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Background: Gastric ulcer is one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal diseases worldwide. Protection against peptic ulcer disease (PUD) was directed at using many natural products and medicinal plants extracts since it is believed that the natural remedies are giving good healing with little harm. The present study was undertaken to investigate the possible protective effect(s) of the alcoholic extract of Fagonia indica (Zygophyllaceae) in comparison to the documented beneficial effects of natural honey solution in a model of ethanol-induced gastric ulcer. Methods: Albino rats were used in the study, divided into four groups from which one received only the vehicle (1% CMC) and served as normal control. In the other three groups, fasting animals were subjected to induction of gastric ulcer by single ingestion of 80% ethanol solution, either alone or following oral treatment with either honey solution (150 mg/kg/day) or Fagonia indica extract (20 mg/ kg/day) for two weeks. Macroscopic as well as microscopic examination were carried out and statistical significance between every two groups was checked by students-t test. Results: These revealed a significant protection of Fagonia indica extract as compared to honey solution evidenced by producing marked lower ulcer index and ulcer score while producing higher preventive index (89% for the plant extract versus 69% for honey solution). On a microscopic level, both honey and Fagonia indica caused magnificent protection of the mucosa against the damage induced by ethanol resulting both in similar degrees of protection. Conclusion: The wide usage of Fagonia indica extract in folk medicine is therefore encouraged since it is now demonstrated to possess a potent gastroprotective effect against ethanol-induced gastric ulcer. Combination of both the plant extract and honey can be advised since expected to produce more protection.

Background Hyperglycemia is a complicated condition accompanied with high incidence of infection and dyslipidemia. This study aimed to explore the phyto-constituents of Crataegus azarolus var. eu- azarolus Maire leaves, and to evaluate the therapeutic potentials particularly antimicrobial, antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic of the extract and the isolated compound (3β-O-acetyl ursolic acid). Methods Total phenolics and flavonoidal contents were measured by RP-HPLC analysis. Free radicals scavenging activity of different extraction solvents was tested in-vitro on DPPH free radicals. The antimicrobial activity of the ethanolic extract and its fractions as well as the isolated compounds were evaluated in-vitro on variable microorganisms. Animal models were used to evaluate the antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activities of the ethanolic extract along with the isolated compound (3β-O acetyl ursolic acid). Results RP- HPLC analysis of the phenolics revealed high content of rutin, salicylic and ellagic acids. Six compounds belonging to triterpenes and phenolics were isolated from chloroform and n-butanol fractions namely: ursolic acid, 3β-O-acetyl ursolic acid, ellagic acid, quercetin 3-O-β methyl ether, rutin and apigenin7-O-rutinoside. Ethanolic extract showed the highest DPPH radical scavenger activity compared to other solvents. Ethanolic extract, hexane fraction, ursolic acid, 3β-O acetyl ursolic acid and quercetin 3-O-methyl ether showed variable antimicrobial activity against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, and C. albicans. Administration of the ethanolic extract or 3β-O acetyl ursolic acid orally to the mice reduced blood glucose significantly in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Ethanolic extract significantly reduced LDL-C, VLDL-C, TC and TG and increased HDL-C in rats. Ethanolic extract and 3β-O acetyl ursolic acid reduced in-vitro activity of pancreatic lipase. Conclusion This study reveals that Crataegus azarolus var. eu- azarolus Maire has the efficiency to control hyperglycemia with its associated complications. This study is the first to evaluate antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic potentials of 3β-O acetyl ursolic acid. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1729-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Volatiles of Spathodea campanulata buds and expanded flowers were isolated by hydrodistillation / solvent extraction and direct solvent extraction. Products analysed included: primary and recovered oils (PO/RO) derived from distillates, chloroform extractives (CE) of the non-distilled fractions, and hexane concretes (HC). Number of components identified by GC-MS varied from 35-60 (88.56 - 98.17 % of the total composition). PO/RO showed close amounts of hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds; yet, the latter prevailed in CE and HC samples. Hydrocarbon fraction was the least in buds CE (15.36 %) and greatest in flowers PO/RO (48.04 %); meanwhile, oxygenated constituents dominated flowers HC (74.04 %). Chief hydrocarbons were: alkanes and alkenes (flowers CE, 32.46 %; major phytane 16.41 %), and terpenoids (PO/RO: buds 22.44 %, major α-pinene 9.34 % vs. flowers 19.91 %, major β-selinene 8.51 %). Oxygenated constituents included: carbonyl compounds (flowers CE 31.83 %; major 6-benzofurancarboxyaldehyde...

