BACKGROUND: Artichoke extract (AE), containing natural antioxidant compounds, can be considered as a good source of antioxidant potential.OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate antioxidant abilities of AE on broiler meat quality.METHODS: 200 Ross chicken broilers were divided into five equal groups and received 100, 200, 300, and 500 mg/liter of AE in drinking water and pure water in the control group, respectively.Antiradical activity and phenolic content of AE were determined by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and gallic acid measurement before adding extract into drinking water. The broilers received AE extract form 21-35 day of growing phase and the samples from thigh muscles were taken for biochemical analysis in the 42 day of the growing phase.RESULTS: Antiradical activity of AE was 35% and phenolic content was 3.3 g/100g of dry extract. Regarding antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT), the AE with dosage of 200 mg/l indicated maximum antioxidant ability compared to the other groups (p<0.05). Supplementation of AE200 mg/l also demonstrated the lowest GPx and CAT activities, compared to the control and AE 300 mg/l groups (p<0.05). Regarding performance weight gain, average daily weight gain, percentage of weight gain in 21 to 35 as well as final weight were similar in control and AE-received groups and AE indicated similar effect for all the treatments.CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that administration of 200 mg/l AE in drinking water during growing phase decreased GPx and CAT activities in chicken meat presumably due to down-regulation of gene expression for antioxidant enzymes.

Background and Objectives: The use of plant-derived antimicrobial agents can play a beneficial role in the control of human diseases. In this regard, this study was performed with the purpose of assessing the antimicrobial activity of artichoke on five human pathogenic species, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhi, and Candida albicans.Methods: In this experimental research, agar well method was used to assess the diameter of inhibition zone, pour plate method to measure the susceptibility of pathogenic strains against extract, and three methods including broth macrodilution, broth microdilution, and triphenyltetrazolium chloride indicator, were used to measure minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration.Results: In this study, the maximum diameter of inhibition zone of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of artichoke in a concentration of 800 mg/ml was related to the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and the yeast Candida albicans, and the minimum zone diameter was reported for Salmonella typhi. The results of MIC of the aqueous extract of artichoke for Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Candida albicans were 256, 32, 64, 64 and 32mg/ml, respectively, and the MIC of the ethanolic extract were 128, 32, 16, 16, and 16mg/ml, respectively. The minimum bactericidal concentration of artichoke extracts was equal to or greater than the minimum inhibitory concentration.Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that artichoke can be considered as a valuable plant to combat infectious diseases, since it showed significant antimicrobial effects, especially against Grampositive bacteria and the yeast Candida albicans.

Background: Artichoke with the scientific name of Cynara scolymuse is a plant from compositae family. In this research, the effect of hydro alcoholic artichoke extract on serum glucose, lipids and lipoproteins and prevention of type 1 diabetes mellitus was investigated. Methods: Twenty mature male Rats with mean weight of 200-250 gr in four groups were arranged. Rats in the control group, received physiological serum. The Second group (diabetic) received 120 mg/kgbw Alloxan monohydrate. The Third group (diabetic + Glibenclamide) received 0.5 mg/kgbw Glibenclamide in addition of the similar treatment with second group. The Fourth group (Alloxan monohydrate + Cynara scolymus), received 120 mg/kgbw Alloxan monohydrate with 300 mg/kgbw of Cynara scolymus simultaneously. Prescribing materials in all groups was done as interaperitoneal injection(IP). Fourty eight hours after last IP, blood sample was taken from each animal via cardiac puncture to measure blood factors. Results: The results indicated significant reduction in glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, VLDL and LDL levels in the treated group with extract and Alloxan monohydrate simultaneously as to compared diabetic group. Also, the result indicated significant increase in HDL level. Hydroalcoholic Artichoke extract could not reduce blood glucose level as compared with Glibenclamide, but had similar effects on other factors in comparison with Glibenclomide. Conclusion: Artichoke contains antioxidants compounds, that plays a protective role on beta cells against Alloxan. The results of this research indicate that hydro alcoholic extract of Cynara scolymus could effectively prevent type 1 diabetes mellitus.

