In vivo wound healing effect of Italian and Algerian Pistacia vera L. resins.

Pistacia vera oleoresin is one of the natural products used traditionally for the management of wounds. However, there were no scientific reports documented so far on the wound healing activities to substantiate the claim. This study assesses the potential of the oleoresin of P. vera collected in Italy and Algeria for wound healing efficacy via in vivo circular wound excision model. Italian and Algerian oleoresins were subjected to purification and successive fractionation to obtain three matrices. The fractions have been characterized using GC-FID and GC-MS analyses. Oleoresins mixed with vaseline (5% w/w) were topically applied on wound excision induced on the dorsum of rabbits. Wound healing effects were evaluated by percent of wound contraction. Biopsies performed after healing were histologically assessed. Phytochemical results showed a high content of terpenoids components inducing an efficient wound healing effect determined by an in vivo study. Italian and Algerian oleoresins ointments showed significant wound contraction from day 8 to day 16 as compared to the negative control. The two ointments have not showed statistically difference as compared to Cicatryl, reference drug. These results have also been confirmed by the histological evaluation of the tissues involved. The absence of signs of toxicity on the skin of rabbits indicated the safety of the ointments. The study showed that both oleoresins have a very high effectiveness as wound healing agents and appear to justify their traditional use in wound healing in several countries and offer a scientific support to the treatment of traditional healers.

Chemical characterisation, hypoglycaemic and renoprotective effects of aqueous leaf extract of Limoniastrum guyonianum on fructose-induced metabolic syndrome in rats.

In the present study, we chemically characterised the aqueous leaf extract of Limoniastrum guyonianum by HPLC-TOF/MS and evaluated its effects on fructose-induced metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Wistar rats. MetS groups were given (10% w/v) fructose solution to drink ad libitum for 9 weeks, whereas, normal animals received ordinary water. LG extract was administrated to treated groups by gavage for the last 6 weeks of the experimental period. Fructose feeding as a liquid solution increased body weight, reduced insulin sensitivity, raised blood glucose level and provoked atherogenic dyslipidemia associated with renal oxidative stress and structural damage. Treating MetS rats with LG extract at doses of 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg b.w./day considerably ameliorated the fructose-induced alterations. From this study, it was concluded that aqueous leaf extract of L. guyonianum possesses hypoglycaemic, hypolipidemic, antioxidant and renoprotective abilities against fructose-induced metabolic syndrome in rats.

Protoscolicidal activity of Atriplex halimus leaves extract against Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces.

Cystic echinococcosis, an endemic zoonosis in Algeria, is caused by the development of the helminth Echinococcus granulosus. Surgery remains the main treatment despite inducing relapse and several adverse reactions. In this context, natural scolicidal agents seem to be promising tools to overcome these reactions. In our study, we evaluated the phytochemical contents, antioxidant activity and scolicidal effect of Atriplex halimus. In this context, the aqueous extract from AH leaves (AHE) was subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening by HPLC. The in vitro antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH test. The cytotoxicity of AHE was evaluated in murine peritoneal macrophages and cell viability was examined by MTT assay. Moreover, different concentrations of AHE (20, 40, 50, 60 and 100 mg/ml) were tested on E. granulosus protoscoleces (PSC) cultures, during different times of incubation (15, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 min). The viability was evaluated by eosin exclusion test. The morphological and ultrastructural damages were evaluated by SEM. Our results indicate that total phenolic and flavonoids contents were 37.93 µg of Gallic acid equivalent per mg of extract (GAE/mg E) and 18.86 µg of Quercetin equivalent per mg (QE/mg E) respectively. Furthermore, AHE has an antioxidant activity with an IC50 of 0.95 mg/ml. Interestingly, the extracts did not exhibit any cytotoxic effect against murine peritoneal macrophages. Moreover, our study indicated a significant scolicidal activity time- and dose-dependent. At 60 and 100 mg/ml; and after 120 min of incubation; the mortality rate was 99.36 and 100%, respectively. The parasite's tegument is one of the plant's targets as demonstrated by SEM. Our findings show the benefits of Atriplex halimus extract as a new promising scolicidal tool in hydatid cyst treatment.

Artemisia herba-alba aqueous extract improves insulin sensitivity and hepatic steatosis in rodent model of fructose-induced metabolic syndrome.

CONTEXT: Fructose consumption is associated with the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in human and animal models. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the ability of an aqueous extract of Artemisia herba-alba Asso (AH) to ameliorate fructose-induced MetS in Male Wistar rats. METHODS: AH extract at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg b.w./day was administered for six weeks to MetS animals. RESULTS: Liquid fructose (10% w/v) intake did not vary total animal body weight, whereas, it produced moderate hyperglycemia associated with metabolic and histological alterations. Treating MetS rats with AH extract improved insulin sensitivity, alleviated atherogenic dyslipidaemia and decreased lipid deposition in their hepatic tissues. Additionally, AH extract was found to raise GSH level and antioxidant enzymes (GPx, GST and CAT) activities in rat livers homogenates. CONCLUSION: The results here reported demonstrated, for the first time, that A. herba-alba have therapeutic proprieties against fructose-induced MetS in rodent model.

Herbalists and wild medicinal plants in M'Sila (North Algeria): an ethnopharmacology survey.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The main aim of this study was to identify, catalogue and document the large number of wild medicinal plants used in the M'Sila region (northern Algeria) for the treatment of several human pathologies. Another more ambitious aim is to contribute to overcoming the limits of an orally transmitted pharmacopoeia, attempting to exploit the large ethnopharmacology patrimony of the region for further pharmacological purposes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our field study was carried out over a period of three years (2008-2010). During this period, herbalists were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires investigating the herbalist as a holder of information (gender, age and educational level) and about wild medicinal plants (local name, uses and part used). In addition, the relative importance value of the species was determined and informant consensus factor (ICF) was calculated for the medicinal plants included in the study. RESULTS: A total of 83 herbalists were interviewed; men dominate the practice of traditional medicine in the region. About 41% of them are between 31 and 40 years, and about a third (34%) are illiterate. The traditional herbal knowledge is passed from generation to generation in the verbal form, a writing tradition being almost totally absent. The interviewed herbalists identified and recorded 58 plants species and 50 genera belonging to 27 plant families. Lamiaceae and Asteraceae were the most represented plant families. The aerial parts were the most commonly used plant part, while infusion and decoction were the most common method of traditional drug preparation. CONCLUSIONS: The survey provides a veritable source of information on the herbalists and wild medicinal plants. Plants which are used in different parts of the world for the treatment of similar diseases may be deemed to be effective in pharmacological terms. These medicinal plants may be incorporated into the healthcare delivery system of the country.