No abstract

No abstract

Ursolic acid, a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid is commonly found in plants and foods with promising biological and pharmacological activities. The compound has been under the attention of researchers due to its considerable anticancer effects through suppression of differentiation, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis of tumor cells via different pathways with low toxicity. Bioavailability of ursolic acid is poor due to poor solubility of the compound in water. Low bioavailability and short plasma half-life of ursolic acid along with non-specific distribution in the body are considered as impediments in the therapeutic development of the compound. Nano-drug delivery systems may improve the pharmacokinetic, bioavailability, and therapeutic activity of some medicines. The present review has focused on recent developments regarding nano-drug delivery systems of ursolic acid in cancer therapy.

BackgroundNatural α-amylase inhibitors of herbal origin are an attractive therapeutic approach to control post-prandial hyperglycemia via reducing the glucose release from starch and delaying carbohydrate absorption. These compounds are able to inhibit the activity of the carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes in the small intestine and potentially useful in control of diabetes. The enlarged Lamiaceae (Labiatae) family contains about 6,900 to 7,200 species worldwide and many species of this family possess medicinal properties and have been used traditionally for treatment of chronic illnesses including diabetes.MethodsIn the present study particular species of Labiatae family from the genera, Phlomis, Satureja, Salvia, Scutellarua, Stachys and Hymenocrater, which are growing wildly in Iran, selected to evaluate for possible in vitro α-amylase inhibitory activity, compared to acarbose as a positive control.ResultsThe inhibitory activities of all the herbal extracts were varied from 1.9 to 18.6 (IC50, μg/mL). Additionally, the ethyl acetate extract of P. bruguieri (IC50 = 1.9 μg/mL) and the butanol extract of P. persica (IC50 = 3.6 μg/mL) exhibited the lowest IC50 values among all the species as the most potent herbal extracts, while the inhibitory activity of S. sahendica and S. macrosiphon (ethyl acetate extracts) as well as P. caucasica (butanol extract) on α-amylase enzyme was observed as weak and did not reach at least to the 50% of the enzyme inhibition level.ConclusionsTaking together, P. bruguieri and P. persica among the Phlomis species can be the promising sources of α-amylase inhibitors. However, P. rigida, S. bizantina and H. bituminosus that exhibited moderate activity can be stand on second level of interest.

Background:Sargassum species (phaeophyceae) are economically important brown algae in southern parts of Iran. Sargassum is mainly harvested as a row material in alginate production industries and is a source of plant foods or plant bio-stimulants even a component of animal foods.Objective:In this study, Sargassum glaucescens, collected from the seashore of Chabahar, was employed for phytochemical and biological evaluations.Materials and Methods:For that purpose, the dried algae was extracted by methanol and subjected to different chromatographic separation methods.Results:Six sterols, fucosterol (1), 24(S)-hydroxy-24-vinylcholesterol (2), 24(R)-hydroxy-24-vinylcholesterol (3), stigmasterol (4), β-sitosterol (5) and cholesterol (6) were identified by spectroscopic methods including 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and mass spectroscopy. In vitro alpha-amylase inhibitory test was performed on the methanolic extract and the results revealed a potent inhibition (IC50 = 8.9 ± 2.4 mg/mL) of the enzyme compared to acarbose as a positive control.Conclusion:Various biological activities and distribution of sterols in Sargassum genus have been critically reviewed here. The results concluded that these algae are a good candidate for further anti-diabetic investigations in animals and human.