The genus Curcuma, which is the most important source of curcumin, has been widely used in different traditional medicines. Various species of Curcuma have long been used for several purposes such as ...healing wounds, liver disorders, jaundice and also as a blood purifier.
This review focused on the ethnopharmacological uses and phytochemical aspects of Curcuma. Additionally, in this study, the different properties of two species of Curcuma in Islamic Traditional Medicine (ITM), C. longa and C. zedoaria, as well as their pharmacological aspects in modern medicine are reviewed.
ITM literatures were searched to find Curcuma's applications. Also, electronic databases including PubMed and Scopus were searched to obtain studies giving any in vitro, in vivo or human evidence of the efficacy of C. longa and C. zedoaria in the treatment of different diseases. ChemOffice software was used to find chemical structures.
The analysis showed that ethno-medical uses of Curcuma have been recorded for centuries. Approximately, 427 chemical compounds have been isolated and identified from Curcuma spp. This genus is rich in flavonoids, tannins, anthocyanin, phenolic compounds, oil, organic acids and inorganic compounds. Curcumin is one of the main active ingredients in Curcuma which has strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Besides, pharmacological studies have indicated wide range of Curcuma's activities, such as hepato-protective, antifungal, antihypertensive and neuroprotective.
In this study, we reviewed various studies conducted on ethno-medicinal, ITM properties and photochemistry of Curcuma spp. Also, pharmacological activities of two species, C. longa and C. zedoaria are summarized. Pre-clinical investigations have demonstrated some of the traditional aspects of Curcuma, such as wound healing, anti-arthritic, anti-tumor and liver protective activities. These could be related to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of Curcuma which might be due to high amounts of phenolic compounds. Curcuma is mentioned to have neural tonic properties in ITM which have been confirmed by some animal studies. Considering various preclinical studies on C. longa and C. zedoaria and their active ingredient, curcumin, randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm their promise as a clinically effective hepato and neuro-protective agents.
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of cerebrovascular problem with progressive mental disabilities for the patient. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of safranal on toxicity and ...oxidative damage induced by beta-amyloid (Aβ) and hydrogen peroxide (H
2
O
2
) in PC12 cells as an appropriate model of Alzheimer’s cell damage. PC12 cells pretreated with saffron extract (2.5–40 μg/ml), essential oil (2.5–40 μg/ml), safranal (2.5–5-40 μM) and donepezil (5, 10 and 20 μM) for 120 min. Then exposed to either Aβ (25 μM) for 48 h or H
2
O
2
(150 μM) for 24 h. In the end, the cell survival and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production analyzed. The anti-apoptotic effects of safranal in PC12 cells were studied using flow cytometry after PI staining. Also, western blot analysis of Cyt c, survivin, p44/42 MAPK (ERK1/2), Phospho-p44/42 MAPK (ERK1/2), PI3 Kinase P85, Phospho-PI3 Kinase P85, phospho SAPK/JNK, SAPK/JNK and caspase 3 performed for detection of apoptosis. Safranal (2.5 and 5 μM) and donepezil (10 and 20 μM) significantly decreased the Aβ toxicity. The ROS significantly attenuated when cells pretreated with essential oil, saffron extract, safranal, and donepezil. Cell apoptosis significantly increased after treatment with Aβ
(25–35)
(25 μM) compared to control. However, after pretreatment with safranal (2.5 μM) apoptosis was significantly reduced. Western blot analysis of PC12 cells showed that 25 μM Aβ
(25–35)
could increase proteins involved in apoptosis signaling and pretreatment with safranal (2.5 μM) could decrease the apoptosis. According to the results, safranal showed anti-apoptotic and antioxidant effects and may exert promising potential for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
As vanaspati fat is highly consumed in many countries, the aim of the present study was to produce and optimize low‐saturated oleogel vanaspati based on sunflower oil by using 2%–5% rice bran wax ...(RBW) and 1%–3% sorbitan monostearate (SMS). The following parameters were used for the optimization by D‐optimal‐mixture design; content of unsaturated fatty acids (USFA); induction period of oxidation at 110℃ (IP110℃); slip melting point (SMP); and storage modulus in the linear viscoelastic range (G’ LVR). The optimized oleogel vanaspati was included 4.284% RBW, 1,000% SMS, and 94.716% sunflower oil. Result showed that SMP and solid fat content of the optimized oleogel vanaspati samples were higher than the two commercial samples. The rheological tests showed a great similarity between the strain, frequency, and temperature sweep results of the optimized oleogel sample and commercial samples. In general, oleogel‐vanaspati containing RBW/SMS can be a low‐saturated replacement fat for commercial vanaspati.
