| shigellocidal properties of three nigerian medicinal plants: ocimum gratissimum, terminalia avicennoides, and momordica balsamina. | the prevalence of multidrug-resistant shigellae is an important concern in the treatment of shigellosis in many developing countries, and other therapies, including herbal agents, may provide an important alternative to antimicrobial agents. in this study, three nigerian medicinal plants: ocimum gratissimum, terminalia avicennoides, and momordica balsamina were investigated for their activities against multidrug-resistant shigella species isolated from patients with bacilliary dysentery in lagos ... | 2001 | 11855356 |
| reactions of some cucurbitaceous species tozucchini yellow mosaic virus (zymv). | zucchini yellow mosaic virus (zymv) is a widespread serious pathogen of cucurbitaceous plants. zymv was first detected in hungary in 1995. since then it has become one of the most dangerous viruses of the cucurbitaceae family causing serious epidemics. the virus has many hosts, which - particularly perennial ones - may play important role as virus reservoirs and infection sources in virus epidemiology. on the other hand wild weed species maybe sources of resistance to viruses. our research was c ... | 2004 | 15756830 |
| screening of some medicinal plants used in south-west nigerian traditional medicine for anti-salmonella typhi activity. | ten nigerian medicinal plants used traditionally for the treatment of several ailments of both microbial and non-microbial origins were tested on multi-drug resistant s. typhi (mdr) strains of which six of them were active. the results revealed that both the aqueous and ethanol extracts of terminalia avicennioides, momordica balsamina, combretum paniculatum and trema guineensis were effective on the mdr-s. typhi strains with minimum inhibitory concentration (mic) and minimum bactericidal concent ... | 2005 | 16093235 |
| in vitro and in vivo antiplasmodial activity of momordica balsamina alone or in a traditional mixture. | because of the dramatic situation of malaria in africa, there is an urgent need to find new and cheap drugs, such as herbal medicines. here we report the study of the in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activity of momordica balsamina alone or in a traditional mixture used in niger. | 2006 | 17008780 |
| the use of microfluorometric method for activity-guided isolation of antiplasmodial compound from plant extracts. | in vitro antiplasmodial activity of methanolic extracts of 16 medicinal plants was evaluated by fluorometric assay using picogreen. the ic50s, as determined by parasite dna concentration, ranged from <11 to >200 and <13 to >200 microg/ml for plasmodium falciparum 3d7 and k1, respectively; and the most active extracts were those from anogeissus leiocarpus and terminalia avicennoides (<11-> or =14 microg/ml). aqueous, butanolic, ethyl acetate, and methanolic fractions of these two extracts reveale ... | 2008 | 18214539 |
| new potent p-glycoprotein modulators with the cucurbitane scaffold and their synergistic interaction with doxorubicin on resistant cancer cells. | the novel cucurbitacins, balsaminagenin a and b (1-2) and balsaminoside a (3) and the know cucurbitacin karavelagenin c (4), together with five new mono or diacylated derivatives (5-9) of karavelagenin c were evaluated for multidrug resistance reversing activity on human mdr1 gene transfected mouse lymphoma cells. compounds 2-6 exhibited a strong activity compared with that of the positive control, verapamil. structure-activity relationships are discussed. moreover, in the checkerboard model of ... | 2009 | 19733087 |
| momordica balsamina: a medicinal and neutraceutical plant for health care management. | momordica balsamina, african pumpkin (cucurbitaceae), is a tendril-bearing, wild climber containing wide spectrum of medicinal and nutritional values and has been used as a traditional folk medicine in many countries. the leaves, fruits, seeds, and bark of the plant contains resins, alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, steroids, terpenes, cardiac glycoside, saponins having various medicinal importance viz. anti-hiv, anti-plasmodial, shigellocidal, anti-diarrheal, anti-septic, anti-bacterial, anti- ... | 2009 | 19751180 |
| cucurbitane-type triterpenoids from the african plant momordica balsamina. | phytochemical investigation of the aerial parts of momordica balsamina led to the isolation of five new cucurbitane-type triterpenoids (1-5) and two known analogues (6, 7). their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods including 2d nmr experiments (cosy, hmqc, hmbc, and noesy). the new compounds feature unusual oxidation patterns in the cucurbitane skeleton, such as at c-29 (1-3) and c-12 (4, 5). compounds 1-4, 6, and 7 were evaluated for in vitro cytotoxicity against hu ... | 2009 | 19795842 |
| evaluation of cucurbitane-type triterpenoids from momordica balsamina on p-glycoprotein (abcb1) by flow cytometry and real-time fluorometry. | cancer cells become refractory to chemotherapy as a consequence of their overexpressing abc transporters that extrude not only the therapeutic agent but other unrelated compounds such as chemotoxins and biocides before they can reach their intended targets. a compound that can inhibit the activity of these transporters may find use as an adjunct to chemotherapy that had been rendered ineffective. | 2009 | 19846941 |
