Mucilage of Coccinia grandis as an Efficient Natural Polymer-Based Pharmaceutical Excipient

Natural eco-friendly materials are recently employed in products to replace synthetic materials due to their superior benefits in preserving the environment. The herb Coccinia grandis is widely distributed in continents like Asia and Africa and used traditionally to treat fever, leprosy, asthma, jaundice, and bronchitis. Mucilage of Coccinia grandis was accordingly extracted, isolated by a maceration technique, and precipitated. The mucilage was evaluated for its physicochemical, binding, and disintegrant properties in tablets using paracetamol as a model drug. The crucial physicochemical properties such as flow properties, solubility, swelling index, loss on drying, viscosity, pH, microbial load, cytotoxicity was evaluated and the compatibility was analyzed using sophisticated instrumental methods (TGA, DTA, DSC, and FTIR). The binding properties of the mucilage was used at three different concentrations and compared with starch and PVP as examples of standard binders. The disintegrant properties of mucilage were used at two different concentrations and compared with standard disintegrants MCCP, SSG, and CCS. The tablets were punched and evaluated for their hardness, friability, assay, disintegration time, in vitro dissolution profiles. In vitro cytotoxicity studies of the mucilage were performed in a human embryonic kidney (HEK) cell line. The outcome of the study indicated that the mucilage had good performance compared with starch and PVP. Further, the mucilage acts as a better disintegrant than MCCP, SSG and CCS for paracetamol tablets. Use of a concentration of 3% or less demonstrated the ability of the mucilage to act as a super disintegrating agent and showed faster disintegration and dissolution, which makes it as an attractive, promising disintegrant in formulating solid dosage forms to improve the therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance. Moreover, the in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation results demonstrated that the mucilage is non-cytotoxic to human cells and is safe.

LC-QTOF-MS/MS Based Molecular Networking Approach for the Isolation of α-Glucosidase Inhibitors and Virucidal Agents from Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt

Coccinia grandis or ivy gourd is an edible plant. Its leaves and fruits are used as vegetable in many countries. Many works on antidiabetic activity of a crude extract of C. grandis, i.e., in vitro, in vivo, and clinical trials studies, have been reported. Profiles of the antidiabetic compounds were previously proposed by using LC-MS or GC-MS. However, the compounds responsible for antidiabetic activity have rarely been isolated and characterized by analysis of 1D and 2D NMR data. In the present work, UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS analysis and GNPS molecular networking were used to guide the isolation of α-glucosidase inhibitors from an extract of C. grandis leaves. Seven flavonoid glycosides including rutin (1), kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside (2) or nicotiflorin, kaempferol 3-O-robinobioside (3), quercetin 3-O-robinobioside (4), quercetin 3-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→2)-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (5) or CTN-986, kaempferol 3-O-β-D-api-furanosyl-(1→2)-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (6), and kaempferol 3-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→2)-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)]-β-D-galactopyranoside (7) were isolated from C. grandis leaves. This is the first report of glycosides containing apiose sugar in the genus Coccinia. These glycosides exhibited remarkable α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, being 4.4–10.3 times more potent than acarbose. Moreover, they also displayed virucidal activity against influenza A virus H1N1, as revealed by the ASTM E1053-20 method.

Mucilage of Coccinia grandis as an Efficient Natural Polymer-Based Pharmaceutical Excipient

Mucilage from Coccinia grandis was extracted, isolated by maceration technique and precipitated, accordingly. The mucilage was evaluated for its physicochemical, binding, and disintegrant properties in tablets using paracetamol as a model drug. The crucial physicochemical properties such as flow properties, solubility, swelling index, loss on drying, viscosity, pH, microbial load, cytotoxicity were evaluated and the compatibility was analysed using sophisticated instrumental methods (TGA, DTA, DSC, and FTIR). The binding properties of the mucilage were used at three different concentrations and compared with starch and PVP as standard binders. The disintegrant properties of mucilage were used at two different concentrations and compared with standard disintegrants MCCP, SSG, and CCS. The wet granulation technique was used for the preparation of granules and was evaluated for the flow properties. The tablets were punched and evaluated for their hardness, friability, assay, disintegration time, in vitro dissolution profiles. In vitro cytotoxicity study of the mucilage was performed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cell line using cytotoxic assay by MTT method. The outcome of the study indicated that the mucilage had good performance when compared with starch and PVP. Further, the mucilage acts as a good disintegrant than MCCP, SSG and CCS to paracetamol tablets. Moreover, the in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation results demonstrated that the mucilage is non-cytotoxic to human cells and is safe.

Physical Characteristics, Total Phenolic, and Flavonoid Content of Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt Leaves Extract

Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt is an herbal plant that has been widely used for the treatment of various types of diseases. The phenolic and flavonoid content of plant extracts largely determine their pharmacological activity. The aim of this study was to determine the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the ethanol extract of C. grandis leaves. Leaf samples in this study were obtained in the area of ​​Dalung, North Kuta, Badung, Bali. The powdered C. grandis leaf was extracted by maceration method using 70% ethanol followed by evaporation using an oven at 45oC to obtain a thick extract. The non-specific parameters of the extract were then determined, such as moisture content, ash content, and acid insoluble ash. Total phenolic content was determined using the follin-ciocalteu method and total flavonoid content was determined using the aluminum chloride method. Based on the research results, the yield of C. grandis leaf extract was 19.36%. C. grandis leaf extract has a description of a thick and sticky extract, blackish brown color, distinctive aroma, and a bitter sour taste. The water content of the ethanolic extract of C. grandis leaves was 9.93±0.03% (g/g). The total ash value of the simplicia and ethanolic extract of C. grandis leaves were 20.76±0.15% (g/g) and 27.38±0.19% (g/g), respectively. The acid insoluble ash content of the extract was 4.05±0.30% (g/g). The total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of the extract were 111.92±0.49 µg GAE/mg dry extract and 73.60±3.53 µg QE/mg dry extract, respectively.

SEVERITY AND INTENSITY OF FUNGAL DISEASES OF CUCURBIT CROPS OF HAMIRPUR REGION, HP, INDIA

Cucurbitaceae is the vegetable family enriched with numerous vitamins and minerals. In early rainy season cucurbits are the host of different fungal pathogens. In present study, four fungal diseases dominant on three members of cucurbitaceae family are observed in Bhoranj block of District Hamirpur, lie in lower foot hills of Himachal Pradesh. Four fungal diseases along with host plants are leaf spot of Lagenaria siceraria, downy mildews of Cucumis sativus, powdery mildews of Coccinia grandis and powdery mildews of Cucumis sativus. Among all these diseases, Disease Incidence and Disease Severity of Powdery mildews of Coccinia grandis are most dominant i.e. 40.3±1 and 51.2±1 respectively. Disease Incidence and Disease Severity of Leaf spot of Lagenaria siceraria is least i.e. 12.5±1 and 1.1±1, respectively.