Objective:To justify the use of African mistletoe(AM) Viscum album {V.album) in folkoric medicine to treat diabetes.Methods:In one experiment,the fasting blood glucose(FBG) leveb of diabetic rats were monitored for 4 ...Objective:To justify the use of African mistletoe(AM) Viscum album {V.album) in folkoric medicine to treat diabetes.Methods:In one experiment,the fasting blood glucose(FBG) leveb of diabetic rats were monitored for 4 h.Diabetic rats were treated with AM at doses of 50 mg/kg(AM1) and 100 mg/kg(AM2),glibenclamide(GB)(positive control) and saline solution(SS).In another experiment,diabetic rats were treated with AM2,GB and SS daily for 3 weeks.Results:AM1 and AM2 elicited significant(P【0.05) hypoglycaemic effects within 4 h of extract administration. AM1 and AM2 decreased the FBG by 41%and 49%,respectively,at 2 h.AM2 was found to lower FBC by 51%,relative to baseline,which was comparable to GB at 3 h.In the second experiment, AM2 and GB significantly(P【0.05) decreased the FBG by 34%and 51%,respectively.This was followed by marked decrease in levels of HbAlC in AM2- and GB- treated diabetic rats.AM2 significantly(P【0.05) decreased the STZ-induced increase in levels of serum triglyceride,urea, lactate dehydrogenase,α-amylase and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.Furthermore, diabetic rats treated with AM2 had significanlly(P【0.05) elevated high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. In contrast,STZ administration produced insignificant(P【0.05) effect on the levels of serum creatinine and total bilirubin.Conclusions:Extract of African mistletoe has anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects in STZ-diabetic rats.AM may find clinical application in the amelioration of diabetes-induced lipid disorders.展开更多
Terpenoids are novel natural products isolated from mastic gum.Mastic gum was obtained from the Pistacia Lentiscus tree.Scientific investigations have documented medical and pharmacological properties of mastic gum su...Terpenoids are novel natural products isolated from mastic gum.Mastic gum was obtained from the Pistacia Lentiscus tree.Scientific investigations have documented medical and pharmacological properties of mastic gum such as memory enhancement,antifungal,and antibacterial activities.It was astonishing to study the possible interaction of mastic gum extract with microtubule proteins which are involved in memory and consciousness since the administration of mastic gum is evidenced in the improvement of brain functions.Since a number of studies have demonstrated the effect of microtubule dynamics on mammals'memory,in this study,we investigated the effect of Oxygenated Sesquiterpenes(OST)on microtubule polymerization in vitro.OST was purified from the ethanolic extract of mastic gum.The results revealed that OST induces microtubule polymerization;however,microtubule depolymerization was not affected and fluorometric assays showed conformational changes of tubulin in the presence of OST.We interestingly found that colchicine was unable to inhibit MT assembly in the presence of OST and OST was solely more efficient than the combination of OST with paclitaxel for elevating microtubule polymerization rate.We hope that OST could be a promising agent for memory enhancement and the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases as a novel tubulin-binding compound.展开更多
Dear Editor,Tumor angiogenesis is regulated by the binding of VEGF to receptors(VEGFRs).The major mediator of tumor angiogenesis is VEGFA,more commonly referred to as VEGF.VEGFR1 binds VEGF with higher affinity(10 tim...Dear Editor,Tumor angiogenesis is regulated by the binding of VEGF to receptors(VEGFRs).The major mediator of tumor angiogenesis is VEGFA,more commonly referred to as VEGF.VEGFR1 binds VEGF with higher affinity(10 times)than VEGFR2.1 However,the role of the VEGFR1 in VEGF-mediated angiogenesis remains a mystery.展开更多
Rice (Oryza sativa)is the primary staple food source for more than half of the world's population.Proteins are active macromolecules and central to understanding biological molecular processes. Hence,it is necessa...Rice (Oryza sativa)is the primary staple food source for more than half of the world's population.Proteins are active macromolecules and central to understanding biological molecular processes. Hence,it is necessary to study all protein forms of plant genes so that their biological functions and roles in regulating important traits such as yield,quality,and responses to environmental stresses can be determined.展开更多
基金sapported by 3 months visiting fellowship (Ref.32402047975)from TWAS-UNESCO Associateship progranneIran National Science Foundation
文摘Objective:To justify the use of African mistletoe(AM) Viscum album {V.album) in folkoric medicine to treat diabetes.Methods:In one experiment,the fasting blood glucose(FBG) leveb of diabetic rats were monitored for 4 h.Diabetic rats were treated with AM at doses of 50 mg/kg(AM1) and 100 mg/kg(AM2),glibenclamide(GB)(positive control) and saline solution(SS).In another experiment,diabetic rats were treated with AM2,GB and SS daily for 3 weeks.Results:AM1 and AM2 elicited significant(P【0.05) hypoglycaemic effects within 4 h of extract administration. AM1 and AM2 decreased the FBG by 41%and 49%,respectively,at 2 h.AM2 was found to lower FBC by 51%,relative to baseline,which was comparable to GB at 3 h.In the second experiment, AM2 and GB significantly(P【0.05) decreased the FBG by 34%and 51%,respectively.This was followed by marked decrease in levels of HbAlC in AM2- and GB- treated diabetic rats.AM2 significantly(P【0.05) decreased the STZ-induced increase in levels of serum triglyceride,urea, lactate dehydrogenase,α-amylase and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.Furthermore, diabetic rats treated with AM2 had significanlly(P【0.05) elevated high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. In contrast,STZ administration produced insignificant(P【0.05) effect on the levels of serum creatinine and total bilirubin.Conclusions:Extract of African mistletoe has anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects in STZ-diabetic rats.AM may find clinical application in the amelioration of diabetes-induced lipid disorders.
文摘Terpenoids are novel natural products isolated from mastic gum.Mastic gum was obtained from the Pistacia Lentiscus tree.Scientific investigations have documented medical and pharmacological properties of mastic gum such as memory enhancement,antifungal,and antibacterial activities.It was astonishing to study the possible interaction of mastic gum extract with microtubule proteins which are involved in memory and consciousness since the administration of mastic gum is evidenced in the improvement of brain functions.Since a number of studies have demonstrated the effect of microtubule dynamics on mammals'memory,in this study,we investigated the effect of Oxygenated Sesquiterpenes(OST)on microtubule polymerization in vitro.OST was purified from the ethanolic extract of mastic gum.The results revealed that OST induces microtubule polymerization;however,microtubule depolymerization was not affected and fluorometric assays showed conformational changes of tubulin in the presence of OST.We interestingly found that colchicine was unable to inhibit MT assembly in the presence of OST and OST was solely more efficient than the combination of OST with paclitaxel for elevating microtubule polymerization rate.We hope that OST could be a promising agent for memory enhancement and the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases as a novel tubulin-binding compound.
文摘Dear Editor,Tumor angiogenesis is regulated by the binding of VEGF to receptors(VEGFRs).The major mediator of tumor angiogenesis is VEGFA,more commonly referred to as VEGF.VEGFR1 binds VEGF with higher affinity(10 times)than VEGFR2.1 However,the role of the VEGFR1 in VEGF-mediated angiogenesis remains a mystery.
文摘Rice (Oryza sativa)is the primary staple food source for more than half of the world's population.Proteins are active macromolecules and central to understanding biological molecular processes. Hence,it is necessary to study all protein forms of plant genes so that their biological functions and roles in regulating important traits such as yield,quality,and responses to environmental stresses can be determined.
