The anti-dyslipidemia property of saffron petal hydroalcoholicextract in cardiovascular patients: A double-blinded randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Dyslipidemia is one of the most important risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Despite developments in pharmacological treatments for dyslipidemia there are several challenges. Recently some herbs highly considered to control dyslipidemia due to their low toxicity and high potency. In this study we investigated the effects of saffron petals on the lipid profile of dyslipidemia patients as well as several other biochemical blood factors. METHODS: In this double blind, placebo controlled, clinical trial, we used systematic random sampling to divide 40 patients with at least two abnormalities in the following factors: (high-density lipoproteins (HDL) ≤40, low-density lipoproteins (LDL) ≥130, triglycerides (TG) ≥200, total cholesterol (Cho) ≥200), into 2 groups of 21 ones. At the end of the intervention period, serum lipid factors, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), urea, creatinin (CR) and fasting blood sugar (FBS) were measured and statistically compared with their values just before the intervention. RESULTS: We found that the saffron petal pills markedly (P < 0.001) decreased the serum lipid levels of patients (TG, Cho and LDL) in the intervention group (113.81 ± 12.93, 56.52 ± 4.68 and 48.28 ± 3.70) as compared to the placebo group (18.42 ± 15.79, 4.57 ± 4.40 and 7.38 ± 3.54). Also, comparing the mean value of differences in two groups before and after the intervention showed significant reduction in TG (113.81 ± 26), Cho (56.53 ± 0.30) and LDL (48.28 ± 4.30) levels (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The saffron petal pills considerably reduced blood serum lipid profile and as well as urea and CR of dyslipidemia patients. So, this plant may be used as a potent phytomedicine for treatment and prevention of dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disorders. However, the results indicated that no statistical change was observed in the level of other biochemical blood factors such as ALT, AST, ALP and FBS.

Countering Triple Negative Breast Cancer via Impeding Wnt/ß-Catenin Signaling, a Phytotherapeutic Approach.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized as a heterogeneous disease with severe malignancy and high mortality. Aberrant Wnt/ß-catenin signaling is responsible for self-renewal and mammosphere generation, metastasis and resistance to apoptosis and chemotherapy in TNBC. Nonetheless, in the absence of a targeted therapy, chemotherapy is regarded as the exclusive treatment strategy for the treatment of TNBC. This review aims to provide an unprecedented overview of the plants and herbal derivatives which repress the progression of TNBC through prohibiting the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. Herbal medicine extracts and bioactive compounds (alkaloids, retinoids. flavonoids, terpenes, carotenoids and lignans) alone, in combination with each other and/or with chemotherapy agents could interrupt the various steps of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, i.e., WNT, FZD, LRP, GSK3ß, Dsh, APC, ß-catenin and TCF/LEF. These phytotherapy agents diminish proliferation, metastasis, breast cancer stem cell self-renewal and induce apoptosis in cell and animal models of TNBC through the down-expression of the downstream target genes of Wnt signaling. Some of the herbal derivatives simultaneously impede Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and other overactive pathways in triple negative breast cancer, including: mTORC1; ER stress and SATB1 signaling. The herbal remedies and their bioactive ingredients perform essential roles in the treatment of the very fatal TNBC via repression of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling.

Anticancer and apoptotic activities of parthenolide in combination with epirubicin in mda-mb-468 breast cancer cells.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. Unfortunately, current therapeutic methods are not completely efficient. Hence, combination therapy with medicinal plants has attracted several kinds of research. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the apoptotic and anti-cancer effect of Parthenolide in combination with Epirubicin in the MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cell line. In this study,  the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effect of Parthenolide in combination with Epirubicin and without it, in the MDA-MB-468 cell line have been assessed by MTT test, Hoescht staining and flow cytometry methods. Our outcomes showed that Parthenolide treatment in the present of Epirubicin led to a decrease in the minimum toxic concentration of Parthenolide and Epirubicin in comparison with individual treatments. Then, to achieve a likely molecular mechanism of mentioned drugs Bax and Bcl2 expression level evaluated by Real-time PCR and subsequently, Western blotting has been estimated the protein level of Caspase 3. Our data indicated that the treatment of cells with Parthenolide led to up-regulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl2 at mRNA level. Moreover, Parthenolide treatment led to the obvious alternation of Caspase3 protein level. These results indicated that Parthenolide in combination with Epirubicin have significant cytotoxicity due to targeting the main regulators of apoptosis. Hence, according to lack of cytotoxicity of Parthenolide on normal cells that lead to reduction of drug side effects, it could be suggested as an adjuvant therapy with Epirubicin after complementary research on animal model and clinical trial.

