growth inhibitory activities of curcumin for triphala...

Natural Product Radiance540

Therapeutics

Growth inhibitory activities ofTriphala against HIV

The isolation of microbial agents less susceptible toregular antibiotics and the rising trend in the recovery rates ofresistant bacteria highlights the need for newer alternativeprinciples. Triphala has been used in traditional medicinepractice against certain diseases such as jaundice, fever, cough,eye diseases, etc. The researchers at University of Madras, TamilNadu, India tested phytochemical (phenolic, flavonoid andcarotenoid) and antibacterial activities of aqueous and ethanolextracts of Triphala and its individual components(Terminalia chebula Retz., Terminalia bellirica Roxb.and Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) against certain bacterialisolates (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiellapneumoniae, Shigella sonnei, S. flexneri,Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonellaparatyphi-B, S. typhi, Escherichia coli, Enterococcusfaecalis) obtained from HIV infected patients using Kirby-Bauer's disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) methods. T. chebula was found to possess highphytochemical content followed by T. bellirica andE. officinalis in both aqueous and ethanol extracts. Further,most of the bacterial isolates were inhibited by the ethanol andaqueous extracts of T. chebula followed by T. bellirica andE. officinalis by both disk diffusion and MIC methods. Theresults revealed that both individual and combined aqueousand ethanol extracts of Triphala have antibacterial activityagainst the bacterial isolates tested [Srikumar R, Parthasarathy NJeya, Shankar EM, Manikandan S, Vijayakumar R, Thangaraj R, VijayananthK, Sheeladevi R and Rao Usha Anand, Evaluation of the growth inhibitoryactivities of triphala against common bacterial isolates from HIV infectedpatients, Phytother Res, 2007, 21(5), 476-480].

Curcumin forchemoprevention of

colon cancer

The most practical approach to reduce the morbidityand mortality of cancer is to delay the process of carcinogenesisthrough the use of chemopreventive agents. This necessitatesthat safer compounds, especially those derived from naturalsources must be critically examined for chemoprevention.Pre-clinical studies on curcumin, a constituent of turmeric(Curcuma longa Linn.), in a variety of cancer cell linesincluding breast, cervical, colon, gastric, hepatic, leukemia,oral epithelial, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate haveconsistently shown that curcumin possesses anti-cancer activityin vitro and in pre-clinical animal models. The robust activityof curcumin in colorectal cancer has led to five phase I clinicaltrials being completed showing the safety and tolerability ofcurcumin in colorectal cancer patients. To date clinical trialshave not identified a maximum tolerated dose of curcuminin humans with clinical trials using doses up to 8000mg perday. The success of these trials has led to the development ofphase II trials that are currently enrolling patients. Accordingto a mini review published by researchers at University ofWisconsin, USA, in vitro evidence and completed clinicaltrials suggests that curcumin may prove to be useful for thechemoprevention of colon cancer in humans. In this reviewpre-clinical and clinical evidence of curcumin as achemopreventive compound in colorectal cancer have alsobeen discussed [Johnson Jeremy James and Mukhtar Hasan, Curcuminfor chemoprevention of colon cancer, Cancer Lett, 2007, 255(2),170-181].

Indigenous uses of Neem,Azadirachta indica A. Juss. leaves indifferent parts of India for curinggastrointestinal disorder such as diarrhoeaand cholera is wide spread. Therefore, the

Antibacterial, antisecretory andantihemorrhagic activity of Neem

researchers at University of Calcutta,Kolkata, India evaluated the antibacterialand antisecretory activity of the methanolextract of Neem leaf against Vibriocholerae, a causative agent of watery

diarrhoea such as cholera. The extract hadsignificant antibacterial activity against themulti-drug-resistant Vibrio cholerae ofserotypes O1, O139 and non-O1, non-O139. The minimum inhibitory

Vol 6(6) November-December 2007 541

Therapeutics

Contraceptive activity ofmethanol extract of

Dendrophthoe falcataEttingsh stem

The researchers at Department of Zoology,University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India evaluated thecontraceptive efficacy of methanol extract ofDendrophthoe falcata Ettingsh (Family-Loranthaceae) stem in male albino rats as reportedin folk remedies. Adult proven fertile male rats weregavaged methanol extract of stem at 50, 100 and200mg/rat/day for 60 days. The activity was comparedwith standard drug, Lonidamine. On day 61 the animalswere autopsied and the testes, epididymides, seminalvesicle and ventral prostate were dissected out andweighed. Sperm motility and density and serumtestosterone level were assessed. The sperm motilityand density were significantly reduced. Thehistoarchitecture of testes revealed degenerativechanges in the seminiferous tubules, arrest ofspermatogenesis at the stage of round spermatid.Serum testosterone levels were decreased significantlyin all treatment groups. It is concluded that methanolstem extract of D. falcata possesses a significanteffect on fertility in male rats as reported in folkremedies [Gupta RS and Kachhawa JBS, Evaluation ofcontraceptive activity of methanol extract of Dendrophthoefalcata stem in male albino rats, J Ethnopharmacol, 2007,112(1), 215-218].

concentration reached by 50% (MIC50

) and90% (MIC

90), and minimum bactericidal

concentration for the extract were 2.5, >5,and 10mg/ml, respectively. Neem extractshowed antisecretory activity onV. cholerae induced fluid secretion inmouse intestine with inhibition values of27.7, 41.1, 43.3, 57.0 and 77.9% at doses

of 100, 200, 300, 450 and 1800mg/kg,respectively. Oral administration of theextract inhibited haemorrhage induced byV. cholerae in mouse intestine at a dose≥ 300mg/kg. The results obtained givesome scientific support to the uses of neememployed by the indigenous people inIndia for the treatment of diarrhoea and

dreadful disease cholera [Thakurta Prarthana,Bhowmik Poulami, Mukherjee Souryadeep, HajraTapas K, Patra Amarendra and Bag Prasanta K,Antibacterial, antisecretory and antihemorrhagicactivity of Azadirachta indica used to treatcholera and diarrhea in India,J Ethnopharmacol, 2007, 111( 3), 607-612].

