Traditional Uses, Bioactive Compounds, and New Findings on Pharmacological, Nutritional, Cosmetic and Biotechnology Utility of .

(L.) Medik. (shepherd's purse) is a medicinal plant recently introduced to European Pharmacopoeia.

Anti-diabetes and neuroprotection potential and primary safety studies of Isatis tinctoria L. hydroalcoholic leaf extract.

Purpose: Natural plant raw materials, previously underestimated in therapeutics, are becoming the subject of research for new applications in medicine. In our research, the hydroalcoholic extract of Isatis tinctoria leaf, rich in flavonoid compounds such as vicenin-2 and quercetin, was examined as a potential antidiabetic and neuroprotective agent.

Methods: The effect of the extract and its main flavonoid compounds on protein glycation, alpha-glucosidase activity, and acetylcholinesterase activity was tested.

Improvement in the Biosynthesis of Antioxidant-Active Metabolites in In Vitro Cultures of (Brassicaceae) by Biotechnological Methods/Elicitation and Precursor Feeding.

This study aimed to establish the in vitro shoot culture of L. and its ability to produce antioxidant bioactive compounds. The Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium variants, containing different concentrations (0.

Different Types of cvs. (Elixir, Helos, Topas) In Vitro Cultures: A Rich Source of Bioactive Metabolites and Biological Activities of Biomass Extracts.

Microshoot agitated and bioreactor cultures (PlantForm bioreactors) of three cultivars (Elixir, Helos, Topas) were maintained in four variants of Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) (in the range of 0.1-3.0 mg/L).

In Vitro Cultures of subsp. as a Source of Bioactive Phenolic Metabolites.

Some of the more than 350 species, such as and , have been used in traditional medicine and today play an important role in official phytotherapy. Other species have been less investigated, and their therapeutic potential is unknown. This is one of the few studies on subsp.

Hydroalcoholic Leaf Extract of L. Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Effects Reduces Stress-Induced Behavioral and Cellular Disorders in Mice.

Stress that can occur at different levels of a person's life can cause and exacerbate various diseases. Oxidative stress and inflammation underlie this process at the cellular level. There is an urgent need to identify new and more effective therapeutic targets for the treatment of stress-induced behavioral disorders and specific drugs that affect these targets.

Antioxidant Potential and Enhancement of Bioactive Metabolite Production in In Vitro Cultures of L. by Biotechnological Methods.

Studies carried out using three different in vitro assays and a biological setting () demonstrated the antioxidant activity of microshoot extract. Moreover, the extract exhibited no toxicity in a brine shrimp lethality bioassay. These results indicated that microshoots are a rich, safe source of antioxidants, which encouraged us to enhance their production in vitro.

Phenylalanine Increases the Production of Antioxidant Phenolic Acids in Cell Cultures.

The aims of this study were to evaluate the antioxidant properties, to investigate the content of major secondary metabolites in cell cultures, and to determine the change in the production of phenolic acids by adding phenylalanine to the culture medium. Three in vitro methods, which depend on different mechanisms, were used for assessing the antioxidant activity of the extract: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil (DPPH), reducing power and Fe chelating activity assays. The extract showed moderate activity both in the DPPH and in the reducing power assays (IC = 1.

In Vitro Cultures of Some Medicinal Plant Species ( × , , , and ) as a Rich Potential Source of Antioxidants-Evaluation by CUPRAC and QUENCHER-CUPRAC Assays.

Comparative estimations of the antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from biomasses of different types of in vitro cultures of , and and also from plant raw materials were performed. The antioxidant measurements were based on the modern assays-cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and quick, easy, new, cheap, and reproducible CUPRAC (QUENCHER-CUPRAC). The total extractable antioxidants (CUPRAC assay) ranged from 10.

Fermented Vinegars from Apple Peels, Raspberries, Rosehips, Lavender, Mint, and Rose Petals: The Composition, Antioxidant Power, and Genoprotective Abilities in Comparison to Acetic Macerates, Decoctions, and Tinctures.

Acetic fermentation is a method for processing plant material which has been known since antiquity. Balsamic and apple cider vinegars are investigated as antibacterial, anti-obesity, and anti-diabetic remedies. However, there is little information about vinegars fermented from aromatic herbs and edible plants.

