Exploring the Potential of Plant Bioactive Compounds against Male Infertility: An In Silico and In Vivo Study.

Infertility is a well-recognized multifactorial problem affecting the majority of people who struggle with infertility issues. In recent times, among infertility cases, the male factor has acquired importance, and now it contributes to approximately half of the infertility cases because of different abnormalities. In the current study, we used natural phytochemicals as potential drug-lead compounds to target different receptor proteins that are involved in the onset of male infertility. A set of 210 plant phytochemicals were docked counter to active site residues of sex hormone-binding globulin, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17, and DNase I as receptor proteins. On the basis of binding scores and molecular dynamics simulation, the phytochemicals tricin, quercetin, malvidin, rhamnetin, isorhamnetin, gallic acid, kaempferol, esculin, robinetin, and okanin were found to be the potential drug candidates to treat male infertility. Molecular dynamics simulation showed tricin as a strong inhibitor of all selected receptor proteins because the ligand-protein complexes remained stabilized during the entire simulation time of 100 ns. Further, an in vivo study was designed to evaluate the effect of tricin in male rats with nicotine-induced infertility. It was explored that a high dose of tricin significantly reduced the levels of alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, urea, creatinine, cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein and raised the level of high-density lipoprotein in intoxicated male rats. A high dose of tricin also increased the reproductive hormones (i.e., testosterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and prolactin) and reduced the level of DHEA-SO4. The phytochemical (tricin, 10 mg/kg body weight) also showed significant improvement in the histo-architecture after nicotine intoxication in rats. From the current study, it is concluded that the phytochemical tricin could serve as a potential drug candidate to cure male infertility.

Zootherapy as traditional therapeutic strategy in the Cholistan desert of Bahawalpur-Pakistan.

The use of traditional medicines has tremendously increased over the past few decades. Approximately 80% of the world's population relies on traditional medicines for their primary healthcare needs because of their cost effectiveness and efficiency with no or minimal side effects. Zootherapy refers to the use of medicines that are prepared or derived from animals or from their products. The current study documented the folk knowledge related to the practice of various animal-derived products and ethnozoological based drugs used as medicines by the residents of the Cholistan desert of Bahawalpur (Pakistan). In this regard 46 knowledgeable and reliable elderly people, hakims and spiritual healers ranging from 35-60 years of age having knowledge related to zootherapy were included in the current study. A field survey from February 2006 to November 2007 was conducted by interviewing the selected respondents through a structured questionnaire. They provided knowledge regarding the use of animals and their derived products in traditional medicine. The zootherapeutic knowledge was based on both domestic animals as well as wild animals. A total of 20 animal species were included in the study, among which nine animals were domestic while 11 were wild animals. Among selected animals, nine were mammals, four birds, four reptiles and three insects. It was reported that camel was the most commonly used (n = 32 respondents) among mammals while Pigeon (n = 39 respondents), Spiny-tailed lizard (n = 41 respondents) and Indian honey bee (n = 27 respondents) among birds, reptiles and insects, respectively, have significant use for the treatment of different diseases. Based on this communication we could recommend that this type of abandoned knowledge should be considered for the management and conservation of faunistic resources. However, the advantageous role of animals and their products was reported but more extensive research is required to explore the bioactive constituents in the raw material of these animals responsible for their beneficial effects.

Phytochemical Constituents and In vitro Pharmacological Response of Cnidium monnieri; A Natural Ancient Medicinal Herb.

