Background: Entamoeba histolytica is the causative agent of amoebic dysentery and hepatic abscesses. Despite the efficacy of metronidazole in alleviating infectious diseases, the global dissemination of drug-resistant parasites raises the possibility that Punica granatum could serve as an effective natural alternative treatment. Objective: To evaluate the effect of P. granatum methanolic and aqueous extracts of various parts against E. histolytica trophozoites in an in vitro setting. Methods: Various concentrations (0.14, 0.7, 1.4, and 2.8 mg/ml) of P. granatum extracts of the flowers, leafs, peels, and seeds were chosen for this purpose. A culture medium containing 0.05x106/ml E. histolytica trophozoites was treated with different concentrations of these extracts. The incubation period was 48 hours at 37°C. For every set, an untreated control was also performed. The standard medication metronidazole (17 μg/ml) was employed as a comparative control. Results: All parts of P. granatum showed high efficacy against E. histolytica trophozoites, but utilization of the methanolic extract proved to be quite effective compared to aqueous extract. Under a light microscope, several morphological changes were also seen. These include changes to the plasma membrane, reorganization of vacuoles that hold cell waste, and major changes to the cytoplasmic granules. Conclusions: The leaf, seed, flower, and peel extracts of P. granatum effectively inhibit the growth of E. histolytica trophozoites in vitro. The use of methanolic extract was more effective compared to the aqueous extract, and can be used as a natural alternative treatment for amoebic dysentery.
Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected disease in tropical countries, including Iraq. Several studies have sought to examine chemotherapies for leishmaniasis treatment but most of them are of toxic and/or undesirable side effect, therefore, the need for investigating new fewer toxic therapies is essential. Aim of study: In this study, the cytotoxic effect of Artemisinin (ART), a novel herbal compound, was screened against the two forms, promastigotes and amastigotes, of the Iraqi isolate of Leishmania tropica, the causative agent of Baghdad boil. Material and methods: Different concentrations (1000, 500, 250, 125, 62.5, 31.25, 15.6 and 7.8) µM of Artemisinin were screened to investigate the leishmanic
... Show MoreBackground: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected disease in tropical countries, including Iraq. Several studies have sought to examine chemotherapies for leishmaniasis treatment but most of them are of toxic and/or undesirable side effect, therefore, the need for investigating new fewer toxic therapies is essential. Aim of study: In this study, the cytotoxic effect of Artemisinin (ART), a novel herbal compound, was screened against the two forms, promastigotes and amastigotes, of the Iraqi isolate of Leishmania tropica, the causative agent of Baghdad boil. Material and methods: Different concentrations (1000, 500, 250, 125, 62.5, 31.25, 15.6 and 7.8) µM of Artemisinin were screened to investigate the leishmanicidal activity of th
... Show More(1) Background: Plant flavonoids are efficient in preventing and treating various diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of hesperidin, a flavonoid found in citrus fruits, in inhibiting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammation, which induced lethal toxicity in vivo, and to evaluate its importance as an antitumor agent in breast cancer. The in vivo experiments revealed the protective effects of hesperidin against the negative LPS effects on the liver and spleen of male mice. (2) Methods: In the liver, the antioxidant activity was measured by estimating the concentration of glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT), whereas in spleen, the concentration of cytokines including IL-33 and TNF-α was measured. The in vitro expe
... Show MoreThis study was designed to investigate the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activity of aqueous green tea (GT) extract in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Forty adult male albino rats weighing 180-200 g were divided into four groups of 10 rats each: The first group was served as control; the second group was treated with GT (250 mg/kg b.w); the third group was affected by inducing experimental diabetes by intraperitonial injection of alloxan (150 mg/kg b.w); and the fourth group was affected by inducing diabetes and treated with GT (250 mg/kg b.w). Level of blood glucose and lipid profile [total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and ve
... Show MoreLiquisolid compact is the most promising technique for increasing dissolution rate and bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs.Clopidogrel bisulfate is an oral antiplatelets used for treatment and prophylaxis of cardiovacular and peripheral vascular diseases related to platelets aggreagation.Clopidogrel has low solubility at high pH media of intestine and low bioavailability of a bout 50% after oral doses.The purpose of this work was to enhance dissolution pattern of clopidogrel through its formulation into liquisolid tablets.A mathematical model was used to calculate the optimum quantities of tween 80 , carrier (Avicel PH 102) and coating material (Aerosil 200) needed to prepare acceptably flowing and compactible powder mixtures.The liq
... Show MoreClotrimazole (CLO) is an antimycotic imidazole derivative applied locally for the treatment of vaginal yeast infections. In this study, CLO was formulated as vaginal mucoadhesive hydrogel, using different types of mucoadhesive polymers to ensure prolonged contact between active ingredient and vaginal mucosa.
Physicochemical properties of the prepared formulas were evaluated as a visual inspection, pH, swelling index, spreadability, and mucoadhesive characteristics, in addition to an in-vitro drug release. The influence of type and concentration of polymers as CMC-Na (1.5, 2.5, and 3.5%w/w), carbopol 940( 0.25, 0.5, and 1 %w/w) and poloxamer 407 (15, 25, 30%w/w) on CLO release from the prepared gels were also invest
... Show MoreEphedra alata. is a plant that widely available around the world and long used in folk medicine as a natural medication, was employed in the current work to prepare extracts rich in alkaloids and to test their cytotoxic potential. Alkaloids-rich and crude extracts of E.alata were compared to pure ephedrine medication for mitosis on Allium cepa. test system. Alkaloids and crude aqueous extracts of A. cepa root tips were examined for a total of five hours at five different concentrations compared to ephedrine standard. Mitotic index, phase index, and chromosomal aberration as part of the study. IC50 values of 35 mg/ml were found for each extract, indicating a sub-lethal influence on cell viability. (Toxic and sublethal effects are thought to
... Show MoreBackground: Irrigation has a central role in endodontic treatment. Several irrigating solutions have the antimicrobial activity and actively kill bacteria and yeasts when introduced in direct contact with the microorganisms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effectiveness of Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) root and leaf extracts as possible irrigant solutions, used during endodontic treatments, and both were compared to Sodium hypochlorite, Propolis and Ethyl alcohol. Materials and Method: Forty seven human extracted single rooted teeth were selected. The teeth were decoronated using a diamond disk to have a length of 15 mm ±1 mm and they were instrumented using the hybrid technique. All roots were sterilized
... Show MoreBackground: ?-L-Fucose is a methyl pentose sugar similar to L-galactose except for the loss of alcohol group on carbon number 6. The objective of this study is to evaluate the biochemical and antioxidant effect of intracrevicular injection of fucose into rabbits periodontium, throughout measuring the levels of total protein (TP), total fucose (TF), protein bound fucose PBF) , Malondialdehyde (MDA) , and vitamin C in sera of fucose injected rabbit groups. ) Materials and Methods: The existing study was carried out on 55 male rabbits and were divided randomly into three groups ; first group was injected with 50µl of 150mM fucose solution into gingival sulcus ; second group was injected with 50 µl of normal saline ; while the third group was
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