Studies of some Egyptian medicinal plants as natural wealth in regression of hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC]

The present investigation was designed to valuate the antiangiogenic efficacy of some local medicinal plants against liver cancer induced by diethylnitrosamine [DEN] methanolic extracts of cupressus sempervirens, chelidonium majus and tropaeolum majus were used in this study. Vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF], alpha-Feto-protein [AFP], ferritin, alanine transaminase [ALT], aspartate transaminase [AST], Alkaline phosphatase [ALP], superoxide dismutase [SOD] and Glutathione peroxidase [GPx] were determined in blood while Nitric oxide [NO] was determined in liver tissue homogenate. Furthermore histopathological investigations ere done. The results showed that the treatment with methanolic extracts of all selected plants led to a significant reduction in the level of all the desired biochemical parameters, while the administration of cupressus sempervirens only improved the histopathological pictures of liver architecture. These results suggest a beneficial effect of these plant extracts against experimentally-induced hepatocellular carcinoma and the possible mechanism of the protective effects may be partly due to the antioxidant activity of these plants

Anatomical studies on cones of Cupressus sempervirens Linn.

The cones of Cupressus sempervirens Linn., belonging to the family Cupressaceae were collected from Govt. Botanical Garden, Ootacamund and dried under shade. The dried cones were powdered and used for the determination of physico-chemical constants. The macroscopical and microscopical characters were also evaluated by using fresh cones and reported. The anatomical parameters of the cones were studied for the first time from this plant

In vitro antimicrobial activity and antagonistic effect of essential oils from plant species.

Kahramanmaras, is a developing city located in the southern part of Turkey Thymus eigii (M. Zohary and RH. Davis) Jalas, Pinus nigraAm. sub sp pallasiana and Cupressus sempervirens L. are the useful plants of the Kahramanmaras province and have been understudy since 2004 for the traditional uses of plants empiric drug, spice, herbal tea industry herbal gum and fuel. The study was designed to examine the antimicrobial activities of essential oils of these plants by the disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) methods. In addition, antimicrobial activity of Thymus eigii was researched by effects when it was used together with antibiotics and even when it was combined with other essential oils. When the results of this study were compared with vancomycin (30 mcg) and erytromycin (15 mcg) standards, it was found that Thymus eigii essential oil was particularly found to possess strongerantimicrobial activity whereas other essential oils showed susceptible or moderate activity However, antimicrobial activity changed also by in vitro interactions between antibiotics and Thymus eigii essential oil, also between essential oils of these plants and that of Thymus eigii causing synergic, additive, antagonist effect.