September 2011
A review on resource status, bioactive ingredients, clinical applications and biological progress in Bergenia
Bergenia is a very important medicinal plant, widely applied in many fields. To develop effectively the elite germplasm, this paper introduced its resource status, enumerated itsbioactive ingredients and clinical applications, and summarized its research progress in biochemistry, cytology and molecular biology. This review is beneficial for further research on Bergenia. Key words: Bergenia,...
September 2011
Modulatory antibiotic activity and chemical composition of hydroalcoholic extract of Croton campestris
Croton campestris A. St.-Hill., known as "Velame do campo" (Euphorbiaceae), native of the Brazilian Northeastern region, is used in the popular medicine as decoction against several diseases as inflammations, hematological disturbances, flu and gastritis. The study analyzed the chemical composition and the antibacterial activity against bacterial strains ofEscherichia...
September 2011
Hormone sensitive lipase inhibition by selected medicinal plants
In the present study, 29 medicinal plants belonging to 20 families were evaluated for their hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) inhibitory potential. The methanolic extracts prepared from plant parts used, were tested in vitro at 200 µg/ml concentrations for their inhibitory potential (expressed as % inhibition of XO activity). Twelve plants were found most active (% inhibition more than 30%) and their...
September 2011
Eosungcho (Houttuynia cordata) with multi strain probiotics as alternative to antibiotic for broiler production
A study was conducted with 140 "Ross" broilers (1-day old) having four treatments to know the potentiality of Eosungcho, Houttuynia cordata with probiotics (HCP) and suitable level in replacing antibiotic. The groups were control (basal diet), antibiotic (basal diet + 0.05% OTC) and HCP 0.5 and 1.0% with basal diet. The birds were arranged in a completely randomized design having 5 replications with...
September 2011
Effects of endophytic fungal elicitor on two kinds of terpenoids production and physiological indexes in Euphorbia pekinensis suspension cells
Treating Euphorbia pekinensis suspension cultures with endophytic fungal elicitor fromFusarium sp. E5 resulted in accumualtion of isoeuphpekinensin and euphol, activated defense-related enzymes, and increased biomass. The elicitor was prepared from extract of fungal endophyte Fusarium sp. E5 mycelium, and added into 21 day-old cell suspension cultures. The results showed that the...
September 2011
RAPD and ISSR markers for comparative analysis of genetic diversity in wormwood capillary (Artemisia capillaris) from Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Artemisia capillaris (Thunb.) commonly known as wormwood or sagebussh is under-exploited plant. Genetic variation between A. capillaris was evaluated using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers. Among these markers, RAPD primers generated 291 amplification products of which 108 were polymorphic and ISSR markers produced 283 amplification products, out of...
September 2011
Antioxidative effects of Iranian Urtica dioica L. extracts on the oxidation of sunflower oil
The aim of the present study was to evaluate antioxidative effects of water and ether extracts of Iranian Urtica dioica, during its pre and post flowering on vegetable oil during storage. Different concentration of water and ether extracts (0, 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 ppm) and β-Hydroxy toluene (BHT; 200 ppm) were added to sunflower oil emulsion in the presence of cupric ions and incubated for 7...
September 2011
The Iranian traditional herbal medicine ostokhodus can prevent axotomy-induced apoptosis in spinal motoneurons in neonate rats
Ostokhodus (Nepeta Menthoides), is an herb widely used in Iranian Traditional Medicine to manage the neurologic disorders. Since apoptosis plays a crucial role in pathological situations of nervous system, in present study we investigated the putative anti-apoptotic effect of Ostokhodus in axotomy-induced apoptosis of spinal motoneurons in neonate rats. Following transecting the right sciatic nerve of 2 day old rat...
September 2011
Establishment of a high frequency plant regeneration system of Rauvolfia verticillata via somatic embryogenesis
Rauvolfia verticillata is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant which contains a variety of terpenoid indole alkaloids such as ajmalicine, reserpine, rescinamine, serpentinine and yohmbine. The present investigation has successfully established the high frequency plant regeneration system of Rauvolfia verticillata via somatic embryogenesis. Leaves and stems were used as explants to induce calli on MS...