Anti-androgenic activities ofthe triterpenoids fraction of

Ganoderma lucidum

Now-a-days androgen-mediated diseases such as prostatecancer, hirsutism, acne, androgenic alopecia and benign prostatichyperplasia (BPH) are considered to be a serious problem. Above all,BPH is one of the most common symptoms seen in older men, and40% of men 50-60 years of age and 90% of those 80-90 years of ageare diagnosed with BPH. For thousand of years, mushrooms have beenknown to be a source of medicine. They are widely sold as nutritionalsupplements and touted as beneficial for health.

The fungi Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst. hasbeen used for centuries in East Asia. Its fruiting body is called asReishi in Japan and Lingzhi in China. In these areas, G. lucidumhas been a popular folk or oriental medicine to cure various humandiseases such as hepatitis, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia andgastric cancer. Therefore, scientists at Japan focused their research onedible and medicinal mushrooms as possible sources of 5α-reductaseinhibitory ingredients. The ethanol extract of G. lucidum showedinhibitory activity on both isozymes (types 1 and 2) of 5α-reductaseand suppression effects of ventral prostate growth induced bytestosterone in castrated rat, but not induced by dihydrotestosterone.Activity-guided fractionation and TLC analysis suggested that the activeprinciples in vivo were triterpenoids. These results indicate that thetriterpenoids fraction of G. lucidum might be a useful ingredient inthe treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia [Liu Jie, Shimizu Kuniyoshi,Fumiko Konishi, Noda Kiyoshi, Kumamoto Shoichiro, Kurashiki Kenji and KondoRyuichiro, Anti-androgenic activities of the triterpenoids fraction of Ganodermalucidum, Food Chem, 2007, 100 (4), 1691-1696].


Therapeutics

The practice of traditional medicinefor the control of fertility in Nilgris is basedon the use of plant medicine for many years.Therefore, the researchers of Department ofPharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, JayaCollege of Paramedical Sciences,Thiruninravur, Chennai and J.S.S. College ofPharmacy, Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India evaluatedthe effect of hydroalcoholic extract of stembark of Ailanthus excelsa Roxb.(Family–Simaroubaceae) (HEA) in rats toexplore its antifertility activity. A strongantiimplantation (72%) and abortifacientactivity (56%) was observed at the tested doselevels (200 and 400mg/kg, p.o.). The extractshows further more significant (P<0.05)increase in uterine weight in immatureovariectomised rats. Simultaneousadministration of extract with ethinylestradiol cause significant antiestrogenicactivity. All these observations suggested thathydroalcoholic extract of A. excelsa hasantifertility effect [Ravichandran V, Suresh B,Sathishkumar MN, Elango K and Srinivasan R,Antifertility activity of hydroalcoholic extract ofAilanthus excelsa (Roxb): An ethnomedicines usedby tribals of Nilgiris region in Tamilnadu,

J Ethnopharmacol, 2007, 112(1), 189-191].

Antifertility activityof Ailanthus excelsa

Roxb. stem bark

Indian wormseed oil used fortreatment of leishmaniasis

The generation of free radicals inskin by solar ultra-violet light (UV)accelerates skin cancer and photo ageing.Cellular exposure to UV light also leadsto iron release, resulting in excessiveproduction of ROS and ultimately to

The World Health Organization has classified the leishmaniasis as amajor tropical disease. Current therapy is toxic, expensive and cause severaladverse effects. The majority of people in endemic areas of leishmaniasis dependon natural and traditional medicine. Chenopodium ambrosioides Linn.has been reported for its potential antiparasitic properties, including antiprotozoalactivity against Trypanosoma cruzi and Plasmodium falciparum.Antihelmintic effect against Ancilostoma duodenale, Trichuris trichuriaand Ascaris lumbricoides has also been reported.

Researchers at Cuba conducted a study to examine the activity of theessential oil from C. ambrosioides (Indian wormseed) in BALB/c miceinfected with Leishmania amazonensis. The infected animals received twocycle of treatment by different routes (intraperitoneal, oral or intralesionalroute). The intraperitoneal administration of the essential oil at dose of 30mg/kg prevented lesion development and decrease the parasite burden. Oraladministration retarded the infection in the experimental model compared withuntreated mice, although it was less effective than the intraperitoneal route.The administration by intralesional route did not show activity. Intraperitonealand oral treatment at 30mg/kg with the essential oil had better antileishmanialeffect than treatment with the reference drug, amphotericin B at 1mg/kg.Preliminarily, the toxicity and the resistance after treatment were examined.Signs of toxicity were evident only in the animals treated by intraperitonealroute. No resistance was detected in L. amazonensis isolates obtained fromtreated mice. These data clearly demonstrated that this natural product couldbe an alternative for the development of a new drug against cutaneousleishmaniasis [Monzote Lianet, Montalvo Ana M, Scull Ramón, Miranda Migdalia and AbreuJuan, Activity, toxicity and analysis of resistance of essential oil from Chenopodium ambrosioidesafter intraperitoneal, oral and intralesional administration in BALB/c mice infected withLeishmania amazonensis: A preliminary study, Biomed Pharmacother, 2007, 61(2-3),148-153].

