Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology - Volume 17, Issue 11, 2016

Background: Preterm birth is a worldwide tragedy with a high incidence. Several medications are used to inhibit acute preterm labor, but tocolysis by these medicines do not extend pregnancy beyond 1-2 days. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to discover new medications from plant extracts or their active compounds which inhibit the uterine contractions in order to treat preterm labor. Data Sources: PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and IranMedex databases were searched up to 1^st February 2012 with the most relevant keywords. Study selection: All studies in which plant extracts or their active compounds inhibited the uterine contractions both in vivo and in vitro were included. The Results: Of initial search, 259 records were reviewed and finally 72 were included among which only 31 studies isolated an active compound from the plants extract belonging mostly to classes of flavonoids and terpenes classes. Flavonoids have been known as a phosphodiesterase (PDE) and a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor. It seems that the uterolytic activity of reviewed flavonoids such as naringenin, kaempferol and quercetin, especially in a calcium free solution, was via these inhibitory pathways. Conclusion: Laboring uterus response to dissimilar tocolytics differs from that of non-laboring uterus. In order to find a treatment for preterm labor, future studies should focus on the laboring uterus and also determine the structure activity relationship of the different tocolytics. This systematic review was registered to the PROSPERO with code number CRD42015027551.

Oral mucositis is a major clinical challenge in oncology and is characterized by pain and inflammation of the mucous membrane surface resulting from radiotherapy for head and neck cancer or from chemotherapeutic agents. Manifestations range from a burning sensation to ulcer formation that affect the patients’ quality of life by producing pain and discomfort on swallowing, ultimately leading to malnutrition and dehydration. Due to complications arising from the use of chemical drugs, in recent decades, increasing attention has been paid to natural-based agents. The results from several studies evaluating natural products for the prevention or reduction of chemotherapy- and radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis are promising. This comprehensive review aims to provide updated information concerning the natural agents that are effective against mucositis in cancer patients receiving radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy.

Black pepper (Piper nigrum Linn.) has vital pharmacological properties with profound effects on central nervous system. Neurotoxic agents like Aluminum Chloride (AlCl3) cause the oxidative stress and result in improper processing of amyloid proteins leading to accumulation of amyloid β plaques. Aim: The study aimed to explore the neuroprotective potential of black pepper (BP) extract (12.5mg/kg/day) on memory enhancement and its effect on expression of amyloid precursor protein (APP) isoforms (APP770 and APP695) in AlCl3 induced neurotoxicity (250mg/kg) mouse model. The study included the isolation and identification of pure compound from BP (chavicine) which was found pharmacologically active. Methods: Morris water maze test, elevated plus maze, fear conditioning, context and cue dependent test and social preference tests were performed to investigate the learning and memory. Gene expression (APP isoforms) and in-vitro and ex-vivo DPPH free radical scavenging activity were performed to evaluate the role of BP. Results: BP significantly improved memory in AlCl3 induced neurotoxicity mouse model along with effectively decreasing the expression of APP770 (amyloidogenic) isoform and improved level of APP695 (non-amyloidogenic) in hippocampus, amygdala and cortex. Fear extinction learning was considerably improved in BP treated group (7.83±2.03) than AlCl3 induced neurotoxicity group (39.75±4.25). In the hippocampus, BP significantly reduced the expression of APP770 (0.37±0.05) as compared to AlCl3 induced neurotoxicity group (0.72±0.06), and effectively increased (34.80±1.39) the percentage inhibition of DPPH free radicals as compared to AlCl3 induced neurotoxicity group (14±2.68). Conclusion: The study revealed that BP improves memory and chavicine is a lead compound producing pharmacological effects of BP.

Background: In recent years, rapid population growth and unsafe abortions have emerged as controversial health issues in some countries. Hence, safe and effective contraceptive methods or agents have attracted a great deal of attention and the corresponding market has been widely expanded. Objective: In this study, we present a review profiting from Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM) to introduce expedient plants as efficient contraceptive agents. Methods: Medicinal plants suggested as contraceptive agents were obtained from ITM text books and they were also investigated using search engines to confirm their in vitro and in vivo efficacy. Results: According to credible Iranian medical literature a wide spectrum of plants possesses contraceptive activity and among them, Ruta graveolens, Ricinus communis, Piper nigrum, and Physalis alkekengi were found to be more efficient. Conclusion: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), particularly herbal remedies have received a lot of attention because of their truly healing properties. Focusing on ITM knowledge, there are various comments based on medicinal plants to reduce unsafe abortions leading to better public health in the society.

