@article { author = {Baghban Taraghdari, Sara and Nematy, Mohsen and Mazidi, Mohsen and Kamgar, Maryam and Soukhtanloo, Mohammad and Hosseini, Mahmoud and Rakhshandeh, Hassan and Norouzy, Abdolreza and Esmaily, Habibollah}, title = {The effect of hydro-alcoholic extract of Artemisia absinthium on appetite in male rats}, journal = {Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {78-83}, year = {2015}, publisher = {Mashhad University of Medical Sciences}, issn = {2228-7930}, eissn = {2228-7949}, doi = {10.22038/ajp.2015.3513}, abstract = {Objectives: weight loss as a consecution of losing appetite in post-operative patients and those suffering from HIV, cancer, cachexia and inflammatory diseases are the main inducements of morbidity and mortality. There is an increasing demand for more efficacious and endurable appetite stimulating treatment for patients with cachexia. Health economics is influenced by the malnutrition which was accounted for 5% of Iranian populations in 2011. Artemisia absinthium is known as an orexigenic herb in Iranian traditional medicine. Little evidence is available about its orexigenic effect and mechanism. So, the present study evaluated the possible effect on appetite of hydroalcoholic extract of Artemisia absinthium. Materials and Methods: Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups. Vehicle group received 0.5 ml water per day, control group did not receive anything and other 3 groups received 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg of Artemisia absinthium for 7 days respectively. The daily amount of the food eaten by each rat was measured for 10 consecutive days. The amount of energy intake for each rat was also calculated for 7 days during the intervention. The difference in energy intake was calculated and compared between groups. Results: The results suggest that there was no significant (p>0.05) differences in energy received before and during intervention between three case groups compared with the control group. The energy intake in 1-2 hours after extract injection in all groups, and energy intake after 24 hours interval in third case group (receiving 150 mg/kg extract) is higher compared to other intervals, but it is not significant (p>0.05). So, it can be stated that there was no significant differences between energy intake of 3 case groups and control group. Conclusion: Artemisia absinthium had no positive and dose-related effects on appetite of rats. Future studies are needed to evaluate the orexigenic effect of this plant.}, keywords = {Artemisia absinthium,Appetite,Weight loss,Orexigenic effect}, url = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3513.html}, eprint = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3513_d29422e80f877019587a27db97e7bb2f.pdf} } @article { author = {Ghorbani, Ahmad and Hosseini, Azar}, title = {Cancer therapy with phytochemicals: evidence from clinical studies}, journal = {Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {84-97}, year = {2015}, publisher = {Mashhad University of Medical Sciences}, issn = {2228-7930}, eissn = {2228-7949}, doi = {10.22038/ajp.2015.3872}, abstract = {Cancer is still one of the major causes of mortality in both developing and developed countries. At this time, in spite of intensive interventions, a large number of patients have poor prognosis. Therefore, the effort for finding new anticancer agents with better efficacy and lesser side effects has continued. According to the traditional recommendations and experimental studies, numerous medicinal plants have been reported to have anticancer effect. Also antiproliferative, proapoptotic, antimetastatic and antiangiogenic effects of several phytochemicals have been shown with in vitro experiments or animal studies. However, only a small number of them were tested in cancerous patients and limited evidence exists on their clinical effectiveness. Also, regarding some phytochemicals, only beneficial effects on cancer-related symptoms or on quality of life have been reported and no positive results exist on their antitumor actions. In this review we focus on phytochemicals that their beneficial effects on various types of cancer are supported by clinical trials. Based our literature search, curcumin, green tea, resveratrol and Viscum album had satisfactory instances of clinical evidence for supporting their anticancer effects. The main findings on these phytochemicals are summarized and discussed.