ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the antifungal activities of the extracts and sub-fractions of Phlomis olivieri, Verbascum speciosum, Sambucus ebulus and Erigeron hyrcanicus, four Persian medicinal plants used in Iranian folk medicine.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Evaluation of the antifungal activity was performed on the clinical isolates of pathogenic fungi including Aspergillus fumigatus, A. flavus, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, T. rubrum, T. verrucosum, Microsporum canis, M. gypseum and Epidermophyton floccosum, and the yeast Candida albicans. The susceptibility tests were done by agar well diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of active extracts and sub-fractions were measured using method of National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Only P. olivieri sub-fractions were found to have fungicidal activity among the other investigated plants. The MIC and MFC was found to be high in petroleum ether, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions (100 and 200 mg/mL) against the studied pathogenic fungi and the yeast Candida albicans. P. olivieri sub-fractions significantly inhibited the growth of all pathogenic fungi and the yeast studied.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>If the antifungal activity of P. olivieri is confirmed by in vivo studies and if the responsible compound (s) is isolated and identified, it could be a good remedy for mycotic infections.</p>
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the healing effects of two herbal preparations. Methods For this purpose, 106 wistar rats were divided into 9 groups including a control, eucerine, phenytoin, Urtica dioica (U. dioica) (2%), U. dioica (5%), Sambucus ebulus (S. ebulus) (2%), S. ebulus (5%), combination (2%), and combination (5%) groups. The control group remained untreated, the eucerin and phenytoin groups were considered as the negative and positive controls respectively, and the remaining groups received different concentrations of the ointments. Full thickness wounds were made. The healing process of the wounds was investigated on day 7, 14 and 21 of the experiment. Several factors including the number of fibroblasts, new vessel formation (angiogenesis), thickness of the granulomatous tissues (GT), and the overlying epithelium were analyzed. Results Among the studied groups, all of the treatment groups were significantly different from the control, eucerin, and phenytoin groups in a positive manner with regard to all studied factors (P ≤ 0.05). However, the best results were observed with the S. ebulus (2%) and the combination 2% groups (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusions Topical ointments prepared from the extracts of U. dioica and S. ebulus and their combination possess strong wound healing properties. It is postulated that a synergistic effect may exist between the two extracts since the combination 2% showed better results than the sole extracts.
ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the healing effects of two herbal preparations.Methods:For this purpose,106 wistar rats were divided into 9 groups including a control,eucerine,phenytoin,Urtica dioica (U.dioica) (2％),U.dioica (5％),Sambucus ebulus (S.ebulus) (2％),S.ebulus (5％),combination (2％),and combination (5％)groups.The control group remained untreated,the cucerin and phenytoin groups were considered as the negative and positive controls respectively,and the remaining groups received different concentrations of the ointments.Full thic kness wounds were made.The healing process of the wounds was investigated on day 7,14 and 21 of the experiment.Several factors including the number of fibroblasts,new vessel formation (angiogenesis),thickness of the granulomatous tissues (GT),and the overlying epithelium were analyzed.Results:Among the studied groups,all of the treatment groups were significantly different from the control,euccrin,and phenytoin groups in a positive manner with regard to all studied factors (P ≤ 0.05).However,the best results were observed with the S.ebulus (2％) and the combination 2％ groups (P ≤ 0.05).Conclusions:Topical ointments prepared from the extracts of U.dioica and S.ebulus and their combination possess strong wound healing properties.It is postulated that a synergistic effect may exist between the two extracts since the combination 2％ showed better results than the sole extracts.