Comparison of Laughter Yoga and Anti-Anxiety Medication on Anxiety and Gastrointestinal Symptoms of Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

BACKGROUND Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common chronic gastrointestinal (GI) disorder. Patients with IBS usually suffer from anxiety and depression. A combination of psychological approaches and pharmacological treatments can be a significantly effective treatment for IBS. The main objective of the present study was to provide a therapeutic plan based on laughter yoga and anti-anxiety medication, employed for the very first time, and to determine the effectiveness of these treatments on the anxiety and GI symptoms of patients with IBS. METHODS In this randomized, controlled, clinical trial, the participants were 60 patients selected from those who referred to the GI clinic of Vali-asr Hospital (Birjand, Iran) during the study period (April 2017 to March 2017) and were diagnosed as having IBS based on ROME III criteria. The participants were randomly assigned to either the laughter yoga group, the anti-anxiety medication group, or the symptomatic treatment (control) group. Severity levels of anxiety and GI symptoms before and after intervention were determined and compared among these three groups according to approved protocols. RESULTS The severity of IBS symptoms after the interventions was more greatly reduced in the laughter yoga group than in the anti-anxiety medication and control groups (p = 0.006). The severity of anxiety after interventions decreased in all three groups, especially in the yoga treatment group, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.1). CONCLUSION Laughter yoga is more effective than anti-anxiety medication in reducing the GI symptoms of patients with IBS. Therefore, applying laughter yoga along with common pharmacological therapies for patients with IBS might be strongly advised.

The anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of crocin on chemosensitive and chemoresistant cervical cancer cells.

Cervical cancer is the fourth cause of cancer-related mortality among females worldwide. Although current therapies reduce disease symptoms, resistance of tumor cells to chemotherapy agents after a while is a serious problem. Therefore, utilization of novel adjuvant agents to increase efficiency of chemotherapy is essential. In the last two decades, botanicals with effective anticancer activities have been studied. Among them, the anticancer properties of crocin have been more attended. In this study, the molecular mechanism of crocin action was investigated in sensitive human cervical cancer cell line (OV2008) in comparison with the resistant one (C13). A 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed that crocin inhibits proliferation of sensitive cells (OV2008) at a time- and dose-dependent manner at 48 and 72h. Also, this inhibitory effect has been shown on resistant cells (C13) at 72h. Hoechst staining and flow cytometry assay also confirmed these results and revealed that antiproliferative effect of crocin might be due to the induction of apoptosis. Moreover, the genetic mechanism of crocin-induced apoptosis was accomplished by studying the relative expressions of P53, Bax, Bcl2 and miR-365, an upstream regulator of the last two ones. Real-time PCR analysis indicated that 1.5 and 3mg/ml crocin led to up-regulation of Bax and P53 and down-regulation of Bcl2 and miR-365 at all time intervals in both two cell lines. However, OV2008 cell line was more sensitive to crocin, and alternation of gene expretion was more obvious in this cell line. In this regard, the present study demonstrated the anti-proliferative and apoptotic activities of crocin against both sensitive and resistant cervical cancer cells that may benefit cervical cancer treatment as an adjuvant agent to decrease chemoresistance and increase the efficiency of therapy.

A comprehensive review on anticancer mechanisms of the main carotenoid of saffron, crocin.

OBJECTIVES: Crocin is derived from dried stigmas of Crocus sativus L. (saffron). It has long been used to prevent and treat various diseases. Although crocin is suggested as one of the most effective cancer therapeutic constituents of saffron stigma, its exact molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we reviewed anticancer effects of crocin and its underlying molecular mechanisms. KEY FINDINGS: While several mechanisms may account for the antitumour activity of crocin, alteration of expression/activity of the genes and also epigenetic changes may be considered as necessary phenomena. These alternations may lead to inhibition of cancer cells' proliferation or/and induction of apoptosis through various mechanism including inhibition of synthesis of DNA and RNA, interaction with cellular topoisomerase, suppression of the telomerase activity and active STAT3, and targeting of microtubules. Moreover, this carotenoid could reverse the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and inhibit metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Knowing molecular mechanisms of antitumoral agents could guide us to choose the best chemotherapeutic compound especially for targeted therapy and also provide insights about possible side effects.

Therapeutic Potential of Novel Nano-Based Curcumin Compounds In Vitro and In Vivo

Despite recent advances in cancer medication, malignant tumors continue to be the second leading cause of death worldwide. Furthermore, introducing a therapeutic compound with low-side effects as well as low-price for consumers is controversial. Recent efforts have been focusing on traditional medicines as a rich source of herbal agents. Curcumin, the major turmeric phytochemical, has been widely assessed as an anti-cancer compound in vitro and in vivo. However, the use of curcumin in cancer treatment has limitations because of its low solubility, poor tissue absorption, rapid metabolism and rapid systemic elimination. Recent work has focused on improving the stability of curcumin to facilitate clinical application. Dendrosomal nano-corcumin (DNC) is one of the most successful compounds showing significant cellular absorption and also anti-tumor effects. The present overview of newest applicable strategies for curcumin-based therapy and their clinical potential usefulness has the emphasis on DNC.