L. (Woad): A Review of its Botany, Ethnobotanical Uses, Phytochemistry, Biological Activities, and Biotechnological Studies.

L. (Brassicaceae), which is commonly known as woad, is a species with an ancient and well-documented history as an indigo dye and medicinal plant. Currently, is utilized more often as medicinal remedy and also as a cosmetic ingredient.

The impact of media composition on production of flavonoids in agitated shoot cultures of the three L. cultivars 'Elixir,' 'Helos,' and 'Topas'.

The aims of the study were to evaluate the effect of media composition on the growth potential and morphology of the cultured biomass of three cultivars of , and on the production of flavonoids. Agitated shoot cultures were maintained in parallel on Linsmaier and Skoog (LS) and Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 0.1-3.

Influence of Culture Medium Composition and Light Conditions on the Accumulation of Bioactive Compounds in Shoot Cultures of Scutellaria lateriflora L. (American Skullcap) Grown In Vitro.

Methanolic extracts from in vitro grown Scutellaria lateriflora shoots cultured on five Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium variants supplemented with different combinations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) under different light conditions (monochromatic light, white light and no light) were analysed by HPLC for three groups of metabolites: flavonoids (26 compounds), phenolic acids and their precursors (19+2) and phenylethanoid glycosides (2). The analyses revealed the presence of baicalein, baicalin, wogonin, wogonoside, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and verbascoside. There was clear evidence of the influence of plant growth regulators and light conditions on the accumulation of the analysed groups of secondary metabolites.

S-sulfhydration as a cellular redox regulation.

For many years reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) have been recognized as key messengers in the process of thiol-based redox regulation. Relatively recently, literature reports began to mention reactive sulfur species (RSS) and their role in thiol regulation. This review is focused on biogenesis and biological properties of RSS, including: hydropersulfides, polysulfides and hydrogen sulfide (H2S).

Comparative analysis of therapeutically important indole compounds in in vitro cultures of Hypericum perforatum cultivars by HPLC and TLC analysis coupled with densitometric detection.

Five indole compounds (5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan, L-tryptophan, indole-3-acetic acid, melatonin, serotonin) and hypericin were identified and quantified in methanolic extracts of shoot cultures of three Hypericum perforatum cultivars (Helos, Elixir, Topas) growing on two variants of Murashige -Skoog medium differing in concentrations of growth regulators (naphthalene-l-acetic acid and 6-benzylaminopurine). Extracts of the aboveground parts of field-grown plants (Hyperici herba) were also analyzed by HPLC and TLC analysis coupled with densitometric detection. Determination of four compounds was based on our assay described earlier.

Arbutin production via biotransformation of hydroquinone in in vitro cultures of Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliott.

Arbutin (hydroquinone β-D-glucoside) is a compound of plant origin possessing valuable therapeutic (urinary tract disinfection) and cosmetic (skin whitening) properties, which can be obtained from in vitro cultures of plants belonging to different taxa via biotransformation of exogenously supplemented hydroquinone. Agitating cultures of Aronia melanocarpa were maintained on the Murashige and Skoog medium containing growth regulators: the cytokinin - BAP (6-benzylaminopurine), 2 mg/l and the auxin NAA (α-naphthaleneacetic acid), 2 mg/l. The biomass was cultured for 2 weeks and then hydroquinone was supplemented at the following doses: 96, 144, 192, 288 and 384 mg/l either undivided or divided into two or three portions added at 24-hour intervals.

In vivo anti-inflammatory activity of lipoic acid derivatives in mice.

Background: In mammals lipoic acid (LA) and its reduced form dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) function as cofactors for multienzymatic complexes catalyzing the decarboxylation of α-ketoacids. Moreover, LA is used as a drug in a variety of diseases including inflammatory diseases. The aim of the study was to examine anti-inflammatory properties of LA metabolites.

Acceleration of anaerobic cysteine transformations to sulfane sulfur consequent to γ-glutamyl transpeptidase inhibition.

Toxicity of drugs and radiation in the cells is largely dependent on the level of thiols. In the present studies, an attempt has been made to inhibit γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γGT) activity in EAT-bearing animals tissue. We have expected that administration of γGT inhibitors: acivicin and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (TIQ) may influence GSH/γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γGT) system in the regulation of cysteine concentration and anaerobic cysteine metabolism in normal and cancer cells.

