Bioactivities and mechanisms of natural medicines in the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive and rare disease without obvious clinical symptoms that shares characteristics with pulmonary vascular remodeling. Right heart failure in the terminal phase of PAH seriously threatens the lives of patients. This review attempts to comprehensively outline the current state of knowledge on PAH its pathology, pathogenesis, natural medicines therapy, mechanisms and clinical studies to provide potential treatment strategies. Although PAH and pulmonary hypertension have similar pathological features, PAH exhibits significantly elevated pulmonary vascular resistance caused by vascular stenosis and occlusion. Currently, the pathogenesis of PAH is thought to involve multiple factors, primarily including genetic/epigenetic factors, vascular cellular dysregulation, metabolic dysfunction, even inflammation and immunization. Yet many issues regarding PAH need to be clarified, such as the “oestrogen paradox”. About 25 kinds monomers derived from natural medicine have been verified to protect against to PAH via modulating BMPR2/Smad, HIF-1α, PI3K/Akt/mTOR and eNOS/NO/cGMP signalling pathways. Yet limited and single PAH animal models may not corroborate the efficacy of natural medicines, and those natural compounds how to regulate crucial genes, proteins and even microRNA and lncRNA still need to put great attention. Additionally, pharmacokinetic studies and safety evaluation of natural medicines for the treatment of PAH should be undertaken in future studies. Meanwhile, methods for validating the efficacy of natural drugs in multiple PAH animal models and precise clinical design are also urgently needed to promote advances in PAH. Graphical Abstract

Mechanism of drug-induced liver injury and hepatoprotective effects of natural drugs

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a common adverse drug reaction (ADR) and a serious threat to health that affects disease treatments. At present, no targeted clinical drugs are available for DILI. Traditional natural medicines have been widely used as health products. Some natural medicines exert specific hepatoprotective effects, with few side effects and significant clinical efficacy. Thus, natural medicines may be a promising direction for DILI treatment. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge, common drugs and mechanisms of DILI, as well as the clinical trials of natural drugs and their bioactive components in anticipation of the future development of potential hepatoprotective drugs.

A Review on medicinal plants in dentistry

The dental afflictions are indubitably the most important global infectious diseases affecting both children and adults. The most significant dental illness is dental caries and periodontal pathologies. The major reason of oral health troubles is more inhabitants with pathogenic bacteria and for this reason, conservative treatment can often be in efficient because of bacterial resistance or may have unpleasant side effects.For that reason, studies in the field have focused on finding new therapeutic alternatives.The use of natural medicines for dental care is an ancient cross-cultural practice that persists in the majority of cultures today.Over the past decade, interest in drugs derived from medicinal plants has markedly increased. This study was designed at a literature review focusing on studies investigating herbal drugs and their therapeutic application, mechanism of action, side effects, toxicities and probable drug interactions. A small number of studies were established to hold their rational employ in dentistry. Because there is a rising employ of phytotherapeutic agents in dentistry, additional studies are required to evaluate their safety and efficacy for clinical use. Keywords: Herbal medicine, Oral health, Dentistry, Caries, Infections

The Outpatient Prescribing of Silver Sulfadiazine in Al-Kharj

Aim: The aim of the present study was to describe the outpatient prescription of silver sulfadiazine in Al-Kharj. Methodology: This study was conducted in a public hospital in Alkharj. The data were collected from the outpatient pharmacy in the hospital and includes outpatients who received silver sulfadiazine in 2018. Results: All of the silver sulfadiazine prescriptions were prescribed for 7 days. The prescriptions were made mainly by residents (96.67%). Most of the prescriptions were prescribed by emergency department (90.00%). Conclusion: The use of silver sulfadiazine was uncommon in Alkharj possibly due to the use of effective natural medicines. Silver sulfadiazine could lead to several adverse effects so it is important to increase the awareness about the wise use of silver sulfadiazine and other topical antibiotics.

Pengaruh Ekstrak Kulit Buah Naga Merah (Hylocereus Polyrhizus) terhadap Waktu Perdarahan (Bleeding Time) Pada Mencit Strain Balb-C

Tooth extraction causes prolonged bleeding complications and the body will respond with hemostasis. Currently developing natural medicines to help the process of hemostasis. Red dragon fruit peel, which is generally a waste containing tannins, flavonoids, and saponins to stop bleeding. Purpose was to find out the effect of red dragon fruit peel extract on bleeding time in the tail of Balb-C strain mice. 16 mice samples were adapted for one week. Mice were divided into 2 groups subsquently fasted for 7 hours. The first group as a control (0.5% Na-CMC). The second group was given red dragon fruit peel extract which was divided into three sub-groups at a dose of 0.5 mg / g BW, mg / g BW, and 1.5 mg / g BW. All samples were waited for 45 minutes and cut along 2 cm from the tip of the tail. Blood is spilled on Whatman paper which has 30 seconds in each box. The number of blood spots on the box was calculated and multiplied by 30 seconds. The result showed that bleeding time in the group given red dragon fruit peel extract was significantly lower (p <0.05) than in the control group. The conclusion was red dragon fruit peel extract (Hylocereus Polyrhizus) has an effect on shortening the bleeding time in cutting the tail of bulb-c strain mice and the dose of red dragon fruit peel extract (Hylocereus Polyrhizus) which has the most significant effect is 1 mg / BB mice.

