Phytomedicine: International Journal of Phytotherapy & Phytopharmacology articles from February 2004

Phytomedicine: International Journal of Phytotherapy & Phytopharmacology archives from February 2004

Successful use of an inhalational phytochemical to treat pulmonary tuberculosis: a case report.
February 1, 2004... Summary Multi-drug resistant strains of tuberculosis pose a serious threat in many third- and first-world countries. The aim of this case report is to describe a potential new method for treating those with primary pulmonary tuberculosis...

An approach to the in vitro evaluation of potential for cytochrome P450 enzyme inhibition from herbals and other natural remedies.
February 1, 2004... Summary Herbals and other natural remedies could affect the disposition of conventional pharmaceuticals through inhibition of human cytochrome P-450 (CYP) enzymes. We have developed an approach to the problem of determining a critical...

Synergistic inhibition of low-density lipoprotein oxidation by rutin, [gamma]-terpinene, and ascorbic acid.
February 1, 2004... Summary Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation may play a significant role in atherogenesis. Flavonoids are well-known for their excellent antioxidative capacity in various model systems, therefore we examined the behaviour of rutin, a...

Antileishmanial activity of isolated triterpenoids from Pourouma guianensis.
February 1, 2004... Summary The inhibiting activity of triterpenoids isolated from the methanolic extract of Pourouma guianensis (Moraceae) leaves is described for promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis. Whereas the fractions...

Cardiotonic and antidysrhythmic effects of oleanolic and ursolic acids, methyl maslinate and uvaol.
February 1, 2004... Summary The cardiotonic and antidysrhythmic effects of four triterpenoid derivatives, namely oleanolic acid (OA), ursolic acid (UA), and uvaol (UV), isolated from the leaves of African wild olive (Olea europaea, subsp. africana) as well as...

Calcium mobilization as the endothelium-independent mechanism of action involved in the vasorelaxant response induced by the aqueous fraction of the ethanol extract of Albizia inopinata G.P. Lewis (AFL) in the rat aorta.
February 1, 2004... Summary In a previous work, we demonstrated that, in normotensive rats, AFL induced a marked hypotension due to a decrease in total peripheral resistances (TPR), partialy secondary to the release of NO by the endothelium. NO did not,...

Effects of an ethanolic Salix extract on the release of selected inflammatory mediators in vitro.
February 1, 2004... Summary Salix extracts are in current use for the treatment of pain and inflammation. In order to obtain an insight into the mechanism(s) of action of the ethanolic Salix extract 1520L--which is essentially similar to an extract for which...

Chemomodulatory efficacy of Basil leaf (Ocimum basilicum) on drug metabolizing and antioxidant enzymes, and on carcinogen-induced skin and forestomach papillomagenesis.
February 1, 2004... Summary Basil or sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is cultivated throughout India and is known for its medicinal value. The effects of doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight of hydroalcoholic extract (80% ethanol, 20% water) of the fresh...

Effects of lycopene-beadlet or tomato-powder feeding on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicty in rats.
February 1, 2004... Summary The carotenoid lycopene has been touted as possessing various antioxidant properties, but there are no demonstrations that lycopene inhibits tissue injury due to acute oxidant stress. Thus, the present study examined the effects of...

Mechanisms underlying antigonadotropic effects of some traditional plant extracts in pituitary cell culture.
February 1, 2004... Summary Previous works have demonstrated that stem bark extracts of Cola nitida (Sterculiaceae), Afrormosia laxiflora and Pterocarpus erinaceus (Fabaceae) provoked a blockade of female rat ovulation and estrous cycle by inhibiting...

Aphrodisiac activity of Butea frondosa Koen. ex Roxb. extract in male rats.
February 1, 2004... Summary In the present study, the aphrodisiac activity of Butea frondonsa Koen. ex Roxb (Papillionaceae) bark extract was investigated. The extract (400 mg/kg body wt./day) was administered orally by gavage for 28 days. Mount latency (ML),...

Effects of plumieride, an iridoid on spermatogenesis in male albino rats.
February 1, 2004... Summary Oral feeding of male rats with plumieride (15 mg/rat/day) for the period of 60 days did not cause any significant change in the body weight of treated rats. However, the weights of testes, epididymides, seminal vesicle and ventral...

Phytolacca americana inhibits the high glucose-induced mesangial proliferation via suppressing extracellular matrix accumulation and TGF-[beta] production.
February 1, 2004... Summary This study describes a potential of Phytolaccaceae (Phytolacca americana var.) as an inhibitor of high glucose-stimulated production of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and TGF-[beta] in cultured glomerular mesangial cells...

Anti-hyperglycemic effect of the polysaccharides fraction from American ginseng berry extract in ob/ob mice.
February 1, 2004... Summary In this study, we evaluated the anti-hyperglycemic effect of a polysaccharides fraction from American ginseng berry extract in diabetic ob/ob mice. All animals received daily intraperitoneal injections of polysaccharides at 150...

Effects of Keishi-bukuryo-gan on vascular function and hemorheological factors in spontaneously diabetic (WBN/kob) rats.
February 1, 2004... Summary Keishi-bukuryo-gan (Gui-zhi-fu-ling-wan) is a formula used for the improvement of blood circulation. Recently it has often also been used for arteriosclerosis. One of the mechanisms involved is thought to be the improvement of...

Effect of Bauhinia forficata extract in diabetic pregnant rats: maternal repercussions.
February 1, 2004... Summary Bauhinia forficata, commonly known as "paw-of-cow", is widely used in Brazil folk medicine for the treatment of Diabetes mellitus. The purposes of present study were to determine the repercussions of diabetes on the defense system...

