Spinacia Oleracea: Exploring the Therapeutic Potential in Persian Medicine and Modern Pharmacology.

BACKGROUND: Spinach is a widely cultivated dark leafy vegetable highly regarded for its medicinal properties in traditional Persian medicine. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, carotenoids, and other bioactive compounds, and this review aims to explore the historical applications of spinach in Persian medicine and juxtapose them with current scientific evidence. Despite its historical significance, there remains a need to comprehensively evaluate and integrate traditional knowledge with modern research on the therapeutic benefits of spinach. METHODS: To achieve this, a comprehensive search was conducted in Persian medicine references and scientific databases to gather information on the traditional uses, chemical composition, and pharmacological effects of spinach. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were meticulously categorized, and relevant data were analyzed to draw insightful comparisons. RESULTS: Persian medicine describes spinach as a nutrient-rich, laxative, and fast-digesting agent with therapeutic effects on inflammation, lung diseases, back pain, sore throats, jaundice, urinary disorders, joint pain, eye inflammation, insomnia, dementia, and more. Modern studies have substantially corroborated these traditional uses, revealing that spinach possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, blood sugar-lowering, lipid-lowering, anti-obesity, neurological, ocular, and musculoskeletal effects. CONCLUSION: Spinach exhibits a wide range of beneficial effects on various health conditions. Its widespread availability, low cost, and exceptional nutritional richness position it as a promising candidate for further investigation. Future studies should explore the clinical effectiveness of spinach in various diseases, while taking into consideration the principles emphasized in Persian medicine to guide research and inform therapeutic strategies.

Interaction of aerobic exercise and crocin improves memory, learning and hypocampic tau and neurotrophins gene expression in rats treated with trimethytin as a model of Alzheimer's disease.

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by progressive cognitive decline and a reduction in hippocampal neurotrophins, in which trimethytin (TMT) infusion causes tangles and neuronal dysfunction, creating an AD-like model in rats. Previous studies have demonstrated that crocin, which has anti-inflammatory properties, can enhance learning, memory acquisition, and cognitive behavior. This study aimed to assess the combined impact of aerobic exercise and crocin on memory, learning, and hippocampal Tau and neurotrophins gene expression in AD-like model rats. METHODS: Forty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: (1) healthy control, (2) Alzheimer's control, (3) endurance training, (4) crocin consumption, and (5) endurance training + crocin. Alzheimer's induction was achieved in groups 2-5 through intraperitoneal injection of 8 mg/kg TMT. Rats in groups 3 and 5 engaged in treadmill running three sessions per week, 15-30 min per session, at a speed of 15-20 m/min for eight weeks, and groups 4 and 5 received daily crocin supplementation of 25 mg/kg. RESULTS: Alzheimer's induction with TMT showed significant reduction in memory, learning, NGF, BDNF, and TrkB gene expression, and increase in tau gene expression (all p < 0.05). Notably, endurance training and crocin consumption separately significantly increased memory, learning, NGF, BDNF, and TrkB gene expression while significantly decreasing tau gene expression (all p < 0.05). Importantly, combined endurance training with crocin yielded the most profound effects on memory (p = 0.001), NGF (p = 0.002), BDNF (p = 0.001), and TrkB (p = 0.003) gene expression (p < 0.005), as well as a reduction in tau gene expression (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: These findings underscore the possible impact of endurance training, particularly when coupled with crocin, on enhancing memory, learning, and neurotrophin gene expression and reducing tau gene expression in Alzheimer's rats. These results highlight the possibility of synergistic interventions for improved therapeutic outcomes.

The effects of vitamin D on cardiovascular damage induced by lipopolysaccharides in rats.