Background: Natural medicines are being used for the treatment of various disorders due to pharmacological, therapeutical, and nutraceuticals characteristics. Objectives: Current research was planned to explore In vitro pharmacological response of phytochemical constituents extracted from C. monnieri' seeds using aqueous ethanol (70%). Methods: Qualitative and quantitative measurements for phytochemical constituents were performed following reference protocols. Then In vitro antioxidant potential, cytotoxic studies, antimicrobial, and spermicidal pharmacological response of C. monnieri extract were investigated. Results: The results of High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) explored the presence of wide range of bioactive compounds with significant (p<.05) antioxidant activities. Cytotoxic studies revealed significant (p<.05) protective behavior of C. monnieri evaluated using CtDNA damage protection, against Salmonella typhi TA98 and TA100, RBCs membrane stabilizing and clot lysis assay. It was also found that selected herb has antibacterial and antifungal activities. The results of spermicidal study on human (n = 30) spermatozoa revealed significant (p<.05) contraceptive per vaginal behavior of this natural medicinal plant. Conclusion: It could be concluded that C. monnieri showed significant pharmacological activities with non-toxic behavior, however In vivo study in animals and clinical trials are required to declare this natural herb as therapeutic agent.

Prevalence of transfusion-transmitted infections in multiple blood transfusion-dependent thalassemic patients in Asia: A systemic review.

BACKGROUND: Thalassemia is a hereditary hemolytic anemia marked by a defect in synthesizing one or more globin chains in hemoglobin. In Pakistan, approximately 10,000 patients with thalassemia are primarily dependent on blood transfusions. The ß-thalassemia patients require blood transfusions and iron chelation therapy. Patients who need blood transfusions are at an increased risk of contracting transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) such as hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV, respectively), as well as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). OBJECTIVE: This systemic review aims to assess the prevalence of TTIs in transfusion-dependent ß-thalassemia patients in Asia. METHODS: The data for the systematic review were gathered from PubMed, Google Scholar, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and ScienceDirect using the following keywords: "prevalence, HBV, HCV, HIV, thalassemia, and transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs)," and so on. This review includes the research articles that address the prevalence of viral infections in thalassemic patients following blood transfusion. RESULTS: A preliminary search of various databases identified 231 potential studies. 157 duplicate studies were eliminated, and the eligibility of 59 full-length articles was determined. Only 43 studies met the inclusion criteria. Among the 43 studies analyzed, 11 reported a high prevalence of HCV alone in thalassemic patients, while 21 reported a high prevalence of HCV and HBV infection in thalassemic patients. Eight studies reported the prevalence of all three TTIs examined, namely, HCV, HBV, and HIV, in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia. CONCLUSION: Preventable transfusion-transmitted infections occur frequently, and robust national policies and hemovigilance are required to detect and mitigate the infection risk.

Therapeutic potential of herbal medicine for the management of hyperlipidemia: latest updates.

Hyperlipidemia, the most common form of dyslipidemia, is the main source of cardiovascular disorders, characterized by elevated level of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in peripheral blood. It is caused by a defect in lipid metabolism in the surface of Apoprotein C-II or a defect in lipoprotein lipase activity as well as reported in genetic, dietary and environmental factors. Several electronic databases were investigated as information sources, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Semantic Scholar, MEDLINE and CNKI Scholar. The current review focused on the risk factors of dyslipidemia, synthetic medication with their side effects and different types of medicinal plants having significant potential for the management of hyperlipidemia. The management of hyperlipidemia mostly involves a constant decrease in lipid level using different remedial drugs like statin, fibrate, bile acid sequestrates and niacin. However, this extensive review suggested that the consequences of these drugs are arguable, due to their numerous adverse effects. The selected parts of herb plants are used intact or their extracts containing active phytoconstituents to regulate the lipids in blood level. It was also noted that the Chinese herbal medicine and combination therapy is promising for the lowering of hyperlipidemia. This review intends to provide a scientific base for future endeavors, such as in-depth biological and chemical investigations into previously researched topics.

Withania somnifera Chemical Constituents' In Vitro Antioxidant Potential and Their Response on Spermatozoa Parameters.

