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Ornamental plants have been used until now only for the beauty and design of rooms. Nowadays, however, the need to find treatment alternatives for the wide range of existing ailments is on the rise, which has led to the broadening of the spectrum in terms of plants, ornamental plants coming into the view of modern researchers. This work is a review type that brings to light the ornamental plant from the Agavaceae family, the plant called Sansevieria trifasciata. This review summarizes important information about the Sansevieria trifasciata plant, namely its spread, botanical characterization, its history, but also information about the most appropriate methods of formulating the plant extract, its chemical composition and its use in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stellaria media of the plant family Caryophyllaceae, is a promising herb due to its phytochemical composition and its biological effect, such antioxidant capacity and reduction of obesity.From the point of view of phytochemicals composition, the S. media is composed of phenols such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. The aim of our study was to find a method to encapsulate of S. media extract using alginate matrix beads and to monitor the released efficiency from the matrix in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. Alginate is a polymer with a three-dimensional network resistant to acid pH but allows the penetration into the network of hydrophilic molecules at alkaline pH. The size, shape and procedure of the extract incorporation into the sodium alginate microcapsules were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and byoptical microscope images. Our results demonstrated that the method development for the encapsulation of S. media extract is a suitable method to obtain gastro-resistant microcapsules and controlled release in the intestine.

In this paper, the Stellaria media plant, which is part of the Caryophyllaceae family, is highlighted from the point of view of its chemical composition through qualitative and quantitative methods such as Folin-Ciocalteu and HPLC-DAD_ESI for highlighting the total phenols. The biomedical properties were also tested, such as the antioxidant capacity through the DPPH and TEAC methods, the antimicrobial capacity compared to different antibiotics on E. coli and S. aureus, but also the cicatrizing capacity in vitro on normal human dermal fibroblast-type cells of the plant extract under two forms of application (extract 1 mg/ml respectively its liposomal form) compared to the positive control (liposomes without extract included and 50 mg/ml alanine) and negative control (untreated in vitro simulated wound). To be able to apply the liposomal formula with included extract on NHDF cells, liposomes were formulated using cholesterol and phosphatidylserine in a ratio of 2:3 by the lipid film hydration method (with phosphate buffer pH 7.6). The liposomal formula was characterized by microscopy, DLS analysis, and Extract Inclusion Efficiency (EE%). Last but not least, the samples applied to highlight the cicatrizing effect were tested by the MTS method regarding their toxicity on fibroblast cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to highlight the importance of phytochemical-based formulations in the treatment of wounds with different etiologies, avoiding the possible side effects generated by conventional treatments. We present the preparation method of novel topical formulations (cream, ointment, and hydrogel) based on mixed extracts of Ocimum basilicum and Tifolium pratense along with evidence of their antimicrobial and antioxidant effect in vitro. The anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties of the new formulations were evaluated against different chronic inflammatory processes by presenting three clinical cases of chronic skin diseases. The clinical cases presented in our study revealed good outcomes of the cream formulation in the case of dyshidrotic eczema, ointment formulation in the case of hypertrophic scar, and hydrogel formulation in the case of psoriasis lesions. The best effect was noticed after 6 days of topical application of hydrogel on psoriatic plaques, resulting in a significant reduction of erythematous plaques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Farmacia is the property of Societatea de Stiinte Farmaceutice Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Farmacia is the property of Societatea de Stiinte Farmaceutice Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the present study, three indigenous species of Solidago genus (Solidago gigantea, Solidago virgaurea and Solidago canadensis) have been analyzed for the assessment of polyphenolic, phenyl propane derivates and essential oil contents. In addition, a comparative morphological study was also described. The leaves and the flowers of the three Solidago species were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The qualitative and quantitative