DARU 

About: DARU is an academic journal published by BioMed Central. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Essential oil & Medicine. It has an ISSN identifier of 1560-8115. Over the lifetime, 838 publications have been published receiving 17747 citations. The journal is also known as: DARU journal of pharmaceutical sciences & Journal of pharmaceutical sciences.

Analysis of the essential oils of two cultivated basil (ocimum basilicum l.) from iran

Abstract: The chemical compositions of the essential oils of Ocimum basilicum L. cv. purple and Ocimum basilicum L. cv. green cultivated in Iran were investigated by GC-MS. Twenty constituents (98.5% of the total oil) were identified in the volatile oil of O. basilicum L. cv. Purple. The main constituents found in the oil were methyl chavicol (52.4%), linalool (20.1%), epi-α-cadinol (5.9%) and trans-α-bergamotene (5.2%). In the volatile oil of O. basilicum L. cv. green, twelve components were characterized representing 99.4% of the total oil. Methyl chavicol (40.5%), geranial (27.6%), neral (18.5%) and caryophyllene oxide (5.4%) were the major components. Methyl chavicol is the dominant constituent in each of the two oils. Although the oil of green basil was characterized by a highccontent (46.1%) of citral (neral and geranial), citral was not detected in the oil of purple basil oil.

Artemia salina as a model organism in toxicity assessment of nanoparticles.

Abstract: Because of expanding presence of nanomaterials, there has been an increase in the exposure of humans to nanoparticles that is why nanotoxicology studies are important. A number of studies on the effects of nanomatrials in in vitro and in vivo systems have been published. Currently cytotoxicity of different nanoparticles is assessed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay on different cell lines to determine cell viability, a tedious and expensive method. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Artemia salina test in comparison with the MTT assay in the assessment of cytotoxicity of nanostructures because the former method is more rapid and convenient and less expensive. At the first stage, toxicity of different nanoparticles with different concentrations (1.56–400 μg/mL) was measured by means of the brine shrimp lethality test. At the second stage, the effect of nanoparticles on the viability of the L929 cell line was assessed using the MTT assay. Experiments were conducted with each concentration in triplicate. The results obtained from both tests (A. salina test and MTT assay) did not have statistically significant differences (P > 0.05). These findings suggest that the A. salina test may expedite toxicity experiments and decrease costs, and therefore, may be considered an alternative to the in vitro cell culture assay.

A systematic review on status of lead pollution and toxicity in Iran; Guidance for preventive measures.

Abstract: Lead is an old environmental metal which is presented everywhere and lead poisoning is an important health issue in many countries in the world including Iran. It is known as a silent environmental disease which can have life-long adverse health effects. In children, the most vulnerable population, mental development of children health effects is of the greatest influence. Low level lead exposure can significantly induce motor dysfunctions and cognitive impairment in children. The sources of lead exposure vary among countries. Occupational lead exposure is an important health issue in Iran and mine workers, employees of paint factories, workers of copying centers, drivers, and tile making factories are in higher risk of lead toxicity. Moreover lead processing industry has always been a major of concern which affects surface water, drinking waters, and ground waters, even water of Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf and rivers due to increasing the number of industries in vicinity of rivers that release their waste discharges into river or sea. In addition, lead contamination of soil and air especially in vicinity of polluted and industrialized cities is another health problem in Iran. Even foods such as rice and fishes, raw milk, and vegetables which are the most common food of Iranian population are polluted to lead in some area of Iran. Adding lead to the opium is a recently health hazard in Iran that has been observed among opium addicts. There are few studies evaluated current status of lead exposure and toxicity in the Iranian children and pregnant women which should be taken into account of authorities. We recommend to identify sources, eliminate or control sources, and monitor environmental exposures and hazards to prevent lead poisoning.

Screening of antioxidant activity and phenolic content of 24 medicinal plant extracts

Abstract: Background: Antioxidants are vital substances which possess the ability to protect the body from damages caused by free radical-induced oxidative stress. A variety of free radical scavenging antioxidants are found in dietary sources like fruits, vegetables and tea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts of 24 selected plant materials (seeds or fruits), which are used by Iranian people as folk remedies and/or food supplements. Methods: The antioxidant activity was evaluated against linoleic acid peroxidation using 1,3-diethyl-2-thiobarbituric acid as reagent. At the same time the phenolic content of the extracts was determined using Folin-Ciocalteau reagent to evaluate their contribution to total antioxidant activity. Results: The antioxidant activity expressed as IC50 ranged from 1.25 µg/ml in cucumber to 167.29 µg/ml in cardamom. Phenolic contents, expressed as gallic acid equivalents, varied from 21.76 mg/100g of the dried weight in linseed to 919.12 mg/100 g of the dried weight in Bishop’s weed. No significant correlation was observed between antioxidant activity and phenolic content in the studied plant materials. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that there is no significant correlation between antioxidant activity and phenolic content of the studied plant materials and phenolic content could not be a good indicator of antioxidant capacity.

New horizons in treatment of osteoporosis

Abstract: Prevalence of osteoporosis is increasing both in developed and developing countries. Due to rapid growth in the burden and cost of osteoporosis, worldwide, it seems reasonable to focus on the reduction of fractures as the main goal of treatment. Although, efficient pharmacological agents are available for the treatment of osteoporosis, there still remains a need to more specific drugs with less adverse effects. This review article provides a brief update on the pathogenesis, presenting current pharmacological products approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or Europe, and also newer therapeutic agents to treat osteoporosis according to the clinical trial data available at PubMed, UpToDate, International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), and clinical practice guidelines. As well, the effect of combination therapy and recommendations for future research will be further discussed. The use of current antiresorptive and anabolic agents alone or in combinations for the treatment of osteoporosis entails several limitations. Mainly, their efficacy on non-vertebral fracture reduction is lower than that observed on vertebral fracture. In addition, they have potential adverse events on long time usage. Development of newer agents such as cathepsin k inhibitor and strontium ranelate not only have increased the available options for treating osteoporosis, but also have opened doors of opportunity to improvements in the effective treatment. However, the high cost of new agents have restricted their usage in selective patients who are at high risk of fracture or whom failed response to first line treatment options. Thus, personalized medicine should be considered for future evaluation of genetic risk score and also for environmental exposure assessment. In addition to permanent attention to early diagnosis of osteoporosis and understanding of the pathophysiology of osteoporosis for novel approach in drug discovery, there seems a need to more well-designed clinical trials with larger sample sizes and longer duration on current as well as on newer agents. Also, continuous research on plant-derived components as the source of discovering new agents, and conducting more clinical trials with combination of two or more synthetic drugs, plants, or drug-plant for the treatment of osteoporosis are recommended. Summary of treatment modalities for osteoporosis.