Omayma A. Eldahshan

Phytochemical study, cytotoxic, analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activities of Strychnos nux-vomica

The strychnine tree (Strychnos nux-vomica L.) (S. nux-vomica) belonging to family Loganiaceae has been a very promising medication for certain disorders. Different chromatographic methods were used to isolate the phenolic compounds from the aqueous methanolic extract of the S. nux-vomica leaves. Their identification was achieved through spectroscopic techniques. Cytotoxicity, analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activities of S. nux-vomica leaves extract were evaluated. Five phenolic compounds were isolated and identified; Kaempferol-7 glucoside 1, 7-Hydroxy coumarin 2, Quercetin-3-rhamnoside 3, Kaempferol 3-rutinoside 4, and Rutin 5. Furthermore, the cytotoxic activity of the extract was evaluated against different cancer cell lines. The extract showed potential cytotoxic activity against human epidermoid larynx carcinoma cells (Hep-2) and against breast carcinoma cell line (MCF-7). Colon carcinoma cells (HCT) were the least one affected by the extract. In addition, the extract exhibited promising analgesic, antipyretic as well as anti-inflammatory activities. It is concluded that, leaves extract of S. nux vomica possess potent cytotoxic, analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activities. These activities could be due to the presence of phenolic compounds revealed by our phytochemical investigations.

Anti-apoptotic effects of tamarind leaves against ethanol-induced rat liver injury.

Objectives  The leaf decoctions of Tamarindus indica (TI) have long been traditionally used in liver ailments. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti‐apoptotic activity of TI leaf extract against acute ethanol (EtOH)‐induced liver injury. The major constituents of the extract were also examined for standardization purposes.

Cytotoxic activity and molecular docking of a novel biflavonoid isolated from Jacaranda acutifolia (Bignoniaceae)

Abstract A novel biflavonoid [kaempferol (6→8″) apigenin] was isolated from the leaves of Jacaranda acutifolia. The structure was elucidated based on chemical evidence, 1D and 2D spectroscopic analyses as well as spectrometric techniques. The compound showed promising cytotoxic activity against breast cancer cell line MCF-7. The anticancer activity was explained via virtual docking of the isolated compound to the main sites in the human cyclin-dependent kinase2 (CDK2) crystal structure.

Comparison of the Composition and Antimicrobial Activities of the Essential Oils of Green Branches and Leaves of Egyptian Navel Orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck var. malesy)

The essential oils isolated from the leaves and green branches of the Egyptian navel orange trees were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. A total of 33 and 24 compounds were identified from the oils of the leaves and branches accounting for 96.0% and 97.9%, respectively, of the total detected constituents. The major ones were sabinene (36.5; 33.0%), terpinen‐4‐ol (8.2; 6.2%), δ‐3‐carene (7.0; 9.4%), limonene (6.8; 18.7%), trans‐ocimene (6.7; 6.1%), and β‐myrcene (4.5; 4.4%). The antimicrobial activities of both oils were evaluated using the agar‐well diffusion method toward three representatives for each of Gram‐positive bacteria, Gram‐negative bacteria, and fungi. The oil of leaves was more effective as antimicrobial agent than that of the branches. Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, and Aspergillus fumigatus were the most sensitive bacteria and fungi by the leaves oil.

Pyrostegia venusta (Ker Gawl.) Miers: A Botanical, Pharmacological and Phytochemical Review

Objective: Pyrostegia venusta (Ker Gawl.) Miers (Bignoniaceae) has been commonly used in the traditional Brazilian medicine as a general tonic, treating skin infections (leukoderma, vitiligo), as well as a treatment for diarrhoea, cough and common respiratory diseases related to infections, such as bronchitis, flu and cold. This study highlights the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Pyrostegia venusta. Information was obtained from Google Scholar, Scirus, PubMed and Science Direct. Key findings: Phytochemical studies on Pyrostegia venusta have shown the presence of triterpenes, sterols, flavonoids, fatty acids, n-alkanes, nitrogenous compounds as allantoin and carbohydrates. Crude extracts of Pyrostegia venusta possess a wide range of pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antinociceptive, wound healing, antimicrobial, and useful in the treatment of disorders that induced sickness behavior, such as flu and cold. Also used to reduce menopausal symptoms, and for enhancement of melanogenesis. Conclusions: Pyrostegia venusta is a natural source of antioxidants. and has been widely used in the traditional Brazilian medicine. Pyrostegia venusta could be exploited as a potential source for plant-based pharmaceutical products. The present review could form a sound basis for further investigation in the potential discovery of new natural bioactive compounds, and could provide preliminary information for future research.

