The Effect of an Aqueous Extract of Teucrium polium on Glutathione Homeostasis In Vitro: A Possible Mechanism of Its Hepatoprotectant Action.

Background. Teucrium polium is used in Arab traditional medicine to treat liver diseases. Glutathione is an important intracellular antioxidant, and intrahepatic glutathione levels are depleted in liver diseases.

The evolutionary theories of aging revisited--a mini-review.

This short review portrays the evolutionary theories of aging in the light of the existing discoveries from genomic and molecular genetic studies on aging and longevity. At the outset, an historical background for the development of the evolutionary theories of aging is presented through the works of August Weismann (programmed death and the germ plasm theories) including his exceptional theoretical postulation, later experimentally validated by the existence of cell division limits. Afterwards, the theory of mutation accumulation of Peter Medawar and the theory modification by Charlesworth (late-life mortality plateau) are presented as well as the antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis of George Williams, and the disposable soma theory of Kirkwood and Holliday.

Exercise and immobilization in aging animals: the involvement of oxidative stress and NF-kappaB activation.

In the early 1980s, the concept of threshold of age in exercise and aging was proposed. In several studies it was shown that subjecting young animals to short periods of moderate to intense exercise improved the biochemical and morphological status of their skeletal muscles. This was not the case for old animals subjected to the same exercise regimens.

Risk factors for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization in a geriatric rehabilitation hospital.

Background: Knowledge of the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization, and the frequency of transmission is vital for the implementation of MRSA infection control measures in hospitals. We assessed risk factors for and rates of colonization of MRSA upon admission to a geriatric rehabilitation hospital, and studied the contribution of the colonization on hospital mortality.

Methods: This was a prospective study conducted over a 6-month period.

Aqueous extracts of Teucrium polium possess remarkable antioxidant activity in vitro.

Teucrium polium L. (Lamiaceae) (RDC 1117) is a medicinal plant whose species have been used for over 2000 years in traditional medicine due to its diuretic, diaphoretic, tonic, antipyretic, antispasmodic and cholagogic properties. The therapeutic benefit of medicinal plants is often attributed to their antioxidant properties.

Fertilization-induced changes in growth parameters and antioxidant activity of medicinal plants used in traditional Arab medicine.

In response to increased popularity and greater demand for medicinal plants, a number of conservation groups are recommending that wild medicinal plants be brought into cultivation systems. We collected four medicinal herbs Cichorium pumilum, Eryngium creticum, Pistacia palaestina and Teucrium polium used in traditional Arab medicine for greenhouse cultivation to assess the effects of different fertilization regimes on their growth and antioxidant activity. Wild seedlings were collected and fertilized with either 100% Hoagland solution, 50% Hoagland solution, 20% Hoagland solution or irrigated with tap water.

Ursodeoxycholic acid and superoxide anion.

Aim: To investigate the ability of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) to scavenge superoxide anion (O(2)(-)).

Methods: We assessed the ability of UDCA to scavenge (O(2)(-)) generated by xanthine-xanthine oxidase (X-XO) in a cell-free system and its effect on the rate of O(2)(-)-induced ascorbic acid (AA) oxidation in hepatic post-mitochondrial supernatants.

Results: UDCA at a concentration as high as 1 mmol/L did not impair the ability of the X-XO system to generate O(2)(-), but could scavenge O(2)(-) at concentrations of 0.

The effects of aqueous extracts prepared from the leaves of Pistacia lentiscus in experimental liver disease.

In a previous study, we identified Pistacia lentiscus was worthy for further laboratory evaluation because an aqueous extract of the plant suppressed iron-induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver homogenates without affecting mitochondrial respiration in cultured HepG2 and PC12 cells. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of an aqueous extract prepared from the dried leaves of Pistacia lentiscus in a rat model of hepatic injury caused by the hepatotoxin, thioacetamide. We assessed the impact of daily dosing on biochemical and morphological indices and the extent of oxidative stress in the livers of healthy and thioacetamide-treated rats.

Effect of interferon, ribavirin and ursodeoxycholic acid in patients with hepatitis C infection.

Background/aims: Combination therapy of interferon-alpha (IFNalpha) and the oral nucleoside analog, ribavirin is the standard treatment for individuals suffering from hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Several studies have shown combination therapy of IFN and antioxidants is therapeutically beneficial in these patients. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is a hydrophilic bile acid possessing antioxidant properties.

Antioxidant activity of Crataegus aronia aqueous extract used in traditional Arab medicine in Israel.

Background: The medicinal use of extracts prepared from plant parts of the genus Crataegus dates back to ancient times. Furthermore, it has been proposed that its antioxidant constituents account for its beneficial therapeutic effects. A decoction of leaves and unripe fruits from Crataegus aronia syn.

Antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity of eight plants used in traditional Arab medicine in Israel.

Ethnopharmacological surveys conducted among herbal practitioners of traditional Arab medicine in Israel and the Palestinian area have revealed a large number of indigenous plant species are used as sources of their herbal therapies. Some of these herbal therapies are used to treat liver disease, jaundice or diabetes, conditions in which oxidative stress is prominent. No laboratory data on the bioactivity of herbal medicines in these settings exist in traditional Arab medicine.

Cholemic transgenic mice: a novel animal model to investigate the effects of bile acids.

Introduction: Laboratory investigations into cholestatic liver disease and the effects of cholemia on organ function are long-standing subjects of scientific enquiry. A widely-used strategy to investigate these topics relies on animal-based research using experimental animal models. Targeted inactivation of the spgp gene, the gene responsible for expressing the bile salt export pump (BSEP) in the hepatocyte canalicular membrane impairs the canalicular secretion of bile salts resulting in systemic cholemia.