Zahra Tayarani-Najaran

Mashhad University of Medical Sciences | MUMS · Pharmacological Research Center of Medicinal Plants

Objectives: Neobaicalein is one of the rich plant flavonoids isolated from the roots of Scutellaria spp. In this study, we evaluated and compared cytotoxic activity and the related apoptosis mechanisms of neobaicalein from Scutellaria litwinowii Bornm. & Sint. ex Bornm on apoptosis-proficient HL-60 cells and apoptosis-resistant K562 cells. Materi...

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental polluter and toxic heavy metal which is carcinogenic for humans. The exposure of humans to Cd is through ingestion and inhalation. Betanin is a betalain component in the root of red beets and it has strong anti-oxidant, anti-apoptosis, and anti-inflammatory properties. In the current article, the protective effect o...

Zearalenone, an estrogenic mycotoxin, is widely exists in rice and agricultural products. Zearalenone has side effects on animal’s reproduction and immunologic functions. Moreover, it can stimulate the proliferation of MCF-7 cells through estrogenic effects. The aim of this research is to understand the interactive effect of zearalenone and bioacti...

Introduction Background: This study aimed to investigate the trehalose-induced alterations in serum expression levels of miRNAs associated with vascular inflammation in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) in order to evaluate the effectiveness of intravenous (IV) trehalose administration in reducing arterial wall inflammation. Material and...

Inhibition of adipocyte differentiation would be a key strategy to control obesity. Human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are a promising tool for adipocyte differentiation research. Thymoquinone (TQ) as a potent antioxidant molecule may inhibit adipocyte differentiation. Herein, we aim to investigate the inhibitory effect of TQ on lipid...

Cytotoxic activities of methanolic crude extract of Stachys parviflora (Lamiaceae family) and its sub-fractions were primarily evaluated against human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and prostate (PC3) cell lines. The methanolic extract exhibited the highest activity, and was chosen for the isolation procedure. Four diterpenoid quinone...

Background: In-stent restenosis (ISR) is an important clinical complication that occurs following stent implantation. The application of drug-eluting stents (DES) and even consumption of drugs such as antiplatelet agents and statins are not completely effective in reducing ISR risk. Since the number of these patients continues to rise, it is pivot...

Alpha-bisabolol (α-bisabolol), an unsaturated monocyclic sesquiterpene alcohol, is known as one of the "most-used herbal constituents" in the world. Various therapeutic and biological properties of α-bisabolol in preventing oxidative stress, inflammatory disorders, infections, neurodegenerative diseases, cancers, and metabolic disorders have been r...

Objective: In recent years, fractionated irradiation protocols, rather than a simple plan of exposure, have been proposed as a more effective method in the field of tissue regeneration. Thus, this study aimed at a comparative analysis of single versus double irradiation of an 808-nm diode laser, in terms of dental pulp stem cells' (DPSCs) viability...

Background: Hyperpigmentation is darkened patches or spots on the skin occurred by increased melanin. Undecylenoyl phenylalanine (Sepiwhite®), as a commercial lipophilic derivative of phenylalanine, is a powerful new brightener that can be used in the treatment of skin pigmentation disorders. Aims: Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) increase the e...

Background Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) of humans show a high ability to proliferate and differentiate. Therefore, due to their reproducibility and multi-linear differentiation, they are used in various fields, including tissue engineering and regenerative drugs. Introduction One of the most important technologies in controlling drug release is...

Abstract Background Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) of humans show a high ability to proliferate and differentiate. Therefore, due to their reproducibility and multi-linear differentiation, they are used in various fields, including tissue engineering and regenerative drugs. Introduction One of the most important technologies in controlling drug re...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to characterize the undecylenoyl phenylalanine (Sepiwhite (SEPI))-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) as a new antimelanogenesis compound. Methods: In this study, an optimized SEPI-NLC formulation was prepared and characterized for particle size, zeta potential, stability, and encapsulation efficiency. The...

Objective(s): Auraptene (AUR) is a monoterpene coumarin compound with several biological activities specifically anti-cancer. The bioavailability of AUR in biological fluids is negligible, thus, the cytotoxicity of this compound for the target cells is low. Herein, the synthesis of AUR-coated Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles is presented as a strategy to inc...

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...

Objectives: Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) can differentiate into functional neurons and have the potential for cell therapy in neurological diseases. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a glycoprotein family shown neuroprotective effect in models of nerve damage.we evaluated the protective effects of G-CSF, conditioned media from DPS...

Due to many therapeutic effects, Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is the most widely used spice around the world, including in Iran. Due to its potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, ginger may protect against neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we investigated the effects of 6-gingerol (the main bioactive compound in ginger) on 6-hydroxydopa...