Betel extract protects photo-induceddamages to lipids and proteins

pathogenesis. Therefore, there is a needto develop suitable formulations that canprevent photo-induced biological damage.To this end, exploration of herbs/plantsthat are credited with various medicinalattributes in Ayurveda might be useful from

the point of view of low cost and reducedtoxicity. Therefore, researchers at Indiastudied the protective activity of Piperbetle Linn. (Betel, Hindi — Pan)ethanolic extract (PE) against thephotosensitization-induced damage to


Therapeutics

The people in developingcountries are very prone to suffer fromdiarrhoea, especially children, whicheventually leads to malnutrition. TheWorld Health Organization launched adiarrhoeal disease control program inorder to eradicate this problem. Theprogramme includes studies of traditionalmedicinal practices together with theevaluation of health education andprevention approaches. Litseapolyantha Juss. (Family — Lauraceae)is a big tree, which is abundant in thehilly area of Chotanagpur region in the

lipids and proteins of rat livermitochondria. PE could effectively preventlipid peroxidation, as assessed bymeasuring thiobarbituric acid reactivesubstances, lipid hydroperoxide andconjugated diene. In addition, it preventedphoto-induced oxidation of proteins in a

concentration-dependent manner.Furthermore, its preventive capacityagainst iron-mediated lipid peroxidationwas also confirmed. The protective activityof PE could be attributed to its free radicaland singlet oxygen scavenging properties.The activity of PE was primarily due to its

phenolic constituents, which wereidentified as chavibetol and 4-allylpyrocatechol [Bhattacharya S, Mula S,Gamre S, Kamat JP, Bandyopadhyay SK andChattopadhyay S, Inhibitory property of Piperbetel extract against photosensitization-induceddamages to lipids and proteins, Food Chem, 2007,100 (4), 1474-1480].

Anti-diarrhoeal activity of Litsea polyantha Juss. barkState of Jharkhand (India). The bark ofthis plant has a long history of traditionalmedicine use among the traditionalhealers of Oraon and Munda communityin Jharkhand, to treat dysentery anddiarrhoea as well as the othergastrointestinal disorders.

Therefore, the anti-diarrhoealactivity of methanol extract of dried barkand aerial parts of L. polyantha (MELP)has been evaluated by researchers atDivision of Pharmacology, Department ofPharmaceutical Sciences, Birla Instituteof Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand,

India in mice using different models(castor oil-induced diarrhoea andpropulsive gut motility in mice). MELP(50, 75 and 100mg/kg, p.o.) significantly(P<0.01) reduced the onset of diarrhoea,fecal excretion and also showed asignificant (P<0.001) reduction ingastrointestinal motility on charcoal mealtest in mice. The results of the studysupport the folklore use of the plant fordiarrhoeal remedies [Poonia Brijendra Singh,Sasmal D and Mazumdar PM, Anti-diarrheal activityof methanol extract of Litsea polyantha bark inmice, Fitoterapia, 2007, 78 (3), 171-174].

Hyptis fruticosa Salzm. exBenth. (Family — Lamiaceae) anaromatic sub-bush plant which grows upto 1.5m is found on the Brazilian northeastcoast. Previous studies have demonstratedthat the aqueous extract, the ethanolicextract and the essential oil of the plantpresented analgesic and anticonvulsiveactivities. Researchers at Brazil aimed toevaluate the cardiovascular effects of H.fruticosa essential oil (HFEO) in ratsusing in vivo and in vitro studies.

In non-anesthetized normotensiverats, HFEO (5, 10, 20 and 40mg/kg; i.v.)induced hypotension is associated withtachycardia. In intact and isolated rings

Cardiovascular effects of Hyptis fruticosa Salzm. ex Benth. essential oilof rat superior mesenteric artery(control), HFEO (1-1000µg/ml, n=6,cumulatively) induced concentration-dependent relaxations of tonus inducedby 10µM phenylephrine (Phe)(pD

2=2.6±0.27; E

max=64±8.3%). In

denuded endothelium pre-contractedrings with Phe or K+-depolarizing solution(80mM), the concentration-responsecurves to HFEO were not shifted(pD

2=2.3±0.25 and 2.3±0.28,

respectively), but their maximal responseswere significantly (P<0.05 vs control)increased (E

max=122.3±18.2% and

92±3.6%, respectively). HFEO was alsocapable of antagonizing the concentration-

response curves to CaCl2 (3µM-30mM) in

a dose-dependent manner. It is concludedthat HFEO induces hypotensive effect witha contemporaneous increase in heart rateprobably of reflex origin. This hypotensiveeffect may probably be due to a directvasodilatation and a consequent decreasein the peripheral vascular resistance. Thisvasodilatation seems to be due to aninhibition of the Ca2+ influx throughvoltage-operated Ca2+ channels [Santos MRV,Carvalho AA, Medeiros IA, Alves PB, Marchioro Mand Antoniolli AR, Cardiovascular effects of Hyptisfruticosa essential oil in rats, Fitoterapia, 2007,78 (3), 186-191].


Therapeutics

Diabetes mellitus is a majorhealth problem. Recently, the increasinginterest has been attracted fordevelopment and utilisation ofantidiabetic plants because they have lessside effects and are more economic,especially in developing countries.Ipomoea batatas (Linn.) Lam. (Sweetpotato) is extensively grown in manycountries, especially in China and inSoutheast Asian countries. The juice of theplant was used for diabetic patients inSikkim and Darjeeling. The leaves, the by-product of sweet potato, possessaccelerating metabolism, preventingarteriosclerosis, protecting eyesight andantimutation activities and flavone isconsidered to be one of main components.Flavone material has various biologicaleffects such as immunomodulating

Antidiabetic activity of flavone from Sweet potato leafactivity, antioxidant properties,hypolipidaemic, soften the blood vesseland hypoglycaemic. At present, a smallpart of leaves has been used for forage forbirds and livestock, but a majority of leaveshas been thrown away.

