Phytogenic Synthesis of Nanoparticles from the Extract of Achyranthes aspera-A Panacea for Dental Health Care

Achyranthes aspera belongs to Amaranthaceae family and is found in barren and arid regions in India. The plants are categorized as a weed in Ceylon, Asia, Africa and Australia but tribal communities in India have known its benefits for topical treatments of many ailments from Vedic civilizations. The leaf, stem and root aqueous extracts were used for monometallic zinc and bimetallic copper-zinc nanoparticle synthesis and testing antibacterial activity against the diseases causing drug resistant bacterial pathogens viz. Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis using standard methods. Microbes confirmed that the plant contains bioactive compounds that exhibit measurable antimicrobial activity against standard pathogenic bacteria. The nanoparticle synthesis was confirmed by visual color change and UV spectroscopic evaluation of solution. The different plant parts showed different absorption peak at 328 nm,298 nm for roots and stem while 395 nm for leaves in case of zinc nanoparticles while bimetallic Copper-Zinc nanoparticles resulted in peaks at 402.0,400.8 and 402.0 nm for leaf, root and stem respectively. The synthesized nanoparticles of zinc and copper zinc from all three plant parts were further tested for their as cariogenic potential against cariogenic pathogen Streptococcus mutans which resulted in significant zones of inhibition. The plant has antimicrobial literature using organic solvent extracts where researchers reported negligible activity of different plant parts while nanoparticle synthesis resulted in potent zone of inhibition. The bimetallic Cu-Zn will enhance its potential to be used in mask and PPE kits for safety concerns.

Analgesic activity of Hydroalcholic extract of Achyranthes aspera leaves on animal model

Achyranthes aspera L. (Family: Amaranthaceae) is widely used as a medicinal plant. The hydroalcholic extract of Achyranthes aspera L. leaves was screened for its analgesic activity. The dose (200 mg/kg) was tested for analgesic activity using hot plate and Tail flick test in albino mice. The hydroalcholic extract of Achyranthes aspera L. leaves showed maximum analgesic activity in hot plate at reaction time 120 min (7.40±0.08) and tail flick method at reaction time 120 min (6.9±0.06). These study suggest that the hydroalcholic extract of Achyranthes aspera L. could be considered as potential analgesic agent.

Antidiarrhoeal Potential of various Solvent Extracts of Achyranthes aspera against three diverse diarrhoeal animal models

Diarrhoea is a condition characterized by a variation in the bowel movement. It is one of the major health issues in developing countries. Its severity is more in children’s. Diarrhoea causes severe dehydration and some time it may lead to death. Globally, over 5 million children’s are dying each year because of diarrhoea. In the present scenario, herbal medicines are used by the people in a wider range because of its safety as compared to synthetic drugs. So it is very crucial to identify and investigate available natural drugs for treating diarrhoea. Hence, the present study endeavor the evaluation of antidiarrhoeal activity of Achyranthus aspera. The anti-diarrhoeal activity was performed by using different animal models like castor oil-induced diarrhoea, prostaglandin-E2 induced enteropooling and gastrointestinal motility test. All the extracts of Achyranthus aspera showed considerable antidiarrhoeal activity in all the three animal models by reducing diarrhoeal episodes. The findings of the present investigation revealed the significant antidiarrhoeal property of Achyranthes aspera. Hence this plant can be used in the suitable form as an alternative to available synthetic antidiarrhoeal medicines which are not completely safe. Thus the adverse effects of synthetic drugs can be minimized by reducing its use.