Background: Phytomedicine is becoming more acceptable as an alternative medicinal approach in the modern era. Objectives: The current study examined the antioxidant capacity and in vitro response of phytochemical constituents of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) on standard parameters of healthy volunteer semen. Methods: The phytochemicals and their pharmacological response in a hydroethanolic (30:70 v/v) extract of W. somnifera roots were determined using standard protocols. Results: The constituents included flavonoids, phenolic acids, alkaloids, and terpenoids were reported. High-performance liquid chromatography and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy determined a diverse array of biologically active chemical constituents in the extract. The extract of W. somnifera exhibits substantial antioxidant properties, including total antioxidant capacity, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl inhibition, H2O2 scavenging, and Fe3+ reducing potential (P < .05). The analysis of essential natural minerals explored adequate levels determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Cytotoxic studies revealed significant thrombolytic, RBC membrane stabilization, and DNA damage protection activity (P < .05) while remaining non-mutagenic against Salmonella typhi TA98 and TA100. The best protective response of W. somnifera extract on human semen parameters (n = 30), such as total motility, progressive motility, and viability, demonstrated a significant (P < .05) improvement, particularly at the dose of 25 µg/mL and 50 µg/mL. Conclusion: The study concludes that W. somnifera possesses favorable in vitro characteristics that could aid in the preservation of sperm during intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization.

Anti-anxiety Properties of Selected Medicinal Plants.

Exploration of new drugs targeting anxiety treatment is a major concern worldwide. Medicinal plants are being used as a potential source of novel drugs for anxiety disorders. The objective of this review is to provide information about the healing outcomes of anxiety treatment with natural products. Valeriana officinalis, Citrus aurantium, Commelina benghalensis, Achyranthes aspera, Mimosa pudica, Achillea millefolium, Nymphaea alba, Leonurus cardiac, Camellia sinensis, Turnera aphrodisiaca, Crataegus oxyacantha and Piper methysticum showed promising effects on anxiety in animal models. In clinical studies, passion flower, kava, valerian, St John's wort, and hwagandha showed the most positive results. More studies are needed for the exploration of the antianxiety of medicinal plants. In drugs derived from natural sources have explored many components that are playing an essential role in curing anxiety disorders and associated complications.

Antispasmodic Potential of Medicinal Plants: A Comprehensive Review.

Numerous medicinal plants have been utilized for the treatment of different types of diseases and disorders including gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. GI diseases are the most common complaints that normally affects the largest proportion of children and adolescents with overlapping clinical manifestation in diagnosis and medical needs. Drugs with antispasmodic effects are normally applied for the symptomatic treatment of contraction and cramping of smooth muscles in gastrointestinal diseases as well as in other critical clinical situations. In alternative system of medicines, the antispasmodic herbs played a significant role in the cure of GI diseases. These medicinal plants and their herbal products are used from generation to generation because of multiple nutritional and therapeutic benefits. The multiple uses might be attributed to the presence on biologically active chemical constitutes. The main aim of this review is to focus on the medicinal potential of plants possessing antispasmodic activities with their proposed mechanism of action. Several databases such as Google Scholar, Cochrane database, Scopus, and PubMed were used to search the relevant literature regarding "plants with antispasmodic activities." This present study highlights the updated and quantified information on several medicinal plants with antispasmodic activity like Zanthoxylum armatum, Matricaria chamomilla, Foeniculum vulgare, Pycnocycla spinosa, Atropa belladonna, Lavandula angustifolia, Mentha pulegium, Glycyrrhiza ularensis, Anethum graveolens, and Origanum majorana. Moreover, recent studies on other medicinal plant species also have been included in this review article. Additionally, the study also revealed that the active compounds of all these plants possess significant spasmolytic effect which is safest, efficacious, and cost effective as compared to the available synthetic drugs.

Molecular targets for the management of cancer using Curcuma longa Linn. phytoconstituents: A Review.

