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Oppositinines A and B: new vasorelaxant beta-carboline alkaloids from Neisosperma oppositifolia

Ahmad K, Thomas NF, Hadi AH, Mukhtar MR, Mohamad K, Nafiah MA, et al.

Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo), 2010 Aug;58(8):1085-7.
PMID: 20686264

A phytochemical study on the bark of Neisosperma oppositifolia (Apocynaceae) yielded two new beta-carboline indole alkaloids, oppositinines A (1) and B (2), together with five known alkaloids, isoreserpiline, isocarapanaubine, vobasine, 10-methoxydihydrocorynantheol-N-oxide, and ochropposinine oxindole. Structural elucidation of 1 and 2 was performed using 2D NMR methods. Oppositinines A (1) and B (2) showed potent vasorelaxant effects on the rat aorta.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal/chemistry
Fulltext In vitro antiplasmodial activity, macronutrients and trace metals in the medicinal plants: Phyllanthus spp. and Alpinia conchigera Griff

Haslinda MS, Aiyub Z, Bakar NK, Tohar N, Musa Y, Abdullah NR, et al.

Trop Biomed, 2015 Mar;32(1):129-39.
PMID: 25801263

An antiplasmodial screening of Phyllanthus debilis and Phyllanthus urinaria was carried out. The medicinal plants were extracted and evaluated for in vitro antiplasmodial activity against D10 (chloroquine-sensitive, CQS) and Gombak A (chloroquine-resistant, CQR) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. The methanolic crudes from the soxhlet extraction were active against both strains however, P. urinaria (IC50 8.9 μg/ml with CQR strain) exhibited better anti-malarial activity compared to P. debilis (IC50 12.2 μg/ml with CQR strain). Furthermore, the methanolic crude of P. urinaria obtained by the cold extraction has good anti-malarial activity towards CQS (IC50 4.1 μg/ml). The concentration of macronutrients (calcium and magnesium) and trace metals (copper, manganese, iron and zinc) from three Phyllanthus species i.e. P. debilis Klein ex Wild., Phyllanthus niruri L., P. urinaria L. and Alpinia conchigera Griff. were determined using microwave digestion method and analyzed by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. Standard Reference Material 1547 (peach leaves) was used to validate the method throughout this study. The recovery values were in the range of 80% to 120% which were in very good agreement with the certified values. The three Phyllanthus species and leaves of A. conchigera showed the highest concentration of calcium compared to other metals and macronutrients studied. The significant presence of all the important macronutrients and trace metals which are essential for human health and well-being substantiate their use medicinally in traditional practices.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal/chemistry
Antiplasmodial and antioxidant isoquinoline alkaloids from Dehaasia longipedicellata

Zahari A, Cheah FK, Mohamad J, Sulaiman SN, Litaudon M, Leong KH, et al.

Planta Med, 2014 May;80(7):599-603.
PMID: 24723007 DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1368349

The crude extract of the bark of Dehaasia longipedicellata exhibited antiplasmodial activity against the growth of Plasmodium falciparum K1 isolate (resistant strain). Phytochemical studies of the extract led to the isolation of six alkaloids: two morphinandienones, (+)-sebiferine (1) and (-)-milonine (2); two aporphines, (-)-boldine (3) and (-)-norboldine (4); one benzlyisoquinoline, (-)-reticuline (5); and one bisbenzylisoquinoline, (-)-O-O-dimethylgrisabine (6). Their structures were determined on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR, IR, UV, and LCMS spectroscopic techniques and upon comparison with literature values. Antiplasmodial activity was determined for all of the isolated compounds. They showed potent to moderate activity with IC50 values ranging from 0.031 to 30.40 µM. (-)-O-O-dimethylgrisabine (6) and (-)-milonine (2) were the two most potent compounds, with IC50 values of 0.031 and 0.097 µM, respectively, that were comparable to the standard, chloroquine (0.090 µM). The compounds were also assessed for their antioxidant activities with di(phenyl)-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)iminoazanium (IC50 = 18.40-107.31 µg/mL), reducing power (27.40-87.40 %), and metal chelating (IC50 = 64.30 to 257.22 µg/mL) having good to low activity. (-)-O-O-dimethylgrisabine (6) exhibited a potent antioxidant activity of 44.3 % reducing power, while di(phenyl)-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)iminoazanium and metal chelating activities had IC50 values of 18.38 and 64.30 µg/mL, respectively. Thus it may be considered as a good reductant with the ability to chelate metal and prevent pro-oxidant activity. In addition to the antiplasmodial and antioxidant activities, the isolated compounds were also tested for their cytotoxicity against a few cancer and normal cell lines. (-)-Norboldine (4) exhibited potent cytotoxicity towards pancreatic cancer cell line BxPC-3 with an IC50 value of 27.060 ± 1.037 µM, and all alkaloids showed no toxicity towards the normal pancreatic cell line (hTERT-HPNE).

