The genus Hypericum includes more than 450 species distributed in Europe, North America, North Africa and West Asia. These plants are widely used in folk medicine for the treatment of inflammation, ...bacterial and viral infections, burns and gastric disorders. The use for alleviating inflammation and promoting wound healing is well known for H. Perforatum L. (St. John's wort) and other species. Because of its pharmacological activity, H. perforatum L. is one of the most important species of this genus. This plant has been largely utilized for its efficacy in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. However, some other species have been utilized in traditional medicine and have been studied for their phytochemical composition and for their biological activities to date. Hypericum species contain biologically active secondary metabolites belonging to at least ten different classes, with prevalence of naphthodianthrones (hypericin and pseudohypericin), phloroglucinols (hyperforin), flavonoids (rutin, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, quercitrin, quercetin, amentoflavone) and phenylpropanoids (chlorogenic acid). However, great variations in contents have been reported for wild populations worldwide. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of most recent studies about potential pharmaceutical applications of plants belonging to Hypericum genus. The most interesting isolated active principles and both in vitro and in vivo effects of Hypericum extracts are presented and discussed.
Alzheimers disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative disorders. If more effective therapies than the ones currently available are not developed that either prevent AD or other ...neurodegenerative or block progression of the diseases in its very early stages, the economic and societal cost of caring for AD patients will be devastating. Besides the neuropathologic hallmarks of the diseases, namely neurofibrillary tangles and AD neuritic plaques, the disease is characterized neurochemically by a consistent deficit in cholinergic neurotransmission, particularly affecting cholinergic neurons in basal forebrain. AD and other forms of dementia could be treated by the use of agents which restore the level of acetylcholine through inhibition of both two major forms of cholinesterase: acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). Moreover, the inhibition of AChE holds a key role not only to enhance cholinergic transmission in the brain but also to reduce the aggregation of β-amyloid and the formation of the neurotoxic fibrils in AD. Following this view, in recent years, an increased interest has emerged directed to finding drugs able to inhibit both of these events. This review summarizes and highlights recent advances in current knowdlege on natural products as cholinesterase inhibitors and how these compounds have also served as the starting points for semi-synthetic analogs with improved properties.
Iridoids represent a large group of cyclopentacpyran monoterpenoids that occur wide-spread in nature, mainly in dicotyledonous plant families like Apocynaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Diervillaceae, ...Lamiaceae, Loganiaceae and Rubiaceae. Recently, more extensive studies revealed that iridoids exhibit a wide range of bioactivity, such as neuroprotective, antinflammatory and immunomodulator, hepatoprotective and cardioprotective effects. Anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobic, hypoglycaemic, hypolipidemic, choleretic, antispasmodic and purgative properties were also reported. The aim of the present review is to discuss the recent developments on biological and pharmacological activities of iridoids, supporting the new therapeutic possibilities for the use of these compounds.
The essential oils of
Origanum ehrenbergii and
O. syriacum collected in Lebanon were analysed by GC and GC–MS and evaluated for their anticholinesterase, NO production inhibitory activities, and ...antioxidant properties.
O.
ehrenbergi essential oil was characterised by the presence of 37 components, representing 94.9% of the total oil of which thymol (19%) and
p-cymene (16.1%) were the main abundant compounds. Thirty-six compounds characterised the
O.
syriacum essential oil, representing 90.6% of the total oil. The most abundant components were thymol (24.7%) and carvacrol (17.6%).
O. ehrenbergii demonstrated interesting scavenging effects on DPPH with an IC
50 value of 0.99
μg/ml. In addition, both
O. ehrenbergii and
O. syriacum oils inhibited oxidation of linoleic acid after 30
min of incubation, as well as after 60
min of incubation with IC
50 values of 42.1 and 33.6
μg/ml, and 46.9 and 58.9
μg/ml, respectively. Interestingly,
O. ehrenbergii oil inhibited NO production in the murine monocytic macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 with an IC
50 value of 66.4
μg/ml. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibition was assessed by modifications of the Ellman’s method.
O. ehrenbergii exhibited a strong activity against both cholinesterases with IC
50 values of 0.3
μg/ml. The data suggest that
O. ehrenbergii and
O. syriacum oils could be used as a valuable new flavour with functional properties for food or nutriceutical products with particular relevance to supplements for the elderly.
