Search results for "complementary and alternative medicine"
showing 10 items of 632 documents
Biological properties of carotenoids extracted from Halobacterium halobium isolated from a Tunisian solar saltern
2013
Abstract Background Bioactive molecules have received increasing attention due to their nutraceutical attributes and anticancer, antioxidant, antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing properties. This study aimed to investigate the biological properties of carotenoids extracted from Archaea. Methods Halophilic Archaea strains were isolated from the brine of a local crystallizer pond (TS7) of a solar saltern at Sfax, Tunisia. The most carotenoid-producing strain (M8) was investigated on heptoma cell line (HepG2), and its viability was assessed by the MTT-test. The cells were incubated with different sub-lethal extract rates, with carotenoid concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 1.5 μM. Antioxida…
Protein Tyrosine Nitration Induced by Heme/Hydrogen Peroxide: Inhibitory Effect of Hydroxycinnamoyl Conjugates
2006
The present study was designed to optimize the experimental conditions that govern the heme-catalyzed nitration of protein tyrosine residues by nitrite, and, within this framework, to study the effects of 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and its methyl ester, both of which have been previously reported to be antioxidants and inhibitors of leukocyte functions. Although the presence of hydrogen peroxide is essential in cell-free systems, an excess of this compound was found to be detrimental, so much so that an increase in hemin concentration actually resulted in an inverse effect on the reaction, depending on the levels of fixed hydrogen peroxide. Unlike previous reports on nitrite-induced albumin …
Cytotoxicity of the bisphenolic honokiol from Magnolia officinalis against multiple drug-resistant tumor cells as determined by pharmacogenomics and …
2014
A main problem in oncology is the development of drug-resistance. Some plant-derived lignans are established in cancer therapy, e.g. the semisynthetic epipodophyllotoxins etoposide and teniposide. Their activity is, unfortunately, hampered by the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) efflux transporter, P-glycoprotein. Here, we investigated the bisphenolic honokiol derived from Magnolia officinalis. P-glycoprotein-overexpressing CEM/ADR5000 cells were not cross-resistant to honokiol, but MDA-MB-231 BRCP cells transfected with another ABC-transporter, BCRP, revealed 3-fold resistance. Further drug resistance mechanisms analyzed study was the tumor suppressor TP53 and the epidermal growth factor recepto…
Current neuroscientific research database findings of brain activity changes after hypnosis.
2021
Using multi-modal brain imaging techniques we found pronounced changes in neuronal activity after hypnotic trance induction whereby state changes seem to occur synchronously with the specific induction instructions. In clinical patients, hypnosis proved to be a powerful method in inhibiting the reaction of the fear circuitry structures. The aim of the present paper is to critically discuss the limitations of the current neuroscientific research database in the light of a debate in defining relevant hypnotic constructs and to suggest ideas for future research projects. We discuss the role of hypnotic suggestibility (HS), the impact of hypnotic inductions and the importance of the depth of hy…
Analgesic hypnotic treatment in a post-stroke patient
2021
In recent years, hypnotic suggestions have been used in several clinical conditions. This treatment is often used for anxiety treatment, somatization, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Hypnotic analgesia is one of the most clinically useful phenomena of hypnosis. The article describes the case of a patient who underwent hypnotic treatments for hypersensitivity and chronic pain. Results showed an improvement of pain control and a decrease of pain hypersensibility. In addition, during rehabilitative treatments, the patient reported a high level of compliance with the multidisciplinary team. These findings suggest that hypnosis could be a useful treatment for post-stroke pain management.
Medicinal Plants in the Treatment of Depression. II: Evidence from Clinical Trials
2021
AbstractDepression is a syndrome characterized by deep sadness and the inhibition of psychic functions, sometimes accompanied by neurovegetative disorders, with symptoms of anxiety almost always present. The disease produces alterations in a variety of neural networks and neurotransmission systems, along with a dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which leads to concomitant alterations in the immunological response. Generally, there is a parallel increase in proinflammatory mediators as well as oxidative and nitrosative damage caused by a reduction of antioxidant defenses. In a previous review, we compiled and examined studies of medicinal plants that had been evaluated i…
Development of an efficient system for the separation of indole alkaloids by high performance liquid chromatography and its applications
2001
An efficient system for the analysis of indole alkaloids by HPLC on a reversed-phase column using an ion pair technique is described. The optimised chromatographic conditions allowed the successful separation of 22 standard monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (including some isomers) and tryptamine. The described HPLC system was applied to the analysis of alkaloids in intergeneric somatic hybrid cell cultures of Rauvolfia serpentina x Rhazya stricta.
Indole Diterpenoids from an Endophytic Penicillium sp.
2019
A chemical investigation of the endophyte Penicillium sp. (strain ZO-R1-1), isolated from roots of the medicinal plant Zingiber officinale, yielded nine new indole diterpenoids (1-9), together with 13 known congeners (10-22). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR analysis in combination with HRESIMS data. The absolute configuration of the new natural products 1, 3, and 7 was determined using the TDDFT-ECD approach and confirmed for 1 by single-crystal X-ray determination through anomalous dispersion. The isolated compounds were tested for cytotoxicity against L5178Y, A2780, J82, and HEK-293 cell lines. Compound 1 was the most active metabolite toward L5178Y ce…
Updated insights into the mechanism of action and clinical profile of the immunoadjuvant QS-21: A review
2019
Background Vaccine adjuvants are compounds that significantly enhance/prolong the immune response to a co-administered antigen. The limitations of the use of aluminium salts that are unable to elicite cell responses against intracellular pathogens such as those causing malaria, tuberculosis, or AIDS, have driven the development of new alternative adjuvants such as QS-21, a triterpene saponin purified from Quillaja saponaria. Purpose The aim of this review is to attempt to clarify the mechanism of action of QS-21 through either receptors or signaling pathways in vitro and in vivo with special emphasis on the co-administration with other immunostimulants in new adjuvant formulations, called a…
Structural considerations on the iridoids as anti-inflammatory agents.
1994
Abstract Twelve iridoid glycosides have been evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity on two models: the carrageenan-induced mouse paw edema and the TPA-induced mouse ear edema. Loganic acid was the most active (44.4% edema inhibition) on the former test, whereas the catalpol derivative mixture isolated from Scrophularia, aucubin, verbenalin, and loganin, showed the highest activity (from 72.0 to 80.0% edema inhibition) on the latter. The results allowed us to establish the relationship between the structure and anti-inflammatory activity on the basis of the different patterns of substitution, particularly hydroxylation, unsaturation, and acylation.