The consumption of fruit has increased in the last 20 years, along with the growing recognition of its nutritional and protective values. Many of the benefits of a diet rich in fruit are attributed to the presence of different bioactive substances, such as vitamins, carotenoids and phenolic compounds. Flavanoids, a class of phenolic compounds, present particular antioxidant activity and thus provide protection against cellular damage caused by reactive oxygen species. Research suggests that an increased intake of plant foods is associated with a reduced incidence of chronic disease. There is currently a great deal of interest in the study of antioxidants, in particular due to the discovery of the damaging effects of free radicals to the body. Thus, this review aims to address the beneficial effects of the antioxidants present in fruits, on the neutralization of reactive species and the reduction of any damage they may cause.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-associated neurodegenerative amyloid disease and is considered a social and clinical problem the last decades, particularly in the Western countries. Amyloid diseases are characterized by the deposition of typically aggregated protein/peptides in tissues that are associated with brain degeneration and progressive cognitive impairment. The amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles arise as a result of self-assembly into fibrillar material of amyloid-β protein and hyperphosphorylated tau, respectively. Moreover, mounting evidence shows that oxidative and nitrosative stress plays a central role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as AD. Oleuropein belongs to a specific group of polyphenols, the secoiridoids, which are abundant in Oleaceae. Oleuropein aglycone is abundant in extra virgin olive oil and it is generated as a product of a glucosidase released when olive fruits are crushed. This secoiridoid compound has radical-scavenging activity and antioxidative effects and it is considered a promising target to prevent amyloid toxicity as an inhibitor of the oligomer nucleation and growth. The neuroprotective and antioxidant effects of flavonoids have been found to strongly depend on their structure and functional groups. Oleuropein aglycone counteracts amyloid aggregation and toxicity affecting different pathways: amyloid precursor protein processing, amyloid-β peptide and tau aggregation, autophagy impairment, and neuroinflammation. In the current work, available literature on oleuropein aglycone effects as antioxidant and inhibitor of amyloid deposits in AD is reviewed. Moreover, we discuss the chemistry, food sources and bioavailability of oleuropein aglycone.

Wound healing is a complex process that consists of several phases that range from coagulation, inflammation, accumulation of radical substances, to proliferation, formation of fibrous tissues and collagen, contraction of wound with formation of granulation tissue and scar. Since antiquity, vegetable substances have been used as phytotherapeutic agents for wound healing, and more recently natural substances of vegetable origin have been studied with the attempt to show their beneficial effect on wound treatment. Curcumin, the most active component of rhizome of Curcuma longa L. (common name: turmeric), has been studied for many years due to its bio-functional properties, especially antioxidant, radical scavenger, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities, which play a crucial role in the wound healing process. Moreover, curcumin stimulated the production of the growth factors involved in the wound healing process, and so curcumin also accelerated the management of wound restoration. The aim of the present review is collecting and evaluating the literature data regarding curcumin properties potentially relevant for wound healing. Moreover, the investigations on the wound healing effects of curcumin are reported. In order to produce a more complete picture, the chemistry and sources of curcumin are also discussed.

Plasmatic transthyretin may be regarded as a suitable candidate biomarker for the onset, severity, and progression of Alzheimer disease. The aim of the present experimental work was to evaluate the effect of red wine polyphenols (RWPs) on the expression of transthyretin in murine choroid plexus. In contrast to what generally reported in literature for polyphenols, our experimental results indicated a correlation between RWPs assumption and a decrease of transthyretin expression, with a non-dose dependent trend. The present study would point out the attention on the possible pro-oxidant effects of red wine polyphenols at certain doses, although further in vitro, in vivo, and clinical experiments must be performed in order to clarify the mechanisms of action at the base of observed results.

Pharmacognosy is a science, which study natural products as a source of new drug leads and effective drug development. Rational and economic search for novel lead structures could maximize the speed of drug discovery by using powerful high technology methods. Reverse pharmacognosy, a complementary to pharmacognosy, couples the high throughput screening (HTS), virtual screening and databases along with the knowledge of traditional medicines. These strategies lead to identification of numerous in vitro active and selective hits enhancing the speed of drug discovery from natural sources. Besides, reverse pharmacology is a target base drug discovery approach; in the first step, a hypothesis is made that the alteration of specific protein activity will produce beneficial curative effects. Both, reverse pharmacognosy and reverse pharmacology take advantages of high technology methods to accomplish their particular purposes. Moreover, reverse pharmacognosy effectively utilize traditional medicines and natural products as promising sources to provide new drug leads as well as promote the rational use of them by using valuable information like protein structure databases and chemical libraries which prepare pharmacological profile of traditional medicine, plant extract or natural compounds.