Discovery Phytomedicine Journal
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Anti-cancer properties of Murraya koenigii Spreng
Get PDFCancer is certainly one of the most dreaded disease in humans. Already billions of dollars has been invested into cancer research. These researches had led to several promising drugs which are currently being used in cancer treatments. However, still to many patients a cure for their cancerous cells had been elusive mainly due to drug resistance. On the other side, for those who were luckier in which drugs were effective, it was found to be accompanied with unpleasant side effects3. Therefore, it is important to continue explore novel targets that could slow and arrest the growth of cancerous cells while having minimal side effects to the body. Phytomedicine has been in practice since the ancient days. Bindu and Ayesha has reported the potential of Murraya koenigii (commonly called curry leaf plant and widely used as a seasoning ingredient in South-Indian cuisine) to arrest cell proliferation by inhibiting proteasome function in four different cancer cell lines (Caco2, HepG2, HeLa and LNCaP) representing colon, liver, cervical and prostate cancers. It is important to test on various cell lines as IC50 varies greatly with types of cancer
Pharmacological and therapeutic potential of Oxalis corniculata
Get PDFOxalis corniculata is commonly known as Indian wood Sorrel. In Unani it is called as Hummaz and distributed in the whole northern temperate zone, United State of America, Arizona and throughout India. Oxalis corniculata is used in Unani medicine in the management of liver disorders, jaundice, skin diseases, urinary diseases etc. The plant been proven to possess various pharmacological activities like liver tonic, appetizer, diuretic, anthelmintic, emmenagogue, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-pyretic, blood purifier etc. Here we summarize the therapeutic potential of Oxalis corniculat
Anti-proliferative and proteasome inhibitory activity of Murraya koenigii leaf extract in human cancer cell lines
Get PDFProteasome inhibition has been demonstrated to be a promising strategy for cancer therapy. The chymotrypsin-like activity of the 20S catalytic unit of the 26S proteasome is known to be critical for cancer cell survival. Inhibition of the proteasomal activity leads to tumor cell death. Murraya koenigii Spreng a medically important herb of Asian origin, is rich in phenolic content, and dietary polyphenols are known to act as proteasome inhibitors. This study was aimed at testing the cytotoxic and proteasomal inhibitory potential of M. koenigii leaf extract in four different human cell lines namely; colon, prostate, liver and cervical cancer. The cytotoxicity of M. koenigii leaf extract was tested by the MTT assay, inhibition of growth by colony formation assay and inhibition of the chymotrypsin-like (Ch-L) activity of the 26S proteasome using a specific fluorogenic substrate by fluorometry. There was a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability/proliferation with M. koenigii leaf extract treatment in all the cell lines tested. In line with the cell viability data there was a dose-dependent decrease in growth as observed by decreased colony formation in the cell lines tested. M. koenigii extract decreased the Ch-L activity of the endogenous proteasome in both intact cells and cell extracts in all the four cancer cell lines. Our results suggest that the proteasome is a target for M. koenigii leaf extract in various cancer cell lines and that inhibition of the proteasome may be one of the mechanisms responsible for its anticancer potential
Nutraceuticals for the treatment of migraine prophylaxis
Get PDFHeadache is one of the most common disorders of the nervous system. Headache is further classified into migraine, tension-type headache, and cluster headache. Migraine occurs in about 12% of people age 12 and older in the United States (17% of women and 6% of men). It is about three times more common in women than men. It is estimated that every 10 seconds someone in the United States goes to the emergency room with a migraine or headache due to the excruciating pain, severe nausea or dehydration, drug interactions, or side effects from headache medications. In recent years there has been a growing interest and demand from the public for ‘natural’ treatments such as vitamins and supplements in trying to control migraine headaches. A variety of natural supplements, vitamins and herbal preparations have been promoted as having efficacy in migraine prophylaxis. This mini-review analyzes the various natural and herbal therapies for the prophylaxis and treatment of migraine
Nobiletin ameliorates streptozotocin induced diabetic retinopathy in experimental rats
Get PDFProlonged hyperglycemia in diabetes mellitus results in severe vascular complications leading to decrease in longevity of affected individuals. Diabetic retinopathy is a major cause of blindness in diabetes. Nobiletin is a polymethoxyflavone present in high concentration in citrus fruits. Here we have evaluated the treatment with nobiletin on the amelioration of diabetic retinopathy in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal administration of STZ (50 mg/kg). Animals with blood glucose levels >350mg/dL after 48 hours of STZ injection were subjected to further treatments. Diabetic rats were treated daily with nobiletin (10 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg) for four weeks after four weeks of induction of diabetes. At the end of eight weeks, blood retinal barrier permeability was quantified in animals treated with nobiletin and compared with that of vehicle control. Histopathological analysis of the retinal sections was done using H&E stain and the outer limiting membrane to inner limiting membrane distance was measured. Further, outer nuclear membrane thickness was compared between the treatment groups. The study suggested that nobiletin reduced blood retinal barrier permeability and improved the thickness of retinal layers. Thus, treatment with nobiletin can be used as an approach to ameliorate diabetic retinopathy
Fireweed – a treasured medicine of the boreal forest
Get PDFA large segment of the Canadian population (approximately 71%) take natural health products, The Baseline Natural Health Products Survey among Consumers, suggesting this trend is likely to continue, with increasing awareness of side effects associated with pharmaceutical prescriptions and over the counter medications. Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) is an often-overlooked herb with amazing medicinal properties. Traditional First Nations usage and modern pharmacology as well as clinical studies suggest its beneficial effects in a number of health concerns. Fireweed has been known to possess anti-inflammatory effects in addition to the recent evidence on its therapeutic effects for both benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and prevention of prostate cancers. This mini review provides some additional information obtained from First Nations healers, the empirical knowledge associated with clinical practice and aims to stimulate additional interest in the genus, and especially in the circumpolar species of Chamerion angustifolium
Herbal therapeutic strategies for diabetic retinopathy using nobiletin
Get PDFDiabetes mellitus is one of the most challenging and prevalent metabolic diseases results in microvascular complications such as retinopathy, neuropathy and macrovascular complications such as heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular diseases. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of blindness in diabetes which can be avoidable with good glycemic control. There are number of factors that contribute to vascular permeability and angiogenesis in DR including the oxidative damage of the retinal neuronal cells, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), prostaglandins, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and nitric oxide (NO) synthase. Despite the standards of care, laser photocoagulation and pars plana vitreous surgery for DR, recent successful use of several molecules is bringing a paradigm shift in favor of pharmacotherapy. There is an increasing interest in natural products in pharmacotherapy as the chemical diversity of natural products has better matches than the diversity of synthetic compounds. Flavonoids a common group of plant polyphenols are known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic activities also shown their potential in the prevention and treatment of various ocular disease
Discovery Phytomedicine: an open access journal for knowledge dissemination in herbal and nutraceutical research
Get PDFThere are several scientific journals publishing the benefits of valuable phytochemicals to improve human health, as well as help prevention of chronic diseases. Then why do we need a new journal dedicated on the role of phytochemicals and nutraceuticals? The answer may not be simple. There are number of important reasons. Plants and natural foods consist of thousands of phytochemicals and phytonutrients that have been identified so far and there are probably more to identify, all of which have not been completely understood for their roles in human metabolism and health. More scientific research has been going on to unearth a myriad of phytomedicines for their use to combat chronic disease and maintain healthy life. Since the number of phytochemicals identified and their significance with improving health are increasing day by day, there is an increasing need for scientific journals with open access policy to reach the scientific community as well as general public with the benefits of phytochemicals on human health