Background: Cancer is one of the major problems affecting public health worldwide. As other cultures, the populations of the Near East rely on medicinal herbs and their preparations to fight cancer. Methods: We compiled data derived from historical ethnopharmacological information as well as in vitro and in vivo results and clinical findings extracted from different literature databases including (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) during the past two decades. Results: In this survey, we analyzed the huge amount of data available on anticancer ethnopharmacological sources used in the Near East. Medicinal herbs are the most dominant ethnopharmacological formula used among cancer's patients in the Near East. The data obtained highlight for the first time the most commonly used medicinal plants in the Near East area for cancer treatment illustrating their importance as natural anticancer agents. The literature survey reveals that various Arum species, various Artemisia species, Calotropis procera, Citrullus colocynthis, Nigella sativa, Pulicaria crispa, various Urtica species, Withania somnifera, and others belong to the most frequently used plants among cancer patients in the Near East countries. Molecular modes of action that have been investigated for plant extracts and isolated compounds from Near East include cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction with participation of major player in these processes such as p53 and p21, Bcl-2, Bax, cytochrome c release, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, activation of caspases, etc. Conclusion: The ethnopharmacology of the Near East was influenced by Arabic and Islamic medicine and might be promising for developing new natural and safe anticancer agents. Further research is required to elucidate their cellular and molecular mechanisms and to estimate their clinical activity.

/pdf/medicinal-plants-from-near-east-for-cancer-therapy-5atpzg9gxs.pdf

Medicinal Plants from Near East for Cancer Therapy.

Partial-thickness burn wounds healing by topical treatment: A randomized controlled comparison between silver sulfadiazine and centiderm.

Trillium govanianum, an endangered medicinal herb native to the Himalaya, is less studied at the molecular level due to the non-availability of genomic resources. To facilitate the basic understanding of the key genes and regulatory mechanism of pharmaceutically important biosynthesis pathways, first spatial transcriptome sequencing of T. govanianum was performed. 151,622,376 (~11.5 Gb) high quality reads obtained using paired-end Illumina sequencing were de novo assembled into 69,174 transcripts. Functional annotation with multiple public databases identified array of genes involved in steroidal saponin biosynthesis and other secondary metabolite pathways including brassinosteroid, carotenoid, diterpenoid, flavonoid, phenylpropanoid, steroid and terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, and important TF families (bHLH, MYB related, NAC, FAR1, bZIP, B3 and WRKY). Differentially expressed large number of transcripts, together with CYPs and UGTs suggests involvement of these candidates in tissue specific expression. Combined transcriptome and expression analysis revealed that leaf and fruit tissues are the main site of steroidal saponin biosynthesis. In conclusion, comprehensive genomic dataset created in the current study will serve as a resource for identification of potential candidates for genetic manipulation of targeted bioactive metabolites and also contribute for development of functionally relevant molecular marker resource to expedite molecular breeding and conservation efforts in T. govanianum.

/pdf/spatial-transcriptome-analysis-provides-insights-of-key-gene-2fyvotvo6u.pdf

Spatial transcriptome analysis provides insights of key gene(s) involved in steroidal saponin biosynthesis in medicinally important herb Trillium govanianum

Summary

In recent years, the clinical importance of herbal drugs has received considerable attention in reducing free radical-induced tissue injury. Oxidative stress has been proposed as a possible mechanism involved in lead toxicity that causes reproductive system failure in both human and animals. Fumaria parviflora L., a traditional herb, has been used to cure various ailments in Persian folk medicine. This study was carried out to investigate whether ethanolic extract of F. parviflora leaves could protect the male rats against lead-induced testicular oxidative stress. Adult Wistar rats were treated with 0.1% lead acetate in drinking water with or without 200 mg kg day−1 F. parviflora extract via gavage for 70 days. Lead acetate treatment resulted in significant reduction in testis weight, seminiferous tubules diameter, epididymal sperm count, serum testosterone level, testicular content of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Moreover, significant elevation was observed in content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in lead-treated rats. However, co-administration of F. parviflora extract showed a significant increase in selected reproductive parameters in lead-treated rats. The results indicated that ethanolic extract of F. parviflora leaves has a potential to restore the suppressed reproduction associated with lead exposure and prevented lead-induced testicular toxicity in male Wistar rats.

