Search Results (518)

Medicinal plants have been traditionally used for generations, often without scientific validation. Euphorbia tirucalli (E. tirucalli), a plant native to Africa, is commonly employed in folk medicine for treating various ailments, including cancer. However, most studies involving this species are limited to in vitro models, and its systemic effects remain poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of E. tirucalli latex on renal function in healthy Wistar rats. Animals were divided into two groups: a control group receiving water and a treated group receiving E. tirucalli latex (13.47 mg/kg) by gavage for 15 days. Renal function was assessed by measuring glomerular filtration rate (GFR), renal plasma flow (RPF), renal blood flow (RBF), renal vascular resistance (RVR), and mean arterial pressure (MAP). Additionally, oxidative stress markers, reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, and inflammatory activity were analyzed in renal tissue. E. tirucalli significantly reduced GFR, RPF, and RBF, while increasing RVR and MAP. Renal tissue exhibited elevated levels of advanced oxidation protein products, myeloperoxidase, nitric oxide, and peroxynitrite/hydroxyl radicals. These findings indicate that E. tirucalli latex adversely affects renal hemodynamics and promotes oxidative and inflammatory damage, suggesting potential nephrotoxic effects, even in healthy subjects. Full article

Verbascoside is a polyphenolic compound that belongs to the phenylethanoid glucosides. It occurs in more than 220 plant species. The species with high content of this compound are used in folk medicine, and in modern phytotherapy, mostly based on its recognized anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. Studies conducted so far confirmed these effects, and also pointed to others (i.e., anti-cancer, neuro-, cardio-, hepato-, and nephro-protective). This review presents data on the chemistry, occurrence, and biosynthesis of verbascoside. Additionally, it focuses on the cytotoxic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects, as well as the main cellular and molecular mechanisms of its action. Full article

The plant Synsepalum dulcificum is notable for its considerable edible and medicinal value, with a longstanding history as a folk remedy for diabetes. Its chemical constituents are rich and structurally diverse. However, there is limited information regarding the metabolic basis of these characteristics, and the biological activities and mechanisms underlying its blood glucose-lowering effects remain incompletely understood. In this study, we conducted a widely targeted metabolomics analysis of the stems, leaves, and fruits of S. dulcificum using UPLC-ESI-MS/MS to compare the differences in metabolite profiles among these three tissue types. Our analysis identified a total of 2544 secondary metabolites, primarily consisting of flavonoids and triterpenes, categorized into thirteen distinct compound classes. We selected differential metabolites through multivariate statistical analysis, revealing significant differences among the metabolite profiles of the three tissue types, with flavonoids being the most abundant compounds. Furthermore, we investigated the anti-diabetic mechanisms and potential pharmacological components of S. dulcificum utilizing network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques. Finally, the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of the potential active components was evaluated using in vitro experiments. These findings establish a foundation for the future application of S. dulcificum in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Full article

Affecting around 30–40% of the population worldwide, allergic disorders including asthma, rhinitis, eczema, and food allergies, are relatively common. Environmental factors, such as air pollution and climate change, which aggravate allergic reactions, contribute to the growth of these diseases. Although conventional treatments such as antihistamines and immunotherapy remain the standard for symptom management, growing interest in natural remedies highlights the potential value of medicinal plants as complementary therapies. Commonly present in plants, vitamins and antioxidants have strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions that can control immune responses, lower oxidative stress, and thus reduce inflammation, which is the main element in allergic reactions. By focusing on the fundamental causes of inflammation and immunological dysregulation, phytochemicals have shown encouraging effects in reducing allergic symptoms. This review investigates the role of plant flavonoids, polyphenols, and vitamins in lowering allergic symptoms and inflammation, and suggests their potential in allergy management. It also aims to provide a short review of various plant species that are used in folk medicine for allergy treatment. The inclusion of plant-based compounds in allergy therapy could provide more complete and environmentally friendly remedies to enhance patients’ quality of life. Full article

Tetrastigma erubescens, a native medicinal plant of Vietnam, has long been used in folk medicine to manage various diseases, including skin-related issues. However, limited research has been conducted on this herb’s bioactivities and chemical composition. This study aims to investigate the chemical constituents and evaluate the anti-tyrosinase activity and UV-A/UV-B absorption capacity of T. erubescens extracts, highlighting their potential as natural sources for skin-whitening and sun protection agents. In vitro assays demonstrated that the ethyl acetate (EA) extract of T. erubescens exhibited a significant UV-A and UV-B absorption capacity. Notably, this extract showed a strong anti-tyrosinase activity for the first time, with a maximum inhibition rate of 99.2% and an IC₅₀ value of 70.3 µg/mL. Based on the UHPLC and GCMS analysis, phenolic compounds (1–9) and ten volatile constituents (10–19) were identified in the EA extract of T. erubescens. Of these, almost all volatiles and some phenolics were reported for the first time in this genus. The molecular docking analysis revealed that all identified phytochemicals showed a comparable or greater binding affinity to both mushroom tyrosinase (docking scores: from −7.5 to −14.1 kcal/mol) and human tyrosinase (from −6.7 to −14.8 kcal/mol) than kojic acid (−8.7 and −8.6 kcal/mol, respectively). In addition, these identified compounds showed favorable drug-like properties and low toxicity risks via ADMET prediction and Lipinski’s Rule of Five analyses. The results obtained in this work suggest that the EA extract of T. erubescens is a promising natural source of bioactive compounds for cosmetic applications, particularly in whitening and sun protection formulations. Full article

