Background: Entamoeba histolytica is the causative agent of amoebic dysentery and hepatic abscesses. Despite the efficacy of metronidazole in alleviating infectious diseases, the global dissemination of drug-resistant parasites raises the possibility that Punica granatum could serve as an effective natural alternative treatment. Objective: To evaluate the effect of P. granatum methanolic and aqueous extracts of various parts against E. histolytica trophozoites in an in vitro setting. Methods: Various concentrations (0.14, 0.7, 1.4, and 2.8 mg/ml) of P. granatum extracts of the flowers, leafs, peels, and seeds were chosen for this purpose. A culture medium containing 0.05x106/ml E. histolytica trophozoites was treated with different concentrations of these extracts. The incubation period was 48 hours at 37°C. For every set, an untreated control was also performed. The standard medication metronidazole (17 μg/ml) was employed as a comparative control. Results: All parts of P. granatum showed high efficacy against E. histolytica trophozoites, but utilization of the methanolic extract proved to be quite effective compared to aqueous extract. Under a light microscope, several morphological changes were also seen. These include changes to the plasma membrane, reorganization of vacuoles that hold cell waste, and major changes to the cytoplasmic granules. Conclusions: The leaf, seed, flower, and peel extracts of P. granatum effectively inhibit the growth of E. histolytica trophozoites in vitro. The use of methanolic extract was more effective compared to the aqueous extract, and can be used as a natural alternative treatment for amoebic dysentery.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) also known under local names like (tropical sore, oriental sore and Baghdad sore) is the most common form of leishmaniasis. It is a public health and a social problem in many developing countries. The Old World disease primarily is caused by Leishmania major in dry desert areas and Leishmania tropica in urban areas. Recently, metal oxide nanoparticales have been versatile platforms for biomedical applications and therapeutic interventions. There is an urgent need to develop new types of antileishmanial agents instead of classical drug (pentostam), especially, when its efficacy showed a decline towards some strains of Leishmania. Therefore, the present work was aimed to evaluating antileishmanial activity of z
... Show MoreBackground: Recently increasing number of people are using mouthwashes for general and oral care while the primary appeal of a mouthwash is an aid to breath freshness and cleansing the mouth, the majority of mouthwashes also claim to have antiseptic properties. The aim of this study is to determine the antimicrobial effectiveness of eight types of mouthwashes against Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans in vitro. Materials and methods: Agar diffusion technique was used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of eight types of mouthwashes against Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans isolated from the oral cavities of patients attending dental clinics at college of dentistry - Baghdad Uni
... Show MoreThis study aims to develop a thermosensitive mucoadhesive periodontal in situ gel of secnidazole for local release of drug for treatment of periodontitis, in order to increase the drug residence time and to increase patient compliance while lowering the side effects of the drug.
Cold method was used to prepare 30 formulas of secnidazole periodontal in situ gel, using different concentrations of thermosensitive polymers (poloxamer407 alone or in combination with poloxamer 188) and methyl cellulose (MC ) or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC K4M )in different concentrations used as mucoadhesive polymer and the resultant formulations were subjected to several tests such as gelation temperature GT, appearance and pH value. The fo
... Show MoreFaujasite type NaY zeolite catalyst was prepared from locally available kaolin, then the prepared NaY zeolite have been modified by exchanging of sodium ion with ammonium to produce NH4Y zeolite. NH4Y zeolite was converted to HY zeolite by ion exchanging with oxalic acid. Zinc and nickel promoters have been added to the prepared HY zeolite catalyst, and the effect of these promoters on the catalytic activity of the prepared HY catalyst was studied in fluid catalytic cracking process using light gas oil as a feedstock. The experimental results show that the promoted catalyst gives higher gas oil conversion and gasoline yield than HY zeolite catalyst at the same reaction temperature and WHSV. It was also found that the promoted catalyst gi
... Show MoreBackground: Oral diseases persist to be a major health problem all over the world. Various bacteria and fungi are found to be the possible pathogensresponsible for the oral diseases. Moringa oleifera it is an extraordinary nutritious vegetable tree with many different uses. These leaves have high medicinal value. In the present study, antibacterial and antifungal activities of aqueous extracts of plant Moringa oleifera in comparison to chlorohexidene gluconate and deionized water were determined. Materials and methods: The leaves of plant of Moringa oleifera were collected from College of Pharmacy; Baghdad, Iraq. Tested microorganism (bacterial and fungal) was isolated from different clinical specimens. In-vitroantimicrobial activity was pe
... Show MorePlant tissue culture considers a benefit biotechnological technique for scientific research especially the production of undifferentiation callus cells and regeneration through suspension or static media. The seedlings of Peganum harmala was used as a source to produce callus mass in vitro in static media through different tissue culture media supplemented by varying combinations of plant growth regulators (PGR). The result illustrates that 2 mg/l of Kinitine with 0.5 mg/l of 2, 4-D was efficient to stimulate callus induction with percent 100% in stem and root of P. harmala and this combination gave a high fresh weight, 1954 mg in root and 1170
mg in stem and high dry weight in root and stem was 74.6
Echinococcosis is a common parasitic disease in humans and ruminants; it is considered as a health and economic problem in most parts of the world. The present study aims to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo scolicidal effects of Psidium guajava extracts on the protoscolices from hydatid cysts of Echinococcus granulosus. Protoscolices were aseptically aspirated from the livers of naturally infected sheep. Various concentrations of the extract were used for 6-48hrs. Eosin staining (0.1%) was used to determine the viability of protoscolices. The findings showed that the extract at the concentrations of 100 mg/ml killed 100% protoscolices after 48 hrs. However, the concentrations
... Show MoreBackground: The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different bleaching methods on the shear bond strength of orthodontic Sapphire brackets bonded to human premolars teeth using light cured composite resin and to determine the predominant site of bond failure. Materials and Methods: Thirty freshly extracted human premolars were selected and randomly divided into three groups (10 per group). These groups are: control (unbleached) group, hydrogen peroxide group (HP) 37.5% ; which is the in- office bleaching method group, carbamide peroxide group (CP) 16%; which is the at- home bleaching method group. After bleaching process was performed, all the teeth stored in distilled water in a sealed container at room temperature for
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