Chemical characterization, nematicidal and antioxidant activities of Thymus linearis Benth.

Thymus linearis and its essential oil (EO) are used to cure a range of diseases in traditional medicine. GC-MS analysis of Thymus linearis EO revealed the presence of sixty-four components. Thymol (50.62%), carvacrol (13.23 %), carvacrol acetate (7.72%), -bisabolene (5.47%) and o-cymene (5.47%) are the only five basic constituents in the oil which accounts for 82.07% of oil. When compared to other compounds, the EO and its primary components thymol and carvacrol had the largest proportion of mortality in Meloidogyne javanica. Carvacrol has also been proven to be helpful in suppressing the hatching of M. javanica eggs. This is the first time T. linearis EO and its constituents, such as borneol and caryophyllene, have been studied for nematicidal action. The antioxidant activity of EO components and active compounds was assessed using the ABTS radical scavenging method. Thymol and carvacrol were found to exhibit high antioxidant activity. The IC50 of thymol and carvacrol are found to be 38.18 g/ml and 49.65 g/ml, respectively and are comparable to the positive control trolox (47.12 g/ml). Results clearly showed high potency for EO and its constituents, thymol and carvacrol as nematicidal and antioxidant agents.

Berberis aristata DC Extract Counteracts the High Fat Diet-Induced Reproductive Toxicity in Female Wistar Rats via Modulating Oxidative Stress and Resistance to Leptin and Insulin.

BACKGROUND: The plant Berberis aristata is traditionally used and scientifically validated for treating obesity and hyperlipidemia. It is also traditionally used to treat gynecological abnormalities. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of Berberis aristata for obesity-related reproductive changes and chemically characterize it. METHODS: High-fat diet was given to 36 female rats for six weeks to induce obesity and infertility. These obese rats were treated with 10 mg/kg orlistat or the plant extract at 125-500 mg/kg for 45 days. RESULTS: The GC-MS analysis of the plant extract included fructose, thymic acid and other hydrocarbons. The plant extract revealed a remarkable free radical scavenging activity. The treated animals exhibited a decrease in total cholesterol and triglycerides (p<0.001), insulin and leptin levels (p<0.05), visceral fat, and body weight while increasing the estradiol level at 500 mg/kg dose of the plant extract as compared with untreated animals as demonstrated from the histology of the ovary. Oxidative stress biomarkers such as superoxide dismutase, nitric oxide, malondialdehyde and reduced glutathione were significantly (p<0.01-0.001) ameliorated in treated rats. CONCLUSION: B. aristata exhibited substantial potential against obesity-inducedreproductive damage in female rats by reducing oxidative stress and resistance to leptin and insulin.

Primary Acquired Toxoplasma Retinochoroiditis: Choroidal Neovascular Membrane as an Early Complication.

Ocular toxoplasmosis occurs subsequently after systemic infection with the protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). The parasite has a high affinity for retinal microvascular endothelium with the retina being the primary site of infection in the eye. Choroidal neovascular membrane (CNVM) is a late complication of ocular toxoplasmosis, mostly occurring in healed, inactive lesions and may be a cause of sudden loss of vision, especially in young patients. However, we report a case of a 22-year-old female who presented to our clinic with CNVM as an early complication. She complained of metamorphopsia and diminished vision in her right eye. Ocular examination, serological investigation and fundoscopy, fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), axial optical coherence tomography (OCT), and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) were carried out and a diagnosis of primary acquired Toxoplasma retinochoroiditis with active CNVM was made. Treatment was commenced with sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim. Oral prednisolone and intravitreal injection of the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF), bevacizumab, were also given. This report describes the rare presentation of ocular toxoplasmosis as a primary lesion in which adjacent pre-existing fundal scarring was absent. The lesion had an acquired etiology in an immunocompetent patient and was complicated early by CNVM.