No abstract

The Trigonella foenum-graecum L. seeds, in a dormant or sprouted state, have been largely investigated for their therapeutic activities such as being antidiabetic, antioxidant, cholesterol-lowering, and as a digestive enhancer too. Nevertheless, there are no studies evaluating the potential developmental toxicity of germinated grains despite the availability of numerous research studies demonstrating the teratogenicity effect of unsprouted seeds. Therefore, this research work was conducted to assess the impact of fenugreek sprouts on maternal and neurobehavioral developmental toxicities on mice. The lyophilized aqueous extract of germinated seeds was administered via oral gavage on a daily basis to five groups of mated female mice throughout pregnancy at doses of 200, 500, 800, and 1000 mg/kg/day and the control group was administered distilled water. Maternal reproductive toxicity was evaluated, and the surviving pups were assessed for their physical development, malformation, and neurobehavioral toxicity by using a battery of tests from birth to the 25th postnatal day. Additionally, the aqueous extract of germinated and ungerminated seeds was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for a comparison of their major compounds. For pregnant treated female mice, no death and no intoxication symptoms have been registered during the test. However, the sprouts’ extract has provoked a significant decrease in fertility, spontaneous abortion, pup’s mortality, and neurobehavioral disorder in offspring. HPLC analysis reveals an increase in total phenolic compound concentration by the process of sprouting.

The aim of the current study is to evaluate the antiinflammatory, antioxidant and analgesic properties of ethanolic (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) and ethyl acetate extracts (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) of Caralluma europaea. Formalin-induced paw licking test, Acetic Acid induced Writhing Test and Hot-PlateTest were used to assess the analgesic activity. Xylene-induced ear edema test was used to evaluate anti-inflammatory activity of those extracts. In this work, the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography technique (HPLC), allowed us to identify and quantify the main phenolic compounds present in ethanolic and ethyl acetate extracts. In vitro anti-oxidant propriety was evaluated using two methods, the 2,2-Diphenyl-1Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging method and reducing power methods. The main phenols identified were Catechin (24%) and quercetin (18%) in ethanolic extract, while in the ethyl acetate extract, they were quercetin (36%), Pcoumaric (30%) and 2-hydroxycinnamic (25%). Analysis of our results had shown that Caralluma europaea extracts had exhibited a very potent analgesic activity. Percentage of Pain Inhibition (PPI) in the writhing test, 63.60±4.24% for the Ethanolic Extract (EE) (200 mg/kg, p.o.) and 65.39±3.27% for the Ethyl Acetate Extract (EAE). The PPI of early and late phase in the formalin test were respectively, 41% and 73% for EAE (200 mg/kg; p.o), 28% and 75% for EE. In the hotplate test, latency to the thermal stimuli was increased in a dose dependent manner after the administration of EE and EAE. However, the analgesic potential of EAE seems to be higher than EE. Both EE and EAE presented a significant in vitro redox potential and high antiinflammatory activity. Our results have shown that Caralluma europaea is rich in phenolic compounds and possesses an important antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activity.

The present study evaluates the anticonvulsant activity of the roots of Anacyclus pyrethrum using pilocarpine-induced experimental model of epilepsy in rat, and to determine its possible anticonvulsant mechanism. Ethanol extract (200 and 400 mg/kg) or alkylamides (25 and 50 mg/kg) was administered orally 45 min before the injection of pilocarpine-induced (400 mg/kg) seizures. The possible anticonvulsant mechanism was investigated by testing the effect of atropine (2 mL/kg) and scopolamine (1 mg/kg). The scoring of seizure severity, seizures time latency, duration of total seizures and percentage of mortality protection were recorded. Ethanol extract and alkylamides prolonged the time of onset seizure and decreased the duration of seizures compared to control group (p<0.001). The seizure protection was 100%. The co-administered of ethanol extract of A. pyrethrum and alkylamides with atropine completely abolished the pilocarpine-induced seizures. Video Clip of Methodology: Anticonvulsant effect: 6 min 7 sec:  Full Screen   Alternate

The leaves of Salvia officinalis L. have a traditional reputation for the management of pain in Morocco. This study was conducted to investigate the curative effects of Salvia officinalis (SO) and its major constituents Rosmarinic (ROS) and Caffeic acids (CAF) on peripheral neuropathic pain in mice. Chronic constriction injury (CCI) was induced in mice, and neuropathic pain behaviors tests were evaluated by mechanical, chemical, thermal sensation tests and functional recovery of the sciatic nerve at different time intervals, i.e., (day 0, 1, 7, 14, and 21). Ethanolic extract of SO (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.), ROS (10 and 20 mg/kg, i.p.), CAF (30 and 40 mg/kg, i.p.), and CLOM (5 mg/kg, i.p., a positive control) was given for 21 days after surgery. Hematological and biochemical parameters were also measured as well as histopathological analysis. CCI produced significant development in mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia, cold allodynia, and rise in the sciatic functional index in mice. Chronic treatments with SO extract, ROS, CAF, and CLOM for 3 weeks significantly increased mechanical sensibility, cold, and thermal withdrawal latency and enhanced functional recovery of the injured nerve. The same treatments remarkably ameliorated hematological parameters and did not alter biochemical levels. The histopathological findings had revealed the protective effect of SO, ROS, and CAF against the CCI-induced damage. Our data support the use of SO in folk medicine to alleviate pain. Their main phenolic constituents could be promising antineuropathic compounds, which may be attributed to their biological activities including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective effects. SO leaves may be a good candidate to treat neuropathic pain.