}, keywords = {Cancer,Phytochemical,Plant,Tumor}, url = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3872.html}, eprint = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3872_5e294c5136a484546facad3dc24c9613.pdf} } @article { author = {Nasrin, Mahmuda and Ranjan Dash, Pritesh and Shawkat Ali, Mohammad}, title = {In Vitro antibacterial and in Vivo cytotoxic activities of Grewia paniculata}, journal = {Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {98-104}, year = {2015}, publisher = {Mashhad University of Medical Sciences}, issn = {2228-7930}, eissn = {2228-7949}, doi = {10.22038/ajp.2015.3820}, abstract = {Objectives: Grewia paniculata (Family: Malvaceae) has been used to treat inflammation, respiratory disorders and fever. It is additionally employed for other health conditions including colds, diarrhea and as an insecticide in Bangladesh. The aim of the present study was to investigate the antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of different extracts of Grewia paniculata. Materials and Methods: The antibacterial activity was evaluated against both gram negative and gram positive bacteria using disc diffusion method by determination of the diameter of zone of inhibition. Cytotoxic activity was performed by brine shrimp (Artemia salina) lethality bioassay. Results: In disc diffusion method, all the natural products (400 μg/disc) showed moderate to potent activity against all the tested bacteria. The ethanol extract of bark (EEB) and ethanol fraction of bark (EFB) (400 μg/disc) exhibited highest activity against Shigella dysenteriae with a zone of inhibition of 23±1.63 mm and  23±1.77 mm respectively. In the brine shrimp lethality bioassay all the extracts showed moderate cytotoxic activity when compared with the standard drug vincristin sulphate. For example, LC50 value of the ethanol fraction of bark (EFB) was 3.01 μg/ml while the LC50 of vincristine sulphate was 0.52 μg/ml. Conclusions: The results suggest that all the natural products possess potent antibacterial and moderate cytotoxic.}, keywords = {Grewia paniculata,Malvaceae,Artemia salina,Disc diffusion method}, url = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3820.html}, eprint = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3820_481722dcf0f3d9fd4298c5c180b0f822.pdf} } @article { author = {Rezaei, Maryam and Dadgar, Zeynab and Noori-Zadeh, Ali and Mesbah-Namin, Seyed Alireza and Pakzad, Iraj and Davodian, Elham}, title = {Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of the Althaea officinalis L. leaf extract and its wound healing potency in the rat model of excision wound creation}, journal = {Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {105-112}, year = {2015}, publisher = {Mashhad University of Medical Sciences}, issn = {2228-7930}, eissn = {2228-7949}, doi = {10.22038/ajp.2015.3979}, abstract = {Objectives: Wound is defined simply as the disruption of the biochemical, cellular, and anatomic continuity of a tissue. Plants and their extracts known as phytomedicine have immense potential for the management and treatment of wounds. Materials and Methods: Due to the undesirable side effects, in the control and treatment of the wound infections, it is recommended to use natural materials such as phytochemicals instead of chemically synthesized drugs. Thus, the aim of this research was to study the anti-microbial and wound healing potential of Althaea officinalis L. hydroalchoholic extract in comparison with ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and penicillin antibiotics on clinical strains as well as pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes under in vitro conditions using micro broth dilution and disc diffusion methods. Moreover, MIC and MBC of its hydroalchoholic extract was also evaluated. Results: The results showed that although Althaea officinalis L. extract was not effective on gram-negative bacteria but it was efficacious on gram-positive bacteria. The extract was also tested in the form of topical administration on excision wound model in rats. In the extract-treated wounds, the wound healing percent was significantly increased in comparison with controls. Conclusions: Based on this research, herbal extract of officinalis L. can be a great candidate for the treatment of gram-positive infections and merits further studies.