Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) converts the inactive angiotensin I to (a potent vasoconstrictor and aldosterone releaser) angiotensin II. Inhibitors of ACE are valuable drugs in the treatment of hypertension, and heart failure. These inhibitors have a natural origin and non-peptide drugs were synthesized from the natural lead compounds. However, because of some side effects such as dry cough, many investigators are searching in natural products to find better and more selective lead compounds. There are reports on the interaction between rennin-angiotensin system and endogenous opioid system. Morphine and endogenous opioids have reported to inhibit ACE. In this research we examined the possible inhibitory effects of purified papaver’s main alkaloids on the activity of purified rabbit lung ACE. We found that only papaverin at 1 mM inhibited the enzyme by 40%. The Km value of ACE increased while Vmax decreased in papaverin treated samples. We conclude that part of hypotensive effects of papaverin may be related to ACE inhibition, and this compound will be a suitable lead compound for further investigation.

St John’s wort, Hypericum Perforatum L. (Culsiaceae) is an important medicinal plant, which has different bioactive constituents and hypericin (a naphtodianthrone) is one of this compounds. Hypericin has many pharmacological effects such as antidepressant, antiviral and antibacterial, which cause to high production and consumption. It has known that region and genetic (accession) have significant effects on yield and content of active constituents of this plant. Because of existing 5 accessions in gene bank of medicinal plants Institute –ACECR, this study has been conducted in order to determination the best accession and evaluation role of genetic and environment on quantitative yield and hypericin content. This study has been done in research farms of medicinal plants Institute - ACECR along 1999- 2002. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with a split-plot arrangement. The parameters are measured in this study included: dry and wet herbage, content of hypericin, plant height and diameter in flowering stage. Combined analysis of variance indicated that genetic (accession) had significant effect on wet herbage (p<0.05), dry herbage, plant height & diameter (p<0.01) but had not significant effect on hypericin content. Environmental conditions (years) affected on hypericin content (p<0.01). Therefore accession and environment have main roles in production of medicinal parts and hypericin content in this plants, respectively. They could be considered as two key factors for an economically successful cultivation.

Background: Advantages of herbal drugs have been known to human being for many years and they have been used for treatment of many diseases. Nowadays, inflammation is known to be one of the basic pathologic causes of the diseases. Objective: In this study the anti-inflammatory effect of Thymus kotschyanus Boiss & Hohen was investigated. Methods: Forty two Wistar rats were used in three divided groups. In the first group, extract of Thymus kotschyanus Boiss & Hohen in doses of 50, 100, 150, 200 mg/kg was injected intra peritoneal and after one hour they were treated with hind paw edema test with carrageenan. In the second group, Indomethacin with the dose of 5 mg/kg was injected one hour before carrageenan and in the third one, saline was injected before carrageenan, every hours after carrageenan injection to rat’s right hind paw the inflammation was separately measured by the change in the volume of mercury (plethysmometer). Results: Indomethacin and Thymus kotschyanus Boiss & Hohen extract had significantly reduced edema in all five measurements (p<0.001). There was no significant difference between Indometacin and the extract in reducing edema in the first to fourth hour, but in the fifth hour, the herbal drug showed a significant difference of anti-inflammatory effect with Indometacin in all doses (p<0.05). Conclusion: The methanolic extract of Thymus kotschyanus Boiss & Hohen has anti- inflammatory effect in all doses which is dose dependant and can be used instead of or as a synergist for Indometacin. Higher doses of herbal extract may have more anti-inflammatory effects.

Background: Numerous molecules in Papaveraceae family display interesting cytotoxic activities against tumor cell lines in vitro and hints of anticancer activities in vivo have been reported in a few cases. Objective: Numerous molecules in this family display interesting cytotoxic activities against tumor cell lines in vitro and hints of anticancer activities in vivo have been reported in a few cases. In this study we evaluated the cytotoxic effects of total and alkaloid extracts of Glaucium flavum Crantz and Glaucium grandiflurom Boiss. & Huet, the two species of this genus, on cell proliferation of HT-29, Caco-2, T47D, and NIH/3T3 cell lines by MTT method and their IC50s were determined. Methods: The aerial parts of G. grandiflurom and G. flavum were collected from Jajrud in Tehran Province in June 2011. The effect of total extract and alkaloid extract of them on HT-29, Ta7D, NIH/3T3 and Caco-2 cells was determined by MTT assay. Results: Alkaloid extracts showed a moderate cytotoxic effect on the cell lines. IC50 values confirmed that the growth and proliferation of NIH/3T3 cells were less affected in comparison to other cell lines. Conclusion: The effects of alkaloid extracts of both plants on human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines (HT-29, Caco-2), showed that these extracts contain certain compounds that can inhibit the proliferation of colon cancerous cells.