characterizations of the main polyphenolic compounds from the hydrolyzed extracts were carried out by using high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (HPLC-UV), high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the essential oil determination. The dominant flavonoidic aglycone found for all three species was quercetol with its highest concentration registered in Solidago canadensis. Four components, α-pinene, mircene, bornyl acetate and germacrene D, were detected in all the analyzed samples of essential oils. According to the comparative morphological analysis, morphoanatomical differences were observed for the tryhomes, stomata and flowers of the studied Romanian Solidago species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Farmacia is the property of Societatea de Stiinte Farmaceutice Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Because of the extended use of plant derived drugs (Tǎmaş, 1995), we studied some plant extracts and substances obtained from plants (Tǎmaş et al., 1978 et al., Tǎmaş et al., 1983). Natural drugs are used on an extended basis because of limited secondary effects and adverse reactions. In our present paper we tested the action of saponins obtained from Anagalis arvensis (Boiteanu et all, 1964, Glombitza and Kurth, 1987, Amoros and Girre, 1987) on the growth of meristems of Triticum sp. and cellular division. Tests with saponins obtained from Anagalis arvensis inhibit the growth of Triticum sp. meristems, and cellular division, concluding that these saponins may be included in the antimitotic medication group (Schonfelder and Schonfelder, 2004). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Besides the three Solidago species cited by the Romanian Flora IX: S. virgaurea L, S. canadensis L. and S. gigantea Ait., Negrean G. reported the fourth species in 1975: S. graminifolia (L.) Salisb., found near the city of Baia Mare. In 2012, a second habitat has been reported for S. graminifolia in Cluj county. Due to the fact that this species was not chemically investigated until today, we performed a comparative phytochemical analysis of flavonoids from the following species: S. gigantea, S. canadensis, S. graminifolia., and S. virgaurea. Material and methods: The performed phytochemical analysis consisted in UV-VIS spectrophotometry, TLC and HPLC-MS methods. Results: The content of total flavonoids in Solidago species was found to be significant: 5.21% in S. canadensis (maximal) and 3.44% in S. graminifolia (minimal). The qualitative analysis showed that S. graminifolia was the only species that did not contain rutoside and S. virgaurea was the only species that did not contain quercitroside. The presence or absence of these compounds represents a valuable chemical feature for the identification of possible adulterations of Solidago species. Conclusions: The performed analysis revealed a chemical resemblance between S. graminifolia, S. canadensis and S.gigantea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the literature, there are some data which indicate that benzodiazepines and other chemical compounds with the same mechanism of action (Diazepam, Chlordiazepoxide, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, etc.) also have other effects. We investigated the effects of experimental chronic inflammation under the administration of some tranquilizers and hypnotics on peripheral algesia induced in rats by "writhing test". Chronic inflammation was induced by "cotton wool granuloma" technique. The "writhing test" consisted in intraperitoneal injection of an irritant agent (acetic acid 0.0025%, 0.4 mL). The animal reacts with a characteristic stretching behavior called writhing. A writhe is indicated by stretching of the abdomen with simultaneous stretching of at least one hind limb. Then, the animals were placed individually into glass beakers and 5 minutes were allowed to elapse. The rats were then observed for a period of 10 minutes and the number of writhes is recorded for each animal. Three drugs were administered by gastric probe: Alprazolam 1 mg/kg, Zolpidem 10 mg/kg and Zopiclone 10 mg/kg. Alprazolam is a triazolobenzodiazepine derivative used as a tranquilizer. Zolpidem is an imidazopyridine with marked sedative-hypnotic effect and it has the same mechanism of action like benzodiazepines. Zopiclone is a cyclopyrrolone with sedative-hypnotic effect used as hypnotic and acts like benzodiazepines. After that, the animals were sacrificed and the weight of cotton wool granuloma was determined. In the same time, the histopatological aspect of granulomatous inflammation was studied. It was found that experimental proliferative inflammation under the action of these drugs was accompanied by a peripheral analgesic activity in "writhing test". The mechanisms of these effects are not fully elucidated. Some explanations are: they act as agonists or antagonists on algesia and inflammation mediators and they have a stimulating effect on peripheral ω3-benzodiazepine receptors ("peripheral-type" receptors).