Efficacy and Safety of Jollab (a Saffron-Based Beverage) on Cancer-Related Fatigue in Breast Cancer Patients: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Fatigue is a common complaint in cancer patients and profoundly affects the quality of life of the patients. Therefore, we designed a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Jollab (containing saffron, honey, and rose water) as a tonic beverage in the management of cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer patients. METHODS: Seventy-five patients were randomly assigned into two groups, patients received either 4 weeks Jollab or the placebo (20 mL three times daily). Fatigue was assessed with scores of Visual Analogue Fatigue Scale (VAFS), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS) at weeks 0 and 4 (before and after the intervention). RESULTS: In the Jollab group, VAFS showed a significant decrease (p = 0.000), but in the placebo group, there was no significant difference (p = 0.258). In the Jollab group, FSS decreased significantly (p = 0.000), while in the placebo group, it slightly decreased (p = 0.096). CFS physical and cognitive subscales also showed improvement of fatigue in the Jollab group compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05), but affective subscale score did not show a significant change after the intervention in both groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Jollab beverage has significant positive effects on reducing fatigue in women with breast cancer. However, larger-scale trials with further sample size and longer period of the intervention are needed to confirm and develop our preliminary findings.

Phytochemical Composition and Bioassay on Iranian Teucrium Polium Extracts against Anopheles Stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae).

Background: Anopheles stephensi is an important malaria vector mosquito in Iran and other western Asian countries. In many human communities, plant products have been used traditionally instead of synthetic pesticides for mosquito control due to their minimal hazardous effects. Teucrium polium, known popularly as felty germander, has been introduced in Persian Medicine (PM) as an insect repellent from a long time ago. Methods: The present study was undertaken to evaluate repellent and larvicidal activity of dichloromethane (DCMETP) and ethanolic extracts (EE-TP) of T. polium against An. stephensi under laboratory conditions. The possible chemical components of the extracts were also investigated through gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. Results: Based on the results, DCME-TP showed better repellent activity than EE-TP with 56.67 and 28.33 % protection, respectively. Larvicidal activity of DCME-TP with 49.41% mortality was also higher than EE-TP (20.24%). The main identified constituents of DCME-TP were long chain alkanes, phenol, aromatic ester, oxaspiro and triterpenoid. While phenolic and aliphatic acid were only the identified components in EE-TP. It is notable that lupeol was detected in DCME of T. polium for the first time. Conclusion: DCME-TP can be considered as a new herbal candidate to control An. stephensi mosquitoes. Further studies are required on this extract for the fractionation and identification of the active compounds, and the evaluation of their bioactivity in the laboratory and field.

In Vitro Effects of Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) Seed Extracts on Echinococcus granulosus Protoscoleces.

BACKGROUND: Echinococcus granulosus parasite causes a zoonotic disease which is important for public and veterinary health. Since pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita sp.) are used as traditional vermifuge in Iran, they may be a potential herbal anthelmintic. METHODS: This study was designed in 2016 to evaluate the in vitro scolicidal effect of Cucurbita moschata seeds form northern part of Iran. Hydroalcoholic and petroleum ether extracts were prepared by maceration and soxhlet respectively. Both extracts with four different concentrations (100, 10, 1, 0.1 mg/ml) were incubated against protoscoleces in 5, 15, 30 and 60 min. RESULTS: Maximum mortality was 16% with 1% hydroalcoholic extract in 60 min. The highest mortality with organic extract was 4% with 10% concentration in 60 min (P=0.015). CONCLUSION: Since highest mortality was 16%, the extract did not reach to LD50 (50% mortality). Therefore, the potency of the total extract is not sufficient as potential scolicidal drug.

Naghibione; A Novel Sesquiterpenoid with Antiplasmodial Effect from Dorema hyrcanum Koso-Pol. Root, a Plant Used in Traditional Medicine.

Some Dorema species are used in Persian traditional medicine. In the present study the total extract from the roots of Dorema hyrcanum Koso-Pol. was investigated for its in-vitro (pLDH assay) and in-vivo (Peters' 4-days suppressive test) antiplasmodial effects and assessed for cytotoxicity against the normal cell line MDBK (MTT test). The IC50 values for a chloroquine- sensitive (3D7) and a chloroquine- resistant (K1) strain of Plasmodium falciparum were 28.64 and 9.79 µg/mL, respectively. The inhibition percentage of the rodent parasite, Plasmodium berghei, on day 4 in mice was 77.9% and IC50 value on Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells (MDBK cells) was 59.84 µg/mL. The total extract was subjected to a bioassay-guided fractionation protocol based on the in-vivo model which resulted in the isolation of an acetophenon (compound 1), one new sesquiterpenoid; naghibione (compound 2) and two known sesquiterpenoid derivatives (compounds 3, 4). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR experiments and ESI-MS. All compounds were evaluated for in-vivo antiplasmodial effect and the results revealed that naghibione showed good suppression activity, inhibiting 68.1 % of the parasite growth.

Medicinal plants used in Iranian traditional medicine to treat epilepsy.

Antiepileptic drugs used to treat epilepsy can cause severe, life threatening side effects. In Iranian traditional medicine, herbal remedies have been used for centuries to treat seizures. In this study, the five most important herbals in Iranian traditional medicine, namely Canon, al-Hawi, al-Abniah 'an Haqaeq al Adwia, Tuhfat al-Mu'minin, and Makhzan ul-Adwia, were searched for the term "sar-e", which means epilepsy, to identify the herbs used for treatment in ancient times. We also searched scientific literature for pharmacological evidence of their effectiveness. Twenty-five plants were identified as herbal remedies to treat epilepsy. Pharmacological data related to the antiepileptic activity of eleven of these plants exists. A large number of these plants which have not been investigated pharmacologically for antiepileptic activity would be good candidates for study in exploring new herbal anticonvulsant remedies.

Sesquiterpene lactones from Inula oculus-christi.

Inula oculus-christi L. (Compositae) extract was chromatographed and three sesquiterpene lactones ergolide, gaillardin and pulchellin C were isolated. The structures of these compounds were determined by analysis of their spectroscopic data, and their crystal structures were defined using X-ray crystallography; the isolation of ergolide and pulchellin C is reported for the first time from this species. These three compounds were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activity against MDBK, MCF7 and WEHI164 cells; ergolide and gaillardin exhibited lower and significantly different IC50 values compared with pulchellin C (p<0.001).