September 2011
Anti-tumor effect of Archidendron lucidum (benth) against esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer and hepatoma
Archidenron lucidum is an indigenous medicinal plant in Taiwan used for treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancer. This study was aimed to investigate its anti-cancer effect against gastrointestinal and hepatic malignancy. We found that the 50% effective concentrations of its methanol extract (MEAL) against human esophageal cancer CE81T/VGH, hepatoma HA22T/VGH and murine colorectal cancer CT26 cells were less...
September 2011
Micropropagation of Etlingera elatior (Zingiberaceae) by using axillary bud explants
Axillary bud explants of Etingera elatior were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium, supplemented with various concentrations of cytokinin (BAP) or auxin (IAA) as plant growth regulators. The addition of 22.2 µM BAP to the MS medium produced the highest mean number of shoots (3.67) per explants as compared to other concentrations. The best shoots length (4.20 cm) was obtained from the...
September 2011
Molecular cloning and characterization of the gene encoding pinoresinol synthase from Tibet Dysosma
Two molecules of coniferyl alcohols are dimerized to form a molecule of pinoresinol , a precursor of podophyllotoxin – antiviral and antitumor agent. The process is catalyzed by pinoresinol synthase (PS). In the present study, the full-length cDNA encoding PS (designated as DtPS) was isolated and characterized from Tibet Dysosma, Dysosma tsayuensis Ying. The full-length DtPS cDNA was 798...
September 2011
Evaluation of the acute toxicity, genotoxicity and mutagenicity of ethanol extract of Piper aduncum
The genus Piper is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. It has many ethnopharmacological uses, such as an antifungal and antiparasitic, but its toxicity has not yet been fully elucidated. In a fixed dose assay 2 g/kg (p.o.), the ethanol extract of aerial parts (stems and leaves) of Piper aduncum was administered and no signs of toxicity were detected, either during the...
September 2011
Composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil of Artemisia kermanensis Podl., an endemic species from Iran
The essential oil of the aerial parts of Artemisia kermanensis was analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS methods. Twenty-five compounds, accounting for 92.3% of the total oil, were identified. The main components of the oil were isoborneol (21.5%) and camphor (9.8%).The oil was found to be rich in regards to oxygenated monoterpenes (80.2%). The antimicrobial activity of oil was determined...
September 2011
Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis and RAPD-derived sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR) marker development to identify Chinese and Korean ginseng
Panax ginseng, a family Araliaceae, is an herbaceous medicinal plant with thickened roots containing pharmacologically active triterpenes, and distributed in North East Asia. Korean and Chinese ginseng are same species but consumers require strict identification of the place of origin of Chinese and Korean ginseng because of highly different prices of roots. Here, we investigated the intraspecific population of...
September 2011
Ethnobotanical survey of common medicinal plants used by people of district Mirpur, AJK, Pakistan
Medicinal plants are valuable and are used for the production of various drugs. These plants are traditionally used to cure various diseases. The present research work is based on a survey conducted on traditional medicinal uses of common medicinal plants of district Mirpur AJK, Pakistan. The local, especially old people use medicinal plants for various ailments. A total of 29 plant species belonging to 20 families are...
September 2011
Comparison of antibacterial activity of water and ethanol extracts of Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze against dental caries and detection of antibacterial components
Present study describes the antibacterial activity of green tea extracts against dental caries. Green tea samples were collected from local market of Lahore. The antibacterial activity of water and ethanol extract of Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze were examined againstLactobacillus acidophilus and Streptococcus mutans. Antibacterial activity was investigated by paper diffusion test and Minimum...
September 2011
Relative antioxidant activity of Brazilian medicinal plants for gastrointestinal diseases
The free radical scavenging capacity of Brazilian medicinal plants and some of their constituents was examined in vitro using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) quantitative assay. Twelve medicinal plants, used to treat gastrointestinal disorders (Alchornea glandulosa, Alchornea triplinervia, Anacardium humile, Byrsonima crassa,Byrsonima cinera, Byrsonima intermedia, Davilla...
