Medicinal herbs and antioxidants: potential of Rhinacanthus nasutus for disease treatment?

This review covers the biological activities of the medicinal herb, Rhinacanthus nasutus, which is part of the Acanthaceae family. This herb and the compounds isolated from it have the potential to be used for the treatment of a vast array of diseases, including neurological, (such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and depression), viral and bacterial infections (such as hepatitis and herpes virus), skin disorders, and control sugar levels in diabetic patients. Many diseases involve oxidative stress, particularly neurological diseases, where oxidative stress leads to neurodegeneration. Medicinal herbs such as R. nasutus appear to be effective at protecting against such oxidative stress. Herein we discuss the potential mechanisms by which they have their antioxidant effects, and their effects on other cellular pathways, which are involved in various disease states.     

Garlic and onions: their effect on eicosanoid metabolism and its clinical relevance

Garlic (Allium sativum) and onion (Allium cepa) are among the oldest of all cultivated plants. Additionally, both plants have been used as medicinal agents for thousands of years. Both garlic and onion have been shown to have applications as antimicrobial, antithrombotic, antitumor, hypolipidaemic, antiarthritic and hypoglycemic agents. In recent years, extensive research has focussed on the beneficial and medicinal properties of garlic and onions. In particular, the use of these agents in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer is an area of considerable investigation and interest.     

Nigella sativa L.: Uses in traditional and contemporary medicines – An overview

There are several wild and cultivated plants that offer excellent opportunities for being used as herbal and therapeutic agents. The identification of medicinal properties of plants and their effectiveness in treating diseases are important components in medicinal plant research and this can pave ways for further improvements in traditional drug use. Climatic conditions and phytogeography in Pakistan are ideal for naturally occurring diverse flora and managed cultivation of hundreds of plants of medicinal significance. Nigella sativa commonly known as the black seed is an important medicinal plant that has been widely used as a multipurpose medicinal agent in different countries since old times. The plant is abundantly cultivated in Pakistan for uses as condiment and medicines. It possesses important classes of bioactive compounds among which thymoquinone has attracted significant attention from the scientific community because of its active role in treating a diverse spectrum of diseases. The black seeds are used for reducing adverse effects of arthritis, asthma, inflammation, liver and gastro disorders besides their potential role in diabetes and cancers. The focus of this review is to highlight the medicinal significance of N. sativa in traditional medicine and opportunities for exploitation in contemporary medicine.     

Southern African medicinal plants used to treat skin diseases

This overview of southern African medicinal plants of dermatological relevance explores the fundamental knowledge available on the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing properties of medicinal plants used to treat skin ailments. Also included is an overview undertaken on the phytochemistry and toxicity of plants used in treatments related to diseases of the skin. Some findings include the predominance of leaf material used (48%), as well as the frequent use of decoctions (35%). Dermatological skin pathogens such as Propionibacterium acnes, Microsporum canis, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Epidermophyton floccosum are recommended for study in future antimicrobial research. Attention to these aspects should lead to new directives for commercialization and provide insight towards the understanding of some neglected plant species used for the treatment of skin diseases.     

In silico analysis of quranic and prophetic medicinals plants for the treatment of infectious viral diseases including corona virus

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infection of the respiratory system caused by single standard RNA viruses named as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease appeared as a serious problem and the leading cause of death in human beings throughout the world. The main source of different phytochemicals are plants, which helps in the development of new drugs against various ailments. Islam is comprehensive religion and a complete code of life for Muslims. The teaching of Islam, according to the Holy Quran and Hadith are universal for the benefit of humanity. Islam believes that every ailment is from God and who made the disease definitely made its medication. There is a complete guideline with regard to taking measures against infectious diseases such as quarantine and seeking medicinal treatment. The research objective is to gather the knowledge of medicinal plants described in the Holy Quran or utilized by the Prophet (SAW) for the treatment of different ailments or advised to use them to boost immunity and strengthen the body. Scientists across the globe have found these plants beneficial for many diseases and have antiviral potential. In present study, the six plant species including Olea europaea, Nigella sativa, Allium Sativum, Allium cepa, Zingiber officinale and Cassia senna were selected which contain phytochemicals like Calcium Elenolate, Thymoquinone, S-Allylcysteine, Dipropyl Disulfide, Sesquiterpene, Monoterpene, Pelargonidin 3-Galactoside ion and Kaempferol. The phytochemicals monoterpene (from Zingiber officinale) shows best interaction with target proteins RdRP, 3CLPro, ACE2. Calcium Elonate (from olive) bonds with 3CLPro, ACE2 and Kemoferol and Pelargomidine (from Senna Makki) bonds with RdRP, ACE2. The ligands show a unique set of intersections i.e. hydrogen bonding, and alkyl interaction. These medicinal plants can be utilized immediately for the treatment of COVID-19 as their safety is already established. This treatment can enhance recovery when combined with other treatments. Furthermore, the screening of bioactive compounds or phytochemicals found in these plants can be utilized to design new therapeutic drug to treat COVID-19 pandemic.     