This study investigated human type-1 diabetes mellitus in rats with use using alloxan monohydrate. Then, the effects of hydroalcoholic extracts of dill and artichoke on biochemical factors for example glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, VLDL-C, HDL-C and LDL-C were studied and compared. 25 adult male rats, weighing about 200-250 gr, were used in five groups of five each. Rats in the control group, received physiological serum equal to injecting material volume. Rats in the second group (diabetic), induced diabetes with 120 mg/kgbw dose of alloxan monohydrate. Third group (diabetic + glibenclamide) received 0/5 mg/kgbw glibenclamide in addition to the similar treatment with second group. Rats in fourth and fifth groups first, became diabetic by alloxan monohydrate injection, then they received 300 mg/kgbw dill and artichoke hydroalcoholic extracts orderly. Prescribing materials in all groups was done as interaperitoneal injection. After last injection heart blood sampling was done, then concentration of serum factors was measured by enzymatic method. According to obtained results Anethum graveolens L. and Cynara scolymus L. extracts reduce the rate of glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, VLDL-C and LDL-C than diabetic group significantly (P< 0/05). Also HDL-C level was increased significantly (P< 0/05). Results of study of serum factors expressed better function of dill extract compared to artichoke extract. The effect of extracts was similar to glybenclamide. Thus herbal drugs have lesser harmful side effects than chemical drugs, with further studies on clinical effect of extract, these plants can be used as an appropriate substitute for chemical drugs.

Artichoke with the scientific name of Cynara scolymus is a plant from Compositeae family. In this research, the effect of hydroalcoholic extract. of artichoke on the changes of serum glucose, lipids and lipoproteins in alloxan monohydrate-induced diabetic rats was investigated. Also, the effect of extract on damaged pancreatic tissue was investigated and was compared with glybenclamide as a chemical drug. Twenty adult male rats, weighing 200-250 gr, were used in four groups of five each (control, diabetic, diabetic+glibenclamide, diabetic + artichoke extract). The first group (control), received serum physiology equal to injecting material volume. Second group (diabetic), received 120 mg/kgbw alloxan monohydrate. Third group (diabetic + glibenclamide) received 0/5 mg/kg bw glibenclamide in addition to the similar treatment with second group. Fourth group (diabetic + Cynara scolymus) at first became diabetic by alloxan monohydrate injection, then they received 300 mg/kgbw hydroalcoholic plant extract. Prescribing materials in all groups was done as interaperitoneal injection (IP). The results from statistical analysis show that Cynara scolymus extract reduce significantly the rate of glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, VLDL and LDL than diabetic group (P< ./05). Also, artichoke which decreased rate of glucose was similar to glybenclamide group, but comparing to control group, it has significant difference. The effect of this plant on other investigating factors was similar to glybenclamid and control groups (P> ./05). The results of Histologic studies confirmed this part of research. On the base of histologic results, extract have a significant effect on increasing the size of pancreatic islets, number of islet cells and cell proliferation than diabetic group. This research suggested that hydroalcoholic extract of Cynara scolymus has a significant effect on decreasing the blood sugar, serum lipids and lipoproteins than diabetic rats. Also the effect of extract in repairing damaged pancreatic tissue was confirmed.

Cynara scolymus L. is a plant from the Compositae family which is used in herbal medicine. In this study, the effects of hydroalchoholic extract of Cynara scolymus, on the amount of glucose, lipids and lipoprotein in alloxan monohydrate diabeties rats were investigated, and compared with galibenglamid as antidiabetic drug. The pancreatic tissues were investigated. In order to perform this study, 20 adult male rats were used, and divided in 4 groups of each five rats. Group 1 served normal control and in each injection received only normal saline. The second group is treated with alloxan monohydrate at a dosis of 20mg/kg.bw. In the 3rd and 4th groups, in addition to alloxan, galibenglamid (0.5 mg/kg) and hydroalchoholic extract of Cynara scolymus (300mg/kg) were administered respectively. 48 hours after the last injection, blood sampling was performed by cardiac puncture to measure serum factors. The results have proves that the extract of cynara, the level of glucose, cholesterol, triglycerids, VLDL, and LDL, iv comparation with the diabetic groups, is significantly reduced but the level of HDL is increased(p<0.05). The effect of cynara on all studied factors is evident and is equal to the group of galibenglamid (p>0.05). The pathological results on damaged tissue shows that the pancreatic islets have grown significantly, the amount of cell proliferation the islets and the rate of cell growth is estimulated in compared with diabetic group. This research has shown that the hydroalchoholic extract of cynara has a reducing effect on glucose, lipids and lipoprotein in the serum of diabetic rats. This extract is very effective in the revitalization of damaged pancreatic tissues. Therefore extract of Cynara scolymus has antidiabetic effects.