Medicinal plants are being used for therapeutic purposes since the dawn of human civilization. The therapeutic efficacy of medicinal plants is due to the presence of wide range phytochemical constituents or secondary metabolites. The medicinal plants are traditionally used for several types of ailments. Even in those pathological conditions where other methods of treatment fail to work. Curcuma longa Linn is very common ingredient used as spice in foods as preservative and coloring material in different part of the world. It has been used as a home remedy for a variety of diseases. Curcuma longa and its isolated constituent curcumin are widely evaluated for anticancer activity. Curcumin possesses broad remedial potential due to its multi-targeting effect against many different carcinoma including leukemia, genitourinary cancers, gastrointestinal cancers and breast cancer etc. Hence, Curcumin has potential for the development of new medicine for the treatment of several diseases.

Antihypertensive and Antihyperlipidemic Activity of Aqueous Methanolic Extract of Rauwolfia Serpentina in Albino Rats.

Rauwolfia serpentina has a wide range of therapeutic effects so this study was planned to explore the antihypertensive and antihyperlipidemic therapeutic responses of R serpentina doses using albino rats by measuring the blood pressure, biochemical parameters, and histological architecture of liver and kidney tissues. Thirty albino rats were divided into 5 groups (n = 6) as G1 (normal Control) received normal diet, G2 (positive control) received only 8% NaCl added diet (high salt diet); G3 was given atenolol (standard drug control) 50 mg/kg body weight, G4 and G5 groups were given methanolic plant extract as low dose (100 mg/kg body weight) and high dose (200 mg/Kg body weight) daily along with high salt diet for 4 weeks, respectively. Rauwolfia serpentina significantly (P < .05) decreased the blood pressure in G4 and G5 groups as compared to G2 and G3. Significant (P < .05) impact was reported, on serum lipid profile and serum proteins as well as hepatoprotective and renoprotective potential on studying tissues sections under microscope, in animal groups given herbal extract as compared to control groups. It could be concluded that R serpentina has therapeutic effect to manage the hypertension and hypercholesterolemia most probably via protecting the liver and renal architectures.

Progress and prospects in the management of bacterial infections and developments in Phytotherapeutic modalities.

The advent of antibiotics revolutionized medical care resulting in significantly reduced mortality and morbidity caused by infectious diseases. However, excessive use of antibiotics has led to the development of antibiotic resistance and indeed, the incidence of multidrug-resistant pathogens is considered as a major disadvantage in medication strategy, which has led the scholar's attention towards innovative antibiotic sources in recent years. Medicinal plants contain a variety of secondary metabolites with a wide range of therapeutic potential against the resistant microbes. Therefore, the aim of this review is to explore the antibacterial potential of traditional herbal medicine against bacterial infections. More than 200 published research articles reporting the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants against drug-resistant microbial infections were searched using different databases such as Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), etc., with various keywords like medicinal plants having antibacterial activities, antimicrobial potentials, phytotherapy of bacterial infection, etc. Articles were selected related to the efficacious herbs easily available to local populations addressing common pathogens. Various plants such as Artocarpus communis, Rheum emodi, Gentiana lutea L., Cassia fistula L., Rosemarinus officinalis, Argemone maxicana L, Hydrastis canadensis, Citrus aurantifolia, Cymbopogon citrates, Carica papaya, Euphorbia hirta, etc, were found to have significant antibacterial activities. Although herbal preparations have promising potential in the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infection, still more research is required to isolate phytoconstituents, their mechanism of action as well as to find their impacts on the human body.

Determination of oil contents from eight varieties of olea europaea (Olive) grown in Pakistan.

The olive (Olea europaea L.) is a worldwide famous tree crop having valuable commercial role due to nutritional as well as therapeutic benefits obtained from its edible oil. Eight varieties of Olea europaea L. fruits were obtained from three Agricultural research institutes located in different areas of Pakistan including Quetta, Lorallia and Zhob to extract and determine their oil contents by conventional method as solvent extraction (soxhlet apparatus). Statistical analysis showed significant (p = 0.002) difference in oil composition of collected plants. Highest amount (percentage) of oil was obtained from Gemlik variety (65%) from Lorallia and lowest oil content from Dolece-agogia variety (17.5%) collected from Quetta. Further research is under consideration to rule out best suitable factors including some soil and environmental factors to obtained more potential cultivars of Olea europaea in Pakistan.

