Mini-review on the phyto-chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Cola nitida (Vent.) Schott & Endl. (Malvaceae): A medically interesting bio-resource of multiple purposes in Africa

The purpose of this mini-review was to summarize and update knowledge on the phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicity of <i>Cola nitida</i>, with the view of providing baseline data for herbal drug formulation. In January 2021, a non-exhaustive online search of relevant articles was carried out on the phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology of <i>C. nitida</i> from scientifically well-established databases such as Science Direct, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and SciELO. The plant's scientific name as well as phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacognosy, bioactivity and toxicology were used as keywords. The chemical structures of the compounds isolated from this plant were drawn using ChemBioDraw Ultra 12.0 software. A literature survey has revealed that <i>C. nitida</i> is highly appreciated by African populations in various cultures, especially in West Africa. Phytochemical analyses showed that <i>C. nitida</i> contains interesting compounds like catechin, caffeine, epicatechin, polyphenols, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, bromelain, cardenolides, proanthocyanidins, triterpenes, glycosides, flavonoids, anthraquinones, steroids, anthocyanins, glycosides, alkaloids, etc. The presence of these phyto-compounds in the investigated plant species justifies its used as an antimicrobial, anti-malarial, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-coagulant agent. Thus, <i>C. nitida</i> could be used as a raw material for manufacturing efficient medication against various diseases, including sickle cell disease.

Development of a Hepatoprotective Herbal Drug from Turnera diffusa

The incidence of liver diseases, such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and drug-induced liver injury, continues to rise and is one of the leading causes of acute hepatitis. Current trends suggest that these types of conditions will increase in the coming years. There are few drugs available for the prevention or treatment of hepatic diseases, and there is a growing need for the development of safe hepatoprotective agents. The medicinal plant, Turnera diffusa, has many ethnopharmacological uses, one of which is the production of a flavonoid named hepatodamianol, which is the principal component responsible for this plant’s hepatoprotective properties. In the present study, we describe the development and standardization of an active extract obtained from T. diffusa. We conducted nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to identify hepatodamianol unambiguously in each sample. Using this extract, hepatoprotection could be demonstrated in vivo for the first time. The hepatoprotective effect did not display a significant difference in vivo when compared with silymarin used as a positive control at the same doses. Implementation of quality criteria used for standardization, such as flavonoid and hepatodamianol content, hepatoprotective activity, and absence of residual solvents, will allow future preclinical trials with this herbal drug.

COMPARISON OF HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF NISHA LAUHA (NL) AND NISHA LAUHA WITHOUT LAUHA BHASMA (NLWL) AGAINST CCL4 INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN WISTAR RATS

Introduction: Many herbal drugs are used to treat liver diseases, but the dose of the herbal drug is high, and they have lesser palatability. An ideal medicine is a medicine that is effective, easy palatable and produces quick action in a low dose. It is possible by adding metals like Lauha (Iron) to the herbal drugs. Objective: To compare the hepatoprotective effect of Nisha Lauha (NL) and Nisha Lauha without Lauha Bhasma (NLWL) in experimental rats. Materials and methods: 40 rats were taken divided into five groups, and each group contained eight rats. Among these groups, four groups receive 0.2 ml of injection containing the 0.1 ml CCL4 plus 0.1 ml liquid paraffin given intraperitoneally for 28 days to induce Hepatotoxicity. Both Test groups received NL and NLWL at a dose of 45mg/kg bd. wt. and 450mg/kg bd. wt. respectively for 28 days. The standard group receives silymarin at a 100 mg/kg bd dose. wt. for 28 days by oral route. The hepatoprotective effect was analyzed using biochemical parameters and histopathological study of the liver. Results: Both the Test and standard groups do not show toxic effects against CCL4 induced hepatotoxicity and lower the dose of the herbal drug due to the addition of Lauha. Conclusion: The result suggests that both test group NL and NL without Lauha Bhasma shows the hepatoprotective activity as equivalent to standard drug silymarin. The addition of Lauha Bhasma to herbal drugs decreases the dose without affecting the drug’s efficacy against the hepatoprotective effect.

FORMULATION OF POLY HERBAL NOVEL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR ANTI RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Novel herbal drug delivery system opens new vistas for delivery of herbal drugs at right place, at right concentration, for right period of time and also gives scientific angle to verify the standardization of herbal drug. Herbal Transdermal patches can develop valuable assessment and drug safety by additional site specific the way and temporal position in the body’s imperative to reduce the number and size of doses required to achieve the objective of systemic medication during topical application to the intact skin surface. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive autoimmune disease of unknown cause. It is characterized by persistent inflammation that primarily affects the peripheral joints. In the present study, herbal transdermal patch was developed by using ethanolic extract of leaves of Cardiospermum halicacabum and rhizomes of Drynaria quercifolia that had already been widely used for the treatment of arthritis in conventional dosage forms. Evaluation of the developed patch for the effectiveness against RA was done by in vitro methods in terms of inhibition of albumin denaturation, measurement of Interleukin-6 cytokines by Enzyme-Linked Immuno Assay (ELISA). IC-50 value was determined from albumin denaturation inhibition assay. The herbal patch significantly and dosedependently inhibited Interleukin–6 cytokines. The present study revealed that the formulated polyherbal Transdermal patch will be the better drug of choice for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis as compared to the conventional dosage forms.

