Humans used plants for thousand of years as food, drugs, or fuel to keep homes warm. People commonly used fruits and roots, and other parts of the plant were often wasted. This review aims to discuss the potential of rational stem-to-stern use of three highly versatile and valuable plants with hepatoprotective properties. Milk thistle (Silybum marianum L. Gaertn.), artichoke (Cynara cardunculus), and chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) have well-characterized hepatoprotective properties. These plants have been chosen since liver diseases are significant diseases of concern worldwide, and all parts of plants can be potentially utilized. Artichoke and chicory are commonly used as food or dietary supplements and less often as phytodrugs. Various dietary supplements and phytodrugs prepared from milk thistle (MT) fruits/seeds are well-known to consumers as remedies supporting liver functions. However, using these plants as functional food, farm animal feed, is not well-described in the literature. We also discuss bioactive constituents present in various parts of these plants, their pharmacological properties. Distinct parts of MT, artichoke, and chicory can be used to prepare remedies and food for humans and animals. Unused plant parts are potentially wasted. To achieve waste-free use of these and many other plants, the scientific community needs to analyze the complex use of plants and propose strategies for waste-free technologies. The government must stimulate companies to utilize by-products. Another problem associated with plant use as a food or source of phytodrug is the overharvesting of wild plants. Consequently, there is a need to use more active cultivation techniques for plants.
Background The dysfunction of the thyroid gland is a common medical condition. Nowadays, patients frequently use medicinal herbs as complementary or alternative options to conventional drug treatments. These patients may benefit from treatment of thyroid dysfunctions with Potentilla alba L. preparations. While it has been reported that Potentilla alba preparations have low toxicity, nothing is known about their ability to affect reproductive functions in patients of childbearing age. Methods Male Wistar rats were orally treated with a thyrotrophic botanical drug, standardized Potentilla alba Dry Extract (PADE), at doses 8 and 40 times higher than the median therapeutic dose recommended for the clinical trials, for 60 consecutive days. Male Wistar rats receiving water (H2O) were used as controls. After completing treatment, half of the PADE-treated and control males were used to determine PADE gonadotoxicity, and the remaining half of PADE-treated and control males were mated with intact females. Two female rats were housed with one male for two estrus cycles. PADE effects on fertility and fetal/offspring development were evaluated. Results Herein, we report that oral treatment of male Wistar rats with PADE before mating with intact females instigated marked effects on male reproductive organs. Treatment significantly decreased the motility of the sperm and increased the number of pathological forms of spermatozoa. Additionally, a dose-dependent effect on Leydig cells was observed. However, these PADE effects did not significantly affect male fertility nor fetal and offspring development when PADE-treated males were mated with intact females. Conclusions PADE treatment of male rates negatively affected sperm and testicular Leydig cell morphology. However, these changes did not affect male fertility and offspring development. It is currently not known whether PADE treatment may affect human male fertility and offspring development. Therefore, these results from an animal study need to be confirmed in humans. Results from this animal study can be used to model the exposure-response relationship and adverse outcomes in humans.
Introduction. The medicine "Flakozid" with hepatoprotective effect has been developed at the VILAR. The drug is presented in dosage form-tablets of 0.1 g for oral drug administrationAim. To analyze the clinical efficacy and safety of "Flakozid" therapy according to clinical laboratory methods, as well as the motility of the gallbladder and bile ducts in patients with diseases of the hepatobiliary system.Materials and methods. The results of clinical studies of "Flakozid" (0.1 g tablets) were analyzed in 99 patients with chronic active hepatitis, chronic stone-free cholecystitis and fatty liver dystrophy, conducted in 2 clinical institutions: Perm State Medical University. Academician E. A. Wagner of the Ministry of Health of Russia and the Central Research Institute of Gastroenterology. "Flakozid" was prescribed against the background of a therapeutic diet (Table No. 5) of 0.1-0.2 g 3 times a day after meals for 32 days and repeated courses (3-5) for 6-12 months. Analysis of the efficacy and safety of "Flakozid" was carried out on the basis of the results of clinical and laboratory studies: general and biochemical blood analysis, general urinalysis, electrocardiogram. To study the motility of the gallbladder and biliary tract, the method of multifractional duodenal probing was used to determine the functional state of the sphincter apparatus of the gallbladder and biliary tract. In cystic and hepatic bile, its biochemical composition was determined. All patients underwent X-ray examination of the gastrointestinal tract, liver scanning and hepatography with iodine-131-bengal-roz.Results and discussion. In chronic active hepatitis, chronic stone-free cholecystitis and fatty liver dystrophy the use of "Flakozid" orally in daily doses of 0.3-0.6 g for 25-45 days led to an improvement in the General condition of patients, a decrease in pain in the right hypochondrium, a decrease in dyspeptic disorders, and an improvement in appetite. According to cholecystography, the indicators of concentration and contractility of the gallbladder improved. In terms of the severity of the therapeutic effect, "Flakozid" was not inferior to silibor and carsil, and in some indicators (improvement of the motility of the gallbladder and biliary tract) significantly exceeded them.Conclusions. Treatment of "Flakozid" improved functional state of the liver, reducing the syndrome of cytolysis and cholestasis. "Flakozid" is recommended in clinical practice in the complex treatment of diseases of the hepatobiliary system, such as chronic active hepatitis, chronic stone-free cholecystitis and fatty liver dystrophy.
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