1,721,021 research outputs found
Adaptogenic and stamina improving activities of Rubia peregrina and Aparagus acutifolius
No full textProtective effect of Ephedra nebrodensis on Doxorubicin induced cardiotoxicity in rats
No full textDoxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline antibiotic with broad spectrum anti-tumour activity. Its effectiveness has been limited by the occurrence of dose-related myocardial and bone marrow toxicity. As oxidative stress is the main factor in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, we presumed that agents which enhance endogenous antioxidants can prevent DOX induced cardiotoxicity. Animals received either DOX (3 mg/kg, i.p.) every other day or combination of Ephedra nebrodensis (100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) and DOX or Ephedra nebrodensis (200 mg/kg, p.o.) extract alone for 2 weeks. Vitamin E (25 mg/kg, p.o.) was used as a positive standard. Cardiotoxicity was assessed by recording changes in ECG (increased QT interval), measuring the levels of cardiac marker enzymes such as lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine phosphokinase (CPK), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), and the antioxidant defence enzyme such as reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and lipid peroxidative value (LPO) at the end of treatment schedule. Changes in heart rate were also measured in all groups. Treatment with Ephedra nebrodensis (100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg) significantly (p<0.05) decreased the levels of LPO and cardiac marker enzymes, increased the levels of other antioxidant defence enzymes, GSH and SOD, reversed the changes in ECG and prevented the decrease in heart weight in DOX-treated group. The results suggest that Ephedra nebrodensis has the potential in preventing the cardiotoxic effects induced by Doxorubicin
Essential oil of Myrtus communis inhibits inflammation in rats by reducing serum IL-6 and TNF-α
No full textThe topical antiinflammatory activity of the essential oil of Myrtus communis L. was studied using croton oil induced ear edema and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in mice, and cotton pellet induced granuloma, and serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in rats. On topical application, the oil exhibited a significant decrease in the ear edema as well as MPO activity. The oil also inhibited cotton pellet-induced granuloma and serum TNF-α and IL-6. It can be concluded that the essential oil of Myrtus communis reduces leukocyte migration to the damaged tissue and exhibits antiinflammatory activity
Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and adaptogenic actity of Asparagus acutifolius extract
No full textAlthough many species of Asparagus have been studied scientifically and shoots are used in the
diet of Sardinians, there is very little literature available on the medicinal uses of Asparagus
acutifolius Linn. The acetone-ethanol (1:1) extract was screened for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory
and adaptogenic activities. The extract showed good anti-oxidant activity in DPPH, hydroxyl
radical, and nitric oxide radical assays. The extract also exhibited anti-inflammatory activity in the
carrageenan-induced rat paw edema and adaptogenic activity in the milk induced leucocytosis
assay in rats. The results of the present study suggest need to investigate other pharmacological
activities of Asparagus acutifolius
Cardioprotective Potential of Myricetin in Isoproterenol-induced Myocardial Infarction in wistar rats
No full textThe study aimed to evaluate the protective role of myricetin obtained from Vitis vinifera (Vitaceae) on heart rate,
electrocardiographic (ECG) patterns, vascular reactivity to catecholamines, cardiac marker enzymes, antioxidant
enzymes together with morphological and histopathological changes in isoproterenol (ISO) induced
myocardial infarction (MI) in male Wistar rats. Rats treated with isoproterenol (85 mg/kg, administered subcutaneously
twice at an interval of 24 h) showed a significant increase in heart rate and ST elevation in ECG,
and a significant increase in the levels of cardiac marker enzymes – lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine
kinase (CK) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum. Isoproterenol significantly reduced superoxide
dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity and increased vascular reactivity to various catecholamines.
Pretreatment with myricetin (100 mg/kg, p.o. and 300 mg/kg, p.o.) for a period of 21 days significantly inhibited
the effects of ISO on heart rate, levels of LDH, CK, AST, SOD, CAT, vascular reactivity changes and
ECG patterns. Treatment with myricetin (100 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg) alone did not alter any of the parameters
compared with vehicle treated Wistar rats. Myricetin treated animals showed a lesser degree of cellular
infiltration in histopathological studies. Thus, myricetin (100 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg) ameliorates the cardiotoxic
effects of isoproterenol and may be of value in the treatment of MI
Inhibition of histamine mediated responses by Mirabilis jalapa: confirming traditional claims made about antiallergic and antiasthmatic activity
No full textThe roots of Mirabilis jalapa are used traditionally in allergic skin disorders and
asthma. The effect of an ethanol : acetone (1 : 1) extract of the roots of M. jalapa
was studied for antihistaminic activity using a guinea pig tracheal chain
preparation and clonidine-induced mast cell granulation in mice. Its antiallergic
activity was evaluated using milk-induced eosinophilia and albumin-induced paw
oedema in mice. The extract (0.5mL of 100 mgmL1) inhibited histamineinduced
guinea pig tracheal chain contractions non-competitively. The extract
(100 or 200 mgkg1 i.p.) inhibited milk-induced eosinophilia, albumin-induced
paw oedema and protected mast cells against clonidine-induced granulation. The
study justified the folkloric use of M. jalapa in the treatment of allergic diseases
and asthma
Dye plants: Natural resources from traditional botanical knowledge of Sardinia Island, Italy
No full textNow a days the use of wild plant species for colouring textile articles is very modest in Europe, mainly because of the incessant production of synthetic dyes, which are economic and easy to find. The tradition of using dye plants still persists in the Mediterranean region, but is not widely studied. In this paper, the authors, for the first time, study the natural colours and wild species used in the popular Sardinian tradition. They try to bring order and Scientific rigor of an important topic, with an emphasis on the economic value of knowledge passed down orally from generation to generation
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
SALUTE E IMMIGRATI: INTEGRAZIONE TRA MEDICINE TRADIZIONALI E CULTURA BIOMEDICA MODERNA NELLA PROVINCIA DI CAGLIARI
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