Rescue effect of curcumin against copper toxicity

Turmeric has long been used not only as an indispensable part of Asian cuisine but as a medicinal herb for dressing wounds, bites, burns, treating eye infections and acne. Curcuminoids are the active substances and their synthetic derivatives (i.e. diacetylcurcumin (DAC) and metal-curcumin complexes) possess an incredibly wide range of medicinal properties that encompass chelation capacity for multiple heavy metals, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory properties, cytotoxicity against cancerous cells, antiviral and antibacterial effects, antihypertensive and insulin sensitizing role, and regulatory role on apoptosis. The aforementioned properties have put curcumin on spotlight as a potential treatment for ailments such as, hepatic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, auto-immune diseases, malignancies and conditions associated with metal overload. Copper is essential for major biological functions, however, an excess causes chronic ailments including neurodegenerative disorders. The fascinating approach of curcumin could alleviate such effect by forming a complex. Thus, this review aims to present available data on the effect of copper-curcumin interaction in various in vitro, ex-vivo in vivo, and clinical studies.     

The latest fashions in skin disease.

The complex nature of epidermal tissue homeostasis is borne out by the range of diseases affecting this tissue. Indeed, mutations in proteins involved in intracellular integrity and cell-cell or cell-matrix adhesion can cause disease in an appropriate epidermal compartment. The most important realization in epidermal disease in the last two years has been that point mutations in key structural genes can result in filaments collapsing, cell cytolysis, or cell adhesion defects; and that these defects can result in severe human skin disease. Now that these associations have been made, the important next step will be to alleviate the suffering of these patients. Animal models will be an important part of these investigations; many molecules including growth factors, oncogenes, and cell adhesion molecules have been targeted to the epidermis of transgenic mice to investigate their role in disease. Such animal models should also elucidate the causes of diseases like psoriasis, a very common skin disease, the molecular basis of which remains elusive. Gene therapy involving the replacement of defective genes or local delivery of therapeutic molecules will be one of the main goals in alleviating these known epidermal diseases. Such protocols in the epidermis are aided by the relative accessibility of the skin and the presence of the "stem cells" in relatively accessible compartments. Indeed, as the last few years have shed much light on the genetic causes of epidermal disease, it is hoped that the next several years will prove as illuminating in the alleviation of these diseases.     

Coumarin hybrids as novel therapeutic agents

Naturally occurring coumarins, having wide spectrum of activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, MAO-B inhibitory and antimicrobial, are frequently used by the researchers to develop novel synthetic and semisynthetic coumarin based therapeutic agents. Many of these agents are hybrid molecules, which are designed through concept of molecular hybridization and have shown multiple pharmacological activities. This multifunctional attribute of these hybrid compounds makes them potential drug candidates for the treatment of multifactorial diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic syndromes, AIDS, malaria, and cardiovascular diseases. The present review compiles research reports on development of different coumarin hybrids, classify these on the basis of their therapeutic uses and propose structure–activity relationships. It is intended to help medicinal chemist in designing and synthesizing novel and potent hybrid compounds for the treatment of different disorders.     

Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants at Periodic Markets of Autonomous County of Gongcheng Yao in Guangxi

Gongcheng is the second largest county in Guangxi with about 163000 Yao population. Periodic Markets are important places for trading of medicinal plants harvested by Gongcheng Yao villagers. The study aimed to look into the marked traded medicinal plants that are used by local people for curing various ailments. Ethnobotanical market survey methods, interviews, Participatory Action Research (PAR) and field visits were planned to elicit information on the uses of various medicinal plants. It was found that 71 plant species in the market which belong to 41 families are commonly used by local people for curing various diseases, all species are wild plants. A total of 133 records of medical uses in 52 herbal recipes for the treatment some common diseases. In most of the recipes recorded, digestion diseases, respiratory system diseases, infectious diseases,rheumatological diseases and surgery are used. The traditional knowledge about the number of medicinal plants available in that area and used by interviewees was positively correlated with the threats on medicinal plants in the wild habitats of the research area, which indicating that the diversity of wild medicinal plants and the associated traditional knowledge trends to disappear in the area.     

