Therapeutic effects of Rhamnus alaternus on the nephroangiosclerosis in wistar rats.

The buckthorn "Rhamnus alaternus" is a plant used in traditional medicine especially in the treatment of certain diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and dyslipidemia. The aim of our study was to analysed and evaluate the effects of buckthorn on nephroangiosclerosis Wistar rats. Thirty male Wistar rats, adult weighing between 120g and 250g were distributed as follows: Five control animals received a standard laboratory diet, thirty four experimental rats received the standard laboratory diet supplemented with palm oil and 4% of NaCl (High Sold Fat Diet). After six month of this diet the HSFD group was subdivided into rats treated for 45 days with aqueous extract of buckthorn or animals HSFD only. Plasma metabolites and endothelin-1 concentration were measured by standard methods, section of kidney were stained by Heindenhain-azan and periodic acid shiff. The examination of renal parenchyma of HSFD rats showed a prominent structural changes such as, obstruction of vascular lumen, ischemia of the glomerular and tubulo-interstitial fibrosis the biochemical and hormonal parameters were significantly improved in the HSFD rats treated with decoction of buckthorn. Moreover, the morphogical changes of the renal parenchyma were attenuated in rats HSFD decoction. The buckthorn attenuates renal parenchymal lesions by aggregating at different levels of rats maintained on HSFD.

Therapeutic effect of alkaloids and glycosides of colocynth seeds on liver injury, associated with metabolic syndrome in wistar rats, subject to nutritional stress.

The Citrullus colocynthis, commonly called colocynth, is known because of its purgative effects and whose seeds are commonly used as certain diseases treatment, namely liver diseases, in the Mediterranean countries traditional medicine. This study aims to analyze the effect of two colocynth extracts « glycosides ¼ and « alkaloids ¼ on metabolic and histological disorders associated with liver function in Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus). This pathology is due to an enriched oil palm diet. For this purpose, Wistar male rats n = 18, weighing between 130g and 150g, are divided into two lots. A control group (C) n = 6, receives a standard laboratory diet ; an experimental group (E) n = 12, receives a standard laboratory diet supplemented with palm oil. After seven months of experimentation, 8 experimental rats were sacrificed for the morphological study and the remaining 12 rats undergo a colocynth treatment (Tr) for eight weeks. They are subdivided into: The first six experimental rats receive a 70mg/kg single intraperitoneal injection of ethanol extract of cucurbitacin glycosides (Glc). The second lot receives a 70mg/kg single intraperitoneal injection of total alkaloids extract (Alc). The animals of (E) group showed hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, hyperlipemia, dyslipoproteinemia, a significant increase of the enzymatic activity of transaminase (AST and ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Histological examination of the liver gland shows major damages Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis [NASH]. Treatment with colocynth glycosides and alkaloids reveals a significant improvement at different levels in plasma as well as in tissue. Treatment with colocynth glycosides and alkaloids shows a hypoglycemic effect, lipid-lowering a well as a hepato-protective effect.