In the present study, leachate toxicity of a municipal solid waste landfill located in the Sinos River Valley region (southern Brazil) was evaluated using plant bioassays. Leachate toxicity was assessed by analysis of seed germination and root elongation of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and rocket plant Eruca sativa Mill.) and root elongation of onions Allium cepa L.). Bioassays were performed by...

We investigated the toxicity of the fixed oil of Nigella sativa L seeds in mice and rats through determination of LD50 values and examination of possible biochemical, hematological and histopathological changes. The acute toxicity of Nigella sativa fixed oil was investigated in mice. LD50 values, obtained by single doses, orally and intraperitoneally administered in mice, were 28.8 ml/kg body w...

In this study we investigated the effect of maturity stage on chemical composition, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVD) and volume of gas produced at 24 h (G24) of forages from Avena sativa L. (oats), Trifolium alexandrinum (berseem), Vicia sativa L. (vetch), Avena sativa-Vicia sativa (OV) and Avena sativaTrifolium alexandrinum (OB) mixtures collected at progressive morphological stages (S1...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Recent papers indicated that epigenetic control is involved in transitions in bud dormancy, purportedly controlling gene expression. The present study aimed to identify genes that are differentially expressed in dormant and non-dormant Castanea sativa buds. METHODS Two suppression subtractive hybridization cDNA libraries were constructed to characterize the transcriptomes ...

OBJECTIVE To study the potential efficacy and tolerability of a natural multiherbal formula (Immumax) containing Echinacea extract 120 mg, garlic powder 100 mg, Nigella sativa oil 200 mg, and Panax ginseng extract 50 mg plus vitamin C 50 mg and elemental zinc 7.5 mg in the treatment of patients suffering from the common cold. DESIGN AND SETTING The study was conducted in a prospective, double...

OBJECTIVE Diabetes is an important risk factor for cardiovascular events. The great percent of morbidity in patients with diabetes is due to endothelial dysfunction. The present study investigated the effects of hydroalcholic extract of Nigella sativa (N. sativa) on contractile and dilatation response of isolated aorta in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat. MATERIALS AND METHODS Rats w...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Leishmaniasis is a major public health problem, and the alarming spread of parasite resistance underlines the importance of discovering new therapeutic products. The present study aims to investigate the in vitro antileishmanial activity and cytotoxicity of the ethanolic extract of Berberis vulgaris fruits and chloroform extract of Nigella sativa seeds against Leishmania...

This study aimed to investigate effects of varying doses of Nigella sativa seed powder or acetone extracts in diet on feed intake, mortality, serum lipid profiles and population of intestinal microflora of broilers. A total 168, day-old broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were ad-libitium manually prepared feeds supplemented with 0, 1.5, 2.5, 3.0% seed powder or 0, 0.2, 0.4% acetone extracts of N. sativa...

OBJECTIVES This study was conducted to determine whether the blood pressure-lowering effect of Nigella sativa might be mediated by its effects on nitric oxide, angiotensin-converting enzyme, heme oxygenase and oxidative stress markers. METHODS Twenty-four adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided equally into 4 groups. One group served as the control (group 1), whereas the other three group...

Nigella sativa (N. sativa) grows in various parts of the world, particularly in Iran. It has been traditionally used as a folk remedy to treat a number of diseases. The seeds of this plant contain moisture, proteins, carbohydrates, crude fiber, alkaloids, saponins, ash, fixed oils and essential oil. The major components of the essential oil are thymoquinone, p-cymene, trans-anethole, 2-methyl-5...