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In the present study, mechanical and chemical properties of the bioglass-ceramic/gelatin composite scaffolds were investigated. The reinforcing particles were synthesized using the sol-gel method in SiO2–CaO–P2O5 systems. The composite scaffolds were also fabricated through solvent casting and freeze-drying routes. The effect of the chemical composition of the synthesized particles and temperature of the heat treatment process on the mechanical and chemical properties of the bioglass containing scaffolds were investigated in detail. Two different coverages, namely gelatin-glutaraldehyde and silica, were utilized for covering the composite scaffolds. According to the X-ray diffraction results, heat-treating the particles at 1100 °C caused the crystallization of the Ca3(PO4)2 phase. Based on the three-point flexural test results, the final mechanical strength of the gelatin-glutaraldehyde-covered scaffolds ranged between 2 and 4 MPa. Covering the composite scaffolds with the silica coverage remarkably increased the final strength values ranging between 12 and 18 MPa. The in vitro cell-based experiment results indicate the cytocompatibility of the scaffolds when they are incubated with dental pulp stem cells. Also, the presence of the silica coverage on the scaffolds increased the viability of the stem cells in comparison with the gelatin-glutaraldehyde-covered scaffolds. Furthermore, evaluation of the bioactivity behavior of the scaffolds showed that the Ca2SiO4 phase was formed on the surface of the samples from 7 to 21 days of immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF). The morphology of the mineralized phase on the surface of the scaffolds changed from Cauliflower to rod-like nodules by changing the type of scaffold coverage from gelatin-glutaraldehyde to silica after immersion in SBF media. Altogether, the bioglass-ceramic/gelatin composite scaffolds could have a promising role in bone tissue engineering application.

Granulation method in the mixture of oil, water, and polymer was used to synthesize HA/βTCP porous nano-powders. The effects of different types of polymeric-substrate, drying process, and thermal heat-treatment on the crystallization process of calcium phosphate nano-particles were studied. As-synthesized particles were treated with different chemical surface agents to improve their surface charge, cell growth, and cell adhesion properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analyses were employed to explore the phase composition and specific surface area of synthesized powders, respectively. Results showed that the presence of oil in PVA/oil system results in crystallization of mesoporous HA/βTCP particles with the surface area of 93 cm2/g, while using gelatin/oil mixture leads to crystallization of pure HA nano-particles with the surface area of 115 cm2/g. Using Rietveld method, the amounts of HA/βTCP and amorphous phases in the oven-dried PVA substrated powders after heat-treatment were calculated as about 65, 13, and 22 wt%, respectively. Interfacial tension energy (IFT) results indicated that PVA could reduce interfacial tension energy of oil/water mixture from 21.6 mN/m to 7.0 mN/m. The ZETA potential measurements showed that using 25 wt% of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as surface modifier could increase zeta values from −21 ± 1 to −42 ± 1 mV. According to cell viability results, synthesized powder in the presence of oil/PVA, which was then modified by 25 wt% of TEOS, did not cause toxicity. Using Alizarin Red S staining quantification assay, it was found that after modification by TEOS, bone-nodule formation was enhanced by 25%. Furthermore, cell adhesion of the TEOS-modified surface was found to be significantly higher than that of non-modified one. Altogether, granulation method successfully led to improvement of synthesized porous HA/βTCP nanoparticles' physio-chemical properties.

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) has been introduced as a potential promising natural antioxidant with anti-obesity properties. In Persian Medicine, saffron has been used to control appetite and obesity.The present study aims to investigate the effect of saffron and its bioactive compounds on adipocyte differentiation in human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs).Flow-Cytometric analysis was performed to quantify the cell surface markers. The extracts cytotoxicity on hASCs was measured using alamarBlue® assay whereas their activities against adipocyte differentiation were studied using Oil Red O staining. The level of Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), Fatty Acid Synthetase (FAS), and Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPHD) which are key proteins in cell differentiation was investigated by western blot analysis.Flow-cytometry revealed the mesenchymal stem cells markers, CD44 and CD90, on ADSCs surface. The saffron, crocin, and crocetin significantly inhibited adipocyte differentiation while saffron up to 20 μg/mL and crocin, crocetin and safranal up to 20 μM did not exhibit cytotoxicity. The western blotting analysis revealed a remarkable reduction in the level of PPARγ, GAPDH, and FAS proteins by 10 and 20 μM of crocin and 2.5 and 5 μM of crocetin.It seems that saffron, crocin, and crocetin could efficiently inhibit the differentiation of hASCs with benefits for the treatment and prevention of obesity.

