The effects of Dendrobium species on the metabolic syndrome: A review.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is known as a global health challenge with different types of health conditions such as hypertension, hyperglycemia, the increasing prevalence of obesity, and hyperlipidemia. Despite much recent scientific progress, the use of traditional herbal medicines with fewer side effects is increasing worldwide. Dendrobium, the second-largest orchid genus, has been used as a natural source of drugs for the treatment of MetS. The beneficial effects of Dendrobium, including anti-hypertension, anti-hyperglycemia, anti-obesity, and anti-hyperlipidemic against MetS have been shown in the scientific evidence. The anti-oxidant and lipid-lowering effects of Dendrobium modulate hyperlipidemia via reducing lipid accumulation and maintaining lipid metabolism. Restoring pancreatic beta cells and regulating the insulin signaling pathway are involved in its antidiabetic properties. The hypotensive effects contribute to increasing nitric oxide (NO) generation and inhibiting extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling. More research projects, especially clinical trials, are needed to investigate the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of Dendrobium in patients. This review article provides, for the first time, comprehensive information about the efficacy of different species of Dendrobium. The described species can be a source of medicines for the treatment of MetS, which are reported in various evidence.

Berberine and lycopene as alternative or add-on therapy to metformin and statins, a review.

Nutraceuticals are principally extracted from natural products that are frequently safe and well-tolerated. Lycopene and berberine are natural plants with a wide range of beneficial effects including protective activities against metabolic disorders such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. These compounds might be considered technically more as a drug than a nutraceutical and could be prescribed as a product. However, further studies are needed to understand if these supplements could affect metabolic syndrome outcomes. Even if nutraceuticals exert a prophylactic activity within the body, their bioactivity and bioavailability have high interindividual variation, and precise assessment of biological function of these bioactive compounds in randomized clinical trials is critical. However, these reports must be interpreted with more considerations due to the low quality of the trials. The aim of this paper is to bring evidence about the management of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes through the use of nutraceuticals with particular attention to lycopene and berberine effectiveness.

Evaluation of the effect of thymoquinone in d-galactose-induced memory impairments in rats: Role of MAPK, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation pathways and telomere length.

D-galactose (d-gal) induces aging and memory impairment via oxidative stress and neuroinflammation pathways. This study evaluated the neuroprotective activity of thymoquinone (TQ) against d-gal. d-gal (400 mg/kg, SC), d-gal plus TQ (2.5, 5, 10 mg/kg, i.p.), and TQ alone (2.5 and 10 mg/kg) for 8 weeks were administered to rats. The effect of TQ on learning and memory were studied using the Morris water maze test. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels were determined in the hippocampus. The levels of MAPKs (p-ERK/ERK, p-P38/P38), cAMP response elements binding (p-CREB/CREB), advanced glycation end products (AGEs), inflammatory markers (TNFα, IL-1ß), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were analyzed by western blotting. Telomere length was evaluated using real-time PCR. Memory and learning impairment, MDA enhancement, GSH reduction, and neuroinflammation via increasing the TNFα, IL-1ß, and GFAP contents were observed in d-gal group. TQ with d-gal, improved memory impairment, reduced oxidative stress, and alleviated neuroinflammation. The elevated level of AGEs decreased by TQ compared to d-gal. No changes were observed in the levels of p-ERK/ERK, p-CREB/CREB, p-P38/P38, BDNF, and telomere length following administration of d-gal or TQ plus d-gal. TQ improved memory deficits of d-gal through anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

A glance at black cumin (Nigella sativa) and its active constituent, thymoquinone, in ischemia: a review.

OBJECTIVES: Black cumin (Nigella sativa) belonging to Ranunculaceae family has a long history of medicinal use in various folk and traditional systems of medicine, including Iranian traditional medicine (ITM). These valuable medicinal seeds have been used traditionally against a variety of diseases such as dyspepsia, diabetes, headache, influenza and asthma. In addition, several scientific investigations have reported the therapeutic properties of N. sativa and thymoquinone (TQ), one of the most important constituent of black cumin, for treatment of a large number of diseases, including ischemia. As there is no comprehensive review study about the anti-ischemic activity of black cumin and its mechanism of action, in the current study, we aimed to review the anti-ischemic activities of N. sativa and TQ in different organ-related disorders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched the words N. sativa or black cumin and ischemia in the combination of related organs through available databases including Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. RESULTS: Several studies were found reporting the anti-ischemic activity of black cumin and its active constituent on different organs including brain, kidneys, heart, and liver. Black cumin exert its beneficial effects as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis, and anti-necrosis agent through inhibition of growth factors, biochemical and oxidative stress markers and regulating gene expression. CONCLUSION: Thus, N. sativa could be a potential candidate for treatment of ischemia related disorders in key organs such as brain, liver, digestive system, kidney, and heart. To figure out the exact mechanism of action, further investigations are proposed in this regard.

Effect of Postoperative Amoxicillin on Early Bacterial Colonization of Peri-Implant Sulcus: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVES: With side effects of antibiotics taken into consideration, the necessity of antibiotic therapy after simple implant placement procedures is still a subject of debate and the existing literature on this topic is widely controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of postoperative amoxicillin therapy on early colonization of peri-implant sulcus after implant placement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 20 patients requiring simple implant placement were randomly allocated to test or control groups and received postoperative amoxicillin or placebo, respectively. Microbiological samples were collected on day 0 and day 7. Mann Whitney and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were utilized to evaluate changes in colony count of identified bacterial species between the test and control groups, and between day 0 and day 7. RESULTS: The decrease in the number of sensitive facultative species and the increase in the number of resistant anaerobes in amoxicillin group were statistically significant as compared to the placebo group (P=0.025 and P=0.005, respectively). The increase in the number of sensitive anaerobes in the placebo group as compared to amoxicillin group, and the decrease in the number of facultative Gram-positive cocci as compared to the placebo group were statistically significant (P=0.011 and P=0.035, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative administration of amoxicillin resulted in an increase in the number of resistant anaerobes and a decrease in the number of sensitive facultative bacteria and facultative Gram-positive cocci, as compared to the placebo, but with no sign/symptom of infection in any group.