The therapeutic use of natural herbs is an ancient human civilization act and the numbers of people have reliance on their pharmacological properties and preferred to use the natural herbs. People ...also use to consume these herbs as supplements to energize, bolster, and eventually enhance sexual ability. Polyherbal formulation (PHF) is one of these herbal amalgams that can be used to treat sexual dysfunction including erectile dysfunction, impotence, ejaculation dysfunction, and hypogonadism. The pilot study was aimed at evaluating the capacity of PHF in enhancing the spermatogenic potential of oligospermic patients. Thirty-six male patients with oligospermia were enrolled and randomized either to treatment (n = 23) with PHF (750 mg/d in three doses for 90 days) or to placebo (n = 13) in the same protocol. The preintervention semen analysis was compared with posttreatment semen analysis. Based on the postintervention semen analysis, patients were advised to undergo either in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to assess their fertility status. After polyherbal treatment, there was a 256% increase in sperm concentration (9.59±4.37×106/mL to 25.61±8.6×106/mL; P ≤0.001), 154% increase in semen volume (1.7±0.14 mL to 4.32±0.38 mL; P ≤0.001), and 215% increase in sperm motility (15.43±2.40% to 48.65±5.10%; P ≤ 0.001) on day 90 from baseline. Furthermore, a significant improvement and regulation were also observed in serum hormone levels with PHF treatment as compared to the placebo group. The present study demonstrated the evidence on synergistic spermatogenic effect of PHF as attributed in ayurveda for the treatment of oligospermia leading to infertility.
Sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) are popular fruits around the world with a high nutritional value and abundant phenolic compounds. Phenolic compounds of cherries contribute to positive health ...benefits. This study aimed at determining the phenolic content and antioxidant activities in four Australian-grown sweet cherry cultivars, including Bing, Ron’s, Merchant, and Lapins, as well as the identification of individual phenolic compounds with liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–quantum time-of-flight–mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–QTOF–MS2). Lapins exhibits the highest total phenolic content (TPC) value (1.73 ± 0.90 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g) while Ron’s exhibits the highest total flavonoid content (TFC) value (0.51 ± 0.02 mg QE/g). In 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzo-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), reducing power assay (RPA), and total antioxidant content (TAC) assays, Merchant exhibited the highest values (0.51 ± 0.07, 1.74 ± 0.04, and 2.79 ± 0.09 mg AAE/g, respectively) and almost showed the highest antioxidant activity. Ron’s presented the highest value (1.21 ± 0.09 mg EDTA/g) in ferrous ion-chelating activity (FICA) assay and exhibits the strongest metal chelating ability. The correlation between phenolic contents and antioxidant assays was observed. In the LC–ESI–QTOF–MS2 analysis, a total of 43 phenolic compounds has been detected in four sweet cherry cultivars, including 11 phenolic acids, 25 flavonoids, 5 other phenolic compounds, 1 lignan, and 1 stilbene. Venn graph showed that Lapins has the greatest number of unique compounds. Our study shows the presence of phenolic acids and provides information to be utilized as an ingredient in food, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries.
Cyperaceae are a plant family of grass-like monocots, comprising 5600 species with a cosmopolitan distribution in temperate and tropical regions. Phytochemically, Cyperus is one of the most promising ...health supplementing genera of the Cyperaceae family, housing ≈950 species, with Cyperus rotundus L. being the most reported species in pharmacological studies. The traditional uses of Cyperus spp. have been reported against various diseases, viz., gastrointestinal and respiratory affections, blood disorders, menstrual irregularities, and inflammatory diseases. Cyperus spp. are known to contain a plethora of bioactive compounds such as α-cyperone, α-corymbolol, α-pinene, caryophyllene oxide, cyperotundone, germacrene D, mustakone, and zierone, which impart pharmacological properties to its extract. Therefore, Cyperus sp. extracts were preclinically studied and reported to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, neuroprotective, antidepressive, antiarthritic, antiobesity, vasodilator, spasmolytic, bronchodilator, and estrogenic biofunctionalities. Nonetheless, conclusive evidence is still sparse regarding its clinical applications on human diseases. Further studies focused on toxicity data and risk assessment are needed to elucidate its safe and effective application. Moreover, detailed structure-activity studies also need time to explore the candidature of Cyperus-derived phytochemicals as upcoming drugs in pharmaceuticals.
