Abstract Intrauterine adhesions cause several gynecological problems. Althaea officinalis L. roots known as marshmallows contain polysaccharides (M.P.) which possess anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcerogenic activities also can form a bio-adhesive layer on damaged epithelial membranes prompting healing processes. Vaginal formulations of herbal origin are commonly applied to relieve cervico-uterine inflammation. Herein, we aim to develop and evaluate vaginal suppositories containing polysaccharides isolated from the A. officinalis root. Six formulations (four P.E.G.-based and two lipid-based suppositories containing 25% and 50% M.P.) met standard requirements, which were then subjected to qualitative and quantitative evaluation. All suppositories exhibited acceptable weights, hardness, content uniformity, melting point, and disintegration time, which fall within the acceptable recommended limits. Higher concentrations of M.P. in PEG-bases moderately increased the hardness (p<0.05). PEG-formulations showed content uniformity>90% of the average content while it was 75-83% for suppocire formulations. All formulations disintegrated in<30minutes. In-vitro release test revealed that M.P. release from 25%-MP formulations was higher than that of 50%-M.P. suppositories. Overall, results revealed the feasibility of preparing P.E.G.-or lipid-based suppositories containing M.P., which met the B.P. quality requirement.

Anti-proliferative properties have been reported for certain species of the genus Artemisia.In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of n-hexane, CH2Cl2, EtOAc, n-BuOH and H2O fractions obtained from a crude methanol extract of A. armeniaca on two myeloid cell lines, apoptosis-proficient HL60 cells and apoptosis-resistant K562 cells; in addition, J774 cells were used as a control. Among the solvent fractions of A. armeniaca, the CH2Cl2 fraction was found to have the largest anti-proliferative effect on cancer cells. The IC50 values obtained using an MTS assay for the CH2Cl2 fraction were 75 and 130 µg/ml for HL-60 cells and K562, respectively. The control cells were not significantly affected by this fraction. A flow cytometry histogram of cells treated with the CH2Cl2 fraction of A. armeniacarevealed a sub-G1 peak. DNA fragmentation, increased protein levels of Bax and cleavage of the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) protein confirmed the induction of apoptosis in cells after a 48-h exposure to the CH2Cl2 fraction. Our results corroborate the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of the CH2Cl2 fraction of A. armeniaca on K562 and HL-60 cancer cell lines.

Plants represent the best and most extensively studied source of natural antioxidants. The present study investigated the antioxidant and anti-glycation properties of different concentrations of essential oils obtained from fruits and branchlets of Juniperus oblonga M. Bieb., Cupressaceae, using different assays. The essential oils were obtained by steam distillation of the branchlets of male tree (BMT), branchlets of female tree (BFT) and fruits of J. oblonga. Compositional analysis of oils was performed using a gas chromatography-mass method. Antioxidant activity was assessed using linoleic acid peroxidation, peroxyl radical mediated hemolysis of red blood cells (RBC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation assays. Anti-glycation properties of oils were evaluated using hemoglobin and insulin glycation assays. Seventeen, eighteen and fifteen compounds were identified in the BMT, BFT and fruit oil, which represented 82.51, 55.69 and 96.89% of the total oils, respectively. α-Pinene was the major component of all three oils. All three oils possessed antioxidant effects against LDL oxidation, linoleic acid peroxidation and peroxyl radical mediated RBC hemolysis. Anti-glycation activities against hemoglobin and insulin glycation were also observed from all tested oils. Overall, there was no unique pattern of dose-dependence for the antioxidant properties of oils in different employed systems. The findings of this study suggest that essential oils from fruits and branchlets of J. oblonga possess antioxidant and anti-glycation properties. Therefore, these oils might be of therapeutic efficacy against diabetes and cardiovascular disease.