Medicinal Plants

Numerous treatment agents offering prophylaxis against livestock parasites are commercially available. However, because of increasing antiparasitic drug resistance, the increased popularity of environmentally friendly lifestyle choices, and organic farming, there is more demand for new alternatives to livestock anthelmintic control strategies and medications. It is important to develop antiparasitics that are safe, effective, inexpensive, and environmentally safe. Local, traditional herbal plants such as tansy, mugwort, wormwood, and heather may serve as treatments for intestinal parasites of sheep. This overview provides knowledge of traditional Latvian plants with antiparasitic activities to establish a database for further research to develop new herbal antiparasitic drugs.

Context: One of the world's most widespread and frequent liver diseases is the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Aims: To evaluate the preventives activities of Ruzu herbal bitters (RHB), which is an anti-obesity therapeutic concoction used widely in Nigeria on high-fat diet (HFD) induced NAFLD in albino Wistar rats. Methods: A total number of twenty-five rats were isolated and divided equally into five groups. Group 1, the normal control group was placed on normal rat diet and normal saline (1 mL/kg body weight daily) for twelve weeks. The remaining four groups 2-5 were placed on HFD for twelve weeks; adding to the following treatment schedules by oral gavage: group 2 received pioglitazone 4 mg/kg daily, group 3 received RHB 0.6 mL/kg daily, group 4 received normal saline 1 mL/kg daily and group 5 received fenofibrate 10 mg/kg daily (s.c). The animals were sacrificed and biochemical markers of liver function, lipid profile, glycemic index, and histopathological assessment of the liver of the rats were determined. Results: Rat treated with RHB and other treated groups significantly (p<0.05) reduced the liver index, fasting blood glucose, and activities and concentrations of liver function enzymes and molecules when compared to untreated NAFLD group. Scoring of hepatic steatosis also showed the ameliorative role of the treatment on NAFLD. Conclusions: This study reveals that RHB and other treatment options assessed could prevent HFD-induced NAFLD and could be explored as another therapeutic approach to fenofibrate and pioglitazone in NAFLD management.

This study was designed to assess the effect of green tea, an aqueous extract of Camellia sinensis, on the oxidative stress, antioxidant defense system and liver pathology of Schistosoma man-soni-infected mice. Green tea at concentration of 3% (w/v) was given orally to treated mice as sole source of drinking water from the end of the 4th week to the end of 10th week post-infection; untreated mice were allowed to drink normal water. The data of the studied S. mansoni-infected mice exhibited a suppression of hepatic total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) activity and glutathione content. The liver lipid peroxidation was deleteriously elevated in S. mansoni-infected mice. The hepatic total protein content, AST and ALT activities were profoundly decreased in the S. mansoni-infected mice. Most hepatocytes were damaged and showed abnormal microscopic appearance with aggressive necrosis. Both total protein and glycogen levels have been greatly reduced as indicated by histochemical examination. The treatment of S. mansoni-infected mice with green tea succeeded to suppress oxidative stress by decreasing the lipid peroxides but failed to significantly enhance the antioxidant defense system and deteriorated changes owing to