Displaying publications 41 - 60 of 147 in total

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  1. Jin NZ, Gopinath SCB
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2016 Dec;84:356-365.
    PMID: 27668535 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2016.09.057
    Hemostasis initiates a wound healing process and stops bleeding of blood within a damaged tissue, an important process in human and animal systems. However, this process needs to revert temporarily during surgery and analyze the clotting mechanism. In the past decade, heparin has been used widely as an anticoagulant in surgery to prevent unwanted blood clotting as it is not expensive, not difficult to control, lack of suitable replacement as well as less harmful to the human. However, heparin has several disadvantages, which include thrombocytopenia and non-specific plasma binding. Moreover, using heparin it may lead dysfunction and platelet aggregation. In this overview, potential clotting factors and anticoagulants are reviewed and special focus was given to get more insights.
  2. Venugopalan SK, T S S, V N, S M M, S R
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2016 Oct;83:1485-1492.
    PMID: 27619103 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2016.08.068
    Thymus mitochondria play a crucial role in immune function. This study identifies the novel protective role of N-Acetylglucosamine (NAG) in dexamethasone (DEX) induced mitochondrial perturbations in mice thymus. Mice were induced with DEX (5mg/kg) and treated with NAG i.p. (266μg/kg, 400μg/kg and 800μg/kg) for 14 days, Withanolide A (800μg/kg) has been used as positive control. Dose dependent treatment of NAG against DEX significantly restored the mitochondrial enzyme levels (ICDH, KDH, SDH and MDH) and elevated the mitochondrial glutathione antioxidants defense (GSH, SOD, GPX and GST) thus improving the ATP status which was confirmed by ultrastructural alterations in mitochondria and nucleus using TEM studies. Further histopathological studies also revealed that NAG attenuate DEX induced thymotoxicity. Finally, the study concludes that dose dependent treatment of NAG supports a potential role in preventing DEX induced thymotoxicity and NAG acts as a beneficial pharmacological intervention in the DEX induced thymic repercussions.
  3. Shahzad N, Khan W, Md S, Ali A, Saluja SS, Sharma S, et al.
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2017 Apr;88:786-794.
    PMID: 28157655 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.01.068
    Phytosterols are naturally occurring compounds in plants, structurally similar to cholesterol. The human diet is quite abundant in sitosterol and campesterol. Phytosterols are known to have various bioactive properties including reducing intestinal cholesterol absorption which alleviates blood LDL-cholesterol and cardiovascular problems. It is indicated that phytosterol rich diets may reduce cancer risk by 20%. Phytosterols may also affect host systems, enabling antitumor responses by improving immune response recognition of cancer, affecting the hormone dependent endocrine tumor growth, and by sterol biosynthesis modulation. Moreover, phytosterols have also exhibited properties that directly inhibit tumor growth, including reduced cell cycle progression, apoptosis induction, and tumor metastasis inhibition. The objective of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on occurrences, chemistry, pharmacokinetics and potential anticancer properties of phytosterols in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, anticancer effects of phytosterols have strongly been suggested and support their dietary inclusion to prevent and treat cancers.
  4. Vijayarathna S, Chen Y, Kanwar JR, Sasidharan S
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2017 Jul;91:366-377.
    PMID: 28463800 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.04.112
    Over the years a number of microscopy methods have been developed to assess the changes in cells. Some non-invasive techniques such as holographic digital microscopy (HDM), which although does not destroy the cells, but helps to monitor the events that leads to initiation of apoptotic cell death. In this study, the apoptogenic property and the cytotoxic effect of P. longifolia leaf methanolic extract (PLME) against the human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa) was studied using light microscope (LM), holographic digital microscopy (HDM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The average IC50 value of PLME against HeLa cells obtained by MTT and CyQuant assay was 22.00μg/mL at 24h. However, noncancerous Vero cells tested with PLME exhibited no cytotoxicity with the IC50 value of 51.07μg/mL at 24h by using MTT assay. Cytological observations showed nuclear condensation, cell shrinkage, multinucleation, abnormalities of mitochondrial cristae, membrane blebbing, disappearance of microvilli and filopodia, narrowing of lamellipodia, holes, formation of numerous smaller vacuoles, cytoplasmic extrusions and formation of apoptotic bodies as confirmed collectively by HDM, LM, SEM and TEM. In conclusion, PLME was able to produce distinctive morphological features of HeLa cell death that corresponds to apoptosis.
  5. Leong XY, Thanikachalam PV, Pandey M, Ramamurthy S
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2016 Dec;84:1051-1060.
    PMID: 27780133 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2016.10.044
    BACKGROUND: Swertiamarin, is a secoiridoid glycoside found in genera of Enicostemma Species (Enicostemma littorale and Enicostemma axillare) belonging to the family of gentianaceae, which has been reported to cure many diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis, arthritis, malaria and abdominal ulcers. However, to the best of our knowledge, till date systematic studies to understand the molecular basis of cardiac and metabolic disease preventing properties of swertiamarin has not been reported.

