International Journal of Phytomedicine
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Pharmacognostical Evaluation of Annona squamosa Linn.
Get PDFAnnona sqamosa (Annonaceae) is known as sitaphal in Hindi and custard apple in English is an important medicinal plant. It has been used traditionally in diarrhea, dysentery, cold, as abortifacient, insecticidal drug etc., so would be more suitable to evaluate the drug. This paper deals with the detailed pharmacognostic evaluation of the crude drug. Morphoanatomy of the entire plant have been studied with the aim to aid pharmacognostic and taxonomic species identification using WHO recommended physico-chemical determinations and microscopical characters that will provide referential information for checking adulteration. The physico-chemical and histological parameters presented in this paper may be proposed as parameters to establish authenticity of Annona squamosa and can possibly help to differentiate the drug from its other species. Many important diagnostic characters such as bicollateral vascular bundle, paracytic stomata, pitted and spiral vessel, presence of stone cells, starch grains, lignified xylem and phloem will certainly help in identification of drug
Gastrokinetic and Gastroprotective Activity of Gasex
Get PDFPresent study was aimed to evaluate the gastrokinetic and gastroprotective effect of Gasex a polyherbal formulation in experimental models of phenol red test meal method for gastrokinetic activity and acid-induced gastrointestinal lesions for gastroprotective activity. Gasex at a dose of 500 and 1000 mg/kg showed statistically significant gastrokinetic activity by increasing the percentage of gastric emptying and small intestinal transit, the higher dose of Gasex was comparable to the reference standard Domeperidone (10 mg/kg). The higher dose of Gasex (1000 mg/kg) showed gastroprotective activity by significantly decreasing the gastric volume and mean gastric lesion score and the same was reflected in histopathological findings. The present finding highlights few of the underlying modes of action of Gasex in the successful management of various gastrointestinal conditions
Anthraquinones from leaves of Tectona grandis: A detailed study on its antibacterial activity and other biological properties
Get PDFThe search for new molecules against pathogenic species continues unabated due to drug resistance. Tectona grandis, commonly known as teak, is a widespread woody plant with lot of biological properties. In the present study, attempts were made to isolate antibacterial compounds from Tectona grandis against Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella paratyphi and Proteus mirabilis at different concentration. Antimycobacterial activity was checked against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Cytotoxicity of isolated compounds was evaluated. As part of activity studies, antioxidant potential of both compounds was also checked. Antibacterial activity was checked by disc diffusion and microplate dilution method. Cytotoxicity of pure compounds was evaluated by MTT assay. Antioxidant activity was checked against DPPH and ABTS+ free radicals. Two compounds isolated from chloroform extract of leaf showed activity against S. aureus (Compound 1: MIC – 2.5μg/ml, IC50 - 72μg/ml ; Compound 2: MIC - 5 μg/ml, IC50 - 98 μg/ml) and K. pneumoniae (Compound 2: MIC – 6.2 μg/ml, IC50 – 113.5 μg/ml). These compounds failed to show antimycobacterial activity on testing against M. tuberculosis. On cytotoxicity analysis of both compounds against chick embryo fibroblast (CEF), HEK293, HCT119 and L929 cells, compound 2 showed activity against HEK293 (IC50 - 2 μg/ml). Antioxidant activity of these compounds was very low and was able to scavenge only 10% of free radicals even at the highest concentration (1000 μg/ml) tested. Purity of compounds was confirmed by HPLC analysis and structural characterization was carried out based on IR and NMR spectral data with supporting phytochemical results
Constituents of the rhizome of Curcuma aeruginosa and its DNA fingerprint
