2024-05

Egyptian Journal of Veterinary Sciences (Issue : 3) (Volume : 55)

THE primary aim of this investigation is to assess the effect on diabetes of U. dioica L. in rats with diabetes induced by alloxan. Male albino rats were assigned randomly to 3 groups: normal control rats; diabetic rats administered 500 mg/kg BW of U. dioica aqueous extract for 30 days, and diabetic rats induced by intraperitoneal alloxan injection (110 mg/ kg b. w). Serum fasting blood glucose level, lipid profile, liver and kidney parameters as well as body weight (BW) and relative weight of kidney, heart and liver were determined. The findings of this research conducted that when a diabetic group received 500 mg/kg BW of U. dioica leaves water extract., their BW and relative kidney to BW both increased significantly (P < 0.05), while their serum fasting glucose level (FBG) decreased significantly (p < 0.0001). Moreover, the extract had no statistically significant effects on triglycerides (TG), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) at (P > 0.05) in comparison to diabetic rats’ group, but significantly decreased serum cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) at (P < 0.05). Concentrations of S.GOT, S.GPT, and S. urea rose before returning to normal. Our results showed that water extract of U. dioica L. made improvements to hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, liver enzymes, and renal function.

2024-03

Baghdad Science Journal

This article focuses on Pelargonium graveolens, a fragrant medicinal plant from the Geraniaceae family. The study examines the plant's phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity, and mineral absorptivity, with the plant being grown indoors. The study also examined the plant's ash content and antioxidant activity using a variety of techniques, and the results demonstrated that P. graveolens is effective at absorbing lead. The plant contains eight different minerals, including Cu, Mn, Co, Ni, Pb, Mg, Fe, and Ca. Statistical analysis was used to determine the level of antioxidants present, using DPPH, reducing power, and total antioxidant capacity methods. The extraction process used a mixture of water, 70% ethanol and absolute ethanol solvents in varying ratios. To conclude, the study examines Pelargonium graveolens, a fragrant medicinal plant, for its antioxidant activity and mineral absorptivity.

2024-02

Clinical Nutrition Open Science (Volume : 54)

Growing interest has been shown in hypoglycaemic medications made from natural substances, notably those produced from plants. Flavonoids are phenolic compounds that exist in nature and have a broad range of biological activities and beneficial effects in the therapy of metabolic disorders. The research aimed to purify apigenin (AP) from parsley leaves and study its effect on the levels of some important serum biomarkers (metabolic, oxidant and antioxidant) in rats induced diabetes in comparison with crude parsley leaves extract (PLE). The study's findings demonstrated that apigenin is successfully purified from parsley leaves with a high yield and purity. Based on the outcomes of the experiment, the levels of all blood biomarkers showed improvement in diabetic treated group with either PLE or AP. Notably, PLE was more effective than AP in the enhancement of metabolic parameters. Considering the oxidant biomarkers (xanthine oxidase, peroxynitrite anion radical and malondialdehyde), AP had a stronger ability to reduce these harmful oxidants than PLE. Furthermore, the data of antioxidant activity showed that both compounds were able to improve the antioxidant enzyme activity. Noteworthy, AP increases the activity of glutathion-S-transferase (GST) and aminoacylase-1 (ACY1) more than PLE. Besides, PLE displays more effective in the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and paraxonase (PON1). In the manner of non-antioxidant activity AP enhanced the level of metallothionein (MT), overall antioxidant activity (AOA), copper (Cu) more than PLE while, PLE showed stronger ability to improve zinc (Zn) levels.

