Phytochemical study of certain medicinal plants and certain extracts of common use in folk medicine for treatment of urinary disorders

Abstract

Corn silk, gum Arabic and parsley have been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases, including abdominal disorders, bacterial infections, cough, gastric ulcers, urinary disorders, skin diseases and sore throats. The scope of the work presented in this thesis aims at investigating the biological activity of corn silk, gum Arabic and parsley on urinary tract disorders through in-depth studying of the detailed mechanism of action of these extracts and to study their phytochemical composition, aiming to the development of new therapeutic alternatives that may improve the health of people suffering from urinary problems. This prompted us to carry out in-depth biological and phytochemical studies on a combination of these extracts in order to develop a more efficient therapeutic activity.

The present study comprised two parts: 1. Biological investigation of corn silk, gum Arabic, parsley and a combination from them. 2. Phytochemical investigation of the lyophilized aqueous extracts of corn silk, gum Arabic, parsley and a combination from them using LC-MS, together with the qualitative and quantitative determination of the phenolic content present in Zea mays L. silky hairs and Petroselinum crispum using HPLC analysis.