Therefore, effects of flavoneextracted from I. batatas leaf (FIBL) onbody weight, blood glucose, serum lipidprofiles, serum insulin and free radicalsin rats with non-insulin dependentdiabetes mellitus (NIDDM) were studiedby researchers at China. FIBL treatment(25, 50, 100mg/kg) for 2 weeks resultedin a significant decrease in theconcentration of plasma triglyceride,plasma cholesterol and weight in NIDDMrats. Furthermore, FIBL markedlydecreased fasting plasma insulin level,blood glucose level, low-density

lipoprotein cholesterol, andmalondialdehyde levels and significantlyincreased the Insulin Sensitive Index andsuperoxide dismutase level in NIDDMrats. In addition, flavone extracted fromI. batatas leaf did not show any physicalor behavioural signs of toxicity. Moresignificantly, our data demonstrate the FIBLat the dose of 50mg/kg body weightexhibited the optimal effect. The resultssuggest that flavone extracted from I.batatas leaf could control blood glucoseand modulate the metabolism of glucoseand blood lipid, and decrease outputs oflipid peroxidation and scavenge the freeradicals in non-insulin dependent diabeticrats [Zhao Rui, Li Qingwang, Long Ling, Li Jian,Yang Runjun and Gao Dawei, Antidiabetic activityof flavone from Ipomoea batatas leaf in non-insulin dependent diabetic rats, Int J Food SciTechnol, 2007, 42 (1), 80-85].

Indigenous to Pakistan and India,Terminalia chebula Retz (ChebulicMyrobalan, Hindi — Harra) ofCombretaceae family is a popular folkmedicine. Researchers at China and Japaninvestigated mammalian α-glucosidaseinhibitory activity of T. chebula fruits.The aqueous methanolic extract was foundto have potent rat intestinal maltaseinhibitory activity, whereas neitherintestinal sucrase nor isomaltase activitywas inhibited by this extract. Usingbioassay-guided separation, three active

ellagitannins were identified as chebulanin(1), chebulagic acid (2) and chebulinicacid (3) and were shown to possess potentintestinal maltase inhibitory activity, withthe IC

50 values of 690µM, 97µM and

36µM, respectively. The intestinal maltaseinhibitory activities of 2 and 3 were evenhigher than that of 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose (PGG) (4 ,IC

50=140µM), which is a known potent

α-glucosidase inhibitor. Comparison ofthe activities of 1-4, 1,2,3-O-trigalloyl-β-d-glucose (5), neochebulagic acid (6)

and corilagin (7) suggested that thepositions of chebulloyl and galloyl groupsmostly affected the potency. Kinetic studiesrevealed that 2, 3 and 4 inhibited maltose-hydrolyzing activity of intestinal α-glucosidase, noncompetitively. Thus,T. chebula fruits extract can be usedfor managing Type 2 diabetes [Gao Hong,Huang Yi-Na, Xu Pei-Yu and Kawabata Jun,Inhibitory effect on α-glucosidase by the fruits ofTerminalia chebula Retz., Food Chem, 2007,105 (2), 628-634].

Terminalia chebula Retz fruits for managing Type-2 diabetes


Agro-industrial plant by-productshave been widely investigated for theirantioxidant potential. The recycling ofplant wastes has focused on their uses asradical scavengers in dietary supplements,or anti-ageing ingredients in cosmetics,as well as natural preservatives in foodand health products. The common startingmaterials for these products have been oliveand vegetable wastes, fruit pomaces andpeels, but increasingly seeds have gainedpopularity. The seeds of oil crops,particularly those containing highpercentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFA) are thought to be predominantlyrich in antioxidants. An interesting nicheamong PUFA oil crops with a steadilyincreasing market are γ-linolenic acid(GLA) containing plants. The biggest “GLA-market” exists for evening primrose(Oenothera biennis Linn.).

Evening primrose is increasinglycultivated for medicinal use of theγ-linolenic acid rich oil. The seed cake(EPSC) - the remaining industrial residuefrom cold pressing was extracted withpolar solvents in order to investigate aprofitable polyphenolic recovery by

Therapeutics

Antioxidant potential of pressingresidues from evening primrose

researchers at Germany and UnitedKingdom. The aim of the study was toelucidate the antioxidant potential of anindustrial EPSC left from cold oil pressingusing cultivars introduced to German pilotcultivation in the late nineties. Consideringthe elevated amount of theoreticallyexploitable antioxidants reported from by-products already, the authors focused oncritical issues associated with a realistictransfer into industrial application: (i) anefficient and simple extraction methodwith common non-toxic solvents withoutfurther pre-treatment of the waste, (ii) acomparable antioxidant profile versusalready established antioxidants and (iii)the temperature stability of the extracts.The extractable matter and the totalphenolic content (Folin-Ciocalteu) havebeen compared to a black currant residuefrom juice production (Ribes nigrumLinn.) and seed cakes from sesame, woad(Isatis tinctoria Linn.) and burdock(Arctium lappa Linn.). The EPSCcrude extracts yielded the high totalphenolic content (min. 228.2±11.6 tomax. 696.4±29.0mgGAE/g dry extract)within the range of already

commercialized antioxidant extracts fromrosemary (RO, 142.1±1.9mg/g), green tea(GT, 446.8±27.4mg/g) and grape seed(GS 790.0±53.1mg/g). All extractsexhibited free radical scavenging activity(DPPH assay) with the order of potency:EPSC>GS>GT>>burdock=b lackcurrant>RO>butylated hydroxytoluene(BHT)>>woad>sesame. AccordinglyEPSC extracts where very effective inscavenging superoxide anion radicals(neotetrazolium assay: GS>EPSC>GT>>B H T > b u r d o c k > w o a d > s e s a m e )and inhibition of lipid oxidation(Rancimat assay: BHT>>GT>EPSC>>burdock>woad>RO>sesame>GS)Decreasing Rancimat activity from 80°Cupwards might indicate heat sensitivenessand limited usability. However, an efficientexploitation of polyphenols from eveningprimrose seed cakes in terms of anuncomplicated extraction procedure, theyield and the competitive profile as a strongradical scavenger is concluded [PeschelWieland, Dieckmann Wilfried, SonnenscheinMarlies and Plescher Andreas, High antioxidantpotential of pressing residues from eveningprimrose in comparison to other oilseed cakes andplant antioxidants, Ind Crops Prod, 2007, 25(1), 44-54].

