Black mulberry (Morus nigra L.) and Bauhinia variegata L. are used in the Egyptian folk medicine for their hypoglycemic effects. The standardized ethanolic extracts of both plants caused a significant decrease in fasting blood glucose level at two different doses (250 and 500 mg/kg) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats' model. Further, in vitro antioxidant activity and α-glucosidase inhibition assays were conducted as well as measurement of insulin levels and biomarkers for both liver and kidney functions in the treated animals. Beneficiary effects of BMLE and BVLE in the treatment of diabetes were found not to be limited to hypoglycemic effect but include preventing liver and kidney tissue damage that is associated with diabetes. A strong inhibition of the α-glucosidase enzyme by both extracts may be a contributing mechanism in the overall anti-diabetic effect that was observed. Further detailed study is needed in the future to explore the mechanism of action of both plants.

Objectives This study was designed to investigate the effect of Morus nigra fruit extract in retarding the progression of diabetic nephropathy in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Methods Diabetic male Wistar rats were injected with black mulberry fruit extract (BMFE) at doses of 150 and 300 mg/kg body weight. After 4 weeks, microalbuminuria was estimated in addition to serum concentrations of glucose, insulin, creatinine and albumin. Key findings The study revealed a significant amelioration of all the measured parameters in diabetic animals. In addition, MDA, lipid peroxide levels and catalase activity were also improved. The histopathological examination of kidney tissues revealed significant improvement of the pathological changes and glomerular sclerosis in diabetic rats treated with BMFE. Treated rats showed downregulation of TNF-α, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and fibronectin mRNA expression. Conclusion The ameliorative effect of BMFE on diabetic nephropathy is not only through its potent antioxidant and hypoglycaemic effects but also through its downregulation of TNF-α, VCAM-1 and fibronectin mRNA expression in renal tissues of diabetic-treated rats. Therefore, BMFE as dietary supplement could be a promising agent in improving diabetic nephropathy. Methods Chemicals Authentic anthocyanin samples of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis were purchased from Phytoplan company (Germany). Streptozotocin (STZ), chloroform and isopropanol were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA). Authentic samples for HPLC analysis of flavonoids rutin, quercetin, quercetrin, catechin, kaemferol, naringin and phenolic acids chlorogenic, gallic, caffeic, ellagic and cinnamic acids were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich, Germany and were kindly supplied by Food Technology Research Institute, Giza, Egypt. TRizol was obtained from Genetix Branid Co. (Genetix Biotech Asia Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India). QuantiFast SYBR Green PCR Master Mix unit was provided by QIAGEN (Hilden, Germany). HiSenScript TM [-] cDNA synthesis kit was purchased from iNtRON Biotechnology Company. The other reagents were of analytical, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), or the best accessible pharmaceutical grades.

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The cytotoxic effects of Cymbopogon schoenanthus L. aerial part ethanol extract were examined against some cancer cell lines, and HUVEC normal cell line using MTT assay. The ethanol extract was prepared by ultrasonic-assisted extraction and analyzed by GC-MS and HPLC. The extract was found to be rich in terpene compounds. The extract proved to be highly selective and effective against breast and prostate cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-435, MCF-7, and DU 145) with IC50 as low as 0.7913±0.14, 12.841±0.21, and 30.51±0.18µg/ml, respectively. In silico modeling was performed to investigate the binding orientation and affinity of the major identified compounds against Polo-like kinase (PLK1 protein) a cancer molecular target using molecular docking and molecular dynamic whereas eudesm-5-en-11-ol, piperitone, and 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran displayed better binding affinity and stability against PLK1 compared to the reference drug. These findings encourage further in vivo studies to assess the anti-cancer effects of C. schoenanthus extract and its components.