Get PDFIdentity of the rhizhome of Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb. was established by three techniques: (1) the DNA fingerprint, (2) the chemical constituents of its volatile oils by using gas chromatographmass spectrometer, and (3) thin-layer chromatography (TLC) of the methanol extract. These three techniques were used to differentiate C. aeruginosa from its similar species. Result from the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, different polymorphic bands between the two specimens were found. The relative amounts of camphor, curzerenone and epicurzerenone in the C. aeruginosa rhizome were 16.85, 16.81 and 3.5% of total peak areas, whereas 6.04, 0 and 62.84% of total peak areas were found in the Curcuma sp. The thin-layer chromatogram revealed that Curcuma sp. contained curcumine, whereas only traces were detected in C. aeruginosa
ound Healing Evaluation of Some Herbal Formulations Containing Curcuma Longa and Cynodon Dactylon Extract
Get PDFThe wound healing effect of herbal cream formulated with Curcuma longa, and Cynodon dactylon embedded in different ointment bases (anionic, cationic and non-ionic) has been evaluated in vivo using the incision, excision and dead space tissue wound models, on Swiss wister rat. Curcuma longa, and Cynodon dactylon was extracted using Pet ether (60-800C ), chloroform, ethanol, methanol and water. The methanolic extract formulated as herbal preparations. The herbal preparations were used to treat wounds inflicted on experimental Swiss wister rat. The wound healing effects of the formulations were compared to that of a standard antibiotic. In all cases, there was a progressive decrease in wound area with time, indicating an efficacy of the formulations in healing the induced wounds. By the 16th day, the formulation containing 100 mg/g of Curcuma longa, and Cynodon dactylon in cationic base showed 100 % healing. The wound areas in the animals treated with the standard antibiotic, showed a 100% healing by the 17 th day, indicating that the plant extract, at that given concentration, had a better wound healing property
Antioxidant Activity of Various Extracts and Organic Fractions of Ziziphus jujuba
Get PDFAntioxidant effectiveness of indigenous medicinal plant Ziziphus jujuba shoots extracts and fractions with different polarity solvents (n–hexane, ethylacetate, methanol, chloroform) was assessed for total phenolics content (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), DPPH radical scavenging activity and percentage inhibition of peroxidation in linoleic acid system. The shoots extracts and fractions contained appreciable levels of total phenolic contents 310-823 GAE (mg/100g Dry plant matter) and total flavonoid contents 210- 650 CE (mg/100g of Dry plant matter). The Ziziphus jujuba extracts and various organic fractions also exhibited good DPPH 50% inhibition (IC50) ranges from 23.1µg/mL to 52.5 µg/ml and Inhibition of Peroxidation in Linoleic Acid 20.1 to 70.1%., respectively. Of the Ziziphus jujuba shoots extracts and fractions tested, 100% methanolic extract and 100% chloroform fraction exhibited the maximum antioxidant activity, the results of the present investigation demonstrated significant (p< 0.05) variations in the antioxidant activity. The results of the present comprehensive analysis demonstrated that Ziziphus jujuba shoots extracts and organic fractions are a viable source of natural antioxidants and might be exploited for functional foods and nutraceutical application
In vitro cytotoxic effect of hydroalcoholic extracts of medicinal plants on Ehrlich’s Ascites Carcinoma (EAC)
Get PDFCancer continues to represent the largest cause of mortality in the world and claims over 6 million lives each year. An extremely promising strategy for cancer prevention today is chemoprevention, which is defined as the use of synthetic or natural agents (alone or in combination) to block the development of cancer in human beings. Plants, vegetables, herbs and spices used in folk and traditional medicine have been accepted currently as one of the main sources of cancer chemopreventive drug discovery. Hydroalcoholic extracts of Terminalia chebula, Terminalia belerica, Emblica officinalis, Caesalpinia crista, Cajanus cajan, and Tinospora cordifolia are found to be variably and selectively cytotoxic to normal and EAC cells. Hydroalcoholic extracts of Terminalia chebula, Terminalia belerica, Emblica officinalis, Caesalpinia crista, Cajanus cajan, and Tinospora cordifolia which have been found to be possible natural antioxidant are evaluated for their selective cytotoxic effect on murine tumor cell Ehrlich’s Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) and normal spleenocyte cell. The extracts were subjected to cytotoxicity test by the tetrazolium cell proliferation reagent (WST-1) assay in vitro. The results showed that the plant extracts were invariably non toxic for the normal spleenocyte cell, whereas they showed toxicity for EAC cells in different degree. The cell cycle analysis for the EAC cells treated with the extracts of the aforesaid plants showed a variable, yet dosedependent increasing percentage of apoptosis. The results signify that the plants which have antioxidant property may function as cytotoxic agent for cancer cell
