Background: Applying a cooling treatment from outside the body is one way to lower fever in children. Midwives commonly perform a warm water compress in their care, but it is considered less effective. Thus, compress with Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller is proposed in this study as an alternative treatment. Objective: To examine the effect of Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller compress in reducing body temperature in children with fever. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest and posttest with control group design. Forty children were recruited, with twenty of them assigned in each group. Purposive sampling was performed to select the sample. A digital rectal thermometer was used to measure the temperature. Independent t- test and paired test were used for data analysis. Results: Findings showed that the Aloe Vera compress group showed a higher decrease of body temperature compared to the warm water compress group. The difference of body temperature after 20 minutes in the experiment group was 1.435 while in the control group was only 1.085. There were statistically significant differences in body temperature between the experiment and control group (p=0.013). Conclusion: Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller compress is an effective alternative therapy in reducing body temperature in children with fever.  It is recommended for midwives to apply this intervention to reduce body temperature significantly.

Background: Intensive care units (ICUs) admissions due to sepsis represent 2 to 11%. Although there are well stablished  therapeutic available, it still is the major cause of death in most ICUs and the leading cause of acute kidney injury. The objective of this work was to evaluate the role of Aloe vera extract on survival rates and kidney histopathology of mice submitted to sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture. Methods and Findings: Twenty six mice were distributed into four groups: Sham - surgery simulation (N=5); Control - Cecal ligation and puncture was performed (N=7); Aloe - Surgery simulation and treatment with Aloe vera extract (N=7); and Sepsis + Aloe - Cecal ligation and puncture was performed followed by treatment with Aloe vera extract (N=7). The animals were observed until death. Kidneys were analysed by histopathology. Kruskall-Wallis test was used to compare the histopathological results. Survival analysis was assessed by Kaplan-Meier statistics and compared using log rank test. A significance level of 5% was adopted. The survival time ranged from 19 hours for the Control group up to 24 hours for the animals of Sepsis + Aloe group, corresponding to a survival time of 1.26 times greater (p0.05). Conclusions: Aloe vera extracts delays mortality but does not attenuate kidney injury in sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture in mice.

A poloxamer-pluronic-mastic gum-gum acacia wound dressing

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Aloe vera contains multiple pharmacologically active substances which are capable of modulating cellular phenotypes and functions. Aloe vera ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts may be used in eye drops to treat inflammations and other ailments of external parts of the eye such as the cornea.

The present study demonstrated the effect of fucoidan, isolated from Fucus vesiculosus, on cell growth and apoptosis in anaplastic thyroid cancer cells. The cell viability was analyzed using a Cell Counting Kit‑8 cell proliferation kit. Diamidino-2-phenylindole and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick‑end labeling assays were used to examine the apoptotic effect of fucoidan, which revealed the presence of apoptotic bodies and DNA fragmentation. Fucoidan inhibited the growth of FTC133 and TPC1 ATC cells in a dose‑dependent manner. It also induced the apoptosis of FTC133 cells by promoting the expression levels of cleaved poly ADP‑ribose polymerase and caspase‑3. Significant decreases in the levels expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and vascular endothelial growth factor were observed in the FTC133 cells following treatment of the cells with fucoidan. In addition, inhibition in tube formation and the migration of FTC133 cells were observed in the cells treated with fucoidan, compared with the cells in the control group. Therefore, fucoidan inhibited cell growth, induced apoptosis and suppressed angiogenesis in the thyroid cancer cells.

The common cold is a viral infection with important economic burdens in Western countries. The research and development of nutritional solutions to reduce the incidence and severity of colds today is a major focus of interest, and larch arabinogalactan ...

ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs) were synthesised through a simple and efficient biogenic synthesis approach, exploiting the reducing and capping potential …

Cervical cancer is a public health problem and is well-known as the fourth most common cancer and the fourth major cause of cancer-associated death in women in the developing countries [1].

Gum Arabic (GA), a nutrient from dried exudate of Acacia senegal, is widely used as emulsifier and stabilizer. It stimulates sodium and water absorption in diarrhea. This study explored the effects of GA in colonic tissue. Mice were treated with GA (10% wt/vol) in drinking water and gene array was p …

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Current Oncology, an international, peer-reviewed Open Access journal.

