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Vinca rosea (Madagascar Periwinkle) and Adhatoda vesica (Malabar Nut)
Published in Azamal Husen, Herbs, Shrubs, and Trees of Potential Medicinal Benefits, 2022
Rajib Hossain, Md Shahazul Islam, Dipta Dey, Muhammad Torequl Islam
Ajmalicine exerted an antispasmodic effect (Taha et al., 2008). Furthermore, serpentine can reduce spasmodic properties (Hedhili et al., 2007). Oleanolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpenoid that can reduce inflammation in carrageenan and dextran‐induced edema in rats model (Huang et al., 2012). By inhibiting COX-2 catalyzed prostaglandin biosynthesis process, ursolic acid provides an anti-inflammatory effect at 50 µg/ml in human mammary epithelial cells (Subbaramaiah et al., 2000; Huang et al., 2009). Ursolic acid further blocks the NF-kB pathway via suppressing several proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines (Shanmugam et al., 2013). According to Fischer et al. (1990), DHBA has a significant antifeedant effect against the Mexican bean beetle (Epilachna varivestis). The biological properties of V. rosea against larvae of the gram pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera, was investigated (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Ethyl acetate leaf extract of V. rosea has been discovered to be an effective biopesticide. Deshmukh et al. also discovered that V. rosea had insecticidal capabilities (2010).
The respiratory system
Published in C. Simon Herrington, Muir's Textbook of Pathology, 2020
Asbestos refers to a group of naturally occurring fibrous silicate minerals that are still mined in Canada, Australia, South Africa, and the former Soviet Union. There are two major groups of fibres – serpentine and amphibole – which vary in their crystalline structure. The serpentine group consists of chrysotile (white asbestos), accounting for 90% of the world's production. Chrysotile fibres have a higher effective fibre diameter than amphiboles and impact on bifurcations of larger, proximal airways. Amphiboles, which include crocidolite (blue) and amosite (brown), are short, straight fibres, usually <0.5 μm in diameter, and can penetrate deep into the lung and through the visceral pleura. The longer, thinner fibres are most hazardous and show the greatest pathologic effects. Both are fibrogenic and carcinogenic, in part by generating free radicals which damage the surrounding lung, and by adsorbing and concentrating carcinogens such as found within cigarette smoke. Once phagocytosed, asbestos fibres can activate alveolar macrophages to release proinflammatory and profibrotic cytokines.
Potential of Herbal Extracts and Bioactive Compounds for Human Healthcare
Published in Megh R. Goyal, Hafiz Ansar Rasul Suleria, Ramasamy Harikrishnan, The Role of Phytoconstitutents in Health Care, 2020
Ramasamy Harikrishnan, Chellam Balasundaram
Herbal drug serpentine, derived from Rauwolfia serpentina root in 1953, is used to reduce hypertension and pressure in blood [914] while vinblastine (derived from Catharanthus roseus) is employed to reduce choriocarcinoma, Hodgkins, non-Hodgkins lymphomas, leukemia in children, testicular, and neck cancer [266].
The toxicology of chrysotile-containing brake debris: implications for mesothelioma
Published in Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 2019
Craig A. Poland, Rodger Duffin
Rather than being a single entity, “asbestos” is a collective term for a group of naturally occurring silicate fibers and are broadly classified into serpentine or amphibole. The serpentine group consists only of chrysotile asbestos, a flexible and flowing fiber of thin chrysotile fibrils that can be woven while the amphibole group consists of five different forms of “asbestos”, namely crocidolite, amosite, tremolite, anthophyllite, and actinolite. Crocidolite and amosite asbestos were used commercially to some degree including significant usage in naval and merchant shipping as insulation materials in the form of asbestos filled mattresses, lagging and prior to 1963, sprayed asbestos (Harries 1968). However, of the different forms of “asbestos”, chrysotile was the most extensively used worldwide (Virta 2006). The availability and useful properties of chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite asbestos fibers promoted their use in many different environments and products. Their lightweight, fireproofing, and insulating capacity made them indispensable in the technological revolution at the beginning of the twentieth century. “Asbestos” fibers such as chrysotile found uses in brake and clutch linings, insulation for fuel tanks for the growing aviation industry, cement boards and roofing tiles in the building industry and even as “artificial snow” sold to the public.
Clay nanoparticles as pharmaceutical carriers in drug delivery systems
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, 2021
Jiani Dong, Zeneng Cheng, Songwen Tan, Qubo Zhu
Natural clay minerals are mostly silicates, with similar compositions but different structures. There are several subgroups of clay minerals involving the kaolinite-serpentinite group, vermiculite group, pyrophyllite-talc group, smectite group, chlorite group, mica group, and interstratified group [29]. Most of them are made of alternating tetrahedral (T) and octahedral (O) plates in proportion, such as T:O or T:O: T (Table 1). The research of clay minerals used in drug delivery systems is mostly focused on montmorillonite, kaolinite, and halloysite; palygorskite and sepiolite have also been involved in recent years [11]. They all have a large surface area, good absorbability, good biocompatibility, and drug delivery capability. These nanoparticles act as vehicles to efficiently deliver therapeutic molecules and reduce toxic and side effects by changing the drug release rate, time, or location [30]. The research on polymer/clay nanocomposites also attracted much attention, which is attributed to the great improvement in the performance. Nano-sized polymer/clay nanocomposites change the thermodynamic, chemical, and physical properties of polymers or composites. The modified nanoclay can load drugs through encapsulation, immobilization, ion exchange reaction, or electrostatic interaction. These changes also allow the nanocomposites to achieve high drug loading, improved stability of the encapsulated drug, designed drug release, and enhanced biodegradability of the polymer [31,32]. These nanocomposite materials have been used as suitable alternatives to overcome the limitations of polymer materials for drug delivery. Multifarious reports on the applications of these nanocomposite materials in drug delivery are listed in Table 2.
Diagnosis of asbestos-related lung diseases
Published in Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine, 2019
Edward J. A. Harris, Arthur Musk, Nicholas de Klerk, Alison Reid, Peter Franklin, Fraser J. H. Brims
Amphibole varieties of asbestos are more carcinogenic to the pleura than serpentine asbestos [20] and there is evidence of a much lower incidence of mesothelioma in those purely exposed to chrysotile (when compared to amphibole exposure) [22]. However, the levels of impurity from contamination with amphiboles in most chrysotile mines [22] mean that it is difficult to define precisely the excess risk according to specific fiber type, although suggested estimates of exposure-specific risk for mesothelioma are approximately 500:100:1 for crocidolite, amosite, and chrysotile, respectively, [20].