In Vitro Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Efficacy of Abrus Precatorius Seed Extracts on Hep2c Cells and its Inhibitory Efficacy with Receptors of Cervical Carcinoma

Abrus precatorius is a widely distributed tropical medicinal plant with several therapeutic properties, however its seed extract has not been studied against cervical cancer (CaCx) till date. Herein, we have assessed the antioxidant and antiproliferative properties of A. precatorius seed extracts (ethyl acetate and 70% ethanol) prepared from different extraction methods (Soxhlet and maceration) against human cervix carcinoma cells (Hep2C). We observed a significantly higher total flavonoid content of APE (sox) i.e.,112.7±0.127 mg Quercetin Equivalent/g of extract than others; total phenolic content of APA (mac) seed extract was higher i.e.,108.53±0.089 mg Quercetin Equivalent/g of extract and total tannin content of APA (sox) was higher i.e., 98.98± 0.011 mg tannic acid equivalents/g of extract. In addition, tannic acid, rutin and piperine were identified in extracts by HPLC. Furthermore, APA (sox) exhibited the highest radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 14.49±0.93µg/ml. APE (mac) showed the most significant antiproliferative activity with IC50 value of 85.90±0.93µg/mL against Hep2c cells. SOD and GST activity was observed as highest in the APA(Mac) extract whereas the catalase activity and GSH content was maximum in the APE(Mac) extract. Further, the MDA content was observed to be the least in APE(Mac) extracts. Docking results suggested maximum binding energy between tannic acid and Her2 receptor compared to doxorubicin (standard). This study provides evidence that A. precatorius seed extracts possess promising bioactive compounds with probable anticancer and antioxidant properties against CaCx which might be utilized as a possible herbal remedy aimed at restricting tumor growth.

Exploration of the Species-specific Dna Markers Based on the Complete Chloroplast Genome for Discriminating Curcuma Comosa Roxb. From Curcuma Latifolia Roscoe and Other Related Species

Members of the Curcuma genus are among the most commonly used rhizomatous herbs worldwide. There are two species of Curcuma referred to as “Wan Chak Motluk” in Thai, C. comosa Roxb. and C. latifolia Roscoe, and their herbal materials are often confused. C. comosa is widely used as a traditional herbal remedy for its phytoestrogenic activity, but its morphology is highly similar to that of C. latifolia, which contains a compound that causes hepatotoxicity. In this study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of these species were determined for the first time using Illumina sequencing. Our results showed that their cp genomes were 162,272 bp (C. comosa) and 162,289 bp (C. latifolia) in length. A total of 133 unique genes were identified, including 87 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes and 8 rRNA genes. Comparative analyses with other species of Curcuma indicated high similarity in gene content and structural organization. The analyses also reveal variable hotspots in the genomes at ndhA, trnT-trnL, and ndhC-trnV that can serve as species-specific nucleotide barcodes. Indeed, mislabeling of these two species among samples sold at market was detected using these species-specific markers, indicating that cp genomes can provide more information for better elucidating and improving discriminatory power for species authentication.

Natural Products: Ray of Hope for Anxiety Disorders

Background: Anxiety, a familiar form of psychiatric disorder, influences numerous persons throughout the world. These psychological disorders frequently need an enduring regime of recommended medicines and impose huge costs on human societies. For the last few decenniums, discovery in the field of natural neurophysiology garnered a lot of recognition because of its least side effects. Objective: Many people find it helpful to discover an effective herbal remedy for anxiety with fewer detrimental repercussions. The purpose of the present article is to report medicinal plant species used as anti-anxiety agents, which in turn, are helpful to develop new anti-anxiety herbal formulations. Method: An unlimited, semantic electronic and manual exploration of PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, ISI, Google Scholar, Elsevier's abstract and citation database, and the database libraries was carried using keywords such as medicinal plants, herbal drugs, traditional medicine, and anxiety for recognizing natural medications in the management of anxiety disorders. Results: Literary review collected the information of potential anti-anxiety plants. Data support the effectiveness of some popular herbal remedies by indicating high-quality scientific studies and support several clinically efficacious natural plants as anxiolytics. Conclusion: Evidence-based studies indicate that natural plant treatment is an efficient way to manage anxiety disorders; the benefits outweigh the risks.

Ethanol extract of soursop leaves inhibits acid production and adhesion of Streptococcus mutans

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Dental caries and dental plaque are the most popular global oral health problems. The primary step of dental caries is characterized by damage of tooth surfaces affected by acids which are by-products of sugar metabolism by a cariogenic bacteria. One of the cariogenic bacteria is Streptococcus mutans. Annona muricata is traditionally applied as an herbal remedy for various illnesses and has been recognized in a previous study as an antimicrobial agent. The aim of this study was to investigate acid production and adhesion of ethanol extract of Soursop on Streptococcus mutans. Methods: Soursop leaf extracted by maceration using 70% ethanol solvent. The extracts obtained were tested at various concentrations. To examine the effect of ethanol extract of Soursop on acid production by S. mutans, the pH of the culture was determined using a pH meter. Inhibition of adhesion of S. mutans to the saliva-coated hydroxyapatite (S-HA) discs was quantified using colony counting on TYS20B agar plates. Results: The pH of S. mutans cultures in the presence of ethanol extract of Soursop leaf at various concentrations was higher than negative control, but there were no differences in pH value between the various concentrations of ethanol extract of Soursop leaf. Adhesion of S. mutans to S-HA discs was inhibited by various concentrations of ethanol extract of Soursop leaf. Adhesion decreased with increasing concentrations of ethanol extract of Soursop leaf, but there was not significant difference in colony count between the various concentrations of ethanol extract of Soursop leaf. Conclusions: Ethanol extract of Soursop leaf attenuates the acid production and adhesion of S. mutans to hydroxyapatite discs. Keywords: Soursop (Annona muricata); Streptococcus mutans; acid production; adhesion