}, keywords = {Anti-bacterial,Wound healing,Althaea officinalis,Phytochemicals}, url = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3979.html}, eprint = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3979_03abff69872b46b4bef549f716ce092f.pdf} } @article { author = {Hardani, Ameneh and Afzalzadeh, Mohammad Reza and Amirzargar, Ashraf and Mansouri, Esrafil and Meamar, Zakieh}, title = {Effects of aqueous extract of celery (Apium graveolens L.) leaves on spermatogenesis in healthy male rats}, journal = {Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {113-119}, year = {2015}, publisher = {Mashhad University of Medical Sciences}, issn = {2228-7930}, eissn = {2228-7949}, doi = {10.22038/ajp.2015.3948}, abstract = {Objectives: Nowadays, a lot of attention has been paid to the therapeutic properties of herbs, including evaluation of the effects of these plants on fertility in laboratory animals. Apium graveolens L. (celery) has been widely used in traditional medicine for treatment of various disorders including impotency. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the effects of aqueous extract of A. graveolens on testicular tissue and spermatogenesis in healthy male rats. Materials and Methods: In this research, 24 apparently healthy male rats were divided into three groups, including eight rats in each. The first group as control received only distilled water 1 ml/animal/day. The second and third groups orally received 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w. of the extract, respectively, for 30 days. The day after the last administration of the extract, the rats were sacrificed, the testes were removed entirely, and the morphometric studies were carried out. Epididymal sperm count and histological studies of testicular tissue were conducted. Results: The comparison between the treated and control groups revealed a remarkable increase in the seminiferous tubules diameter, testes volume (p≤0.001), and the number of spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes and spermatozoa. Furthermore, the increase in the number of spermatids and epididymal weight were only significant at high doses of the extract (p≤ 0.05). Conclusions: The results from this study indicated that administration of celery leaf extract may improve spermatogenesis process and also be useful for some sperm fertility parameters.}, keywords = {Celery,Leaves,Testes,Spermatozoid,Spermatogenesis,Rat}, url = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3948.html}, eprint = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3948_6d49ea5a0bd94ca135d4015f96a850b9.pdf} } @article { author = {Dianat, Mahin and Amini, Negin and Badavi, Mohammad and Farbood, Yaghoub}, title = {Ellagic acid improved arrhythmias induced by CaCL2 in the rat stress model}, journal = {Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {120-127}, year = {2015}, publisher = {Mashhad University of Medical Sciences}, issn = {2228-7930}, eissn = {2228-7949}, doi = {10.22038/ajp.2015.3871}, abstract = {Objective: In ventricular arrhythmias, due to their free radical scavenging action, antioxidant agents are usually used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Since stress is considered as risk factor for increased mortality by causing malignant arrhythmias, the study was designed to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of ellagic acid (EA) on CaCl2-induced arrhythmias in rat stress model. Materials and Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250 g) were divided into four groups: Group I: Control rats (2 ml of saline by gavage), Group II: Rats treated with EA (15 mg/kg, gavage), Group III: stress group, Group IV: received EA plus stress. Stress was applied in a restrainer box (6 hour/day, 21 days). After induction of anesthesia, lead II electrocardiogram was recorded for calculating heart rate and QRS complex. The arrhythmia was produced by injection of CaCl2 solution (140 mg/kg, iv) and incidences of Ventricular fibrillation, Ventricular premature beats and Ventricular tachycardia were recorded. Results were analyzed by using one-way ANOVA and Fisher`s exact test. pResults: The results showed a positive inotropic effect and negative chronotropic effect for the EA group in comparison with the control group. Incidence rates (%) of premature beats, ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in stress group and all the arrhythmia parameters decreased in groups which received EA. Conclusions:  By decreasing the incidence rates of premature beats, fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in groups which received EA, ellagic acid probably acted as an anti-arrhythmic agent which showed to have aprotective functionin heart.