Chrysanthemum species represent an economically important group of flowering plants. Many species also present a medicinal interest, notably for the treatment of inflammatory pathologies. This is the case for Chrysanthemum boreale Makino, endemic to Japan and widespread in Eastern Asia. This perennial plant has long been used in folk medicine to treat inflammatory diseases and bacterial infections. An extensive review of the scientific literature pertaining to C. boreale has been performed to analyze the origin of the plant, its genetic traits, the traditional usages, and the properties of aqueous or organic plant extracts and essential oils derived from this species. Aqueous extracts and the associated flavonoids, such as acacetin and glycoside derivatives, display potent antioxidant activities. These aqueous extracts and floral waters are used mainly as cytoprotective agents. Organic extracts, in particular those made from methanol or ethanol, essentially display antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties useful to protect organs from oxidative damage. They can be used for neuroprotection. Essential oils from C. boreale have been used as cytoprotective or antibacterial agents. The main bioactive natural products isolated from the plant include flavonoids such as acacetin and related glycosides (notably linarin), and diverse sesquiterpene lactones (SLs). Among monomeric SLs, cumambrins and borenolide are the main products of interest, with cumambrin A targeting covalently the transcription factor NF-κB to regulate proinflammatory gene expression to limit osteoclastic bone resorption. The dimeric SL handelin, which is characteristic of C. boreale, exhibits a prominent anti-inflammatory action, with a capacity to target key proteins like kinase TAK1 and chaperone Hsp70. A few other natural products isolated from the plant (tulipinolide, polyacetylenic derivatives) are discussed. Altogether, the review explores all medicinal usages of the plant and the associated phytochemical panorama, with the objective of promoting further botanical and chemical studies of this ancestral medicinal species. Full article

Salvia atropatana is a medicinal plant native to Middle Eastern countries. It has been traditionally used in Turkish and Iranian folk medicine to treat infections, wounds, inflammatory diseases, spastic conditions, and diabetes. Its therapeutic potential has been attributed to its essential oil, polyphenolic acid, flavonoid, and diterpenoid content. The aim of the study was to determine the optimal conditions of in vitro S. atropatana shoot culture to enhance proliferation and secondary metabolite production. It examined the effects of various cytokinins and culture duration on culture growth parameters and phenolic compound accumulation. Exogenous cytokinin supplementation significantly enhanced shoot proliferation, with the highest proliferation ratio (6.3) observed with 1 and 2 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). Biomass accumulation was the highest at 0.5 mg/L BAP, followed by 1 and 2 mg/L meta-toplin (mTOP). Phenolic profiling identified nine compounds, with rosmarinic acid (RA) as the dominant metabolite. The highest RA content (16 mg/g dry weight) was achieved with 1 and 2 mg/L BAP and 0.5 mg/L of its ryboside. The TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method identified 1 mg/L BAP as the optimal treatment, balancing high proliferation, biomass, and polyphenol accumulation. Extending culture duration to 50 days increased biomass and phenolic content reaching 19.25 mg/g dry weight. However, morphological changes, including apical necrosis, were observed, and a significantly longer cultivation period was needed, questioning the value of the procedure. This study provides a basis for scalable in vitro production of bioactive compounds in S. atropatana. Full article

Due to their antioxidant and other beneficial properties, polyphenol-rich plants are important functional foods. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the content of two polyphenols—ellagic acid and quercetin—in fruits of wild medicinal plants of Polish origin, as potential sources of these compounds. The research material was chosen considering both the popularity of the fruits and their recognized medicinal and pharmaceutical properties. All selected fruits—barberry (Berberis vulgaris), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), elderberry (Sambucus nigra), hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), rowanberry (Sorbus aucuparia), and sea-buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides syn. Elaeagnus rhamnoides)—are known for therapeutic use in Polish folk medicine. Extracts were analyzed for ellagic acid and quercetin content using UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Quantitative results revealed that barberries, blackthorn, and sea-buckthorn contained the highest amounts of ellagic acid, up to 3.29 ± 0.24, 3.50 ± 0.16, and 4.80 ± 0.18 μg/g dw, respectively, while lingonberry provided up to 196.20 ± 3.10 μg/g dw of quercetin, making it a valuable dietary source of this flavonoid. The study confirms that Polish wild medicinal plants are valuable reservoirs of key polyphenols relevant to human health and support their potential inclusion in dietary strategies for disease prevention. Full article

