Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 55 in total

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  1. Chung LY, Lo MW, Mustafa MR, Goh SH, Imiyabir Z
    Phytother Res, 2009 Mar;23(3):330-4.
    PMID: 18844258 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.2627
    A 96-well microplate filtration based 5-HT(2A) receptor-radioligand binding assay was optimized and adopted to carry out a bioassay-guided fractionation of the methanol extract of the leaves of Litsea sessilis. This purification led to the isolation of two compounds identified as (+)-boldine (1) and (+)-dehydrovomifoliol (2). (+)-Boldine binds to 5-HT(2A) receptors at high concentrations with a K(i) value of 2.16 microm. However, (+)-dehydrovomifoliol showed minimal competitive inhibition on the binding of [(3)H]ketanserin to the same receptor with a K(i) value of 2.06 mm. These results suggest that (+)-boldine influences the activity of 5-HT(2A) receptors through competitive binding as an agonist or antagonist.
  2. Low BS, Das PK, Chan KL
    Phytother Res, 2014 Jul;28(7):1022-9.
    PMID: 24318772 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.5094
    The roots of Eurycoma longifolia Jack are popularly sought as herbal medicinal supplements to improve libido and general health amongst the local ethnic population. The major quassinoids of E. longifolia improved spermatogenesis and fertility but toxicity studies have not been well documented. The reproductive toxicity, two generation of foetus teratology and the up-and-down acute toxicity were investigated in Sprague-Dawley rats orally treated with quassinoid-rich E. longifolia extract (TAF273). The results showed that the median lethal dose (LD50 ) of TAF273 for female and male rats was 1293 and >2000 mg/kg, respectively. Fertility index and litter size of the TAF273 treated were significantly increased when compared with those of the non-treated animals. The TAF273-treated dams decreased in percentage of pre-implantation loss, post-implantation loss and late resorption. No toxic symptoms were observed on the TAF273-treated pregnant female rats and their foetuses were normal. The no-observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) obtained from reproductive toxicity and teratology studies of TAF273 in rats was 100 mg/kg body weight/day, being more than 10-fold lower than the LD50 value. Thus, any human dose derived from converting the rat doses of 100 mg/kg and below may be considered as safe for further clinical studies.
  3. Murugan DD, Balan D, Wong PF
    Phytother Res, 2021 Nov;35(11):5936-5960.
    PMID: 34219306 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.7205
    Obesity is one of the most serious public health problems in both developed and developing countries in recent years. While lifestyle and diet modifications are the most important management strategies of obesity, these may be insufficient to ensure long-term weight reduction in certain individuals and alternative strategies including pharmacotherapy need to be considered. However, drugs option remains limited due to low efficacy and adverse effects associated with their use. Hence, identification of safe and effective alternative therapeutic agents remains warranted to combat obesity. In recent years, bioactive phytochemicals are considered as valuable sources for the discovery of new pharmacological agents for the treatment of obesity. Adipocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia increases with obesity and undergo molecular and cellular alterations that can affect systemic metabolism giving rise to metabolic syndrome and comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Many phytochemicals have been reported to target adipocytes by inhibiting adipogenesis, inducing lipolysis, suppressing the differentiation of preadipocytes to mature adipocytes, reducing energy intake, and boosting energy expenditure mainly in vitro and in animal studies. Nevertheless, further high-quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of these phytochemicals. This review outlines common pathways involved in adipogenesis and phytochemicals targeting effector molecules of these pathways, the challenges faced and the way forward for the development of phytochemicals as antiobesity agents.
  4. Balan D, Chan KL, Murugan D, AbuBakar S, Wong PF
    Phytother Res, 2018 Jul;32(7):1332-1345.
    PMID: 29520860 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.6065
    Bioactive compounds of Eurycoma longifolia (EL) jack were previously shown to reduce omentum fat mass and oestradiol-induced fatty uterine adhesion in rats. However, the exact role of EL on adipogenesis remains unknown. This study sought to investigate the effects of an EL standardized quassinoids-enriched fraction (SQEL) and the pure compound, eurycomanone, on adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cells. 3T3-L1 cells were induced to differentiate and treated for 8 days. The treatment reduced intracellular accumulation of lipid droplets and triglycerides in the differentiating adipocytes and induced lipolysis in matured adipocytes. The expressions of adipogenic transcription factors and markers were also significantly downregulated during the early stage of differentiation. Furthermore, SQEL also suppressed body weight gain, decreased epididymal and perirenal fat pad mass and size, and reduced the accumulation of fat in the livers of C57BL/6J mice fed with normal or high-fat diet that were concurrently given 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg (i.p) of SQEL for 12 weeks. SQEL also improved glucose intolerance and decreased the elevated total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in these mice groups. These findings suggest that SQEL could be explored as an alternative pharmacologic agent inhibiting adipogenesis for the prevention of obesity.
