The use of synthetic drugs has increased in recent years; however, herbal medicine is yet more trusted among a huge population worldwide; This could be due to minimal side effects, affordable prices, and traditional beliefs. Lemongrass ( Melissa officinalis) has been widely used for reducing stress and anxiety, increasing appetite and sleep, reducing pain, healing wounds, and treating poisonous insect bites and bee stings for a long time. Today, research has shown that this plant can also fight viruses including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) through various mechanisms such as inhibiting HSV-1 from binding to host cell, inhibiting HSV-1 replication during the post-adsorption or inhibiting main protease and spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, furthermore, be effective in treating related diseases. This Review investigated the antiviral properties of Melissa officinalis and its effect on viral diseases. More in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to determine Melissa officinaliss underlying mechanism, and more randomized controlled trials should be done to identify its effect in humans. Also, due to the usefulness and lack of side effects, it can be used more as a complementary medicine.
Background and Aims: The therapeutic effects of the olibanum, the resin of Boswellia serrata (B. serrata) from the Burseraceae family in inflammatory disease have been reported. There are more than 200 active ingredients in this resin, including Boswellic acid. It is proposed that aqueous extract of B. serrata can improve memory impairment induced by cerebral inflammation result in the administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS).
Materials and Methods: In this study, after the treatment of rats with LPS, brain toxicity induction was performed, and finally, the behavioral tests were evaluated. Following cerebral inflammation induction and treatment, behavioral performance biochemistry tests and molecular methods were assessed in all groups.
Results: LPS administration increased the duration and distance to find the platform in the Morris water maze test compared to the control group in 5 days (p<0.05 to p<0.001). Furthermore, LPS reduced the peripheral, central, and total locomotion compared to the control group (p< 0.001) in the open field test. Pretreatment with both doses of aqueous extract of B. serrata enhanced performances of the rats in Morris water maze (p<0.05 to p<0.01) and open field test (p<0.01 to p<0.001). LPS also increased hippocampus Interleukin-6, malondialdehyde levels (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Aqueous extract of B. serrata can be a useful drug in memory impairment caused by LPS-induced inflammation.
Background: Not only is it crucial to rapidly detect Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) isolates from a broad range of bacteria, but recognizing resistance agents can greatly improve current diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Methods: The current cross-sectional study investigated 120 clinical isolates from a nosocomial S. epidermidis infection. The isolates were identified using common biochemical tests, and specific S. epidermidis surface protein C (SesC) primers were used to confirm the presence of S. epidermidis. PCR and special primers were used to detect the β-lactamase gene (blaZ). Methicillin resistance was measured using the agar screening method and antibiotic susceptibility was measured by disk diffusion. Results: 100 samples were characterized as S. epidermidis using a phenotypic and genotypic methods. From the 100 specimens examined, 80% contained blaZ. According to agar screening, 60% of isolates were methicillin-resistant. S. epidermidis isolates demonstrated the highest resistance to penicillin (93%) and the highest sensitivity to cefazolin (39%).
Conclusions:The increased resistance to β-lactam antibiotics in S. epidermidis isolates is alarming, and certain precautions should be taken by healthcare systems to continuously monitor the antimicrobial pattern of S. epidermidis, so that an appropriate drug treatment can be established.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.