The present research presents a comprehensive characterization of polyphenols from peach, pear, and plum using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization ...quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS), followed by the determination of their antioxidant potential. Plums showed the highest total phenolic content (TPC; 0.62 mg GAE/g), while peaches showed the highest total flavonoid content (TFC; 0.29 mg QE/g), also corresponding to their high scavenging activities (i.e., DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and TAC). In all three fruit samples, a total of 51 polyphenolic compounds were tentatively identified and were mainly characterized from hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, hydroxyphenylpentanoic acids, flavanols, flavonols, and isoflavonoids subclasses. Twenty targeted phenolic compounds were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA). The plum cultivar showed the highest content of phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid, 11.86 mg/100 g), whereas peach samples showed the highest concentration of flavonoids (catechin, 7.31 mg/100 g), as compared to pear. Based on these findings, the present research contributes and complements the current characterization data of these fruits presented in the literature, as well as ensures and encourages the utilization of these fruits in different food, feed, and nutraceutical industries.
Abalone viscera contain sulphated polysaccharides with anti-thrombotic and anti-coagulant activities. In this study, a hydrolysate was prepared from blacklip abalone (
Haliotis rubra
) viscera using ...papain and bromelain and fractionated using ion exchange and size exclusion chromatography. Hydrolysates and fractions were investigated for in vitro thrombin inhibition mediated through heparin cofactor II (HCII) as well as anti-coagulant activity in plasma and whole blood. On the basis of sulphated polysaccharide concentration, the hydrolysate inhibited thrombin through HCII with an inhibitor concentration at 50% (IC50) of 16.5 μg/mL compared with 2.1 μg/mL for standard heparin. Fractionation concentrated HCII-mediated thrombin inhibition down to an IC50 of 1.8 μg/mL and improved anti-coagulant activities by significantly delaying clotting time. This study confirmed the presence of anti-thrombotic and anti-coagulant molecules in blacklip abalone viscera and demonstrated that these activities can be enriched with a simple chromatography regime. Blacklip abalone viscera warrant further investigation as a source of nutraceutical or functional food ingredients.
Graphical abstract
Schematic showing preparation of bioactive extracts and fractions from blacklip abalone
The genus Papaver is highly esteemed in the pharmacy industry, in the culinary field, and as ornamental plants. These plants are also valued in traditional medicine. Among all Papaver species, ...Papaver somniferum L. (opium poppy) is the most important species in supplying phytochemicals for the formulation of drugs, mainly alkaloids like morphine, codeine, rhoeadine, thebaine, and papaverine. In addition, Papaver plants present other types of phytochemicals, which altogether are responsible for its biological activities. Therefore, this review covers the phytochemical composition of Papaver plants, including alkaloids, phenolic compounds, and essential oils. The traditional uses are reviewed along with their pharmacological activities. Moreover, safety aspects are reported to provide a deep overview of the pharmacology potential of this genus. An updated search was carried out in databases such as Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and PubMed to retrieve the information. Overall, this genus is a rich source of alkaloids of different types and also contains interesting phenolic compounds, such as anthocyanins, flavonols, and the characteristic indole derivatives nudicaulins. Among other pharmacological properties, numerous preclinical studies have been published about the analgesic, anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antidiabetic activities of Papaver plants. Although it highlights the significant impact of this genus for the treatment of a variety of diseases and conditions, as a future prospect, characterization works accompanying preclinical studies are required along with clinical and toxicology studies to establish a correlation between the scientific and traditional knowledge.
The genus Peganum includes four species widely distributed in warm temperate to subtropical regions from the Mediterranean to Mongolia as well as certain regions in America. Among these species, ...Peganum harmala L., distributed from the Mediterranean region to Central Asia, has been studied and its phytochemical profile, traditional folk use, and application in pharmacological and clinical trials are well known. The review is aimed at presenting an insight into the botanical features and geographical distribution of Peganum spp. along with traditional folk uses. This manuscript also reviews the phytochemical profile of Peganum spp. and its correlation with biological activities evidenced by the in vitro and in vivo investigations. Moreover, this review gives us an understanding of the bioactive compounds from Peganum as health promoters followed by the safety and adverse effects on human health. In relation to their multipurpose therapeutic properties, various parts of this plant such as seeds, bark, and roots present bioactive compounds promoting health benefits. An updated search (until December 2020) was carried out in databases such as PubMed and ScienceDirect. Chemical studies have presented beta-carboline alkaloids as the most active constituents, with harmalol, harmaline, and harmine being the latest and most studied among these naturally occurring alkaloids. The Peganum spp. extracts have shown neuroprotective, anticancer, antimicrobial, and antiviral effects. The extracts are also found effective in improving respiratory disorders (asthma and cough conditions), dermatoses, and knee osteoarthritis. Bioactivities and health-enhancing effects of Peganum spp. make it a potential candidate for the formulation of functional foods and pharmaceutical drugs. Nevertheless, adverse effects of this plant have also been described, and therefore new bioproducts need to be studied in depth. In fact, the design of new formulations and nanoformulations to control the release of active compounds will be necessary to achieve successful pharmacological and therapeutic treatments.