Introduction: Inflammation and oxidative stress are contributed to cardiovascular diseases. Vitamin D (Vit D) has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In the current research, the effect of Vit D on cardiac fibrosis and inflammation, and oxidative stress indicators in cardiovascular tissues was studied in lipopolysaccharides(LPS) injected rats. Methods: Rats were distributed into 5 groups and were treated for 2 weeks. Control: received vehicle(saline supplemented with tween-80) instead of Vit D and saline instead of LPS, LPS: treated by 1 mg/kg of LPS and was given vehicle instead of Vit D, LPS-Vit D groups: received 3 doses of Vit D (100, 1000, and 10000 IU/kg) of Vit D in addition to LPS. Vit D was dissolved in saline supplemented with tween-80 (final concentration 0.1%) and LPS was dissolved in saline. The white blood cell (WBC) was counted. Oxidative stress markers were determined in serum, aorta, and heart. Cardiac tissue fibrosis was also estimated using Masson's trichrome staining method. Results: WBC and malondialdehyde (MDA) were higher in the LPS group than the control group, whereas the thiol content, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) were lower in the LPS group than the control group (P<0.01 and P<0.001). Administration of Vit D decreased WBC (P<0.001) and MDA (P<0.05 and P<0.001) while enhanced thiol (dose 10000 IU/Kg) (P<0.001), SOD (dose 10000 IU/kg) (P<0.001), and CAT (P<0.05 and P<0.001) compared to the LPS group. All doses of Vit D also decreased cardiac fibrosis compared to the LPS group (P<0.001). Conclusion: Vit D protected the cardiovascular against the detrimental effect of LPS. This cardiovascular protection can be attributed to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of Vit D.

Evaluation of the Therapeutic Effect of the Traditional Herbal Medicine Atrifil and Oshagh Gum on Testosterone-Induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Wistar Rats.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disease that affects elderly men with various complications. This study evaluates the effects of an Iranian traditional herbal medicine "Atrifil and Oshagh gum" on BPH in male Wistar rats. Atrifil is a combination of three medicinal plants: Emblica officinalis Gaertn, Terminalia chebula Retz, and Terminalia bellerica Retz" extracts, and Oshagh gum is Dorema ammoniacum D. Dono gum. In this study, 30 male Wistar rats were divided into five groups: normal control, disease, finasteride, and extract with 300 and 600 mg/kg groups. The extract is a combination of hydroalcoholic Atrifil extract and Oshagh gum. All groups received intramuscular testosterone enanthate to induce BPH except the normal control group. On the twenty-eighth day, prostate glands were separated. Histopathological changes were observed. Furthermore, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostate weights were measured. The binding propensities of finasteride, equol, and flavonoids present in this extract such as quercetin, rutin, and kaempferol for 5α-reductase, estrogen receptor alpha and beta, and estrogen-related receptor gamma were assessed using in silico docking approach. Histopathological evaluation, biochemical parameter, and PSA level results indicated significant inhibition of accruing and progression of BPH in groups treated with 600 mg/kg extract (p < 0.01). Furthermore, molecular docking showed that rutin had a high affinity to bind the receptors 5α-reductase, estrogen receptor beta, and estrogen-related receptor gamma even more than finasteride, and on average, quercetin had a higher affinity to all these receptors. In the end, it can be concluded that Atrifil and Oshagh gum is effective in preventing BPH.

Effects of Arctium lappa aqueous extract on lipid profile and hepatic enzyme levels of sucrose-induced metabolic syndrome in female rats

ABSTRACT Arctium lappa is known to have antioxidant and antidiabetic effects in traditional medicine. Objectives: The aim of this paper was to study the effects of A. lappa root extract (AE) on lipid profile and hepatic enzyme levels in sucrose-induced metabolic syndrome (MS) in female rats. The study used 40 adult female Wistar rats weighing 150 g-250 g randomly divided into five groups: control, metabolic syndrome (MS), metabolic syndrome+AE at 50,100, 200 mg/kg. MS was induced by administering 50% sucrose in drinking water for 6 weeks. AE was intra-peritoneally administered daily at doses of 50,100, and 200 mg/kg for two sequential weeks at the end of the fourth week in metabolic syndrome rats. Twenty-four hours after the last administration of AE, blood was collected and centrifuged, and then the serum was used for the measurement of lipid profile and hepatic enzyme. Serum glucose, insulin, fasting insulin resistance index, body weight, water intake, lipid profile, and hepatic enzymes were significantly increased although food intake was decreased in MS rats compared to the control rats. The lipids and liver enzymes were reduced by AE extracts in the MS group. This study showed that the A. lappa root aqueous extract exhibits a hypolipidemic activity of hyperlipidemic rats. This activity is practically that of a triple-impact antioxidant, hypolipidemic, and hepatoprotective.