Experimental and clinical antihypertensive activity of Matricaria chamomilla extracts and their angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory activity.

Three different extracts of Matricaria chamomilla L. were evaluated for their antihypertensive activity, these extracts were total alcohol extract (Extract 1), oil extracted (Extract 2), and water lifted after oil extraction (Extract 3). Quantitative and Qualitative analyses were carried out for all extracts. The 3 extracts were proved to be safe for human use. A single oral administration of the plant extracts (200 mg/kg) decreases both systolic and diastolic blood pressure of normotensive rats after 1, 1.5, and 2 hr. Furthermore, groups treated with the evaluated extracts (100 & 200 mg/kg) or Captopril (20 mg/kg) showed a significant reduction in the elevated blood pressure and heart rate. Extract 3 showed the most antihypertensive activity. Serum biochemical parameters and lipid profile levels of treated groups were improved in comparison with induced-hypertensive untreated rats. In evaluation of oxidative damage parameters Glutathione and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in some organs, the investigated extracts or captopril restored the amount of reduced Glutathione in tissues in addition to an increase in the activity of the SOD after a significant depletion of SOD activity. In the clinical study, there was a significant dose dependent decrease in Systolic blood pressure, Diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate compared with their basal values in both normotensive and hypertensive human volunteers after oral administration of Matricaria chamomilla beverages.

Anti-ulcerative colitis activity of Calotropis procera Linn.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-ulcerative colitis activity of Calotropis procera. Different extracts of the investigated plant were evaluated; total alcohol extract, polar extract and non-polar extract. All the investigated extracts at doses 200 &400 mg/kg possessed a dose-dependent anti-ulcerative colitis potential when administrated for 5 consecutive days after colitis induction by acetic acid in rats. They reduced different parameters of UC. Only polar extract at both doses (200, 400 mg/kg) was more effective than the standard drug Prednisolone (50 mg/kg), it produced percent protection of control colitis by 63.8% and78.4% respectively, while the standard drug Prednisolone produced 54.9% protection. The anti-ulcerative colitis activity may be attributed to the active principles i.e. flavonoids. Preliminary phytochemical screening showed that the plant contains flavonoids, unsaturated sterols and/or triterpenoides, cardiac glycosides, carbohydrates or glycosides, proteins and/or amino acids, tannins and coumarins. The total alcohol extract was safe up to 4000 mg/kg and there were no side effects reported on liver and kidney functions.

Comparative nutritional value and antimicrobial activities between three Euphorbia species growing in Saudi Arabia.

Plants are excellent sources of nutrition and highly bioactive substances that might use in the development of new drugs and pharmaceutical agents. Three species of the Genus Euphorbia (Family Euphorpiaceae), namely; Euphorbia granulata Forssk, Euphorbia helioscobia L., and Euphorbia hirta Linn growing in Ryiadh, KSA were air-dried, powdered, and their active materials were extracted with alcohol. The nutritional value phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial activity of the plants were determined. The chemical contents were similar in the three species; however, lipid profile of the plants showed that the stearic acid and lignoceric acid were detected only in E. helioscopia and E. hirta, while palmitoleic acid was detected only in E. hirta. The percentage of unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters were 52.48%, 69.39% and 66.52% in Euphorbia granulate, Euphorbia helioscobia, E. hirta, respectively. Three compounds, 1-ethoxypentacosane, heptacosan-1-ol and ß-sitosterol were isolated from the three plant extracts and identified using different spectroscopic analysis. The percentage of crude protein was 43.65%, 25.00% and 18.75% in E. granulata, E. helioscobia, and E. hirta, respectively. The free amino acids and amino acid composition were quantitatively determined using amino acid analyzer. All the plant extracts were active against bacterial and fungal test organisms, however, the antimicrobial activity were varied according to both the Euphorbia species and the test organism.