METHODS: Thirty healthy adult male Wistar rats (150-180 g) were randomly divided into three groups which included control (C; n = 6), PA extract (PAE; n = 6) and Metabolic Syndrome (MetS; n = 18). Food and fluid were given ad libitum for 8 weeks. These groups differed in fluid intake whereby rats received tap water, 10% of PA leaf water extracts and 20% of fructose in drinking water in group C, PAE and MetS, respectively. After 8 weeks, the MetS group was further subdivided into three subgroups namely MetS1 (n = 6), MetS2 (n = 6) and MetS3 (n = 6). The C, PAE and MetS1 were sacrificed. MetS1 group was sacrificed as the control for metabolic syndrome. MetS2 and MetS3 groups were treated with only tap water and 10% of PA leaf water extract respectively for another 8 weeks. The parameters for physiological and metabolic changes such as obesity, hypertension, hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia, and inflammatory biomarkers (NFκβ p65, TNFα, leptin and adiponectin) were measured.
RESULTS: The intake of 20% of fructose in drinking water induced full blown of metabolic syndrome symptoms, including obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and hyperglycaemia in male Wistar rats. Subsequently, treatment with PA leaf water extract improved obesity parameters including BMI, abdominal adipose tissue deposition and adipocytes size, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein with neutral effects on inflammatory biomarkers.
CONCLUSIONS: Administration of PA in metabolic syndrome rat model attenuates most of the metabolic syndrome symptoms as well as improves obesity. Therefore, PA which is rich in total flavonoids and total phenolic acids can be suggested as a useful dietary supplement to improve metabolic syndrome components induces by fructose.
METHODS: A search was done in EBSCOHOST, OVID and SCOPUS database to obtain potentially relevant articles that were published between 1823 and August 2019. This review includes studies that focus on the effect of Nigella sativa and its bioactive compound on the events related to type 2 EMT.
RESULTS: A total of 1393 research articles were found to be potentially related to the effect of Nigella sativa and its bioactive compound, thymoquinone on Type 2 EMT. After screening was done, 22 research articles met inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Majority of the studies, reported better wound healing rate or significant prevention of tissue inflammation and organ fibrosis following Nigella sativa or thymoquinone treatments. In terms of wound healing, studies included reported progression of EMT related pathological changes after treatment with Nigella sativa or thymoquinone. Alternatively, in terms of fibrosis and inflammation, studies included reported reversal of pathological changes related to EMT after treatment with Nigella sativa or thymoquinone.
CONCLUSION: Through this review, Nigella sativa and thymoquinone have been associated with events in Type 2 EMT. They have been shown to promote wound healing, attenuate tissue inflammation, and prevent organ fibrosis via regulation of the EMT process.
METHODS: Aqueous extract of S. baicalensis was prepared by microwave energy steam evaporation method (MEGHE™), and the anti-dengue virus replication activity was evaluated using the foci forming unit reduction assay (FFURA) in Vero cells. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was used to determine the actual dengue virus RNA copy number. The presence of baicalein, a flavonoid known to inhibit dengue virus replication was determined by mass spectrometry.
RESULTS: The IC(50) values for the S. baicalensis extract on Vero cells following DENV adsorption ranged from 86.59 to 95.19 μg/mL for the different DENV serotypes. The IC(50) values decreased to 56.02 to 77.41 μg/mL when cells were treated with the extract at the time of virus adsorption for the different DENV serotypes. The extract showed potent direct virucidal activity against extracellular infectious virus particles with IC(50) that ranged from 74.33 to 95.83 μg/mL for all DENV serotypes. Weak prophylactic effects with IC(50) values that ranged from 269.9 to 369.8 μg/mL were noticed when the cells were pre-treated 2 hours prior to virus inoculation. The concentration of baicalein in the S. baicalensis extract was ~1% (1.03 μg/gm dried extract).
CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates the in vitro anti-dengue virus replication property of S. baicalensis against all the four DENV serotypes investigated. The extract reduced DENV infectivity and replication in Vero cells. The extract was rich in baicalein, and could be considered for potential development of anti-DENV therapeutics.
