scholarly journals Heavy Metal Analysis of Locally Available Anticancer Medicinal Plants

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khushnoodur Rehman ◽  
Muhammad Hamayun ◽  
Sumera Afzal Khan ◽  
Amjad Iqbal ◽  
Anwar Hussain

Plant species are used in different forms either dry or fresh to extract the active ingredients that can be used for medicinal purposes. These active ingredients may or may not contain non-essential elements. One of the main non-essential elements includes heavy metals. The consumption of medicinal plants having larger amounts of heavy metals can affect the health of human beings. Currently, we have also assessed eight locally available medicinal plant species for endogenous heavy metals (i.e. cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead and zinc). The results revealed that Saxifraga flagellaris, Moringa oleifera, and Fegonia cretica had no lead, whereas Melia azedarach had the highest concentration of lead. Similarly, Saxifraga flagellaris had lower concentration of arsenic, while Albizia lebbeck had zero and Melia azedarach had the highest accumulation of arsenic. Cadmium was absent in Saxifraga flagellaris, Withania coagulans, and Valeriana jatamansi. Moringa oleifera had lower and Melia azedarach had the greatest amounts of cadmium. Mercury concentration has been high in Melia azedarach (2.39±0.18 µg/g), followed by Hedera helix (0.26±0.02 µg/g), Saxifraga flagellaris (0.051±0.031 µg/g) and Albizia lebbeck (0.041±0.01 µg/g). The species, Fegonia cretica, Valeriana jatamansi, Withania coagulans, Moringa oleifera had no mercury. The highest zinc concentration was observed in Melia azedarach and the lowest concentration was found in Saxifraga flagellaris.

2011 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danijela Kostic ◽  
Snezana Mitic ◽  
Aleksandra Zarubica ◽  
Milan Mitic ◽  
Jasmina Velickovic ◽  
...  

The heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn) contents of selected plant species, grown in Southeast region of Serbia, that are traditionally used in alternative medicine were determined. Among the considered metals, iron content was the highest one and varied from 137.53 up to 423.32 mg/kg, while the contents of Cu, Zn and Mn were remarkably lower, and ranged from 8.91 to 62.20 mg/kg. In addition, an analysis of plants extracts showed a significant transfer of heavy metals during extraction procedure; therefore, the corresponding extraction coefficients reached values up to 88.8%. Those were especially high in the ethanol based extracts. Moreover, it is established that such coefficients mostly depend on the solvent nature and also on the treated plant species. The obtained results impose that medicinal plants from Southeast region of Serbia due to rather low content of heavy metals are appropriate for preparation of teas and medicinal extracts.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sakina Mussarat ◽  
Rahila Amber ◽  
Akash Tariq ◽  
Muhammad Adnan ◽  
Naser M. AbdElsalam ◽  
...  

The present study was aimed to document detailed ethnopharmacological knowledge of medicinal plants against livestock infections of an unexplored remote region of Pakistan. Semistructured questionnaires were used for data collection. Total 43 plants belonging to 26 families were found to be used in ethnoveterinary practices. Seeds (29%) were found to be the most frequent plant part used followed by leaves (22%). Ethnoveterinary recipes were mostly prepared in the form of decoction and powdering. Informant consensus factor (Fic) results revealed high consensus for gastrointestinal (0.81), mastitis (0.82), and dermatological infections (0.80).Curcuma longaranked first with highest fidelity level (FL) value (66%) followed byTrachyspermum ammithat ranked second (58%). Preference ranking (PR) results showed thatZingiber officinale,Punica granatum,Triticum aestivum,Gossypium hirsutum, andWithania coagulanswere the most preferred species for the treatment of diarrhea. Direct matrix ranking (DMR) results showed thatMorus alba,Melia azedarach,Withania coagulans,Cassia fistula,Azadirachta indica, andTamarix aphyllawere the multipurpose species of the region. We invite the attention of pharmacologists and chemists for further exploration of plants having high Fic, FL, and PR values in the present study. Conservation strategies should be adopted for the protection of multipurpose plant species.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavan K. Mujawdiya ◽  
Suman Kapur

