RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOGNOSY
Year:2014 | Volume:1 | Issue:4|Papers Count:7

Background and objectives: There is a growing trend towards investigating natural products as sources of compounds with biological effects and many researches have been carried out in order to find effective medications against many diseases. Cancer is no exception and studies focusing on evaluating the effects of different materials on DNA, give valuable information in cancer researches and carcinogenicity studies; thus the present study was focused on evaluating the impact of medicinal plants from Kohgiluyeh va Boyerahmad province, Iran on DNA.Methods: Thirty five plant species collected have been investigated for prophage induction ability in Escherichia coli K-12 (l) through inductest.Results: The assay demonstrated that 8 plants were able to affect DNA.Conclusion: The results confirm the role of natural resources for biologic effects and what’s more, potential drug candidates in new drug discovery.

Background and objectives: Dorema ammoniacum D. Don (Apiaceae) is a monocarpic plant endemic to central Iran. The gum resin of this species is a known therapeutic agent in Iranian, Indian and Western traditional medicines. The aim of the present study was to investigate essential oil constituents and evaluation of antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the essential oils and extracts of D. ammoniacum aerial parts and roots.Methods: Essential oils were analyzed using GC and GC/MS. The oils together with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of the plant samples were subjected to antioxidant evaluation by DPPH and FRAP assays and antibacterial screening using disk diffusion and micro-well dilution methods.Results: Thirty-four compounds were identified in the aerial parts oil, among them b-himachalene (9.3%) and b-chamigrene (8.7%) were the main constituents. Thirty-five compounds were also characterized in the roots oil, of which b-bisabolene (15.1%) and hexadecanal (13.2%) were the main components. Ethyl acetate extract of the roots showed the highest antioxidant activity in both DPPH (IC50 21.3±2.7 mg/mL) and FRAP (112.7±8.1 mmol FeSO4.7H2O equivalent/g) assays. In antibacterial assay, the ethyl acetate and chloroform extracts of the roots exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Essential oils were also found to be active against Shigella dysenteriae.Conclusion: Considerable antioxidant and antibacterial activities of D. ammoniacum make it an appropriate candidate for further studies and identification of its bioactive principles.

Background and objectives: Cancer is a public health problem all over the world. Herbal medicines have a vital role in the prevention and treatment of cancer and large numbers of plants and their isolated constituents have shown potential anticancer activity.Methods: Twenty seven medicinal plants from southern Iran provinces have been extracted with methanol and screened for their cytotoxic activity against MCF-7, WEHI-164, HepG-2, MDBK and A-549 cell lines by MTT assay.Results: The methanol extracts of two species, Calotropis procera and Juniperus excelsa, demonstrated to be more effective compared to other extracts.Conclusion: The above species are proper candidates for further cancer studies.

Background and objectives: Several natural compounds have been identified for the treatment of leishmaniasis. Due to a few safe drugs and the side effects caused by available chemotherapy, some new drugs for treatment of leishmaniasis are requested. The genus Pulicaria (Asteraceae) is represented in the flora of Iran by five species. Phytochemical studies on Pulicaria species have revealed some flavonoids and terpenoids with leishmanicidal activity. In the present investigation chemical composition and leishmanicidal activity of Pulicaria gnaphalodes essential oil have been studied.Methods: The essential oil of the aerial parts of the plant was obtained by Clevenger apparatus and was analyzed by GC/MS. Antileishmanil activity was assessed against promastigoes of Leishmania major.Results: The major components from P. gnaphalodes essential oil have been reported to be geraniol, 1, 8-cineole, chrysanthenone, a-pinene, chrystanthenone, a-terpineol and filifolone. The alcohol monoterpenes with contribution of 25.04% constituted the major portion of the essential oil, while hydrocarbon monoterpenes and hydrocarbon sesquiterpenes with contribution of 7.08% and 2.38%, respectively occupied the next rates. In the present experiment the essential oil of P. gnaphalodes progressively inhibited Leishmania major growth in concentrations ranging from 0.125 to 50 mL/mL (parasite culture) in 24 h. The essential oil at 50 mL/mL eliminated the promastigotes at the beginning of treatment. It showed antileishmanial activity in concentration of 1.06 mL/mL and destroyed all parasits in 24 h.Conclusion: Pulicaria gnaphalodes antileishmanial activity, could suggest the species and constituents as possible lead structures for antileishmanial drug discovery.

Background and objectives: Resistance towards reveling antibiotics has captured great interest in evaluating the antimicrobial properties of the natural plants. Taraxacum mongolicum is widely used as a folklore medicinal plant for its diuretic, antirheumatic and anti-inflammatory properties. Though there are some reports on antimicrobial properties of Taraxacum mongolicum, studies on antibacterial abilities of its flower are limited and it was decided to evaluate the antibacterial properties of the flowers in the present study.Methods: The antibacterial properties of ethanol extract of Taraxacum mongolicum flower, and its fractions (petroleum ether, ethyl acetate (ET), and aqueous fractions) were examined through agar disc diffusion method, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined. Four Gram-negative and two Gram-positive bacteria were used in the study.Results: The antibacterial test results showed that the ET fraction strongly inhibited the growth of all of the microorganisms, especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis (with MIC values of 125 mg/mL and 62.5 mg/mL, respectively), whereas the ethanol extract and the other two fractions demonstrated moderate and weak activities, respectively.Conclusion: The ET fraction obtained from Taraxacum mongolicum flowers presented high antibacterial activity and might be suggested for use as a natural preservative ingredient in pharmaceutical industries.

Background and objectives: Dracocephalum kotschyi is a plant which belongs to the Lamiaceae family and exists mostly in south-west Asian countries, including Iran. This plant is used as antispasmodic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory to treat rheumatoid diseases.Methods: In order to investigate the impact of the harvesting time changes on the quantity and quality of mono- and sesquiterpenoid components of D. kotschyi aerial parts, ten samples were collected from cultivated plants from 19 April to 27 August 2013. Also samples of flower and root were harvested in order to investigate their essential oil components. The essential oils were obtained through hydrodistillation method. The components were studied and identified by GC and GC⁄MS systems.Results: The highest yield of the essential oil was obtained on 3 May (1.10% V.W) and the lowest on 28 July (0.29% V.W). Totally 55 compounds were identified in the essential oil while the highest percentage belonged to monoterpenes especially the oxygenated ones. Most variations were observed in geraniol (1.40-15.34%), geranyl acetate (trace-14.41%) and neryl acetate (0.62-17.51%). The major value in most cases belonged to geranial.Conclusion: the results of this study indicate that the harvesting time of plant is an effective factor in the quality and quantity of the essential oil of Dracocephalum kotschyi.

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the progression of HIV to AIDS, since HIV usually replicates in a highly oxidized condition and CD4+T lymphocytes can be activated via a cascade of internal oxidative pathways, which enhances the formation of proteins and enzymes. Thus, antioxidants should potentially be useful for the treatment and prevention of HIV infection as a new alternative strategy. Regarding the point that there are various approaches for treating the HIV-positive patients, antioxidant supplementation therapy alongside with other medications possesses many benefits. In fact, antioxidants and micronutrient supplements have been considered as a costly and short-term strategy to improve antioxidant deficiency. If diets come with sufficient education and scientific recommendations, they can provide a low-cost and long-term strategy to reduce oxidative stress, prevent micronutrient deficiency, and slow down HIV progression. This strategy may be applicable and beneficial particularly in countries around coast of Africa, where HIV is most common. Meantime these countries are rich of natural food resources. It seems that a healthy diet is the best way to insure proper nutrient intake, since it contains many nutrients not available in pills.