September 2011
Phenolic compounds, protein, lipid content and fatty acids compositions of cactus seeds
Opuntia ficus indica seeds harvested in three different years were investigated for total phenols, protein, total lipid content and fatty acids composition. Seeds were found to be rich in phenolic compounds (268.4 mg/100 g). Seeds contained also 6.0% of protein and 5.5% of oil. Unsaturated fatty acids accounted for the majority of the fatty acids (83.2%). Linoleic acid with 56.6% was the main fatty acid followed by...
September 2011
Stomatal studies of some selected medicinal plants of family solanaceae
The study reports variation in the structure and distribution of stomata in some members of Solanaceae viz., Datura innoxia Miller, Solanum nigrum L., Solanum surattens Burm. f., Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal and Withania coagulans (Stocks) Dunal. The type of stomata, density, frequency, stomatal index, size of stomatal pore (average length and width), size of guard...
September 2011
Effective parameters on drying of Hypericum perforatum L. leaves
Drying is one of the most important post harvest processes, which convert decaying products to resistant preparations so that it increases the storage duration and keep product quality (food stuff shelflife). Hypericum perforatum L. is an important kind of herbs, which its Iranian species characterized by high percent of Hyperisin as the most important substance of its leaves and flower. It has an important...
September 2011
Effects of fertilizer on morphological traits in Aloe vera
This experiment was conducted at the Institute of National Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Iran to evaluate the effect of different amount of fertilizers on the leaf and plant characteristics as well as yield of Aloe vera. There were 6 different treatments viz., T1 = 100% soil (control), T2 = 100 PK (50% P + 50% K), T3 = 50% K + 50% soil, T4 = 50% N + 50% soil, T5 = 150% NPK (50% N...
September 2011
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with Huangshan Magnolia (Magnolia cylindrica)
Root and rhizosphere soil samples of medicinal plant Huangshan Magnolia (Magnolia cylindrica) from Chinese famous national forest park of Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) were studied to determine the root colonization and the diversity of spore populations of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. The results showed that AM fungal colonization structures including hyphae, hyphal coils and vesicles were...
September 2011
Comparison of genetic diversity in Pogostemon cablin from China revealed by RAPD, morphological and chemical analyses
The genetic diversity of 16 patchouli populations by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), morphology and chemical composition was presented in this paper. Polymorphism of RAPD primers and the percentage of polymorphic bands revealed with RAPD were 79.21 and 78.40%, respectively, which indicated a high level of genetic diversity existed among Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) populations. A dendrogram based on...
September 2011
Rapid direct adventitious shoot organogenesis and plant regeneration from mature seed explants of Phellodendron amurense Rupr.
Thidiazuron (TDZ) was more effective than 6-benzyladenine (6-BA) for adventitious shoot induction from mature seeds of Phellodendron amurense Rupr. Explants of hypocotyl + cotyledon produced more adventitious shoots than explants of cotyledon alone. Water rinsing pretreatment of dehusked seeds, optimally for two or three days, shortened the adventitious shoot induction period to 5 days....
September 2011
Apoptotic and necrotic effects of plant extracts belonging to the genus Alchemilla L. species on HeLa cells in vitro
Apoptotic and necrotic effects of plant extracts belonging to the genus Alchemilla on HeLa cells were investigated. The ratio of viable cells was determined by cell counter. Double staining method for the determination of apoptotic and necrotic index was carried out. The lowest apoptotic effect was found in Alchemilla oriturcica with the ratio of around 14% and the highest apoptotic effect...
September 2011
Parthenolide augments the anticancer effects of 5-fluorouracil on cell apoptosis and decreased NF-kB activity in a gastric cancer cell line
5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is not well tolerated by some patients, because of its severe side effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of parthenolide (PTL) in augmenting the anti-tumor effect of 5-FU in gastric cancer cells KATO III and to determine if parthenolide can be used to decrease the dose of 5-FU. The mechanism underlying the anti-tumor effects of 5-FU was also investigated....
