Effect of curcumin on inflammatory biomarkers and iron profile in patients with premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea: A randomized controlled trial.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and primary dysmenorrhea are common gynecological problems and inflammation may have a role in their etiology. Curcumin is a polyphenolic natural product for which there is increasing evidence of anti-inflammatory and iron chelation effects. This study assessed the effects of curcumin on inflammatory biomarkers and iron profile in young women with PMS and dysmenorrhea. A sample of 76 patients was included in this triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Participants were randomly allocated to curcumin (n = 38) and control groups (n = 38). Each participant received one capsule (500 mg of curcuminoid+ piperine, or placebo) daily, from 7 days before until 3 days after menstruation for three consecutive menstrual cycles. Serum iron, ferritin, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), as well as white blood cell, lymphocyte, neutrophil, platelet counts, mean platelet volume (MPV) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW), were quantified. Neutrophil: lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet: lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and RDW: platelet ratio (RPR) were also calculated. Curcumin significantly decreased the median (interquartile range) serum levels of hsCRP [from 0.30 mg/L (0.0-1.10) to 0.20 mg/L (0.0-1.3); p = 0.041] compared with placebo, but did not show any difference for neutrophil, RDW, MPV, NLR, PLR and RPR values (p > 0.05). The treatment schedule was well-tolerated, and none of markers of iron metabolism statistically changed after the intervention in the curcumin group (p > 0.05). Curcumin supplementation may have positive effects on serum hsCRP, a marker of inflammation, with no any changes on iron homeostasis in healthy women with PMS and dysmenorrhea.

Enhancement of In Vitro Production of Volatile Organic Compounds by Shoot Differentiation in Artemisia spicigera.

Callus initiation, shoot formation and plant regeneration were established for Artemisia spicigera, a traditional medicinal plant growing in Armenia, Middle-Anatolia and Iran, and producing valuable volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are mostly represented by monoterpenoids. Optimal callus initiation and shoot production were obtained by culture of hypocotyl and cotyledon explants on MS medium comprising 0.5 mg L-1 naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 0.5 mg L-1 6-benzyladenine (BA). Consequently, the shoots were transferred onto the MS media supplemented with 1 mg L-1 of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or 1 mg L-1 of NAA. Both types of auxin induced root formation on the shoots and the resulting plantlets were successfully grown in pots. The production of VOCs in callus tissues and regenerated plantlets was studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Although the potential of undifferentiated callus to produce VOCs was very low, an increased content of bioactive volatile components was observed at the beginning of shoot primordia differentiation. Intriguingly, the volatiles obtained from in vitro plantlets showed quantitative and qualitative variation depending on the type of auxins used for the rooting process. The acquired quantities based on total ion current (TIC) showed that the regenerated plantlets using 1 mg L-1 NAA produced higher amounts of oxygenated monoterpenes such as camphor (30.29%), cis-thujone (7.07%), and 1,8-cineole (6.71%) and sesquiterpene derivatives, namely germacrene D (8.75%), bicyclogermacrene (4.0%) and spathulenol (1.49%) compared with the intact plant. According to these findings, in vitro generation of volatile organic compounds in A. spicigera depends on the developmental stages of tissues and may enhance with the formation of shoot primordia and regeneration of plantlets.

Chemical composition and antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of Allium hirtifolium Boiss.

Allium hirtifolium Boiss. known as Persian shallot, is a spice used as a traditional medicine in Iran and, Mediterranean region. In this study, the chemical composition of the hydromethanolic extract of this plant was analyzed using GC/MS. The result showed that 9-hexadecenoic acid, 11,14-eicosadienoic acid, and n-hexadecanoic acid are the main constituents. The antibacterial activity of the shallot extract was also examined by disk diffusion and microdilution broth assays. It was demonstrated that Persian shallot hydromethanolic extract was effective against 10 different species of pathogenic bacteria including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhimurium, Proteus mirabilis, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Specifically, the minimum concentration of the extract which inhibited bacterial growth (MIC values) was 1.88 mg/mL for most of the gram-positive bacteria. This concentration was not much different from the concentration that was safe for mammalian cells (1.50 mg/mL) suggesting that the hydromethanolic extract of Persian shallot may be a safe and strong antibacterial agent.

Assessment of the antibacterial activity of phenylethanoid glycosides from Phlomis lanceolata against multiple-drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus.

Three phenylethanoid glycosides, forsythoside B (1), phlinoside C (2) and verbascoside (3), were isolated from the methanol extract of the leaves of Phlomis lanceolata, an Iranian medicinal plant, by reversed-phase preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the structures of these compounds were elucidated conclusively by ultraviolet (UV), mass spectrometry (MS) and a series of 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses. The antibacterial properties of 1-3 against five multi-drug-resistant (MDR) strains of Staphylococcus aureus have been assessed by the rapid and robust microtitre-plate-based serial dilution method. While compounds 1 and 3 showed considerable activities against all five strains, compound 2 was inactive at the test concentrations.