Journal de pharmacognosie et de produits naturels

Ethanolic extract of the aerial parts of Haplophyllum tuberculatum demonstrated an efficient anti-fungal activity against Aspergillus fumigates, Geotricum candidum and Syncephalastrum racemosum with (MIC 0.49, 0.12 and 1.95 μg/ml). It also presented 75% potency as antibacterial agent on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (MIC 1.95 and 15.63 μg/ml). Volatile oil of the aerial parts demonstrated significant antibacterial effect against Enterococcus faecalis and Lactobacillus acidophilus (MIC 1.95 and 0.98 μg/ml). The essential oils from aerial parts and flowers exhibited a remarkable acute anti-inflammatory activity against carrageenan induced oedema in rats 9.52 and 8.56 which were found to be comparable to the standard drug at the selected dose. The ethanolic extract of the aerial parts exhibited significance anti-oxidant activity (98%) as compared to vitamin E.

Objective: To investigate anti-oxidative protective effects and potential anti-apoptosis mechanisms of He Ying An Xin-Formula (HYAX-F).

Method: VSMC were incubated by H2O2 (200 μmol/L) for 2 h as oxidative stress control group, same dosage of H2O2 was administered 2 h after treatment with HYAX-F (100 g/mL, 50 g/mL, 25 g/mL) as therapeutic group and incubated for another 24 h, cell supernant content of GSH and MDA were measured. Sub-cutaneous injection in back with D-galactose (125 mg/kg) to establish ageing rat model. Control group: D-galactose 125 mg/kg, therapeutic groups: HYAX-F 500 mg/kg+D-galactose 125 mg/kg, HYAX-F 250 mg/kg+D-galactose 125 mg/kg, HYAX-F 125 mg/kg+D-galactose 125 mg/kg, normal group and young group. The RT-PCR technique was used to measure the expression of relevant genes, such as tumor necrosis factor- alpha (TNF-α) and B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2) in the tissues of brain and liver.

Results: Compared with the control group, HYAX-F can significantly enhance the content of GSH (P<0.05) and decrease the content of MDA (P<0.01). Also HYAX-F can significantly decrease TNF-α expression and increase Bcl- 2 expression in rats brain and liver tissues (P<0.05, P<0.01).

Conclusion: HYAX-F has greatly protective effects on anti-oxidative of rat VSMC and anti-apoptosis of ageing rats.

Children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty interacting with others both verbally and behaviorally. In addition, they display impaired temper and behavior control. These two impairments hamper the daily functions required for independent living. The current study evaluated a patented intranasal herbal formula including borneol as a possible intervention for improving the social ability and self-control of children with ASD. Thirty children with ASD participated in this study, with 15 receiving the herbal medicine and 15 serving as control subjects. After six months of intervention, the children in the experimental group showed significant improvements in their social and self-control abilities. Furthermore, their immunologic function, as indexed by the significant reduction in circulating CD3+CD8+ suppressor/cytotoxic T lymphocytes in their blood samples, was significantly improved. By contrast, the children in the control group did not show improvement in their social or self-control abilities, and no significant difference was found in their immunologic function over the six-month period. Thus, the results suggest that the intranasal herbal formula has therapeutic effects on the behavioral problems of children with ASD.

Study background: Hypercholesterolemia causes arteriosclerosis, a risk factor for cerebral or myocardial infarctions. Prevention of hypercholesterolemia by improving dietary habits has recently attracted attention in many countries. It has been reported that the leaves of the mulberry plant, Morus alba L., which is commonly used for tea in Asian countries, can ameliorate hypercholesterolemic conditions.
Method: To determine its mechanism of action, we performed gene expression profiling of the liver of mice fed a high-cholesterol diet and a polyphenol-rich mulberry leaf extract containing abundant quercetin and kaempferol for 4 weeks.
Results: The levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase in plasma, and level of total cholesterol in the liver were significantly lower in the mice treated with the mulberry leaf extract than that in the control group mice. DNA microarray analysis revealed that mulberry extract downregulated the expression of genes involved in cholesterol biosynthesis, including hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase gene, and upregulated the transcription of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)α and γ, transcriptional factors known to regulate lipid metabolism or immunity, and their target genes. Additionally, the mulberry extract stimulated both innate and acquired immunity, including the induction of scavenger and Toll-like receptors and the activation of pathways in various lymphocytes, such as macrophages, eosinophils, neutrophils, natural killer cells, B cells, and T cells.
Conclusion: The results obtained in this study suggest that quercetin and kaempferol in the mulberry leaf induce the activation of PPARα and PPARγ, transcription of Ppara and Pparg genes, and stimulation of PPAR signaling pathways. These phenomena ultimately lead to the reduction of cholesterol synthesis and immunostimulation.

The present study was aimed to reveal the biochemical similarity and varaition among the three taxonomically confused species Nephrolepis exaltata (L.) Schott, Nephrolepis auriculata (L.) Trimen and Nephrolepis multiflora (Roxb.) Jarret using SDS-PAGE analysis. To reveal the inter-speciifc variation among the selected Nephrolepis, SDS-PAGE was carried out to obtain protein bands following the method described by Anbalagan. Multiple regions (8) of activity were observed from protein  electrophoretic system of Nephrolepis. A total of 19 bands with various Rf values and molecular weight were demonstrated in the SDS-PAGE gel system of Nephrolepis. Among the three species of  Nephrolepis, N. exaltata showed maximum number of protein bands (9) followed by N. multiflora (6) and N. auriculata (4). Each region expressed different proteins which act as representative of the expression of a particular gene in the studied species of Nephrolepis. The similarity indices were calculated and cladogram was constructed based on the protein profiles of Nephrolepis and revealed the similarities and variation among the studied Nephrolepis species. The results obtained in this work also showed that SDS-PAGE analysis can provide an easy, low cost and quick way for the identification of inter-specific variation among the selected Nephrolepis species. SDS-PAGE analysis provided strong basis for the discrimination of genotypes on the basis of specific polypeptide fragments.