Chemical constituents, experimental and clinical pharmacology of Rosa damascena: a literature review.

CONTEXT: Rosa damascena Mill. is prescribed for the management of chest and abdominal pain, constipation, digestive disorders, menstrual bleeding and liver ailments. OBJECTIVE: The current review compiles up to date and complete information of whole plant of R. damascena with particular emphasis on its numerous scientifically proved pharmacological effects, traditional and folk medicinal uses. KEY FINDING: The data on the pharmacological effects of R. damascena were collected from various databases such as PubMed, Wiley Online Library, Elsevier and Web of Science using the keywords like phytoconstituents, pharmacology, medicinal uses and biological activity of R. damascene. Rosa damascena has a wide spectrum of bio-pharmacological activity like antidepressant, hypoglycaemic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant and antimicrobial. The main ingredients of R. damascena essential oil responsible for pharmacological activity are geraniol and citronellol. Its uses have been widely accepted in traditional system of medicines for the management of numerous diseases of human beings in different dosage forms. SUMMARY: Rosa damascena has a significant place in traditional system of medicine. It is cost-effective and an important plant with curative application in contemporary medicine. Further studies on the characterization of chemical constituents and scientific basis of pharmacological activity of R. damascena should be carried out to evaluate its impact on traditional system of medicines. Large-scale preclinical and clinical trials will be beneficial in investigating the mechanism of the therapeutic potential of R. damascene to explore its uses in pharmaceutical industries.

Medicinal Plants Combating Against Insomnia: A Green Anti-Insomnia Approach.

Insomnia is a state defined as trouble with sleep; it is a chronically disabling condition and is now significantly prevalent, imposing enormous health and economic burdens both on individuals and on society. This state includes trouble in falling asleep, problems staying asleep, fragmented sleep (repeatedly awakening at night), and/or awakening before time in the morning. This difficulty in sleeping causes feeling exhausted during the day and trouble with daytime activities including driving, family responsibilities, and completion of valued daily routines. Different types of synthetic sedative drugs are used to handle nervous system changes, but repeated use of sedatives caused tolerance in the human body. After a while, people had to take a heavy dose of sedative to make them feel sleepy, which imposes extra toxic effects on vital organs of the body. Medicinal plants are gaining more and more attention as sedative agents because herbs contained different types of natural bioactive metabolites with not well reported side effects. In addition, medicinal plants have economic, high efficacy and are easy available. So in current review plants possessing sedative activities have been compiled with their constituents responsible to manage insomnia. Review of the literature indicated that medicinal plants from various systems of medicine have been reported to possess sedative activity. This review suggests that medicinal plants are efficacious for insomnia; further laboratory and clinical studies are required.

Role of medicinal plants in HIV/AIDS therapy.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes the potentially life-threatening and chronic disease called acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The main target of this viral disease is to suppress the immune system and make the body unresponsive to external stimuli. According to global health observatory data since epidemic, more than 78 million people were affected by HIV and 39 million people died globally. Until 2017, 36.5 million people were living with HIV. An estimated 0.8% (0.6%-0.9%) of adults aged 15-49 years worldwide is living with HIV. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the African region remains most severely affected, with nearly one in every 25 adults (4.1%) living with HIV and accounting for nearly two-thirds of the people living with HIV worldwide. WHO reported that globally only 21.7 million (19.1 million-22.6 million) people have had access to antiretroviral therapy up to 2017. Currently, antiretroviral therapy (ART) is available for the control of HIV but has serious associated side effects such as lipodystrophy. Because of the limitations, associated with ART, researchers throughout the world are trying to explore and develop more reliable and safe drugs from natural resources to manage HIV infection. A wide range of medicinal plants have been studied and have reported significant potential against HIV. Plants like Rheum palmatum L., Rheum officinale, Trigonostem axyphophylloides, Vatica astrotricha, Vernonia amygdalina, Hypoxias pelargonium, Sidoides hemerocallidea and Sutherlandia frutescens etc. have high efficacy to cure HIV. The exact mechanism of action is still not known but various phytoconstituents isolated from medicinal plants such as alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols, terpenoids, tannins, proteins and coumarins have the potential to interrupt the life cycle of HIV as well as act as immunomodulators to enhance the immune system of infected patients with no well reported side effects. It could be concluded that medicinal plants have potential for the management of HIV/AIDS but more studies are needed to reveal rigorous efficacy and safety concerns by conducting clinical trials at vast level to explore therapeutic impact of medicinal plants.

