A lot of previous studies are concerned with the evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activity of medicinal plants because it considered cheap and are believed to possess minimal side effects. Leucaena leucocephala didn’t evaluate globally for its anti-inflammatory effect yet though some of it’s already separated and identified secondary metabolites were studied and proved to exert many pharmacological activities besides their effect on lowering the pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α and IL-6. So, there was an interest to evaluate the biological effect of Leucaena leucocephala as a novel anti-inflammatory agent was the first motivation to start an in vivo study using a rat population. The N-butanol and ethyl acetate extracts were chosen to undergo this study since they contain a lot of the polyphenolic compounds (flavonoids, stilbenes and phenolic acids) which is natural bioactive compounds. Thirty albino rats weighing (150-200) grams of both sexes were used and divided into five groups, each group containing 6 rats: Group I: Negative control, group II: Positive control, group III: Treatment with n-butanol extract, group IV: Treatment with EA extract, group V: Treatment with diclofenac sodium. The oral route of administration using gastric gavage was dependent and for consecutive seven days of supplementation. The induction of inflammation was done by insertion of cotton pellets subcutaneously into the ventral region that is previously shaved and sterilized, with one pellet on each side. So, Leucaena leucocephala proved its novel anti-inflammatory effect by a significant decrease in the inflammation in albino rat models by reducing the percentage of exudate and granuloma and decreasing the serum concentrations of TNF-α and IL-6.
Cardiac toxicity can occur during the therapy with several cytotoxic drugs, including 5- Fluorouracil (5- FU). It is an antimetabolite that acts during the S phase of the cell cycle and is activated by thymidine phosphorylase into fluorodeoxyuridylate (5 fluoro 2'deoxyuridine 5'monophosphate, 5-FdUMP) that inhibits thymidylate synthase, thus preventing DNA synthesis that leads to imbalanced cell growth and ultimately cell death. It is still a widely used anticancer drug, since 1957. The present study aimed to evaluate the possible cardio-protective effects of ethanolic artichoke extract (Cynara scolymus L.) against 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) induced cardio-toxicity in rats by evaluating serum levels of Alanine aminotransferase, aspartate amin
... Show MoreInflammatory bowel disease includes both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a chronic, progressive relapsing disease of gastrointestinal tract that require long-term treatment or maintenance therapy. Taking patient’s beliefs about the prescribed medication in consideration had been shown to be an important factor that affects compliance of the patient in whom having positive beliefs is a prerequisite for better compliance. The aim of the current study was to investigate and assess beliefs about medicines among a sample of Iraqi patients with inflammatory bowel disease and to determine possible association between these beliefs and some patient-specific factors.
This study is a cross-sectional study carried out o
... Show MoreSeeds, beans, leaves, fruit peel and seeds of five plants (Ferula assa-foetida, Coffea robusta, Olea europaea, Punica granatum and Vitis vinifera, respectively) were extracted with four solvents (distilled water, 80% methanol, 80% acetone and a mixed solvent that included methanol, ethanol, acetone and n-butanol at proportions 7:1:1:1). Such manipulation yielded 20 extracts, which were phytochemically analyzed for total polyphenols (TP) and flavonoids (TF). The DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity (RSA) and DPP-4 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4) relative inhibition activity (RIA) were also assessed for each extract. The results revealed that mixed solvent extract of V.
... Show MoreThe liver protective effects of pentoxifylline were studied through pre-treatment of rats with various intraperitoneal (IP) doses (25, 50 and 100mg/kg/day) 14 days before induction of liver toxicity by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). The parameters of oxidative stress, malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were measured in liver homogenate in addition to histopathological examinations. Analysis of data revealed significant amelioration of oxidative stress in groups of animals pre-treated with different doses of pentoxifylline (PTX) compared to group of animals intoxicated by CCl4 as evidenced by lowering MDA contents and elevation of GSH levels in liver tissue homogenate but the levels still signifi
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Nephrotoxicity is defined as rapid deterioration in kidney functions. It arises from direct exposure to drugs or their metabolites. Methotrexate is a famous chemotherapeutic drug with anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties. A high-dose methotrexate-induced renal dysfunction can be life threatening. Cyanocobalamin, one of the forms of vitamin B12, acts as a coenzyme in the conversion of homocysteine to methionine in the cytosol, and the conversion of methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA in the mitochondrion. This study is designed to examine the effect of cyanocobalamin in two different doses each co-administered with methotrexate at 20 mg/kg induced nephrotoxicity in rat
... Show MoreEphedra alata. is a plant that widely available around the world and long used in folk medicine as a natural medication, was employed in the current work to prepare extracts rich in alkaloids and to test their cytotoxic potential. Alkaloids-rich and crude extracts of E.alata were compared to pure ephedrine medication for mitosis on Allium cepa. test system. Alkaloids and crude aqueous extracts of A. cepa root tips were examined for a total of five hours at five different concentrations compared to ephedrine standard. Mitotic index, phase index, and chromosomal aberration as part of the study. IC50 values of 35 mg/ml were found for each extract, indicating a sub-lethal influence on cell viability. (Toxic and sublethal effects are thought to
... Show MoreIn this research, we have added nano anatase TiO2 as a partial replacement of Portland cement by a weight percentage of (0.25 to 1%) for the development of properties for protection against bacteria. The control mix was made by using "the cement to sand" proportion about (1: 2.75) with the "water to cement" proportion of (0.5) to study the structure, porosity, water absorption, density, mechanical properties, as well as anti-bacterial behavior. Inspections have been done such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscope (AFM) for mortar. Experimental results showed that after the addition of Nano powders in cement mortar, the structural properties improved significantly with the development of hydration o
... Show MoreThe detection of fungi contaminating maize grain and the effect of four plant extracts Azadirachta indica, Eucalyptus globulus Glycyrrhiza glabra and Zingiber officinale on the growth of A. flavus and its ability to produce AflatoxinB1. The results showed that the incidence of Aspergillus spp., was 52.75% of the isolated fungi, of which 29.50% was due to Aspergillus flavus, followed by Penicillium spp., with an incidence of 21.06%, and then Fusarium spp., with a rate of 18.13%. The percentage of toxin-producing A. flavus isolates reached 70.8% out of 24 isolates. The results showed the effect of alcoholic plant extracts at a concentration of 10 mg/ml on the fungal growth activity of A. flavus, the alcoholic extract of neem leaves was superi
... Show MoreThe research aimed at studying the inhibitive effect of the hot watery dry and ethanolic ginger(85%) and fragrant oil which are added in concentrates of o.o25, o.o5o and 0.1g / 100g respectively in the growth of bacteria and molds. The results of the initial chemical diagnosis showed containment of ginger roots extract on. Alkaloids, Glycosides, Flavonoids and Suponins. The highest inhibitive effect of the bacteria reached the concentrate . 0.1% of the oil extract then the concentrate 0.050% of the ethanolic hot extract follows it. While 0.1% was the least inhibitive concentrate for the hot watery extract. But the inhibitive effect of the hot oily and alcoholic extracts in the numbers of molds colonies was 0.025%, when the concentrate 0.1%
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