A Network Pharmacology Perspective Investigation of the Pharmacological Mechanisms of the Herbal Drug FDY003 in Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common and deadly malignant tumors worldwide. While the application of herbal drugs for GC treatment is increasing, the multicompound–multitarget pharmacological mechanisms involved are yet to be elucidated. By adopting a network pharmacology strategy, we investigated the properties of the anticancer herbal drug FDY003 against GC. We found that FDY003 reduced the viability of human GC cells and enhanced their chemosensitivity. We also identified 8 active phytochemical compounds in FDY003 that target 70 GC-associated genes and proteins. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis suggested that the targets of FDY003 are involved in various cellular processes, such as cellular proliferation, survival, and death. We further identified various major FDY003 target GC-associated pathways, including PIK3-Akt, MAPK, Ras, HIF-1, ErbB, and p53 pathways. Taken together, the overall analysis presents insight at the systems level into the pharmacological activity of FDY003 against GC.

Herbal Drug Interactions

Use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) for preventive and therapeutic purposes has increased tremendously in the last two decades internationally. The manufacturers of these products are not required to submit proof of safety or efficacy to the Food and Drug Administration. As a result, the adverse effects and drug interactions associated with them are largely unknown. In this chapter, the author presents interactions of herbal medicines with other medicines (herbal or non-herbal). A large number of herbal drugs, including from single drug to a variety of mixtures have been used to treat kidney disorders. Herb-herb or herb drug interaction has been reported intensively during last decade, therefore it becomes important to keep an eye on the use of combination herbal therapy in order to avoid serious results because of interactions with each other. Due to the growing awareness about the interactions and side effects of herbal drugs/supplements over the past few years, regulatory bodies are working on these issues and pharmacopoeias are being developed for reference.

Pharmacognostical, Phytochemical and Anti-Parkinson’s profile of Mucuna pruriens

Mucuna pruriens is a recognized herbal drug which contains numerous pharmacological activities. Mucuna pruriens commonly known as cow-age or cowitch or velvet bean or Alkushi. Mucuna pruriens has been traditionally used as a food source in a number of countries. It belongs to the Mucuna genus of Fabaceae family and it is cultivated in Asia, America, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. Mucuna pruriens is used in India since 1500 B.C. it contains various important phytoconstituents which are for medicinal purposes. Pods of Mucuna pruriens are used as a vegetable for human consumption. Its fresh leaves are used as animal fodder. Mucuna contains various species, 130 species of Mucuna are metioned in this review. The present review is an attempt to provide all the reported details of information regarding to the Pharmacognostical, Phytochemical and Anti-Parkinson’s Profile of Mucuna pruriens.

Cheminformatics and Pharmacological Network Analysis for the Prediction of Molecular Mechanism of Herbal Drug Ligands

The global demand for safer and more therapeutically effective medications is surging, providing medicinal plants a boost as suppliers of lead particles. The focus of current research is on an in silico comparison of one major bioactive principle and curatively designed new small drug-like molecule (scaffold analog). The recent study confirmed that the plant belongs to the Cyperaceae family and that it is Cyperus rotundus L. in taxonomy. The study's purpose was to uncover the mechanism of action of ligands/ scaffold analog by revealing genomic relationships, cellular signaling, and the top ten diseases/ illnesses that they were linked to. The scaffold analog showed promising drug-like potential as compared with cyperene. These investigations could broaden the reach of herbal medications, provide new formulations for current diseases or disorders, and pave the door for drug repurposing.

Helen’s Pharmakon as a Disguised Incantation

This chapter argues that incantation was another shorter hexametrical genre and it is framed around the description of the powers of Helen’s pharmakon in Odyssey 4. It shows that the key to understanding this enigmatic passage is the realization that the word pharmakon can refer to both an herbal drug that harms or heals the human body and to a verbal incantation that harms or heals the human mind or soul. It argues that the six-line boast about the power of Helen’s pharmakon reflects and perhaps even quotes a hexametrical incantation originally chanted in dactylic hexameters over wine and it surveys the ancient evidence for verbal pharmaka from Empedocles to Plato as well as the evidence for early hexametrical charms. It closes with a discussion of Theocritus’ mimetic Idyll 2 and a series of contemporary Hellinistic curse tablets that display many of the same features.

Alteration of the Pharmacokinetics of Theophylline by Paullinia cupana Kunth in Rats

Aims: Paullinia cupana Kunth has been popularly used to prepare different beverages by the Amazonian inhabitants for a long time ago mainly due to its stimulant properties. Although the utilization of this herbal drug has been increasing lately, little is known regarding the possibility of drug interactions. Therefore, this research tried to investigate the effects of the aqueous extract of P. cupana on the pharmacokinetics of theophylline (TPH), a CYP1A marker in rats. Methodology: The extract was prepared according to the popular recipe and subjects received different once daily doses of extract (vehicle, 82.1 mg/Kg and 821 mg/Kg) by oral gavage during two weeks. Non-compartimental analysis was carried out to obtain the pharmacokinetic parameters. Results: Animals treated with P. cupana (AUC: 1,197.2 ± 284.4 and 346.6 ± 37.0 µg.h/mL for 82.1 and 821 mg/Kg, respectively) had lower exposition to TPH than controls (3,539.48 ± 278.4 µg.h/mL). On the other hand, drug clearance was higher in treated subjects (2.44 ± 0.4 and 7.27 ± 0.7 L/h/kg for 82.1 and 821 mg/Kg, respectively) than controls (0.71 ± 0.0 L/h/kg). Conclusion: Therefore, the multiple oral administration of an aqueous extract of P. cupana caused a significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of TPH in rats.