Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 25, Issue 16, 2019

Background: Origanum vulgare is used in Armenian cuisine as well as in folk medicine. The aim of this investigation was to determine the peculiarities of the chemical composition of Armenian flora’s oregano essential oil (EO) and ethanol extract (EE) and to characterize mainly antioxidant and antibacterial properties in vitro. Methods: EO of plant aerial parts was extracted by the hydro-distillation method, and the composition was analyzed by gas-chromatography (GC). EE was prepared using ethanol as a solvent. Antioxidant, antibacterial and other biological activity of EO and EE was determined using appropriate methods. Results: The terpenes were found to be the greatest part of oregano EO (β-caryophyllene epoxide - 13.3 %; β- caryophyllene -8.2 %; -cymene - 5.2 %). The flavonoid content of EE was 3.9±0.7 mg g-1 catechin equivalents. Antiradical activities of EO and EE expressed with half-maximum inhibitory concentrations were 1057 μg mL-1 and 19.97 μg mL-1. The antioxidant index in the case of using extract (1000 μg mL-1) was 77.3±1.5 %. The metal chelating activity of EE was 74.5±0.2 %. The tyrosinase inhibitory activities of EO, EE and arbutin were 26.5±0.3 %, 6.5±0.2 % and 50±0.1 %, respectively. Both EO and EE of oregano were able to suppress the growth of testmicroorganisms including clinical pathogen isolates, but have moderate antimicrobial activity. EO antibacterial activity against ampicillin-resistant Escherichia coli was similar to the activity against non-resistant strain. EE was not active against ampicillin-resistant E. coli in contrast to non-resistant one. Conclusion: The results indicate high antioxidant and moderate antibacterial as well as high antiradical, metal chelating, tyrosinase inhibitory activity of oregano EO and EE, which can be used as a natural source of terpenes, flavonoids and other phytochemicals in medicine, pharmaceutics, cosmetics and food industry. EO has antibacterial activity also against ampicillin-resistant E. coli.

Background: Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruits are widely consumed and used as preventive and therapeutic agents since ancient times. Pomegranate is a rich source of a variety of phytochemicals, which are responsible for its strong antioxidative and anti-inflammatory potential. Objective: The aim of this review is to provide an up-to-date overview of the current knowledge of chemical structure and potential health benefits of pomegranate. Methods: A comprehensive search of available literature. Results: The review of the literature confirms that juice and extracts obtained from different parts of this plant, including fruit peel, seeds, and leaves exert health benefits in both in vitro and in vivo studies. The antidiabetic, antihypertensive, antimicrobial and anti-tumour effects of pomegranate fruit are of particular scientific and clinical interest. Conclusion: Further investigations are required to clarify the mechanism of action of the bioactive ingredients and to reveal full potential of pomegranate as both preventive and therapeutic agent.

Background: Natural compounds with potential antioxidant properties have been used in the form of food supplements or extracts with the intent to prevent or treat various diseases. Many of these compounds can activate the cytoprotective Nrf2 pathway. Besides, some of them are known to impact the thyroid gland, often with potential side-effects, but in other instances, with potential utility in the treatment of thyroid disorders. Objective: In view of recent data regarding the multiple roles of Nrf2 in the thyroid, this review summarizes the current bibliography on natural compounds that can have an effect on thyroid gland physiology and pathophysiology, and it discusses the potential implication of the Nrf2 system in the respective mechanisms. Methods & Results: Literature searches for articles from 1950 to 2018 were performed in PubMed and Google Scholar using relevant keywords about phytochemicals, Nrf2 and thyroid. Natural substances were categorized into phenolic compounds, sulfur-containing compounds, quinones, terpenoids, or under the general category of plant extracts. For individual compounds in each category, respective data were summarized, as derived from in vitro (cell lines), preclinical (animal models) and clinical studies. The main emerging themes were as follows: phenolic compounds often showed potential to affect the production of thyroid hormones; sulfur-containing compounds impacted the pathogenesis of goiter and the proliferation of thyroid cancer cells; while quinones and terpenoids modified Nrf2 signaling in thyroid cell lines. Conclusion: Natural compounds that modify the activity of the Nrf2 pathway should be evaluated carefully, not only for their potential to be used as therapeutic agents for thyroid disorders, but also for their thyroidal safety when used for the prevention and treatment of non-thyroidal diseases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) report from 2014 documented that non-communicable socalled civilization diseases such as cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases, cancer or type 2 diabetes are responsible for over 50% of all premature deaths in the world. Research carried out over the past 20 years has provided data suggesting that diet is an essential factor influencing the risk of development of these diseases. The increasing knowledge on chemopreventive properties of certain food ingredients, in particular, those of plant origin, opened the discussion on the possibility to use edible plants or their active components in the prevention of these chronic diseases. Health-promoting properties of plant foods are associated with the presence of secondary metabolites that can affect many biological mechanisms of critical importance to the proper functioning of the human organism. Particularly, there have been numerous investigations indicating strong physiological effects of bioactive plant phenols belonging to the flavonoid family. These observations initiated mass production of dietary supplements containing flavonoids commercialized under the name antioxidants, even if their chemical properties did not justify such a term. However, epidemiological studies revealed that isolated bioactive phytochemicals are not as effective as fruits and vegetables containing these substances whereas they are of interest of the functional food industry. In this paper, the critical assessment of reasons for this turn of events has been attempted and the concept of food synergy has been suggested as a future strategy of dietary chemoprevention.

