Thymol is a naturally occurring phenol monoterpene derivative of cymene and isomer of carvacrol. Thymol (10-64%) is one of the major constituent of essential oils of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L., Lamiaceae), a medicinal plant with several therapeutic properties. This plant, native to Mediterranean regions, is commonly used as a culinary herb and also with a long history of use for different medicinal purposes. Nowadays, thymol and thyme present a wide range of functional possibilities in pharmacy, food, and cosmetic industry. The interest in the formulation of pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and cosmeceuticals based on thymol is due to several studies that have evaluated the potential therapeutic uses of this compound for the treatment of disorders affecting the respiratory, nervous, and cardiovascular systems. Moreover, this compound also exhibits antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticarcinogenesis, anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic activities, as well as a potential as a growth enhancer and immunomodulator. In the present review, these bioactivities have been covered because some of them can contribute to explain the ethnopharmacology of thymol and its main source, T. vulgaris. Other important aspects about thymol are discussed: its toxicity and bioavailability, metabolism, and distribution in animals and humans.

According to our results, it is concluded that for the first time, the expression of MT2 receptor in gastric adenocarcinoma tissues which was in parallel with breast and colon cancer studies and high expression of this receptor in the marginal tissues indicate refractory mechanism which shows the defending role of melatonin in the GI system. Our experiments has not shown any relationship between MT2 receptor expression and grade and clinicopathological features of gastric tumor, so we cannot conclude any relationship between this receptor expression and progression of the tumor, although this expression can be considered as an etiology.

The Middle East and Northern Africa, collectively known as the MENA region, are inhabited by a plethora of venomous animals that cause up to 420,000 bites and stings each year. To understand the resultant health burden and the key variables affecting it, this review describes the epidemiology of snake, scorpion, and spider envenomings primarily based on heterogenous hospital data in the MENA region and the pathologies associated with their venoms. In addition, we discuss the venom composition and the key medically relevant toxins of these venomous animals, and, finally, the antivenoms that are currently in use to counteract them. Unlike Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, scorpion stings are significantly more common (approximately 350,000 cases/year) than snakebites (approximately 70,000 cases/year) and present the most significant contributor to the overall health burden of envenomings, with spider bites being negligible. However, this review also indicates that there is a substantial lack of high-quality envenoming data available for the MENA region, rendering many of these estimates speculative. Our understanding of the venoms and the toxins they contain is also incomplete, but already presents clear trends. For instance, the majority of snake venoms contain snake venom metalloproteinases, while sodium channel–binding toxins and potassium channel–binding toxins are the scorpion toxins that cause most health-related challenges. There also currently exist a plethora of antivenoms, yet only few are clinically validated, and their high cost and limited availability present a substantial health challenge. Yet, some of the insights presented in this review might help direct future research and policy efforts toward the appropriate prioritization of efforts and aid the development of future therapeutic solutions, such as next-generation antivenoms.

Today diabetes is one of the most common diseases in the world that affects half of the world population. The use of medicinal herbs especially green tea and cinnamon has been taken into consideration for relieving the symptoms of diabetes, but there were some different ideas about their effectiveness. So, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of cinnamon and green tea extract, individually and in combination, on blood glucose and weight loss in diabetic mice with Streptozotocin (STZ). The experiment was performed on 50 Wistar rats. A total of 50 rats were divided into 10 groups of 5 and STZ was injected at the dose of 40 mg/kg/day for 5 days intraperitoneally. After diabetes induction, three groups received, 50, 100 and 200 mg doses of green tea extract, three groups received 50, 100 and 200 mg doses of cinnamon extract and three final groups received 50, 100 and 200 mg doses of cinnamon and green tea in combination by gavages daily for 6 weeks. After each period of treatments, blood glucose and the weight of animals were determined. At the end of the sixth week, blood glucose and weight loss were improved in diabetic rats in a dose-dependent manner and the dose of 200 mg/kg extract cinnamon with green tea had the most appropriate synergic effect.