Current Issue : January - March Volume : 2012 Issue Number : 1 Articles : 12 Articles
The antioxidant potential of Actinidia macrosperma C. F. Liang (Actinidiaceae) was investigated in vitro for total phenolic content, along with total antioxidant activity (TAA), 1,1-diphenyl 2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH), and lipid peroxidation (LP). The results indicated that different polarity extracts of A. macrosperma exhibit different biological activities, which depends mainly on the presence of phenolic compounds. The antioxidant activity was in the following decreasing order: MeOH extract > EtOAc extract > aqueous extract > CHCl3 extract > Hexane extract. Moreover, the cytotoxic activity of this plant by MTT dye assay using SMMC-7721 has been determined also. The hexane, EtOAc, and CHCl3 extracts showed cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner. Methanol and aqueous extracts, however, showed weak activities in this test. And a very significant cytotoxic activity, not significantly different from the positive control of quercetin, was observed in CHCl3 extract....
Spinach is a green vegetable obtained from fresh leaves of Spinacia oleracea Linn. belonging to family Amaranthaceae. The leaves are antipyretic, diuretic, laxative, anthelmintic and useful in urinary concretions, inflammation of the lungs, bowels and as an antibacterial. Spinach leaves is a rich source of chlorophyll. Pheophorbide-a is a photosensitive agent, was obtained from degradation of chlorophyll in presence of acid. In present study, Pheophorbide-a was obtained from the degradation of chlorophyll present in Spinacia oleracea Linn. in presence of 1 N HCL and investigated the effect of light on antibacterial activity of crude pheophorbide on Staphylococcus epidermidis by plate diffusion method in dark and by exposing to light in order to study photosensitizing action of Pheophorbide-a and the antibacterial effects are compared with standard antibiotic (Tetracycline). The present investigation reveals that Pheophorbide-a crude extract shows antibacterial activity in dark as well as in presence of light (630-750nm). Though it showed zone of inhibition in dark condition the effect was more prominent in the plates incubated under light. So, it is concluded that crude extract of spinach contain Pheophorbide-a possesses photosensitizing properties as an antibacterial effect was enhanced on exposure to light....
The present study was carried out to investigate the antidiabetic properties of petroleum ether extract of beans of Cyamopsis tetragonoloba in alloxan (70 mg/kg intravenous) induced diabetic rats for two days. The induced diabetic rats exhibited high blood glucose level. In addition, the water intake was remarkably high while feed intake was decreased as compared with normal control group. The continuous oral administration of the extract at the dose of 250 and 500 mg/kg for 14 days was able to lower BGL The effect of extract was compared with standard drug i.e. glibenclamide. The extract yielded high tannin, gallic acids, coniferyl alcohol and epikatonic acid. These compounds have been reported to potentiate insulin secretion. The present study revealed that petroleum ether extract of Cyamopsis tetragonoloba possesses antihyperglycemic potential and thus could support ethnotherapeutic usage of this plant....
The present study was carried out to investigate the antioxidant activity of various fractions obtained from ethanol extract of Aerva lanata Linn, employing various established in vitro systems, such as the DPPH, H2O2, reducing power and OH- scavenging. IC50 of DPPH was found to be 0.542, 0.218 and 0.801 for chloroform, ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions respectively. The multiple antioxidant activity of Aerva lanata Linn. was evident as it showed moderate H2O2 scavenging. The amount of the total phenolic compounds present was determined according to folin-ciocalteu method and the total phenolic content was 32 ± 0.047 (mg gallic acid equivalent/g of extract powder) for ALCF, 20.4±0.056 (mg gallic acid equivalent/g of extract powder) for ALEAF and 18.6±0.053 (mg gallic acid equivalent/g of extract powder) for ALAF. The total flavonoid content was 41.8±0.51 (mg quercetin equivalent/g of extract powder) in ALEAF and 28.75±0.40 (mg quercetin equivalent/g of extract powder) in ALAF, respectively....
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive liver disease related to the metabolic syndrome, obesity and diabetes. The rising prevalence of NASH and the lack of efficient treatments have led to the exploration of different therapeutic approaches. Milk thistle (Silibum marianum) is a medicinal plant used for its hepatoprotective properties in chronic liver disease since the 4th century BC. We explored the therapeutic effect of silibinin, the plant's most biologically active extract, in an experimental rat NASH model. A control group was fed a standard liquid diet for 12 weeks. The other groups were fed a high-fat liquid diet for 12 weeks without (NASH) or with simultaneous daily supplement with silibininââ?¬â??phosphatidylcholine complex (Silibinin 200?mg kg-1) for the last 5 weeks. NASH rats developed all key hallmarks of the pathology. Treatment with silibinin improved liver steatosis and inflammation and decreased NASH-induced lipid peroxidation, plasma insulin and TNF-a. Silibinin also decreased O2 ââ?¬Â¢ -release and returned the relative liver weight as well as GSH back to normal. Our results suggest that milk thistle's extract, silibinin, possesses antioxidant, hypoinsulinemic and hepatoprotective properties that act against NASH-induced liver damage. This medicinal herb thus shows promising therapeutic potential for the treatment of NASH....
