The Antioxidant Properties of Extract Contribute to Its Intestinal Antiinflammatory Effects in Experimental Colitis in Rats.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic gastrointestinal inflammation with unpredictable symptom fluctuations. While there is no effective cure for IBD, various treatments aim to manage symptoms and improve the quality of life for affected individuals. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the potential benefits of certain natural plants and herbs in the management of IBD.

The Antioxidant Properties of Extract Contribute to Its Beneficial Effects in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity in Mice.

Obesity is a worldwide public health problem whose prevalence rate has increased steadily over the last few years. Therefore, it is urgent to improve the management of obesity and its comorbidities, and plant-based treatments are receiving increasing attention worldwide. In this regard, the present study aimed to investigate a well-characterized extract of (LME) in an experimental model of obesity in mice and explore the underlying mechanisms.

High-Performance Photocatalytic H Production Using a Binary Cu/TiO/SrTiO Heterojunction.

Cu/TiO/SrTiO hybrid structures have been synthesized by the simple impregnation method from Cu/TiO and SrTiO systems. The structural and surface characterization stated that Cu/TiO/SrTiO composites form an effective covering of SrTiO by Cu/TiO. The heterostructured catalysts lead to an outstanding improved photoactivity for hydrogen production from methanol photoreforming that would be related with the efficient separation of charge pairs favored by the Cu/TiO/SrTiO heterojunction.

Wild Edible Plants of Andalusia: Traditional Uses and Potential of Eating Wild in a Highly Diverse Region.

A review of ethnobotanical sources focused on traditionally-used wild food plants in Andalusia (southern Spain), one of the most biodiverse regions in Europe, is carried out. With 21 original sources plus some previously unpublished data, the dataset shows a high diversity of these traditional resources, reaching 336 species or c. 7% of the total wild flora.

Almond Shell as a Microporous Carbon Source for Sustainable Cathodes in Lithium⁻Sulfur Batteries.

A microporous carbon derived from biomass (almond shells) and activated with phosphoric acid was analysed as a cathodic matrix in Li⁻S batteries. By studying the parameters of the carbonization process of this biomass residue, certain conditions were determined to obtain a high surface area of carbon (967 m² g) and high porosity (0.49 cm³ g).

Fungal endophytes from arid areas of Andalusia: high potential sources for antifungal and antitumoral agents.

Native plant communities from arid areas present distinctive characteristics to survive in extreme conditions. The large number of poorly studied endemic plants represents a unique potential source for the discovery of novel fungal symbionts as well as host-specific endophytes not yet described. The addition of adsorptive polymeric resins in fungal fermentations has been seen to promote the production of new secondary metabolites and is a tool used consistently to generate new compounds with potential biological activities.

Comparison of Lamiaceae medicinal uses in eastern Morocco and eastern Andalusia and in Ibn al-Baytar's Compendium of Simple Medicaments (13th century CE).

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Transmission of traditional knowledge over time and across culturally and historically related territories is an important topic in ethnopharmacology. Here, we contribute to this knowledge by analysing data on medicinal uses in two neighbouring areas of the Western Mediterranean in relation to a historical text that has been scarcely mentioned in historical studies despite its interest.

Aim Of The Study: This paper discusses the sharing of popular knowledge on the medicinal uses of plants between eastern Morocco and eastern Andalusia (Spain), focusing on one of the most useful plant families in the Mediterranean area: Lamiaceae.

Hormonemate Derivatives from Dothiora sp., an Endophytic Fungus.

A search for cytotoxic agents from cultures of the endophytic fungus Dothiora sp., isolated from the endemic plant Launaea arborescens, led to the isolation of six new compounds structurally related to hormonemate, with moderate cytotoxic activity against different cancer cell lines. By using a bioassay-guided fractionation approach, hormonemates A-D (1-4), hormonemate (5), and hormonemates E (6) and F (7) were obtained from the acetone extract of this fungus.

Anti-inflammatory activity of hydroalcoholic extracts of Lavandula dentata L. and Lavandula stoechas L.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Plants from genus Lavandula have been used as anti-inflammatory drugs in Mediterranean traditional medicine. Nowadays, there is a growing interest for complementary medicine, including herbal remedies, to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Aim Of The Study: To test the anti-inflammatory properties of Lavandula dentata and Lavandula stoechas extracts in two inflammatory experimental models: TNBS model of rat colitis and the carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice, in order to mimic the intestinal conditions and the extra-intestinal manifestations of human IBD, respectively.

Intestinal anti-inflammatory activity of hydroalcoholic extracts of Phlomis purpurea L. and Phlomis lychnitis L. in the trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid model of rat colitis.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Different species from genus Phlomis, frequently native from the the eastern Mediterranean zone, have been used in traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory remedy. Among other constituents, they contain polyphenols that show antioxidant properties, which are interesting for the treatment of inflammatory pathologies associated with oxidative stress in humans, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the intestinal anti-inflammatoy effect of hydroalcoholic extracts of Phlomis lychnitis and P.

Knowledge of ethnoveterinary medicine in the Province of Granada, Andalusia, Spain.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: This paper constitutes an important contribution to the knowledge of biological resources used in ethnoveterinary practices (EVPs) in southern Europe, a territory with a clear lack of information on the subject.

Aim Of The Study: To catalogue, analyze, and disseminate the knowledge of plant and animal use in ethnoveterinary practices in the province of Granada. Data have been analyzed to highlight the similarities between ethnoveterinary practices and human ethnopharmacology for the same study area.

Pharmaceutical ethnobotany in the western part of Granada province (southern Spain): ethnopharmacological synthesis.

Aim: The aim of this work is to catalogue, document, and make known the uses of plants for folk medicine in the western part of the province of Granada (southern Spain). An analysis was made of the species used, parts of the plant employed, preparation methods, administration means, and the ailments treated in relation to pathological groups.

Materials And Methods: The work was performed in 16 municipalities within the study zone.

Medicinal plants in the Mediterranean area: synthesis of the results of the project Rubia.

Aim Of Study: Within the scope of the European project RUBIA (ICA3-2002-10023), research has been performed on the traditional use and handling of plant species in several Mediterranean countries, Albania, Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Italy, Morocco, and Spain. This paper synthesises the chief results related to the medicinal utilization of those plants.

Material And Methods: The information has been gathered by means of semi-structured interviews (1256) and techniques of participant observation with 803 informants.

New contributions to the ethnopharmacology of Spain.

In the course of an ethnobotanical research project carried out in the Province of Granada (Southern Spain), 267 taxa have been catalogued as being used in folk medicine. Based on the literature consulted, phytotherapeutic use for 34 of these was recorded for the first time.