Relaxant Effect of Urginea maritima on Tracheal Smooth Muscle Mediated by the Effect on Beta-2 Adrenergic, Muscarinic Receptors and Calcium and Potassium Channels

Urginea maritima (U. maritima) showed anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, diuretic, vasodilatation, and wound-healing effects on fungal infections, cardiac disorders, digestive disorders, rheumatoid disease, and respiratory disorders such as bronchitis, bronchial nosocomial infections, and severe cough. To examine the bronchodilatory effect of U. maritima, the relaxant effect of its extract on rat tracheal smooth muscle (TSM) and its possible mechanism was examined in this study. Male Wistar rats’ TSM were divided into eight groups (n = 8 in each group). Four of these groups were TSM tissues, contracted with KCl (60 mM) incubated with atropine, glibenclamide, and indomethacin and nonincubated TSM, while the other four groups were TSM tissues contracted with methacholine (10 μM) for 5 min, incubated with propranolol, chlorpheniramine, and diltiazem and nonincubated TSM. Cumulative concentrations of U. maritima extract (12.5, 25, 50, 100, 20, and 400 μg/ml) were then added to organ bath every 5 min. Theophylline (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 mM) as positive control and saline (1 ml) as negative control were also examined in nonincubated tissues. A concentration-dependent relaxant effect of U. maritima on nonincubated TSM contracted with KCl (60 mM) or methacholine (10 μM) ( p < 0.01 and p < 0.001 ) was observed. The relaxant effects of U. maritima extract in the incubated tissues with glibenclamide, propranolol, diltiazem, atropine, and chlorpheniramine were significantly lower than those in the nonincubated tissues ( p < 0.05 to p < 0.001 ). EC50 values of U. maritima extract in the incubated TSM with glibenclamide, propranolol, diltiazem, and atropine were significantly higher than those in the nonincubated tissues ( p < 0.05 for diltiazem-incubated tissues and p < 0.001 for other cases). U. maritima extract displayed considerable relaxant effect on TSM comparable to the effect of theophylline. Beta-2 adrenoceptor stimulation and muscarinic receptor inhibition as well as potassium opening and calcium channels blocking effects are the possible mechanisms for the relaxant effects of the plant.

Identification of New Antimicrobial Peptides from Mediterranean Medical Plant Charybdis pancration (Steinh.) Speta

The present work was designed to identify and characterize novel antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from Charybdis pancration (Steinh.) Speta, previously named Urginea maritima, is a Mediterranean plant, well-known for its biological properties in traditional medicine. Polypeptide-enriched extracts from different parts of the plant (roots, leaves and bulb), never studied before, were tested against two relevant pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. With the aim of identifying novel natural AMPs, peptide fraction displaying antimicrobial activity (the bulb) that showed minimum inhibitory concentration (MICs) equal to 30 µg/mL against the above mentioned strains, was analysed by high-resolution mass spectrometry and database search. Seventeen peptides, related to seven proteins present in the investigated database, were described. Furthermore, we focused on three peptides, which due to their net positive charge, have a better chance to be AMPs and they were investigated by molecular modelling approaches, in order to shed light on the solution properties of their equilibrium structures. Some of new detected peptides could represent a good platform for the development of new antimicrobials in the fight against antibiotic resistance phenomenon.

THE USE OF ECO-FRIENDLY WILD ONION EXTRACT (URGINEA MARITIMA) AS CORROSION INHIBITOR FOR CARBON STEEL IN HYDROCHLORIC ACID

Even though various synthetic compounds have a well action as anticorrosive, they are not cheap and are toxic to both environment and humans. Nevertheless, in C-steel, there is a vital concern, which is serious corrosion issues happen through exposure to environments of aggressive acidity i.e., descaling, oil well solutions of acidity, and pickling. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the inhibition effect of wild onion (WO) extract as an eco-friendly inhibitor on the behavior of corrosion for C-steel in 0.5 M HCl through the conventional weight loss approach. Various concentrations (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, and 2.5%) of inhibitor in various times of immersion (2, 4, and 8 h) and at different temperatures (25°C, 35°C and 45°C) were investigated for their C-steel corrosion inhibition in corrosive media. In the presence and absence of the inhibitor, the corrosion rate (CR) was investigated as affected by temperature. The concentration of the inhibitor and temperature-controlled the inhibition efficiency %E of the inhibitor. At the existence of wild onion extract, the ideal efficiency of inhibition for C-steel was 98.95%, 88.99%, and 86.79% at 2.5% inhibitor concentrations at the preceding temperatures, respectively. It was noticed that adsorption was spontaneous and physical as proved through adsorption value of free energy ΔG°ads (‒13.5 kJ/mol) and also fitted Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The surface coverage θ and corrosion current density Icorr data confirmed the previous result where inhibition is due to the adsorption of physical nature for the components of the additive on the C-steel surface.

ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTICANCER ACTIVITIES OF EXTRACTS FROM URGINEA MARITIMA FRUITS

Background: Increasing antibiotic resistance among human pathogenic microorganisms and the failure of conventional cancer therapies attracting great attention among scientists in the field of herbal medicine to develop natural antimicrobial and anticancer drugs. Thus, the antimicrobial and anticancer activities from fruits of the medicinal plant Urginea maritima (L.) Baker that unexplored previously were investigated in this study. Materials and Methods: Fruits of U. maritima plant were collected, dried, ground, and extracted by hot water, ethanol, methanol, and acetone. The fruit extracts were examined for their potential as antimicrobial and anticancer agents using the agar well diffusion method and MTT assay, respectively. The gene expression of some cancer-related gene markers was determined by RT-PCR. Results: All fruit extracts of U. maritima exhibited antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli. Methanol and ethanol extracts exhibited anticandidal activity. Ethanol and acetone extracts displayed non-hemolytic activity and selective cytotoxicity against breast cancer MCF7 cells with IC50 values that considered as active treatments. Concerning DNA fragmentation and gene expression after treatment of MCF7 cells with the most promising acetone extract, induction of apoptosis was proposed. The expression of cancer-related gene TNF after 6 hours, tumor suppressor genes (p53 and BRCA1), and immune response genes (IL-2 and IL-6) was induced. The expression of anti-apoptotic gene Bcl2 in treated MCF7 cells was reduced. Conclusion: Fruit extracts of U. maritima exhibited antimicrobial and anticancer activities. This result may lead to the use of these extracts for treatment of some infectious diseases and certain types of cancer.