Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
Year:2005 | Volume:4 | Issue:2|Papers Count:9

After the boom of pharmacological research during the 1950s, mainly as a result of the screening technique, the identification of active molecules, their reshaping by means of pharmaco-chemical drug design, and the creation of extremely efficacious and successful medicines, the pharmaceutical world sought a new source of inspiration. Such biota as the tropical forest, a quantity of plants credited with highly powerful therapeutic activity, seemed to be a resource.As a sort of shortcut, research began interviewing the individuals who, in pre-modern societies, retained the secret of the herbs. Ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology, interested in the traditional knowledge and therapeutic uses of plants of human groups not yet entered into modernity, had hopes that the practice of plants coming from the dawn of Humankind and handled down from one generation to another, one century to another, and one culture from another, and now detained by a handful of healers qualified as traditional by Western medicine, could not only provide the modern world with a cure, if not a prevention to its sores, but also reconnect modern and post-modern societies with their roots and their environment. The recipes and therapeutic arsenal of a wide range of non-Western or non-Westernized cultures were scrutinized. The results of that large-scale enterprise were published worldwide and also stored in such a powerful tool for research as the NAPRALERT database, which can be consulted through the Internet.

Labiates family is well represented in Iran by 46 genera and 410 species and subspecies. Many members of this family are used in traditional and folk medicine. Also they are used as culinary and ornamental plants. There are no distinct references on the ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology of the family in Iran and most of the publications and documents related to the uses of these species are both in Persian and not comprehensive. In this article we reviewed all the available publication on this family. Also documentation from unpublished resources and ethnobotanical surveys has been included. Based on our literature search, out of the total number of the Labiatae family in Iran, 18% of the species are used for medicinal purposes. Leaves are the most used plant parts. Medicinal applications are classified into 13 main categories. A number of pharmacological and experimental studies have been reviewed, which confirm some of the traditional applications and also show the headline for future works on this family.

Alnus glutinosa, Fraxinus excelsior and Papaver rhoeas have long been used in folkloric medicine for the treatment of various ailments. As part of our continuing screening of plant extracts for activities, the extracts of A. glutinosa, F. excelsior and P. rhoeas have been screened for their antioxidant and antibacterial activities, as well as their general toxicity towards brine shrimps. Among the extracts, the methanol (MeOH) extract of F. excelsior displayed the highest level of antioxidant activity (RC50=1.35x10-2 mg/mL) and the dichloromethane (DCM) extract of P. rhoeas was the most toxic extract towards brine shrimps (LD50=2.4x10-2 mg/mL). The n-hexane and DCM extracts of F. excelsior and the MeOH extract of A. glutinosa were active (MIC values were within 1.25x10-1 and 1.00 mg/mL) against all 8 bacterial species tested, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Rheum ribes is among the Polygonaceae family which is endemic in Iran and a few neighboring countries. In this investigation, antibacterial effects of root, stalk and leaves extracts of Rheum ribes on a few common clinical isolates of gram negative pathogens were studied, using the cup plate and paper disc methods. Gram negative microorganisms studied were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.For examination of pathogenic microorganisms in the cup plate and disc diffusion method, methanolic extracts of different plant parts at concentrations of 250 and 500 micrograms per cup or disc, were used.The root and leaves extracts have demonstrated significant antibacterial activities in both methods. However, stalk extracts showed a lower degree of antibacterial activity than the root and leaves extracts. Generally, the extracts showed a broad spectrum of activity, although they were more effective against P. aeruginosa and Proteus spp. in comparison with the positive control. The results suggested that extracts of Rheum ribes could be effectively used against clinical isolates.

Reports have shown the antioxidant, hypotensive, hypolipidemic and vasodilatory effects of grape (Vitis vinifera L.) seed extract. We have recently shown the relaxatory effect of grape leaf extract on rat uterus and reduction of frog heart rate and contractility. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relaxant effect of Vitis vinifera leaf hydroalcoholic extract (VLHE) on rat thoracic aorta contractions induced by phenylephrine and KCl and the role of aorta endothelium on this action. Rat aorta was removed and placed in an organ bath containing Krebs-Henseleit solution and aorta contractions were recorded isometrically. The results demonstrate that VLHE (0.125-2 mg/ml) reduces the endothelial intact aorta reconstructed by phenylephrine (1mM) dose-dependently (P<0.0001). Extract induced the same response in endothelial denuded aorta, but in a much lesser extent. The IC50 for both groups were 0.45±0.08 and 1.73±0.23 mg/ml, respectively. However, the contractile responses of these groups were similar. VLHE (0.125-2 mg/ml) reduced the contractions induced by KCl (80 mM) dose-dependently (P<0.0001). The relaxatory effect of VHLE on KCl–induced contractions was less than those evoked by Phenylephrine. Vasorelaxatory effect of VHLE on intact aorta was attenuated by nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (L-NAME, 100mM) and gaunyl cyclase inhibitor (methylene blue, 10mM) significantly, but was unaffected by atropine (1mM). The results suggest that the greatest vasorelaxant effect of VHLE on rat aorta is endothelium-dependent and nitric oxide (NO) and cGMP are mostly responsible but cholinergic receptors are not involved.