AIM: The study aimed to investigate the effect of P.s on atherosclerotic changes in hypercholesterolemic rabbits.
METHODS: Forty two male New Zealand white rabbits were divided into seven groups. C - control group fed normal rabbit chow, CH - cholesterol diet (1% cholesterol), W1 - 1% cholesterol with water extract of P.s (62.5 mg/kg), W2 - 1% cholesterol with water extract of P.s (125 mg/kg), W3 - 1% cholesterol with water extract of P.s (250 mg/kg), W4 - 1% cholesterol with water extract of P.s (500 mg/kg) and Smv - 1% cholesterol supplemented with simvistatin drug (1.2 mg/kg). All rabbits were treated for 10 weeks. Following 10 weeks of supplementation, the animals were sacrificed and the aortic tissue was taken for histological study.
RESULTS: Rabbits fed only with high cholesterol diet 1% cholesterol (CH) showed focal fatty streak lesions compared to the C group and 1% cholesterol supplemented with simvistatin drug (Smv) group. Atherosclerotic lesions in the 1% cholesterol group supplemented with P.s (500 mg/kg) i.e. W4 group showed significant reduction (30 + or - 6.0%, p < 0.05) in fatty streak compared to the high cholesterol group (85.6 + or - 4.1%) under Sudan IV stain. The atherosclerotic lesions under transmission electron microscope showed reduction in foam cells in the treatment groups compared to the CH groups.
CONCLUSION: Administration of P.s extract has protective effect against atheroscleros.
METHODS: Liquid-liquid partition chromatography was used to separate methanolic extract to get hexane, ethyl acetate, butanol and residual aqueous fractions. The total antioxidant activity was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazy (DPPH) radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP). The antidiabetic activity of methanol extract and its consequent fractions were examined by α-glucosidase inhibitory bioassay. The chemical profiling was carried out by gas chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC Q-TOF MS).
RESULTS: The total yield for methanol extraction was (12.63 ± 0.98) % (w/w) and highest fractionated value found for residual aqueous (52.25 ± 1.01) % (w/w) as compared to the other fractions. Significant DPPH free radical scavenging activity was found for methanolic extract (63.07 ± 0.11) % and (79.98 ± 0.31) % for ethyl acetate fraction among all the fractions evaluated. Methanol extract was the most prominent in case of FRAP (141.89 ± 0.87 μg AAE/g) whereas most effective reducing power observed in ethyl acetate fraction (133.6 ± 0.2987 μg AAE/g). The results also indicated a substantial α-glucosidase inhibitory activity for butanol fraction (72.16 ± 1.0) % and ethyl acetate fraction (70.76 ± 0.49) %. The statistical analysis revealed that total phenolic and total flavonoid content of the samples had the significant (p
METHOD: M. oleifera leaves, seeds and pods were extracted with 80% of ethanol. Individual compounds were isolated using a column chromatographic technique and elucidated based on the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESIMS) spectral data. The anti-allergic activity of the extracts, isolated compounds and ketotifen fumarate as a positive control was evaluated using rat basophilic leukaemia (RBL-2H3) cells for early and late phases of allergic reactions. The early phase was determined based on the inhibition of beta-hexosaminidase and histamine release; while the late phase was based on the inhibition of interleukin (IL-4) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α) release.
RESULTS: Two new compounds; ethyl-(E)-undec-6-enoate (1) and 3,5,6-trihydroxy-2-(2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxyphenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one (2) together with six known compounds; quercetin (3), kaempferol (4), β-sitosterol-3-O-glucoside (5), oleic acid (6), glucomoringin (7), 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzaldehyde (8) and stigmasterol (9) were isolated from M. oleifera extracts. All extracts and the isolated compounds inhibited mast cell degranulation by inhibiting beta-hexosaminidase and histamine release, as well as the release of IL-4 and TNF-α at varying levels compared with ketotifen fumarate.
CONCLUSION: The study suggested that M. oleifera and its isolated compounds potentially have an anti-allergic activity by inhibiting both early and late phases of allergic reactions.