    AIM OF THE REVIEW: The present review aims to compile an up-to-date information on the progress made in the protective role of swertiamarin in cardiac and metabolic diseases with the objective of providing a guide for future research on this bioactive molecule.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Information on the swertiamarin was collected from major scientific databases (Pubmed, Springer, google scholar, and Web of Science) for publication between1974-2016. In this review, the protective role of swertiamarin on cardiac and metabolic diseases was discussed.

    RESULTS: Swertiamarin reported to exhibit a wide range of biological activities such as anti-atherosclerotic, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. These activities were mainly due to its effect on various signaling pathways associated with cardiac remodeling events such as inhibition of NF-kB expression, LDL oxidation, apoptosis, inflammatory and lipid peroxidation markers and stimulation of antioxidant enzymes.

    CONCLUSION: Sweriamarin exhibit a wide range of biological activities. This review presents evidence supporting the point of view that swertiamarin should be considered a potential therapeutic agent against cardiac and metabolic diseases, giving rise to novel applications in their prevention and treatment.

  6. Khazaei S, Ramachandran V, Abdul Hamid R, Mohd Esa N, Etemad A, Moradipoor S, et al.
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2017 May;89:1216-1226.
    PMID: 28320088 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.02.082
    Cervical cancer accounts for the second most frequent cancer and also third leading cause of cancer mortality (15%) among women worldwide. The major problems of chemotherapeutic treatment in cervical cancer are non-specific cytotoxicity and drug resistance. Plant-derived products, known as natural therapies, have been used for thousands of years in cancer treatment with a very low number of side effects. Allium atroviolaceum is a species in the genus Allium and Liliaceae family, which could prove to have beneficial effects on cancer treatment, although there is a lack of corresponding attention. The methanolic extract from the A.atroviolaceum flower displayed marked anticancer activity on HeLa human cervix carcinoma cells with much lower cytotoxic effects on normal cells (3T3). The A.atroviolaceum extract induced apoptosis, confirmed by cell cycle arrest at the sub-G0 (apoptosis) phase, characteristic morphological changes, evident DNA fragmentation, observed by fluorescent microscope, and early and late apoptosis detection by Annexin V. Furthermore, down-regulation of Bcl-2 and activation of caspase-9 and -3 strongly indicated that the mitochondrial pathway was involved in the apoptosis signal pathway. Moreover, combination of A.atroviolaceum extract with doxorubicin revealed a significant reduction of IC50and led to a synergistic effect. In summary, A.atroviolaceum displayed a significant anti-tumour effect through apoptosis induction in HeLa cells, suggesting that the A.atroviolaceum flower might have therapeutic potential against cervix carcinoma.
  7. Zin SRM, Kassim NM, Alshawsh MA, Hashim NE, Mohamed Z
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2017 Jul;91:611-620.
    PMID: 28486192 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.05.011
    Anastatica hierochuntica L. (A. hierochuntica) is a desert plant consumed by people across the globe to treat various medical conditions. This review is aimed at providing a summary of the scientific findings on biological activities of A. hierochuntica and suggests areas in which further research is needed. This systematic review was synthesized from the literature obtained from the following databases; PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Ovid Medline, Scopus, Google Scholar and WorldCat. Previous studies have indicated that the methanolic and aqueous extracts of this plant have antioxidant, antifungal and antimicrobial activities. It was shown to have the ability to activate phagocytes and to possess microbicidal activity, thereby causing increased resistance to infection. Both methanolic and aqueous extracts of this plant were also demonstrated to have a hypoglycaemic property, whilst the methanolic extract significantly exhibited hypolipidaemic effects in diabetic rats. Moreover, the methanolic extract of A. hierochuntica has been suggested to have hepatoprotective properties. This is supported by its ability to significantly decrease transaminase and alkaline phosphatase activities in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Besides, this desert plant exhibited anti-inflammatory, anti-melanogenic and gastroprotective activities. Even though A. hierochuntica is widely used, studies on this plant are still scarce, thus its reputed biological activities and medical benefits require critical evaluation. Before A. hierochuntica can be used clinically, further studies need to be conducted to increase our understanding of the effects of this plant, its constituents, and possible mechanisms of action.