Novelty impact statement
As saturated and trans fatty acids are associated with cardiovascular disease incidence, WHO has recommended to limit energy intake and eliminate trans fatty acids (TFAs). On the other hand, these fatty acids have some important roles in foods, such as flavor, palatability, and texture. The solidification of vegetable oil into a solid‐like gel (oleogelation) using organogelators is one of the new methods to keep nutritional properties of liquid oils. In this research low‐saturated‐oleogel‐vanaspati was successfully optimized using D‐optimal‐mixture design method. RBW and SMS made it possible to reduce saturation in oleogel‐vanaspati by about 40%. The oleogel‐vanaspati had properties close to the commercial types.
Spinal cord injury is a frequent debilitating neurologic condition with increasing prevalence and related morbidity over the last decades. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is a promising biomarker ...for determining different medical conditions' disease course and outcome such as traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the outcome of SCI.
In a retrospective cross-sectional study from April 2019 to April 2022, all patients 18 to 65 years old, following spinal cord injury who were referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital and met inclusion and exclusion criteria enrolled in the study. A checklist including demographic data, lab, and clinical findings at admission, 24h, 48 h, and discharge were recorded. IBM SPSS Statistics software was used to analyze the data. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.
Six hundred patients met our inclusion criteria and enrolled in the study. The mean age of the patients was 40.93 ± 12.77, with 75% male and 25% female. There was a significant correlation between the N/L ratio at different time points (p.value=0.001), injury type, and ASIA score at admission and discharge (0.001). Furthermore, the NLR had approached significant value alone to predict outcomes in patients enrolled in the study (0.06).
A high NLR is unequivocally linked with poor outcomes in patients suffering from acute SCI and should be considered a negative prognostic factor; however, the NLR had approached significant predicting value in patients enrolled in the study.
To search major Islamic Traditional Medicine (ITM) textbooks for definition, etiology and medicinal plants used to manage 'khadar' or 'paresthesia', a common sensory symptom of multiple sclerosis ...(MS) and peripheral neuropathies. In addition, the conformity of the efficacy of ITM-suggested plants with the findings from modern pharmacological research on MS will be discussed.
Data on the medicinal plants used to treat 'khadar' were obtained from major ITM texts. A detailed search in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Google Scholar databases was performed to confirm the effects of ITM-mentioned medicinal plants on MS in view of identified pharmacological actions.
Moringa oleifera Lam., Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f., Euphorbia species, Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad., and Costus speciosus (Koen ex. Retz) Sm. are among the most effective ITM plants for the management of 'khadar'. Recent experimental evidence confirms the effectiveness of the mentioned plants in ameliorating MS symptoms. Moreover, according to ITM, prolonged exposure to cold and consuming foodstuff with cold temperament might be involved in the etiopathogenesis of MS.
The use of traditional knowledge can help finding neglected risk factors as well as effective and safe therapeutic approaches, phytomedicines and dietary habits for the management of paresthesia and related disorders such as MS.
Although Iran has a deep history in herbal medicine and great heritage of ancient medical scholars, few efforts have been made to evaluate ethnopharmacological aspects of medicinal plants in this ...country. In the present study, the authors have reviewed all important literature about the ethnopharmacological investigations on medicinal plants used in the last decade in Iran. All provinces of Iran were categorized according to a phytogeographical division. Information was collected through bibliographic investigations from scientific journals and books. Afterward, the data were analyzed through the construction of specific ecological regions of the country. Fifty‐five references reporting medicinal plants in five ecological zones were retrieved. The Irano‐Turanian subregion has produced the greatest number of publications in this field among others (47%). Results illustrate that the most reported botanical families were Lamiaceae and Asteraceae (28.57% and 27.73%, respectively). Among various illnesses reported for these plants, gastrointestinal (30.15%), respiratory problems (14.28%), diabetes (11.11%), and cold/flu (11.11%) were the most cited. The most frequently cited medicinal uses were attributed to decoction and infusion preparations. Iran has a rich history of knowledge about phytotherapy and has also a diverse geographical regions, and a plant flora that is a good candidate for drug discovery. Documentation of indigenous knowledge about herbal medicine used by Iranian tribes is vital for the future development of herbal drugs. Ethnopharmacological studies of Iranian folk medicine with quantitative analytical techniques are warranted to find drug candidates, and also to preserve the precious knowledge of the Iranian folk medicine.