Medicinal plants as a fight against murine blood-stage malaria

ObjectiveMalaria is an infectious parasitic disease affecting most of countries worldwide. Due to antimalarial drug resistance, researchers are seeking to find another safe efficient source for treatment of malaria. Since many years ago, medicinal plants were widely used for the treatment of several diseases. In general, most application is done first on experimental animals then human. In this article, medicinal plants as antimalarial agents in experimental animals were reviewed from January 2000 until November 2020.Materials and methodsIn this systematic review published articles were reviewed using the electronic databases NCBI, ISI Web of knowledge, ScienceDirect and Saudi digital library to check articles and theses for M.Sc/Ph.D. The name of the medicinal plant with its taxon ID and family, the used Plasmodium species, plant part used and its extract type and the country of harvest were described.Results and conclusionThe reviewed plants belonged to 83 families. Medicinal plants of families Asteraceae, Meliaceae Fabaceae and Lamiaceae are the most abundant for use in laboratory animal antimalarial studies. According to region, published articles from 33 different countries were reviewed. Most of malaria published articles are from Africa especially Nigeria and Ethiopia. Leaves were the most common plant part used for the experimental malaria research. In many regions, research using medicinal plants to eliminate parasites and as a defensive tool is popular.     

Cancer chemopreventive pharmacology of phytochemicals derived from plants of dietary and non-dietary origin: implication for alternative and complementary approaches

The poor survival statistics of the fatal cancer diseases highlight the need for multiple alternative treatment options. An impressive embodiment of evidence shows that naturally occurring herbal products contain a wide variety of phytochemicals that are regarded as effective cancer protective agents, possessing the ability to retard, block or reverse carcinogenesis. These include dietary agents often termed as nutraceuticals and also the components of non-dietary plants. Many studies in different cell lines, animal models and human epidemiological trials suggest a protective role of a large number of medicinal molecules of herbal origin against different types of cancers. The standard chemotherapeutic regime against cancer faces an unequivocal challenge due to the severity of the side-effects and the post therapeutic management of the disease. Cancer control may therefore benefit from the anti-cancer potential of alternative therapies that may include herbal treatment which nonetheless has been an effective curative strategy reported for a number of diseases since ancient times. In congruence of the above idea, it has been observed that in recent years the demand to utilize alternative approaches to the treatment of cancer is escalating. Additionally, the emergence of resistance to cancer chemotherapy has forced researchers to turn to natural products of herbal and marine origin. Currently, in the armamentarium of anti-cancer pharmaceuticals there are effective plant-derived drugs such as paclitaxel (a complex taxane diterpene isolated from the bark of Taxus brevifolia) which acts as microtubule disruptor. Further there are plant-based dietary agents such as sulphoraphane (an isothiocyanate derived from cruciferous vegetables) and non-dietary agents such as pomiferin (an isoflavonoid from Maclura pomifera) which strongly mimic chemotherapeutic drugs such as vorinostat (suberoylanilidehydroxamic acid) possessing histone diacetylase inhibition activity. In this review we provide a comprehensive outline of the translational potential of plant-based herbal medicine for complementing the current treatment modalities as an adjuvant or alternative therapy for cancer patients.     

Transgenic mouse model expressing tdTomato under involucrin promoter as a tool for analysis of epidermal differentiation and wound healing

The epidermis is a stratified tissue composed of different keratinocyte layers that create a barrier protecting the body from external influences, pathogens, and dehydration. The barrier function is mainly achieved by its outermost layer, the stratum corneum. To create a mouse model to study pathophysiological processes in the outermost layers of the epidermis in vivo and in vitro we prepared a construct containing red fluorescent td-Tomato reporter sequence under the control of involucrin promoter and its first intron. Transgenic mice were generated by pronuclear injection and the expression and regulation of the transgene was determined by in vivo imaging and fluorescent microscopy. The promoter targeted the transgene efficiently and specifically into the outermost epidermal layers although weak expression was also found in epithelia of tongue and bladder. The regulation of expression in the epidermis, i.e. fluorescence intensity of the reporter, could be easily followed during wound healing and dermatitis. Thus, these transgenic mice carrying the tdTomato reporter could be used as a valuable tool to study impact of various genes dysregulating the epidermal barrier and to follow effects of therapeutic agents for treatment of skin diseases in vivo.     

Cytotoxicity of Fusarium species mycotoxins and culture filtrates of Fusarium species isolated from the medicinal plant Tribulus terrestris to mammalian cells

Ayurvedic medicine, which uses decoctions made of medicinal plants, is used to cure diseases in many Asian countries including Sri Lanka. Although proper storage facilities for medicinal plants are unavailable in Sri Lanka, neither the potential for growth of toxigenic fungi nor their ability to produce mycotoxins in stored medicinal plants has been investigated. We isolated three Fusarium species, F. culmorum, F. acuminatum and F. graminearum from the medicinal plant Tribulus terrestris. Culture extracts of the 3 Fusarium spp. were cytotoxic to mammalian cell lines BHK-21 and HEP-2. Three toxic metabolites produced by Fusarium spp; T-2 toxin, zearalenone, and diacetoxyscirpenol were also cytotoxic to the same mammalian cell lines. The 3 Fusarium spp. grown on rice media produced zearalenone. Plant material destined for medicinal use should be stored under suitable conditions to prevent growth of naturally occurring toxigenic fungi prior to its use.     

