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Biobased Products for Viral Diseases
Published in Mahendra Rai, Chistiane M. Feitosa, Eco-Friendly Biobased Products Used in Microbial Diseases, 2022
Gleice Ribeiro Orasmo, Giovanna Morghanna Barbosa do Nascimento, Maria Gabrielly de Alcântara Oliveira, Jéssica Missilany da Costa
The palm (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill) also known as prickly pear, missionary cactus or smooth prickly pear, belongs to the Cactaceae family. This plant originates from Mexico, being widely distributed throughout Central America, South America, Australia, South Africa and the Mediterranean (Leo et al. 2010). The palm is a cactus widely used as forage, being an alternative for animal feed in the semi arid region of Brazil during periods of water scarcity (Castro et al. 2020).
Nanotechnology and Anti-Ageing Skin Care
Published in Dilip Ghosh, Pulok K. Mukherjee, Natural Medicines, 2019
B. Fibrich, I.A. Lambrechts, N. Lall
Opuntia ficus-indica (Figure 21.4a) is a plant that grows in arid areas of Brazil. Phenolic compounds such as kaempferol and quercetin and carbohydrates such as galacturonic acid, glucose, rhamnose and arabinose have previously been identified to be present in the chemical composition of this plant. These compounds have shown potential to treat xerosis and ageing (De Azevedo Ribeiro et al. 2015). De Azevedo Ribeiro et al. (2015) explored the moisturising potential of 1% O. ficus-indica hydroglycolic extract characterised in an oil/water (O/W) nanoemulsion. Droplet sizes between 92.2 and 233.6 nm were obtained that presented stability for 60 days. In vivo studies confirmed the moisturising potential of the formulation containing the O. ficus-indica nanoemulsion when applied topically, compared to the placebo. Carbohydrate derivatives have formerly been linked to increasing skin hydration after topical application. Previous studies confirmed the high concentration of carbohydrates present in O. ficus-indica that could explain the increased moisturising effect. Compared to conventional emulsions containing O. ficus-indica, a nanoemulsion containing the active components allowed for an improved moisturising effect (Azevedo De Brito Damasceno 2014; De Azevedo Ribeiro et al. 2015).
Serum Albumin Binding of Natural Substances and Its Influence on the Biological Activity of Endogenous and Synthetic Ligands for G-Protein-Coupled Receptors
Published in Catherina Caballero-George, Natural Products and Cardiovascular Health, 2018
Sarah Engelbeen, Patrick M.L. Vanderheyden
Tannins, which are a group of polyphenolic compounds, include three major categories: gallic acid esters, phloroglucinol derivatives and flavone-derived substances (Hemingway and Karchesy, 1989). Initially, the BSA binding capacity of tannins was determined by immobilizing certain polyphenolics on chromatography paper followed by the quantification of the amount of BSA bound (Dawra et al., 1988). Ellagic acid and quercetin were found to bind BSA with a capacity of 297 and 78 µg BSA/mg, respectively (Dawra et al., 1988). In a similar approach, the polyphenols extracted from coffee pulp, that is, tannic acid, chlorogenic acid and catechin, were found to bind to BSA (Vélez et al., 1985). Furthermore, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and native gel electrophoresis revealed the formation of BSA complexes with the water-soluble polyphenols oenotehin B, corilagin, (+)catechin, procyanidin B3 and gallic acid derivatives (Kusuda et al., 2006). Polyphenolic compounds isolated from Opuntia ficus indica were found to elicit calcium response in T-cell lines, and this effect was reduced by including fatty acid free BSA, suggesting their interaction with serum albumin (Aires et al., 2004). By using the technique of quartz crystal microbalance, it was possible to monitor the binding of molecules to the surface of proteins, in which it was found that thearubigin, which is one of the major polyphenols of black tea, can form complexes with BSA (Chitpan et al., 2007).
Protective effects of betanin against paracetamol and diclofenac induced neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption in rats
Published in Biomarkers, 2019
Tarek K. Motawi, Samia A. Ahmed, Noha A. El-Boghdady, Nadia S. Metwally, Noha N. Nasr
Betanin is one of the 10 most potent water-soluble nitrogen-containing antioxidant pigment presents in red beet root (Beta vulgaris L.) and Cactus pear fruit (Opuntia ficus-indica) (Han et al.2015, Al-Aboud 2018). Previous studies showed that betanin has anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective effects (Kapadia et al.2011, Livrea and Tesoriere 2012, Hfaiedh et al.2014, Han et al.2015). According to studies done by Lu et al. (2009) and Han et al. (2014), betanin can protect mice from γ-irradiation and can inhibit lipid peroxidation and heme decomposition in rat liver. To the best of our knowledge, there is no study was carried out to explore the biological activities of betanin on the brain and endocrine system. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the protective effect of betanin against the brain damage and disruptions of endocrine system induced by long-term administration of PAR and DF in rats as an experimental model.
Effects of Phyllanthus amarus PHYLLPROTM leaves on hangover symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2019
Annie George, Jay K. Udani, Ashril Yusof
Alcohol elimination was faster in the active group (p < 0.0001) at hour 12. It would have been helpful to have had additional BAL time points between hours 1.5 and 12, especially at hour 10, to evaluate the rate of alcohol detoxification since it was at hour 10 that the placebo group reported the highest complaints of nausea, headache, anorexia, tremulousness, diarrhoea and dizziness. This appears to be the time where alcohol was still present at a higher amount in the placebo group while 2 h later, the active group no longer had any alcohol in the bloodstream whereas the placebo group still did. This implies that PHYLLPRO™ improved hangover symptoms through the efficient clearing of alcohol from the bloodstream. This was the case for the fruit extract of Evodiae rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth (Rutaceae) and Xeniji™ (a trademarked fruit- and vegetable-based preparation) which reduced alcohol concentration in blood plasma in vivo and upregulated the relative expression of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and antioxidant Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn SOD), suggesting the removal of alcohol by hepatic alcohol metabolizing and antioxidant enzymes (Cho et al. 2005; Zulkawi et al. 2017b). Other alternative therapies such as artichoke extract have been examined in a randomized controlled trial, but no benefit was found (Pittler et al. 2003). Nopal cactus [Opuntia ficus-indica L. Mill (Cactaceae)] was found to reduce some of the symptoms associated with hangover (Wiese et al. 2004).
Antilithiatic effect of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of cactus prickly pear in chemically induced urolithiasis in rats
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2018
Nasrin Partovi, Mohammad Reza Ebadzadeh, S. Jamilaldin Fatemi, Mohammad Khaksari
Mature prickly pears of Opuntia ficus-indica fruit species (purpled skinned) were collected in the municipal area of Kerman (Iran). The unpeeled fruit was washed and ground manually. They were immersed in 96% ethanol for 72 h and protected from light with aluminum foil. After that, they were sonicated for 10 min at 40 °C. The mixture were then decanted and filtered. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure using a rotary evaporator with the temperature set at 40 °C. Crude extract from cactus prickly pear fruit wet then dried using an oven with a temperature of 35 °C for 24 h. The percentage yield of dried extract was calculated. The extract was stored in an air-tight container at 4 °C and was labeled.