This is the first ethno‐pharmacological survery of medicinal plants used in the treatment of different diseases in Iran.
Neurodegenerative Diseases (NDs) are characterized by progressive neuronal deterioration as a result of several pathogenesis mechanisms. Phytochemicals, including sesamin with multitarget activities, ...have been studied widely.
In this review, we aim to survey the neuroprotective effects of sesamin on NDs and its mechanisms of action.
Searching GoogleScholar, PubMed, and Science Direct databases, we reviewed original English language articles on sesamin effects against NDs, specifically Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Parkinson's Disease (PD), either in vivo or in vitro settings, with no time limitation.
Sesamin has been reported to interfere with NDs progression through its antioxidative, antiinflammatory, and antiapoptotic actions in most of the retrieved studies. Sesamin also can prevent amyloid-β aggregation in AD models and elevate dopamine levels in PD-induced models.
The results of this study revealed the beneficial effects of sesamin in the prevention and management of NDs, including AD and PD; however, no clinical data supporting these effects in humans is available, which highlights the need for designing clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy, proper dosage, pharmacokinetics aspects, and possible side effects of sesamin in humans.
Traumatic brain injury has different pathophysiology and outcomes in children and adults. This study investigated the relationship between clinical and laboratory findings at admission and Glasgow ...Outcome Scale (GOS) score in children with traumatic brain injury.
This prospective cross-sectional single-center study enrolled 444 children 1–16 years old admitted to the neurosurgery ward from 2016 to 2020. Clinical data and laboratory information were extracted from the records of these patients at admission, and the relationship with GOS score at discharge was investigated.
The 444 patients include 249 (56.08%) boys and 195 (43.92%) girls with a mean age of 7.32 ± 4.4 years. There was no correlation between GOS score and sex (P = 0.12), age (P = 0.16), serum potassium level (P = 0.08), platelet level (P = 0.21), and blood glucose (P = 0.18). There was a significant relationship between GOS score and hypotension (P = 0.03), hyponatremia (P = 0.04), prothrombin time (P = 0.03), partial thromboplastin time (P = 0.03), pupil size (P = 0.02), pupil reaction to light (P = 0.04), and Glasgow Coma Scale score (P = 0.04).
Clinical and laboratory findings such as hypotension, hyponatremia, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, pupil size, pupil reaction to light, and Glasgow Coma Scale score at admission could affect GOS score at discharge and result in poor outcomes in children with traumatic brain injury.
Coriandrum sativum (coriander) is an edible herb in the family Apiaceae. The leaves, fruits, and stems of C. sativum have long been used as culinary spice due to their favorable odor. Traditional ...practitioners used this plant for treating different diseases like blepharitis, scabies, aphthous stomatitis, laryngitis, headache, and palpitation. In modern researches, coriander has demonstrated anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, antimigraine, neuroprotective, analgesic, diuretic, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, hypotensive, anticancer, and antioxidant activities. Coriander contains a wide range of bioactive phytochemicals among which phenylpropenes, terpenoids, isocoumarins, phytosterols, and fatty acids are the most important. This review provides information about the botanical and ethnobotanical aspects, chemical profile, therapeutic uses in Islamic traditional medicine (ITM), and recent pharmacological studies of coriander effects. The results have shown that coriander and its monoterpenoid compound, linalool, can be considered as potential drug candidates for treating metabolic syndrome and different inflammatory conditions especially neural and CNS diseases.
Obesity, as an unfavorable consequence of our modern lifestyle, can promote the emergence of other disorders, like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, that negatively impact quality of life. ...Therefore, prevention and treatment of obesity and its related comorbidities are critical. Lifestyle modification is the first and most important step but, in practical terms, presents a major challenge to many patients. So, the development of new strategies and therapies is critical for these patients. Although herbal bioactive compounds have recently gained attention for their ability to prevent and treat conditions related to obesity, no ideal pharmacological treatment has been found to treat obesity. Curcumin, one of the compounds extracted from turmeric, is a well-studied active herbal extract; however, its poor bioavailability and solubility in water, instability against temperature, light and pH fluctuations and rapid excretion limit its therapeutic application. Curcumin modification can, however, provide novel analogues with better performance and fewer disadvantages in comparison to the original structure. In the past few years, the positive effects of synthetic analogues of curcumin for the treatment of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disorders have been reported. In this review, we evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the reported artificial derivatives and assess their practicality as therapeutic agents.
