Current Issue : July - September Volume : 2010 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 12 Articles
In the past 50 years or so dietary fiber has become an increasingly significant area of nutritional focus, debate, and research. Advances in food production practices have resulted in more and more refined foods being available and consumed throughout the world and particularly in developed nations such as the United States. While refined foods are typically more palatable to consumers, the content of dietary fiber is greatly reduced. Currently many diseases are believed to be associated with a lack of dietary fiber intake and furthermore significant health benefits are thought possible via increased consumption of many dietary fibers. There is not a well accepted definition for dietary fiber, but most reference the human inability to fully digest fibers, fibers being made up of various monomer units of variable length and some mention plant origin. There are many raw materials/ingredients that can increase the fiber content in foods, each with its own set of functional and sensory characteristics, include acacia gum, beta glucan, cellulose, chitin/chitosan, corn bran, corn fiber, inulin, oat Bran/oat fiber, pea fiber, pectin, polydextrose, psyllium, resistant starch, rice bran, soy fibers, wheat bran, and wheat fiber. These fibers are unique in their functional capability for treatment of number of diseases....
Citrullus colocynthis is a traditionally used medicinal plant claimed to possess antioxidant, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory activity. The present study was conducted with the purpose to evaluate the invitro antioxidant activity in leaves and stem of Citrullus colocynthis. The enzymatic antioxidants such as catalase, super oxide dismutase, glutathaione reductase, glutathaione reductase and glutathiaone-S- transferase and non enzymic antioxidant (ascorbic acid, ά- tocoperol, reduced glutathiaone, total carotenoids and flavonoids) were found to be present. The free radicals scavenging (DPPH, Hydroxyl radical, and Nitric oxide) activity also observed. The result obtained in the present study indicated that the Citrullus colocynthis might be a good source of natural antioxidant....
The present study was to investigate the protecting or preventing effect of dehydrated leaves of Anethum sowa linn leaves extracts against the oxidative stress induced in rats by dimethyl hydrazine (DMH). In DMH administered rats, measurement of cytotoxicity was carried out by assaying lipid peroxidation product viz, MDA, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), Glutathione reductase (GSSGR), Glutathione S-transferase (GST) and Glutathione in rat liver. Effect of pre-feeding dehydrated drumstick (Anethum sowa) leaves at 10% levels on the above parameters was further evaluated. DMH induced significant rise in MDA with concomitant decrease in GSH. An increase in the hepatic GSH level was seen in rats fed with Anethum sowa. DMH influenced adversely the hepatic antioxidant enzymes viz, GSH-Px, CAT, SOD and GSSGR. Results suggest that consumption of Anethum sowa at 10% level prevent the oxidative stress caused by DMH in liver & erythrocytes....
In human beings, inhaled oxygen is converted to reactive oxygen species and most of the body cells are oxidised.These cells slowly break down and affect the normal functioning of the body.This is caused by free radicals that wreak havoc on the integrity and performance of body cells.A single free radical can cause damage to millions of the molecules in our body.Free radicals are believed to be one of the main causes of over sixty health problems.These problems include cancer, diabetes , emphysema, arthrits , neurological disorders such as alzheimers disease and parkinsons disease etc. Hence, consumers are now increasingly becoming aware of diet related health problems .Antioxidants can protect a great many free radical initiated diseases. Antioxidants destroy the free radicals that damage cells, promote the growth of healthy cells and protect the cells against premature, abnormal ageing. Antioxidants may be natural or synthetic .Sythetic antioxidants such as butylated hydroxytoulene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) have recently been reported to be dangerous to health at certain concentrations. While atioxidants from natural resources are expected to be safe,less toxic and health promoting. Thus, the search for effective, non toxic natural compounds with antioxidative activity has been intensified in recent years. This review is an attempt to discuss a brief account of research that is being carried out on natural plant sources with antioxidant potential....