2023-12

Science Journal of University of Zakho (Issue : 4) (Volume : 11)

The aim of this work is to synthesize zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles from Eurca Sativa water extract which is a medicinal plant cultivated in home gardens in Kurdistan Region-Iraq. The biosynthesis of nanoparticles has been extensively studied due to their numerous applications. Among them, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have gained significant attention for wide range of its applications. To investigate the optical, chemical, structural, and morphological properties, different techniques; UV-VIS spectrophotometer, Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used. The results revealed that typical ZnO absorption spectra exhibit a well-defined exciton band at 371.6 nm that is near the bulk exciton absorption of ZnO (373 nm) with an energy band gap of 3.029 eV, confirming the production of ZnO nanoparticles. FTIR study demonstrated the existence of bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, polyphenols, tannins, and saponins that can function as reducing and capping agents of ZnO nanoparticles. FESEM picture revealed that ZnO NPs show spherical morphologies with an average diameter of 71.07 nm. The antioxidant activities of biosynthetic ZnO NPs were studied using non-enzymatic methods; 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), reducing power assay, and total antioxidant activities. The results showed that the biosynthesized ZnO-NPs nanoparticles had significant antioxidants compared with ascorbic acid as a reference. The obtained results showed that the present method is eco-friendly, less costeffective, and safe for human health and this method plays a vital role in the industrial and biomedicine fields.

2023-10

Baghdad Science Journal

The genus Urtica dioica L. (Urticaceae) is frequently grown in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and is used as a folk remedy by the locals to heal a variety of illnesses. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the total phenolic, flavonoid and vitamin C contents using spectrophotometric method with the determination of antioxidant activities for different solvents such as (aqueous, ethanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform and n-hexane) using different antioxidant methods namely (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, reducing power assay, total antioxidant capacity, nitric oxide scavenging, hydroxyl radical, β -carotene- Linoleic acid and iron chelating assays) and ascorbic acid as standard reference. Our results showed that polar solvent extracts exhibited a significant high phenolic and flavonoid contents while ethyl acetate extract had a high vitamin C content. In addition, the findings showed that the extracts had remarkable antioxidant effects compared with standard ascorbic acid. The ethanol extract of Urtica dioica L. leaves had stronger scavenging activities than other solvent extracts for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and hydroxyl radicals. Water extract exhibited higher antioxidant effect than other extracts for reducing power and nitric oxide scavenging assays while lower antioxidant activity for β -carotene/Linoleic acid and total antioxidant capacity tests. In contrast, non-polar hexane had the highest antioxidant activity for the iron chelating assay. The present study shows that Urtica dioica L. leaf extracts are a viable natural source of antioxidants and may be used in food products as well as nutraceutical applications.

2023-10

Passer Journal (Issue : 2) (Volume : 5)

Background: Anaemia is a lower concentration of haemoglobin and red blood cells. Nearly 1.62 billion individuals worldwide suffer from anaemia, of which approximately 47% are preschool-aged children. Anaemia due to iron deficiency can be prevented by breastfeeding, taking formula with iron, avoiding cow's milk till the child reaches the age of one year, and including iron-rich foods in the diet. Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anaemia and associated factors in children under the age of five who were admitted to Zakho General Hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2022 to February 2023 among children under 5 years in Zakho city. 1404 children were recruited in this study, and the ages ranged from six months to five years. A spectrophotometric method is typically used to assess anaemia by measuring the haemoglobin (Hb) concentration. Results: The children that participated in this study were 1404, ages 6 months to 60 months (23.01± 14.77). Age and anaemia were significantly correlated (p-value <0.01), with a higher prevalence of anaemia in younger age groups. In children aged 6 months to less than 24 months, the history of breast-feeding was significantly correlated with anaemia; 164 (59%) of the 278 children with a history of breast-feeding had anaemia (p-value <0.0001). Anaemia and meat consumption were significantly correlated (p-value= 0.007). The frequency of egg intake, the size of the family, and the level of the mother's education had no effect on anaemia. Conclusion: Among children under the age of five, particularly those under two, anaemia is disturbingly widespread, according to our study. As a result, enhanced nutritional therapy and a robust public health education campaign may assist in reducing the prevalence of this hematologic health concern. Additionally, it was shown that a history of breast-feeding and a limited meat diet are the two most significant risk factors for anaemia.