Cardioprotective Potential of Plant-Derived Molecules: A Scientific and Medicinal Approach.

Since the beginning of human civilization, plants have been used in alleviating the human distress and it was recorded for about thousands of years ago that the plants are being used for medicinal purposes. Natural bioactive compounds called phytochemicals are obtained from medicinal plants, vegetables, and fruits, which functions to combat against various ailments. There is dire need to explore the plant biodiversity for its medicinal and pharmacological potentials. Different databases such as Google scholar, Medline, PubMed, and the Directory of Open Access Journals were searched to find the articles describing the cardioprotective function of medicinal plants. Various substances from a variety of plant species are used for the treatment of cardiovascular abnormalities. The cardioprotective plants contain a variety of bioactive compounds, including diosgenin, isoflavones, sulforaphane, carotinized, catechin, and quercetin, have been proved to enhance cardioprotection, hence reducing the risk of cardiac abnormalities. The present review article provides the data on the use of medicinal plants particularly against cardiac diseases and to explore the molecules/phytoconstituents as plant secondary metabolites for their cardioprotective potential.

Antihyperglycemic Activity of Hydroalcoholic Extracts of Selective Medicinal Plants Curcuma longa, Lavandula stoechas, Aegle marmelos, and Glycyrrhiza glabra and Their Polyherbal Preparation in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Mice.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder associated with relative or absolute insulin deficiency or resistance, characterized by hyperglycemia. Modern prescriptions such as pioglitazone have better therapeutic potential, but its side effects and financial burden for developing countries have motivated the researchers to find alternative natural drugs to compete hyperglycemia in patients with diabetes. The present study was conducted to explore the therapeutic potential of selected medicinal plants for the treatment of diabetes as an alternative to allopathic medicines. METHOD: In present study, hydroalcoholic extracts of Curcuma longa, Lavandula stoechas, Aegle marmelos, and Glycyrrhiza glabra and their polyherbal preparation (PHP) as compound drug were investigated for their antihyperglycemic potential in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. The study subjects (mice) were divided into different groups as normal control, diabetic control, pioglitazone treated (standard drug), test groups (plant extract treated 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg body weight), and PHP-treated group. Blood glucose concentration of all the study animals was determined by Glucose strip test. Qualitative phytochemical analysis of all the plant extracts was also performed following standard methods. RESULT: It was investigated that treatment of alloxan-induced diabetic mice with hydroalcoholic extracts of studied medicinal plants showed significant (P < .05) effects on fasting blood glucose levels (from baseline to normal range) in a manner comparable to that of the reference drug, pioglitazone (1 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneal). The tested plant extracts significantly (P < .05) reduced the glucose concentration in blood of diabetes-induced mice in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: It could be concluded that studied medicinal plants have antihyperglycemic activity. The study findings favor the use of traditional herbal medicinal practices for the management of diabetes that might due to the presence of bioactive phytoconstituents in plants. However, larger studies are required to identify, isolate, and characterize the bioactive phytoconstituents responsible for antihyperglycemic activity of studied medicinal plants.