Overcoming the antibiotic resistance is nowadays a challenge. There is still no clear strategy to combat this problem. Therefore, the urgent need to find new sources of antibacterial agents exists. According to some literature, substances of plant origin are able to overcome bacterial resistance against antibiotics. Alkanna species plants are among the valuable producers of these metabolites. But there is a problem of obtaining the standardized product. So, this review is focused on the discussion of the possibilities of biotechnological production of antimicrobial agents from Alkanna genus species against some microorganisms including antibiotic resistant bacterial strains.

Background: Basic science has delivered unprecedented insights into intricate relationships on the smallest scales within well-controlled environments. Addressing pressing societal decision problems requires an understanding of systems on larger scales in real-world situations. Objective: To assess how well the evidence assessors E-Synthesis and EBM+ assess basic science findings to support medical decision making. Methods: We demonstrate the workings of E-Synthesis and EBM+ on a case study: the suspected causal connection between the widely-used drug amoxicillin (AMX) and the putative adverse drug reaction: Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS). Results: We determine an increase in the probability that AMX can cause DRESS within the E-Synthesis approach and using the EBM+ standards assess the basic science findings as supporting the existence of a mechanism linking AMX and DRESS. Conclusions: While progress is made towards developing methodologies which allow the incorporation of basic science research in the decision making process for pressing societal questions, there is still considerable need for further developments. A continued dialogue between basic science researchers and methodologists, philosophers and statisticians seems to offer the best prospects for developing and evaluating continuously evolving methodologies.

With new consumption trends and mindset of a healthier way of life, there is an increasing demand for functional foods. To provide stable and functional products to consumers, the stability of the active compounds must be preserved during the processing of food. For this purpose, encapsulation techniques have been used in various industries in order to overcome problems such as stability, low solubility, and degradation under process conditions for food applications. Electrospinning and electrospraying are two highly versatile and scalable electrohydrodynamic methods, which have gained increasing attention in the various encapsulation applications. This review will give readers an overview of the latest electroencapsulation (electrospraying and electrospinning) of natural bioactive compounds for functional foods applications.

Background: Antioxidant supplementation has become a common practice among athletes to theoretically achieve a reduction in oxidative stress, promote recovery and improve performance. Objective: To assess the effect of antioxidant supplements on exercise. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed up to January 2019 in MEDLINE via EBSCO and Pubmed, and in Web of Sciences based on the following terms: “antioxidants” [Major] AND “exercise” AND “adaptation”; “antioxidant supplement” AND “(exercise or physical activity)” AND “(adaptation or adjustment)” [MesH]. Thirty-six articles were finally included. Results: Exhaustive exercise induces an antioxidant response in neutrophils through an increase in antioxidant enzymes, and antioxidant low-level supplementation does not block this adaptive cellular response. Supplementation with antioxidants appears to decrease oxidative damage blocking cell-signaling pathways associated with muscle hypertrophy. However, upregulation of endogenous antioxidant enzymes after resistance training is blocked by exogenous antioxidant supplementation. Supplementation with antioxidants does not affect the performance improvement induced by resistance exercise. The effects of antioxidant supplementation on physical performance and redox status may vary depending on baseline levels. Conclusion: The antioxidant response to exercise has two components: At the time of stress and adaptation through genetic modulation processes in front of persistent pro-oxidant situation. Acute administration of antioxidants immediately before or during an exercise session can have beneficial effects, such as a delay in the onset of fatigue and a reduction in the recovery period. Chronic administration of antioxidant supplements may impair exercise adaptations, and is only beneficial in subjects with low basal levels of antioxidants.