Screening of the Anti-hyperglycemic activity of some medicinal plants of Jordan

Diabetes represents a group of common diseases that are characterized by dysregulation of blood glucose levels. Plants are traditionally used for management of diseases including diabetes. In this study, we screened the antidiabetic effect of extracts of 21 plants grown in Jordan. Extracts of plants were screened for their antihyperglycemic activity. Diabetes was induced in Sprague Dawley rats using Alloxan. Plant extracts were dosed at 1gm/kg. Blood glucose was measured at baseline and at every hour for 3 hours. Results showed that five plants out of the 21 screened showed antihyperglycemic activity. These plants are Phoenix dactylifera L., Tecoma stans [L.] Kunth, Cichorium pumilum Jacq., Phaseolus vulgaris L., and Teucrium polium L. On the other hand, Sarcopoterium spinosum [L.] Spach. and Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata significantly increased blood glucose levels in diabetic rats. The following plant extracts showed neutral effect on blood glucose levels: Plantago major L., Taraxacum cyprium H. Lindb, Artemisia inculta Delile, Marrubium vulgare L., Inula viscosa [L.] Ai, Rubus sanguineus Friv, Coriandrum sativum L., Cucurbita pepo var ovefera, Cucumis sativus L., Hordeum vulgare L., Apium graveolens L., Avena sativa L., Helianthus annus L., and Anethum graveolens L. In conclusion, Jordanian medicinal plants might be useful for managements of blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes

Comparison between frequencies of several STRs loci in Jordan with neighboring countries

To investigate the frequencies of 9 autosomal Short Tandem Repeats [STR] loci in the Jordanian population and compare them with the frequencies in neighboring countries. DNA was extracted from the blood of 270 unrelated Jordanian individuals. CSFIPO, TPOX, THO1, F13AO1, FESFPS, vWA, D16S539, D7S820, DI3S317 Markers were detected by amplifying the extracted genomic DNA using GenePrint[TM] STR Multiplex system. For each Marker, 6-9 alleles were observed. Markers D7S820 and D13S317 had the highest Power of Discrimination [PD] values while TPOX was the least informative marker. Marker D16S539 is significantly different in Jordanian population compared to all other neighboring populations. Marker D16S539 is very powerful for discriminating between Jordanian and other populations from neighboring countries. The combination between these 9 SRS loci seems to be a powerful tool for individual identification in the region