  8. Chiroma SM, Mohd Moklas MA, Mat Taib CN, Baharuldin MTH, Amon Z
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2018 Jul;103:1602-1608.
    PMID: 29864948 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.04.152
    Cognitive impairments and cholinergic dysfunctions have been well reported in old age disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD). d-galactose (D-gal) has been reported as a senescence agent while aluminium act as a neurotoxic metal, but little is known about their combined effects at different doses. The aim of this study was to establish an animal model with cognitive impairments by comparing the effects of different doses of co-administrated D-gal and aluminium chloride (AlCl3). In this study male albino wistar rats were administered with D-gal 60 mg/kg.bwt intra peritoneally (I.P) injected and AlCl3 (100, 200, or 300 mg/kg.bwt.) was orally administered once daily for 10 consecutive weeks. Performance of the rats were evaluated through behavioural assessments; Morris water maze (MWM) and open field tests (OFT); histopathological examination was performed on the hippocampus; moreover biochemical measurements of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and hyperphosphorylated tau protein (p-tau) were examined. The results of this experiment on rats treated with D-gal 60 + AlCl3 200 mg/kg.bwt showed near ideal cognitive impairments. The rats exhibited an obvious memory and learning deficits, marked neuronal loss in hippocampus, showed increase in AChE activities and high expression of p-tau within the tissues of the brain. This study concludes that D-gal 60 + AlCl3 200 mg/kg.bwt as the ideal dose for mimicking AD like cognitive impairments in albino wistar rats. It is also crucial to understand the pathogenesis of this neurodegenerative disease and for drug discovery.
  9. Cheng WK, Oon CE
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2018 Jul;103:1246-1252.
    PMID: 29864905 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.04.119
    Glycosylation is an enzymatic process in which a carbohydrate is attached to a functional group from another molecule. Glycosylation is a crucial post translational process in protein modification. The tumor microenvironment produces altered glycans that contribute to cancer progression and aggressiveness. Abnormal glycosylation is widely observed in tumor angiogenesis. Despite many attempts to decipher the role of glycosylation in different aspects of cancer, little is known regarding the roles of glycans in angiogenesis. The blood vessels in tumors are often used to transport oxygen and nutrients for tumor progression and metastasis. The crosstalk within the tumor microenvironment can induce angiogenesis by manipulating these glycans to hijack the normal angiogenesis process, thus promoting tumor growth. Abnormal glycosylation has been shown to promote tumor angiogenesis by degrading the extracellular matrix to activate the angiogenic signaling pathways. This review highlights the latest update on how glycosylation can contribute to tumor angiogenesis that may affect treatment outcomes.
  10. Tan KX, Lau SY, Danquah MK
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2018 May;101:996-1002.
    PMID: 29635910 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.03.052
    Targeted drug delivery is a promising strategy to promote effective delivery of conventional and emerging pharmaceuticals. The emergence of aptamers as superior targeting ligands to direct active drug molecules specifically to desired malignant cells has created new opportunities to enhance disease therapies. The application of biodegradable polymers as delivery carriers to develop aptamer-navigated drug delivery system is a promising approach to effectively deliver desired drug dosages to target cells. This study reports the development of a layer-by-layer aptamer-mediated drug delivery system (DPAP) via a w/o/w double emulsion technique homogenized by ultrasonication or magnetic stirring. Experimental results showed no significant differences in the biophysical characteristics of DPAP nanoparticles generated using the two homogenization techniques. The DPAP formulation demonstrated a strong targeting performance and selectivity towards its target receptor molecules in the presence of non-targets. The DPAP formulation demonstrated a controlled and sustained drug release profile under the conditions of pH 7 and temperature 37 °C. Also, the drug release rate of DPAP formulation was successfully accelerated under an endosomal acidic condition of ∼pH 5.5, indicating the potential to enhance drug delivery within the endosomal micro-environment. The findings from this work are useful to understanding polymer-aptamer-drug relationship and their impact on developing effective targeted delivery systems.
