Under the supervision of the Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Professor Dr. Sarmed H. Kathem Alkhateeb, the Scientific Affairs Unit at the University of Baghdad/, held an in-person workshop entitled “Evaluation the effect of Iraqi hibiscus tiliaceus in cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in the rat model” delivered by Sena Chaten gamal , a master student in the Pharmacology and Toxicology Department.
The workshop aimed to evaluate the ultimate therapeutic effect of Iraqi hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) on the elimination of induced inflammatory markers, including a sterolization model in laboratory mice, understand the pathogenesis of chronic inflammation in vitro, and how hibiscus can mitigate alcoholism through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, provide participants with training in developing innovations, pricing developments, and grants for botanicals and promote applied research on the use of Iraqi medicinal plants in future advanced disciplines.
The workshop included several topics like: an overview of acute pancreatitis: pathogenesis, causes, and outcomes, an introduction to the Iraqi hibiscus plant: its active components (anthocyanins, flavonoids, polyphenols) and its potential role as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, and a review of previous studies on medicinal plants in gastrointestinal diseases. Also there was a practical part that involved: how to prepare a mouse model of acute pancreatitis using sterolin, methods of administering hibiscus extract and determining doses, monitoring clinical and biochemical markers (such as amylase and lipase enzymes) and collecting tissue samples for microscopic examination and assessing the degree of inflammation. Lastly the analytical part involved the comparison of results between groups (control, disease-induced, and hibiscus-treated), statistical discussion of the results and their scientific significance and recommendations for future research on the clinical application of the results.
The workshop concluded that initial results revealed promising indications for the potential use of hibiscus as a natural supportive source in treating or reducing the complications of acute pancreatitis, while emphasizing the need for further applied and clinical studies.