Auraptene (AUR) is a bioactive antioxidant coumarin with valuable pharmacological properties; however, poor water solubility is a substantial issue for the topical application of AUR. Therefore, we sought to prepare solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) containing AUR (AUR-SLNs) to enhance its anti-inflammatory effect. The prepared formulations were optimized by applying the response surface method. Furthermore, AUR-SLNs were compared to conventional cream containing AUR regarding both the permeation rate of the nanoparticles and the anti-inflammatory effect through both in vitro and in vivo studies. Particle size and entrapment efficiency of the optimized formulation were 140.9 ± 3.55 nm and 84.11% ± 3.30, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the nanoparticles were spherical. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis demonstrated no drug-lipid incompatibility in the formulation. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra revealed the amorphous state of AUR and the encapsulation of this agent in SLNs. The in vitro permeation studies exhibited that AUR-SLNs could significantly enhance cutaneous uptake of AUR and skin targeting. The anti-inflammatory and histopathological studies exhibited no significant differences between AUR-SLNs and indomethacin. AUR-SLNs did not induce skin sensitization in guinea pigs. The results suggest that SLNs could be appropriate carriers for the topical application of AUR as a natural anti-inflammatory agent.

Tropical diseases such as leishmaniosis constitute a major health concern in developing countries. Multiresistance of pathogens against classical antibiotics is a growing problem in treating infectious diseases. Thus, the search for new antibiotics is an urgent challenge. Helichrysum spp., mainly distributed in African countries, have been used in traditional and folk medicine for the treatment of several disorders including infectious diseases such as protozoal problems. In an ongoing project on the beneficial effects of Helichrysum spp., we aim to investigate and compare the anti-protozoal activities and phytochemical components of Helichrysum oligocephalum DC. and Helichrysum leucocephalum Ausfeld. Previously, we discovered pyrone and phloroglucinol derivatives as the active anti-protozoal components in Helichrysum oocephalum Boiss. [IC50 values 5.08 µg/mL and 4.01 µg/mL against Leishmania donovani and Plasmodium falciparum, respectively for dichloromethane (DCM) fraction]. As the former plants also showed similar activities to some extent [IC50 values 5.19 µg/mL and 5.42 µg/mL against L. donovani and P. falciparum respectively for DCM fraction of H. oligocephalum, IC50 value 3.8 µg/mL against P. falciparum for DCM fraction of H. leucocephalum], we decided to compare the metabolite profiles of those plants with H. oocephalum for dereplication purposes. A sensitive method coupling high-performance liquid chromatography with a photodiode-array detector (PDA) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS) was optimized for separation and metabolite profiling. The LC-ESIMS metabolite profiles of the fractions from the plants were compared by applying a two-step workflow using an ACD/MS workbook suite add-in, and data clustering on an open-source web platform freeclust. The metabolites were identified by NMR and LC-PDA-ESIMS techniques. The metabolites can be categorized into major types namely flavonoids, phenolic acids, pyrone, and phloroglucinol derivatives. Phloroglucinol derivatives were mainly present in DCM fractions. DCM extract of H. oligocephalum showed the most similar profile to our previously studied extract of H. oocephalum and seems to be even much richer in pyrone and phloroglucinol derivatives. The data could emphasize the potential of Helichrysum spp. for the treatment of infectious diseases. However, more studies on the other species around the world are needed to have a much better insight.

Salvia is the largest genus of the Lamiaceae family, with over 900 species in the world which about 60 species are distributed in Iran, 17 of them are endemic. In Iran, Salvia species have been used to treat various diseases with a wide spectrum of pharmacological activity in vitro and in vivo. The present review summarizes the phytochemistry and pharmacology of medicinal Iranian Salvia species in order to describe their therapeutic potential for a range of diseases. . Phytochemical investigations reveal that the Iranian Salvia has a varied range of metabolites including terpenoids, flavonoids and phenolic acids. The most important pharmacological activities are antidiabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory. Iranian Salvia traditionally used as carminatives, analgesics, digestive aids, antiseptics, sedative, anxiolytic, hypnotic, pain reduction and antidiabetic. Among the endemic species, the most interesting for human health are treating a variety of diseases.

Introduction Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative desease marked by destruction of dopaminergic neurons. Lavandula officinalis (Lavender) has been widely used in traditional medicine to relieve CNS diseases and mental disorders. In the present study, protective effect of L. officinalis was studied against the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in PC12 cell line as a model of PD neural injury. Methods PC12 cells were treated with methanol extract of L. officinalis for 24 h, then they were treated with 6-OHDA (200 μM) for 24 h. The cell viability, the rate of apoptosis, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and proteins involved in apoptosis were quantified using western blots analysis. Results While 6-OHDA significantly increased cytotoxicity (p Conclusions L. officinalis significantly reduced ROS, cell apoptosis (0.5–5 μg/ml) and Bax/Bcl-2 and pERK/ERK ratio which supports its neuroprotective activities. Therefore, L. officinalis may exert beneficial effect in minimizing the cell injury occurs in neurodegenerative diseases, including PD. Further studies will be required to detect the most potent active neuroprotective components of the extract.

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. armeniaca revealed 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. Keywords: Artemisia armeniaca, Asteraceae, Leukemic cell lines, Apoptosis