Therapeutic effects of Rhamnus alaternus on the nephroangiosclerosis in wistar rats.

The buckthorn "Rhamnus alaternus" is a plant used in traditional medicine especially in the treatment of certain diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and dyslipidemia. The aim of our study was to analysed and evaluate the effects of buckthorn on nephroangiosclerosis Wistar rats. Thirty male Wistar rats, adult weighing between 120g and 250g were distributed as follows: Five control animals received a standard laboratory diet, thirty four experimental rats received the standard laboratory diet supplemented with palm oil and 4% of NaCl (High Sold Fat Diet). After six month of this diet the HSFD group was subdivided into rats treated for 45 days with aqueous extract of buckthorn or animals HSFD only. Plasma metabolites and endothelin-1 concentration were measured by standard methods, section of kidney were stained by Heindenhain-azan and periodic acid shiff. The examination of renal parenchyma of HSFD rats showed a prominent structural changes such as, obstruction of vascular lumen, ischemia of the glomerular and tubulo-interstitial fibrosis the biochemical and hormonal parameters were significantly improved in the HSFD rats treated with decoction of buckthorn. Moreover, the morphogical changes of the renal parenchyma were attenuated in rats HSFD decoction. The buckthorn attenuates renal parenchymal lesions by aggregating at different levels of rats maintained on HSFD.

The nutraceutical potential of Lepidium sativum L. seed flavonoid-rich extract in managing metabolic syndrome components.

The present study aimed to investigate the phytochemical and pharmacological identities of a Lepidium sativum L. (LS) flavonoid-rich extract and its beneficial effects on metabolic, hormonal, and histological status. Chemical screening, as well as high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) identified high concentrations of the main flavonoid compounds in LS crude extract such as flavonols (quercetin, kaempferol), flavones (luteolin, apigenin), and especially flavanones (naringin, naringenin). Examinations of the biochemical and histopathological aspects showed the curative effects carried by LS flavonoid-rich extracts on high-fat diet-fed Wistar rats. In this study, we propose that these molecules probably exerted the bioactivity observed in the treated group through improving insulin sensitivity, dyslipidemia, inflammation, and pancreas ß cell integrity. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The LS seed is widely used in traditional medicine to treat hyperglycemia and inflammation. During the traditional mixture preparation, the thermal procedures could impair the bioactions of the most interesting group of LS phytoconstituants, flavonoids. In the present study, we propose an appropriate procedure to preserve those phytochemicals and suggest them as a substitute for the management of metabolic diseases. The dried LS extract showed an incredible set of effective flavonoids, which revealed hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective, and antidiabetic activities. Thus, LS flavonoids constitute a remarkable product to consider in pharmaceutical industry targeting diabetes and heart diseases. Due to their enormous antioxidant potential, the LS flavonoids could be also used in food engineering and cosmetic preparations. Their practical applications is however often limited by low solubility and stability in lipophilic media. Therefore, a modification of the flavonoid structure is possibly required.

Therapeutic effect of alkaloids and glycosides of colocynth seeds on liver injury, associated with metabolic syndrome in wistar rats, subject to nutritional stress.

The Citrullus colocynthis, commonly called colocynth, is known because of its purgative effects and whose seeds are commonly used as certain diseases treatment, namely liver diseases, in the Mediterranean countries traditional medicine. This study aims to analyze the effect of two colocynth extracts « glycosides ¼ and « alkaloids ¼ on metabolic and histological disorders associated with liver function in Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus). This pathology is due to an enriched oil palm diet. For this purpose, Wistar male rats n = 18, weighing between 130g and 150g, are divided into two lots. A control group (C) n = 6, receives a standard laboratory diet ; an experimental group (E) n = 12, receives a standard laboratory diet supplemented with palm oil. After seven months of experimentation, 8 experimental rats were sacrificed for the morphological study and the remaining 12 rats undergo a colocynth treatment (Tr) for eight weeks. They are subdivided into: The first six experimental rats receive a 70mg/kg single intraperitoneal injection of ethanol extract of cucurbitacin glycosides (Glc). The second lot receives a 70mg/kg single intraperitoneal injection of total alkaloids extract (Alc). The animals of (E) group showed hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, hyperlipemia, dyslipoproteinemia, a significant increase of the enzymatic activity of transaminase (AST and ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Histological examination of the liver gland shows major damages Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis [NASH]. Treatment with colocynth glycosides and alkaloids reveals a significant improvement at different levels in plasma as well as in tissue. Treatment with colocynth glycosides and alkaloids shows a hypoglycemic effect, lipid-lowering a well as a hepato-protective effect.

Effects of colocynth alkaloids and glycosides on Wistar rats fed high-fat diet. A biochemical and morphological study.

INTRODUCTION: In traditional medicine, Citrullus colocynthis is used to treat diabetes, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, and oxidative stress, all of which can appear when a diet rich in vegetable fats, such as palm oil, is continuously consumed. Such high-fat diets are chronic stressors of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The objective of our study was to analyze and evaluate the effects of colocynth total alkaloids and glycosides on metabolic, hormonal, and structural disorders of the adrenal medulla in Wistar rats fed a high-fat diet. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty six Wistar rats were distributed as follows: six control animals received a standard laboratory diet; twenty experimental rats received the standard laboratory diet supplemented with palm oil - the high-fat diet (HFD). After seven months of this diet, the HFD group was subdivided into rats treated for the next 2 months with either alkaloid extract (HFD-ALk group) or ethanol extract of glycosides (HFD-GLc) or animals on HFD only. Plasma metabolites and ACTH concentrations were measured by standard methods. Sections of adrenal medulla were stained by Heidenhain-Azan method and Sudan Black. RESULTS: The adrenal medulla of the HFD rats showed prominent structural changes, such as hypertrophy of chromaffin and ganglion cells, vacuolation, inflammatory foci, and fibrosis. The biochemical and hormonal parameters were significantly improved in the HFD rats treated with alkaloid and glycoside extracts of Citrullus colocynthis. Moreover, the morphological changes of the adrenal medulla were attenuated in HFD-ALk and HFD-Glc rats. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicate that phytotherapy using Citrullus colocynthis alkaloids may correct metabolic and hormonal perturbations as well as adrenal medulla structure of rats maintained on HFD.