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal
Histopathological changes in placenta and liver of pregnant rats administered with aqueous extract of Dioscorea hispida var. daemona (Roxb) Prain & Burkill

Muhammad H, Maslan SF, Md Saad WM, Thani NSIA, Ibnu Rasid EN, Mahomoodally MF, et al.

Food Chem Toxicol, 2019 Sep;131:110538.
PMID: 31152790 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2019.05.046

Dioscorea hispida var. daemona (Roxb) Prain & Burkill (DH), also known a tropical yam or intoxicating yam is a bitter wild tuber which is consumed as a staple food and traditionally used as a remedy in Malaysia. However, DH is also notorious for its intoxicating effects and there is currently a dearth of study of possible effects of DH on liver and placental tissues and hence its safe consumption warrants in-depth investigation. This study was therefore designed to investigate into the effect of DH on liver and placenta of pregnant rat via histopathological examination. Thirty pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups consisting of a control (distilled water) and four DH aqueous extract groups (250, 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg body weight). The extracts were administered via oral gavage daily throughout the study and animals were sacrificed on day 21. Paraffin-embedded, hematoxylin and eosin stained sections of placenta and liver were examined. Significant changes (p 

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal/chemistry*
Oral mucosal lesions associated with betel quid, areca nut and tobacco chewing habits: consensus from a workshop held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 25-27, 1996

Zain RB, Ikeda N, Gupta PC, Warnakulasuriya S, van Wyk CW, Shrestha P, et al.

J Oral Pathol Med, 1999 Jan;28(1):1-4.
PMID: 9890449

A variety of betel/areca nut/tobacco habits have been reviewed and categorized because of their possible causal association with oral cancer and various oral precancerous lesions and conditions, and on account of their widespread occurrence in different parts of the world. At a recent workshop in Kuala Lumpur it was recommended that "quid" be defined as "a substance, or mixture of substances, placed in the mouth or chewed and remaining in contact with the mucosa, usually containing one or both of the two basic ingredients, tobacco and/or areca nut, in raw or any manufactured or processed form." Clear delineations on contents of the quid (areca nut quid, tobacco quid, and tobacco and areca nut quid) are recommended as absolute criteria with finer subdivisions to be added if necessary. The betel quid refers to any quid wrapped in betel leaf and is therefore a specific variety of quid. The workshop proposed that quid-related lesions should be categorized conceptually into two categories: first, those that are diffusely outlined and second, those localized at the site where a quid is regularly placed. Additional or expanded criteria and guidelines were proposed to define, describe or identify lesions such as chewer's mucosa, areca nut chewer's lesion, oral submucous fibrosis and other quid-related lesions. A new clinical entity, betel-quid lichenoid lesion, was also proposed to describe an oral lichen planus-like lesion associated with the betel quid habit.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal*
Oral melanin pigmentation in 467 Thai and Malaysian people with special emphasis on smoker's melanosis

Hedin CA, Axéll T

J Oral Pathol Med, 1991 Jan;20(1):8-12.
PMID: 2002444

At the faculties of dentistry in Chiang Mai, Thailand (CM), and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KL), 234 and 233 consecutive out-patients were interviewed concerning tobacco and chewing habits and examined for the presence of oral melanin pigmentation. Tobacco was regularly used by 32% and 28% of the studied populations in CM and KL. Cigarette smoking was the predominant habit, but the chewing of betel and tea leaves (miang) and the smoking of banana leaf cigars (khi yo) was also registered. The genetically acquired pigmentation dominated. Although nearly all non-tobacco users in the Malay and Indian populations had oral melanin pigmentation, it was found that tobacco smokers had significantly more oral surfaces pigmented than non-tobacco users. Among Thais, the percentage of pigmented individuals was significantly higher among tobacco smokers. It was concluded that tobacco smoking stimulates oral melanocytes to a higher melanin production also in dark-skinned ethnic groups.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal
Fulltext Genetic relationship among Labisia pumila (Myrsinaceae) species based on ISSR-PCR

