Fenugreek potent activity against nitrate-induced diabetes in young and adult male rats

Nitrate has described as an endocrine disruptor that promotes onset of diabetes. This study was undertaken to evaluate diabetic effect of high nitrate intake in young and adult male rats and its amelioration by fenugreek administration. The study revealed significant increase in serum glucose and blood glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c%), while serum insulin and liver glycogen were decreased among nitrate exposed animals, in particular the young group. A significant reduction in the body weight gain and serum thyroid hormones (T4 & T3) was also recorded. Further reduction in serum levels of urea and creatinine, as well as total protein in serum, liver and pancreas was demonstrated, with elevation in their levels in the urine of all nitrate exposed groups. Meanwhile, the activity of serum transaminases (ALT and AST) was increased, with decline in their activity in the liver tissue. In addition, an elevation in serum total bilirubin, tissues (liver and pancreas) nitric oxide and lipid profile, as well as liver activity of glucose-6-phosphatase was recorded. Fenugreek administration to nitrate exposed rats was found to be effective in alleviating hyperglycemia and other biochemical changes characterizing nitrate-induced diabetes. So, fenugreek can be considered to possess potent activity against onset of nitrate induced-diabetes.     

胡芦巴湿渣用作脲醛树脂增量剂的研究

常规分析表明,提取甾体皂甙元后的胡芦巴制胶副产物中蛋白质含量41％,聚糖含量14％,脂肪含量低,适宜用作脲醛树脂增量剂。在脲醛树脂中加入胡芦巴残渣增量剂后,提高了胶液粘度,延长了脲醛树脂的适用期和固化时间,减小了固化后的收缩性。-25％的胡芦巴增量剂可提高三合板胶合强度15％以上,且能显著降低甲醛释放量。     

Rat growth-hormone release stimulators from fenugreek seeds

Bioassay-guided fractionation of MeOH extract from fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) seeds resulted in the isolation of two rat growth-hormone release stimulators in vitro, fenugreek saponin I (1) and dioscin (9), along with two new, i.e., 2 and 3, and five known analogues, i.e., 4-8. The structures of the new steroidal saponins, fenugreek saponins I, II, and III (1-3, resp.), were determined as gitogenin 3-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside, sarsasapogenin 3-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside, and gitogenin 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside, respectively. Fenugreek saponin I (1) and dioscin (9) caused ca. 12.5- and 17.7-fold stimulation of release, respectively, of rat growth hormone from rat pituitary cells, whereas gitogenin (5) showed moderate activity. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that steroidal saponins stimulate rat growth-hormone release in rat pituitary cells.     

Chemopreventive activities of Trigonella foenum graecum (Fenugreek) against breast cancer

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Conventional therapies cause serious side effects and, at best, merely extend the patient's lifespan by a few years. Cancer control may therefore benefit from the potential that resides in alternative therapies. There is thus an increasing demand to utilize alternative concepts or approaches to the prevention of cancer. In this report, we show a potential protective effect of Fenugreek seeds against 7,12-dimethylbenz(alpha)anthracene (DMBA)-induced breast cancer in rats. At 200 mg/kg b.wt., Fenugreek seeds' extract significantly inhibited the DMBA-induced mammary hyperplasia and decreased its incidence. Epidemiological studies also implicate apoptosis as a mechanism that might mediate the Fenugreek's anti-breast cancer protective effects. To our knowledge, this is the first study that suggests significant chemopreventive effects of Fenugreek seeds against breast cancer.     

胡芦巴水溶性甾体皂苷的提取分离工艺研究

以薯蓣皂苷元的提取率为指标,应用L9(3^4)正交试验设计优化了从脱多糖、脱脂胡芦巴豆粉中提取甾体皂苷的工艺条件,并且筛选了ZTC澄清剂对胡芦巴甾体皂苷水提取液的澄清条件。实验结果表明,影响水提取的主次因素为：提取次数＞提取温度＞固液比＞提取时间;最佳水提取条件为：固液比为1：10,在70℃下提取3次,每次120min得出胡芦巴种子水提取液的澄清条件如下：ZTCl 1澄清剂的加入次序是先加B组分再加入A组分;澄清剂B和A的最佳用量分别为1．0g/L和O．5g／L;加入组分A或B后在80℃下作用30min即可达到澄清目的。     