2023-09

Journal of Duhok University (Issue : 2) (Volume : 26)

Background and aims: Antiphospholipid antibodies are associated with miscarriage and abortion, and this association has been reported in different countries. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies IgM and IgG among pregnant women with previous history of miscarriage in Zakho City, Kurdistan region, Iraq. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Zakho city among women who had history of miscarriages from 1 st April 2019 to 31 st May 2021. A total of 460 women age ranged between 16-46 years (Average age 29.73±5.93 STDEV) were recruited in the study. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure antiphospholipid IgM and IgG antibodies. The relationship between age and level of antiphospholipid antibodies was performed using the Chi-Square test (Fisher Exact Test). Results: The overall rate of antiphospholipid antibodies was 31 (6.74%) for IgM, 16 (3.48%) for IgG and 9 (1.96%) was seropositive for both IgM and IgG antibodies. The study found that the highest IgM was 18 (11.25%) and IgG 10 (6.2%) seropositivity among age group> 30 years old. There was a significant association between age groups and IgM seropositivity (P= 0.02; OR= 0.4; 95% CI 0.2-0.9) but statistically not significant between age groups and IgG seropositivity (P= 0.79; OR= 0.9; 95% CI 0.3-2). It was also found no significant differences between age groups and both IgM and IgG seropositivity (P= 0.28; OR= 0.4; 95% CI 0.1-1). Conclusion: The prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies among aborted women was relatively low compared to other study.

2023-07

Science Journal of University of Zakho (Issue : 3) (Volume : 11)

The research aims to assess different pharmacognostic standards on the Urtica dioica L. leaves with the determination of the total phenol and flavonoid contents using different extracts. U. dioica L. is a species grown commonly in Kurdistan region, Iraq used among the population as a folklore medicine treating different diseases. These standards include; percentage value of extracts using different solvents, phytochemical screening of bioactive compounds, fluorescence analysis using different chemicals under UV and visible light, and physiochemical properties were performed for moisture content, total solid, total ash, water soluble ash, acid insoluble ash, sulphated ash, crude fat and crude fibers. The percentage extracts yielded 22% and 20% of water and ethanol respectively while n- hexane had the lowest one (2%) using the Soxhlet extraction method. The screening of phytochemicals identified the presence of phenols, flavonoids, carbohydrates, proteins, tannins, alkaloids, saponins and terpenoids. The Kjeldahl method's protein assay revealed a high concentration of protein and the analysis of elements by atomic absorption spectroscopy shows the abundance of calcium, magnesium and iron among the six measured elements. Our findings revealed that U. dioica L. leaves are a good source of proteins, minerals, and exhibit a potential source of phytochemicals and these findings will be useful in the identification and development of pharmacopeial standards.

2022-11

Science Journal of the University of Zakho (Issue : 4) (Volume : 10)

Background: Subclinical hyperthyroidism is a condition in which thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is mildly decreased with both free iodine thyroxine (free T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) within the normal range. The aim of this research is to determine the association between TSH with lipid profiles, age, blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) and also to evaluate lipid profiles in subclinical hyperthyroid patients. Materials and Methods: Ninety patients with subclinical hyperthyroidism were chosen as the patient group and 50 healthy individuals age-matched were chosen as the control group. Thyroid function tests TSH, T4 and T3 were performed by VIDAS and on the same day lipid profiles were performed by (Biolis 24i Premium) in the laboratory of General Zakho Hospital, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Results: In subclinical hyperthyroidism the BMI and diastolic blood pressure values were non-significantly low (P= 0.13 and p= 0.27 respectively) whereas systolic blood pressure increased slightly but was still non-significant. TSH was significantly and negatively related to systolic blood pressure. Conclusion: Lipid profiles and systolic and diastolic blood pressure are not altered in subclinical hyperthyroidism. However, systolic blood pressure is related to the severity of the decrease in TSH levels.