Phytochemical Screening and Thin Layer Chromatography Profiling of Various Extracts of Achyranthes aspera and Cissus quadrangularis

Achyranthes aspera and Cissus quadrangularis are important medicinal plants possessing wide biological activity. The natural products obtained from plants provides an unique opportunity for the development of new drugs but due to their complex nature there is a need to isolate and purify the bioactive compounds from plant extracts by separation techniques. Our earlier findings revealed that methanol extracts of A. aspera and C. quadrangularis and aqueous extract of C. quadrangularis exhibited antibacterial activity. This prompted to take up further research to reveal these plants’ potential valuable phytochemicals and therefore an attempt has been made to separate the phytochemical constituents of methanol and aqueous extracts of A. aspera and C. quadrangularis by thin layer chromatography. Phytochemical screening of both plant extracts revealed more concentrated phytochemicals in methanol extracts than in aqueous extracts. The TLC profiling showed that methanol extract of A. aspera and C. quadrangularis are rich in flavonoids and phenolic compounds. Flavonoids were separated with n-butanol:ethyl acetate:water (1:2:3) solvent system at Rf value of 0.66 and was confirmed by post-development derivatization with 3% boric acid and 10% oxalic acid spray. After derivatization, the flavonoid spot could be further visualized under UV light at 254nm. Phenolic compounds were separated with methanol:water (2:1) solvent system at Rf value of 0.88 and confirmed with 10% ferric chloride spray. From the present study, suitable mobile phase for separation of flavonoids and phenolic compound fraction from methanol and aqueous extracts of both plants and TLC profiling have been developed

Phytochemical Profile and Pharmacological Aspects of Achyranthes aspera Linn- An Overview

Background: Achyranthes asperaLinn, commonly known as Apamarga in Ayurveda (Prickly Chaff flower in English, Aghara in Hindi, Aghada in Marathi), is aannual, perennial herb that belong to Family Amaranthaceae and Genus Achyranthes consisting of several species which are popular as folk remedies. Certain ayurvedic and Unani practitioners use various parts of plant to treat various diseases.The present review aims to provide up-to-date information on different aspects of plant involving its botanical description, phytochemistry and bioactivities of different extractsto assess its therapeutic potential as a valuable source of natural compounds with beneficial effects on human health. Methodology: Systematic search of scientific databases like Google, Google scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, SciFinder, Springer link were used to find potentially significant scientific research and reports of Achyranthes asperaLinnusing combination of relevant keywords. Results: Achyranthes aspera Linn is a popular folk remedy in the traditional medicinal system in all tropical Asian and African countries. So far,58 important compounds have been isolated and identified from various parts of plant. These isolated constituents are mainly flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, saponins, phytosterols; phenolic compounds etc which posseses activities like anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, spermicidal and other various important medicinal properties. Conclusion: Even though this plant consists of a wide range of phytochemicals and evaluated forbiological activities using various in-vitro and in-vivo models but they are limited. More attention should be paid to identify mechanisms that underlie beneficial therapeutic potential.It is essential to conduct the next level of research, by extending pharmacological to design novel drugs.

An in vitro evaluation of antibacterial activity of various extracts of Achyranthes aspera and Cissus quadrangularis

The antibacterial activity of aqueous and methanol extracts of Achyranthes aspera and Cissus quadrangularis was evaluated. A. aspera and C. quadrangularis plants collected from its natural habitat in and around Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India were shadow dried at room temperature and pulverized into coarse powder. Aqueous extracts were prepared by extracting with distilled water at 100°C for 4h and methanol extracts were prepared by maceration process using methanol for 72h. The aqueous extract yield was 12.1% and 23.5% for A. aspera and C. quadrangularis respectively. Whereas, methanol extract yield was 6% and 4% for A. aspera and C. quadrangularis, respectively. The antibacterial activity of plant extracts against Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC-96) and Escherichia coli (MTCC-443) was evaluated by Agar well diffusion method. The diameters of zone of inhibition ranged from 8mm to 17mm with highest inhibition zone observed against S. aureus by methanol extract of A. aspera (17mm) followed by aqueous extract of C. quadrangularis (13mm) and methanol extract of C. quadrangularis (9mm). Whereas, zone of inhibition (8mm) against Escherichia coli was observed only with methanol extract of C. quadrangularis. The results necessitate further study to isolate the active principles from the plant extracts to exploit the potential antibacterial activity and to find novel pharmacological uses of these plants beyond their racial use.