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The prevention of gastric ulcer pathogenesis or its recurrence is currently one of the main goals of clinical and experimental studies. This study was conducted to investigate the gastroprotective effects of ursolic acid (UA) isolated from the dichloromethane/methanol extract of shoots of Ochrosia elliptica Labill. and investigated for its activity against an ethanol-induced gastric ulcer model in rats. Fifty-six female albino rats were divided into seven groups (eight rats per group): The first group served as control; group 2: absolute ethanol group (5 ml/kg. b.w.); group 3: ranitidine pretreated group (50 mg/kg, i.p.); group 4: UA (100 mg/kg, b.w.); and groups from 5 to 7 were pretreated with UA (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg, b.w.). Then, all animals were sacrificed, and the stomachs were excised for examination. Gastric mucosal injuries were assessed by gross examination, histopathology, immunohistochemistry of caspase-3, and biochemical parameters, including tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels. The ethanol group showed severe mucosal injury compared with UA-treated animals, which grossly showed significant reductions of ulcer areas. Histopathologically, they showed marked reductions of mucosal necrosis, edema, and leukocyte infiltrations. Significant increased TAC levels were associated with reduced MDA levels UA-treated rats. In addition, the caspase-3 activity was downregulated. These findings indicated gastroprotective effects of UA at the administered doses comparable with that observed with the control drug ranitidine through suppression of mucosal oxidative stress and antiapoptotic activities. Molecular docking studies showed that UA binds to H+/K+ ATPase more than omeprazole and ranitidine −9.23 vs. −7.09 and 6.29 kcal/mol). In addition, the pKi value of UA was also lower than omeprazole and ranitidine (169.6 nM vs. 6.3 and 26.7 µM). The molecular docking findings suggested the protection role of UA against ethanol-induced gastric ulcer.

The 80% aqueous methanol extract of Pentas lanceolata (Rubiaceae) was partitioned with n-hexane, ether, ethyl acetate extract, and n-butanol extract. The immunomodulatory role of the five extracts on humoral and cell-mediated immune response of viral vaccine in specific pathogen-free chicken vaccinated against Newcastle disease virus was carried out. The active fractions, n-butanol, was fractioned by silica-column chromatography and active sub-fraction were separated using reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography. Two new iridoids, namely, 13R-methoxy-epi-gaertneroside 2 and 13S-methoxy-epi-gaertneroside 3, and three known, 13R-epi-gaertneroside 1, a mixture of E-uenfoside 4 and Z-uenfoside 5, were isolated from the active sub-fractions. Their chemical structures were achieved by the extensive 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (1H and 13C, correlation spectroscopy, heteronuclear multiple quantum correlation, and heteronuclear multiple bond correlation), IR as well as HREIMS spectral data. Stimulation of both seroresponses was observed, especially those of ethyl acetate extract, n-butanol extract, and compound 1. Remarkable effective increase of the antibody titers; lymphocyte and macrophage cells in blood were recorded. The study suggested that the possible role was played by P. lanceolata aerial parts n-butanol, ethyl acetate, and three iridoids 1, 4, and 5 in immunity (humoral and cellular) against Newcastle disease which is severely endangering out the poultry industry by causing economic losses.

Medicinal plants from the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula are widely used in traditional Bedouin medicine to treat a range of conditions including cancer, and as such are a promising resource for novel anti-cancer compounds. To achieve scientific justification of traditional use and/or to recommend the use of those plants as medicinal herbs for cancer chemoprevention, a group of 11 Sinai plants of different species that belong to 3 families (Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, and Euphorbiaceae) were biologically screened for cancer preventive activity using the chemoprevention marker enzyme NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). Among the fractions assayed, a solvent extract from Pulicaria incisa had potent NQO1 inducing activity. Further analysis of the mechanism of induction revealed the concentration-dependent stabilization of the transcription factor NF-E2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and a coordinate upregulation of the Nrf2-dependent enzymes NQO1, heme oxygenase 1 and glutathione S-transferase-Pi. These results establish P. incisa as a promising target for future phytochemical characterization for cancer preventive components.