Anti -Fungal Activity of Commercially Available Extracts of Garlic (Allium sativum), Turmeric (Curcuma longa), Amla (Emblica officinalis): An in vitro Study

Background and Purpose: Many innovations are constantly emerging with the advances in modern medicine and also it is occurring in various traditional medicines as they are considered to be safe and economical in current increasing health care financial burden. Due to emerging of MDR (multiple drug resistance) microorganisms and reduce efficacy of Modern medicines researchers and clinicians are required to revisit the traditional and alternative medicines. Material and Method: Extracts of garlic (Allium sativum), turmeric (Curcuma longa), amla (Emblica officinalis) and honey were prepared at concentration of 1mg/mL, 2mg/mL, 3mg/mL and were tested on different cancdidal species like Candida Albicans, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata, Candida Parapsilosis and Candida Krusei and on Fluconazole as a positive control. Disc Diffusion Test for antifungal assay was performed. Results: The anti-fungal effect was maximum at 3mg/mL concentration for all the herbal extracts. Zone of inhibition for fluconazole, was highest (35.00 ± 1.73). Among herbal extracts zone of inhibition for garlic was maximum (16.67 ± 0.88), followed by turmeric (12.67 ± 1.20), honey (11.00 ± 0.58 ), amla (9.33 ± 0.67 ). Similarly for each dose, comparing the mean zone of inhibition between antifungal groups Tukey test showed significantly (p<0.001) different and lower zone of inhibition in herbal extracts (garlic, turmeric, honey and amla) as compared to fluconazole at all the doses. Conclusion: Among all the extracts garlic showed maximum efficiency. Also, the results obtained for herbal extracts showed that they were less efficient compared to fluconazole which was used as positive control.

Production of bioethanol from amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.)

On account of the increasing demand for valuable herbal products, an attempt was made to produce a functional fermented Ethanol from Amla. This study investigates the potential of ethanol production from Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn). In the present study, Amla juice was extracted, filtered, fermented and it shows a suitable medium for the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on yeast peptone dextrose medium for the production of ethanol. Ethanol was separated by fractional distillation and then estimated at 4, 6, 8 and 10 days of the fermentation process by iodometric method for 30oC. The ethanol percentage estimated by the iodometric titration method was high on the 10th day, and it was found to be 1.63 gm% compared to all days. So, the outcome of this study reveals that amla fruit can be used as a crucial constituent for the yield of ethanol with a higher commercial value.

Production of bioethanol from amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.)

On account of the increasing demand for valuable herbal products, an attempt was made to produce a functional fermented Ethanol from Amla. This study investigates the potential of ethanol production from Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn). In the present study, Amla juice was extracted, filtered, fermented and it shows a suitable medium for the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on yeast peptone dextrose medium for the production of ethanol. Ethanol was separated by fractional distillation and then estimated at 4, 6, 8 and 10 days of the fermentation process by iodometric method for 30oC. The ethanol percentage estimated by the iodometric titration method was high on the 10th day, and it was found to be 1.63 gm% compared to all days. So, the outcome of this study reveals that amla fruit can be used as a crucial constituent for the yield of ethanol with a higher commercial value.

Ethanolic Fruit Extract of Emblica officinalis Suppresses Neuroinflammation in Microglia and Promotes Neurite Outgrowth in Neuro2a Cells

Inhibiting neuroinflammation and modulating neurite outgrowth could be a promising strategy to prevent neurological disorders. Emblica officinalis (EO) may be a potent agent against them. Although EO extract reportedly has anti-inflammatory properties in macrophages, there is limited knowledge about its neuroprotective activity by suppressing microglia-mediated proinflammatory cytokine production and inducing neurite outgrowth. The present study aimed to elucidate the effect of EO fruit extract on the lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced neuroinflammation using microglial (BV2) and neuroblastoma (Neuro2a) cells. The results demonstrated that, in LPS-treated BV2 cells, EO fruit extract reduced nitric oxide, interleukin-6, and tumor necrotic factor-α production. It also enhanced the neurite length of Neuro2a cells, which was linked to the upregulation of TuJ1 and MAP2 expressions. In conclusion, these findings indicate that the ethanolic extract of EO fruits has promising neuroprotective potential to exhibit antineuroinflammation activity and accelerative effect on neurite outgrowth in vitro. Therefore, EO fruit extract can be considered a novel herbal medicine candidate for managing neuroinflammatory diseases.