Karimi E, Jaafar HZ, Aziz MA, Taheri S, AzadiGonbad R

Genet. Mol. Res., 2014;13(2):3301-9.
PMID: 24841662 DOI: 10.4238/2014.April.29.8

The genus Labisia (Myrsinaceae) is a popular medicinal plant in Malaysia. We examined the genetic relationship among three varieties of L. pumila var. pumila, L. pumila var. alata, L. pumila var. lanceolata and Labisia paucifolia using an ISSR assay. Fifty-eight primers were tested, among which 18 gave reliable polymorphic banding patterns; these yielded 264 polymorphic markers. A similarity matrix was used to construct a dendrogram, and a principal component plot was developed to examine genetic relationships among varieties. Jaccard's similarity coefficient among species ranged from 0.09 to 0.14. At a similarity of 0.117%, species were divided into two main clusters. The mean value of the observed number of alleles, the effective number of alleles, mean Nei's gene diversity, and Shannon's information index were 1.98, 1.64, 0.38, and 0.57, respectively.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal/genetics
Fulltext Saffron with resistance exercise improves diabetic parameters through the GLUT4/AMPK pathway in-vitro and in-vivo

Dehghan F, Hajiaghaalipour F, Yusof A, Muniandy S, Hosseini SA, Heydari S, et al.

Sci Rep, 2016 Apr 28;6:25139.
PMID: 27122001 DOI: 10.1038/srep25139

Saffron is consumed as food and medicine to treat several illnesses. This study elucidates the saffron effectiveness on diabetic parameters in-vitro and combined with resistance exercise in-vivo. The antioxidant properties of saffron was examined. Insulin secretion and glucose uptake were examined by cultured RIN-5F and L6 myotubes cells. The expressions of GLUT2, GLUT4, and AMPKα were determined by Western blot. Diabetic and non-diabetic male rats were divided into: control, training, extract treatment, training + extract treatment and metformin. The exercise and 40 mg/kg/day saffron treatments were carried out for six weeks. The antioxidant capacity of saffron was higher compare to positive control (P 0.05). Serum glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, very low-density lipoprotein, insulin resistance, and glycated hemoglobin levels decreased in treated rats compared to untreated (p 0.05). The findings suggest that saffron consuming alongside exercise could improve diabetic parameters through redox-mediated mechanisms and GLUT4/AMPK pathway to entrap glucose uptake.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal/chemistry
Fulltext Mitragyna speciosa use in the northern states of Malaysia: a cross-sectional study

Ahmad K, Aziz Z

J Ethnopharmacol, 2012 May 7;141(1):446-50.
PMID: 22440259 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2012.03.009

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:
The consumption of Mitragyna speciosa (MS) for its psychoactive effects is widely reported amongst people in the villages in Thailand and Malaysia even though its use is illegal.
AIM OF THE STUDY: This study examined the pattern of MS use, its reported effects and explored its potential to cause dependence.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used both convenience and snowball-sampling methods to recruit participants in a border town between two northern states in Malaysia. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with the use of a structured questionnaire on 562 respondents who gave oral consent to participate in the study.
RESULTS: The response rate was 91%. The majority of the respondents (88%) reported daily use of MS. The main mode of using MS was by drinking the MS extract as tea (90%). The mean age of starting MS use was 28.3 (SD=8.1) years. A variety of reasons were given for using MS including for social and recreational needs, stamina and physical endurance, pain relief and improved sexual performance. Despite its reported usefulness in weaning off opiate addiction, 460 (87%) admitted they were not able to stop using MS. Only education level had a statistically significant association with the ability to stop or not stop the use of MS (χ(2)=31.0, df=1, p<0.001). Significantly higher proportions of those with a lower education level (38%) were able to stop using MS compared to respondents with a higher education level.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides important information on the pattern of MS use, its effects and its potential to cause addiction, as there has been growing interest in MS as evidenced by the number of advertisements for its sale on the Internet. Future study is required to explore its psychological and social impact on users.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal
Herbal medicines: predictors of recommendation by physicians

Aziz Z

J Clin Pharm Ther, 2004 Jun;29(3):241-6.
PMID: 15153085

We hypothesized that as the use of herbal medicines increases in the general population, so do patients' requests to physicians for recommendations. However, why some physicians recommend herbal medicines while others do not is not well understood.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal
Fulltext Antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of the leaf and stem of selected traditional medicinal plants

Lee, S.Y., Mediani, A., Nur Ashikin, A.H., Abas, F., Azliana, A.B.S.