}, keywords = {Ellagic acid,Arrhythmia,Inotropic,Chronotropic,stress,Rat}, url = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3871.html}, eprint = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3871_22353a4359135976f2b9358cae199498.pdf} } @article { author = {Jalilzadeh-Amin, Ghader and Maham, Massoud}, title = {Antidiarrheal activity and acute oral toxicity of Mentha longifolia L. essential oil}, journal = {Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {128-137}, year = {2015}, publisher = {Mashhad University of Medical Sciences}, issn = {2228-7930}, eissn = {2228-7949}, doi = {10.22038/ajp.2015.3937}, abstract = {Objectives: Mentha longifolia L. (Lamiaceae) is an annual herb that is used in the Iranian traditional medicine for treating stomach and intestinal disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine the protective effect of M. longifolia on experimental diarrhea in a rat model. Materials and Methods: The antidiarrheal activity of essential oil of M. longifolia (20-80 mg/kg) was investigated against castor oil-induced diarrhea in rats using loperamide as the standard reference drug. In acute toxicity evaluation, rats were orally administrated with single dose of EOML at doses ranging from 10 to 1000 mg/kg. Results: EOML caused a significant (p<0.05) and dose-dependent decrease of gastrointestinal transit, nevertheless, it could not block the inhibitory effect of atropine (0.1 mg/kg). EOML at oral doses of 20 and 80 mg/kg protected the animals against castor oil-induced diarrhea significantly (p<0.05). EOML decreased the intestinal fluid accumulation as indicated by the significantly (pp<0.001) decrease compared to control. The oral LD50 of EOML was found to be 470 mg/kg in rat. Conclusion: Since the inhibition of intestinal hyperactivity and hypersecretory are the bases of the treatment of diarrhea, results obtained in the present study suggest that EOML is endowed with antidiarrheal activity. EOML is moderately toxic for oral medication}, keywords = {Intestinal transit,Diarrhea,Antispasmodic,Essential oil,Castor oil,LD50}, url = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3937.html}, eprint = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3937_5af51255ef6057cd4d8e901ae677b3b9.pdf} } @article { author = {Zarei, Ali and Vaezi, Gholamhassan and Malekirad, Ali Akbar and Abdollahi, Mohammad}, title = {Effects of ethanol extract of Salvia hydrangea on hepatic and renal functions of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats}, journal = {Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {138-147}, year = {2015}, publisher = {Mashhad University of Medical Sciences}, issn = {2228-7930}, eissn = {2228-7949}, doi = {10.22038/ajp.2015.3941}, abstract = {Objectives: A wide range of liver and kidney disorders are associated with diabetes and there is a mutual relationship between diabetes and these diseases. Herbal medicine with having abundant ingredients is one of these options. The goal of this study was to compare the effects of alcoholic extract of aerial parts of Salvia hydrangea with glibenclamide on functional tests of liver and kidney in diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin. Materials and Methods: In this study, 35 male Wistar rats were divided into five groups (n= 7 in each group): control, diabetic control, and three experimental diabetic groups. The controls had normal access to water and food, the diabetic control group was given drug solvent and the three experimental groups received ethanol extract of Salvia hydrangea at doses of 100 and 200 mg and glibenclamideat a dose of 10 mg/kg/BW by gavage, respectively. To induce diabetes, a single dose of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg/BW) was injected to rats intraperitoneally. Blood samples were collected at day 21 from all groups and the related blood factors were measured and analyzed. Results: The results showed that the levels of creatinine, urea, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and fasting blood sugar (FBS) in all diabetic groups increased compared to the control group. In all experimental groups and the group which received glibenclamide,a significant decrease was shown compared to the diabetic group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The consumption of alcoholic extract of aerial parts of Salvia hydrangea may have beneficial effects on the reduction of diabetic complications by lowering blood sugar without any adverse effects on the kidney and liver tissue.