September 2011
Anatomical and molecular identification of “guaco†Mikania glomerata and Mikania laevigata (Asteraceae), two important medicinal species from Brazil
Mikania glomerata Sprengel and Mikania laevigata Schultz Bip. ex Baker are native Brazilian lianas, popularly known as guaco and mainly used as bronchodilators. Based on morphological and anatomical leaf features, preliminary data indicate substantial similarity between the two species, requiring further studies to increase the accuracy of their diagnosis. However, it is still unclear which...
September 2011
Phytochemical contents and biological activities of Rosa canina fruit from Iran
This study was done to evaluate the amount of phytochemicals (phenols and flavonoids) content, antioxidant and antibacterial characteristics of the various extracts of the fruit ofRosa canina from Iran through various in vitro methods. Among the extracts, the methanol fraction with 11.58 µg/ml and 88.7% antioxidant activities in terms of IC50 values...
September 2011
Feasible plant regeneration in black pepper from petiole explants
A feasible plant regeneration protocol was established for economically important plant, black pepper. Callogenesis was induced from petiole explants of potted plants incubated on murashige and skoog (MS) - medium supplemented with different concentrations of several phytohormones (PGRs). The best callus induction (85%) was observed for MS-medium supplemented with 0.5 mg l-1 6 - benzyladenine (BA) after 04 weeks of...
September 2011
Rapid genomic DNA isolation from corm of Crocus species for genetic diversity analysis
The successful extraction of useful DNA from the plants is associated with all extraction steps for molecular techniques used in the next steps such as PCR amplification, digestion and DNA sequencing. Unlike in nonplant DNA extraction protocols, methods need to be adjusted to each species and even to each tissue because of the wide range of primary and secondary metabolites in the plants. Current methods produce...
September 2011
Effects of basil, Ocimum basilicum on spermatogenesis in rats
Medicinal use of basil, Ocimum basilicum, dates back to ancient times in Iran, China, and India. This herb has been used since ancient times as a medicine and food and it is known that the antioxidant effect of O. basilicum is beneficial to spermatogenesis, so it was hypothesized that this herb might also provide protection to sperm parameters. Male Wistar rats (n = 30) were allocated to three groups, a...
September 2011
Effects of inorganic nitrogen source and NH4+: NO3- ratio on proliferation of dog rose (Rosa canina)
Dog rose (Rosa canina) is one of the most important ornamental and medicinal plants which are used as rootstock for ornamental roses as Rosa hybrida and Rosa floribunda. The effects of different concentrations of NH4NO3 (10-15 and 20 mM), KNO3 (15-20 and 25 mM) and NH4:NO3ratios (10:25, 10:30, 10:35, 15:30, 15:35, 15:40, 20:35 and 20:45) was investigated on proliferation stage of dog rose...
September 2011
Antioxidant activity of different parts of eggplant
After preparing 70% ethanol (EE) and water extracts (WE) from different parts (calyx, leaf, peel, pulp, and stem) of eggplant, antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated. Total phenolic contents of EE and WE were the highest in peel (55.19 mg/g) and calyx (121.07 mg/g) extracts, respectively. Total flavanol contents of EE and WE were the highest in leaf (8.00 mg/g) and calyx (5.61 mg/g) extracts, respectively....
September 2011
Antidiabetic antioxidant effect of Panax ginseng
This study was done to investigate the biochemical effect of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer on the diabetic rats. Sixty male albino rats were divided into four groups (fifteen for each group)Normal control, normal treated, diabetic and treated diabetic groups. Blood glucose, serum insulin, serum lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL and VLDL-cholesterol) were estimated. Also, serum interleukin - 6 (IL- 6) and...
September 2011
Composition and toxicity of Chinese Dracocephalum moldavica (Labiatae) essential oil against two grain storage insects
Essential oil of Dracocephalum moldavica flowering aerial parts was extracted via hydrodistillation. A total of 38 components of the essential oil were identified. 1, 8-Cineol (31.25%) and 4-terpineol (22.82%) were the two main components of the essential oil followed by cumin alcohol (4.29%) and α-terpineol (4.21%). The essential oil exhibited strong fumigant toxicity against Sitophilus...
