Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller as a source of bioactivity compounds for health and nutrition.

Plants with beneficial properties are known in traditional medicine. Nowadays, in spite of widespread availability of synthetic compounds, the search goes towards natural compounds to lower cost and few side effects. The increasing interest in preventive medicine encourages use of nutraceuticals, bioactive compounds of vegetable origin with important nutritional values. Among the medicinal plants, Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller (Family Cactaceae, subfamily Opuntiodeae, Genus Opuntia, subgenus Platyopuntia, species Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller) is widely known for its beneficial properties. The aim of the present review is to stress the major classes of Opuntia components and their medical interest through emphasis on some of their biological effects, particularly those having the most promising expected health benefits and therapeutic impacts on fish and mammals.

Protective effect of Calamintha officinalis Moench leaves against alcohol-induced gastric mucosa injury in rats. Macroscopic, histologic and phytochemical analysis.

Calamintha officinalis Moench (Lamiaceae) is an aromatic plant used since ancient times for its preservative and medicinal properties. The plant, known as 'Mentuccia' in Central Italy, is used in cooking as an aromatizant and to impart aroma and flavour to food. The methanol extract of the leaves was subjected to phytochemical and biological investigations. The extract contains polyphenols, catechic tannins and terpenes and shows radical scavenger activity. By means of HPLC analysis, eriocitrin, eriodyctiol, acacetin, linarin, benzoic acid and some phenolic acids, such as caffeic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric, were determined. The gastroprotective activity of the extract was investigated using ethanol-induced ulcer in rats, with sucralfate as a reference drug. Samples of gastric mucosa, stained by PAS and haematoxylin/eosin, were observed by light microscopy. The efficacy of the extract was comparable to that of the reference drug. Probably the gastroprotective effect depends on a synergistic action of all the compounds occurring in C. officinalis leaves, even if the antioxidant potential of the leaves plays an important role by removing damaging agents from the gastric mucosa.

Effect of polysaccharides from Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) cladodes on the healing of dermal wounds in the rat.

In traditional medicine extracts of polysaccharide-containing plants are widely employed for the treatment of skin and epithelium wounds and of mucous membrane irritation. The extracts of Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes are used in folk medicine for their antiulcer and wound-healing activities. The present study describes the wound-healing potential of two lyophilized polysaccharide extracts obtained from O. ficus-indica (L.) cladodes applied on large full-thickness wounds in the rat. When topically applied for 6 days, polysaccharides with a molecular weight (MW)>10(4)Da from O. ficus-indica cladodes induce a beneficial effect on cutaneous repair in this experimental model; in particular the topical application of O. ficus-indica extracts on skin lesions accelerates the reepithelization and remodelling phases, also by affecting cell-matrix interactions and by modulating laminin deposition. Furthermore, the wound-healing effect is more marked for polysaccharides with a MW ranging 10(4)-10(6)Da than for those with MW>10(6)Da, leading us to suppose that the fine structure of these polysaccharides and thus their particular hygroscopic, rheologic and viscoelastic properties may be essential for the wound-healing promoter activity observed.

Study on the increment of the production of gastric mucus in rats treated with Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill. cladodes.

Opuntia ficus indica cladodes are used in traditional medicine of many countries for their cicatrisant activity. The major components of cladodes are carbohydrate-containing polymers, which consist of a mixture of mucilage and pectin. In this paper we studied the cytoprotective effects of cladodes on experimental ethanol-induced ulcer in rat. The O. ficus indica cladodes administration gives rise to cytoprotection phenomena by breaking up the epithelial cells and stimulating an increase in mucus production. When O. ficus indica cladodes are administered as a preventive therapy, keep the gastric mucosa under normal condition by preventing mucus dissolution caused by ethanol and favouring mucus production. An increase of mucus production is also observed during the course of the curative treatment. The treatment with O. ficus indica cladodes provokes an increase in the number of secretory cells. Probably, the gastric fibroblasts are involved in the antiulcer activity.

Hepatoprotective activity of Trichilia roka on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in rats.

Trichilia roka Chiov. (Meliaceae) is a tree widely distributed in tropical Africa. It has been used in Mali folk medicine for the treatment of various illnesses. A decoction of the roots is taken as a remedy for colds and pneumonia, and it is used as a diuretic and in hepatic disorders. We have evaluated the hepatoprotective effects of a decoction of Trichilia roka root on CCl4-induced acute liver damage in rats. Treatment with the decoction showed a significant protective action made evident by its effect on the levels of glutamate oxalacetate transaminase and glutamate pyruvate transaminase in the serum, on the protein content and lipid peroxidation levels in the liver homogenate. Histopathological changes produced by CCl4, such as necrosis, fatty change, ballooning degeneration and inflammatory infiltration of lymphocytes around the central veins, were clearly recovered by the treatment with Trichilia root decoction. On fractionating this extract into diethyl ether-soluble and water-soluble fractions, the activity was retained in the diethyl ether-soluble fraction. Moreover, the administration of decoction prevented a preferential deposition of collagen around the sinusoidal cell layer, which is responsible for the perisinusoidal fibrosis in the early stage of CCl4 damage. This study showed that treatment with Trichilia roka extracts or silymarin (as reference) appeared to enhance the recovery from CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity. The hepatoprotective properties of Trichilia roka may be correlated to polyphenol content of the decoction and its diethyl ether-soluble fraction.

Supraclavicular lymph node metastases (SLM) from breast cancer as only site of distant disease: has radiotherapy any role?

BACKGROUND: Supraclavicular lymph node metastases (SLM) as the only site of metastatic disease from breast cancer is a rare and a poor prognostic event. In order to evaluate the role of Radiotherapy (RT) with "radical dose" to the supraclavicular fossa, we carried out a non randomized clinical trial comparing systemic therapy alone to integrated and aggressive treatment (systemic therapy plus radiotherapy). The primary end-point was time to progression (TTP). The second end-point was the overall survival (OS). METHODS: From 1/1/1989 to 31/12/1994 37 patients (with or without the presence of locoregional disease) were enrolled into two arms, of the study, but were allowed, when giving their consent, to change the arm of the study which they had been originally allotted to. Arm A, 18 patients, 15 evaluable: chemo +/- hormonotherapy for 6 courses; after the second course, if local progression disease was present, the pts. were submitted to RT and removed from the study (3 patients). Arm B, 19 patients all evaluable: chemo +/- hormonotherapy for 3 courses followed by RT with "radical" dose. Results were analyzed on 30/11/1995 and no interim analysis was performed. The potential median follow up for all patients was 56.5 months (range 11-83 months): for Arm A 61 months (range: 12-82); for Arm B 53 months (range: 11-83). The two groups were homogeneous and balanced, without statistical differences. RESULTS: Median TTP was 12.5 months in Arm A and 19.5 months in Arm B (p = 0.064). Median overall survival (OS) was 27.5 months in Arm A and 48 months in Arm B. T-status to the time of the diagnosis was found to be independent prognostic factor for TTP (p = 0.0029). Disease-free interval from diagnosis to recurrence was found to be a significant prognostic factor for OS (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: The results in Arm B demonstrated the opportunity of a long term control in this subset of patients. Therefore we suggest the start of a wider multicenter study in order to define the biological significance of SLM, its importance in staging breast cancer and to consider the optimum treatment.