西双版纳三种药用植物的民间利用及抗菌活性

结合民族植物学和药理学的研究方法,对西双版纳地区傣族、哈尼族和基诺族等3个少数民族民间利用番石榴(Psidium guajava)、余甘子(Phyllanthus emblica)和水柳(Homonoia riparia)的传统知识进行调查研究及体外抗菌活性实验。结果表明:番石榴和余甘子在村寨中较为常见,当地少数民族将其种植于庭院中,常作为果蔬食用,食用番石榴嫩叶可缓解拉肚子的症状,治疗腹痛、腹泻。水柳生长在水边,傣族会将其叶作为腌酸鱼的配料之一。根据文献记载,番石榴、余甘子和水柳的叶部位作为药使用时,常煎水外洗,治疗皮肤瘙痒。对这3种药用植物叶部位采用80%乙醇浸泡制备的提取物进行体外抗菌实验,结果显示番石榴、余甘子和水柳3种药用植物对金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠埃希菌均有较好的抑菌和杀菌活性,其最小抑菌浓度MIC在98~390μg·mL~(-1)之间,最小杀菌浓度MBC在98~781μg·mL~(-1)之间。番石榴和水柳叶对铜绿假单胞菌有一定抑菌和杀菌活性,其MIC和MBC范围均为6 250~12 500μg·mL~(-1)。由此可见,这3种药用植物的民间利用具有一定的合理性和药用开发价值。     

广西恭城瑶族集市药用植物的民族植物学调查

采用民族植物学的研究方法和手段,对恭城瑶族境内周期性集市药用植物及相关的传统知识进行了调查。主要研究结果如下：恭城瑶族民众与野生药用植物的关系极为密切,研究地区集市中常见药用植物71种,均为野生植物,常用于治疗肠胃、呼吸道、感染、风湿和外伤等疾病。在调查地区的野生药用植物资源及相关的传统知识面临着新的威胁,亟待采取必要的措施予以保护。     

Study on the inhibitory effects of Korean medicinal plants and their main compounds on the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical

A 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-generating system was used to evaluate the antioxidant properties of Korean medicinal plants that have been used widely as folk medicines for several disorders, as well as compounds isolated from them. Among the Rosaceae, Rosa rugosa and Rosa davurica showed strong DPPH radical-scavenging activity. The most effective medicinal plant from families other than Rosaceae was Cedrela sinensis, followed in order by Nelumbo nucifera, Eucommia ulmoides, Zanthoxylum piperitum, Cudrania tricuspidata and Houttuynia cordata. These results serve as a good index of the free radical-scavenging activities of Korean medicinal plants. Furthermore, the polyphenols isolated from these plants, procyanidin B-3, (+)-catechin, gallic acid, methyl gallate, quercetin, quercetin-3-O-beta-D-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-beta-galactoside, quercetin-3-O-rutinose and kaempferol, exerted strong DPPH radical-scavenging activity. These results suggest that the Korean medicinal plants and the polyphenols isolated from them that exhibited effective radical-scavenging activity may be promising agents for scavenging free radicals and treating diseases associated with excess free radicals.     

Loss of Corneodesmosin Leads to Severe Skin Barrier Defect, Pruritus, and Atopy: Unraveling the Peeling Skin Disease

Generalized peeling skin disease is an autosomal-recessive ichthyosiform erythroderma characterized by lifelong patchy peeling of the skin. After genome-wide linkage analysis, we have identified a homozygous nonsense mutation in CDSN in a large consanguineous family with generalized peeling skin, pruritus, and food allergies, which leads to a complete loss of corneodesmosin. In contrast to hypotrichosis simplex, which can be associated with specific dominant CDSN mutations, peeling skin disease is characterized by a complete loss of CDSN expression. The skin phenotype is consistent with a recent murine Cdsn knockout model. Using three-dimensional human skin models, we demonstrate that lack of corneodesmosin causes an epidermal barrier defect supposed to account for the predisposition to atopic diseases, and we confirm the role of corneodesmosin as a decisive epidermal adhesion molecule. Therefore, peeling skin disease will represent a new model disorder for atopic diseases, similarly to Netherton syndrome and ichthyosis vulgaris in the recent past.