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Aim of the Study: Roots of Helleborus bocconei Ten. subsp. siculus (Schiffner) Merxm. & Podl. are widely used in veterinary folk medicine in Sicily (Italy) to diagnose and cure lower respiratory tract infections in cattle. This study intended to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity of the methanolic root extract of Helleborus bocconei Ten. subsp. siculus, and of the bufadienolide and ecdysteroid fractions extracted from its roots, against strains belonging to species commonly associated with respiratory tract infections., Materials and Methods: The phytochemical screening of the previously prepared plant extracts was carried out by chemical, thin-layer chromatography and spectroscopic methods. The in vitro antibacterial activity of the extracts against seven different standard bacterial strains was evaluated by broth microdilution., Results: According to the present study, Helleborus bocconei Ten. subsp. siculus roots contain bufadienolides and ecdysteroids, and the extracts containing these compounds, as well as the crude methanolic root extract, show antibacterial activity against microorganisms responsible for respiratory infections. In particular, the bufadienolide extract has the highest inhibitory activity against all the tested organisms, and, as the other extracts, shows the lowest MIC values (100mug/ml) against Moraxella catarrhalis and Streptococcus pneumoniae., Conclusions: Since the roots of Helleborus bocconei Ten. subsp. siculus contain substances with antibacterial activity, the traditional use of this plant may also derive from its antibacterial properties.

The anti-inflammatory effect of the extract of Ruta Chalepensis L. (Rutaceae) on the course of lethal endotoxemia in BALB/c mice was studied. When administered by gavage as 1 g/kg per day starting 14 or 7 days prior to injection of 0.75 mg endotoxin (LPS: lipopolysaccharide), the extract markedly reduced lethality (32.5% in both experiments versus approximately 85% of the control mice). A delay in lethality, but not cumulative lethality, was observed when prophylaxis was given 24 and 1 h prior to LPS challenge. The effect was associated with reduced LPS-induced blood levels of nitrite, an indicator of nitric oxide production. In contrast, the blood levels of tumour necrosis factor, interleukin 6 and interleukin 10 did not differ significantly from those of controls given LPS alone. These data show that Ruta Chalepensis L. possesses powerful immunopharmacological properties that make it capable of counteracting the lethal effects of high doses of LPS in vivo.

The bark Pteleopsis suberosa is commonly used in Mali for the treatment of gastric ulcers. The present study evaluated the antiulcerogenic property of chloroform, ethanol and aqueous extracts and of decoction of P. suberosa bark against ulcer lesions induced by ethanol and indomethacin in rats. The results tend to confirm the popular use of the plant.

In Langendorff preparations of rat heart, hyperkinetic ventricular arrhythmias (HVA) have been induced by an ischaemic perfusion (coronary flux 0.5 ml/min; pressure 8 mmHg) and following reperfusion at basal conditions (coronary flux 8 ml/min; pressure 50 mmHg). Crude methanolic extracts of Harpagophytum procumbens secondary roots and harpagoside showed a significant, dose-dependent, protective action toward HVA induced by reperfusion.