BACKGROUND Hepatic fibrosis is characterised by a progressive accumulation of fibrillar extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, including collagen that occurs in chronic liver diseases. Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta)/Smad3 signalling plays a major role in tissue fibrogenesis acting as a potent stimulus of ECM accumulation. AIM To evaluate the effects of a combined therapy with anti-...

?-Amylase inhibitory activities of ethanol extracts from six selected Iranian Salvia species (S. hydrangea DC., S. hypoleuca Benth., S. officinalis L., S. reuterana Boiss., S. verticillata L. and S. virgata Jacq.) were examined, using in vitro model. In addition, antioxidant capacities (DPPH• radical scavenging) and total flavonoid cotents of the extracts were also determined. The results showe...

Salvia miltiorrhiza, which is commonly known as Danshen, is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine. To illustrate its physiological and biochemical responses to salt stress and to evaluate the feasibility of cultivating this plant in saline coastal soils, a factorial experiment under hydroponic conditions was arranged on the basis of a completely randomised design with three replications. Five s...

Salvia miltiorrhiza is an important medicinal plant with great economic and medicinal value. The complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of Salvia miltiorrhiza, the first sequenced member of the Lamiaceae family, is reported here. The genome is 151,328 bp in length and exhibits a typical quadripartite structure of the large (LSC, 82,695 bp) and small (SSC, 17,555 bp) single-copy regions, sepa...

UNLABELLED Ferula ovina (Boiss.) Boiss. is a traditional Iranian flavoring agent used as an ingredient of spices and condiments. METHODS AND RESULTS GC-MS analyses of F. ovina aerial parts' essential oil revealed the presence of a number of rare aromatic esters of monoterpenic alcohols. The structures of these esters were corroborated by synthesis, and one of them, bornyl 4-methoxybenzoate, t...

BACKGROUND Salvia divinorum is a member of the Lamiaceae family and contains the psychotropic diterpene and kappa-opioid receptor agonist salvinorin-A. Originally a shamanic inebriant used by the Mexican Mazatec Indians, the plant and its preparations are becoming increasingly popular among non-traditional users. METHODS Demographic data and information on pattern of use and subjective effect...

The study designed to evaluate the protective effect of Salvia officinalis (SO) water extract against OVAinduced asthma in mice. The OVA-induced asthmatic mice exhibited significant increase in total leukocytes count, IL-4 and IL-5 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and eosinophils count in (BALF), in addition, to the serum total IgE level. Pathological changes in the lung were evalu...