International Food Research Journal, 2014;21(1):165-172.
MyJurnal

The study was aimed to determine the antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibition activities of
the stem and leaf of five different traditional medicinal plants. The studied plants exhibited
varied antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibition activities. The antioxidant activities of the
plants were determined through their free radical scavenging capabilities using DPPH assay.
The most potent antioxidant activity was demonstrated by Neptunia oleracea with an IC50 of
35.45 and 29.72 μg/mL for leaf and stem, respectively. For α-glucosidase inhibition activity,
Neptunia oleracea exhibited potential α-glucosidase inhibition activity with IC50 value of
19.09 and 19.74 μg/mL for leaf and stem, respectively. The highest total phenolic content
(TPC) was also marked in Neptunia oleracea leaf and stem with value of 40.88 and 21.21 mg
GAE/g dry weight, respectively. The results also showed that Strobilanthes crispus collected
from two different locations possessed different levels of phenolic content, antioxidant and
α-glucosidase inhibition activities. The study revealed that phenolic compounds could be the
main contributors to the antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibition activities with R values of 78.9
and 67.4%, respectively. In addition, antioxidant and α-glucosidase were positively correlated
(R = 81.9%). Neptunia oleracea could be suggested as a potential natural source of antioxidant
and antidiabetic compounds that can be used for the prevention or treatment of diabetes.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal
Phyllanthus amarus protects against spatial memory impairment induced by lipopolysaccharide in mice

Alagan A, Jantan I, Kumolosasi E, Azmi N

Bioinformation, 2019;15(8):535-541.
PMID: 31719762 DOI: 10.6026/97320630015535

Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. and Thonn. is a wide spread medicinal herb with various traditional uses. It is well documented for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the 80% ethanol extract of Phyllanthus amarus (PA) on spatial memory using the 8-radial arm maze (8-RAM) in mice after induction of neuro inflammation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in a 14- and 28-days treatment study. LC-MS/MS was performed to profile the chemical composition in PA extract. Mice were treated orally with 5% v/v tween 20, PA extract (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg), or ibuprofen (IBF 40 mg/kg) for 14 and 28 days. All groups were challenged with LPS (1 mg/kg) via intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection a day prior to the 8-RAM task except for the negative control group which received an i.p. injection of saline. Data obtained were analyzed with one-way ANOVA followed by post hoc Dunnett's test (comparison of all groups against vehicle control). Analysis of LC-MS/MS data revealed the presence of 16 compounds in the PA extract. Administration of PA extract at 200 and 400 mg/kg for 14 and 28 days significantly (*P<0.05) decreased the working and reference memory errors against LPS-induced spatial memory impairment. The observed protective action is possibly due to the putative antineuroinflammatory effects of PA. In conclusion, PA extract possess neuroprotective effects against spatial memory impairment mediated by LPS.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal
Fulltext Anticancer activity of acetogenins from Annona muricata fruit

Daddiouaissa, Djabir, Azura Amid

International Medical Journal Malaysia, 2018;17(3):103-112.
MyJurnal

Medicinal plants become very important in our days for their therapeutic benefits to humankind. It sustains human health, and it is commonly known as herbal medicines since ancient times. Annona muricata is a heart-shaped fruit that is consumed raw or as the fruit juice in the tropical area. A. muricata is used in traditional and alternative medicine to treat different ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, respiratory and skin illness, inflammation and cancer. A. muricata contains essential anticancer agents named acetogenins that play the significant role in various cancer types. Acetogenins are strong nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidase inhibitors of the cancer cell's mitochondrial membrane but showed neurotoxic effects in rats. Therefore, acetogenins need to be further investigated to determine the exact mechanisms of action, long-term safety, optimal dosage, and potential side effects. Given the extensive studies on A. muricata, this review focuses on the phytochemistry, medicinal uses, biological activities and the mechanisms of action for the fruit extracts and acetogenins, to stimulate further studies on the fruit pulp used for human consumption.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal
African neuroscience on the global stage: Nigeria as a model

Maina MB, Mohammed YG, Bukar AM, Ahmad U, Tijjani Salihu A, Ibrahim HA, et al.

