A safe, effective, herbal antischistosomal therapy derived from myrrh.
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Schistosomiasis is a widespread helminthic disease. Treatment of schistosomiasis is based on chemotherapy with praziquantel, which is the drug of choice. Since resistance to praziquantel has been demonstrated, alternative drugs must be considered. Myrrh is an oleo-gum resin from the stem of the plant Commiphora molmol. This study was carried out on 204 patients with schistosomiasis. The drug was given at a dose of 10 mg/kg of body weight/day for three days, and induced a cure rate of 91.7%. Re-treatment of cases who did not respond with a dose of 10 mg/kg of body weight/day for six days gave a cure rate of 76.5%, increasing the overall cure rate to 98.09%. The drug was well tolerated, and side effects were mild and transient. Twenty cases provided biopsy specimens six months after treatment and none of them showed living ova. (+info)
Further bisabolenes and dammarane triterpenes of Commiphora kua resin.
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From the resins of Commiphora kua a novel bisabolene; 6-hydroxy-2-methyl-5-(5'-hydroxy-1'(R),5'-dimethylhex-3'-enyl)-phenol together with two new dammarane triterpenes, 3beta,16beta,20(S),25-tetrahydroxydammar-23-ene and 3beta-acetoxy-16beta,20(S),25-trihydroxydammar-23-ene, have been isolated. In addition, being reported are known compounds identified as 2-methyl-5-(4'(S)-hydroxy-1'(R),5'-dimethylhex-5'-enyl)-phenol, 2-acetoxyfuranodienone, 2-methoxyfuranodienone, 3beta,16beta,20(R)-trihydroxydammar-24-ene and its acetate derivative, 3beta-acetoxy-16beta,20(R)-dihydroxydammar-24-ene, and beta-amyrin and its acetate derivative. 2-Methyl-5-(4'(S)-hydroxy-1'(R),5'-dimethylhex-5'-enyl)-phenol displayed fungicidal activity against Cladosporium cucumernum on TLC assay. (+info)
Dammarane triterpenes of Commiphora confusa resin.
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Fractionation of a steam distilled residue of Commiphora confusa resin has yielded four novel dammarane triterpenes characterised as (20S)-3beta-acetoxy-12beta,16beta-trihydroxydammar-24-ene, (20S)-12beta,16beta-trihydroxydammar-24-ene-3beta-O-beta-glucopyranoside, (20S)-3beta-acetoxy-12beta,16beta,25-tetrahydroxydammar-23-ene, and (20S)-3beta,12beta,16beta,25-pentahydroxydammar-23-ene. The known compounds beta-amyrin, 3beta-amyrinacetate, 2-methoxyfuranodienone, 2-acetoxyfuranodienone, (20R)-3beta-acetoxy-16beta-dihydroxydammar-24-ene, (20R)-3beta,16beta-trihydroxydammar-24-ene, 3beta-acetoxy-16beta-hydroxydammar-24-ene, 3beta-hydroxydammar-24-ene, 3beta-acetoxydammar-24-ene, and beta-sistosterol were also isolated from the same extract. The structures of the compounds were determined using spectroscopic, physical, and chemical methods. (+info)
Absolute stereostructures of polypodane-type triterpenes, myrrhanol A and myrrhanone A, from guggul-gum resin (the resin of Balsamodendron mukul).
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Two new polypodane-type triterpenes, myrrhanol A and myrrhanone A, were isolated from the 50% aqueous methanolic extract of guggul-gum resin [the resin of Balsamodendron (=Commiphora) mukul HOOK]. The structures of the new constituents, including their absolute configurations, were determined on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence. (+info)
Myrrh--Commiphora chemistry.
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Myrrh and opopanax has been used throughout history in incense and as a perfume. Since Bible times it has been used for the treatment of wounds. The first attempts to identify content compounds were almost 100 years ago. In this review we discuss the present state of knowledge in the chemistry of substances of Commiphora spp. (+info)
Caspase-dependent apoptosis induction by guggulsterone, a constituent of Ayurvedic medicinal plant Commiphora mukul, in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells is mediated by Bax and Bak.