Effect of Garcinia mangostana Linn. on inflammationcaused by Propionibacterium acnes

Researchers at Faculty ofPharmacy, Mahidol University, Bangkok,Thailand conducted study to investigatethe activity of Thai medicinal plants oninflammation caused by Propionibacteriumacnes in terms of free radical scavengingand cytokine reducing properties. P.acnes have been recognized as pus-forming bacteria triggering an inflammation

in acne. Antioxidant activity wasdetermined by DPPH scavenging and NBTreduction assay. The result showed thatGarcinia mangostana Linn. (Mangosteen)possessed the most significant antioxidantactivity and reduced reactive oxygenspecies production. Houttuyniacordata Thunb., Eupatoriumodoratum Linn., and Cassia alata

Linn. [syn. Senna alata (Linn.) Roxb.]had a moderate antioxidant effect. Thisstudy has identified the promising sourceof anti-inflammatory agent which couldbe useful in treatment of acne vulgaris[Chomnawang Mullika Traidej, Surassmo Suvimol,Nukoolkarn Veena S and Gritsanapan Wandee,Effect of Garcinia mangostana oninflammation caused by Propionibacteriumacnes, Fitoterapia, 2007, 78(6), 401-408].


Therapeutics

Antimicrobialactivity of someIndian mosses

The scientists at Pharmacognosyand Ethnopharmacology Division, NationalBotanical Research Institute, Lucknow, UttarPradesh, India conducted study to evaluatethe antimicrobial activity of ethanolicextracts of 15 Indian mosses. Theantibacterial activity of ethanolic extractswas investigated against five Gram positiveand six Gram negative bacterial strains.Antimycotic activity was assayed against 8fungi. Sphagnum junghuhnianumDoz. et Molk., Barbula arcuata Griff.,B. javanica Doz. et Molk.,Brachythecium populeum(Hedw.)B.S.G., B. rutabulum (Hedw.) B.S.G.,Mnium marginatum (With.) P. Beauv.and Entodon cf rubicundus (Mitt.)Jeag. were found to be most active againstall the organisms. Hence, bryophytesincluding mosses may prove to be a verygood and new source of antimicrobialagents [Singh Meenakshi, Rawat AKS andGovindarajan R, Antimicrobial activity of some Indianmosses, Fitoterapia, 2007, 78 (2), 156-158].

Antibacterial activity ofAbies webbiana Lindl.

Scientists at India evaluated the antimicrobial activity of methanol extractof the dried leaves of Abies webbiana Lindl. (Family — Pinaceae). Earlier, theleaves are reported to be effective against hyperglycemia, conception, rheumatismand high temperature. The methanol extract of leaves exhibited antibacterial activityagainst Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi [Vishnoi Satya Prakash,Ghosh Ashoke Kumar, Debnath Bikash, Samanta Soma, Gayen Shovanlal and Jha Tarun, Antibacterial

activity of Abies webbiana, Fitoterapia, 2007, 78(2), 153-155].

Raspberry (Rubus idaeus Linn.) leaves, collected in different locationsof Lithuania were extracted with ethanol and the extracts were tested by researchersat Lithuania for their antioxidant activity by using ABTS

*+ decolourization and

DPPH scavenging methods. All extracts were active, with radical scavenging capacityat the used concentrations from 20.5 to 82.5% in DPPH

* reaction system and

from 8.0 to 42.7% in ABTS reaction. The total amount of phenolic compounds inthe leaves varied from 4.8 to 12.0mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE) in 1g ofplant extract. Three flavonoids, namely quercetin glucuronide, quercetin-3-O-glucoside and quercetin glucosylrhamnoside (rutin) were identified by HPLC/UV/MS in the extracts. Remarkable variations in the concentration of the identifiedand other unidentified flavonoid components also indicate that herbal preparationscontaining R. idaeus leaves should be comprehensively evaluated for more preciseassessment of their functional and/or pharmacological properties [Venskutonis PR,Dvaranauskaite A and Labokas J, Radical scavenging activity and composition of raspberry (Rubusidaeus) leaves from different locations in Lithuania, Fitoterapia, 2007, 78(2), 162-165].

Radical scavenging activity andcomposition of raspberry leaves

Mitragyna speciosa Korth(Family — Rubiaceae) has been used intraditional medicine for decades in manySoutheast Asian countries, especiallysouthern Thailand. Originally, local peopleused it to alleviate pain, coughing ordiarrhoea. It is also used to counterfatigue. Recently, it has gained muchattention because of the claim that it may

Effect of Mitragyna speciosa Korth on ethanol withdrawal symptomsinhibit the withdrawal symptoms thatfollow cessation from long-term ethanolconsumption and prevent ethanol patientsfrom relapsing. Therefore, scientists atThailand designed their study to determinethe effect of an aqueous extract of its leaveson ethanol withdrawal symptoms.Administration of the aqueous extract ata dose of 300mg/kg significantly inhibited

ethanol withdrawal-induced behavioursthat included rearing, displacement andhead weaving. The results also revealedthat at doses of 100, 300 and 500mg/kgit possess antidepressant activity withouteffecting the spontaneous motor activity[Kumarnsit Ekkasit, Keawpradub Niwat andNuankaew Watcharin, Effect of Mitragynaspeciosa aqueous extract on ethanol withdrawalsymptoms in mice, Fitoterapia, 2007, 78(3),182-185].