The effects of garlic-derived sulfur compounds on cell proliferation, caspase 3 activity, thiol levels and anaerobic sulfur metabolism in human hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells.

The aim of the present studies was to determine whether the mechanism of biological action of garlic-derived sulfur compounds in human hepatoma (HepG2) cells can be dependent on the presence of labile sulfane sulfur in their molecules. We investigated the effect of allyl sulfides from garlic: monosulfide, disulfide and trisulfide on cell proliferation and viability, caspase 3 activity and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) production in HepG2 cells. In parallel, we also examined the influence of the previously mentioned compounds on the levels of thiols, glutathione, cysteine and cysteinyl-glycine, and on the level of sulfane sulfur and the activity of its metabolic enzymes: rhodanese, 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase and cystathionase.

Effects of different garlic-derived allyl sulfides on peroxidative processes and anaerobic sulfur metabolism in mouse liver.

Biological activity of garlic has been attributed to organosulfur compounds, most of all to oil-soluble allyl sulfides, such as diallyl sulfide (DAS), diallyl disulfide (DADS) and diallyl trisulfide (DATS). This study evaluated the effectiveness of garlic-derived allyl sulfides in influencing peroxidative processes, levels of thiols and sulfane sulfur and its metabolic enzymes in normal mouse liver cells. Various allyl sulfides (DAS, DADS and DATS) dissolved in corn oil were given intraperitoneally to mice for 10 days.

Effects of aspirin on the levels of hydrogen sulfide and sulfane sulfur in mouse tissues.

This study was designed to investigate the effect of aspirin (ASA) on anaerobic cysteine metabolism, which yields sulfane sulfur-containing compounds and hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S), in mouse liver and brain. In order to solve this problem, we determined the levels of sulfane sulfur and H(2)S, and the activities of cystathionase, the enzyme directly engaged in H(2)S synthesis, and rhodanese, the enzyme that catalyzes sulfane sulfur transfer to different acceptors. Moreover, we examined the effect of ASA on glial Gomori-positive cells (GGPC) in the brain that contain sulfur-rich glial Gomori-positive material (GGPM).

The effect of nitroglycerin tolerance on oxidative stress and anaerobic sulfur metabolism in rat tissues.

The present results indicated that tolerance to nitroglycerin (glycerin trinitrate, GTN) increased the hepatic and renal level of reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, and glutathione peroxidase (PO(x)) and decreased superoxide dismutase activity, whereas non-protein thiols remained unchanged in both organs. In the liver (but not in the kidney) glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase and rhodanese activities decreased and the sulfane sulfur level also dropped. Unlike in the liver, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gammaGT) activity in the kidney declined.

Biological properties of garlic and garlic-derived organosulfur compounds.

Medicinal properties of garlic (Allium sativum) have been widely known and used since ancient times till the present. Garlic enhances immune functions and has antibacterial, antifungal and antivirus activities. It is known to prevent platelet aggregation, and to have hypotensive and cholesterol- and triglyceride-lowering properties, although the latter features have been questioned.

Biological actions of lipoic acid associated with sulfane sulfur metabolism.

This work aimed to investigate the effect of lipoic acid (LA) on sulfane sulfur (S(*)) level and rhodanese activity in rat tissues. In vitro studies conduced so far have indicated that dihydrolipoic acid serves as an S(*) acceptor in the rhodanese-catalyzed S(*) transfer. This study revealed a significant increase in S(*) level and rhodanese activity in the heart, liver and kidney homogenates from rats that had previously been treated intraperitoneally with LA.

Nephroprotective effect of cystathionine is due to its diverse action on the kidney and Ehrlich ascites tumor cells.

Tumor cells, unlike normal cells, are characterized by trace cystathionase (CST) activity and sulfane sulfur levels. The present studies aimed to established whether cystathionine (CT), a substrate of cystathionase, can selectively influence the thiol-dependent antioxidant power of the kidney and Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT). CT treatment reversed the changes in renal concentrations of non-protein thiols (NPSH), reactive oxygen species (ROS), sulfane sulfur and activities of rhodanese, cystathionase and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in tumor-bearing mice, which returned to the level observed in healthy animals.