Some medicinal plants are a potential source of new drugs, in order to improve the treatment of Chagas disease whose treatment is still a challenge. In this study, the in vitro anti-epimastigote activity of certain fractions of Achillea biebersteinii, A. millefolium, Satureja mutica and S. macrantha was evaluated. Diethyl ether fractions of Achillea species and acetone fractions of Satureja species were the most active fractions (MLC=12.5mg/ml) against the epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi, the ethiological agent causing Chagas disease. The trypanocidal activity seems to be decreased by fractionation, using MeOH and water as the solvents. The results obtained from assay revealed that Achillea and Satureja species could be a source of active trypanocidal compounds.

Dental plaque is a well known etiologic factor for gingivitis. Recently, herbal extracts are a matter of scientific interest to inhibit plaque accumulation on teeth. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of German Chamomile (GC) mouth wash on plaque and gingival indices.Twenty five gingivitis patients (15 female and 10 male, mean age 27±7.76 years) participated in this controlled, double blind cross-over study. The subjects used either GC or a control rinse for 2 min twice a day during a 4 weeks period. The other mouth rinse was used after a wash-out period of 4 weeks in the same way. The plaque and gingival indices were recorded at baseline and after each experimental or wash-out period. Furthermore, stain indices for intensity and extend were recorded to evaluate the tooth staining effects of the mouthrinses. The mean reduction in plaque and gingival scores were determined by using the test or control mouthwash and statistically analyzed by paired sample t-test. The stain intensity and extend in each period of the study were also analyzed by the two-way ANOVA.The GC mouthwash lowered both plaque and gingival scores significantly in comparison to the control rinse (p£0.001), whilst there was no significant difference in stain intensity or extend between the baseline and after each period of the study. There was also no report of any adverse reactions during the use of mouth rinses in this the study.Using GC mouthwash appears to offer benefit in plaque and gingival reduction without any significant adverse effects on tooth staining.

Echium amoenum Fisch. and C.A. Mey. (Boraginaceae) is a very popular medicinal plant which is used as a tonic, tranquillizer, diaphoretic, cough remedy, sore throat and pneumonia in Iran’s traditional medicine. Callus culture of medicinal plants is one of the ways for production of secondary metabolites. In this study, callus culture of E. amoenum and its major secondary metabolite were investigated. The callus culture of E. amoenum was initiated and established from seeds in MS media with three different ratios of plant growth regulatories: kinetin, 2,4-D and NAA. Methanolic extracts of freeze-dried calluses were compared by TLC and HPLC. The major secondary metabolite was separated by preparative HPLC and the structure of this pure compound was elucidated by UV, IR, one and two dimensional 1H and 13C-NMR and Mass spectroscopy. Rosmarinic acid was identified by various spectroscopic methods from callus culture of E. amoenum. Rosmarinic acid is widespread within the plant cell tissue culture of the Lamiaceae and Boraginaceae families, although in insignificant quantities. Rosmarinic acid has an antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory effect, which makes it a valuable product for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

Volatile components of three parts of Pimpinella tragium Vill. (Umbelliferae family) from Iran were investigated qualitatively and quantitatively for the first time. Essential oils were isolated by hydro-distillation from stems plus leaves, inflorescence and seeds of P. tragium individually. The plant materials were collected from Polour (Northeast of Tehran Province).The yields of the stems plus leaves, inflorescence and seed oils were 0.08%, 0.37% and 1.33%w/w, respectively. Eighteen constituents in the stems plus leaves oil, twenty-six constituents in the inflorescence oil and twenty-three constituents in the seed oil were identified. Major constituents of the stems plus leaves oil were: germacrene D (34.7%), germacrene B (18.3%), bornyl acetate (15.8%), b-caryophyllene (5.6%) and b-pinene (4.5%). Major constituents of the inflorescence oil were: b-pinene (23.8%), germacrene B (14.1%), hexadecanol (10.3%), b-caryophyllene (7.3%), germacrene D (6.2%) and bornyl acetate (4.1%). Main components of the seed oil were: b-pinene (25.3%), germacrene B (17.8%), sabinene (13.6%), b-caryophyllene (4.8%) and hexadecanol (4.7%).