Background and Objective: Chronic diseases are associated with low-grade inflammation and oxidative damage. Traditional medicines have been used to manage these disorders due to their high polyphenol content and potent antioxidant activity. We evaluated the in-vitro anti-diabetic and antioxidant potential of extracts of several medicinal plants namely, Mangifera indica, Terminalia arjuna, Moringa oleifera, Albizia lebbeck, Terminalia chebula and Hippophae rhamnoides. Methods: Total polyphenol, flavonoid, and saponin contents were estimated by standard methods. Antioxidant activity was measured using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay. The anti-diabetic potential was evaluated using in-vitro α-glucosidase inhibition assay. Results: Terminalia chebula was found to be the richest in both polyphenols (566.5 ± 21.9 μg Gallic acid equivalents/mg of dry weight) and flavonoids (190.67 ± 10.78 quercetin equivalents/mg of dry weight). Extract of Terminalia arjuna was the richest source of saponins (171.92 ± 12.48 μg saponin equivalents/mg of dry weight). All plant extracts showed potent anti-oxidant activity as reflected by their IC50 values in DPPH assay, with Albizia lebbeck (IC50 = 1.35 μg/ml) being the most potent. All plant extracts also showed potent anti-diabetic activity as inferred from their ability to inhibit α- glucosidase, the principal enzyme involved in the metabolism of dietary carbohydrates in the intestine. It was observed that all tested extracts were more potent (IC50 2.53 to 227 μg/ml) in comparison to the standard α-glucosidase inhibitor Acarbose (IC50=2.7 mg/ml). Conclusions: The plant extracts of Mangifera indica, Terminalia arjuna, Moringa oleifera, Albizia lebbeck, Terminalia chebula, and Hippophae rhamnoides possess potent antioxidant and α- glucosidase inhibitory potential and can aid in the management of postprandial hyperglycemia and oxidative damage.


2011 ◽  
Vol 52 (No. 10) ◽  
pp. 459-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Obratov-Petković ◽  
I. Popović ◽  
S. Belanović ◽  
R. Kadović

Ecobiological study of medicinal plants includes the analysis of particular soil features and the ecological indexes of plant species as site indicators. Two experimental serpentine areas in northwest and central Serbia were selected to identify the potential limiting factors for medicinal plant harvesting. Soil analysis is done according to ICP methodology – ICP Forest Manual, Part III, Soil Sampling and Analysis (1998). Floristic and phytocoenological investigations were carried out by Wasthoff-van der Maarel (1973). The assessment of soil quality is based on the calculation of indicator values of available nitrogen (N), heavy metals, and the sensitivity to acidification. According to our results, N (12.1–17.5), acidification (7–12), and indicator values for some heavy metals (0.3–46.5) show a low biological availability. Medicinal plant species at the investigated areas have low values of ecological indexes: N (2.41–2.82), moisture (2.45–2.70) and soil acidity (3.35–3.70). Hydrothermic conditions indicate the predominant presence of sub-xerophytes, semi-sciophytes and mesothermic species. These types of plant species are recommended for exploitation.


Author(s):  
Bonface Mwamatope ◽  
David Tembo ◽  
Ibrahim Chikowe ◽  
Cecilia Maliwichi-Nyirenda ◽  
Elizabeth Kampira ◽  
...  

Background: In Malawi, cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. This has led to increased use of herbal medicines for cancer management. Objective: This study aimed at identifying medicinal plants that are used for the management of cancer in the southern area of Karonga district, Northern Malawi. Methods: Semi-structured individual questionnaire interviews were used to collect ethnobotanical data from traditional herbal practitioners in the study area. Results: A total of twenty-six (26) plant species from seventeen (17) botanical families were reported by Traditional Herbal Practitioners to be effective in the management of cancer. The botanical families with the representation of more than one plant species were Fabaceae with five species, followed by Combretaceae and Anacardiaceae with tree species each and Meliaceaewith two species. The relative frequency of citation (RFC) showed that Senna singueana (RFC = 0.833), Lannea discolour (RFC = 0.833), Melia azedarach (RFC = 0.667), and Moringa oleifera (RFC = 0.667) were the medicinal plant species that were frequently mentioned and used in the study. The recipes could be a mixture of plant species or plant parts such as the leaves, barks, roots, rhizomes, seeds, flowers, and fruits. Conclusion: The study showed that a potential cancer management drug could be developed from the medicinal plant species found in the area. The results of this study could provide baseline information on medicinal plant species for further phytochemical studies and other studies to validate their use.


