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Therapeutic potential of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells on experimental liver fibrosis.

Pistacia, a genus of flowering plants from the family Anacardiaceae, contains about twenty species, among them five are more popular including P. vera, P. atlantica, P. terebinthus, P. khinjuk, and P. lentiscus. Different parts of these species have been used in traditional medicine for various purposes like tonic, aphrodisiac, antiseptic, antihypertensive and management of dental, gastrointestinal, liver, urinary tract, and respiratory tract disorders. Scientific findings also revealed the wide pharmacological activities from various parts of these species, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, anticholinesterase, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antidiabetic, antitumor, antihyperlipidemic, antiatherosclerotic, and hepatoprotective activities and also their beneficial effects in gastrointestinal disorders. Various types of phytochemical constituents like terpenoids, phenolic compounds, fatty acids, and sterols have also been isolated and identified from different parts of Pistacia species. The present review summarizes comprehensive information concerning ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities of the five mentioned Pistacia species.

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Five Pistacia species (P. vera, P. atlantica, P. terebinthus, P. khinjuk, and P. lentiscus): A Review of Their Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacology

Liver diseases are a major worldwide health problem, with high endemicity in developing countries. They are mainly caused by chemicals and some drugs when taken in very high doses. Despite advances in modern medicine, there is no effective drug available that stimulates liver function, offer protection to the liver from damage or help to regenerate hepatic cells. There is urgent need, therefore, for effective drugs to replace/supplement those in current use. The plant kingdom is undoubtedly valuable as a source of new medicinal agents. The present work constitutes a review of the literature on plant extracts and chemically defined molecules of natural origin with hepatoprotective activity. The review shows 107 plants, their families, geographical distribution, plant parts utilized, type of assay and inducer of liver damage. It also includes 58 compounds isolated from higher plants, classified into appropriate chemical groups. This work intends to aid researchers in the study of natural products useful in the treatment of liver diseases.

	 

	Key words: Liver, liver disease, hepatoprotective activity, natural products.

A review of natural products with hepatoprotective activity

Artemisia, one of the larger genera in the family Asteraceae and the largest genus in the tribe Anthemideae, comprises from 200 to more than 500 taxa at the specific or subspecific level. Many Artemisia species have a high economic value in several fields, as food plants and as antihelminthic and antimalaria in medicine. Artemisia herba-alba was known for its therapeutic and medicinal properties, it was used in both traditional and modern medicine. Several papers have been published on the chemical composition of specimens of A. herba-alba. The aim of this work is to review all available scientific literature published on A. herba-alba. The focus will be on the chemical constitutions which have been identified from this species, in addition to all of the reported biological activites of this species have been included as well as the pharmacology and toxicology. KeywordsArtemisia herba-alba; sesquiterpenes; flavonoids; essential oil; biological activities.

/pdf/chemical-constituents-and-biological-activities-of-artemisia-3ss15cu26i.pdf

Chemical constituents and biological activities of Artemisia herba-alba.

In this study, evaluation of the antilipoperoxidative activity of the aqueous, boiled and nonboiled, and methanolic extracts of Viscum album (leaves, stems and fruits), Arum dioscoridis and Eminium spiculatum leaves against lipid peroxidation (LPO) induced by a rat liver homogenate model was undertaken. LPO was induced by ascorbate/FeCl2 mixture and evaluated using thiobarbituric acid reactive species assay. Nonboiled aqueous extracts exhibited the highest LPO inhibition percent, followed by methanolic and boiled aqueous extracts. Moreover, LPO inhibition percent was dose dependent, where 1.65 × 10−2 mg/mL caused the highest inhibition percent in all aqueous extracts. Aqueous extracts of A. dioscoridis and E. spiculatum exhibited significantly lower LPO inhibition percents than V. album parts, which were comparable to those obtained from the aerial parts of the positive control (Rosmarinus officinalis). Antioxidant capacity was the highest in V. album stems and leaves in all methods of extraction, and was comparable to the R. officinalis results, while V. album fruits, A. dioscoridis and E. spiculatum leaves possessed approximately 50% of antioxidant capacity using all methods of extractions. These results suggest that these plants can be used as a condiment during food processing, to improve the quality, enhance flavor, increase the nutritional value and increase the shelf life of processed food.



PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Viscum album, Arum Dioscoridis and Eminium Spiculatum can be used to improve the quality, boost the nutritional value and prolong the shelf life of processed food.

Antilipoperoxidative effect of three edible plants extracts: viscum album, arum dioscoridis and eminium spiculatum

Amurca (olive oil lees) is one of olive oil byproducts which is a watery bitter tasting and dark colored sediment that settles at the bottom of crude olive oil containers over time. In this study, gross composition, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, HPLC profile of phenolic compounds, lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity,  free fatty acid and peroxide values of amurca were determined. The gross composition of Jordanian amurca was as follows: carbohydrates 0.74 ± 0.02%, proteins 0.7 ± 0.02%, fats 49.43 ± 0.29%, moisture 47.33 ± 0.30%, ash 0.89 ± 0.05% and fiber 0. 92 ± 0.03%. Total phenolic compounds content was 289 mg GAE/100 g of amurca and antioxidant activity was 22.3 ± 0.21 mg vitamin E equivalent/100 g. Peroxide value was 1.78 ± 0.03 meqO2/kg amurca, free fatty acid value was 1.62 ± 0.029 (oleic acid%) and LPO inhibition was 95.7%. The most abundant phenolic compounds detected by HPLC were oleuropen, gallic acid, 3-hydroxyphenol, sinapic acid, kaempherol, isopropyl-5-methyl phenol and luteolin.

https://www.longdom.org/open-access/chemical-composition-of-amurca-generated-from-jordanian-olive-oil-2155-9600.1000186.pdf

Chemical Composition of Amurca Generated from Jordanian Olive Oil

Total phenolic compounds (TPC), antioxidant activity (AA), lipid peroxidation inhibition (percent) (LPOIP), free fatty acid and peroxide values were measured in olive oil samples over the period of 12 months in comparison with oil samples extracted from amurca (olive oil lees) and olive oil samples taken from the bottom of the canister (near amurca) after 12 months of storage. Olive oil samples taken over the period of 12 months possessed decreasing amounts of TPC, AA and LPOIP, which led to increased peroxide and free fatty acid values. In contrast, oil extracted from amurca and olive oil samples taken from the bottom of the container after 12 months of storage possessed significantly higher TPC, AA, LPOIP and consequently lower free fatty acid and peroxide values. These results show that the presence of naturally occurring amurca (sediment) in stored olive oil stabilizes olive oil quality during storage.

Effect of amurca on olive oil quality during storage

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of short-term consumption of oil and frying oil extracted from falafel patties, and then to study the long-term effect of consumption of falafel patties on rat liver gross morphology and serum liver enzymes. The frying oil quality was assessed using thiobarbituric acid reaction on rat liver homogenate. Frying oil and oil extracted from falafel patties were administered to male Wistar albino rats via gavage for 5 days. Blood samples were collected and the activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and bilirubin levels were determined. Livers were weighed and gross morphology was assessed. For the long-term effect of falafel consumption, rats were fed falafel patties for 30 days, and then blood samples were collected and assayed for the above-mentioned parameters. Short-term consumption of falafel extracts and frying oil did not cause any significant difference in the liver function tests and liver gr...

Sana Janakat

Papers

Antilipoperoxidative effect of three edible plants extracts: viscum album, arum dioscoridis and eminium spiculatum

Chemical Composition of Amurca Generated from Jordanian Olive Oil

Effect of amurca on olive oil quality during storage

Effect of a popular Middle Eastern food (Falafel) on rat liver

Effect of exposure to β-aminopropionitrile on streptozotocin diabetic rats