Therapeutics

Radicalscavengingcapacity of

Agrimonia spp.Scientists at Lithuania

assessed the antioxidant activityof Agrimonia eupatoriaLinn. (Agrimony) and A.procera Wallr. (Fragrantagrimony) extracts. The extracts,isolated from the over groundparts of the plants, were able toscavenge free radicals, however,radical scavenging capacity(RSC) varied in a wide range(9.1-97.5% in DPPH

* reaction

and 6.7-79.5% in ABTS*+

reaction) depending on thepolarity of the solvent used toobtain the extract. In general, theextracts isolated with polarsolvents were characterized aspossessing higher RSC. Takinginto account the results ofpreliminary assessment ofantioxidant properties and theconcentration of bioactivecomponents it is concluded thatA. eupatoria and A. proceraare promising plant sources forthe development of functionalingredients for variousapplications. Further studies maybe focused on the analysis ofindividual bioactive constituentsof agrimony species [VenskutonisPR, Skëmaitë M and Ragazinskienë O,Radical scavenging capacity ofAgrimonia eupatoria andAgrimonia procera, Fitoterapia,2007, 78(2), 166-168].

Rosemary extractseffective in

dental cariesOral disease, including dental caries,

gingival inflammation, periodontal disease, andtooth loss, may significantly affect overallhealth. Among these, dental caries is amultifactorial infectious disease andStreptococcus sobrinus is one of the mostcariogenic bacteria of mutans streptococci.Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis Linn.)is a spice and medicinal herb widely usedaround the world. The aqueous infusion of driedrosemary leaves has gained popularity in Taiwanfor its claimed health benefits in recent years.Therefore, researchers at Taiwan investigatedin vitro effects of rosemary extracts on S.sobrinus growth and on its extracellularglucosyltransferase activity. The antibacterialactivities of rosemary extracts were determinedby the microdilution broth method. Theminimum inhibitory concentrations of aqueousand methanolic rosemary extracts against S.sobrinus were 16 and 4mg/ml, respectively.Glucosyltransferase activity was tested byincubating a crude enzyme preparation withsucrose and determining the amount of water-insoluble glucan formed. Both aqueous andmethanolic extracts of rosemary markedlyinhibited the formation of water-insolubleglucan. The 50% inhibitory doses of aqueousand methanolic extracts against theglucosyltransferases of S. sobrinus were1.42mg/ml and 0.34mg/ml, respectively. Theresults suggested that rosemary extract mightprove effective for the inhibition of the growthof cariogenic oral streptococci [Tsai Po-Jung, TsaiTzung-Hsun and Ho Su-Chen, In vitro inhibitory effectsof rosemary extracts on growth and glucosyltransferaseactivity of Streptococcus sobrinus, Food Chem,2007, 105 (1), 311-316].

Antioxidantpotential of

Pueraria tuberosaLinn. tubersIndian Kudzu, Pueraria

tuberosa Linn. (Hindi —Bidaarikand) of Fabaceae family is aperennial climber, growing throughouttropical parts of India. In the Ayurvedicsystem of medicine, it is used as a drugof choice to manage pain, inflammationand other related diseases. Theantioxidant potency of P. tuberosa wasinvestigated by scientists of Departmentof Medicinal Chemistry, Institute ofMedical Sciences, Banaras HinduUniversity, Varanasi, India. Totalantioxidant capacity was determinedusing an ABTS*+ assay. Lipid peroxidationwas assessed in terms of thiobarbituricacid-reactive substances by using egg-yolkhomogenates as lipid-rich media.Superoxide radical scavenging wasmeasured using riboflavin-light-nitroblue tetrazolium assay. Hydroxyl radicaltrapping potential was determined byevaluating hydroxyl radical induceddeoxyribose degradation usingthiobarbituric acid method. In order toassess the metal chelation property,hydroxyl radical induced deoxyribosedegradation was evaluated in the absenceof ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Bothhexane and methanol fractions inhibitedlipid peroxidation and also chelated theiron, showing potent antioxidant property[Pandey Nidhi, Chaurasia JK, Tiwari OP andTripathi Yamini B, Antioxidant properties ofdifferent fractions of tubers from Puerariatuberosa Linn., Food Chem, 2007, 105 (1),219-222].


Therapeutics

Antioxidants activity ofSpirulina platensis

extracts

Spirulina platensis is a high qualityhealth food with high levels of protein, vitamins,minerals, polyunsaturated fatty acids, zeaxanthinand myxoxanthophyll and has been reported tohave pharmaceutical potential. Researchers of KeyLaboratory of Food Processing and Quality Control,College of Food Science and Technology, NanjingAgricultural University, Nanjing, PR China usingresponse surface methodology optimizedsupercritical CO

2 extraction of antioxidants from

S. platensis. About 10.26g/kg of extracts fromS. platensis could be obtained under theoptimum conditions of 48°C at 20MPa over a 4hperiod. The antioxidant activity of the extractsprepared under the optimized condition,determined by linoleic acid peroxidationinhibition method, was lower compared with BHTand Trolox, but significantly higher thanα-tocopherol in 300min and after that becamesimilar to α-tocopherol. The components of theextracts were further analyzed and the resultsshowed that the extracts contained 85.1g/kg offlavonoids, 77.8g/kg of β-carotene, 113.2g/kg ofvitamin A and 3.4g/kg of α-tocopherol, whichmay contribute greatly to their high antioxidantactivity. The main fatty acids in the extracts werepalmitic acid (35.32%), linolenic acid (21.66%)and linoleic acid (20.58%). Additional work isnecessary to fractionate and identify the extractsfurther to elicit a better understanding of howeach chemical fraction contributes to the overallantioxidant activity and whether the mixture ofextracts contributes to a synergistic antioxidantactivity [Wang Lin, Pan Bishu, Sheng Jianchun, Xu Juanand Hu Qiuhui, Antioxidant activity of Spirulina platensisextracts by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, FoodChem, 2007, 105 (1), 36-41].

Neuroprotective mechanismsBacopa monnieri (Linn.) Penn.