Exposure to oxidant molecules from the environment (pollution, radiation or from within body fluids and tissues), dietary imbalances, malnutrition or pathologic conditions can generate ROS. The free radicals once generated can target proteins, lipids and DNA thus can cascade, initiating lipid peroxidation which results in destabilization and disintegration of the cell membranes or oxidation of other cellular components, finally resulting in the disruption of cells Depletion of cellular antioxidants in acute oxidative stress increases ROS accumulation, which in turn is responsible for several chronic pathologies. High fat-high cholesterol feeding resulted in significantly elevating the lipid and oxidative stress levels of blood and hepatic tissues of rats. However, concomitant feeding of neutraceuticals reduced the lipid levels and diminished the oxidative stress. Thus to prevent cellular damages associated with free radicals and oxidative stress, it is important to restore the balance of endogenous antioxidants through antioxidant supplementation....
Hyperglycemia in diabetes leads to oxidant-antioxidant imbalance resulting in lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation and decreased activities of defense enzymes. Supplementation of anise seeds (5g/day) containing a no. of bioactive principles to type 2 diabeteics for 60 days ameliorated these processes. Increased oxidative stress as shown by increased lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation and increased activity of catalase (CAT) in erythrocytes, decreased serum carotene, vitamin A, E and C observed in diabetics were countered by anise seeds. In addition, decreased activities of erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme i.e. glutathinone–S–tranferase (GST) and reduced glutathione content were significantly improved in anise-treated diabetics. This study reveals amelioration of oxidative stress in diabetics due to the supplementation of anise seeds. In conclusion, anise seeds possess antioxidant properties and the effect is a result of synergistic action of antioxidant phytochemicals, carotenoids, flavonoids etc. present in the seeds. The findings from this study suggest that the seeds may be prescribed as adjunct to dietary therapy and drug treatment for controlling oxidative stress that causes chronic diseases....
Tropical areas are rich in unknown sources of phytochemicals with potential applications in pharmacology, medicine and functional foods. A collection of Costa Rican traditional fruits (17 samples) were screened for polyphenolic composition (Folin-Ciocalteu assay), antioxidant activity (DPPH assay) and antibacterial properties in vitro (disc diffusion assay). Results showed that at least 8 of the samples analyzed were promising sources for natural polyphenols with important antioxidant activity and 3 of them showed a significant antibacterial effect against both gram-positive and gramnegative bacteria when compared to the positive control (ampicillin 2 mg/mL). Experimental data suggest that polyphenolic extracts isolated from traditional Costa Rican fruits could be interesting sources of phytochemicals to control or prevent bacterial infections in humans....
Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in the technologically advanced countries. Tremendous work has been done in promoting the different medical approaches and drugs available in providing proper treatment to cardiovascular patients. Nevertheless, in most cases it is well understood that allopathic medicine are not free from side effects caused due to chemical entities. Keeping in view these and more problems associated with monotherapy using chemical agents, complementary and alternative medicine was developed. The history of herbology is inextricably intertwined with that of modern medicine. Many drugs listed as conventional medications were originally derived from plants. The plant derivatives remain the basis for a major proportion of the commercial medications used today for the treatment of heart disease, high blood pressure, pain, asthma, and other diseases. In recent years, use of complementary and alternative medicine is on the rise for both prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Herbal medicine is oldest form of health care known to mankind. Herbs have been used by all cultures throughout history. The knowledge of herbal medicine dates back from prehistoric times and has been transferred from generation to generation. Primitive man appreciated the great diversity of plants available to him. They methodically collected information on herbs and developed well-defined herbal pharmacopoeias. Several clinical studies are being conducted on herbal plants to prove their therapeutic value. We present here a critical review to highlight the use of herbal drugs in cardiovascular diseases, history of herbal medicine and issues concerning use of herbal products....
