity at all time points but with different features.. Analysis of flowcytometry histogram of treated cells compared with control cells indicated that the cytotoxic effect is partly due toapoptosis induction. CONCLUSION: Hydro-alcoholic extract of P. abrotanoides flowers inhibits the growth of MCF-7 and HeLa cell lines, partly via inducing apoptosis. Their inhibitory effect was increased in a time and dose-dependent manner, especially in MCF7 cells. However, further studies are needed to reveal the mechanisms of P. abrotanoides extract-induced cell death.

PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF LACTUCA SERRIOLA ON DOXORUBICIN-INDUCED TOXICITY IN H9C2 CELLS.

The use of doxorubicin (DOX) is limited by its dose-dependency because of its cardiotoxicity. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in the pathological process. The aim of this study is to evaluate the protective effect of Lactuca seniola against DOX-induced apoptosis and death in H9C2 cells. The cells were incubated with different concentrations of extract for 4 h which continued in the presence or absence of 5 µM doxorubicin for 24 h. Cell viability, apoptotic induction and the level of apoptotic proteins were determined by using MTT, PI and immunoblotting assays, respectively. The level of lipid peroxidation was measured by fluorimetric method. DOX significantly decreased cell viability which was accompanied by an increase in ROS production and lipid peroxidation. Pretreatment with Lactuca seniola increased the viability of cardiomyocytes and could decrease lipid peroxidation. Also, Lactuca seriola inhibited the reduction of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein and elevation of apoptotic Bax and caspase-3 proteins. In conclusion, Lactuca seniola exerts protective effect against oxidative stress-induced cardiomyocytes damage. Therefore, it has the potential to be used as cardioprotective agent by the patients with cardiovascular diseases.