Natural Products Journal, The - Volume 8, Issue 1, 2018

Background: Recent years have seen a rise in the number of cancer cases and deaths worldwide. Emphasis on prevention as an approach for the management of cancer has increased. The chemopreventive intervention prevents, suppresses, or reverses the initiation of carcinogenesis or the progression of already initiated, neoplastic cells to invasive cancer. Investigating the effects of potential preventive interventions is a central goal in cancer preventive research. Objective: This review aims to present the natural chemopreventive agents with their proposed mechanism of action to prevent cancer. Method: Research and review papers were analyzed and the data were compiled to present the potential mechanisms of various nutraceuticals for chemoprevention. Data was also obtained from WHO site. Result: 96 articles including research and review papers were referred which proves various nutraceuticals to be potential chemopreventive agents. Mechanisms of chemoprevention were discussed in detail in the research articles. Review articles provided a brief description of the drugs. Conclusion: The findings from this review article confirm the potential activities of various nutraceuticals in prevention of cancer and management strategies. There is need for more clinical research on the different plant species to identify the active constituents, their possible mechanisms as well as their potential in the prevention of cancer.

Background: Now-a-days, herbal treatments are preferred over synthetic drugs for a range of human brain disorders including, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression, epilepsy, schizophrenia, anxiety, etc. Ayurvedic system of medicine has traditionally been used in several neurological conditions. In general, much attention is drawn towards the established traditional systems of herbal remedies for many brain disorders, generating positive hopes for the patients. It is estimated that more than 60 million Indian population suffers from mental disorders. Results: Easy accessibility, negligible incidence of side effects and cost effectiveness of plant products offer considerable advantages. The Ayurvedic prescriptions have been proven to be very useful in mental health. The plant materials prescribed for these problems range from herbs to perennial trees with varied plant parts, ranging from whole plant, roots, stem, bark, leaves, flowers, fruits to seeds. A total of fifty six promising plants have been selected. The chemical structure of the major compounds from these plants range from straight chain fatty acids to terpenoids, steroids, flavonoids, alkaloids, peptides, etc. Conclusion: In the present paper, it has been attempted to review the botanical descriptions, Ayurvedic prescriptions, scientific validations and chemical compositions of the plants which have been in use as an ingredient of Ayurvedic medicine for mental health.

Background: Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), belongs to the family Asparagaceae, has got a very important place in the Ayurveda system of medicine due to its versatility in preventing and curing hundreds of different diseases. The presence of many bioactive compounds such as steroidal glycosides, saponins (mainly Shatavarins I, II, III and IV), polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids (racemosol) and vitamins makes it popular among all the medicinal plants. Different extracts of roots, leaves, flowers and stems of Shatavari plants are beneficial in healing the female reproductive system problems and curing a number of diseases like dyspepsia, nervous disorders, cough bronchitis, throat infections, tuberculosis etc. Several Shatavari extracts based drugs are available commercially. Conclusion: This review includes the detailed view of phytochemistry and medicinal properties of Shatavari extracts and their application in some widely consumed food products like milk and milk products, bread, biscuits etc., which could be a good choice for the delivery of functionality of Shatavari extract to the consumers.

Background: The ever-growing concern about achieving quality of life and longevity leads scientists to the search of natural wellness resources. Also, prevention of diseases through food is considered as the driving force of the organism. The beneficial effects of superfoods, such as blueberries, on human health are expected to be proved, putting these effects under the microscope. Objective: Evaluating the effect of blueberries consumption in humans, in order to draw relevant conclusions for their beneficial effect and thus develop food policies and launch target in future searches. Methods: Comprehensive review of published studies of the last decade, using keyword combinations which are derived from the available database. Results: Based on the cited studies, that blueberries consumption reduces degenerative damage caused by free radicals, increases the natural killer cells and inflammatory cytokines, and provides evidence for cellular antioxidant defense against DNA damage, playing also an important role in the anti-cancer nutritional preventive treatment. Moreover, the blueberries consumption protects the elderly from neurodegenerative diseases, which are associated with oxidative stress and aging, improves gait performance, vascular function and insulin sensitivity. It also benefits school-age children's cognitive function. The blueberries consumption also positively influences certain bifidobacterial populations, affects the recovery of visual acuity and operates as a complementary therapeutic factor to reduce the severity of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Conclusion: The consumption of blueberries is a supplementary function to prevent and cure chronic inflammatory diseases, providing an admirable medical therapy support in order to reduce degenerative damage. However, further studies conducted on larger populations are strongly recommended.

Background: Post-treatment apical periodontitis are persistent infections in tissues surrounding teeth roots, which are the consequence of an endodontic treatment failure. These secondary diseases are mainly caused by etiological pathogens from endodontic origin, especially Enterococcus feacalis and Candida albicans. Currently, post-treatment apical periodontitis become a serious problem for dentists where researches are accented particularly for the development of new antiseptics (known as irrigation solutions). Objective: To propose an alternative irrigation solution based on Cinnamomum cassia essential oil diluted in ethanol. Method: C. cassia essential oil, chemically analyzed by GC/MS, and prepared in 20% ethanol, was evaluated for antimicrobial activity and total eradication of E. faecalis and C. albicans biofilms. The most used irrigation solutions by dentists, namely chlorhexidine digluconate and sodium hypochlorite, were also evaluated for comparison. Obtained data were analyzed statistically using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Bonferroni's test. Results: The obtained results revealed that C. cassia essential oil, consisting mainly of 75% cinnamaldehyde, has shown a strong antimicrobial activity against the studied microbial species whatever their grouping in biofilms or planktonic. In an irrigation assay carried out in vitro, 1.25% C. cassia essential oil has eradicated all E. faecalis and C. albicans viable cells protected in biofilms after 30 seconds of exposure only, while 2% chlorhexidine digluconate and 2.5% sodium hypochlorite requires one and five minutes for the total elimination of studied pathogens, respectively. Conclusion: essential oils prepared in ethanol, in general, are interesting antiseptics which can be used as alternative irrigation solutions for endodontic treatments. C. cassia essential oil is a good example because of its strong antimicrobial activity against biofilms of etiological pathogens responsible for post-treatment apical periodontitis.