  5. Din WM, Jin KT, Ramli R, Khaithir TM, Wiart C
    Phytother Res, 2013 Sep;27(9):1313-20.
    PMID: 23109276 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.4876
    The present study served to gain further insight into the bactericidal effects of ellagitannins from Acalypha wilkesiana var. macafeana hort. against pathogenic bacteria. Ellagitannins from the aerial parts of A. wilkesiana var. macafeana hort. (EAW) inhibited the growth of Bacillus cereus (ATCC 11778), Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 11632) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clinical strain with inhibition zones equal to 11.01 ± 1.53 mm, 16.63 ± 0.11 mm, 11.40 ± 1.10 mm and 8.22 ± 0.19 mm, respectively. The minimal inhibition concentration and the minimal bactericidal concentration of ellagitannins from A. wilkesiana var. macafeana hort. (EAW) against MRSA were 750 µg/mL and 3000 µg/mL, respectively. We then examined the synergistic effect of EAW with three antibiotics, i.e. ampicillin, streptomycin and tetracycline, via the checkerboard assay and time-kill assay and observed that EAW is synergistic with ampicillin against S. aureus (ATCC 11632). Environmental electron scanning microscopy analysis showed cell lysis against S. aureus (ATCC 11632) upon treatment with the ellagitannin fraction. The ellagitannin fraction from A. wilkesiana var. macafeana hort. is bactericidal against gram-positive bacteria tested and works synergistically with ampicillin against S. aureus. Morphology analysis of the cell suggests that the bactericidal property of the ellagitannin fraction mechanism involves lysis of the cell wall. In summary, our studies demonstrate that A. wilkesiana var. macafeana hort. produces bactericidal ellagitannins of clinical and/or cosmetological value.
  6. Elkafrawy N, Younes K, Naguib A, Badr H, Kamal Zewain S, Kamel M, et al.
    Phytother Res, 2020 Dec;34(12):3379-3387.
    PMID: 32725873 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.6792
    Hypertension is a public health concern that needs immediate attention upon diagnosis. The demand for natural alternatives is on the rise; Hibiscus sabdariffa and Olea europaea are traditionally used for hypertension management in Egypt. In this study, we aimed to investigate the antihypertensive efficacy and safety of two doses of an herbal product of Hibiscus sabdariffa calyxes and Olea europaea leaves (NW Roselle) in Egyptian patients with grade 1 essential hypertension. We equally randomized 134 patients to receive captopril 25 mg, low-dose NW Roselle, or high-dose NW Roselle BID for 8 weeks. No significant decrease was found in systolic blood pressure or diastolic blood pressure when we compared low-dose NW Roselle and high-dose NW Roselle to captopril (p > .05). In all groups, mean reduction in BP at 8 weeks was significant; 16.4/9.9 mmHg (p
  7. Wiart C, Hannah NA, Yassim M, Hamimah H, Sulaiman M
    Phytother Res, 2004 Sep;18(9):783-4.
    PMID: 15478188
    The ethanol extract of leaves of Piper porphyrophyllum N.E. Br. showed a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity. The activity was increased on fractionation (hexane, dichloromethane and aqueous), particularly in the aqueous fraction. No activity was shown against tested Candida albicans.
  8. Ramasamy K, Lim SM, Abu Bakar H, Ismail N, Ismail MS, Ali MF, et al.
    Phytother Res, 2010 May;24(5):640-3.