Therapeutic potential of medicinal plants for the management of urinary tract infection: A systematic review.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most severe public health problem affecting both sexes but females are more susceptible due to the differences in urogenital and reproductive anatomy, physiology and lifestyle. As in UTI, different parts of the urinary tract are affected and morbidity due to UTI is more common in women of all ages and older men. Due to multi-drug resistant strains and high recurrence rate, UTI has become a major socioeconomic burden. The current review article was aimed to describe the natural therapeutic strategies to manage and cure the UTI. For this purpose, different databases including Google Scholar, Cochrane database, and PubMed etc. were explored. Inclusion criteria were any research article investigating the current therapy of UTI. It was found that microbial infections including Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis and Klebsiella species are the major causes of UTI with different signs and symptoms including painful urination or dysuria, hematuria, urinary urgency, burning micturition, frequent urination, nausea, and vomiting. Antibiotics like trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, quinolone etc. as the first choice of the drug are used worldwide. However, due to microbial resistance, several life-threatening side effects, repeated high doses, high cost and low efficacy of these antibiotics motivated the researchers to explore natural remedies for the treatment of UTI. Herbal medicines are effective to combat bacterial resistance with high efficacy, and easy availability with minimal or no side effects. For these reasons it has attained the attention of researchers wanting to explore the herbal treatment of UTI. Vaccinium macrocarpon, Tribulus terrestris, Trachyspermum copticum, Cinnamomum verum and Hybanthusenn easpermus are some common medicinal plants reported to have therapeutic potential for the management and cure of the UTI. Although herbal medicines have more potential over conventional medicine but more discoveries are required to explore the phytoconstituents and their mechanism of action responsible for the management and cure of UTI.

Progress and prospects in the management of psoriasis and developments in phyto-therapeutic modalities.

The aim of this study is to review the efficacy of herbal and allopathic drugs used to manage and treat psoriasis. The review has been compiled using reference materials from major databases, Online Journals, Science Direct, Scopus, Open J Gate, Google Scholar and PubMed. Psoriasis is a common skin disease affecting 2-3% of the world's population. It is cosmetically debilitating and chronic disease, which occurs both in developing and developed countries. It can affect any part of the body, but the most common sites are the elbows, knees, and scalp. It is usually treated with synthetic medicine either given systematically or applied locally. The prescribed synthetic medicines used for the treatment of psoriasis are associated with severe side effects and complications, thus researchers around the world are trying to explore new, more effective, and safer drugs from natural resources. Medicinal plants are safe and efficacious, and most of the people all over the world rely on herbal medicine due to their easy availability, low cost, and efficacy for treating psoriasis. A number of medicinal plants having therapeutic potential with high efficacy are used in the treatment of psoriasis have been described. Moreover, studies should be conducted to isolate and investigate the mechanism of actions of phytochemicals responsible for anti-psoriasis potential.

Prevalence and current therapy in chronic liver disorders.

BACKGROUND: Herbal medicine plays an important role in health, particularly in remote parts of developing areas with few health facilities. According to WHO estimates, about three-quarters of the world's population currently use herbs or traditional medicines to treat various ailments, including liver diseases. Several studies have found that the use of medicinal plants was effective in the treatment of infectious and non-infectious diseases. Hepatitis and liver cirrhosis associated with many clinical manifestations can be treated with allopathic medicines, but reports of a number of side effects including immunosuppression, bone marrow suppression, and renal complications have motivated researchers to explore more natural herbal medicines with low or no side effects and with high efficacy in treating hepatic diseases. METHODS: Databases including PubMed, Medline, and Google Scholar were searched for findings on the hepatoprotective effects of plants. RESULTS: Various medicinal plants are used for the treatment of liver disorders. The range of alternative therapies is huge, and they are used worldwide, either as part of primary health care or in combination with conventional medicine. Hepatoprotective plants contain a variety of chemical constituents including flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, carotenoids, coumarins, phenols, essential oil, organic acids, monoterpenes, xanthenes, lignans, and lipids. CONCLUSION: This review shows that numerous plants are found to contain hepatoprotective compounds. However, further studies are needed to determine their association with existing regimes of antiviral medicines and to develop evidence-based alternative medicine to cure different kinds of liver disease in humans.