Background: Dementia is a disease in which memory, thinking, and cognitive skills are impaired, with Alzheimer's being the most common type of dementia. Brassica nigra is useful for eliminating memory loss in traditional Persian medicine. This study aims to examine the effect of B. nigra fixed oil (BNO) on the changes in memory caused by β-amyloid. Methods: This research was conducted on 42 Wistar rats divided into 7 groups (n=6) including 1) control (received vehicle), 2) the group receiving BNO (925 and 462.5 mg/kg), 4) sham group 5) Alzheimer group (receiving 50 ng/µl/side β-amyloid in CA1 area of hippocampus) and 2 groups receiving β-amyloid along with two different doses of BNO. The daily gavage of BNO was done 2 to 21 days post amyloid injection. The spatial memory was evaluated in Morris water maze from day 21 to 26.
Results:The results of this study revealed that the gavage of BNO (925 mg/kg) to rats receiving β-amyloid, as compared to those receiving β-amyloid alone, significantly decreased the traveled distance and the required time for finding hidden platform on the training days and increased the time of presence in the target quadrant on the test days. The analysis of BNO with GC-MS revealed that Erucic acid (24.79%) and 11-Eicosenoic acid (17.23%) had the highest content in the BNO.
Conclusion:Regarding the presence of unsaturated fatty acids, it is likely that the consumption of BNO can play an important role in the prevention of memory degradation which warrants further clinical studies.
Nowadays, cancer is the second prevalent cause of mortality after cardiovascular diseases in developed and the third one in developing countries. Adverse effects of chemotherapeutic agents bring the necessity of investigating about new medications with fewer side effects. Daphne L. genus is one of the natural sources with valuable reported anticancer effects. This study aimed to assess the cytotoxic effect of some extracts from the aerial parts of Daphne pontica collected from North of Iran on cancer cell lines.Extraction of the plant material was performed by maceration (3×72 h) of 200 g of sample with petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and methanol, respectively. The total extract was also obtained by maceration of the sample with 80% ethanol. Different concentrations of the dried extracts were prepared to assess their cytotoxic effect by 24 h incubation of cell lines with different extracts and then MTT (dimethyl thiazolyl diphenyl tetrazolium) assay on three cancerous cell lines (MDA-MB-231, MCF-7 and T47D), performed in triplicate. IC50 was then estimated from curves constructed by plotting cell survival (%) versus sample concentration (µg/ml). Results indicated that ethyl acetate fraction of D. pontica had the most potent cytotoxic effect in MTT assay with IC50 = 977.46 µg/ml; while other fractions were weaker in toxicity (IC50>1000 µg/ml). By comparing to potent cytotoxic effects of other Daphne species, it seems that the cytotoxic properties of D. pontica is different from other species of this genus since according to this study, no significant antineoplastic properties against the three breast cancer cell lines were determined. Further studies on other pharmacological activities of this plant are recommended.
Eryngium caeruleum (Apiacea) is native to the northern forests of Iran. The anti-diabetic effect of other species of the genus Eryngium has already been reported in previous studies. In this study, the anti-diabetic effect of this extract on animal blood lipid factors was investigated. Hydroalcoholic extract was obtained from different parts of the plant, including roots, leaves, and aerial branches with fruits were prepared by maceration with 70% ethanol. Oral acute toxicity of the extracts was assayed in different doses of 2000, 4000, and 8000 mg/kg in rats. To induce diabetes in the studied animals, 60-70 mg/kg of streptozotocin (STZ) was injected intraperitoneally (IP). For the purpose of this study, 72 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into different groups of normal, diabetic, and positive controls (metformin 500 mg/kg) as well as 9 diabetic groups that orally received 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg of extracts. The effects of the treatment with extracts for a 14-day period were investigated on weight, blood glucose, and lipid profile. By comparing the control groups with the groups of hydroalcoholic extracts of E. caeruleum showed that the most effective sample on weight gain and also on reducing blood glucose was the group receiving 800 mg/kg of the aerial branches extract (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively) after 14 days. As well, the most effective sample on lowering the blood lipid factors was the hydroalcoholic extract of the root of E. coareleum with a dose of 200 mg/kg, which showed a significant effect on lowering total cholesterol in diabetic rats compared to the diabetic controls (P < 0.05). Hydroalcoholic extract of leaves with 200 mg/kg also showed a better effect on lowering the LDL and VLDL levels compared to the diabetic control group (P < 0.001). The results of pancreatic histology in the samples showed that the extracts of the aerial branch and root (800 mg/kg) had significant effects on the regeneration of the islets of Langerhans compared to the diabetic control group. In conclusion, E. caeruleum could significantly improve glycemic and lipid profiles in diabetic rats.
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