Iranian Biomedical Journal

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Showing 3 results for Herbal Medicine

Natural Polyphenols and Spinal Cord Injury

Ali Reza Khalatbary,
Volume 18, Issue 3 (7-2014)

Abstract

Polyphenols have been shown to have some of the neuroprotective effects against neurodegenerative diseases. These effects are attributed to a variety of biological activities, including free radical scavenging/antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities. In this regard, many efforts have been made to study the effects of various well-known dietary polyphenols on spinal cord injury (SCI) and to explore the mechanisms behind the neuroprotective effects. The aim of this paper is to present the mechanisms of neuroprotection of natural polyphenols used in animal models of SCI.

Effects of Marrubium vulgare Extract on Hormonal Parameters and Clinical Findings in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Triple-Blind Clinical Trial

Malihe Afiat, Fahimeh Afzaljavan, Shima Jelodar, Navid Pousti,
Volume 28, Issue 0 (12-2024)

Abstract

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is among the most common endocrine disorders in women of reproductive age. Marrubium vulgare has long been used in traditional Persian medicine to treat symptoms related to PCOS. However, limited studies have investigated its effect in treating this condition. The present study evaluated the impact of a dry extract of Marrubium vulgare on hormonal parameters and clinical symptoms of PCOS.
Methods and Materials: In this randomized, placebo-controlled, triple-blind clinical trial, patients diagnosed with PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria, who were referred to Imam Reza Hospital between 2019 and 2023, were enrolled and randomly assigned to either intervention or placebo groups. The intervention group received 250 mg of dry extract of the Marrubium vulgare (two capsules daily for three months), while the control group was administered a placebo. Body mass index (BMI), testosterone levels, estradiol, and progesterone hormones, and serum levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and fasting blood sugar were evaluated in all patients at the beginning and after the completion of the three-month treatment period. The severity of acne, hirsutism, and irregularity in the menstrual period of the patients was also checked before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software version 26.
Results: In the placebo group, none of the evaluated criteria at the end of the trial was significantly different from the beginning of the study (p = 0.05). In the intervention group, BMI, hirsutism score, fetal bovine serum (FBS), and testosterone levels significantly reduced at the end of the study. Also, at the end of the study, the hirsutism frequency, dysmenorrhea, and irregular menstruations in the intervention group were significantly lower than in the placebo group (p = 0.048, p = 0.022, and p = 0.047, respectively). The mean reduction in the hirsutism score, FBS, and testosterone levels was higher in the intervention group than in the placebo group (p = 0.030, p = 0.002, and p = 0.001, respectively).
Conclusion and Discussion: Our findings suggest that Marrubium vulgare could serve as an effective and safe treatment for PCOS.

Apoptosis Induction in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells by Hydroalcoholic Extract of Cuscuta epithymum

Mehran Soheili, Mehdi Hashemi, Alireza Panahi, Rahim Nosrati,
Volume 28, Issue 0 (12-2024)

Abstract

Introduction: Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the sixth most common cause of cancer death in the world. Apoptosis facilitates the removal of aged, damaged, infected, or dangerous cells. Therefore, the induction of apoptosis by different drugs or herbal extracts is a therapeutic strategy to control and treat various cancers. Cuscuta epithymum is the most common species of Cuscuta, which is widely used in traditional medicine, and its antitumor properties have been reported in recent studies. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the in vitro induction of apoptosis in the esophageal cancer cell line by C. epithelium.
Methods and Materials: In the present study, the hydroalcoholic extract of C. epithymum (Aphthymon) was prepared using the Soxhlet method. Then, the Kyse 30 esophageal cancer cell line was treated with concentrations of 100, 200, 400, and 600 µg/ml of the extract for 24 hours. Then, the induction of apoptosis in the treated cells was checked using Annexin V-FITC/PI staining and flow cytometry method. In addition, the specific morphology of apoptotic and necrotic cells was assayed by Annexin V-FITC/PI staining and fluorescence microscopy and compared with the morphology of untreated cells.
Results: The results showed that treating cells with hydroalcoholic extract of C. epithelium in a dose-dependent manner causes a significant increase in the percentage of primary and secondary apoptotic cells compared to untreated cells. Analysis with the flow cytometry displayed that at the 100 µg/ml concentration, about 8% of the cells had undergone primary apoptosis. At 200, 400, and 600 µg/ml concentrations, the primary apoptotic cells were 11, 23, and 39%, respectively, which was significant compared to the untreated group (p < 0.01). The percentage of secondary apoptotic and necrotic cells also increased with increasing concentration. Staining the cells using Annexin V-FITC/PI and observing them under the fluorescence microscope revealed the apoptotic and necrotic cell morphology of treated cells.

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