Anti-diabetic potential of Barleria lupulina extract in rats.
February 1, 2004... Summary We have undertaken a study to evaluate the anti-hyperglycemic effect of a methanol extract of aerial parts of Barleria lupulina Lindl. (Acanthaceae) in streptozotocin-diabetic rats, based on folkloric reports its use as an...

Effect of silybin on phorbol myristate acetate-induced protein kinase C translocation, NADPH oxidase activity and apoptosis in human neutrophils.
February 1, 2004... Summary Mechanism of the action of silybin (1) and its derivatives (2-4), possessing different lipid solubility in PMA-stimulated neutrophils was evaluated. Silybin (1) inhibited the calcium, phosphatidylserine- and...

Morphoanatomical studies of Uncaria tomentosa and Uncaria guianensis bark and leaves.
February 1, 2004... Summary The genus Uncaria Schreber (Rubiaceae) includes species that are widely distributed in tropical areas. The inner bark of the stems and leaves of two native species of South America, Uncaria tomentosa (Willd. ex Roemer & Schultes)...

Trypanocidal and antimicrobial activities of Moquinia kingii.
February 1, 2004... Summary A chloroform crude extract (aerial part) and two compounds, apigenin (1) and cynaropicrin (2), isolated from Moquinia kingii were evaluated against Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes in vitro. Antimicrobial activity was also...

Antimicrobial activity in methanolic extracts of several plant species from northern Argentina.
February 1, 2004... Summary Thirty-nine native plant species were collected from the provinces of Chaco and Formosa, in northern Argentina, and were screened for antimicrobial activity. The plants were dried and extracted thoroughly with methanol. The dry...

Leaf extract of Caesalpinia bonduc Roxb. (Caesalpiniaceae) induces an increase of contractile force in rat skeletal muscle in situ.
February 1, 2004... Summary The pharmacological properties of Caesalpinia bonduc Roxb. (Caesalpiniaceae) are not well known, but it is used traditionally to treat snake bite (Bellomaria and Kacou, 1995; Schaffner, 1997). In the present study, the mechanism...

Investigations of the methanolic leaf extract of Costus after. Ker for pharmacological activities in vitro and in vivo.
February 1, 2004... Summary The methanolic leaf extract of Costus afer. Ker (family: Zingiberaceae) was investigated for some pharmacological effects in vivo and in vitro. Brine shrimp lethality test showed that the extract was significantly (p The...

An in vitro study of the effects of Cassia podocarpa fruit on the intestinal motility of rats.
February 1, 2004... Summary Folkloric evidence and scientific reports indicate the use of C. podocarpa fruit as a purgative recipe. This study attempts to find the in vitro effects of its aqueous infusion (ACPF) and methanolic extract (MCPF) on the motility...

Pharmacokinetic study of 11-Keto [beta]-Boswellic Acid.
February 1, 2004... Summary Introduction: Boswellia serrata has been used in traditional medicine for treatment of inflammatory diseases since antiquity. However human kinetic studies are lacking for this. Hence to better elucidate its effects in humans and...

Anti-inflammatory agents from Sandoricum koetjape Merr.(Short Communication)
February 1, 2004... Summary The anti-inflammatory activity of the stem extracts of Sandoricum koetjape was investigated on topical administration using the TPA (tetradecanoylphorbol acetate)--induced mouse ear inflammation model. Bioassay-guided...

The need for establishing identities of 'bacoside A and B', the putative major bioactive saponins of Indian medicinal plant Bacopa monnieri.(Short Communication)
February 1, 2004... Bacopa monnieri (Linn.) Pennel (Scrophulariaceae), commonly known as brahmi, is an important drug in Ayurveda for improvement of intelligence, memory and revitalisation of sensory organs (Sivarajan and Balachandran, 1994). The nootropic...

E/S/C/O/P: the new ESCOP monographs.(ESCOP Section)(ESCOP Monographs, 2d ed.)(Book Review)
February 1, 2004... By those already familiar with ESCOP monographs, now widely accepted as authoritative summaries of the medicinal uses of plant drugs, the new edition published in October 2003 will be greatly welcomed. Over the past few years ESCOP has revised...

Fenugreek--the genus Trigonella.(Book Reviews)(Book Review)
February 1, 2004... Petropoulos G. A. (Ed.): Fenugreek--the genus Trigonella 1st Edition, 200 p. Taylor and Francis, London and New York, 2002. Price: $ 95.00 ISBN 0-415-29657-9 (HC) Fenugreek, the genus Trigonella, the 11th volume in the...

Recent Progress in Medicinal Plants. Vol. 6. Diseases and their Management.(Book Reviews)(Book Review)
February 1, 2004... Sinha P. Govil J. N. Singh V. K: Recent Progress in Medicinal Plants. Vol. 6. Diseases and their Management 212 p. SCI Tech Publishing LLC, Houston U.S.A. 2002. Price: $80.00 ISBN No. 1-930813-11-2 (HC) Series ISBN No....

Medicinal Mushrooms: Ancient Remedies for Modern Ailments.(Book Reviews)(Book Review)
February 1, 2004... Halpern, M.G. Miller, AH: Medicinal Mushrooms: Ancient Remedies for Modern Ailments 1st edition, ix + 172p. M. Evans and Company Inc., New York, 2002. Price: $14.95 ISBN 0-87131-981-0 (SC) Medicinal mushrooms, although...

Congresses and events 2004.(Calendar)
February 1, 2004... March 10.03.2004 Round Top, Texas, USA Garlic: 2004 Herb of the Year. This all day (10-3) lecture/demonstration course will celebrate garlic, loved around the world for its contribution to good food flavors and the health of...