  11. Hasan MM, Ahmed QU, Mat Soad SZ, Tunna TS
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2018 May;101:833-841.
    PMID: 29635892 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.02.137
    Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease which has high prevalence. The deficiency in insulin production or impaired insulin function is the underlying cause of this disease. Utilization of plant sources as a cure of diabetes has rich evidence in the history. Recently, the traditional medicinal plants have been investigated scientifically to understand the underlying mechanism behind antidiabetic potential. In this regard, a substantial number of in vivo and in vitro models have been introduced for investigating the bottom-line mechanism of the antidiabetic effect. A good number of methods have been reported to be used successfully to determine antidiabetic effects of plant extracts or isolated compounds. This review encompasses all the possible methods with a list of medicinal plants which may contribute to discovering a novel drug to treat diabetes more efficaciously with the minimum or no side effects.
  12. Ahmad Hidayat AF, Chan CK, Mohamad J, Abdul Kadir H
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2018 Aug;104:806-816.
    PMID: 29860114 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.05.073
    Dioscorea bulbifera, also known as air potato, has been cultivated as food crop mainly in tropical countries in Asia and Australia. The tubers are edible and have often been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurvedic medicine to treat cancer, diabetes, thyroid disease, and inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of D. bulbifera on HCT116 human colorectal carcinoma cells and to unravel the plausible mechanisms underlying its apoptotic effects. The ethanol crude and fractions (hexane, ethyl acetate and water) of D. bulbifera were subjected to cell viability MTT assay against various cancer cell lines. The lowest IC50 of the extract and fractions on selected cancer cells were selected for further apoptosis assay and western blot analysis. HCT116 cancer cells were treated with D. bulbifera and stained with Annexin/PI or Hoechst 33342/PI for preliminary confirmation of apoptosis. The dissipation of mitochondria membrane potential (MMP) was determined by flow cytometry. The protein expressions of apoptosis-related proteins such as Bcl-2 family, caspases, Fas, PARP, ERK1/2 and JNK were detected by western blot analysis. Moreover, the HCT116 cells were treated with UO126 and SP600125 inhibitors to verify the involvement of ERK1/2 and JNK protein expressions in inducing apoptotic cell death. Based on the result, D. bulbifera ethyl acetate fraction (DBEAF) exhibited the most compelling cytotoxicity on HCT116 cells with an IC50 of 37.91 ± 1.30 µg/mL. The induction of apoptosis was confirmed by phosphatidylserine externalization and chromatin condensation. Depolarization of MMP further conferred the induction of apoptosis was through the regulation of Bcl-2 family proteins. Activation of caspase cascades (caspase-3, -9, -8 and -10) was elicited followed by the observation of cleaved PARP accumulation in DBEAF-treated cells. Furthermore, death receptor, Fas was activated upon exposure to DBEAF. Collective apoptotic evidences suggested the involvement of intrinsic and extrinsic pathways by DBEAF in HCT116 cells. Interestingly, the attenuation of ERK1/2 phosphorylation accompanied by the activation of JNK was detected in DBEAF-treated cells. In conclusion, the findings revealed that DBEAF induced apoptosis through intrinsic and extrinsic pathways involving ERK1/2 and JNK.
  13. Mohamad NV, Soelaiman IN, Chin KY
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2018 Jul;103:453-462.
    PMID: 29674281 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.04.083
    INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis is a debilitating skeletal side effect of androgen deprivation therapy based on gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist in men. Tocotrienol from Bixa orellana (annatto) has been demonstrated to offer protection against osteoporosis by exerting anabolic effects on bone. Thus, it may prevent osteoporosis among GnRH agonist users.