Background Fucoidan, a water-soluble polysaccharide, exerts anticoagulant and antiviral functions. It was recently reported that fucoidan also exerts an antitumor function. Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. The aim of this study was to investigate anti-tumor,apoptosis and anti-metastasis effects of fucoidan in both cell-based assays and mouse xenograft model, as well as to clarify possible role of m-TOR pathway in the protection. Methods In vitro: Different concentrations of fucoidan were given to act on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines A549 and H1650. The effects of fucoidan on cell proliferation were observed by detecting cyclin expression levels, CCK8 and EDU experiments and cloning experiments. The apoptotic level was detected by flow cytometry and the apoptotic protein level was detected by Westernblot. By detecting the expression of adhesion molecules, the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family, and Transwell cell invasion and migration experiment, the effect of fucoidan on cell adhesion, invasion and migration was observed. Meanwhile the effect of fucoidan on angiogenesis was observed by detecting the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In vivo experiment: An animal model of NSCLC cell mouse subcutaneous xenograft tumor was established to analyze the correlation between the consumption of fucoidan and the size and volume of xenograft tumor through gross observation. Through immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescence double staining, ki67 and cell adhesion molecules (E-cadherin, N-cadherin and CD31) and VEGF-A in the tumor were detected, and the correlation between the amount of fucoidan and the above indexes was analyzed. Results Fucoidan inhibited the proliferation and angiogenesis of NSCLC cells via the mTOR pathway and promoted their apoptosis by increasing the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Not only that, fucoidan inhibited NSCLC cell invasion via epithelial–mesenchymal transformation (EMT). The mice fed fucoidan exhibited significant reductions in tumor volumes and weights. These indicators (Ki67, VEGF-A,N-cadherin) were decreased and E-cadherin expression was up-regulated in A549 mice that treated with fucoidan. The results showed that fucoidan inhibited tumor proliferation in vivo by affecting the expression of related proteins. Conclusion Fucoidan conveys antitumor effects and our results represent an ideal therapeutic agent for NSCLC.

Fucoidans extracted from brown algae have been documented to have excellent antithrombotic activity when administered by either intravenous or subcutaneous route in animal models. However, it is unknown if the fucoidans also have antithrombotic activity when administered orally, a highly desirable feature of oral antithrombotic agents. In the present study, we compared the oral absorption, bioavailability and antithrombotic activity of two fucoidan fractions from Laminaria japonica with different molecular weight by oral administration in an electricity induced arterial thrombosis model and the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Objective: Lately, gum Arabic (GA) is traditionally used in Middle East countries to ameliorate renal function of patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). This action is controversial and it is still experimentally under evaluation. We aimed to shed more light on the potential effects of GA against γ-rays-induced nephrotoxicity in irradiated rats. Forty-eight male albino Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into four groups: control group(C), irradiated groups (R) 5Gy, gum Arabic groups (GA) 25 mg/kg orally administrated for 3 weeks, and  GA+R groups, rats were treated orally with 25 mg /kg GA for one week before and three weeks after irradiation (GA+R). The experimental rats were sacrificed after 7 and 21 days of irradiation. Histochemical examination of kidney cortex tissue of R groups showed significantly decreased PAS-positive materials, total protein content, and total DNA content, but it significantly increased amyloid β–protein content relative to the control group. While treatment with GA before and after irradiation showed a non-significant change in PAS-positive materials and the content of total protein, total DNA, and amyloid β–protein throughout the examined kidney cortex. According to the results obtained in the current study using GA as a natural agent showed a strong cytoprotective effect against the histochemical changes due to its radioprotective effect.

Oxidative stress has a major role in progression of diabetes-related behavioral deficits. It has been suggested that Aloe vera has anti-diabetic, anti…

50 ml/day of Aloe vera juice restored normal thyroid function in the participating subjects and decreased their elevated serum TPOAb levels after just 3 months.