Protective effects of Fumaria parviflora L. on lead-induced testicular toxicity in male rats

The discovery of bioactive compounds from natural sources entails an extremely lengthy process due to the timescale and complexity of traditional methodologies. In our study, we used a rapid NMR based metabolomic approach as tool to identify secondary metabolites with anti-proliferative activity against a panel of human colorectal cancer cell lines with different mutation profiles. For this purpose, fourteen Fabaceae species of Mediterranean vegetation were investigated using a double screening method: 1H NMR profiling enabled the identification of the main compounds present in the mixtures, whilst parallel biological assays allowed the selection of two plant extracts based on their strong anti-proliferative properties. Using high-resolution 2D NMR spectroscopy, putative active constituents were identified in the mixture and isolated by performing a bio-guided fractionation of the selected plant extracts. As a result, we found two active principles: a cycloartane glycoside and protodioscin derivative. Interestingly, these metabolites displayed a preferential anti-proliferative effect on colon cancer cell lines with an intrinsic resistance to anti-EGFR therapies. Our work provides an NMR-based metabolomic approach as a powerful and efficient tool to discover natural products with anticancer activities circumventing time-consuming procedures.

/pdf/metabolomic-approach-for-a-rapid-identification-of-natural-4eq1v860en.pdf

Metabolomic approach for a rapid identification of natural products with cytotoxic activity against human colorectal cancer cells

Numerous studies have been focused on natural anticarcinogenic agents. Many antioxidants have been identified as anticarcinogens. Antimutagens have also been proposed as cancer chemopreventive agents. The use of natural products as anticancer has a long history that began with traditional medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate cytotoxicity and antioxidant activity of twenty-three plant species of Leguminosae family from different regions of Iran. Twenty-three plant species of Leguminosae family were collected in May-June 2009 from different regions of Iran.Methanol extracts of these species were tested through the brine shrimp lethality assay in order to detect potential sources of novel cytotoxic compounds. The total antioxidant activity was evaluated with DPPH free radical-scavenging method. The extracts of twelve species showed moderate cytotoxicity against brine shrimp (LC 50 between 30 and 50 μg/mL). The extracts of Taverniera spartea and Tephrosia persica showed significant cytotoxicity (LC 50 < 30 μg/mL) with LC 50 values of 0.34 and 2.43 μg/mL, respectively, whereas the positive control, thymol showed a LC 50 value of 1.37 μg/mL. The chloroform fractions of the latter two species were subjected to the brine shrimp lethality assay with LC 50 values of 113.79 and 1.23 μg/mL, respectively. In comparing antioxidant capacities, Gleditschia caspica and Taverniera spartea showed significant antioxidant activity (IC 50 < 50 μg/mL) with LC 50 values of 14.54 and 20.32 μg/mL, respectively. It could be seen among 23 tested plant species that Taverniera spartea had the most cytotoxic and antioxidant activity and was the best candidate for these effects. Further investigations are necessary for chemical characterization of the active compounds and more comprehensive biological assays.

http://ijpr.sbmu.ac.ir/article_1040_361667213175a34232d0ef6cbcdc4000.pdf

Cytotoxicity and antioxidant activity of 23 plant species of leguminosae family.

Numerous studies have been focused on natural anticarcinogenic agents Many antioxidants have been identified as anticarcinogens Antimutagens have also been proposed as cancer chemopreventive agents The use of natural products as anticancer has a long history that began with traditional medicine The aim of this study was to evaluate cytotoxicity and antioxidant activity of twenty-three plant species of Leguminosae family from different regions of Iran Twenty-three plant species of Leguminosae family were collected in May-June 2009 from different regions of IranMethanol extracts of these species were tested through the brine shrimp lethality assay in order to detect potential sources of novel cytotoxic compounds The total antioxidant activity was evaluated with DPPH free radical-scavenging method The extracts of twelve species showed moderate cytotoxicity against brine shrimp (LC 50 between 30 and 50 μg/mL) The extracts of Taverniera spartea and Tephrosia persica showed significant cytotoxicity (LC 50 < 30 μg/mL) with LC 50 values of 034 and 243 μg/mL, respectively, whereas the positive control, thymol showed a LC 50 value of 137 μg/mL The chloroform fractions of the latter two species were subjected to the brine shrimp lethality assay with LC 50 values of 11379 and 123 μg/mL, respectively In comparing antioxidant capacities, Gleditschia caspica and Taverniera spartea showed significant antioxidant activity (IC 50 < 50 μg/mL) with LC 50 values of 1454 and 2032 μg/mL, respectively It could be seen among 23 tested plant species that Taverniera spartea had the most cytotoxic and antioxidant activity and was the best candidate for these effects Further investigations are necessary for chemical characterization of the active compounds and more comprehensive biological assays

M Taghizadeh

Papers

Cytotoxicity and antioxidant activity of 23 plant species of leguminosae family.

Cytotoxicity and Antioxidant Activity of 23 Plant Species of Leguminosae Family

Quantitative determination of an effective component of fumaria parviflora lam

Review of centella asiatica (l.) urban

A review of echinacea