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The present study was undertaken to gain insights into the molecular mechanism of cell death (apoptosis) by guggulsterone, a constituent of Ayurvedic medicinal plant Commiphora mukul, using PC-3 human prostate cancer cells as a model. The viability of PC-3 cells, but not a normal prostate epithelial cell line (PrEC), was reduced significantly on treatment with guggulsterone in a concentration-dependent manner. Guggulsterone-mediated suppression of PC-3 cell proliferation was not due to perturbation in cell cycle progression but caused by apoptosis induction characterized by appearance of subdiploid cells and cytoplasmic histone-associated DNA fragmentation. Guggulsterone-induced apoptosis was associated with induction of multidomain proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members Bax and Bak. Interestingly, the expression of antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL was initially increased in guggulsterone-treated PC-3 cells but declined markedly following a 16- to 24-hour treatment with guggulsterone. Ectopic expression of Bcl-2 in PC-3 cells failed to confer significant protection against guggulsterone-induced cell death. On the other hand, SV40 immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblasts derived from Bax-Bak double knockout mice were significantly more resistant to guggulsterone-induced cell killing compared with wild-type cells. Guggulsterone treatment resulted in cleavage (activation) of caspase-9, caspase-8, and caspase-3, and guggulsterone-induced cell death was significantly attenuated in the presence of general caspase inhibitor as well as specific inhibitors of caspase-9 and caspase-8. In conclusion, the present study indicates that caspase-dependent apoptosis by guggulsterone is mediated in part by Bax and Bak. (+info)
Efficacy of Citrus reticulata and Mirazid in treatment of Schistosoma mansoni.
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This work has been carried out to investigate the effect of Schistosoma mansoni infection on mice livers after treatment with the ethanolic extract of Citrus reticulata root or the oleo-resin extract from Myrrh of Commiphora molmol tree (Mirazid), as a new antishistosomal drug. Marker enzymes for different cell organelles were measured; succinate dehydrogenase (SDH); lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and its isoenzymes; glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase); acid phosphatase (AP) and 5'- nucleotidase. Liver function enzymes; aspartate aminotransferase (AST); alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were also estimated. Parasitological studies through ova count and worm burden will also be taken into consideration. The results showed a marked reduction in SDH, LDH, AST, and ALT enzyme activities and a significant increase in G-6-Pase, AP, 5'- nucleotidase, and ALP after S. mansoni infection. A noticeable alteration in LDH subunits were also noticed. Treatment with C. reticulata or Mirazid improved all the previous enzyme activities with a noticeable reduction in ova count and worm burden. (+info)
Guggulsterone inhibits osteoclastogenesis induced by receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand and by tumor cells by suppressing nuclear factor-kappaB activation.
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Bone resorption is commonly associated with aging and with certain types of cancer, including multiple myeloma and breast cancer. What induces bone resorption is not fully understood, but the role of osteoclasts is well established. Recently, receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) ligand (RANKL), a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily, was implicated as a major mediator of bone resorption, suggesting that agents that can suppress RANKL signaling have the potential to inhibit bone resorption or osteoclastogenesis. Guggulsterone [4,17(20)-pregnadiene-3,16-dione], isolated from the guggul tree Commiphora mukul and used to treat osteoarthritis and bone fractures, was recently shown to antagonize the farnesoid X receptor, decrease the expression of bile acid-activated genes, and suppress the NF-kappaB activation induced by various carcinogens. We investigated whether guggulsterone could modulate RANKL signaling and osteoclastogenesis induced by RANKL or tumor cells. We found that treatment of monocytes with guggulsterone suppressed RANKL-activated NF-kappaB activation (as indicated by gel-shift assay) and that this suppression correlated with inhibition of IkappaBalpha kinase and phosphorylation and degradation of IkappaBalpha, an inhibitor of NF-kappaB. Guggulsterone also suppressed the differentiation of monocytes to osteoclasts in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Suppression of osteoclastogenesis by the NF-kappaB-specific inhibitory peptide implies a link between NF-kappaB and osteoclastogenesis. Finally, differentiation to osteoclasts induced by coincubating human breast tumor cells (MDA-MB-468) or human multiple myeloma (U266) cells with monocytes was also completely suppressed by guggulsterone. Collectively, our results indicate that guggulsterone suppresses RANKL and tumor cell-induced osteoclastogenesis by suppressing the activation of NF-kappaB. (+info)