Revisiting Therapeutic Strategies for H. pylori Treatment in the Context of Antibiotic Resistance: Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies

The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection remains significant worldwide and it depends on many factors: gender, age, socio-economic status, geographic area, diet, and lifestyle. All successful infectious diseases treatments use antibiotic-susceptibility testing, but this strategy is not currently practical for H. pylori and the usual cure rates of H. pylori are lower than other bacterial infections. Actually, there is no treatment that ensures complete eradication of this pathogen. In the context of an alarming increase in resistance to antibiotics (especially to clarithromycin and metronidazole), alternative and complementary options and strategies are taken into consideration. As the success of antibacterial therapy depends not only on the susceptibility to given drugs, but also on the specific doses, formulations, use of adjuvants, treatment duration, and reinfection rates, this review discusses the current therapies for H. pylori treatment along with their advantages and limitations. As an alternative option, this work offers an extensively referenced approach on natural medicines against H. pylori, including the significance of nanotechnology in developing new strategies for treatment of H. pylori infection.

Metabolite identification in preclinical and clinical phase of drug development

: Metabolite identification plays a critical role in the phases during drug development. Drug metabolites can contribute to efficacy, toxicity, and drug-drug interaction. Thus, the correct identification of metabolites is essential to understand the behavior of drugs in humans. Drug administration authorities (e.g., FDA, EMA, and NMPA) emphasize evaluating the safety of human metabolites with exposure higher than 10% of the total drug-related components. Many previous reviews have summarized the various methods, tools, and strategies for the appropriate and comprehensive identification of metabolites. In this review, we focus on summarizing the importance of identifying metabolites in the preclinical and clinical phases of drug development. Summarized scenarios include the role of metabolites in pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) analysis, disproportional exposure of metabolites that contribute to drug toxicity, changes in metabolite exposure in renal-impaired patients, covalent tyrosine kinase inhibitors (anticancer drugs), and metabolite identification of drug candidates from natural medicines. This review is aimed to provide meaningful insight into the significant role of metabolite identification in drug development.

The combination of two natural medicines, Chuanxiong and Asarum: A review of the chemical constituents and pharmacological activities

Traditional Chinese medicine has been clinically used in China for many years, with experimental studies and clinical trials having demonstrated that it is safe and valid. Among many traditional natural medicines, Chuanxiong and Asarum have been proven to be effective in the treatment of relieving pain. Actually, as well as analgesic, they have common attributes, such as anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular benefits, and anticancer activities, with volatile oils being their major components. Furthermore, Chuanxiong and Asarum have been combined as drug pairs in the same prescription for thousands of years, with examples being Chuanxiong Chatiao San and Chuanxiongxixintang. More interestingly, their combination has better therapeutic effects on diseases than a single drug. After the combination of Chuanxiong and Asarum forms a blend, a series of changes take place in their chemical components, such as the contents of the main active ingredients, ferulic acid and ligustilide, increased significantly after this progress. At the same time, the pharmacological effects of the combination appearing to be more powerful, such as synergistic analgesic. This review focuses on the chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Chuanxiong, Asarum, and Chuanxiong Asarum compositions.

A Retrospective Study on the Benefits of Magical Remedy to Counter Adverse Effects of COVID-19 Infection

Background: Natural products are the base for modern medicines. Among the natural medicines, honey and turmeric are the unreplaceable natural medicines in Indian culture and worldwide. Even though mono therapy of each is highly beneficial in resolving infections and inflammations, combination therapy will work faster and resolving the medical issues. Objective: The study was conducted during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic situation to evaluate the effect of turmeric and honey in treating the symptoms and aftereffects of corona virus infection as most of the people get switched to natural remedies to fight against this situation as there are no exact drugs available for complete cure.Method: The study was conducted worldwide, and different states were participated in this study. Study was carried with a questionnaire; the questions help to find the knowledge of public about the effects of honey and turmeric and also it explains the way of administration of the mix for those who do not know.Result: Study was conducted and concluded from the responses of survey questionnaire from 4 different countries. After the completion of the study and on evaluating the responses, the study concluded that most of the people participated in this survey were taking this ‘magic remedy mixture’ of honey and turmeric on a daily basis for getting immunity and also noticed that most of those who were taking this mix on a regular basis were not affected by the corona virus and few of them get affected but resolved as early as when comparing with those people who were not taking the honey and turmeric mix.Discussion: The medicinal property of honey has been studied for thousands of years. Antiseptic and antimicrobial properties are the most widely published uses of honey at that time. But now more uses of honey was invented and till now many studies are under progress.

Unani Concept of Anaemia in Pregnancy (Hamla me Khoon ki Kami): An Overview

Anaemia is a most common disorder of Indian women especially during the age of reproduction. Anaemia in pregnancy is a condition with effects that may deleterious to mothers and foetus. Indeed, it is a known risk factor for maternal and leads to foetal complications. However, women are much better aware now about their pregnancy related conditions than they were years ago. This is not just a feminist fad but common sense for the woman who knows what is likely to happen and will be better prepared for actions in pregnancy. The WHO considers iron deficiency to the largest International nutritional disorder. According to WHO anaemia in pregnancy is present when the concentration of haemoglobin in the peripheral blood is 11gms/100ml or less. As per American college of obstetrician and gynaecologist 60-100mgs of elemental iron per day prevents iron deficiency in a pregnant woman. In Unani system of medicine number of drugs and diets are available which have preventive and therapeutic role. Unani physicians paid special attention to child and mother care in general as well as in pregnancy. Natural medicines are economical, easily available and relatively free of side effects. So, the present topic highlights the use of Unani medicines providing iron supplements in the treatment of early and late pregnancy. Keywords: Anaemia, Pregnancy, Foetal complications, Unani medicine