scholarly journals SCREENING OF PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS IN SOLVENT EXTRACTS OF ACORUS CALAMUS

10.26524/kr9 ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-41
Author(s):  
Gunavathy N ◽  
Megala N

Plants have the ability to synthesize mixtures of structurally diverse bio-active compound, with multiple and mutually potential therapeutic effects. Acorus calamus a medicinal harp is known to be rich in β asarone in its composition. The rhizome of this plant appears to have traditional usage for the treatment ofinsomnia, melancholia, remittent fever, delirium, neurosis, cough etc. The solvent extracts of the drug yielding plants were subjected for preliminary phyto-chemical screening, before evaluation of their biological activity.The curative properties of medicinal plants are perhaps due to the presence of various secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols, saponins, sterols etc. The successive extracts of root of Acorus calamus revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, steroids, glycosides, alkaloids, proteins and phenols. The preliminary screening tests may be useful in the detection of the bioactive principles and subsequently may lead to the drug discovery and development.

Molecules ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 313
Author(s):  
Karma Yeshi ◽  
Darren Crayn ◽  
Edita Ritmejerytė ◽  
Phurpa Wangchuk

Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) are vital for human health and constitute the skeletal framework of many pharmaceutical drugs. Indeed, more than 25% of the existing drugs belong to PSMs. One of the continuing challenges for drug discovery and pharmaceutical industries is gaining access to natural products, including medicinal plants. This bottleneck is heightened for endangered species prohibited for large sample collection, even if they show biological hits. While cultivating the pharmaceutically interesting plant species may be a solution, it is not always possible to grow the organism outside its natural habitat. Plants affected by abiotic stress present a potential alternative source for drug discovery. In order to overcome abiotic environmental stressors, plants may mount a defense response by producing a diversity of PSMs to avoid cells and tissue damage. Plants either synthesize new chemicals or increase the concentration (in most instances) of existing chemicals, including the prominent bioactive lead compounds morphine, camptothecin, catharanthine, epicatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), quercetin, resveratrol, and kaempferol. Most PSMs produced under various abiotic stress conditions are plant defense chemicals and are functionally anti-inflammatory and antioxidative. The major PSM groups are terpenoids, followed by alkaloids and phenolic compounds. We have searched the literature on plants affected by abiotic stress (primarily studied in the simulated growth conditions) and their PSMs (including pharmacological activities) from PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE Ovid, Google Scholar, Databases, and journal websites. We used search keywords: “stress-affected plants,” “plant secondary metabolites, “abiotic stress,” “climatic influence,” “pharmacological activities,” “bioactive compounds,” “drug discovery,” and “medicinal plants” and retrieved published literature between 1973 to 2021. This review provides an overview of variation in bioactive phytochemical production in plants under various abiotic stress and their potential in the biodiscovery of therapeutic drugs. We excluded studies on the effects of biotic stress on PSMs.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 508
Author(s):  
Yueying Li ◽  
C. Benjamin Naman ◽  
Kelsey L. Alexander ◽  
Huashi Guan ◽  
William H. Gerwick

Leptolyngbya, a well-known genus of cyanobacteria, is found in various ecological habitats including marine, fresh water, swamps, and rice fields. Species of this genus are associated with many ecological phenomena such as nitrogen fixation, primary productivity through photosynthesis and algal blooms. As a result, there have been a number of investigations of the ecology, natural product chemistry, and biological characteristics of members of this genus. In general, the secondary metabolites of cyanobacteria are considered to be rich sources for drug discovery and development. In this review, the secondary metabolites reported in marine Leptolyngbya with their associated biological activities or interesting biosynthetic pathways are reviewed, and new insights and perspectives on their metabolic capacities are gained.


Metabolites ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uttpal Anand ◽  
Nadia Jacobo-Herrera ◽  
Ammar Altemimi ◽  
Naoufal Lakhssassi

The war on multidrug resistance (MDR) has resulted in the greatest loss to the world’s economy. Antibiotics, the bedrock, and wonder drug of the 20th century have played a central role in treating infectious diseases. However, the inappropriate, irregular, and irrational uses of antibiotics have resulted in the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. This has resulted in an increased interest in medicinal plants since 30–50% of current pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals are plant-derived. The question we address in this review is whether plants, which produce a rich diversity of secondary metabolites, may provide novel antibiotics to tackle MDR microbes and novel chemosensitizers to reclaim currently used antibiotics that have been rendered ineffective by the MDR microbes. Plants synthesize secondary metabolites and phytochemicals and have great potential to act as therapeutics. The main focus of this mini-review is to highlight the potential benefits of plant derived multiple compounds and the importance of phytochemicals for the development of biocompatible therapeutics. In addition, this review focuses on the diverse effects and efficacy of herbal compounds in controlling the development of MDR in microbes and hopes to inspire research into unexplored plants with a view to identify novel antibiotics for global health benefits.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akhlaq A. Farooqui ◽  
Tahira Farooqui ◽  
Anil Madan ◽  
Jolin Hwee-Jing Ong ◽  
Wei-Yi Ong