Antifungal Activity of Essential Oils against Fluconazole Resistant Fungi
Get PDFPathogenic fungi like Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis and Trichophyton mentagrophytes are commonly encountered strains associated with a wide range of conditions including scalp infection, oral thrush, skin infection, and vaginal thrush. Unlike bacterial pathogens, fungal pathogens are difficult to control. Fluconazole is a commonly administered antifungal drug. The medical fraternity has been reporting an alarming increase in the development of resistance observed amongst fungal strains to Fluconazole. The present study involves screening of essential oils for their antifungal activity against Fluconazole resistant fungi. Essential oils of Black pepper, Cardamom, Cumin, Boswellia and Patcholi were selected for the study. The results indicated that all the oils inhibited fungal strains in varying degrees of dilutions. Essential oil of Boswellia was found to be the most effective in antifungal activity against Candida tropicalis and essential oil of Cardamom against Trichophyton mentagrophytes. To assess the effect of combination of essential oils with Fluconazole, synergistic action was also studied. The results indicated that essential oil of Boswellia and Fluconazole in combination acted as the most powerful antifungal agent against Candida tropicalis even at 1:10 dilution and 100μg/ml respectively. These results lead us to believe that active components present in essential oils should be a focus area of future in vivo research, especially in conjunction with existing antifungal drugs. The molecular mechanisms, mode of action, stability, toxicity, and efficacy of the active components isolated from essential oils need to be further studied and evaluated
Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Desmostachya bipinnata linn.
Get PDFThe present study describes the phytochemical profile and antibacterial activity of Desmostachya bipinnata. The sample of essential oil was obtained from the aerial parts of the plant by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC–MS. From the 16 compounds representing 99.97% of the oils: camphene (16.79%), isobornyl acetate (9.92%), tricyclene (4.30%), (+,-) trans-2,6-gamma-Irone (2.21%), Caryophyllene diepoxide (12.29%) , β-eudesmol (11.16%) Eseroline (25.15%) and Calarene (3.48%) appear as the main components. The oil also contained smaller percentages of Diphenyliodinium bromide, 1.limenone, 2-cyclohexene-1-one and 8-nitro-12-tridecanolide. Furthermore, an antibacterial study of the oil was evaluated using agar diffusion and broth dilution methods. The antibacterial studies showed that the oil had significant inhibitory effect against all four bacteria strains included in the study. Results, suggest potential antibacterial activity of the essential oil of Desmostachya bipinnata, which may find its application in future research for the therapy, food and pharmaceutical industry
Antifungal activity of Leptadenia reticulata Wight and Arn. aerial parts
Get PDFThe petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, methanol and aqueous extracts of the aerial parts of Leptadenia reticulata Wight and Arn. (Asclepiadaceae) were studied for in vitro antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus ruantti, Candida tropicalis, Candida albicans, Trichodermata viride and Trichodermata koningii respectively. The methanolic extract exhibited prominent antifungal activity against all the selected strains. Minimum inhibitory concentration of the extracts was performed by broth dilution method and the zone of inhibition was studied by agar disc diffusion method at concentrations of 2, 5 and 10mg/ml in DMSO. Cotrimazole (25μg/ml) was used as reference control for antifungal studies. Results of MIC study revealed the antifungal activities of the extracts against the tested strains in between concentration ranges 50-400μg/ml. The present study indicates the potential usefulness of L. reticulata aerial parts as antifungal agent