Background: In many African areas, herbal products still represent a significant source of healthcare. However, a major gender bias is evident in the literature, as most of the work is carried out by male researchers, collecting data from male traditional practitioners, and thus often neglecting women’s specific health issues. This warrants a detailed review of the current knowledge about the major medicinal plants historically and still used for women’s health. Objective: This study aims to compile and critically analyze published data on the use of traditional herbal remedies by African women in addressing specific health conditions, in order to evaluate the potential of traditional medicine as a viable alternative or complementary approach to modern healthcare for women globally. Methods: Data were retrieved from databases by combining the following relevant keywords: “abortion, adverse, Africa, attendant, birth, botanical, delivery, developing, drug, ethnomedicine, ethnopharmacology, folk, gynecological, healing, infertility, herb, indigenous, lactation, medicine, native, obstetric, phytomedicine, plant, pregnancy, remedy, side, sub-Saharan, traditional, treatment, women”. Results: More than 125 studies, carried out across 12 African nations, revealed that up to 80% of African women resort to herbal medicines. An estimated 200 medicinally important plant species are reported to be utilized by women in different African countries, including Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. These herbs have many applications, mostly focused on infertility, pregnancy, painful menstruation, breast feeding, breast cancer, and contraception. Interestingly, according to their occurrence of usage, the plants most commonly reported for these conditions that are important to women are ambivalent plants (i.e., used both as foods and medicines) that include Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Allium sativum L., Cucurbita pepo L., and Ricinus communis L. Conclusions: Even though most women, in most African countries, do use traditional medicine, the amount of work published remains quite limited and no data are available in many countries. Therefore, it is desirable to expand African studies in this direction. Full article

Conyza sumatrensis is a plant of the Asteraceae family widespread in the tropical and subtropical regions of all continents. The plant is applied in folk medicine to treat malaria and helminth infections as well as other diseases. In Uganda, for example, the plant is traditionally used against ectoparasites and for wound healing. In this work, we describe a comprehensive analytical approach to investigate the metabolic profile of C. sumatrensis supported by database-assisted annotation and in silico techniques. The study aimed to analyze the metabolic profile of C. sumatrensis using multiple analytical techniques due to the complexity of the plant composition. Therefore, we employed a combination of thin-layer chromatography (TLC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). From the GC-MS experiments, more than 40 compounds could be annotated that had not been found in C. sumatrensis before. A number of these substances are known to possess relevant bioactivities, including antibacterial properties. Indeed, ethanolic extracts demonstrated antimicrobial activity against representative strains of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as shown by agar diffusion and microdilution assays. Using LC-MS/MS data, a feature-based molecular network was constructed to facilitate the comparison of two extraction solvents: water and ethanol. The majority of the features were detected in both of the extracts. However, some features were only detected using one of the extraction solvents. Our work provided valuable insights into the chemical profile of C. sumatrensis and lays the foundation for future research into its medicinal properties. Full article

Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum is an aromatic plant native to various Mediterranean regions and has been traditionally used in folk medicine. This study investigates the chemical composition and the potential antitumor activity of its essential oil in a preclinical model of CT26 colorectal cancer in BALB/c mice. Mice received prophylactic oral administration of the essential oil, and tumor progression, immune modulation, and apoptosis were evaluated. Even treatment with low doses (350 parts per million, ppm in 100 μL final volume) of the essential oil significantly suppressed tumor growth by approximately 44%. This effect correlated with the enhanced expression of antitumorigenic cytokines, including a 2.7-fold increase in type I interferons (IFN), IFN-γ (from 46.5 to 111.9 pg/μL per mg of protein) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) (from 34.5 to 103 pg/μL per mg of protein). Furthermore, the production of granzyme B, a key mediator of cytotoxic immune cell function, was notably increased from 96.1 to 319.6 pg/μL per mg of protein. An elevated activation of caspase 3, a central effector caspase of all apoptotic cascades, was also observed in tumors from oregano-treated mice. These findings suggest that O. vulgare ssp. hirtum essential oil exhibits promising antitumor properties through immune modulation and immunity-mediated apoptosis induction, supporting its potential development as a bioactive compound for cancer prevention or therapy. Full article