Background Flavonoids and other polyphenols play a protective role in liver diseases and possess a high antioxidant capacity. Objective To compare and evaluate the antioxidant and hepatotoprotective activities of 4 deserts plants, Fagonia indica Burm. f., Calotropis procera R.Br., Zygophylum hamiense Schweinf. and Salsola imbricata Forssk. in correlation to their composition especially their phenolic content. Methods The influence of extracting solvent on total phenolic and flavonoidal contents was assessed spectrophotometrically. The flavonoid and other polyphenolic components of the methanol extracts were analyzed by RP-HPLC. DPPH radical scavenging potential of the different extracts was estimated. The hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities of the extracts against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in mice were evaluated. Results The flavonol quercitrin and rosmarinic acid were major in the F. indica, C. procera and S. imbricata samples, while rutin prevailed in that of Z. hamiense. The ethanolic and methanolic extracts showed noticeable DPPH radical-scavenging activity as compared to ascorbic acid. Assessment of liver enzymes revealed that oral administration of the extracts did not show any evidence of hepatotoxicity. Moreover, protection against CCl4-induced liver damage was evident upon administration of three plants extracts namely, F. indica, C. procera and S. imbricata. Conclusion Overall, hepatotoxicity induced by CCl4 was effectively prevented by the three plants extracts through scavenging of free radicals and by boosting the antioxidant capacity of the liver. The protective effect of the plants could be attributed to their high quercitrin and rosmarinic acid contents.

Background Hyperurecemia is usually associated with gout and various metabolic arthritis disorders. Limited medications are available to manage such conditions. This study aimed to isolate the triterpenes constituent of the plant and to assess xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory and antihyperuricemic activities of Tribulus arabicus ethanolic extract, its fractions and the isolated compound using in vitro and in vivo approaches. Methods The ethanolic extract, fractions; n-hexane, chloroform and n-butanol and the isolated compound (ursolic acid) were evaluated in vitro for their XO inhibitory activity. Those that demonstrated significant activity were further evaluated for their antihyperuricemic activity on potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemia in mice. Results The ethanolic extract was found to be safe up to 5000 mg/kg. The extract and its n-hexane fraction exhibited significant inhibitory activity on XO, whilst only a modest reduction in the enzymatic activity was noticed with n-butanol and chloroform fractions. Furthermore, administration of the ethanolic extract at low and high doses significantly reduced serum urate levels in mice by 31.1 and 64.6% respectively. The isolated active constituent, ursolic acid, showed potent XO inhibition activity (Half maximal inhibitory concentration, IC50 = 10.3 μg/mL), and significantly reduced uric acid level in vivo by 79.9%. Virtually, the binding mode of ursolic acid with XO was determined using molecular docking simulations. Conclusions The activity of the ethanolic extract of T. arabicus and its n-hexane fraction can be attributed to the isolated compound, ursolic acid. Ursolic acid has good hypouricemic activity and therefore has high potential to be used for the treatment of gout and hyperuricemia-related diseases.

Reported researches dealing with either composition or bioactivity ofSalsola imbricataare limited. This study was conducted aiming to investigate the phenolic composition of the plant and evaluate its efficacy as male contraceptive. Polyphenols, namely, phenolic acids and flavonoids, were qualitatively and quantitatively analysed by RP-HPLC in the hydrolysed methanol extract using two different wavelengths, 280 and 330 nm. The efficiency of different solvents in extracting the plant phenolics was assessed via spectrophotometric determination of the total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Acute toxicity study was carried out on the ethanolic extract to ascertain its safety prior to biological evaluation. The contraceptive effect was assessed, in male rats, by oral administration of the extract at two doses (250 and 500 mg/kg b. wt.), over a period of 65 days. HPLC analyses allowed the identification and quantification of a total of 13 and 8 components in the hydrolysed-methanol extract; the overall phenolic composition was dominated by quercitrin (12.692%) followed by coumaric acid (4.251%). Prolonged oral administration of the ethanolic extract caused slight reduction in the testis weight only. A significant decrease in the sperm count was observed(P<0.01)in the two treated groups while significant decrease in the epididymal sperm motility was only observed in the high dose group. Morphological abnormalities were observed in sperms of treated animals. No distinct change in serum FSH, LH, and testosterone concentration was recorded. The histopathological findings supported to a high extent these results. The male contraceptive activity ofSalsola imbricatacould be ascribed to its phenolic components, especially quercitrin.

Pregnane glycosides previously isolated from genus Caralluma ( C. Penicillata, C. tuberculata and C. russelliana ) were tested for their antitrypanosomal activity. Penicilloside E showed the highest antitrypanosomal activity (IC 50 1.01 μg/ml) followed by caratuberside C (IC 50 1.85 μg/ml), which exhibited the highest selectivity index (SI 12.04). It was noticed that acylation is required for the antitrypanosomal activity while glycosylation at C-20 has no significant effect on the activity.