}, keywords = {Diabetes,Liver,Kidney,Streptozotocin,glibenclamide,Salvia hydrangea}, url = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3941.html}, eprint = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3941_6e39e4aa7d2c3404a8c0ba4bfa83ea94.pdf} } @article { author = {Hassanpour Fard, Mohammad and Naseh, Ghodratollah and Lotfi, Nassim and Hosseini, Seyed Mahmoud and Hosseini, Mehran}, title = {Effects of aqueous extract of turnip leaf (Brassica rapa) in alloxan-induced diabetic rats}, journal = {Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {148-156}, year = {2015}, publisher = {Mashhad University of Medical Sciences}, issn = {2228-7930}, eissn = {2228-7949}, doi = {10.22038/ajp.2015.3980}, abstract = {Objectives: Turnip leaf has been used in folk medicine of Iran for the treatment of diabetes. However,so far no scientific study has been done to support its use in traditional medicine. The present study was carried out to evaluate the possible hypoglycemic efficacy of aqueous extract of turnip leaf (AETL) in diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Alloxan-induced diabetic rats were orally treated with AETL at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day for 28 days. In order to evaluate the anti-diabetic activity, fasting blood glucose concentrations were determined on the 1st, 14th and 29th days. Moreover,at the end of the study, plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), aspartate amino transfarase (AST), and alanine amino transferase (ALT) were measured by the use of standard kits and auto-analyzer. Results:Both doses of AETL significantly decreased (p<0.001) blood glucose and ALT levels in diabetic rats after 28 days of administration. AETL at both doses decreased (p<0.05) plasma total cholesterol and LDL-c in diabetic rats, but they significantly decreased (p<0.05) HDL-c and increased triglycerideand AST levels in a-dose dependent manner. Conclusion: The results showed that AETL has a dose- dependent decrease in the blood glucose in diabetic rats. However,we should not be unaware of adverse effects of AETL on lipid profiles and liver enzymes activity, especially decrease of HDL and increase of TG and AST.}, keywords = {Diabetes Mellitus,Alloxan,Brassica rapa}, url = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3980.html}, eprint = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3980_21c551d726bfd6f89cd79bcb23d8c900.pdf} } @article { author = {Safaeian, Leila and Haghjoo Javanmard, Shaghayegh and Ghanadian, Mustafa and Seifabadi, Sima}, title = {Cytoprotective and antioxidant effects of Echium amoenum anthocyanin-rich extract in human endothelial cells (HUVECs)}, journal = {Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {157-166}, year = {2015}, publisher = {Mashhad University of Medical Sciences}, issn = {2228-7930}, eissn = {2228-7949}, doi = {10.22038/ajp.2015.3947}, abstract = {Objective: Echium amoenum Fisch. & C.A. Mey. is used for the treatment of various diseases in traditional medicine. This plant is a major source of anthocyanins with beneficial cardiovascular properties such as anti-atherosclerotic and antihypertensive effects. In the present study, the protective and antioxidant effects of anthocyanin-rich E. amoenum extract were evaluated on human vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) under oxidative stress. Materials and Methods: Cell viability and oxidative status were assessed on H2O2-induced oxidative stress (0.5 mM H2O2 for 2 h) in HUVECs pretreated by anthocyanin-rich extract from the petals of E. amoenum (25-1000 µg/ml). Cytoprotective effect of the extract was evaluated by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The hydroperoxides concentration and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were assessed in intra- and extra-cellular fluid of pretreated cells. Results: Pretreatment of HUVECs with E. amoenum extract at the concentrations of 100-1000 µg/ml reduced the cell death resulted from the exposure to H2O2 in a concentration-dependent manner. E. amoenum extract decreased hydroperoxides concentration and increased FRAP value in both intra- and extra-cellular fluid at different concentration ranges. Moreover, it did not show cytotoxic effects at the concentration range of 25-1000 µg/ml. Conclusion: These results suggest antioxidant and protective effect of anthocyanin-rich extract of the petals of E. amoenum against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in HUVECs. However, further investigations are needed for understanding the detailed mechanisms of cytoprotective effects of this traditional herbal medicine.}, keywords = {Echium amoenum,HUVECs,Oxidative stress,Antioxidant}, url = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3947.html}, eprint = {https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3947_f823ed656698393b80c23213c2e6902a.pdf} }