    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of annatto-tocotrienol on the bone turnover markers and bone histomorphometry in a model of male osteoporosis induced by buserelin (a GnRH agonist).

    METHODS: Forty-six three-months-old male Sprague-Dawley rats (three months old; 300-350 g) were randomly divided into six groups. The baseline control group (n = 6) was sacrificed at the onset of the study. The normal control group (n = 8) received corn oil (the vehicle of tocotrienol) orally daily and normal saline (the vehicle of buserelin) subcutaneously daily. The buserelin control (n = 8) received corn oil orally daily and subcutaneous buserelin injection 75 μg/kg/day daily. The calcium control (n = 8) received 1% calcium in drinking water and subcutaneous buserelin injection 75 μg/kg/day. The remaining rats were treated with two different treatments, i.e., (1) oral annatto tocotrienol at 60 mg/kg/day plus subcutaneous buserelin injection 75 μg/kg/day (n = 8); (2) oral annatto tocotrienol at 100 mg/kg/day plus subcutaneous buserelin injection 75 μg/kg/day (n = 8). The rats were injected with calcein twice before being sacrificed to label the bones. The rats were euthanized, and their blood and right femur were harvested at the end of the treatment for bone turnover markers and bone histomorphometry examination.

    RESULTS: Both serum osteocalcin and C-telopeptide of type 1 collagen were not significantly different between treated groups and buserelin control (P > 0.05). The buserelin control group had a significantly lower bone volume and higher eroded surface compared with the normal control group (P 

  14. Chellappan DK, Leng KH, Jia LJ, Aziz NABA, Hoong WC, Qian YC, et al.
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2018 Jun;102:1127-1144.
    PMID: 29710531 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.03.061
    OBJECTIVE: The study aims to analyze the effectiveness of bevacizumab in addressing the complications associated with gynecological cancers and evaluates effective treatments for various gynecological cancers.

    METHODS: The study follows a systematic review approach that has been implemented to analyze the qualitative published data from previous studies. Studies related with the trials of angiogenesis and bevacizumab were selected in the review.

    RESULTS: In general, the management of gynecological cancers include chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. Results suggest bevacizumab as an effective treatment modality for cervical and several other cancers. Overall, bevacizumab showed promising results in improving the overall survival rate of gynecological cancer patients through the combination of bevacizumab with other chemotherapeutic agents.

    CONCLUSION: Bevacizumab possess less documented adverse effects when compared to other chemotherapeutic agents. The manifestation and severity of adverse effects reported varied according to the chemotherapeutic agent(s) that were used with bevacizumab in combination therapy. Overall, bevacizumab effectively improved the survival rate in patients with several gynaecological cancers.