Oxidative stress caused by the imbalance between production of oxidants and antioxidants in the body leads to the development of different ailments. The bioactive compounds derived from marine ...sources are considered to be safe and appropriate to use. Astaxanthin possesses antioxidant activity about 100–500 times higher than other antioxidants such as α‐tocopherol and β‐carotene. It has numerous health benefits and vital pharmacological properties for the treatment of diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cancer, heart disease, ischemia, neurological disorders, and potential role in liver enzyme gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase which has significance in medicine as a diagnostic marker. The primary source of astaxanthin among crustaceans is shrimps and the presence of astaxanthin protects shrimps from oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol. Conclusively, astaxanthin derived from shrimps is very effective against oxidative stress which can lead to certain ailments.
Conclusively, the astaxanthin derived from shrimps is very effective against oxidative stress which become the cause of certain ailments.
Sulphated polysaccharides with anti-thrombotic and anti-coagulant activities have been found in various marine biota. In this study, a previously characterised anti-thrombotic and anti-coagulant ...extract from blacklip abalone was fractionated by anion exchange chromatography (AEC), pooled (on a sulphated polysaccharide basis) and administered to Wistar rats via oral gavage (N = 8) for assessment as an oral therapeutic. To ensure that the preparation had anti-coagulant activity prior to oral administration, it was assessed in rat blood by thromboelastography (TEG) significantly increasing reaction (R) time (or time until clot formation). Following in vitro confirmation of anti-coagulant activity, 40 mg of the preparation was orally administered to rats with blood samples collected at 2, 4, and 6 h post-gavage. Assessment of all blood samples by TEG showed some prolongation of R time from 355 to 380 s after 4 h. Dosing of the post-gavage blood samples with the abalone preparation to confirm anti-thrombotic activity in vitro revealed residual anti-coagulant activity, further suggesting that oral administration did increase anti-coagulant potential in the collected blood but that bioavailability was low. Assessment of tissues and haematological parameters showed no obvious harmful effects of the abalone preparation in animals. In summary, even though oral administration of fractionated and pooled blacklip abalone extract to rats delayed clotting after 4 h, bioavailability of the preparation appeared to be low and may be more appropriate for intravenous administration as an anti-thrombotic or anti-coagulant therapeutic.
This review covers the significance of green banana resistant starch (RS), a substantial polysaccharide. The food industry has taken an interest in green banana flour due to its 30% availability of ...resistant starch and its approximately 70% starch content on a dry basis, making its use suitable for food formulations where starch serves as the base. A variety of processing techniques, such as heat‐moisture, autoclaving, microwaving, high hydrostatic pressure, extrusion, ultrasound, acid hydrolysis, and enzymatic debranching treatments, have made significant advancements in the preparation of resistant starch. These advancements aim to change the structure, techno‐functionality, and subsequently the physiological functions of the resistant starch. Green bananas make up the highest RS as compared to other foods and cereals. Many food processing industries and cuisines now have a positive awareness due to the functional characteristics of green bananas, such as their pasting, thermal, gelatinization, foaming, and textural characteristics. It is also found useful for controlling the rates of cancer, obesity, and diabetic disorders. Moreover, the use of GBRS as prebiotics and probiotics might be significantly proved good for gut health. This study aimed at the awareness of the composition, extraction and application of the green banana resistant starch in the future food products.
Resistant starch (RS), a significant polysaccharide, is one of the intriguing bioactive components of starch. Among cereals and other foods, green bananas make up the most RS. Green banana resistant starch (GBRS) has potential value in the future as a functional ingredient and a fat replacement.
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