    PMID: 19468989 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.2891
    Endophytes, which are receiving increasing attention, have been found to be potential sources of bioactive metabolites following the discovery of paclitaxel producing endophytic fungi. In the present study, a total of 348 endophytes were isolated from different parts of 24 Malaysian medicinal plants. Three selected endophytes (HAB10R12, HAB11R3 and HAB21F25) were investigated for their antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities. For antimicrobial activity, HAB10R12 and HAB11R3 were found to be most active against bacteria and fungi, respectively. Their antimicrobial effects were comparable to, if not better than, a number of current commercial antibacterial and antifungal agents. Both HAB10R12 and HAB21F25 were found to be potential anticancer drug candidates, having potent activity against MCF-7 and HCT116 cell lines and warrant further investigation.
  9. Chung LY
    Phytother Res, 2008 Apr;22(4):493-9.
    PMID: 18338748 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.2350
    A standardized mixture of Chinese herbs, Zemaphyte taken orally as a daily decoction has been shown to be effective in the treatment of atopic eczema. This study showed that Zemaphyte is an efficient antioxidant, being capable of scavenging both superoxide and hydroxyl, and preventing peroxidation of biological membranes. It does not degrade hydrogen peroxide directly, but instead most likely forms a Zemaphyte-hydrogen peroxide complex. The complexed hydrogen peroxide can then be degraded in the presence of catalase to form oxygen and water. It is conceivable that Zemaphyte may contribute to the down-regulation of the activities of cells implicated in atopic eczema through its antioxidant activities.
  10. Jantan I, Raweh SM, Yasin YH, Murad S
    Phytother Res, 2006 Jun;20(6):493-6.
    PMID: 16619347
    Six aporphine and one phenanthrenoid alkaloids isolated from Aromadendron elegans Blume were investigated for their ability to inhibit arachidonic acid (AA), collagen and ADP induced platelet aggregation in human whole blood. The antiplatelet activity of the compounds was measured in vitro by the Chrono Log whole blood aggregometer using an electrical impedance method. Of the compounds tested, (-)-N-acetylnornuciferine, (-)-N-acetylanonaine and 1-(N-acetyl-N-methylamino)ethyl-3,4,6-trimethoxy-7-hydroxyphenanthrene showed strong inhibition on platelet aggregation caused by all three inducers. (-)-N-acetylanonaine was the most effective antiplatelet compound as it inhibited both arachidonic acid, collagen and ADP-induced platelet aggregation with IC(50) values of 66.1, 95.1 and 80.6 microm, respectively.
  11. Jantan I, Arshad L, Septama AW, Haque MA, Mohamed-Hussein ZA, Govender NT
    Phytother Res, 2023 Mar;37(3):1036-1056.
    PMID: 36343627 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.7671
    The worldwide spreading of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has posed a serious threat to health, economic, environmental, and social aspects of human lives. Currently, there are no approved treatments that can effectively block the virus although several existing antimalarial and antiviral agents have been repurposed and allowed use during the pandemic under the emergency use authorization (EUA) status. This review gives an updated overview of the antiviral effects of phytochemicals including alkaloids, flavonoids, and terpenoids against the COVID-19 virus and their mechanisms of action. Search for natural lead molecules against SARS-CoV-2 has been focusing on virtual screening and in vitro studies on phytochemicals that have shown great promise against other coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV. Until now, there is limited data on in vivo investigations to examine the antiviral activity of plants in SARS-CoV-2-infected animal models and the studies were performed using crude extracts. Further experimental and preclinical investigations on the in vivo effects of phytochemicals have to be performed to provide sufficient efficacy and safety data before clinical studies can be performed to develop them into COVID-19 drugs. Phytochemicals are potential sources of new chemical leads for the development of safe and potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents.
  12. Wiart C, Kumar K, Yusof MY, Hamimah H, Fauzi ZM, Sulaiman M
    Phytother Res, 2005 Dec;19(12):1069-70.
    PMID: 16372376
    Andrographolide, neoandrographolide and 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide, ent-labdene diterpenes isolated from Andrographis paniculata showed viricidal activity against herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). None of these compounds exhibited significant cytotoxicity at viricidal concentrations.
  13. Fong LY, Ng CT, Zakaria ZA, Baharuldin MT, Arifah AK, Hakim MN, et al.
    Phytother Res, 2015 Oct;29(10):1501-8.