  15. Alam J, Jantan I, Bukhari SNA
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2017 Aug;92:615-633.
    PMID: 28582758 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.05.055
    An autoimmune disease is defined as a clinical syndrome resulted from an instigation of both T cell and B cell or individually, in the absence of any present infection or any sort of distinguishable cause. Clonal deletion of auto reactive cells remains the central canon of immunology for decades, keeping the role of T cell and B cell aside, which are actually the guards to recognize the entry of foreign body. According to NIH, 23.5 million Americans are all together affected by these diseases. They are rare, but with the exception of RA. Rheumatoid arthritis is chronic and systemic autoimmune response to the multiple joints with unknown ethology, progressive disability, systemic complications, early death and high socioeconomic costs. Its ancient disease with an old history found in North American tribes since 1500 BCE, but its etiology is yet to be explored. Current conventional and biological therapies used for RA are not fulfilling the need of the patients but give only partial responses. There is a lack of consistent and liable biomarkers of prognosis therapeutic response, and toxicity. Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by hyperplasic synovium, production of cytokines, chemokines, autoantibodies like rheumatoid factor (RF) and anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA), osteoclastogensis, angiogenesis and systemic consequences like cardiovascular, pulmonary, psychological, and skeletal disorders. Cytokines, a diverse group of polypeptides, play critical role in the pathogenesis of RA. Their involvement in autoimmune diseases is a rapidly growing area of biological and clinical research. Among the proinflammatory cytokines, IL-1α/β and TNF-α trigger the intracellular molecular signalling pathway responsible for the pathogenesis of RA that leads to the activation of mesenchymal cell, recruitment of innate and adaptive immune system cells, activation of synoviocytes which in term activates various mediators including tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8), resulting in inflamed synovium, increase angiogenesis and decrease lymphangiogensis. Their current pharmacotherapy should focus on their three phases of progression i.e. prearthritis phase, transition phase and clinical phase. In this way we will be able to find a way to keep the balance between the pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines that is believe to be the dogma of pathogenesis of RA. For this we need to explore new agents, whether from synthetic or natural source to find the answers for unresolved etiology of autoimmune diseases and to provide a quality of life to the patients suffering from these diseases specifically RA.
  16. Paul S, Das S, Tanvir EM, Hossen MS, Saha M, Afroz R, et al.
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2017 Oct;94:256-264.
    PMID: 28763749 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.07.080
    Increases in the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) have aroused strong interest in identifying antioxidants from natural sources for use in preventive medicine. Citrus macroptera (C. macroptera), commonly known as "Satkara", is an important herbal and medicinal plant reputed for its antioxidant, nutritious and therapeutic uses. The aim of the present study was to investigate the cardio-protective effects of ethanol extracts of C. macroptera peel and pulp against isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial infarction (MI) in rats. Male albino Wistar rats (n=36) were pre-treated with peel and pulp extracts (500mg/kg) for 45days. They received a challenge with ISO (85mg/kg) on the 44th and 45th days. Our findings indicated that subcutaneous injection of ISO induced severe myocardial injuries associated with oxidative stress, as confirmed by elevated lipid peroxidation (LPO) and decreased cellular reduced glutathione (GSH) and anti-peroxidative enzymes, including glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glutathione-S-transferase, compared with levels observed in control animals. Pre-treatment with C. macroptera peel and pulp extracts prior to ISO administration however, significantly improved many of the investigated biochemical parameters, i.e., cardiac troponin I, cardiac marker enzymes, lipid profile and oxidative stress markers. The fruit peel extract showed stronger cardio-protective effects than the pulp extract. The biochemical findings were further confirmed by histopathological examinations. Overall, the increased endogenous antioxidant enzyme activity against heightened oxidative stress in the myocardium is strongly suggestive of the cardio-protective potential of C. macroptera.
  17. Gnanaraj C, Shah MD, Song TT, Iqbal M
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2017 Aug;92:1010-1022.
    PMID: 28609838 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.06.014
    Plants have been consumed in medicinal practices for centuries. Lygodium microphyllum (Cav.) R.Br. (Lygodiaceae), also known as Old World Climbing Fern, is a medicinal plant used by local communities in Sabah for skin and dysentery ailments. This study aims to test aqueous extract of L. microphyllum leaves for hepatoprotective and immunosuppressive activity in rats. Animal studies were carried out to evaluate hepatoprotection of aqueous extract of L. microphyllum at different doses (200, 400 and 600mg/kg b.w.) against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-mediated liver injury and histopathological alterations. Total phenolic content in aqueous extract of L. microphyllum leaves was 206.38±9.62mg gallic acid equivalent/g. The inhibitory concentration (IC50) for free radical scavenging activity of L. microphyllum was reached at a concentration of 65μg/ml.L. microphyllum was able to prevent the increase in levels of serum alanine aminotransferase, serum aspartate aminotransferase and hepatic malondialdehyde formation in a dose-dependent manner. Immunohistochemical results evidenced the suppression of oxidative stress markers (4-hydroxynonenal, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (Tumor Necrosis Factor-α, Interleukin-6, Prostaglandin E2). Histopathological and hepatocyte ultrastructural alterations showed protective effects by L. microphyllum against CCl4-mediated oxidative stress. Hepatoprotective mechanism of L. microphyllum can be attributed to its antioxidative effects through protection of ultrastructural organelles.