Mangroves are a special group of vascular plants that occur in saline coastal habitats. Some mangroves are utilized for a wide range of conditions including bacterial, fungal and viral diseases. These specialized plants are able to tolerate extreme environmental conditions. The economical advantages of products from mangrove ecosystems are many and beneficial. Many of the mangrove species are a rich source of various important and unique phytoconstituents. The mangroves provide food and wide variety of traditional products. Keeping in view the high medicinal value and edible property, the physico-chemical studies of the some of the species of mangroves in Kochi of Kerala state in India such as Acanthus ilicifolius and Sonneratia caseolaris has been carried out. The successive extraction of the plant material was done with different solvents. Physico chemical parameters applied for the present study include ash values, extractive values, moisture content, TLC and fluorescent analysis. Thin layer chromatography has been carried out for various phytochemical constituents and the inference is noted. The findings of physico chemical analysis will be useful for establishing the standards on the purity and quality of the plant, which will be relevant in the phytomedicine research....
Resistant Starch (RS) is prebiotic in nature and is defined as the sum of starch and products of starch degradation not absorbed in small intestine of healthy individuals but later are fermented by natural microflora of the colon to produce short chain fatty acids. RS acts as a nutraceutical and its consumption leads to many health benefits. The aim of the study was to determine starch, amylose and RS content of 2 different varieties each of raw cereals and legumes. The starch, amylose and RS content of cereals and legumes ranged from 31 – 43 g%, 9.17 - 29.26 g% and 0.62 – 1.98 g% respectively. There was a significant varietal difference in starch, amylose and RS content in both the cereals and legumes. A significant difference was also observed in the RS content between the cereals and legumes (p<0.01). The starch, amylose and phytin contents showed a positive correlation where as oxalate showed a negative correlation with RS content of cereals and legumes....
Standardization of Polyherbal formulation is essential in order to assess the quality of drugs, based on the concentration of their active principles. This research paper reports on Standardization of Acnovin Active Syrup (Blood purifier) which is Polyherbal formulation used as purifies the blood and aids in overcoming problems, Acne and Boils. It also helps in other skin related disorders, which was manufactured by Vasu Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. Standardization protocol included different parameters for authentification of raw Material as well as finished product such as Identification of Raw Materials, Organoleptic evaluation, Physicochemical parameters such as pH value, Viscosity, Weight/ml, Total sugar content, Phenolic content, Total Ash, Acid insoluble Ash, Water soluble Ash, Water and Alcohol soluble Extractive value, Qualitative Phytochemical evaluation, HPTLC Fingerprinting of finished product, Quantification of Curcumin and Gallic Acid in Syrup, Heavy metal analysis, Microbial analysis was done. The data generated from the present study would help in the authentification of the drug and the details analysis with the help of Determination of sugar content, Determination of phenolic content, HPTLC Fingerprinting, Heavy metal analysis, Microbial analysis will be useful in the standardization of the Polyherbal formulation....
In the present scenario the use of herbs and herbal medicine is at its peak and majority of researchers are screening higher plants for the same but very few researchers are considering the lower plants for their antimicrobial potential. Since these pteridophytic plants are considered to be the disease free plants and are being used ethanobotanically by various tribal communities. The main objective for this research work is to screen various unexploited plants for their antimicrobial activity as these unexploited or pteridophytic plants are being used ethanomedicinally but very little work has been done on antimicrobial aspects. So, to explore the efficacy of these plants the following research has been carried out. Bacterial strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Escherichia coli, Salmonella arizonae, Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus were procured from the Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), Chandigarh and the aqueous and alcoholic stem extract of thirteen important pteridophytic plants were prepared and tested for their antimicrobial activity against the bacteria selected by Disc diffusion method as suggested by Bauer et al. (1966). It has been observed that, nearly all the extracts have shown inhibitory effect against the bacterial strains selected and some of the extracts were more competent than the selected antibiotic. Our findings provide the novel insights with regards to antimicrobial agents and these could be further enhanced through in vivo studies and isolation and characterization of active constituents for human health....
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