| new antimalarials with a triterpenic scaffold from momordica balsamina. | bioassay-guided fractionation of the methanol extract of momordica balsamina led to the isolation of three new cucurbitane-type triterpenoids, balsaminols c-e (1-3). their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods including 2d nmr experiments (cosy, hmqc, hmbc and noesy). balsaminols c-e, together with ten cucurbitacins isolated from the same plant (4-13), were evaluated for their antimalarial activity against the plasmodium falciparum chloroquine-sensitive strain 3d7 and ... | 2010 | 20541427 |
| plant composition, pharmacological properties and mutagenic evaluation of a commercial zulu herbal mixture: imbiza ephuzwato. | ethnopharmacology relevance: imbiza ephuzwato is a traditional herbal tonic made from a mixture of extracts of roots, bulbs, rhizomes and leaves of 21 medicinal plants and is used in traditional medicine as a multipurpose remedy. | 2010 | 21040765 |
| inhibition of efflux pumps in methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and enterococcus faecalis resistant strains by triterpenoids from momordica balsamina. | six cucurbitane-type triterpenoids (1-6) isolated from the aerial parts of momordica balsamina were evaluated for their ability to inhibit the activity of bacterial efflux pumps of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) col(oxa), enterococcus faecalis atcc 29212, salmonella enterica subsp. i serovar typhimurium 5408 and s. typhimurium 5408cip strains. the latter strain overproduces the acrb transporter of the acrab-tolc efflux pump six-fold compared with its parent. compounds 4-6 wer ... | 2010 | 21075604 |
| karavilagenin c derivatives as antimalarials. | karavilagenin c (1), a cucurbitane-type triterpenoid, previously isolated from the aerial parts of momordica balsamina, was acylated with different alkanoyl, aroyl and cinnamoyl chlorides/anydrides, yielding ten new mono or diesters, karavoates f (7) and h-p (8-16). furthermore, the new compound cucurbalsaminol c (17) was isolated from the same plant. their structures were assigned by spectroscopic methods, including 2d nmr experiments. compounds 1 and 17 and the acyl derivatives 8-16 along with ... | 2010 | 21129980 |
| Triterpenoids as inhibitors of erythrocytic and liver stages of Plasmodium infections. | Bioassay-guided fractionation of the methanol extract of Momordica balsamina led to the isolation of two new cucurbitane-type triterpenoids, balsaminol F (1) and balsaminoside B (2), along with the known glycosylated cucurbitacins, cucurbita-5,24-diene-3ß,23(R)-diol-7-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside (3) and kuguaglycoside A (4). Compound 1 was acylated yielding two new triesters, triacetylbalsaminol F (5) and tribenzoylbalsaminol F (6). The structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic methods includi ... | 2011 | 22071523 |
| antibacterial activity of some african medicinal plants used traditionally against infectious diseases. | context: plants are known to play a crucial role in african traditional medicine for the treatment of infection diseases. objectives: to investigate the claimed antimicrobial properties of plants traditionally used in african countries, providing scientific validation for their use. materials and methods: eighty-three polar and non-polar extracts from 22 medicinal plants were screened for their antibacterial activity against gram-positive (staphylococcus aureus and enterococcus faecalis) and ... | 2011 | 22136524 |
| balsamin, a novel ribosome-inactivating protein from the seeds of balsam apple momordica balsamina. | plant seeds, a rich source of proteins, are considered important for their application as functional ingredients in a food system. a novel ribosome-inactivating protein (rip), balsamin was purified from the seeds of balsam apple, momordica balsamina. balsamin was purified by ion exchange chromatography on cm sepharose and gel filtration on superdex-75. it has a molecular weight of 28 kda as shown by sds-page analysis. balsamin inhibits protein synthesis in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate-based cell ... | 2011 | 22120616 |
| isolation and partial characterization of 3 nontoxic d-galactose-specific isolectins from seeds of momordica balsamina. | three isolectins denoted hereforth mbal-30, mbal-60, and mbal-80 were isolated from seeds extract of momordica balsamina by 30%, 60%, and 80% ammonium sulfate saturations, respectively. the native molecular weights of these lectins, as judged by gel filtration, were 108, 56, and 160 kda, respectively. on sds-page, under reduced condition, 27 kda band was obtained for all isolectins. the lectins hemagglutinating activities were variably inhibited by d-galactose (minimum inhibitory concentrations ... | 2017 | 27774692 |