  18. Hussain Z, Thu HE, Shuid AN, Kesharwani P, Khan S, Hussain F
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2017 Sep;93:596-608.
    PMID: 28686974 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.06.087
    For many decades, natural herbal medicines, polyherbal formulations and/or decoctions of plant-derived materials have widely been accepted as alternative complementary therapies for the treatment, cure or prevention of a wide range of acute and chronic skin diseases including chronic herpes, prurigo, acute and chronic wounds, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis (AD). This review was aimed to summarize and critically discuss about the therapeutic viability and clinical applicability of natural herbal medicines for the treatment of AD in human. The critical analysis of the literature revealed that oral (in the form of capsules, syrup or granules) and/or topical application (alone or in conjunction with wet-wrap dressing and/or acupuncture) of natural herbal medicines exhibit remarkable potential for the treatment of mild-to-severe AD in adults, children, infants and in the pregnant women. In this review, the clinical efficacy of various herbal formulations such as Chinese herbal therapies, Korean medicines, Iranian medicines, honey, natural herbal oils (coconut oil, olive oil and mineral oil), beeswax, dodder seeds and whey for the treatment of AD has been discussed. The clinical anti-AD efficacy of these complementary therapies has been observed in terms of down-regulation in Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index, erythematic intensity, Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), pruritus and itching frequency, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and expression of AD-mediated chemokines. Conclusively, we recognized that natural herbal medicines demonstrate remarkable clinical efficacy when used alone or in conjunction with other complementary therapies for the treatment of AD in patients of all ages as well as pregnant women.
  19. Nna VU, Ujah GA, Mohamed M, Etim KB, Igba BO, Augustine ER, et al.
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2017 Oct;94:109-123.
    PMID: 28756368 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.07.087
    This study assessed the effect of quercetin (QE) on cadmium chloride (CdCl2) - induced testicular toxicity, as well as the effect of withdrawal of CdCl2 treatment on same. Thirty male Wistar rats aged 10 weeks old and weighing 270-300g were assigned into 5 groups and used for this study. Rats in groups 1-4 were administered vehicle, CdCl2 (5mg/kg bwt), CdCl2+QE (5mg/kg bwt and 20mg/kg bwt, respectively) or QE (20mg/kg bwt) orally for 4 weeks. Group 5 rats received CdCl2, with 4 weeks recovery period. Results showed that cadmium accumulated in serum, testis and epididymis, decreased body weight, testicular and epididymal weights, sperm count, motility and viability. Cadmium decreased serum concentrations of reproductive hormones, but increased testicular glucose, lactate and lactate dehydrogenase activity. Cadmium decreased testicular enzymatic (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase) and non-enzymatic (glutathione, vitamins C and E) antioxidants, and increased malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide. Cadmium down-regulated Bcl-2 protein, up-regulated Bax protein, increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and cleaved caspase-3 activity. Histopathology of the testis showed decreased Johnsen's score and Leydig cell count. These negative effects were attenuated by QE administration, while withdrawal of CdCl2 did not appreciably reverse toxicity. We conclude that QE better protected the testis from CdCl2 toxicity than withdrawal of CdCl2 administration.
  20. Prabhu S, Vijayakumar S, Manogar P, Maniam GP, Govindan N
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2017 Aug;92:528-535.
    PMID: 28575810 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.05.077
    Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), a type II nuclear receptor present in adipose tissue, colon and macrophages. It reduces the hyperglycemia associated metabolic syndromes. Particularly, type II diabetes-related cardiovascular system risk in human beings. The fatty acid storage and glucose metabolism are regulated by PPARγ activation in human body. According to recent reports commercially available PPARγ activating drugs have been causing severe side effects. At the same time, natural products have been proved to be a promising area of drug discovery. Recently, many studies have been attempted to screen and identify a potential drug candidate to activate PPARγ. Hence, in this study we have selected some of the bio-active molecules from traditional medicinal plants. Molecular docking studies have been carried out against the target, PPARγ. We Results suggested that Punigluconin has a efficient docking score and it is found to have good binding affinities than other ligands. Hence, we concluded that Punigluconin is a better drug candidate for activation of PPARγ gene expression. Further studies are necessary to confirm their efficacy and possibly it can develop as a potential drug in future.
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