    PMID: 26171791 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.5404
    The increase in endothelial permeability often promotes edema formation in various pathological conditions. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a pro-atherogenic cytokine, impairs endothelial barrier function and causes endothelial dysfunction in early stage of atherosclerosis. Asiaticoside, one of the triterpenoids derived from Centella asiatica, is known to possess antiinflammatory activity. In order to examine the role of asiaticoside in preserving the endothelial barrier, we assessed its effects on endothelial hyperpermeability and disruption of actin filaments evoked by TNF-α in human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC). TNF-α caused an increase in endothelial permeability to fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran. Asiaticoside pretreatment significantly suppressed TNF-α-induced increased permeability. Asiaticoside also prevented TNF-α-induced actin redistribution by suppressing stress fiber formation. However, the increased F to G actin ratio stimulated by TNF-α was not changed by asiaticoside. Cytochalasin D, an actin depolymerizing agent, was used to correlate the anti-hyperpermeability effect of asiaticoside with actin cytoskeleton. Surprisingly, asiaticoside failed to prevent cytochalasin D-induced increased permeability. These results suggest that asiaticoside protects against the disruption of endothelial barrier and actin rearrangement triggered by TNF-α without a significant change in total actin pool. However, asiaticoside seems to work by other mechanisms to maintain the integrity of endothelial barrier rather than stabilizing the F-actin organization.
  14. Basar N, Oridupa OA, Ritchie KJ, Nahar L, Osman NM, Stafford A, et al.
    Phytother Res, 2015 Jun;29(6):944-8.
    PMID: 25779384 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.5329
    Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (Fabaceae), commonly known as 'liquorice', is a well-known medicinal plant. Roots of this plant have long been used as a sweetening and flavouring agent in food and pharmaceutical products, and also as a traditional remedy for cough, upper and lower respiratory ailments, kidney stones, hepatitis C, skin disorder, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, gastrointestinal ulcers and stomach ache. Previous pharmacological and clinical studies have revealed its antitussive, antiinflammatory, antiviral, antimicrobial, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective and cardioprotective properties. While glycyrrhizin, a sweet-tasting triterpene saponin, is the principal bioactive compound, several bioactive flavonoids and isoflavonoids are also present in the roots of this plant. In the present study, the cytotoxicity of the methanol extracts of nine samples of the roots of G. glabra, collected from various geographical origins, was assessed against immortal human keratinocyte (HaCaT), lung adenocarcinoma (A549) and liver carcinoma (HepG2) cell lines using the in vitro 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazoliumbromide cell toxicity/viability assay. Considerable variations in levels of cytotoxicity were observed among various samples of G. glabra.
  15. Sahib NG, Anwar F, Gilani AH, Hamid AA, Saari N, Alkharfy KM
    Phytother Res, 2013 Oct;27(10):1439-56.
    PMID: 23281145 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.4897
    Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), a herbal plant, belonging to the family Apiceae, is valued for its culinary and medicinal uses. All parts of this herb are in use as flavoring agent and/or as traditional remedies for the treatment of different disorders in the folk medicine systems of different civilizations. The plant is a potential source of lipids (rich in petroselinic acid) and an essential oil (high in linalool) isolated from the seeds and the aerial parts. Due to the presence of a multitude of bioactives, a wide array of pharmacological activities have been ascribed to different parts of this herb, which include anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anxiolytic, anti-epileptic, anti-depressant, anti-mutagenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-dyslipidemic, anti-hypertensive, neuro-protective and diuretic. Interestingly, coriander also possessed lead-detoxifying potential. This review focuses on the medicinal uses, detailed phytochemistry, and the biological activities of this valuable herb to explore its potential uses as a functional food for the nutraceutical industry.
  16. Srivastava S, Dashora K, Ameta KL, Singh NP, El-Enshasy HA, Pagano MC, et al.
    Phytother Res, 2021 Jan;35(1):256-277.
    PMID: 32940412 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.6823
    There has been a spurt in the spread of microbial resistance to antibiotics due to indiscriminate use of antimicrobial agents in human medicine, agriculture, and animal husbandry. It has been realized that conventional antibiotic therapy would be less effective in the coming decades and more emphasis should be given for the development of novel antiinfective therapies. Cysteine rich peptides (CRPs) are broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents that modulate the innate immune system of different life forms such as bacteria, protozoans, fungi, plants, insects, and animals. These are also expressed in several plant tissues in response to invasion by pathogens, and play a crucial role in the regulation of plant growth and development. The present work explores the importance of CRPs as potent antimicrobial agents, which can supplement and/or replace the conventional antibiotics. Different plant parts of diverse plant species showed the presence of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which had significant structural and functional diversity. The plant-derived AMPs exhibited potent activity toward a range of plant and animal pathogens, protozoans, insects, and even against cancer cells. The cysteine-rich AMPs have opened new avenues for the use of plants as biofactories for the production of antimicrobials and can be considered as promising antimicrobial drugs in biotherapeutics.
