A New Steroidal Saponin from Tribulus Terrestris Linn

Non-alcoholic fatty liver induces many complications to the liver tissue and also serum related parameters. Medicinal plants are the safe therapeutic strategy for the treatment of diseases. In this regards, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Tribulus terrestris L. (Zygophyllales: Zygophyllaceae) extract on non-alcoholic fatty liver in rats. In this experimental study, thirty male Wistar rats were divided into five groups (n = 6). Animals in experimental groups were received high fructose diet (70%) (HDF) daily alone or in combined with daily intraperitoneal injection of 500, 700 and 1,000 mg/kg extract of T. terrestris. Control group of rats was feed with standard chow. The serum levels of biomarkers of liver and serum lipid profiles were assessed, also histopathological examination of liver tissue done. Data were analyzed using One-way ANOVA method followed by Tukey’s post-hoc multiple comparison test and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. There were significant improvements for biomarkers of liver tissue (P < 0.05) and serum lipid profiles (P < 0.01) in the HFD-fed rats that were treated with T. terrestris extract compare to HFD-fed group. In addition, accumulation of lipids in hepatocytes was significantly reduced in the HFD-fed + extract administrated groups in comparison to HFD-fed rats (P < 0.01). T. terrestris extract has protective effects against non-alcoholic fatty liver by changing biomarkers of liver tissue, serum lipid profiles and histopathological anomalies of liver tissue, to normal range.

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Impact of Active Antihyperglycemic Components as Herbal Therapy for Preventive Health Care Management of Diabetes

Current Molecular Medicine ◽

10.2174/1566524019666190219124301 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 12-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Harsha Kashyap ◽

Sarika Gupta ◽

Renu Bist

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Healthy Lifestyle ◽

Preventive Health Care ◽

Diabetic Patients ◽

Steroidal Saponin ◽

Herbal Therapy ◽

Diabetes Type Ii ◽

Artificial Insulin ◽

Artery Disease ◽

Sensory Fibers

Diabetes is a metabolic hyperglycemic condition that progressively develops, effect small and large sensory fibers in the affected population. It has various complications as hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease as well as peripheral neuropathy. Sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, metformin, biguanidine, acarbose and insulin are commonly used drugs for diabetic patients, but these all have certain side effects. Even metformin, that is known as the miracle drug for diabetes has been found to be associated with side effects, as during treatment it involves complications with eyes, kidneys, peripheral nerves, heart and vasculature. In the present article, we hypothesize recent discoveries with respect to active ingredients from Indian medicinal plants i.e., polypeptide-p (protein analogue act as artificial insulin), charantin (a steroidal saponin), momordicin (an alkaloid) and osmotin (ubiquitous plant protein and animal analogue of human adeponectin) possessing anti-hyperglycemic potential for diabetes type II. Therefore, plants as herbal therapy have preventive care of hyperglycemia accompanied with healthy lifestyle which can provide significant decline in the incidences of diabetes in future.

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Steroidal Saponins Isolated from the Rhizome of Dioscorea tokoro Inhibit Cell Growth and Autophagy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Life ◽

10.3390/life11080749 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 749

Author(s):

Shinya Okubo ◽

Tomoe Ohta ◽

Yukihiro Shoyama ◽

Takuhiro Uto

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Antiproliferative Activity ◽

Caspase 3 ◽

Carcinoma Cells ◽

Parp Cleavage ◽

Autophagic Flux ◽

Steroidal Saponin ◽

Steroidal Saponins ◽

Active Compounds ◽

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Our preliminary screening identified an extract from the rhizome of Dioscorea tokoro, which strongly suppressed the proliferation of HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells and inhibited autophagy. This study aimed to isolate active compounds from the rhizome of D. tokoro that exert antiproliferative effects and inhibit autophagy. The bioassay-guided fractionation of the active fraction led to the isolation of two spirostan-type steroidal saponins, dioscin (1) and yamogenin 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl (1→4)-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl(1→2)-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), and the frostane-type steroidal saponin protodioscin (3) from the n-BuOH fraction. Furthermore, acid hydrolysis of 1 and 2 produced the aglycones diosgenin (4) and yamogenin (5), respectively. Compounds 1–5 suppressed proliferation of HepG2 cells. The analysis of structure-activity relationships indicated that the 25(R)-conformation, structures with a sugar moiety, and the spirostan-type aglycone moiety contributed to antiproliferative activity. Analysis of autophagy-related proteins demonstrated that 1–3 clearly increased the levels of both LC3-II and p62, implying that 1–3 deregulate the autophagic pathway by blocking autophagic flux, which results in p62 and LC3-II accumulation. In contrast, 1–3 did not significantly affect caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage, suggesting that the antiproliferative activity of 1–3 occurred independently of caspase-3-mediated apoptosis. In summary, our study showed that 1–3, active compounds in the rhizome of D. tokoro, suppressed cell proliferation and autophagy, and might be potential agents for autophagy research and cancer chemoprevention.

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Phytochemical and Biological Evaluation of a Newly Designed Nutraceutical Self-Nanoemulsifying Self-Nanosuspension for Protection and Treatment of Cisplatin Induced Testicular Toxicity in Male Rats

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26020408 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 408

Author(s):

Sherif R. Abdel-All ◽

Zeinab T. Abdel Shakour ◽

Dalia M. N. Abouhussein ◽

Enji Reda ◽

Thoraya F. Sallam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antineoplastic Agent ◽

Biological Evaluation ◽

Particle Size Analysis ◽

Male Rats ◽

Size Analysis ◽

Dilution Method ◽

Tribulus Terrestris ◽

Testicular Toxicity ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Male Wistar Rats

The incorporation of cisplatin (CP) as a cytotoxic antineoplastic agent in most chemotherapeutic protocols is a challenge due to its toxic effect on testicular tissues. Natural compounds present a promising trend in research, so a new nutraceutical formulation (NCF) was designed to diminish CP spermatotoxicity. A combination of three nutraceutical materials, 250 mg Spirulina platensis powder (SP), 25 mg Tribulus terrestris L. extract (TT), and 100 mg fish oil (FO) were formulated in self-nanoemulsifying self-nanosuspension (SNESNS). SP was loaded into the optimized self-nanoemulsifying system (30% FO, 50% span 80/cremophor EL and 20% isopropanol) and mixed with TT aqueous solution to form SNESNS. For the SP, phytochemical profiling revealed the presence of valuable amounts of fatty acids (FAs), amino acids, flavonoids, polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and particle size analysis confirmed the formation of nanoemulsion-based nanosuspension upon dilution. Method validation of the phytochemical constituents in NCF has been developed. Furthermore, NCF was biologically evaluated on male Wistar rats and revealed the improvement of spermatozoa, histopathological features, and biochemical markers over the CP and each ingredient group. Our findings suggest the potential of NCF with SNESNS as a delivery system against CP-induced testicular toxicity in male rats.

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