Euphobia heterophylla is a local medicinal plant used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of
constipation, bronchitis and asthma. The aqueous decoction and the methanolic extracts were
subjected to anti-inflammatory activity using experimental animal model, in the presence of the positive
In this review we describe and discuss several approaches to selecting higher plants as candidates for drug development with the greatest possibility of success. We emphasize the role of information derived from various systems of traditional medicine (ethnomedicine) and its utility for drug discovery purposes.
Dichloromethane and 90% methanol extracts from 51 South African medicinal plants were evaluated for potential genotoxic effects using the bacterial Ames and VITOTOX† tests with and without metabolic activation.
Foliar epidermal features of 18 species of Euphorbia L. s.l. (Euphorbiaceae) are studied. While the anisocytic and anamocytic stomata are common in herbaceous members (Euphorbia subg. Chamaesyce), the paracytic type is predominant in succulent species (Euphorbia proper).
The ethanolic extract of a Malagasy species Euphorbia stenoclada (ES) (Euphorbiaceae), traditionally used as a herbal remedy against asthma and acute bronchitis, was tested to evaluate possible anti-proliferative activity on human airway smooth muscle cells (HASMC). The ES ethanolic extract totally abolished the interleukin-1 (IL-1) induced proliferation of HASMC (IC50 = 0.73 ± 0.08g/mL).
Baranova, M. (V. L. Komarov Botanical Institute, Prof. Popov Str. 2, 197376 St. Petersburg, Russia. Principles of comparative stomatographic studies of flowering plants. Bot. Rev.
Current research in drug discovery from medicinal plants involves a multifaceted approach combining botanical, phytochemical, biological, and molecular techniques. Medicinal plant drug discovery continues to provide new and important leads against various pharmacological targets including cancer, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, malaria, and pain.
Phenolic compounds, ubiquitous in plants are an essential part of the human diet, and are of considerable interest due to their antioxidant properties. These compounds posses an aromatic ring bearing one or more hydroxyl groups and their structures may range from that of a simple phenolic molecule to that of a complex high-molecular weight polymer.
The persistence of latent HIV-infected cellular reservoirs represents the major hurdle to virus eradication in patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy, referred to as HAART. HIV-1 reservoirs are long-lived resting CD4+ memory cells containing the virus latently integrated.
The genus Euphorbia is the largest in Saudi Arabia, even though no anatomical study has been done intensively. In this study the epidermis, the stomata and the venation patterns have been investigated. The shape of the epidermal cell in Euphorbia species in Saudi Arabia varies: polygonal, rectangular, undulate or elongated. Moreover, the cell shape relies on the cell location on a leaf, i.e.