Type-1 diabetes: Lessons from a decade of preclinical studies on phytotherapy.

BACKGROUND: In recent decades, numerous herbal products have been shown to have antihyperglycemic and beta cell-regenerative effects in animal studies. However, there is no clinical evidence that those products completely cure patients with type-1 diabetes (T1D). Therefore, it seems that most of the phytochemicals do not have a significant impact on human beta cells, and the results of experimental studies conducted on them may not be generalizable to the clinic. PURPOSE: The present work aims to review extensively the methods and results of preclinical studies on phytotherapy of T1D published in the last 10 years. METHODS: This paper critically analyzes the designs of studies, treatment protocols, methods of diabetes induction, characteristics of the studied animals, clinical relevance, reproducibility of research, and other aspects related to conducting preclinical studies on T1D. We discussed limitations that make many of the results of these studies not generalizable to the clinic. Finally, some recommendations were given to improve studies on the phytotherapy of T1D to avoid misleading interpretations about the antidiabetic effect of herbal compounds. CONCLUSION: This paper can be considered a practical guide for researchers interested in the field of phytotherapy of T1D to increase the reliability, reproducibility, and validity of their preclinical studies.

The effects of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles on physiological, biochemical, and antioxidant properties of Vitex plant (Vitex agnus - Castus L).

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) are widely used in agriculture in order to increase the yield and growth characteristics of plants. This study investigated the effects of TiO2NPs on photosynthetic pigments and several biochemical activities and antioxidant enzymes of the Vitex plant. Different concentrations of nanoparticles (0, 200, 400, 600 and 800 ppm) at five levels were sprayed on Vitex plants on the 30th day of the experiment. TiO2NPs at different concentrations had positive effects on root and shoot dry weight and a negative effect on leaf dry weight. The amount of chlorophyll increased with the concentration of TiO2NPs; however, the amount of chlorophyll b showed a decreasing trend while the total chlorophyll had a constant trend. The highest amount of soluble sugar was obtained in the treatment of 200 ppm nanoparticles. The application of TiO2NPs did not have any effect on the content of proline and soluble proteins of Vitex plant. The effects of foliar TiO2NPs, compared to the control, showed a significant increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes. In general, TiO2NPs had a favorable effect on dry matter production and some antioxidant and biochemical properties of the Vitex plant.

Pathophysiology of diabetic hepatopathy and molecular mechanisms underlying the hepatoprotective effects of phytochemicals.

Patients with diabetes are at risk for liver disorders including glycogen hepatopathy, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatic fibrosis. The pathophysiological mechanisms behind diabetic hepatopathy are complex, some of them include fatty acid accumulation, increased reactive oxygen species, increased advanced glycation end-products, hyperactivity of polyol pathways, increased apoptosis and necrosis, and promotion of fibrosis. A growing number of studies have shown that herbal extracts and their active phytochemicals have antihyperglycemic properties and beneficial effects on diabetic complications. The current review, for the first time, focused on herbal agents that showed beneficial effects on diabetic hepatopathy. For example, animal studies have shown that Moringa oleifera and Morus alba improve liver function in both type-1 and type-2 diabetes. Also, evidence from clinical trials suggests that Boswellia serrata, Juglans regia, Melissa officinalis, Portulaca oleracea, Silybum marianum, Talapotaka Churna, and Urtica dioica reduce serum liver enzymes in diabetic patients. The main active ingredient of these plants to protect the liver seems to be phenolic compounds such as niazirin, chlorogenic acid, resveratrol, etc. Mechanisms responsible for the hepatoprotective activity of herbal agents include improving glucose metabolism, restoring adipokines levels, antioxidant defense, and anti-inflammatory activity. Several signaling pathways are involved in hepatoprotective effects of herbal agents in diabetes, such as phosphoinositide 3-kinase, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase.

Nanocomposite with high adsorption activity developed using stabilized silver modified alumina and TiO2-NPs incorporated into ß-cyclodextrin-graphene oxide.

Multifunctional nanocomposites Ag/Al2O3/TiO2@ß-cyclodextrin-graphene oxide (AATG) incorporating graphene oxide sheets, TiO2, and Ag/Al2O3 nanoparticles were prepared in two steps. We benefited from the inherent properties of ß-cyclodextrin to create a stable aqueous graphene solution capable of self-assembling in situ grown TiO2 nanoparticles on graphene nanosheets. Ag/Al2O3 catalysts with a high surface-to-volume ratio were prepared by a combustion technique in solution with urea as a new fuel. The synthesized nanoparticles were also characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface analysis, and BJH pore analysis. FE-SEM was used to evaluate the morphology of ß-cyclodextrin-graphene oxide, Ag/Al2O3 and AATG nanoplatforms. This research examined the use of AATG as a novel nanocomposite for removing methylene blue from water and compared its effectiveness with that of TiO2@ß-cyclodextrin-graphene oxide (TG) as an intermediate material to assess the impact of the final composite and its components on absorption. The effect of pH, temperature, time, and dye concentration on the reaction rate was investigated. The results showed that at pH above 4, the adsorption rate of MB by AATG gradually increased to about 98%. The results also show that methylene blue is more effectively removed at higher temperatures, implying that the adsorption is temperature dependent and the elimination process is endothermic. The adsorption kinetics, isothermal studies, and thermodynamic analysis were also evaluated. The adsorption data showed excellent agreement with pseudo-second order models (R2 > 0.99) and the Langmuir isotherm. The AATG nanocomposites showed excellent adsorption activity, making them potential candidates for water treatment.

Effect of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Extract in Patients with Primary Insomnia: A Double-blind Randomized Study.

OBJECTIVE: Insomnia is a condition that causes sleep problems, and many people suffer from it. Patients with this disorder have difficulty with beginning or continuation of sleep, so they are exhausted all day long, and their performance reduces. This study was designed to assess the efficacy of capsules that contain tomato extract in patients with primary insomnia. METHODS: In this study, 70 patients with primary insomnia were assigned to 2 groups randomly: intervention and control. The intervention group used to take tomato capsules every night for 2 weeks, and the placebo one used to take placebo capsules every night for 2 weeks. All patients used to fill out Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaires before and after the intervention. ISI and PSQI results were analyzed separately on SPSS software. RESULTS: A total of 70 patients (35 in the intervention group and 35 in the control group), including 50 females and 20 males, were studied. Female to male ratio and the rate of unemployment were significantly higher in the intervention group (in both cases P < 0.001), but there was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups in other characteristics (Age, marital status, weight, height, education; in all cases P > 0.05). At the end of the study, the amount of actual sleep had increased, and the delay in falling asleep decreased in both groups; the two groups at the end of the study were not significantly different in terms of these two variables (P > 0.05). The ISI score in both groups decreased significantly at the end of the study, and the PSQI score in both groups decreased significantly at the end of the study (In both cases, P < 0.05). The absolute value of ISI score change in the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group (P < 0.001); But the absolute value of PSQI score change was not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.102). Most importantly, the improvement of both ISI and PSQI scores in the intervention group was significantly better than the control group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study showed that tomato capsules have sleep-inducing effects, although there was no significant difference in the amount of actual sleep, and the delay in falling sleep in the intervention group compared to the control group.