Background. Dyslipidemia produces atherosclerosis, which in turn results in coronary artery disease (CAD). Atherosclerosis is being considered as an inflammatory disease. Vaccinium arctostaphylos L. is a plant with fruits rich in anthocyanins. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of fruit extract of this plant on serum levels of lipids, hs-CRP, and malondialdehyde (MDA) as a marker of oxidative stress, in hyperlipidemic adult patients. Methods. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 50 hyperlipidemic adult patients were randomly and equally assigned to receive either medicinal (V. arctostaphylos fruit extract) or placebo capsules twice daily for 4 weeks. Each medicinal capsule contained 45 ± 2 mg of anthocyanins. Fasting serum levels of total cholesterol, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C, hs-CRP, and MDA were obtained before and after the intervention and compared. Results. V. arctostaphylos fruit extract significantly reduced total cholesterol (P < 0.001), LDL-C (P = 0.004), TG (P < 0.001), and MDA (P = 0.013) compared to placebo but did not have any significant effect on HDL-C (P = 0.631) and hs-CRP (P = 0.190). Conclusion. Fruit extract of Vaccinium arctostaphylos has beneficial effects on serum lipid profile and oxidative stress in hyperlipidemic adult patients. Therefore, it could be considered as a supplement for treatment of dyslipidemia and prevention of atherosclerosis development.

Hairy roots induced by Agrobacterium rhizogenes are distinguished by their high growth rate, genetic stability, and lateral branching. Datura metel is an important medicinal plant whose hairy roots are used for the production of atropine, a tropane alkaloid applied as an anticholinergic and parasympathetic agent. To increase the yield of atropine, biotic (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus) and abiotic (AgNO 3 and nanosilver) elicitors were added to the hairy root cultures of D. metel and then analyzed through highperformance liquid chromatography. All the elicitors influenced biomass accumulation and atropine production. Among the tested elicitors, nanosilver was most effective in enhancing the hairy roots' atropine content. To the authors' knowledge, the application of nanosilver for increasing tropane alkaloid production is reported for the first time here and could improve the atropine production of pharmaceutical industries.

The decline in neurogenesis is a very critical problem in Alzheimer disease. Different biological activities have been reported for medicinal application of quercetin. Herein, we investigated the neurogenesis potential of quercetin in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease induced by amyloid‐beta injection. Rats were randomly divided into Control, Alzheimer + Saline and Alzheimer + Quercetin groups. Following the administration of Amyloid‐beta, rats in the Alzheimer + Quercetin group received 40 mg/kg/day quercetin orally for one month. Our data demonstrated amyloid‐β injection could impair learning and memory processing in rats indicated by passive avoidance test evaluation. We noted that one‐month quercetin treatment alleviated the detrimental effects of amyloid‐β on spatial learning and memory parameters using Morris water maze analysis. Quercetin was found to increase the number of proliferating neural stem/progenitor cells. Notably, quercetin increased the number of DCX‐expressing cells, indicating the active dynamic growth of neural progenitor cells in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. We further observed that the quercetin improved the number of BrdU/NeuN positive cells contributed to enhanced adult neurogenesis. Based on our results, quercetin had the potential to promote the expression of BDNF, NGF, CREB, and EGR‐1 genes involved in regulating neurogenesis. These data suggest that quercetin can play a valuable role in alleviating Alzheimer's disease symptoms by enhancing adult neurogenesis mechanism.

Metabolic syndrome is known as a frequent precursor of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). This disease could affect 8% of the people worldwide. Given that pancreatic β‐cell dysfunction and loss have central roles in the initiation and progression of the disease, the understanding of cellular and molecular pathways associated with pancreatic β‐cell dysfunction can provide more information about the underlying pathways involved in T2D. Multiple lines evidence indicated that oxidative stress, microRNA, and long noncoding RNA play significant roles in various steps of diseases. Oxidative stress is one of the important factors involved in T2D pathogenesis. This could affect the function and survival of the β cell via activation or inhibition of several processes and targets, such as receptor‐signal transduction, enzyme activity, gene expression, ion channel transport, and apoptosis. Besides oxidative stress, microRNAs and noncoding RNAs have emerged as epigenetic regulators that could affect pancreatic β‐cell dysfunction. These molecules exert their effects via targeting a variety of cellular and molecular pathways involved in T2D pathogenesis. Here, we summarized the molecular aspects of pancreatic β‐cell dysfunction. Moreover, we highlighted the roles of oxidative stress, microRNAs, and noncoding RNAs in pancreatic β‐cell dysfunction.

Objectives. Dracocephalum has over 60 species and is found mainly in the temperate regions of Asia and Europe. One of these species, i.e., Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss, is known to have a number of medicinal properties and active ingredients in many parts of the world. Despite being an endemic wild-flowering plant of great importance, the plant is currently considered endangered in Iran. Besides, there is paucity of information on the significance of the medicinal properties and active constituents of D. kotschyi among the Iranian people. On that account a systematic review of studies reporting on the medicinal properties and active ingredients and its significance to human and animal health was conducted and the existing knowledge gaps were identified. Methods. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used in the search for published articles on medicinal properties and active ingredients of D. kotschyi and its significance on humans and animals in Iran. The search was confined to scientific articles from repositories of popular data bases and search engines among them PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Science Direct, SpringerLink, and Scopus. The search narrowed down on scientific journals, books, and book chapters focusing on the medicinal properties of D. kotschyi in Iran for the period between 1970 and 2018. Results. A total of 1158 scientific articles were sourced from the various databases, out of which 38 met the search criteria and qualified for this review. The studies were conducted in only 9 of the 31 provinces of Iran, with a large proportion in Isfahan province, central Iran. The studies showed that all plant parts (roots, aerial parts, flowers, and leaves) had active constituents. Essential oils and aerial plant parts were the main components studied. Nevertheless, the most frequently reported constituents were xanthomicrol, limonene, luteolin, geranial, apigenin, and calycopterin. A number of medicinal properties were reported among them antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancerous, antinociceptive, antihyperlipidemic, antispasmodic, cytotoxic, and immunomodulatory effects. The plant was also reported to be a remedy for inflammatory pain, headaches, congestion, liver disorders, ulcer, fever, renal pain, dyspepsia, stomach ache, abdominal pain, joints pains, muscle spasm, congestion, bloating, and wound healing effects, among others. Conclusion. This review has shown that D. kotschyi is an important medicinal plant with a large number of active constituents and great potential to safeguard human and animal health in Iran. However, over utilization of the D. kotschyi plant is already endangering its existence. Nevertheless, more studies need be conducted across the country.