Background: Obesity is one of the most important public health problems worldwide. Stem cells are primary cells capable of differentiating into different types of cells, and can be used to treat various diseases. Thymoquinone (TQ) has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-obesity properties. Herein, we aim to investigate the effect...

Sepiwhite is a novel anti‐pigmenting agent that is derived from fatty acid and phenylalanine and used for hyperpigmentation induced by light exposure or inflammation. In this study, a simple and validated HPLC method for quantitation of sepiwhite was developed. Optimized forced degradation of sepiwhite at thermal, acid/base, photolysis, oxidative a...

Crocus sativus L. (Iridaceae), known as saffron, is widely used as a coloring agent, food additive, and medicinal spice. Saffron can be beneficial for treating convulsions, tumors, oxidative-related diseases, inflammation, memory impairments, and depression. These effects are due to its chemical components like anthocyanins, flavonoids and terpenoi...

Objectives: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) extensively interact with cancer cells and other stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment. However, the role of MSCs in colorectal cancer (CRC) development and metastasis is controversial. Strong evidence demonstrated that conditioned medium (CM) obtained from MSCs regulates main cellular functions such...

A newly designed series of imidazolyl-methyl- l-2,4-thiazolidinediones 9 (a-m) were synthesized and In Silico studies were carried out to rationalize their anti-diabetic activity. Generally, all newly synthesized thiazolidinediones had anti-hyperglycemic activity compared with a diabetic-control group, without toxicity in 3T3 cells (viability ≥ 90%...

Auraptene is a bioactive monoterpene coumarin isolated from Citrus aurantium and Aegle marmelos that belong to the Rutaceae family. Auraptene can modulate intracellular signaling pathways that control cell growth, inflammation and apoptosis and can exert pharmacological properties such as anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, antileishmania and anti-oxidant...

Ethnopharmacological relevance Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with oxidative stress-induced neuronal damage and death. In European and Persian Traditional Medicine, aerial parts (leaves, stems, and flowers) of Lavandula stoechas L. have been widely used for treating neurodegenerative disorders including PD. Aim...

Dracocephalum moldavica L. is a significant component in the Iranian food basket. This study aimed to investigate the bioactive compounds and biological activities of different extracts obtained from D. moldavica aerial parts. From the aerial parts, a crude methanolic (MeOH) extract and its four sub-fractions, i.e. petroleum ether (Pet), ethyl acet...

Although mostly seen in the scalp, alopecia can occur in any hair- bearing site of the body. In spite of various modern treatments, total cost, efficacy, safety and drug dependency have caused a global willing towards natural remedies. The aim of this chapter is to focus on medicinal plants mentioned in Canon of Avicenna, one of the most primary me...

Background: Pistacia is a genus of flowering plants from the Anacardiaceae family that grows in different parts of Iran. This genus has different pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-mutagenic, and anti-inflammatory activities. Objectives: In this study, we investigated the anti-melanogenic effect of different extr...

Introduction: Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are known as multipotent stem cells which differentiate into three different cell lines, including osteocytes, chondrocytes, and adipocytes. Until now, dental precursor cells have been used in tissue engineering studies for pre-clinical applications. The dexamethasone in-situ forming implant (ISFI) is ca...

In the present study, chemical composition, antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of the essential oil (EO) from aerial parts of Salvia tebesana were investigated. Fifty-five compounds representing 99.7 % of the total oil composition were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The EO was predominated by oxygenated sesquite...

The purpose of this study is cytotoxicity-guided isolation of the petroleum ether fraction from the roots of Salvia atropatana for the first time, which has shown to growth inhibition and apoptosis induction in MCF-7 and PC3 cells. Bioassay-guided isolation method was conducted for finding compounds with highest cytotoxicity. Different extracts wer...

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 compos...

Common cold is known as a serious clinical problem worldwide. Coronaviruses have long been identified as respiratory pathogens causing “common cold” in healthy people. The pandemic of 2019 novel coronavirus as a serious public health problem and concern has resulted in severe illness and death especially in the elderly. COVID-19 is picking up pace...

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 p...

Various derivatives of 5-aryl-4-imino-3-(phenylamino)-4,5-dihydroisothiazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines (3a-f) were synthesized. The synthesis has been done through treatment of 3-amino-4-cyano-5-(phenylamino)isothiazole with various aryl isothiocyanates. The isothiazole skeleton was obtained by the reaction of malononitrile and phenyl isothiocyanate follow...

Background Gamma-oryzanol (γ-oryzanol) is one of the rice bran oil (RBO) compounds, known as a principal food source throughout the world. In recent numerous experimental studies, γ-oryzanol has been revealed to have several useful pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-diabetic, ameliorating menopausal...