2020 ◽  
pp. 17-21
Author(s):  
Michael Clovis ◽  
Francis Machumi ◽  
Ester Innocent

Medicinal plants are known in prevention and curing of diseases. Contamination of medicinal plants by heavy metals is one of the factors affecting quality of medicinal products from medicinal plants. Heavy metals may enter the edible and medicinal plants through contaminated environment such as water bodies, air or soil.  Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces and Moringa oleifera leaves are used in Tanzania as nutritional and disease-remedial herbal drinks. This study assessed heavy metal contamination of Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces and Moringa oleifera leaves collected from Dodoma region (Vikonje, Msanga, Nzuguni A and Nzuguni B village), Pwani region (Kongowe and Chalinze village) and Shinyanga region (Mwime village). Lead, arsenic, chromium, cadmium and mercury were analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Microsoft excel 2010 software were used to analyze the means of heavy metal concentrations. Levels of chromium in the calyces and leaves of H. sabdariffa and M. oleifera ranged between 0.029-0.221 ppm and 0.019-0.088 ppm respectively while Arsenic was 0.096-0.204 ppm and 0.096-0.219 ppm, respectively. Mercury and Lead were found only in leaves of M. oleifera, mercury was between 0.017 ppm and 0.042 ppm and lead was 0.056 ppm. Cadmium was not detected in all plant materials. The concentrations of heavy metals in the selected samples were statistically significant at (P˂0.05). M. oleifera leaves and H. sabdariffa calyces, collected from different regions, had the low levels of heavy metals than recommended limits provided by the Tanzania Medicine and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) and WHO.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 53-59
Author(s):  
Jose L. Martinez ◽  
◽  
Onder Yumrutas ◽  
Amner Muñoz-Acevedo ◽  
Luisauris Jaimes ◽  
...  

There are many different active ingredients in various plant species in various parts of the world. Resveratrol, one of these active ingredients, has attracted the attention of both drug producing companies and researchers, thanks to its powerful antioxidant properties. The aim of this study is to investigate the presence of plants containing resveratrol. This study was conducted not only to give a brief overview of the plants containing resveratrol, but also to enable researchers to find this information quickly. In this context, the diversity of plants rich in resveratrol has been examined.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 268-273
Author(s):  
S.B. Sani ◽  
B.S. Aliyu ◽  
Musa Haruna ◽  
Sani Muhammad Yahya ◽  
Mardiyya Auwal Yakasai ◽  
...  

An ethno botanical survey was carried out in Kano metropolis to investigate medicinal plants used locally for the treatment of diabetes in the area.  The respondents for the study included herbalists and herb sellers. Oral interview was used to obtain information from the respondents using their local language and the information was recorded in a semi structured questionnaire. A total of 39 medicinal plant species belonging to 21 families were recorded in the study area. Family Fabaceae had the highest number of plant species and most of the plants were sourced from the wild. The plants were prepared mostly in their dried form and decoction was the most commonly used method of preparation. Moreover, combination of different plants or their parts in the preparation of the recipes for the treatment of diabetes was common among the respondents. Annisopus manii, Laptadenia hastata and Moringa oleifera were the most cited medicinal plants in the preparation of recipes for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in the study area Keywords: Diabetes management, folkloric, medicinal, plants


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amar Deep Soren ◽  
Arun Kumar Yadav

Abstract Medicinal plants possess several metals obtained naturally or through pollution. The study evaluates the genotoxic potentials and the presence of essential elements and toxic heavy metals in Sesbania sesban var. bicolor (leaves), Cyperus compressus (roots) and Asparagus racemosus (roots), which are used as anthelmintics in the traditional medicine of the Santhals in India. Genotoxicity study was performed as per Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines in rats. Element contents were evaluated using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Administration of S. sesban var. bicolor (400 mg/kg), C. compressus (700 mg/kg) and A. racemosus (500 mg/kg) did not cause any abnormalities in the chromosomes. Elemental analysis revealed the presence of lead (5.00 ± 0.05, 4.98 ± 0.01, 4.99 ± 0.07 ppm), cadmium (4.99 ± 0.04, 4.90 ± 0.03, 5.00 ± 0.08 ppm) and arsenic (0.98 ± 0.03, 0.41 ± 0.05, 0.92 ± 0.03 ppm), respectively. Although genotoxic potentials were lacking, the presence of toxic heavy metals in them is a cause of concern.


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