Background: The root of the Indonesian Pimpinella pruatjan Molk. has been mainly used as an aphrodisiac and for the treatment of Erectile Dysfunction (ED). Since oxidative stress favors ED, we examined the antioxidant activities of the essential oil from the root of P. pruatjan. Methods: The chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed by Gas Liquid Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (GLC-MS). In vivo antioxidant activity was determined using an animal model, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, whereas the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was investigated using standard micro-dilution methods. Results: The main components of essential oil were thymol methyl ether and 2,5-dimethoxy-pcymene; another major compound was tentatively identified as 2-isopropenyl-5-methyl-benzene-1,4- diol. Root essential oil showed substantial in vivo antioxidant activities, demonstrated by reduced hsp-16.2p::GFP expression in the pharynx of C. elegans and increased survival of worms under acute stress conditions. Antimicrobial activity showed moderate activity against bacteria and Candida yeasts. Conclusion: The antioxidant property shown in these findings needs further investigation, especially with the major active compounds.

Background: Plants are rich source of therapeutic phytochemicals used for treating various ailments. In specific, spices are used in Indian and Chinese system of medicine. Although spices are traditionally used as food preservatives besides food color and flavor, their medicinal values remain unrecognized. This paper discusses the antibacterial activities of essential oil samples extracted from selected spices (cardamom, ginger and turmeric) belonging to Zingiberaceae, the ginger family. Methods: The essential oils from rhizomes of ginger (Zingiber officinale R.) and turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) as well as capsules of cardamom (Elettaria cardamom M.) were extracted by hydrodistillation. The oil samples were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The chemical composition was identified based on the retention index, and also by co-injection with authentic standards. The oil samples were also evaluated for their antibacterial activities. Results: The major composition of cardamom is 1,8-cineole (40.11%) and α-terpinyl acetate (39.24%). In the case of ginger, it is dominated by zingiberene (32.01%) followed by β–sesquiphellandrene (16.25%) and farnesene (12.52%). In turmeric, the major composition is found to be turmerone (32.55%) followed by ar-turmerone (23.15%) and curlone (23%). Besides other compounds such as 1,8-cineole, α-curcumene, α-terpinene, α-thujene, β-myrcene, β-sesquiphellandrene, γ-terpinene, limonene, linalool, terpinolene, (Z)-citral and zingiberene were present in varying levels. Conclusion: The spice oil samples were more effective against Gram positive than Gram negative bacteria. The constituents of cardamom oil are highly antibacterial than ginger and turmeric oils. It was found to inhibit Lactobacillus sp., a probiotic Gram positive bacterium. The probiotic inhibitory potential of essential oils is in the following order: ginger > cardamom > turmeric. Although essential oils are generally recognized as safe, it may potentially inhibit probiotic bacteria. Hence, more research is required in this direction.

Background: Obstructive Bladder Dysfunction (OBD) secondary to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is a major bladder dysfunction in men. The incidence increases with age. Oxidative stress is a major factor OBD and specific natural products with significant antioxidant activity have proven to be useful in its treatment. Specifically in an in-vivo model of Ischemia/Reperfusion (I/R) of the rabbit urinary bladder Gannoderma Lucidum (GL) have been shown to be effective in the treatment of oxidative stress. The specific aim of the current study is to determine if GL is effective in the treatment of oxidative stress using an in-vitro model of I/R of the rabbit urinary bladder. Methods: Eight NZW rabbits were divided into 2 groups. One group was fed Ganoderma Lucidum (GL) (100 mg/Kg) daily for 3 weeks while the other were controls. At the end of the 3 week period, each rabbit was euthanized and the bladder separated into six strips and mounted in individual baths. Each strip was stimulated with Field Stimulation (FS), Carbachol, potassium chloride (KCl), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). After the control stimulations, the oxygenated baths were subjected to nitrogen in the absence of glucose (ischemia) for 1 hour while being stimulated at 32Hz at 5 minute intervals. After 1 hour of ischemia, the buffer was changed back to normal oxygenated Tyrode's with glucose and allowed to recover for 2 hours. After this time period, the strips were stimulated as described earlier. Results: 1) There was a rapid and near complete inhibition of the contractile responses during the ischemic period for both control and GL groups; 2) For the control group, following I/R there was a 86% decrease in the response to FS, 11% decrease in the response to ATP, 17% decrease in the response to carbachol, and 20% decrease in the response to KCl. For the GL group, there was a 71% decrease in the response to FS, and no decreases in the responses to ATP, carbachol, or KCl. Conclusion: Pretreatment of rabbits for three weeks with GL prior to subjecting them to in-vitro ischemia/reperfusion significantly protected the bladder strips from all forms of contractile dysfunctions, although the response to FS was still significantly decreased.