The aim of the present work was to evaluate the chemical composition and the radical-scavenging and antioxidant activities of hot pepper fruits (
Capsicum annuum L. var.
acuminatum) at three maturity ...stages (small green, green and red). GC–MS analysis of
n-hexane and chloroform fractions showed a different composition between the three stages of ripening. The first stage of maturation (small green) showed the highest radical-scavenging activity (IC
50 of 129
μg/ml). Using the bovine brain peroxidation assay, the methanolic extract of green pepper showed significant antioxidant activity (IC
50 of 522
μg/ml). Addition of methanolic extract of red and green pepper inhibited oxidation of linoleic acid. Methanolic extract of red pepper showed greater antioxidative potency than the others (IC
50 of 3
μg/ml). The different composition of lipophilic compounds and the various amount of phenolics, showed in the three stage of ripening of
C. annuum var.
acuminatum fruits, modifies the antioxidant activity.
The chemical composition and antioxidant activities of wild and cultivated Laurus nobilis leaves and Foeniculum vulgare subsp. piperitum seeds were determined. Differences were found in the total ...phenolic content of fennel. GC-MS analysis of the non polar fractions showed a different composition between wild and cultivated plants. Cultivated laurel had a high content of terpenes such as linool, α-terpinol, α-terpinyl acetate, thymol, caryophyllene, aromandrene, selinene, farnesene, and cadinene, while wild laurel had a high content of eugenol and methyl eugenol, vitamin E, and sterols. The antioxidant potential of the extracts was determined using three complementary methods. Wild plants showed greater radical scavenging activity than the cultivated plants. The extracts also exhibited a significant antioxidant capacity also in the β-carotene–linoleic acid test system. A high level of antioxidant activity was observed in wild laurel (IC50=1 μg/ml). Significant antioxidant activity measured in bovine brain was observed in wild laurel.
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory immune-mediated skin disease. It affects most races, does not have any sexual predilections and can manifest at any age of life. Psoriasis is more frequent in ...certain racial groups and geographical areas. For these reasons, both genetic and environmental factors could be considered. In this review, we discuss promising natural compounds, their molecular targets and mechanisms, which may help the further design of new anti-psoriasis agents. Literature documents the widespread use of herbal remedies worldwide, and the presence of some phytochemicals supports the efficacy of some botanical treatments. The research on natural products has greatly contributed to the progress in the treatment of skin diseases such as psoriasis and many of these compounds are now being used. Understanding the mechanism of these molecules will contribute to the development of more specific preventive strategies for the treatment of psoriasis.
Background: The aim of this work was to study the cytotoxicity of essential oils and their identified constituents from Sideritis
perfoliata, Satureia thymbra, Salvia officinalis, Laurus nobilis and ...Pistacia palestina. Materials and Methods: Essential
oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and were analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC/mass spectrometry (MS). The cytotoxic
activity was evaluated in amelanotic melanoma C32, renal cell adenocarcinoma ACHN, hormone-dependent prostate carcinoma LNCaP,
and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines by the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Results: L. nobilis fruit oil exerted the highest
activity with IC 50 values on C32 and ACHN of 75.45 and 78.24 μg/ml, respectively. The activity of S. perfoliata oil on both cell lines (IC 50 of 100.90 mg/ml for C32 and 98.58 μg/ml for ACHN, respectively) was also interesting. Among the tested constituents the highest
activity was found when α-humulene was applied to LNCaP cells (IC 50 of 11.24 μg/ml). Conclusion: This study suggests for the first time the ability of S. perfoliata, S. thymbra, S. officinalis,
L. nobilis and P. palestina essential oils and some identified terpenes to inhibit human tumor cell growth.
Dementia is becoming a major public health problem worldwide. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease (AD), characterized by a deficient cholinergic transmission, deposition of ...amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, and neuro-inflammation that result in progressive degeneration and/or death of nerve cells and cognitive impairment. At present, AD cannot be prevented or cured, so the symptomatic relief obtainable by the use of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors is one of the therapeutic strategies. Accumulated evidence suggests that naturally occurring compounds may potentially improve memory and cognitive function, and prevent neurodegeneration. Even today the search for new neuroprotective agents of natural origin is very active. The neuroprotective effects of medicinal plants covering studies of the last years will be summarized and discussed in this review choosing a family classification with particular emphasis on extracts and isolated compounds as promising new drugs. The search of a multifunctional potential anti-AD agent able to act on different crucial targets, such as galanthamine, quercetin and timosaponin AIII, could be a useful approach to recognizing therapeutics against AD.
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