| functional analysis of a type-i ribosome inactivating protein balsamin from momordica balsamina with anti-microbial and dnase activity. | ribosome inactivating proteins (rips) have received considerable attention in biomedical research because of their unique activities towards tumor and virus-infected cells. we extracted balsamin, a type-i rip, from momordica balsamina. in the present study, a detailed investigation on dnase activity, antioxidant capacity and antibacterial activity was conducted using purified balsamin. dnase-like activity of balsamin towards plasmid dna was ph, incubation time and temperature dependent. moreover ... | 2016 | 27319013 |
| inhibition of hiv-1 replication by balsamin, a ribosome inactivating protein of momordica balsamina. | ribosome-inactivating proteins (rips) are endowed with several medicinal properties, including antiviral activity. we demonstrate here that the recently identified type i rip from momordica balsamina also possesses antiviral activity, as determined by viral growth curve assays and single-round infection experiments. importantly, this activity is at play even as doses where the rip has no cytotoxic effect. in addition, balsamin inhibits hiv-1 replication not only in t cell lines but also in human ... | 2013 | 24040067 |
| in vivo evaluation of isolated triterpenes and semi-synthetic derivatives as antimalarial agents. | the triterpenes balsaminoside b (1) and karavilagenin c (2) were isolated from the african medicinal plant momordica balsamina l. karavoates b (3) and d (4) were synthesized by diacylation of 2 with acetic and propionic anhydrides, respectively. in previous work, derivatives 3 and 4 exhibited submicromolar median inhibitory concentrations (ic50) in vitro against plasmodium falciparum welch (human malaria parasite) strains 20 to 25 times lower than those of natural product 2. the main objective o ... | 2015 | 26301556 |
| dual-stage triterpenoids from an african medicinal plant targeting the malaria parasite. | sixteen triterpenoids (1-16), previously isolated from the aerial parts of the african medicinal plant momordica balsamina or obtained by derivatization, were evaluated for their activity against liver stages of plasmodium berghei, measuring the luminescence intensity in huh-7 cells infected with a firefly luciferase-expressing p. berghei line, pbgfp-luccon. toxicity of compounds (1-16) was assessed on the same cell line through the fluorescence measurement of cell confluency. the highest activi ... | 2014 | 25002232 |
| in vitro schistosomicidal activity of balsaminol f and karavilagenin c. | five cucurbitane-type triterpenes (1-5), previously isolated from the african medicinal plant momordica balsamina, along with five ester derivatives (6-10) of karavilagenin c (2), were evaluated for their potential schistosomicidal activity against schistosoma mansoni adult worms. the natural compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate-soluble fraction of the methanol extract of the aerial parts of m. balsamina. in a preliminary study, a significant schistosomicidal activity was observed for ... | 2012 | 23096257 |
| an ethnomedicinal survey and documentation of important medicinal folklore food phytonims of flora of samahni valley, (azad kashmir) pakistan. | ethnobotanical knowledge is one of the precious cultural heritage parts of an area that involves the interaction between plants and people and foremost among these are the management of plant diversity by indigenous communities and the traditional use of medicinal plants. an ethnobotanical analysis was conducted in order to document the traditional medicinal uses of plants, particularly medicinally important folklore food phytonims of flora of samahni valley, azad kashmir (pakistan). in the vall ... | 2007 | 19070189 |
| antidiabetic screening and scoring of 11 plants traditionally used in south africa. | to investigate the traditional antidiabetic uses of indigenous or naturalised south african plants using an optimised screening and scoring method. | 2008 | 18588966 |
| optimization and development of antidiabetic phytosomes by box-benhken design. | researchers have extensively reviewed on herbs and natural products for their marked clinical efficacy in some recent years, however maximum of the newly discovered bioactive constituents offer poor bioavailability due to their large size molecules or to their poor miscibility with oils and lipids, thereby limiting their ability to pass across the lipid-rich outer membranes of the enterocytes of the small intestine (mukherjee and wahile, 2006). phytosomes are more bioavailable as compared to her ... | 2017 | 28337938 |
| the cucurbit images (1515-1518) of the villa farnesina, rome. | the gorgeous frescoes organized by the master renaissance painter raphael sanzio (1483-1520) and illustrating the heavenly adventures of cupid and psyche were painted between 1515 and 1518 to decorate the roman villa (now known as the villa farnesina) of the wealthy sienese banker agostino chigi (1466-1520). surrounding these paintings are festoons of fruits, vegetables and flowers painted by giovanni martini da udine (1487-1564), which include over 170 species of plants. a deconstruction and co ... | 2006 | 16314340 |