Ayurvedic medicine is a personalized system of traditional medicine native to India and the Indian subcontinent. It is based on a holistic view of treatment which promotes and supports equilibrium in different aspects of human life: the body, mind, and soul. Popular Ayurvedic medicinal plants and formulations that are used to slow down brain aging and enhance memory include Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Turmeric (Curcuma longa), Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis, Evolvulus alsinoides, and other species), gotu kola (Centella asiatica), and guggulu (Commiphora mukul and related species) and a formulation known as Brāhmī Ghṛita, containing Brahmi, Vacā (Acorus calamus), Kuṣṭha (Saussurea lappa), Shankhpushpi, and Purāṇa Ghṛita (old clarified butter/old ghee). The rationale for the utilization of Ayurvedic medicinal plants has depended mostly on traditional usage, with little scientific data on signal transduction processes, efficacy, and safety. However, in recent years, pharmacological and toxicological studies have begun to be published and receive attention from scientists for verification of their claimed pharmacological and therapeutic effects. The purpose of this review is to outline the molecular mechanisms, signal transduction processes, and sites of action of some Ayurvedic medicinal plants. It is hoped that this description can be further explored with modern scientific methods, to reveal new therapeutic leads and jump-start more studies on the use of Ayurvedic medicine for prevention and treatment of dementia.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1801301
Author(s):  
Zaw Min Thu ◽  
Mya Mu Aye ◽  
Hnin Thanda Aung ◽  
Myint Myint Sein ◽  
Giovanni Vidari

Promising sources of novel bioactive compounds include plants growing in several third-world countries where the local flora is still largely uninvestigated. A paradigmatic example is represented by medicinal plants growing in Myanmar, especially in Chin State, in northwestern Myanmar. This is one of the least developed areas of the country where the people still use natural remedies derived from a rich biodiversity. This review mainly covers the investigations done on phytochemical constituents and biological activities of 20 medicinal plants, namely Alangium chinense, Anemone obtusiloba, Anneslea fragrans, Antidesma bunius, Croton oblongifolius, Embelia tsjeriam-cottam, Ficus heterophylla, Gaultheria fragrantissima, Hydnocarpus kurzii, Leea macrophylla, Leucas cephalotes, Millingtonia hortensis, Myrica nagi, Olax scandens, Pimpinella heyneana, Pterospermum semisagittatum, Ruellia tuberosa, Smilax zeylanica, Stemona burkillii, and Tadehagi triquetrum, that have long been used in the Chin State for curing various diseases. These plants have been selected on the basis of their medicinal uses not only in Myanmar but also in the related Ayurvedic healing system. Moreover, besides their medicinal importance, most of them grow in the Chin State more abundantly than in other regions of Myanmar. Although the efficacy of some of these plants have been verified scientifically, the chemical constituents and biological activities of most of them still need to be investigated to confirm the claimed therapeutic effects.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (17) ◽  
pp. 4032
Author(s):  
Solomon Tesfaye ◽  
Kaleab Asres ◽  
Ermias Lulekal ◽  
Yonatan Alebachew ◽  
Eyael Tewelde ◽  
...  

This review provides an overview on the active phytochemical constituents of medicinal plants that are traditionally used to manage cancer in Ethiopia. A total of 119 articles published between 1968 and 2020 have been reviewed, using scientific search engines such as ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Twenty-seven medicinal plant species that belong to eighteen families are documented along with their botanical sources, potential active constituents, and in vitro and in vivo activities against various cancer cells. The review is compiled and discusses the potential anticancer, antiproliferative, and cytotoxic agents based on the types of secondary metabolites, such as terpenoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, steroids, and lignans. Among the anticancer secondary metabolites reported in this review, only few have been isolated from plants that are originated and collected in Ethiopia, and the majority of compounds are reported from plants belonging to different areas of the world. Thus, based on the available bioactivity reports, extensive and more elaborate ethnopharmacology-based bioassay-guided studies have to be conducted on selected traditionally claimed Ethiopian anticancer plants, which inherited from a unique and diverse landscape, with the aim of opening a way forward to conduct anticancer drug discovery program.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-360
Author(s):  
Shantakani SRINIVASULU ◽  
Yarrama PALLAVI ◽  
Bollu GAYATRI DEVI ◽  
Hemalatha K. PADMA JYOTHI

Preliminary screening of phytochemicals is a valuable step in the detection of bioactive principles present in medicinal plants, which subsequently may lead to drug discovery and development. In the present study, chief phytoconstituents of the Momordica cymbalaria were identified. Preliminary screening of phytochemicals was done by using three extraction methods: maceration, soxhlation and reflux with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol. All the nine extracts showed the presence of flavonoids, phenols, steroids and terpenoids that were obtained by the three extraction methods. The present work also attempted to optimize the HPTLC fingerprint profiles of secondary metabolites in hexane, ethyl acetate and methanolic fruit extracts of M. cymabalaria. Soxhlated methanolic fruit extract was rich in secondary compounds and exhibited more biological activity than the other extracts. Hence future study is needed to isolate potential bioactive principle from fruit extract of M. cymbalaria.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amrita Devi Khwairakpam ◽  
Yengkhom Devi Damayenti ◽  
Anindita Deka ◽  
Javadi Monisha ◽  
Nand Kishor Roy ◽  
...  

AbstractMany plants are found to possess reliable pharmacological properties and have started to attract the attention of researchers. One such holistic plant isAcorus calamus, commonly known as sweet flag, belonging to the rhizomatous family Acoraceae. The different parts of this plant, such as the leaves and rhizomes, are used traditionally in different medicinal preparations for the treatment of various ailments including arthritis, neuralgia, diarrhoea, dyspepsia, kidney and liver troubles, eczema, sinusitis, asthma, fevers, bronchitis, hair loss, and other disorders. Many reports have also appeared in mainstream scientific journals confirming its nutritional and medicinal properties. Biochemical analysis of the plant has revealed a large number of secondary metabolites that may be responsible for its rich medicinal properties. Basic scientific research has uncovered the mechanisms by which itexerts its therapeutic effects. Medicinal herbs such asA. calamusare quite promising in the recent therapeutic scenario, with a large number of people favouring remedies and health approaches that are free from the side effects often associated with synthetic chemicals. In this review, we try to summarise the ethno-medicinal uses, botanical descriptions, phytochemical constituents, and biological activity of the plant parts, as well as the molecular targets ofA. calamus, which we hope will serve as a good base for further work on this plant.


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