Screening of some rare endemic Italian plants for inhibitory activity on 5-lipoxygenase
Abstract The extracts of four rare plants found on the islands of Sicily, Vulcano and Marettimo, Southern Italy, were screened for their inhibitory effect on the production of leukotriene B 4 by 5-lipoxygenase in intact cells. The methanol extracts of pods of Cytisus aeolicus and aerial parts of Thymus richardii were the most active extracts, inhibiting almost completely the leukotriene B 4 production at 200 and 50 μg/ml, respectively.
Modulation of COX, LOX and NFκB activities by Xanthium spinosum L. root extract and ziniolide.
Xanthium spinosum L. (Asteraceae) is a medicinal weed distributed worldwide. Many of its diverse ethnopharmacological uses - namely diarrhoea, inflammation, liver disorders, snake bite and fever - are linked - at least in part - to an uncontrolled release of arachidonic acid metabolites. The crude extract of X. spinosum roots from Jordanian origin dose-dependently inhibited the 5-LOX (IC50 is approximately equal to 10 μg/mL), COX-1(IC50 is approximately equal to 50 μg/mL), and 12-LOX (IC50 is approximately equal to 170 μg/mL) enzymatic pathways in intact pro-inflammatory cells. A direct activity at the level of PLA2 is not probable, but the extract induced the synthesis of the anti-inflamma…
Modulation of Cox-1, 5-, 12- and 15-Lox by Popular Herbal Remedies Used in Southern Italy Against Psoriasis and Other Skin Diseases
Acanthus mollis (Acanthaceae), Achillea ligustica, Artemisia arborescens and Inula viscosa (Asteraceae) are used in Southern Italy against psoriasis and other skin diseases that occur with an imbalanced production of eicosanoids. We here assessed their in vitro effects upon 5-, 12-, 15-LOX and COX-1 enzymes as well as NFκB activation in intact cells as their possible therapeutic targets. All methanol crude extracts inhibited both 5-LOX and COX-1 activities under 200 µg/mL, without significant effects on the 12-LOX pathway or any relevant in vitro free radical scavenging activity. NFκB activation was prevented by all extracts but A. mollis. Interestingly, A. ligustica, A. arborescens and A. …
Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity of Triphala Constituents and Nanoformulation
The prevalence of nosocomial infections due to multidrug resistant (MDR) bacterial strains is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Folk medicine and ethnopharmacological data can provide a broad range of plants with promising antimicrobial activity. Triphala, an Ayurvedic formula composed of three different plants: Terminalia chebula Retz., Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb. (Combretaceae), and Phyllanthus emblica L. (Phyllanthaceae), is used widely for various microbial infections. Various extraction techniques were applied in the extraction of the biologically active constituents of Triphala in order to compare their efficiency. Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was shown to …