September 2011
Hepatoprotective effect of cactus extract against carcinogenicity of benzo(a)pyrene on liver of Balb/C mice
The cactus Opuntia ficus-indica is a xerophyte plant it has an increasing interest of nutritional and pharmacological power. In the present study we choose cactus cladode extract (CCE) to investigate its efficacy against benzo(a)pyrene (BAP) a widespread environmental genotoxin classified as probably carcinogenic to humans witch induced liver injury. Our results using balb/c mice clearly showed that BAP...
September 2011
Chemical composition and seasonal variation of essential oil of Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst subsp birrea leaves from Benin
Essential oils from fresh leaves of Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst. were extracted by steam distillation. The oil yield from plant collected during the hot season (February) was 0.10±0.02 and 0.24±0.01% from plant collected during the cold season (August). GC/FID and GC/MS analysis allowed us to identify a total of 49 compounds, representing 98% of the hydrodistillate. The...
September 2011
Antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of the acetone extracts of root of Euphorbia hylonoma and its ellagic acid derivatives
The acetone extracts and fractions prepared from the roots of Euphorbia hylonoma were investigated for 1, 1-diphenyl-2-pycrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical, superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and cytotoxic activity against the human hepatoma cell line SMMC-7721, human cervix epitheloid carcinoma cell line HeLa and the human gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901. The acetone extract...
September 2011
Antibacterial effect of the brown alga Cystoseira trinodis
It is understood that bacteria can become resistant to the existing antibiotics. Thus, finding the new antibacterial substances is an important necessity. Since algae have been known to contain biologically active compounds, in the present investigation we attempted to study of antibacterial effect of the brown alga Cystoseira trinodis harvested from the Persian Gulf. This investigation was an in...
September 2011
Anti-inflammatory properties of Albuca setosa and its possible mechanism of action
Albuca setosa is used for the treatment of wounds, articulation problems and rheumatoid arthritis. In this study we characterized the anti-inflammatory response of A. setosa on inflammation induced by carrageenan, dextran, histamine, serotonin, arachidonic acid and xylene. The extract was administered orally at a dose of 150 and 300 mg/kg. The extract ofA. setosa at...
September 2011
Antimicrobial activity of selected medicinal plants of Margalla Hills, Islamabad, Pakistan
The present studies focus on the antimicrobial activities of the crude methanolic extracts of different plant parts of thirteen selected medicinal plants namely: Woodfordia fruiticosa,Adhatoda vasica, Chenopodium ambrosoides, Viburnum cotinifolium, Euphorbia hirta, Vitex negundo, Peganum harmala, Broussonetia papyrifera, Taraxacum officinale, Urtica dioica,Verbascum...
September 2011
Phytotoxic effects of selected medicinal plants collected from Margalla Hills, Islamabad Pakistan
The present studies cover the phytotoxic effects of the crude methanolic extracts of different parts of 13 medicinal plants viz. Woodfordia fruiticosa, Adhatoda vasica,Chenopodium ambrosoides, Viburnum cotinifolium, Euphorbia hirta, Vitex negundo,Peganum harmala, Broussonetia papyrifera, Taraxacum officinale, Urtica dioica,Verbascum thapsus, Caryopteris...
September 2011
Ethnobotanical profile of some plant resources in Malam Jabba valley of Swat, Pakistan
A study on the economically important plants was carried during summer 2007 in various parts of Malam Jabba valley, Swat. The principal aim of the study was to prepare an enthnobotanical inventory of the plant resources of the area, as well as to evaluate the conservation status of important medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs). The study documented 90 species of ethnobotanical importance, out of these 71 spp used as...
September 2011
Effect of different levels of gibberellic acid on seed sprouting of some species of Salvia genus grown in Iran
The harmful effects of chemicals and the side effects of chemical drugs on human health have widely focused global attention on herbal drugs and medicinal plants. The increasing use of medicinal plants in the world is more than enough to show the significance of cultivating and producing such plants. Seeds of most medicinal plants have very long dormancy periods, so shortening the dormancy period and increasing...
September 2011
Mentha arvensis Linn.: A review article
September 2011
Mentha arvensis Linn.: A review article
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