Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Aloe Vera (aloe + vera)
Selected AbstractsStudy and description of hydrogels and organogels as vehicles for cosmetic active ingredientsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE, Issue 4 2010M. E. Morales J. Cosmet. Sci., 60, 627,636 (November/December 2009) Synopsis Cellulite, a clinical syndrome mainly affecting women, involves specific changes in conjunctive dermic and subcutaneous tissue, leading to vascular and hypertrophic alterations in adipose tissues and the consequent alteration of tissue structure. This paper describes the design of hydrogels and pluronic-lecithin organogels elaborated as vehicles of Aloe vera (Aloe vera linné) and Hydrocotyle asiatica (Centella asiatica) for the treatment of cellulite. The objective of this work was to carry out a complete evaluation of the proposed formulae through the study of the organoleptic and rheological properties of the formulae. Our work revealed that, in appearance, hydrogels show better organoleptic characteristics than organogels. On the other hand, from a rheological point of view, both hydrogels and organogels display a plastic behavior. However, the main difference between the two is that the more complex internal structure of the organogel bestows it with more viscosity. Finally, in vitro tests with Franz-type diffusion cells revealed that the release of cosmetic active principle from the tested excipients was appropriate, both in terms of magnitude and velocity. [source] A systematic review of wound cleansing for pressure ulcersJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 15 2008FFNMRCSI, Zena Moore MSc Aim., The aim of this study was to use a Cochrane systematic review process to explore the effect of wound cleansing solutions and techniques on pressure ulcer healing. Background., Pressure ulcers impose a significant financial burden on health care systems and negatively affect the quality of life. Wound cleansing is an important component of pressure ulcer care; however, there is uncertainty regarding best practice. Design., Systematic review. Methods., The Specialised Trials Register of the Cochrane Wounds Group, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and bibliographies of relevant publications were searched. Drug companies and experts in the field were also contacted. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing wound cleansing with no wound cleansing, or different wound cleansing solutions, or different cleansing techniques, were eligible for inclusion. For dichotomous outcomes, relative risk (RR) plus 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated; for continuous outcomes, weighted mean difference plus 95% CI were calculated. Meta analysis was not conducted because of the small number of diverse RCTs identified. Results., No studies compared cleansing with no cleansing. A statistically significant improvement in healing occurred for wounds cleansed with saline spray containing Aloe vera, silver chloride and decyl glucoside (Vulnopur) compared with isotonic saline (p = 0·025). No statistically significant change in healing was seen when water was compared with saline (RR 3·00, 95% CI 0·21, 41·89). No statistically significant change in healing was seen for ulcers cleansed with, or without, a whirlpool (RR 2·10, 95% CI 0·93,4·76). Conclusion., There is little trial evidence to support the use of any particular wound cleansing solution or technique for pressure ulcers. Relevance to clinical practice., No firm recommendations for ways of cleansing pressure ulcers in clinical practice can be made, the lack of RCT evidence should be a concern for health care providers. [source] Modulatory effects of Aloe vera leaf gel extract on oxidative stress in rats treated with streptozotocinJOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2005S. Rajasekaran Oxidative stress is currently suggested as a mechanism underlying diabetes and diabetic-related complications. Oxidative stress results from an imbalance between radical-generating and radical-scavenging systems. Many secondary plant metabolites have been reported to possess antioxidant activity. This study was designed to evaluate the potential antioxidative activity of the ethanolic extract from Aloe vera leaf gel in the plasma and pancreas of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Glibenclamide was used as a standard reference drug. Oral administration of ethanolic extract at a concentration of 300 mg kg,1 body weight for 21 days resulted in a significant reduction in fasting blood glucose, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, hydroperoxides and alpha-tocopherol and significant improvement in ascorbic acid, reduced glutathione and insulin in the plasma of diabetic rats. Similarly, the treatment also resulted in a significant reduction in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, hydroperoxides, superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase and significant improvement in reduced glutathione in the pancreas of STZ-induced diabetic rats when compared with untreated diabetic rats. The ethanolic extract appeared to be more effective than glibenclamide in controlling oxidative stress. Thus, this study confirms the ethnopharmacological use of Aloe vera in ameliorating the oxidative stress found in diabetes. [source] Phytomodulatory potentials of Aloe vera against Salmonella OmpR -mediated inflammationPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 8 2008Praveen Rishi Abstract Mediators released during inflammatory response play an essential role in eliminating microbes or microbial products. However, the uncontrolled release of cytotoxic substances characterized by extensive inflammation may adversely affect normal tissues. Under such conditions it is important to manage the hyperinflammation in order to change the clinical manifestations of the disease. Accordingly, the present study was designed to evaluate the modulation of Salmonella OmpR mediated inflammation by Aloe vera, a plant known to contain antiinflammatory ingredients. It was observed that outer-membrane proteins (OMPs) extracted from the wild type strain of S. typhimurium caused inflammation of greater magnitude compared with the OMPs extracted from its mutant construct as evident from the oedema test as well as the hyperalgesic (flicking) response of the animals under experimental conditions. However, Aloe vera applied topically, administered intraperitoneally or in combination modulated the inflammatory response. The maximum effect was observed with the combined formulation indicating modulation at local as well as systemic levels. The results reveal that this modulation could be due to the potential of Aloe vera to decrease peroxidative damage via a decrease in the levels of monokines (TNF- ,, IL-1 and IL-6) and an increase in the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Moreover, the presence of SOD in Aloe vera itself might be responsible for enhancing its levels in