  17. Choo CY, Chan KL, Takeya K, Itokawa H
    Phytother Res, 2001 May;15(3):260-2.
    PMID: 11351365
    The plant Typhonium flagelliforme (Araceae), commonly known as the 'rodent tuber', is often included as an essential ingredient in various herbal remedies recommended for cancer therapies in Malaysia. Various extracts prepared from either the roots, tubers, stems or leaves were tested for cytotoxic activity on murine P388 leukaemia cells using the MTT assay method. Both the chloroform (IC50 = 6.0 microg/mL) and hexane (IC50 = 15.0 microg/mL) extract from the 'roots and tubers' exhibited weak cytotoxic activity. The hexane extract (IC50 = 65.0 microg/mL) from the 'stems and leaves' exhibited weaker cytotoxic activity than the chloroform extract (IC50 = 8.0 microg/mL). Although the juice extract from the 'roots and tubers' is frequently consumed for cancer treatment, it exhibited poor cytotoxic activity. Further analysis using an amino acid analyser revealed that the juice extract contained a high concentration of arginine (0.874%). A high tryptophan content (0.800%) was confirmed by NMR and HPLC analysis.
  18. Nurhanan MY, Azimahtol Hawariah LP, Mohd Ilham A, Mohd Shukri MA
    Phytother Res, 2005 Nov;19(11):994-6.
    PMID: 16317660 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.1759
    The methanol, n-butanol, chloroform and water extracts obtained from the root of Eurycoma longifolia Jack were assayed using methylene blue assay to evaluate its cytotoxic effect against KB, DU-145, RD, MCF-7, CaOV-3, MDBK cell lines. The results showed that all the root extracts except the water extract of E. longifolia produced significant cytotoxic effect on these cell lines. However, no significant cytotoxic effect was detected on MDBK (kidney) normal cell line. 9-methoxycanthin-6-one, an alkaloid, was detected in each extract with different intensities by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography.
  19. Mai CW, Kang YB, Nadarajah VD, Hamzah AS, Pichika MR
    Phytother Res, 2018 Jun;32(6):1108-1118.
    PMID: 29464796 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.6051
    In this study, a series of 20 structurally similar vanilloids (Vn) were tested for their antiproliferative effects against 12 human cancer cells: human breast (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231), cervical (HeLa), ovarian (Caov-3), lung (A549), liver (HepG2), colorectal (HT-29 and HCT116), nasopharyngeal (CNE-1 and HK-1), and leukemic (K562 and CEM-SS) cancer cells. Among all the tested vanilloids, Vn16 (6-shogaol) exhibited the most potent cytotoxic effects against human colorectal cancer cells (HT-29). The apoptotic induction effects exhibited by Vn16 on HT-29 cells were confirmed using dual staining fluorescence microscopy and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The effects of Vn16 on regulation of 43 apoptotic-related markers were determined in HT-29. The results suggested that 8 apoptotic markers (caspase 8, BAD, BAX, second mitochondrial-derived activator, caspase 3, survivin, bcl-2, and cIAP-2) were either upregulated or downregulated. These results further support the chemopreventive properties of foods that contain vanilloids.
  20. Tan CX, Chong GH, Hamzah H, Ghazali HM
    Phytother Res, 2018 Nov;32(11):2264-2274.
    PMID: 30051518 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.6164
    Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for the initiation and development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis. The present study evaluated the hypocholesterolemic effect of virgin avocado oil (VAO) using urinary metabolomic method. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed high-cholesterol diet for four weeks to induce hypercholesterolemia. After confirming the establishment of hypercholesterolemia model, the VAO (450 and 900 mg·kg-1 ·day-1 ) and simvastatin (10 mg·kg-1 ·day-1 ) were given orally while maintaining the high-cholesterol diet for another four weeks. Assessment of urinary metabolomics using NMR revealed that VAO treatment could partially recover the metabolism dysfunction induced by hypercholesterolemia mainly via lipid, energy, amino acid, and gut microbiota metabolism.
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