Colchicinoids from the Seeds of Colchicum umbrosum

A new colchicinoid from the seeds of Colchicum umbrosum (Colchicaceae) has been isolated and identified as 4-hydroxycolchicine (6) together with seven known colchicinoids as colchicine (1), N-deacetyl-N-formylcolchicine (2), colchifoline (3), colchicilline (4), 3-demethylcolchicine (5), demecolcine (7), and colchicoside (8)

CHROMATOGRAPHIC DETERMINATION OF CONSTITUENTS OF THE GENUS COLCHICUM (LILIACEAE)

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of colchicinoid alkaloids in plant material is described. The determination is performed separately in neutral and basic alkaloid fractions using a C-18-bonded silica column. Nine alkaloids, i.e., 3-demethylcolchicine, 2-demethylcolchicine, colchifoline, N-deacetyl-N-formylcolchicine, colchicine, cornigerine, 2-demethyldemecolcine, 3-demethyldemecolcine and demecolcine, in seven Colchicum plants were assayed. For identification of phenolic compounds, a method using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was elaborated and twenty phenolic compounds were identified in extracts from five Colchicum species. As the presence of luteolin appeared to be of value for chemotaxonomic purposes, its simple densitometric determination was developed

Effect of Aloe vera leaves on blood glucose level in type I and type II diabetic rat models

Aloe vera (L.) Burm, hi. (= A. barbadensis Miller) (Liliaceae) is native to North Africa and also cultivated in Turkey, Aloes have long been used all over the world for their various medicinal properties. In the past 15 years, there have been controversial reports on the hypoglycaemic activity of Aloe species, probably due to differences in the parts of the plant used or to the model of diabetes chosen. In this study, separate experiments on three main groups of rats, namely, non-diabetic (ND), type I (IDDM) and type II (NIDDM) diabetic rats were carried out. A. vera leaf pulp and gel extracts were ineffective on lowering the blood sugar level of ND rats. A. vera leaf pulp extract showed hypoglycaemic activity on IDDM and NIDDM rats, the effectiveness being enhanced for type II diabetes in comparison with glibenclamide. On the contrary, A. vera leaf gel extract showed hyperglycaemic activity on NIDDM rats, It may therefore be concluded that the pulps of Aloe vera leaves devoid of the gel could be useful in the treatment of noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus Copyright (C) 2001 John Whey & Sons, Ltd

Antibacterial Effect of Kenger Gum on Mutans Streptococci and Its Cytotoxic Effect on the 3T3 Fibroblast Cell Line

Purpose: To evaluate the antibacterial effect of Kenger gum on mutans streptococci (in vivo) and Streptococcus mutans (in vitro) and its cytotoxic effect on the 3T3 fibroblast cell line

The Effects of Colchicum baytopiorum on Regulatory Genes of Apoptotic and Autophagic Cell Death in HeLa Cells

Background: The natural products have increasing important for the development of anticancer agents. Colchicum baytopiorum C.D. Brickell (C. baytopiorum), an endemic species for Turkey, contains colchicine and its derivatives. Stimulation of apoptotic and autophagy-mediated cell deaths are effective strategy for anticancer therapies