Anti-inflammatory Effect of Apigenin-7- neohesperidoside (Rhoifolin) in Carrageenin- Induced Rat Oedema Model

Flavonoids are normal constituents of the human diet and are known for a variety of biological activities. They have been reported to bring benefits in lowering inflammation and oxidative stress. The present investigation was performed first, to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of rhoifolin and second, to search for the possible contributing mechanisms for this hypothesized effect. Rhoifolin caused a time and reverse dose dependent reduction of carrageenin-induced rat paw oedema. Following 4 hr of treatment, rhoifolin at doses 2.5, 25 & 250 mg/kg caused a significant inhibition of rat paw edema volume by 14, 25 & 45 % respectively in comparison to the control group (74%). In addition to significantly abrogating prostaglandin E2 level, increasing doses of rhoifolin significantly diminished the TNF-α release in the inflammatory exudates. In the same animal model, rhoifolin increased the total antioxidant capacity in a reverse dose order, with the highest capacity obtained with the lowest dose tested. This study demonstrates for the first time the effectiveness of rhoifolin in combating inflammation in carrageenin-induced rat oedema model.

Chemical Characteristics, Antimicrobial, and Cytotoxic Activities of the Essential Oil of Egyptian Cinnamomum glanduliferum Bark

The essential oil isolated from the bark of Cinnamomum glanduliferum (Wall) Meissn grown in Egypt was screened for its composition as well as its biological activity for the first time. The chemical composition was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The antimicrobial activity of the oil was assessed using agar‐well diffusion method toward representatives for each of Gram‐positive bacteria, Gram‐negative bacteria, and fungi. The cytotoxic activity was checked using three human cancer cell lines. Twenty seven compounds were identified, representing 99.07% of the total detected components. The major constituents were eucalyptol (65.87%), terpinen‐4‐ol (7.57%), α‐terpineol (7.39%). The essential oil possessed strong antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli, with an activity index of one and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) equaling to 0.49 μg/ml. The essential oil possessed good antimicrobial activities against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Geotrichum candidum, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Helicobacter pylori, Aspergillus fumigatus (MIC: 7.81, 1.95, 7.81, 0.98, 31.25, and 32.5 μg/ml, respectively). A considerable activity was reported against S. aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MIC; 32.5 and 31.25 μg/ml, respectively). The extracted oil was cytotoxic to colon (HCT‐116), liver (HepG2), and breast (MCF‐7) carcinoma cell lines with IC50 of 9.1, 42.4, and 57.3 μg/ml, respectively. These results revealed that Egyptian Cinnamomum glanduliferum bark oil exerts antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities mainly due to eucalyptol and other major compounds.

Synergistic Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Effect of Artichoke, Fig, Blackberry Herbal Mixture on HepG2 Cells and Their Metabolic Profiling Using NMR Coupled with Chemometrics

The edible plants have long been reported to possess a lot of biological activities. Herein, the hepatoprotective and the antioxidant activities of the aqueous infusion of the edible parts of Cynara cardunculus, Ficus carica, and Morus nigra and their herbal mixture (CFM) was investigated in vitro using CCl4 induced damage in HepG2 cells. The highest amelioration was observed via the consumption of CFM at 1 mg/ml showing 47.00% and 37.09% decline in aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase and 77.32% and 101.02% increase in reduced glutathione and superoxide dismutase comparable to CCl4 treated cells. Metabolic profiling of their aqueous infusions was done using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic experiments coupled with chemometrics particularly hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA). The structural closeness of the various metabolites existing in black berry and the mixture as reflected in the PCA score plot and HCA processed from the 1H‐NMR spectral data could eventually explained the close values in their biological behavior. For fig and artichoke, the existence of different phenolic metabolites that act synergistically could greatly interpret their potent biological behavior. Thus, it can be concluded that a herbal mixture composed of black berry, artichoke, and fig could afford an excellent natural candidate to combat oxidative stress and counteract hepatic toxins owing to its phenolic compounds.