In present study antiulcer activity of hydroalcoholic extract of Smilax zeylanica (SZE) roots was investigated in animal model of ulcer. Ulcer was induced by pylorus ligation and pylorus ligation with aspirin. SZE produced significant reductive effect on ulcer at 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg. Efficacy was assessed on the basis of total gastric volume, pH, total acidity, free acidity, ulcer index and percentage protection. It was observed that SZE significantly (P<0.05) reduced level of all parameters assessed in present investigation. From this study it can be concluded that hydroalcoholic extract of roots of Smilax zeylanica possess significant antiulcer activity....
The present study was aimed at evaluating the different methods of isolation of the natural dye cyanidin from syzygium cuminii fruits. Cyanidin is an anthocyanin, which imparts coloration to fruits ranging from violet to red. The dye is intended to be used as a natural dye in food and Pharma industry. The dye was isolated by three methods, viz-preperative TLC, column chromatography and soxhlet extraction. The methods were compared with respect to yime required for isolation and the percentage yield obtained. The Dye was characterized by UV spectroscopy , IR spectroscopy , NMR and HPTLC. The Soxhlet absorption was the ideal method for extraction of the dye....
The incidence of cancer is increasing in the developed countries and even more so in developing countries parallel to the increase in life expectancy. In recent years, clinicians and researchers advocate the need to include supportive and palliative care since the establishment of the diagnosis and throughout the duration of treatment, with the goal of improving patients' quality of life. This patient-centered approach in supportive care is also shared by various traditional and complementary medicine approaches. Traditional Arab-Islamic medicine offers a variety of therapeutic modalities that include herbal, nutritional, and spiritual approaches. Physicians and scholars, such as Avicenna (980ââ?¬â??1037), Rhazes (965ââ?¬â??915), Al Zahrawi (936ââ?¬â??1013), and Ibn al Nafis (1218ââ?¬â??1288) referred to cancer etiology in various medicinal texts and suggested both preventive and therapeutic remedies to alleviate suffering. This review presents research data related to the anticancer activities of herbs used in Arab-Islamic medicine and allude to their potential role in improving the quality of life of cancer patients....
Lantana camara L. is the a heavily branched shrub that can grow in compact clumps, dense thickets or as a climbing vine which belongs o the family Verbenaceae. The plant is reported with wide variety of applications in the field of treatment of dreadful diseases and disorders i.e. Antitumor, antidiabetic Antimotility etc.This article is an attempt made to focus the researcher’s attention towards the Lantana camera Linn. as a useful tool in the field of treatment....
A national treasure mushroom, Lignosus rhinocerus, has been used to treat variety of ailments by local and indigenous communities in Malaysia. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of the most valuable part of L. rhinocerus, the sclerotium, on neurite outgrowth activity by using PC-12Adh cell line. Differentiated cells with one thin extension at least double the length of the cell diameter were scored positive. Our results showed that aqueous sclerotium L. rhinocerus extract induced neurite outgrowths of 24.4% and 42.1% at 20?�µg/mL (w/v) of aqueous extract alone and a combination of 20?�µg/mL (w/v) aqueous extract and 30?ng/mL (w/v) of NGF, respectively. Combination of NGF and sclerotium extract had additive effects and enhanced neurite outgrowth. Neuronal differentiation was demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescence of neurofilament protein. Aqueous sclerotium extract contained neuroactive compounds that stimulated neurite outgrowth in vitro. To our knowledge this is the first report on neurite-stimulating activities of L. rhinocerus....
Gossypium arboreum Linn., known as Rakta Karpasa, is used in discipline of Ayurveda for the treatment of diseases and for the processing of various formulations of Rasashastra. In present study, transverse section of fresh stem showed presence of single layer lignified epidermis, simple multicellular and multibranched trichomes, cortex with rosette crystals of calcium oxalate. The physicochemical parameters like, pH of Rakta Karpas Stem (RKS) was not more than 7.3, the loss on drying was not more than 7.3 % w/w and the alcohol soluble extractive were not more than 97.73 % w/w. In HPTLC profile at 254 nm frequency, five peaks were observed at max Rf 85.17, 4.96, 4.47, 3.27, 2.13 and subsequent end Rf were 85.14, 4.67, 2.92, 4.70, 2.56....
The present study was aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity of Ficus carica stem extract (FE) in methanol-induced hepatotoxicity in male Wistar rats. The rats were divided into two batches: 16 control rats (C) drinking tap water and 16 treated rats drinking Ficus carica stem extract for six weeks. Then, each group was divided into two subgroups, and one of them was intraperitoneally injected (i.p.) daily methanol at a dose of 2.37?g/kg body weight i.p. for 30 days, for four weeks. The results showed that FE was found to contain large amounts of polyphenols and carotenoids. The treatment with methanol exhibited a significant increase of serum hepatic biochemical parameters (ALT, AST, ALP, and LDH) and hepatic lipid peroxidation. Hepatic antioxidant enzymes, namely, SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px, were significantly decreased in methanol-treated animals. FE treatment prior to methanol intoxication has significant role in protecting animals from methanol-induced hepatic oxidative damage...
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