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disordercharacterized by progressive dementia. Bacopa monnieri (Linn.)Penn. is known as a therapeutically useful herb for the treatment ofcognitive impairment, thus supporting its possible anti-Alzheimer'sproperties. The studies carried out jointly by researchers at variousinstitutes in USA have shown that B. monnieri reduces beta-amyloiddeposits in the brain of an Alzheimer's disease animal model. Theobjective of their study was to establish the presence of endogenoussubstances in B. monnieri extract (BmE) that will impact componentsof the oxidative stress cascade such as the reduction of divalent metals,scavenging of reactive oxygen species, alterations of lipoxygenase activityand hydrogen peroxide-induced lipid peroxidation. The extract containedpolyphenols and sulfhydryl contents, suggestive of endogenousantioxidant activity. The results demonstrated that BmE reduced divalentmetals, dose-dependently scavenged reactive oxygen species, decreasedthe formation of lipid peroxides and inhibited lipoxygenase activity.Thus, BmE treatment reduces beta-amyloid levels in the brain of anAlzheimer's disease doubly transgenic mouse model of rapid amyloiddeposition (PSAPP mice) suggesting mechanisms of action relevant tothe treatment of Alzheimer's disease [Dhanasekaran Muralikrishnan, TharakanBinu, Holcomb Leigh A, Hitt Angie R, Young Keith A and Manyam Bala V, Neuroprotectivemechanisms of ayurvedic antidementia botanical Bacopa monnieri, PhytotherRes, 2007, 21(10), 965-969].


Therapeutics

A major problem in themanagement of visceral leishmaniasis,especially in the Indian subcontinent, isthe growing unresponsiveness toconventional antimonial therapy,indicating the urgent need to identify newantileishmanial compounds. The scientistsat Department of Pharmacology, Instituteof Postgraduate Medical Education andResearch, Kolkata and Bio-OrganicDivision, Bhaba Atomic Research Centre,Mumbai, India, undertaken study toevaluate the antileishmanial activity of thefruit rind of Myristica malabaricaLam. (Hindi– Rampatri) that is usedas a spice and is also credited withmedicinal properties. Theantipromastigote activity of different

Antipromastigote activity ofthe malabaricones of Rampatri

extracts/fractions and its constituentdiarylnonanoids were evaluated inLeishmania donovani promastigotes(MHOM/IN/83/AG83) using the MTS-PMSassay. Preliminary screening of the etherextract (R1) with its crude methanolfraction (R2) and two fractions (R3 andR4) revealed that R2 had potentleishmanicidal activity (IC

50 31.0 µg/mL),

whereas R3 and R4 showed poor activity.Fractionation of R2 yielded fourdiarylnonanoids (malabaricones A-D,designated as Mal A, Mal B, Mal C andMal D, respectively). The IC

50 values of

Mal A-D were 16, 22, 27 and >50 µg/ml,respectively. The data suggested that themethanol extract of fruit rind, especiallyits constituent compounds, Mal A and MalB, have promising antileishmanial activitymeriting further investigations regardingthe underlying molecular mechanism(s)of action with a view towards future drugdevelopment [Sen Rupashree, Bauri Ajay Kumar,Chattopadhyay Subrata and Chatterjee Mitali,Antipromastigote activity of the malabaricones ofMyristica malabarica (rampatri), PhytotherRes, 2007, 21(6), 592-595].

In West African folk medicineHibiscus sabdariffa Linn. is used asan antihypertensive. Therefore,researchers working at variousdepartments of Usman DanfodioUniversity, Sokoto, Nigeria investigated theefficacy of an aqueous calyx extract ofH. sabdariffa (HS) in two forms ofexperimental hypertension: salt-inducedand l-NAME (N-l-arginine methyl ester)-induced and in normotensive controls.The blood pressure and heart rate fell dose-dependently in both the hypertensive andnormotensive rats after intravenousinjection of 1-125mg/kg of HS, suggestingthat HS possesses antihypertensive,

hypotensive and negative chronotropiceffects. The fall in mean arterial pressurewas significantly pronounced in thehypertensive rats (salt-induced:94.4±8.6mm Hg; l-NAME-induced:136.5±10.3mm Hg) than in thenormotensive controls (50.2±5.1mm Hg;P<0.05). Thus, it provides furtherexperimental evidence that justifies thefolkloric use of this plant in the treatmentof hypertension [Mojiminiyi FBO, Dikko M,Muhammad BY, Ojobor PD, Ajagbonna OP, OkoloRU, Igbokwe UV, Mojiminiyi UE, Fagbemi MA, BelloSO and Anga TJ, Antihypertensive effect of anaqueous extract of the calyx of Hibiscussabdariffa, Fitoterapia, 2007, 78 (4),292-297].

Antihypertensive effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. calyx


Therapeutics

The herbal formulations claimedto enhance physical endurance; mentalfunctions and non-specific resistance ofthe body have been termed as adaptogens.During the stressful situationssupplementation of various nutrients andsingle and poly-herbal preparation havebeen shown to increase stress tolerance.It has been hypothesized that plantsgrowing in adverse climatic conditions ofhigh altitude acquire bio-molecules whichhelp them to sustain in such environmentand supplementation of such plantproducts to the animals increase theirperformance during exposure to stressfulcold and hypoxic environment.Hippophae rhamnoides Linn.,commonly known as Seabuckthorn(Family—Elaeagnaceae) growing inNorth-West Himalayas at high altitude,2100-4500m, is a dwarf to tall (90cm-4.5m), branched and thorny nitrogenfixing deciduous shrub, native to Europeand Asia. All parts of the plant areconsidered to be good source of a largenumber of bioactive substances.