Background Crocin is a known compound with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory property which many help to reduce the progression of neurological disorders. In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective effects of crocin on beta-amyloid peptide Aβ (1-40) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells. Methods PC12 cells pre...

Since the ethylacetate (EtOAc) extract of the roots of Zhumeria majdae had the potent cytotoxic effect (IC50 < 50 μg/ml) on three cancer cell lines; MCF-7, PC3 and MDA-MB-231, therefore the purpous of this study is to isolation of the responcible cytotoxic compounds from the plant. Isolation of the extract led to the identification of four diterpen...

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) i...

Background: One of the adverse effects of phenytoin (diphenylhydantoin, DPH) is enlargement of facial features. Although there are some reports on anabolic action of phenytoin on bone cells, the osteogenic potential of DPH on mesenchymal stem cells has not been studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the osteogenic potential of DPH on d...

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. Unfortunately, current therapeutic methods are not completely efficient. Hence, combination therapy with medicinal plants has attracted several kinds of research. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the apoptotic and anti-cancer effect of Parthenolide in combination with Epir...

Curcumin has attracted much attention for medicinal purposes in wide range of illnesses including cancer. In some studies, its efficacy is evaluated against chemotherapy and radiotherapy induced adverse reaction and also as adjuvant to cancer treatment. Here we have tried to present a comprehensive review on protective and therapeutic effect of cur...

Background and purpose: Artemisia is one of the well-known herbal medicinal plants for antimicrobial, insecticidal, antioxidant, and antimalarial activities. The antiproliferative effects of dichloromethane extracts of Artemisia biennis (A. biennis) and A. ciniformis and the petroleum ether extract of A. ciniformis have been demonstrated previousl...

Background Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) is an oil-based seed which contains high amounts of alpha-linoleic acid, linoleic acid, lignans, fiber and many other bioactive components which is suggested for healthier life. Nowadays flaxseed is known as a remarkable functional food with different health benefits for humans and protects against cardiova...

One of the most important families of Iranian flora is Apiaceae (Umbelliferae). Most of the species of this family are aromatic plants and rich in essential oils with diverse structures. In the present review, the essential oil composition of 63 genera comprising 141 Apiaceae (66.4% native 33.6% endemic) are summarized.

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum and C. cassia) is a medicinal plant, widely-used as a culinary spice. It possesses various therapeutic effects and can slow down the progression of neurological disorders impressively. In this article, the effects of hydro-alcohol extract and essential oil of C. verum and C. cassia and its main bioactive component cinnama...

Over the past few years, the use of natural substances as protective or therapeuticagents has gained much attention worldwide. Recent modern studies have shown avariety of health benefits for red beetroot and its active compounds betalains (alsobetanin) such as antioxidative, anti-inflammation, anticancer, blood pressure and lipidlowering, also ant...

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder which accompanied with cognitive decline, chorei form moves and behavioral difficulties. Oxidative stress which promote the apoptotic cell death are responsible for neurodegeneration in Parkinson. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the protective effects of betanin against toxicity and oxida...

Neuroprotection using compounds with dual functions of anti-apoptotic and antioxidant effects fight against neurodegeneration. Vitamin K2 acts as a cofactor in many biochemical pathways, including sphingolipid synthesis in the nervous system, which is involved in many cellular events, including proliferation, differentiation, cellular communication...

Due to the promising features of the ancient herbal plant Artemisia, its biologic activity has been investigated for use in modern medicine. In this regard, Artemisia and its active phytochemicals have been introduced as having antimalarial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, antispasmodic, anthelmintic, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial a...

Objective: Oxidative stress is associated with the pathogenesis of brain ischemia and other neurodegenerative disorders. Previous researches have shown the antioxidant activity of Viola odorata L. In this project, we studied neuro-protective and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging activities of methanol (MeOH) extract and other fractions isol...

Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province is one of the most important endemism states of the flora of Iran with a considerable plant species diversity. In the present study, the cytotoxic activity of 13 plant species grown in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari have been evaluated on prostate (PC-3), breast (MCF-7), liver (HepG2), ovary (CHO), and melanoma (B16-F1...

Salvia, a member of the Lamiaceae family, represents more than 58 species in Iran. In the present study, antibacterial and cytotoxic activity of extracts obtained from the roots of Salvia tebesana and Salvia sclareopsis were investigated. The antibacterial activity of the extracts was investigated against 4 bacterial strains and yeast using serial...

Objectives: The possible action of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and also as anti-apoptotic agents may suggest them as putative agents for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. This study was designed to explore some pathways alterations induced by NSAIDs following 6-hydroxyd...