2022-09

BAGHDAD JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND APPLIED BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (Issue : 3) (Volume : 3)

Background and objectives: Subclinical thyroid disorder is a most common subclinical disease among many medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease and subclinical Lyme disease. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between lipid profile results, lipid ratios, and anthropometric parameters and thyroid hormones. Methods: One hundred patients (ages 20 to 50 years) with subclinical hypothyroidism (SHT group) and 50 healthy subjects (control group), who are age-matched with patients, were included in the current study. Thyroid function tests (TSH, T3 and T4) were determined by immunodiagnostic assay system (VIDAS) for all participants. The serum glucose and lipid profile tests parameters were evaluated by Biolis 24i Premium chemistry analyser. In addition, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured for each individual in the study using mercury sphygmomanometer. Results: The levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c) were significantly lower in the SHT group when compared with control group. Whereas, the level of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), the ratios total cholesterol (TC)/HDL-c and LDL-c/HDL-c were significantly higher in SHT group than in controls. Moreover, TSH was negatively correlated with diastolic blood pressure. Conclusions: Both LDL-c and HDL-c are altered in subclinical hypothyroidism patients. And, there is a negative association between TSH and diastolic blood pressure.

2018-04

Journal of the American Chemical Society (Issue : 15) (Volume : 140)

Polyketides are a large class of bioactive natural products with a wide range of structures and functions. Polyketides are biosynthesized by large, multidomain enzyme complexes termed polyketide synthases (PKSs). One of the primary challenges when studying PKSs is the high reactivity of their poly-β-ketone substrates. This has hampered structural and mechanistic characterization of PKS–polyketide complexes, and, as a result, little is known about how PKSs position the unstable substrates for proper catalysis while displaying high levels of regio- and stereospecificity. As a first step toward a general plan to use oxetanes as carbonyl isosteres to broadly interrogate PKS chemistry, we describe the development and application of an oxetane-based PKS substrate mimic. This enabled the first structural determination of the acyl-enzyme intermediate of a ketosynthase (KS) in complex with an inert extender unit mimic. The crystal structure, in combination with molecular dynamics simulations, led to a proposed mechanism for the unique activity of DpsC, the priming ketosynthase for daunorubicin biosynthesis. The successful application of an oxetane-based polyketide mimic suggests that this novel class of probes could have wide-ranging applications to the greater biosynthetic community interested in the mechanistic enzymology of iterative PKSs

2017-11

ACS Chemical Biology (Issue : 1) (Volume : 13)

Daunorubicin is a type II polyketide, one of a large class of polyaromatic natural products with anticancer, antibiotic, and antiviral activity. Type II polyketides are formed by the assembly of malonyl-CoA building blocks, though in rare cases, biosynthesis is initiated by the incorporation of a nonmalonyl derived starter unit, which adds molecular diversity to the poly-β-ketone backbone. Priming mechanisms for the transfer of novel starter units onto polyketide synthases (PKS) are still poorly understood. Daunorubicin biosynthesis incorporates a unique propionyl starter unit thought to be selected for by a subclass (“DpsC type”) of priming ketosynthases (KS III). To date, however, no structural information exists for this subclass of KS III enzymes. Although selectivity for self-acylation with propionyl-CoA has previously been implied, we demonstrate that DpsC shows no discrimination for self-acylation or acyl-transfer to the cognate acyl carrier protein, DpsG with short acyl-CoAs. We present five crystal structures of DpsC, including apo-DpsC, acetyl-DpsC, propionyl-DpsC, butyryl-DpsC, and a cocrystal of DpsC with a nonhydrolyzable phosphopantetheine (PPant) analogue. The DpsC crystal structures reveal the architecture of the active site, the molecular determinants for catalytic activity and homology to O-malonyl transferases, but also indicate distinct differences. These results provide a structural basis for rational engineering of starter unit selection in type II polyketide synthases.