The effect of medicinal plant of Cynara scolymus (artichokes) were studied on ascites syndrome, systolic blood pressure and blood parameters in broiler chickens using a total of 400 one-day-old Ross 308 in a completely randomized design with 5 treatments, 4 replicates and 20 chicks in each replicate, up to 42 d under cold temperature condition. Experimental treatments were control (basal diet), antibiotic (basal diet plus 0. 0015% antibiotic virginiamycin), aspirin (basal diet plus 0. 2% aspirin powder) and two basal diets containing 1% and 2% artichoke powder. The results showed that feed intake and body weight were increased and feed conversion rate was decreased in artichoke powder received groups in comparison with other treatment (p<0. 05). Systolic blood pressure, red blood cell count, total mortality and mortality due to ascites percent were less than control in birds fed on rations containing artichoke (p<0. 05). Antibiotic and aspirin treatments had no effect on performance parameters (p>0. 05). A significant decrease was observed in mortality due to ascites in Aspirin treated groups in comparison with control group (p<0. 05). According to these the results, dietary inclusion of artichoke up to 2% in the broiler diets improved performance parameters and reduced mortality due to ascites under cold temperature condition.

In recent years, the use of synthetic antioxidants has been limited due to their toxicity and carcinogenicity. Therefore, studies to find new herbal compounds have been considered in the treatment, reduction and prevention of oxidative effects. At the current study, the ethanolic extract was prepared from the seeds, leaves and stems of milk thistle, Silybum marianum. After irradiation of the extracts with doses of 10, 20 and 30 KGy of gamma ray, Total Phenolic Content (TPC) using Folin-Ciocalteau reagent at 263 nm, the percentage of DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging activity was investigated. On the results of free radical scavenging DPPH and ABTS tests: Seed extract and treated extracts by dose of 20 KGy gamma ray showed significant increase in TPC and antioxidant activity to leaves and stems and compare to the other doses of gamma rays, respectively (P<0.05). Therefore, on the harmful effects of synthetic antioxidants and the obtained results can be suggested replacing synthetic antioxidants with milk thistle seed in particular. Also, Current results suggested that applying gamma irradiated milk thistle seed extract at a dose of 20 kGy as a functional feed additive for aquatic animals would be a promising strategy for protecting them from oxidative stress and inflammation induced especially by High-fat diet.

This research aimed to investigate the effects of different levels of grounded barley grain on chemical composition, fermentation parameters and in vitro gas production of artichoke silage. According to this, after chopping fresh artichoke forage, ground barley grain was added to artichoke forage at different levels of zero, 5 and 10% and ensiled in a compeletly ramdomized design with 4 replicat for 60 days. Corn forage was ensiled in the same conditions but without additives. Chemical composition, gas production parameters, ammonia nitrogen concentration, pH and buffering capacity of silages were measured. The results showed that the dry matter and ether extract of artichoke silage increased and the crude protein, NDF and ADF decreased with increasing level of grounded barley grain in the silos. Corn silage had the lowest pH and the highest flieg point compared to other silages. In artichoke silage, pH and ammonia-N concentration were significantly reduced by adding grounded barley grain to silos. The amount of effluent decreased significantly with increasing grounded barley grain to artichoke silage. Water soluble carbohydrates and fermentation coefficient in artichoke silage without additive had the lowest value. Among the artichoke silage, silage with 10% ground barley grain had the highest gas volume, gas production potential, metabolizable energy and the lowest partitioning factor. The results showed that the addition of ground barley grain to artichoke silage up to 10% level improves the fermentation parameters in silage and makes artichoke silage desirable silage.