Biofortification of chromium in fenugreek seeds

BackgroundFenugreek and chromium are known to have anti-diabetic properties and this has been well demonstrated by multiple studies. Researches have been undertaken to study thebiofortification of chromium (Cr³⁺⁾ in fenugreek. Some of the researchers have studied the biofortification from the soil irrigated with tannery waste water or from soil amended by tannery-sludge, with a view of enhancing the anti-diabetic effect of fenugreek plants. The present research work was also undertaken to increase the chromium content of fenugreek seeds, but through direct treatment of chromium picolinate solution to fenugreek seeds.MethodsFenugreek seeds were procured and divided in four groups having three batches of 10 g seeds- treatment₁, treatment₂, control₁ and control₂. Control₁ group was kept raw and was given no treatment and control₂ group was germinated using double distilled water. Treatment₁ and treatment₂, on the other hand, were given treatment of 0.02 g and 0.04 g chromium picolinate solution, on first day and 0.01 g and 0.02 g chromium picolinate solution on second day, respectively. The germinated samples were then completely dried, powdered, digested with di-acid mixture and assayed using Inductively Coupled Plasma optical emission spectrometry method for chromium content. The treatment₁ sample was selected for further nutritional analysis along with control₁ and control₂ group to compare the nutritional composition of raw, germinated and chromium treated fenugreek seed flour. Fifteen sprouts from treatment₁ group (treatment_1A group) and fifteen sprouts from control₂ group (control₃ group) were sown in earthen pots for the analysis of chromium content in seeds of new plants.ResultsThe fenugreek seeds treated with two different concentrations of chromium picolinate viz. treatment₁ and treatment₂ group attained 55 and 80 times higher chromium content as compared to control₂ group, respectively. All the estimated minerals and bioactive compounds were significantly high (p ≤ 0.01) in germinated fenugreek seed flour and chromium treated fenugreek seed flour compared to raw fenugreek seed flour. Germinated fenugreek seed flour and chromium treated fenugreek seed flour were statistically comparable to each other in respect of all the parameters analysed. Hence, it was evident that enriching fenugreek seeds with chromium, did not affect the nutritional content of fenugreek seed by any mean. Also, there was no significant difference between the chromium content in seeds of control₃ group and T_1A group.ConclusionsTreatment of fenugreek seeds with chromium solution seems to be an efficient and safe method for increasing their chromium concentration as compared to application of chromium to the soil for biofortification with minimal to no chance of chromium accumulation and inheritance in next generation plants. However, there is a need of more research to see how reliable these observations would be when different chromium salts and/or varied chromium concentration are used.     

胶粉粒径对植物多糖胶粘度的影响

血球计数器测定不同粒径胶粉完整胚乳细胞个数与胶液粘度的关系表明。粒径越大,完整胚乳细胞个数越多,水合作用速度越慢。胶液粘度越低;原胶粉粒径通过200目时胶液粘度最大,增粘胶粉通过140目时胶液粘度即达到最大值。增粘胶粉中完整胚乳细胞个数比原胶粉低35％～50％。     

从制胶后的胡芦巴种子中提取甾体长甙元的研究

胡芦巴为一年生草植物,本文以制胶后的胡芦巴种子剩余物为实验原料,研究了甾体皂甙元的最佳提取工艺路线和工艺。在该工艺条件下的重复试验表明,胡芒巴甾体皂甙元的得率在1.15％以上,熔点大于187.5℃,其中薯蓣皂甙元含量达86.5％,结果具有工业化开发价值。     

Physiological and molecular studies on the effect of gamma radiation in fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) plants

This experiment assessed the biochemical changes in fenugreek plants exposed to gamma radiation. Two pot experiments were carried out during two growing seasons of 2015 and 2016. Seeds were subjected to five doses of gamma irradiation (25, 50, 100, 200 and 400?Gy) and were immediately planted into soil pots in a greenhouse. The experimental analysis was performed in M₁ and M₂ generations. Significant differences between irradiated and control plants were detected for most studied characters in M₁ and M₂ generations. It was demonstrated that low doses of gamma irradiation led to gradually increases in growth, yield characters, leaf soluble protein concomitantly with increases in the contents of phenolic and flavonoids compounds particularly at 100?Gy. These changes were accompanied by a substantial increase in ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol and retinol contents. Proline content was increased under all doses of gamma rays in M₁ generation and the highest amount of proline was obtained at 200?Gy with visible decrease in M₂ generation under the same dose. Meanwhile, the highest dose of gamma radiation (400?Gy) decreased all the studied parameters in both mutagenic generations as compared with control plants. In addition, gamma irradiation doses induced changes in DNA profile on using five primers and caused the appearance and disappearance of DNA polymorphic bands with variation in their intensity. These findings confirm the effectiveness of relatively low doses of gamma rays on improving the physiological and biochemical criteria of fenugreek plants.     

Protective action of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum) seed polyphenols against alcohol-induced protein and lipid damage in rat liver

The study investigates the effect of fenugreek seed polyphenol extract (FPEt) on ethanol-induced damage in rat liver. Chronic ethanol administration (6 g kg(-1) day(-1) x 60 days) caused liver damage that was manifested by excessive formation of thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substances, lipid hydroperoxides, and conjugated dienes, the end products of lipid peroxidation, and significant elevation of protein carbonyl groups and diminution of sulfhydryl groups, a marker of protein oxidation. Decreased activities of enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidant levels and decreased levels of thiol groups (both non-protein and protein) were observed in ethanol-treated rats. Further, ethanol significantly increased the accumulation of 4-hydroxynonenal protein adducts, nitrated and oxidized proteins in liver which was evidenced by immunohistochemistry. Administration of FPEt to ethanol-fed rats (200 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) significantly reduced the levels of lipid peroxidation products and protein carbonyl content, increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, and restored the levels of thiol groups. The effects of FPEt were comparable with those of a positive control, silymarin. These findings show that FPEt ameliorates the pathological liver changes induced by chronic ethanol feeding.