Hypericum hircinum L., commonly known as goat St. John’s wort or stinking tutsan, is a medicinal plant native to the Mediterranean basin and widespread across Europe and parts of the Middle East. It has a long history of traditional uses in folk medicine to treat respiratory diseases, wounds, and burns and to relieve migraine, rheumatism, and muscular pains. Despite numerous scientific studies shading light on the phytochemical profile and on the beneficial properties of the plant extracts, a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge is missing. In this paper, we summarized the available information on botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties of Hypericum hircinum from peer-reviewed articles published till March 2025 in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley, Springer, ACS, Scielo, and Web of Science databases. The presence of numerous valuable compounds, including terpenes, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and phloroglucinols, is reported as well as the wide range of pharmacological properties, such as antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, antidepressant, anti-collagenase, anti-α-glucosidase, and antioxidant activities, together with non-pharmacological properties. The data reported in this review contribute to a deeper understanding of the biological properties of the species and pave the way for further investigation of its potential applications. Full article

For plant-derived raw materials, there are very few studies regarding the effect of intraocular administration on intraocular pressure (IOP) and associated blood flow. Traditional folk medicine uses many natural resources for eye disorders. However, in the main, these exhibit an anti-inflammatory and moisturizing effect. The intraocular pressure reduction and neuroprotective effects are known, but only for orally administered products. In the work presented here, the effect of eight natural iridoids in concentrations of 0.1 and 0.5% in saline on IOP and blood flow in iris vessels was studied in white New Zealand rabbits. No ocular adverse effects were observed during the whole experiment. We demonstrated, for the first time, significant reductions in IOP for five of the eight iridoids tested at a concentration of 0.5%. These were verbenalin, aucubin, oleuropein, gentiopicroside, and secologanin. The highest effect of IOP lowering, a nearly 1.5 mmHg difference from baseline, was observed for verbenalin 2 h after administration. An increase in vascular inflow was observed only with the administration of aucubin, catalpol, and gentiopicroside at 2 and 3 h after administration of the 0.5% solution. This effect was contrary to the result for the reference—timolol—which significantly reduced flow by more than 100 flux during the first hours of the experiment. In summary, selected iridoids could be considered, after further investigation, as natural components for ophthalmic formulation in the prevention of eye diseases. Full article

Artemisia alba Turra is a plant used in folk medicine. Due to its significant polymorphism, there are different chemotypes. This study aimed to characterize the specific chemotypes and evaluate the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiproliferative potential of an ethanol extract of A. alba Turra aerial parts prepared from plants harvested from the “Alexandru Borza” Botanical Garden, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The extract phytochemical analysis performed by measuring total polyphenol content (3.4 ± 0.21 mgGAE/g d.w.), total polyphenolic flavonoids (147.12 ± 10.09 mg QE/100 g d.w.), and HPLC-ESI MS polyphenol profiles indicated that in the A. alba Tura extract from the hydroxycinnamic acids chlorogenic acid, caffeoyl tartaric acid, 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid had and from the flavonols, isorhamnetin-rutinoside and rutin had the highest concentration. The extract exhibited good in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity by reducing oxidants without significant effects on antioxidants. The anti-inflammatory effect tested on rat turpentine oil-induced inflammation was indicated by the reduction in NLRP3 inflammasome markers, NfkB-p65, IL-1β, IL-18, caspase-1, and gasdermin D. The extract had in vitro antiproliferative activity against ovarian tumor cell lines at concentrations from 12.5 to 50 μg/mL, and this mechanism was linked to MDR and NF-κB modulation. A. alba Turra had no liver toxicity and reduced kidney injury associated with inflammation. These findings indicated that this specific Romanian chemotype of A. alba Turra has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative properties with potential applications as tumor microenvironment-targeted therapy. Full article

Rhododendron tomentosum is a widespread evergreen shrub used in folk medicine due to the high biological activity of its secondary metabolites, including lignans, that has not been sufficiently studied, and overcoming this problem requires advanced analytical techniques. This study proposes a two-stage analytical strategy for non-targeted screening and identification of lignans in plant extracts that involves the detection of specific lignan-related structures by 2D NMR and the establishment of corresponding fragment ions for further mass spectrometry analysis (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The polyphenolic fraction of R. tomentosum stem extract was the object of the study. Eight secoisolariciresinol-type lignans (xylosides, glucosides, and rhamnoside), including one previously unknown compound (5-methoxysecoisolariciresinol 9-xyloside), were identified for the first time. The structures of the five compounds were additionally confirmed by preparative HPLC isolation and NMR studies. All of the obtained compounds had antioxidant activity (FRAP and DPPH) similar to that of ascorbic acid. The proposed analytical strategy can be considered an efficient tool for rapid and reliable group screening and identification of lignan derivatives in plant extracts. Its application in the study of R. tomentosum extracts has revealed a number of lignan glycosides that may contribute to the medicinal properties of the plant. Full article