Adaptogenic and safety evaluation of Seabuckthorn leaf extract

The researchers at Department ofBiochemical Pharmacology, DefenceInstitute of Physiology and Allied Sciences(DIPAS), Delhi, India examined the effectsof seabuckthorn leaf aqueous extract inrats for its adaptogenic activity andtoxicity. Dose dependent adaptogenicstudy of extract was carried out at differentdoses administered orally, 30min prior tocold (5°C)-hypoxia (428mmHg)-restraint(C-H-R) exposure. After sub-acute toxicitystudies on 10 and 20 times doses ofmaximal effective dose administered for14 days (single oral dose of 1g/kg and 2g/kg once daily) and maximal effective dose

administered for 30 days (single oral doseof 100mg/kg once daily), biochemical andhaematological parameters were studiedin the serum and blood. The maximaleffective adaptogenic dose of the extractwas 100mg/kg body weight. No significantchanges were observed in organ weight/body weight ratios, of any vital organstudied (except liver and kidney in 1g/kgand 2g/kg body weight doses, respectively),and biochemical and haematologicalparameters of the sub-acute drug treatedanimals in comparison to control rats. Inacute toxicity study LD

50 of the extract was

observed to be >10g/kg when given orally.These results indicated that seabuckthornleaf aqueous extract possess potentadaptogenic activity with no toxicity evenafter sub-acute (30 days) maximal effectivedose administration [Saggu S, Divekar HM,Gupta V, Sawhney RC, Banerjee PK and Kumar R,Adaptogenic and safety evaluation of seabuckthorn(Hippophae rhamnoides) leaf extract: A dosedependent study, Food Chem Toxicol, 2007,45 (4), 609-617].

Scientists at G Pulla ReddyCollege of Pharmacy, Mehdipatnam,Hyderabad and University College ofPharmaceutical Sciences, KakatiyaUniversity, Warangal, India studiedHelicteres isora Linn. (Family —Sterculiaceae) root extracts forantinociceptive activity on acetic acid-induced writhing test in mice, at a doseof 250mg/kg. The aqueous ethanol,petroleum ether and chloroform extracts

Antinociceptive activity of Helicteres isora Linn.extracts indicated that their majorconstituents are sterol, triterpenoids(petroleum ether extract) and theirglycosides (chloroform and aqueousethanol extracts), which may beresponsible for observed pharmacologicalactivity [Venkatesh Sama, Laxmi K Sai, Reddy BMadhava and Ramesh M, Antinociceptive activityof Helicteres isora, Fitoterapia, 2007, 78(2), 146-148].showed significant antinociceptive activity.

Phytochemical analysis of the active


Vegetable

The scientists at NationalUniversity of Singapore, Singaporeinvestigated the hypoglycaemic andhypolipidaemic properties of an ethanolicextract of Chicory, Cichorium intybusLinn. (CIE) which is widely used in Indiaas a traditional treatment for diabetesmellitus. Male Sprague-Dawley rats aged9 weeks (160-200g) were administeredwith streptozotocin (STZ, 50mg/kg)intraperitoneally to induce experimentaldiabetes. The Chicory whole plant wasexhaustively extracted with 80% ethanol,concentrated at 40ºC using a rotavapor andfreeze dried to get powder. Hypoglycaemiceffects of CIE were observed in an oral

Anti-diabetic effects of Cichorium intybus Linn. in rats

glucose tolerance test in which, a dose of125mg of plant extract/kg body weightexhibited the most potent hypoglycaemiceffect. Moreover, daily administration ofCIE (125mg/kg) for 14 days to diabeticrats attenuated serum glucose by 20%,triglycerides by 91% and total cholesterolby 16%. However, there was no change inserum insulin levels, which ruled out the

possibility that CIE induces insulinsecretion from pancreatic β-cells. Inaddition, hepatic glucose-6-phosphataseactivity (Glc-6-Pase) was markedlyreduced by CIE when compared to thecontrol group. The reduction in thehepatic Glc-6-Pase activity could decreasehepatic glucose production, which in turnresults in lower concentration of bloodglucose in CIE-treated diabetic rats. Thus,the results support the traditional beliefthat C. intybus could amelioratediabetic state [Pushparaj PN, Low HK,Manikandan J, Tan BKH and Tan CH, Anti-diabeticeffects of Cichorium intybus in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, J Ethnopharmacol,2007, 111(2), 430-434].

Therapeutics

In an attempt to reveal whetherbehaviour differs between various granulesize classes of potato starches, small(SGF), medium (MGF) and large (LGF)granule fractions were separated from thenative starches of three potato cultivarsand some of their physico-chemical andfunctional properties were studied by thescientists at Massey University, NewZealand and California State University, LosAngeles, USA. There was a significantvariation in the granule size distributionof the native starches and their separatedfractions, when studied using particle sizeanalysis and scanning electronmicroscopy. The granule size ranges forLGF, MGF and SGF were 40-65, 20-40, and1-20µm, respectively. The granule sizes

in the fractions separated from the nativestarch of the cultivar ‘Kufri Ashoka’ werelarger than in the corresponding fractionsseparated from the other two cultivars(‘Kufri Kunden’ and ‘Kufri Dewa’). Forall three cultivars, LGF had higher amylosecontent and a lower swelling power thanthe corresponding MGF and SGF. The light

Physico-chemical, rheological andstructural properties of fractionated potato starches

transmittance and solubility of the nativestarches and their three fractionsincreased, while enzymatic digestibilitydecreased with the increase in granule size.Among the three fractions, pastingproperties such as peak and finalviscosities were observed to be lower forSGF, while peak viscosity temperatureswere lower for LGF. The breakdown andsetback in viscosity were observed to behighest for LGF and lowest for SGF, for allthree cultivars. The lowest values ofdynamic mechanical properties such asG″, G, G*, η* and η' were recorded forgels of native ‘Kufri Dewa’ starch and itsfractions during frequency sweep testingon a dynamic rheometer. The texturalattributes of the gels obtained from the

Potato cv. ‘Kufri Ashoka’

growth inhibitory activities of curcumin for triphala...

Documents