A new series of novel benzo[c]acridine‐diones possessing pharmacophoric elements of antitubulins with central dihydropyridine bridge were designed and synthesized as potential anticancer agents and tubulin polymerization inhibitors. The cytotoxic activity of the synthesized compounds was evaluated against eight cancer cell lines including MCF‐7, A2...

In a screening of Iranian plants for antiprotozoal activity a dichlomethane extract from the aerial parts of Helichrysum oocephalum showed in vitro antiprotozoal activity against Plasmodium falciparum and Leishmania donovani, with IC 50 values of 4.01 ± 0.50 and 5.08 ± 0.07 μg/mL, respectively. The activity in the extract was tracked by HPLC-based...

Background: In this study, the essential oil composition and cytotoxic activities of five Artemisia species were determined. Methods: The collected plants were water-distilled separately to obtain oils which were then subjected to gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry GC/MS analyses to identify their compositions. Canc...

Background: Besides numerous biologic and pharmacologic function in the body as potent antioxidant, flavonoids (flavones, flavanones, flavonols, flavanols and isoflavones) are noted as cancer preventive or therapeutic agents. Methods: This review summarizes the published data using PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus. Results: In this context, r...

Alzheimer’s disease is a type of cerebrovascular problem with progressive mental disabilities for the patient. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of safranal on toxicity and oxidative damage induced by beta-amyloid (Aβ) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in PC12 cells as an appropriate model of Alzheimer’s cell damage. PC12 cells pretr...

Pistacia atlantica (P. atlantica) subsp. mutica has been used in traditional medicine and is famous for its medicinal properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of methanol (MeOH), n-hexane, dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), n-butanol (BuOH), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), water extracts and essential oil of P. atlantica subsp. mutica on melanin...

Pistacia atlantica (P. atlantica) subsp. mutica has been used in traditional medicine and is famous for its medicinal properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of methanol (MeOH), n-hexane, dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), n-butanol (BuOH), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), water extracts and essential oil of P. atlantica subsp. mutica on melanin...

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 chemi...

Microwave irradiation was used to synthesize poly (caprolactone)-poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG-PCL) and poly (lactic acid)-poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG-PLA) copolymers that are composed of biodegradable polymers including PEG, PLA, and PCL. These copolymers were used for loading docetaxel in nanoparticles. Single emulsion-solvent evaporation technique...

In this study, sahandone (1) and a new diterpenoid named sahandol II (2) were isolated from the roots of Salvia chloroleuca. The absolute configurations of compounds 1 and 2 were assigned by comparison of experimental electronic circular dichroism spectra and comparing with published data. Cytotoxic and apoptotic evaluation of the isolated compound...

Background Nepeta species is a rich source of phytochemicals with multiple pharmacological activity. The aim of the present study was to study the cytotoxicity and pro-apoptotic activity of Nepeta binaloudensis different extracts and essential oil on prostate (PC3 and DU-145) and breast cancer (MCF-7) cell lines. Methods To explore that cytotoxici...

Galbanic acid is a natural sesquiterpene coumarin compound with different biological activities, particularly cytotoxicity against LNCaP (an androgen-dependent prostate cancer cell line). Galbanic acid induces apoptosis in LNCaP via down-regulation of androgen receptor. However, the poor water-solubility of galbanic acid limits further in vitro and...

Background: Besides the first-line medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, the growth inhibitory activity of metformin alone or in combination of conventional chemotherapeutics has been addressed on a panel of cell lines. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxicity and apoptosis of the metformin alone and in combination with dacarbazi...

Alzheimer’s is an age-related disease with a hallmark of progressive loss of memory formation followed by a damage in the brain function due to the neural degeneration and extracellular beta-amyloid (Aβ) plaques accumulation. This study examines the protective effects of vitamin K2 on toxicity induced by (Aβ) (1-42) and H2O2 in PC12 cells as an app...

A new series of novel Podophyllotoxin-like benzo[b]furo[3,4-e][1,4]diazepin-1-ones possessing structural elements of 4-aza-2,3-didehydropodophyllotoxins with central diazepine ring was designed and synthesized as anti-cancer agents. In initial assessment, the cytotoxic activity of the synthesized compounds was evaluated against three cancer cell li...

The widespread use of plants as accessible anticancer agents leads to the identification of many natural source chemotherapeutic agents. Scutellaria one of the popular genus of flowering plants has been used for various human illnesses for thousands of years. Scutellaria has anti-metastatic, anti-proliferative, anti-invasion, antiangiogenic and apo...

A phytochemical investigation of the root extracts of Salvia tebesana Bunge led to the isolation of two new diterpenoids, tebesinone A (1) and tebesinone B (2), along with two known compounds, aegyptinone A (3) and aegyptinone B (4). The structures were established by spectroscopic analysis including 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS. The cytotoxic activit...