the macrophages. On the other hand, no significant change in the catalase activity was observed by Aloe vera treatment. The use of Aloe vera, therefore, seems to have a promising role in the modulation of Salmonella OmpR mediated inflammation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Protective value of Aloe vera against some toxic effects of arsenic in ratsPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 1 2005Richa Gupta Abstract Concomitant oral supplementation of Aloe vera, (1, 2 or 5% w[sol ]v in drinking water) during arsenic exposure (0.2 mg[sol ]kg, intraperitoneally, once daily for 3 weeks) was investigated in rats for its protective value. Animals exposed to arsenic (III) showed a significant inhibition of , -aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity, a marginal decrease in glutathione (GSH) and an increase in zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) level in blood. White blood corpuscles (WBC) level decreased while most of the other clinical blood parameters like red blood cells count, haemoglobin, MCV, MCH, MCHC ratio and platelet number, etc. remained unaltered on arsenic exposure. Hepatic reduced GSH, oxidized glutathione (GSSG) level remained unaltered, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) level increased significantly while the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and catalase decreased on arsenic exposure. Renal GSH contents decreased while superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity decreased significantly on arsenic exposure. Concomitant administration of Aloe vera had remarkable protective action on inhibited blood ALAD activity and restored blood GSH level while most of the other blood biochemical parameters remained unchanged on Aloe vera supplementation. Interestingly, most of hepatic biochemical variables indicative of oxidative stress showed protection; no effect of Aloe vera on blood and liver arsenic concentration was noted. Also, no effect of Aloe vera on most of the altered renal biochemical parameters were noticed. The results thus lead us to conclude that simultaneous supplementation of Aloe vera protects against arsenic induced oxidative stress but does not influence the arsenic concentration in these organs. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The influence of long-term Aloe vera ingestion on age-related disease in male Fischer 344 ratsPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 8 2002Yuji Ikeno Abstract The effects of long-term Aloe vera ingestion on age-related diseases were investigated using male specific pathogen-free (SPF) Fischer 344 rats. Experimental animals were divided into four groups: Group A, the control rats fed a semi-synthetic diet without Aloe vera; Group B, rats fed a diet containing 1% freeze-dried Aloe vera filet; Group C, rats fed a diet containing 1% charcoal-processed, freeze-dried Aloe vera filet; and Group D, rats fed the control diet and given whole leaf charcoal-processed Aloe vera (0.02%) in the drinking water. This study demonstrates that life-long Aloe vera ingestion produced neither harmful effects nor deleterious changes. In addition, Aloe vera ingestion appeared to be associated with some beneficial effects on age-related diseases. Groups B exhibited significantly less occurrence of multiple causes of death, and a slightly lower incidence of fatal chronic nephropathy compared with Group A rats. Groups B and C rats showed the trend, slightly lower incidences of thrombosis in the cardiac atrium than Group A rats. Therefore, these findings suggest that life-long Aloe vera ingestion does not cause any obvious harmful and deleterious side effects, and could also be beneficial for the prevention of age-related pathology. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The protective and healing effects of a natural antioxidant formulation based on ubiquinol and Aloe vera against dextran sulfate-induced ulcerative colitis in ratsBIOFACTORS, Issue 1-4 2003Ludmila Korkina Abstract Oxygen/nitrogen reactive species (ROS/RNS) are currently implicated in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis, drawing attention on the potential prophylactic and healing properties of antioxidants, scavengers, chelators. We evaluated the possible protective/curative effects of a natural antioxidant preparation based on Aloe vera and ubiquinol, against intestinal inflammation, lesions, and pathological alterations of the intestinal electrophysiological activity and motility, in a rat model of DSS-induced colitis. 5% dextrane sulfate (DDS) (3 days), followed by 1% DSS (4 days) was administered in drinking water. The antioxidant formulation (25 mg/kg) was delivered with a pre-treatment protocol, or simultaneously or post-colitis induction. Spontaneous and acetylcholine-stimulated electrical activity were impaired in the small intestine and in distal colon, upon exposure to DSS only. Severe inflammation occurred, with increased myeloperoxidase activity, and significant alterations of the oxidant/antioxidant status in colonic tissue and peritoneal cells. Lipoperoxidation, superoxide production, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase activities, and reduced glutathione content increased, whilst superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were sharply suppressed in colon tissue. ROS/RNS formation in peritoneal cells was strongly inhibited. Inflammation, electrical/mechanical impairment in the gut, and a great majority of oxidative stress parameters were improved substantially by pre-treatment with the antioxidant preparation, but not by simultaneous administration or post-treatment. [source] Review article: complementary and alternative therapies for inflammatory bowel diseaseALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 3 2006L. LANGMEAD Summary Complementary and alternative medicine includes a wide range of practices and therapies outside the realms of conventional western medicine. Despite a lack of scientific data in the form of controlled trials for either efficacy or safety of complementary and alternative medicine, use by patients with inflammatory bowel disease, particularly of herbal therapies, is widespread and increasing. There is limited controlled evidence indicating efficacy of traditional Chinese medicines, aloe vera gel, wheat grass juice, Boswellia serrata and bovine colostrum enemas in ulcerative colitis. Encouraging results have also been reported in small studies of acupuncture for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Contrary to popular belief, natural therapies are not necessarily safe: fatal hepatic and irreversible renal failure have occurred with some preparations and interactions with conventional drugs are potentially dangerous. There is a need for further controlled clinical trials of the potential efficacy of complementary and alternative approaches in inflammatory bowel disease, together with enhanced legislation to maximize their quality and safety. [source] | ||||||||||