-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Obesity and overweight are associated with atherosclerosis, fatty liver, hyperlipemia, diabetes mellitus, and various types of cancer. The global prevalence of overweight and obesity has reached epidemic proportions. Here, we investigated the effect of Tamarindus indica pulp aqueous extract (TIE) in diet-induced obese Sprague-Dawley rats. The animals were divided into five groups and labeled as follows: the normal control (NC) group received normal diet; the positive control (PC) group received high-fat diet; and the TIE 5, 25, and 50 groups, after the induction of obesity via a high-fat diet, received TIE at 5, 25, or 50 mg/kg orally for 10 weeks. It was observed that TIE decreased the levels of plasma total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride, and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL), with the concomitant reduction of body weight. Moreover, TIE decreased plasma leptin and reduced fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity and enhanced the efficiency of the antioxidant defense system. TIE exhibits antiobesity effects, as indicated by a significant reduction in adipose tissue weights, as well as lowering the degree of hepatic steatosis in the obesity-induced rats. The extract possesses hepatoprotective activity, as it reversed the plasma liver enzymes level elevation prior to the high-fat diet. In conclusion, TIE improved obesity-related parameters in blood, liver, and adipose tissue in a rat model and suppressed obesity induced by a high-fat diet, possibly by regulating lipid metabolism and lowering plasma leptin and FAS levels. A dose-dependant effect of TIE is detected, where TIE at 50 mg/kg showed the most prominent effect, followed by TIE at 25 mg/kg and, subsequently, 5 mg/kg.
Journal of Natural Medicines 04/2012; 66(2):333-42. · 1.39 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The essential oils from the leaves and rhizomes of Alpinia pahangensis Ridl., collected from Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia, were obtained by hydrodistillation, and their chemical compositions were determined by GC and GC/MS analyses. The major components of the rhizome oil were γ-selinene (11.60%), β-pinene (10.87%), (E,E)-farnesyl acetate (8.65%), and α-terpineol (6.38%), while those of the leaf oil were β-pinene (39.61%), α-pinene (7.55%), and limonene (4.89%). The investigation of the antimicrobial activity of the essential oils using the broth microdilution technique revealed that the rhizome oil of A. pahangensis inhibited five Staphylococcus aureus strains with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values between 0.08 and 0.31 μg/μl, and four selected fungi with MIC values between 1.25 and 2.50 μg/μl.
Chemistry & Biodiversity 04/2011; 8(4):668-73. · 1.80 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Ten compounds isolated from Alpinia mutica Roxb., Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. and Kaempferia rotunda Linn. (Family: Zingiberaceae) were investigated for their platelet-activating factor (PAF) antagonistic activities on rabbit platelets using 3H-PAF as a ligand. Among them, four compounds showed significant inhibitory effects. Alpinetin and 5,6-dehydrokawain isolated from A. mutica exhibited IC50 values of 41.6 and 59.3 microM, respectively. The IC50 values of 3-deacetylcrotepoxide and 2-hydroxy-4,4',6'-trimethoxychalcone from K. rotunda were 45.6 and 57.4 microM, respectively. 1-Methoxy-2-methyl-5-(1',5'-dimethylhex-4'-enyl)-benzene, synthesized by methylation of xanthorrhizol which was obtained from C. xanthorrhiza, showed an IC50 value of 40.9 microM. The results indicated that these compounds were relatively strong PAF receptor binding inhibitors.
Phytotherapy Research 01/2005; 18(12):1005-7. · 2.09 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Rubraxanthone and isocowanol isolated from Garcinia parvifolia Miq. were investigated for their inhibitory effects on platelet-activating factor (PAF) binding to rabbit platelets using 3H-PAF as a ligand. Rubraxanthone showed a strong inhibition with IC 50 value of 18.2 microM. The IC 50 values of macluraxanthone, 6-deoxyjacareubin, 2-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)-1,3,5-trihydroxyxanthone, 2-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)-1,3,5,6-tetrahydroxyxanthone and 1,3,5-trihydroxy-6,6'-dimethylpyrano(2',3':6,7)-4-(1,1-dimethylprop-2-enyl)-xanthone were also determined for comparison. In the course of our study on structure-activity relationship of xanthones, the results revealed that a geranyl group substituted at C-8 was beneficial to the binding while a hydroxylated prenyl group at C-4 resulted in a significant loss in binding to the PAF receptor.
Planta Medica 01/2003; 68(12):1133-4. · 2.15 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The essential oils from the dried leaves, pseudostems and rhizomes of Alpinia conchigera Griff. (KL 5049), collected from Jeli province of Kelantan, east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, were isolated by hydrodistillation. The collected oils were analyzed by capillary GC and GC–MS. Forty one compounds were identified, among which 13 have not been detected previously. The leaf, pseudostem and rhizome oils afforded 40, 33 and 39 constituents, respectively. The most abundant components in the leaf oil included β-bisabolene (15.3%), β-pinene (8.2%), β-sesquiphellandrene (7.6%), chavicol (7.5%) and β-elemene (6.0%), while β-bisabolene (19.9%), β-sesquiphellandrene (11.3%), β-caryophyllene (8.8%) and β-elemene (4.7%) were the main components in the pseudostem. In the rhizome, 1,8-cineole (17.9%), β-bisabolene (13.9%), β-sesquiphellandrene (6.8%) and β-elemene (4.0%) were the major components. The essential oils were also subjected to antifungal and antibacterial tests, using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. Results revealed weak inhibitions against the microorganisms tested.
Food Chemistry. 113(2):575-577.
