Search results for "medicinal plants"

Cytotoxic activity of medicinal plants of the Kakamega County (Kenya) against drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant cancer cells

2018

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance The geographical location of Kakamega County proximal to the Kakamega Rain Forest in Kenya and its rich flora represents an interesting resource of traditional medicinal plants. The medicinal plants in the present study are traditionally used to treat cancer in Kakamega County as recorded in published literature. Aim of the study Due to multidrug resistance (MDR) and severe side effects of currently used drugs in clinical oncology, new candidate compounds are urgently required to improve treatment outcome. The present study explored the in vitro cytotoxic potential of 34 organic and 19 aqueous extracts of Kakamega medicinal plants towards sensitive an…

Potential of Central, Eastern and Western Africa Medicinal Plants for Cancer Therapy: Spotlight on Resistant Cells and Molecular Targets

2017

Cancer remains a major health hurdle worldwide and has moved from the third leading cause of death in the year 1990 to second place after cardiovascular disease since 2013. Chemotherapy is one of the most widely used treatment modes; however, its efficiency is limited due to the resistance of cancer cells to cytotoxic agents. The present overview deals with the potential of the flora of Central, Eastern and Western African (CEWA) regions as resource for anticancer drug discovery. It also reviews the molecular targets of phytochemicals of these plants such as ABC transporters, namely P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multi drug-resistance-related proteins (MRPs), breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP,…

North African Medicinal Plants Traditionally Used in Cancer Therapy.

2017

Background: Cancer is a major cause of mortality worldwide with increasing numbers by the years. In North Africa, the number of cancer patients is alarming. Also shocking is that a huge number of cancer patients only have access to traditional medicines due to several factors, e.g., economic difficulties. In fact, medicinal plants are widely used for the treatment of several pathologies, including cancer. Truthfully, herbalists and botanists in North African countries prescribe several plants for cancer treatment. Despite the popularity and the potential of medicinal plants for the treatment of cancer, scientific evidence on their anticancer effects are still scarce for most of the describe…

Activation of AMPK by medicinal plants and natural products: Its role in type 2 diabetes mellitus

2019

Type-2 Diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disease characterized by permanent hyperglycemia, whose development can be prevented or delayed by using therapeutic agents and implementing lifestyle changes. Some therapeutic alternatives include regulation of glycemia through modulation of different mediators and enzymes, such as AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a highly relevant cellular energy sensor for metabolic homeostasis regulation, with particular relevance in the modulation of liver and muscle insulin sensitivity. This makes it a potential therapeutic target for antidiabetic drugs. In fact, some of them are standard drugs used for treatment of T2D, such as biguanides and thiazoli-dindione…

Plant species for mucilages as crops for Mediterranean environments.

2008

Recent Trends in the Pharmacological Activity of Isoprenyl Phenolics

2012

Abstract A number of prenylated phenols, mainly flavonoids, have been identified as active constituents of medicinal plants. Due to their beneficial effects on human health, this class of compounds has received a great deal of attention, not only from the pharmaceutical industry, but also from other areas of applied sciences, including the food, brewing, and cosmetics industries. The addition of prenyl residues through the activity of isoprenyltransferases, the key biosynthetic enzymes for these plant metabolites, endows flavonoids with a variety of biological activities, mostly due to improved interaction with membranes and proteins. The role of prenylated flavonoids in plants correlates w…

Screening of antioxidant potentials and bioactive properties of the extracts obtained from two Centaurea L. species (C. kroumirensis coss. and C. sic…

2020

Herbal medicines, dietary supplements, or infusions with health promoting effects can note strong consumer demand. Hence, researchers and scientists have been increasingly focusing on the promotion of medicinal plants. In this respect, the present study has the evaluation of the biological properties of different extracts (hexane, chloroform, methanol, ultrasonic, essential oil, and supercritical) obtained from two Centaurea species (C. kroumirensis (Coss.) and C. sicula L. subsp sicula) as purpose. Antioxidative activities were assessed by in vitro assays including total phenolic content, free radical scavenging assay and ferric ion reducing power. Among the fourteen extracts examined, the…

Phytochemical and pharmacological properties of essential oils from Cedrus species

2017

Natural products frequently exert pharmacological activities. The present review gives an overview of the ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacology of the Cedrus genus, e.g. cytotoxic, spasmolytic immunomodulatory, antiallergic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. Cancer patients frequently seek remedies from traditional medicinal plants that are believed to exert less side effects than conventional therapy with synthetic drugs. A long-lasting goal of anti-cancer and anti-microbial therapy research is to find compounds with reduced side effects compared to currently approved drugs. In this respect, Cedrus species might be of interest. The essential oil isolated from Cedrus libani…

SKRINING FITOKIMIA DAN UJI AKTIVITAS ANTIOKSIDAN DAN ANTITUMOR 20 TUMBUHAN OBAT ASAL KABUPATEN MANOKWARI

2008

<strong><em>Flavanoid, steroid, and terpenoid contents of 20 Manokwari medicinal plants were analyzed.  The antioxidant activity, total phenolic contents and antitumor activity of 20 Manokwari medicinal plants were also evaluated. The result shows that 83% positif to flavanoid test, 59% positif to terpenoid test and only 25% positif steroid. Antioxidant activity and total phenolic contents evaluated using Ferric Thiocianate (FTC) and Folin-Ciocalteu methods respectively. Antioxidant activity and total phenolic contents of medicinal plants were extracted by the traditional method, boiling in water and also in 80% methanol. Twenty plants evaluated in both exstracts have significan…

SKRINING FITOKIMIA, UJI AKTIVITAS ANTIMIKROBA DAN ANTITUMOR TUMBUHAN OBAT KABUPATEN MANOKWARI

2008

<p><em>Pythochemistry screening and testing of antimicrobial and antitumor activities was carried out on 31 species of medicinal plants distributed around Manokwari Regency.  All parts of the plants were collected and screened for the presence of alkaloids, saponins, and tannins; antimicrobial and antitumor activity. The number of positive tests obtained are 17 (55, 3%) for alkaloids, 6 (19, 4%) for saponins, and 26 (84, 7%) for tannins. Eleven species shown inhibition activities (antimicrobial) to Candida albicans, Staphyloccocus aureus, and Echericia colii while only seven species have antitumor activity, especially against tumor cell P-388. </em></p>