Objectives Inflammation is ongoing process among sickle cell anemia even during steady state. C reactive protein (CRP) is cardinal marker that utilized widely as inflammatory indicator. Gum Arabic (GA) is gummy exudates from Acacia senegal tree. Fermentation by colonic bacteria increases serum butyrate concentrations, so considered as prebiotic agent. Gum Arabic (GA) has anti-inflammatory activity through butyrate. Earlier we proved that regular intake of GA increased fetal hemoglobin and anti-oxidant capacity most likely through raised level of butyrate, which would ameliorate symptoms of sickle cell anemia. Best of our knowledge this is the first study conducted to investigate GA intake on inflammatory markers among sickle patients. Results This was a retrospective study conducted on stored samples from trial of Gum Arabic and sickle cell anemia. Quantitative CRP was measured by Mindray BS 200 before and after Gum Arabic consumption for 12 weeks. Daily intake of GA significantly decreased C reactive protein level (P.V = 001) (95% CI 0.943–3.098). No correlation between CRP and age, fetal hemoglobin, hemolysis markers and white blood cells. Our findings revealed novel effect of GA as anti-inflammatory agent could be consumed as natural dietary supplement to modulate disease severity and downregulate inflammatory process. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02467257. Registered 3rd June 2015

Rhizoid of Laminaria japonica was hydrolyzed with proteases and carbohydrases to obtain antioxidant materials. Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of the enzymatic extracts was evaluated and the

Background There is a strong association between cardiometabolic risk and adipose tissue dysfunction with great consequences on type 2 diabetic patients. Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) is an indirect clinical marker of adipose tissue dysfunction. Gum Arabic (GA) is a safe dietary fiber, an exudate of Acacia Senegal. Gum Arabic had shown lipid lowering effect in both humans and animals. The aim of this trial was to determine the effect of GA supplementation on anthropometric obesity marker, Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) and blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods This randomized, double blinded, placebo controlled trial recruited a total of 91 type 2 diabetic patients (73 females, 18 males), age (mean ± SD) 50.09 ± 9.3 years on hypoglycemic agents and were randomly assigned into two groups, either to consume 30 g of GA or 5 g of placebo daily for 3 months. Anthropometric obesity markers were measured and indices were calculated. Blood pressure was measured and high density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides (TG) were determined in fasting blood samples at the start and end of the study period. Results After intervention, Gum Arabic decreased BMI and VAI significantly (P

The present study was premeditated to examine the radioprotective effects of aqueous Aloe vera gel extract against whole-body X-ray irradiation–induced hematolo...

This in vitro study investigated the antiviral activity of an acidic polysaccharide from Laminaria japonica against enterovirus 71 (EV71) as well as i…

Fucoidan, a natural sulfated polysaccharide, displays various biological activities including antioxidant properties. We examined the neuroprotective effect of fucoidan against transient global cerebral ischemia (tGCI) in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese gerbils and its related mechanisms. Gerbils received HFD for 12 weeks and fucoidan (50 mg/kg) daily for the last 5 days during HFD exposure, and they were subjected to 5-min tGCI. Pyramidal cell death was observed only in the CA 1 area (CA1) of the hippocampus in non-obese gerbils 5 days after tGCI. However, in obese gerbils, pyramidal cell death in the CA1 and CA2/3 occurred at 2 days and 5 days, respectively, after tGCI. In the obese gerbils, oxidative stress indicators (dihydroethidium, 8-hydroxyguanine and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal) were significantly enhanced and antioxidant enzymes (SOD1 and SOD2) were significantly reduced in pre- and post-ischemic phases compared to the non-obese gerbils. Fucoidan treatment attenuated acceleration and exacerbation of tGCI-induced neuronal death in the CA1–3, showing that oxidative stress was significantly reduced, and antioxidant enzymes were significantly increased in pre- and post-ischemic phases. These findings indicate that pretreated fucoidan can relieve the acceleration and exacerbation of ischemic brain injury in an obese state via the attenuation of obesity-induced severe oxidative damage.

Current evidence indicates an immunostimulating role for complex carbohydrates, i.e., polysaccharides, from several plant sources. In the present work, we determined the specific in vivo effects, with time of administration, of one such compound, a neutral arabinogalactan from larch not only on immu …