Eur J Neurosci, 2019 06;49(12):1544-1551.
PMID: 30758873 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14372

Of the 572 neuroscience-related studies published in Nigerian from 1996 to 2017, <5% used state-of-the-art techniques, none used transgenic models, and only one study was published in a top-tier journal.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal
Fulltext A Review of Quercus infectoria (Olivier) Galls as a Resource for Anti-parasitic Agents: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

Zin NNINM, Rahimi WNAWM, Bakar NA

Malays J Med Sci, 2019 Nov;26(6):19-34.
PMID: 31908584 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/mjms2019.26.6.3

Parasitic diseases represent one of the causes for significant global economic, environmental and public health impacts. The efficacy of currently available anti-parasitic drugs has been threatened by the emergence of single drug- or multidrug-resistant parasite populations, vector threats and high cost of drug development. Therefore, the discovery of more potent anti-parasitic drugs coming from medicinal plants such as Quercus infectoria is seen as a major approach to tackle the problem. A systematic review was conducted to assess the efficacy of Q. infectoria in treating parasitic diseases both in vitro and in vivo due to the lack of such reviews on the anti-parasitic activities of this plant. This review consisted of intensive searches from three databases including PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus. Articles were selected throughout the years, limited to English language and fully documented. A total of 454 potential articles were identified, but only four articles were accepted to be evaluated based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Although there were insufficient pieces of evidence to account for the efficacy of Q. infectoria against the parasites, this plant appears to have anti-leishmanial, anti-blastocystis and anti-amoebic activities. More studies in vitro and in vivo are warranted to further validate the anti-parasitic efficacy of Q. infectoria.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal
Self-reported prevalence and severity of opioid and kratom (Mitragyna speciosa korth.) side effects

Saref A, Suraya S, Singh D, Grundmann O, Narayanan S, Swogger MT, et al.

J Ethnopharmacol, 2019 Jun 28;238:111876.
PMID: 31014959 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2019.111876

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Mitragyna speciosa (Korth.) is a traditional medicinal plant widely used in Southeast Asia for its opioid-like effects. Although kratom produces analgesia through binding of mitragynine and other alkaloids at the mu-opioid receptor (MOR), the association of long-term kratom use with adverse opioid-like effects remains unknown.
AIM OF THE STUDY: To determine the self-reported prevalence and severity of opioid-related adverse effects after kratom initiation in a cohort of illicit opioid users.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 163 illicit opioid users with current kratom use history were recruited through convenience sampling from the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire.
RESULTS: Respondents were all males, majority Malays (94%, n = 154/163), with a mean age of 37.10 years (SD = 10.9). Most were single (65%, n = 106/163), had 11 years of education (52%, n = 85/163) and employed (88%, n = 144/163). Half reported using kratom for over >6 years (50%, n = 81/163), and 41% consumed >3 glasses of kratom daily (n = 67/163). Results from Chi-square analysis showed kratom initiation was associated with decreased prevalence of respiratory depression, constipation, physical pain, insomnia, depression, loss of appetite, craving, decreased sexual performance, weight loss and fatigue.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that kratom initiation (approximately 214.29 mg of mitragynine) was associated with significant decreases in the prevalence and severity of opioid adverse effects.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal/adverse effects
In vitro regeneration and comparison of phenolic content, antioxidant and antityrosinase activity of in vivo and in vitro grown asparagus officinalis

Esmaeili AK, Rosna Mat Taha, Mohajer S, Banisalam B

Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:373-381.

