Amongst the numerous species of Aloe used in traditional medicine, A. vera stands on its own as the basis of an enormous global industry (Figures 1 & 2), with an estimated annual retail value exceeding 110 billion US dollars (International Aloe Science Council 2004). In South Africa, A. ferox has become an important commercial medicinal plant, not only for its traditional use as laxative bitter...

Background: Stress has different effects on the body and endocrine system. Objectives: The main aim of this study is to determine the effects of immobilization stress and Aloe vera extract on levels of TSH, T3 or T4 in male rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 90 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 9 groups of control, receiving normal saline, receiving Aloe vera ext...

BACKGROUND In this study, Aloe vera samples were collected from different climatic regions of India. Quantitative HPTLC (high performance thin layer chromatography) analysis of important anthraquinones aloin and aloe-emodin and antiplasmodial activity of crude aqueous extracts was done to estimate the effects of these constituents on antiplasmodial potential of the plant. METHODS HPTLC system...

Aloe (Lilliaceae) has long been used as a remedy in many cultures. Aloe products, which include the latex, gel, and whole leaf, are used, among other reasons, as laxatives, in creams for skin ailments, and as a treatment for a wide range of diseases, respectively. The heterogeneous nature of Aloe products may contribute to the diverse biological and therapeutic activities that have been observe...

The antigenotoxic and chemopreventive effect of Aloe barbadensis Miller (polysaccharide fraction) on benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P)-DNA adducts was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Aloe showed a time-course and dose-dependent inhibition of [3H]B[a]P-DNA adduct formation in primary rat hepatocytes (1x10(6) cells/ml) treated with [3H]B[a]P (4 nmol/ml). At concentrations of 0.4-250 microg/ml aloe, the b...

We investigated the feeding habits of the teiid lizard Cnemidophorus littoralis in the markedly seasonal habitat of Restinga da Barra de Maricá (22 degrees 57'S, 43 degrees 50'W), Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, to evaluate to what extent its diet is ontogenetically, sexually, and/or seasonally conservative. Lizard stomach contents were analyzed, identified, counted, estimated for volume (in mm3)...

BACKGROUND Biotic stress induced by various herbivores and pathogens invokes plant responses involving different defense mechanisms. However, we do not know whether different biotic stresses share a common response or which signaling pathways are involved in responses to different biotic stresses. We investigated the common and specific responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to three biotic stress a...

Although animal-borne accelerometers are effective tools for quantifying the kinematics of animal behaviors, quantifying the burst movements of small and agile aquatic animals remains challenging. To capture the details of burst movements, accelerometers need to sample at a very high frequency, which will inevitably shorten the recording duration or increase the device size. To overcome this pr...

BACKGROUND Ten (10) young women diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the Wesley Guild Hospital Ilesa, a unit of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria who did not meet the national criteria for the use of antiretroviral drugs were managed with 30-40 mL of aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis miller) gruel daily. METHODS Their CD4 counts, ge...

Aloe vera (Aloe arborescens, aloe barbadensis) is a medicinal plant belonging to the Liliaceae family. Aloe vera gel prepared from the inner part of Aloe leaves is increasingly consumed as a beverage dietary supplement. Some data suggest its tumor growth modulatory properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate in Balb/c mice the in vivo influence of orally administered Aloe vera drin...