Cytotoxic Oleanane-Type Saponins from the Leaves of Albizia anthelmintica Brongn.

Two new oleanane‐type saponins: β‐d‐xylopyranosyl‐(1 → 4)‐6‐deoxy‐α‐l‐mannopyranosyl‐(1 → 2)‐1‐O‐{(3β)‐28‐oxo‐3‐[(2‐O‐β‐d‐xylopyranosyl‐β‐d‐glucopyranosyl)oxy]olean‐12‐en‐28‐yl}‐β‐d‐glucopyranose (1) and 1‐O‐[(3β)‐28‐oxo‐3‐{[β‐d‐xylopyranosyl‐(1 → 2)‐α‐l‐arabinopyranosyl‐(1 → 6)‐2‐acetamido‐2‐deoxy‐β‐d‐glucopyranosyl]oxy}olean‐12‐en‐28‐yl]β‐d‐glucopyranose (2), along with two known saponins: (3β)‐3‐[(β‐d‐Glucopyranosyl‐(1 → 2)‐β‐d‐glucopyranosyl)oxy]olean‐12‐en‐28‐oic acid (3) and (3β)‐3‐{[α‐l‐arabinopyranosyl‐(1 → 6)‐[β‐d‐glucopyranosyl‐(1 → 2)]‐β‐d‐glucopyranosyl]oxy}olean‐12‐en‐28‐oic acid (4) were isolated from the acetone‐insoluble fraction obtained from the 80% aqueous MeOH extract of Albizia anthelmintica Brongn. leaves. Their structures were identified using different NMR experiments including: 1H‐ and 13C‐NMR, HSQC, HMBC and 1H,1H‐COSY, together with HR‐ESI‐MS/MS, as well as by acid hydrolysis. The four isolated saponins and the fractions of the extract exhibited cytotoxic activity against HepG‐2 and HCT‐116 cell lines. Compound 2 showed the most potent cytotoxic activity among the other tested compounds against the HepG2 cell line with an IC50 value of 3.60μm. Whereas, compound 1 showed the most potent cytotoxic effect with an IC50 value of 4.75μm on HCT‐116 cells.

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of flower essential oil of Jacaranda acutifolia Juss. against food-borne pathogens.

Aims: To investigate the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the hydrodistilled flower essential oil of Jacaranda acutifolia Juss. (Bignoniaceae) to validate some of its ethnopharmacologial uses such as treatment of wounds and dermatitis. Study Design: Volatile oil isolation, component identification and antimicrobial activity. Place and Duration of Study: Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, the flowers were collected on 15 April 2012 and the study is completed within four months. Methodology: The essential oil of the flowers of Jacaranda acutifolia was extracted by hydrodistillation, analysed by capillary gas chromatography (GC/FID) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Antimicrobial activity was studied in vitro, this included both antibacterial activity against food-borne pathogens and antifungal activity using agar diffusion method. Results: Fourty seven components, comprising almost 84.33% of the total peak area, were identified in the analysis. The main components were n-dodecanoic acid (17.48%), ntetradecanoic acid (15.59%), n-hexadecanoic acid (10.98%), hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (8.2%), n-decanoic acid (7.9%), and nonacosane (7.71%). The oil showed significantly high in-vitro antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 0.09 up to 1.09 mg, and moderate antimicrobial activity against Salmonella typhimurium and Shigella flexneri. The % potency of the oil was calculated as compared to standard antibiotics (penicillin, gentamycin and nystatin) and ranged from 9.77 up to 126.47%. Conclusion: The essential oil of Jacaranda acutifolia exhibited promising antimicrobial activity, and this makes its local traditional uses rational.