Asparagus officinalis as a valuable medicinal plant has a low multiplication rate using the conventional methods. This study was carried out to establish an efficient in vitro propagation protocol and also to compare some biological activities of in vivo and in vitro grown Asparagus. The nodal explants were cultured on MS medium supplemented with different concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) or kinetin (Kn) and Indolebutyric acid (IBA), under light and dark conditions. After 6 weeks of culture, the highest percentage (100%) of callus formation was found in 17 of treatments under dark condition and 3 treatments under light condition. Also between the two groups of hormones, Kn +IBA showed better results in promoting callus formation. The highest average number of shoots (4.25) of size 4 mm or more per explant, formed under dark condition using 1.5 mg/L BAP mixed with 0.05 mg/L NAA. Rooting was best induced in shoots excised from shoot cultures which were proliferated on MS medium supplemented with an optimal concentration of 0.4 mg/L IBA (2 roots per explant). In the second part of the study, the extracts of in vivo and in vitro grown plants as well as callus tissue were tested for their total phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidant and antityrosinase activities, using two different extraction solvents (methanol and hexane). The methanol extract of in vivo grown plants showed a significantly higher amount of total phenolic and flavonoid content. The antioxidant activity of tested samples followed this order; in vivo plant > callus > in vitro plant.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal
Allergic contact stomatitis caused Salvadora persica in toothpaste

Chaubal TV, Bapat RA, Bapat PR

Contact Derm., 2017 Nov;77(5):325-326.
PMID: 29063688 DOI: 10.1111/cod.12819
Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal/adverse effects
Fulltext Ecological importance of sedges: a survey of the Australasian Cyperaceae genus Lepidosperma

Barrett RL

Ann Bot, 2013 Apr;111(4):499-529.
PMID: 23378523 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mct008

BACKGROUND: Sedges (Cyperaceae) form an important ecological component of many ecosystems around the world. Sword and rapier sedges (genus Lepidosperma) are common and widespread components of the southern Australian and New Zealand floras, also occurring in New Caledonia, West Papua, Borneo, Malaysia and southern China. Sedge ecology is seldom studied and no comprehensive review of sedge ecology exists. Lepidosperma is unusual in the Cyperaceae with the majority of species occurring in dryland habitats.
SCOPE: Extensive review of ecological literature and field observations shows Lepidosperma species to be important components of many ecosystems, often dominating understorey and sedge-rich communities. For the first time, a detailed ecological review of a Cyperaceae genus is presented.
CONCLUSIONS: Lepidosperma species are long-lived perennials with significant abundance and persistence in the landscape. Speciation patterns in the genus are of considerable interest due to complex biogeographical patterns and a high degree of habitat specificity. Potential benefits exist for medicinal products identified from several Lepidosperma species. Over 178 organisms, including 26 mammals, 42 birds, six reptiles, five amphibians, eight arachnids, 75 insects, three crustaceans and 13 fungi, are found to be dependent on, or making use of, Lepidosperma species. A significant relationship exists between Lepidosperma species and the moth genus Elachista. Implications for the conservation and ecology of both sedges and associated species are discussed.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal
Fulltext Cytostatic and Antiproliferative Activities of F5 Fraction of Crinum amabile Leaf Chloroform Extract Showed Its Potential as Cancer Chemotherapeutic Agent

Lim CP, Yam MF, Asmawi MZ, Chin VK, Khairuddin NH, Yong YK, et al.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2019;2019:7521504.
PMID: 31097973 DOI: 10.1155/2019/7521504

Medicinal plants have been considered as promising sources of drugs in treating various cancers. Crinum amabile (C. amabile), a plant species from the Amaryllidaceae family, is claimed to be a potential source for cancer chemotherapeutic compounds. Here, we aimed to investigate the potential of C. amabile as an anticancer agent. Dried leaves of C. amabile were serially extracted and our findings showed that chloroform extract (CE) was shown to exhibit cytotoxic effect against all cancer cell lines used. This active extract was further fractionated in which F5 fraction was shown to possess the highest cytotoxicity among all fractions. F5 fraction was then tested in-depth through Annexin V/FITC apoptosis and DNA fragmentation assays to determine its apoptotic effect on MCF-7 cells. Results revealed that F5 fraction only showed induction of cell apoptosis starting at 72-hour treatment while DNA fragmentation was not detected at any of the concentrations and treatment periods tested. Meanwhile, cell proliferation assay revealed that F5 fraction was able to inhibit normal cell proliferation as well as VEGF-induced cell proliferation of normal endothelial cell (HUVECs). In conclusion, F5 fraction from C. amabile leaf CE was able to exhibit cytostatic effect through antiproliferation activity rather than induction of cell apoptosis and therefore has the potential to be further investigated as an anticancer agent.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal

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