Phytochemical Evaluation of Mentha Species including Antioxidant Activity

Mentha arvensis is a belonging to the family of Lamiaceae; Wild mint is often used as a domestic herbal remedy, being valued especially for its antiseptic properties and its beneficial effect on the digestion. The phytochemical screening of hydro alcoholic extracts presenting the flavonoids, resins, triterpenoids, tannins and phenolic groups. The percentage of antioxidant potential is 91.28, by DPPH method. The estimation value of total phenol content is 936±71, and total flavonoid conent is 479±66. The crude drug evaluated by the various physical methods, and all the results are within the limit of world health organisation prescribed. The antioxidant potential is evaluation by DPPH method. The phyto chemical screening based upon the colour reaction and estimated the chief phyto constituents like phenolic content and flavonoid. This work identification and characterisation of the purity and quality of the monograph of the Mentha arvensis. This work is more useful to further researchers.

Mechanistic Investigation of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Effects against Respiratory Ailments: Application of Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Approaches

Background: Glycyrrhiza uralensis, also known as liquorice, is a herbal remedy that is traditionally used worldwide for treating respiratory ailments and ameliorating breathing. Objective: The objective of this systematic study was to investigate active ingredients of Glycyrrhiza uralensis and determine its mode of action in silico against severe and acute respiratory complications of respiratory ailments through network pharmacology and molecular docking studies. Methods: TCMSP database search helped retrieve the compounds of Glycyrrhiza uralensis and their protein targets, especially related to respiratory ailments. Subsequently, the protein-protein association was attained as a network by using the STITCH database. Cytoscape and its ClueGO plugin were used to study gene ontology (GO) enrichment. In addition, seven natural compounds were docked in the active site of four different molecular targets; JUN-FOS, COX2, MAPK14 and IL-6, to identify the binding mechanism of ligands under study. Results: TCMSP database search resulted in the retrieval of 280 compounds of Glycyrrhiza uralensis (including formononetin, naringenin, sitosterol, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, quercetin and Glycyrrhizin) and 135 protein targets. A careful study of targets showed that 26 prospective targets (including JUN, FOS, IL6, MAPK14 and PTGS2) related to respiratory ailments were identified. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis resulted in the retrieval of 176 GO terms, which were associated with respiratory ailments. This study proposed that Glycyrrhiza uralensis acts against respiratory ailments through various proteins, such as JUN, FOS, IL6, MAPK14 and PTGS2. Docking results revealed that among all studied ligands, the flavonoid-based compounds isorhamnetin and kaempferol form stronger complexes with JUN-FOS-DNA, MAPK-14, and IL-6 proteins (Cscore=6.81, 4.27, and 4.77, respectively) and the saponin based compound glycyrrhizin (Cscore=13.07) demonstrated stronger binding affinity towards COX2 enzyme. Conclusion: Conclusively, isorhamnetin, kaempferol and glycyrrhizin in Glycyrrhiza uralensis may regulate several signaling pathways through JUN-FOS-DNA, MAPK-14, and IL-6, which might play a therapeutic role against respiratory ailments.

In Vitro Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Efficacy of Abrus precatorius Seed Extracts On Hep2c Cells and Its Inhibitory Efficacy With Receptors Of Cervical Carcinoma

Abrus precatorius is a widely distributed tropical medicinal plant with several therapeutic properties, however its seed extract has not been studied against cervical cancer (CaCx) till date. Herein, we have assessed the antioxidant and antiproliferative properties of A. precatorius seed extracts (ethyl acetate and 70% ethanol) prepared from different extraction methods (Soxhlet and maceration) against human cervix carcinoma cells (Hep2C). We observed a significantly higher total flavonoid content of APE (sox) i.e.,112.7±0.127 mg Quercetin Equivalent/g of extract than others; total phenolic content of APA (mac) seed extract was higher i.e.,108.53±0.089 mg Quercetin Equivalent/g of extract and total tannin content of APA (sox) was higher i.e., 98.98± 0.011 mg tannic acid equivalents/g of extract. In addition, tannic acid, rutin and piperine were identified in extracts by HPLC. Furthermore, APA (sox) exhibited the highest radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 14.49±0.93µg/ml. APE (mac) showed the most significant antiproliferative activity with IC50 value of 85.90±0.93µg/mL against Hep2c cells. SOD and GST activity was observed as highest in the APA(Mac) extract whereas the catalase activity and GSH content was maximum in the APE(Mac) extract. Further, the MDA content was observed to be the least in APE(Mac) extracts. Docking results suggested maximum binding energy between tannic acid and Her2 receptor compared to doxorubicin (standard). This study provides evidence that A. precatorius seed extracts possess promising bioactive compounds with probable anticancer and antioxidant properties against CaCx which might be utilized as a possible herbal remedy aimed at restricting tumor growth.

More Than Just a Weed: An Exploration of the Antimicrobial Activity of Rumex crispus using a Multivariate Data Analysis Approach

Plants have a long history of use for their medicinal properties. The complexity of botanical extracts presents unique challenges and necessitates the application of innovative approaches to correctly identify and quantify bioactive compounds. For this study, we used untargeted metabolomics to explore the antimicrobial activity of Rumex crispus (yellow dock), a member of the Polygonaceae family used as an herbal remedy for bacterial infections. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass-spectrometry (UPLC-MS) was used to identify and quantify the known antimicrobial compound emodin. In addition, we used biochemometric approaches to integrate data measuring antimicrobial activity from R. crispus root starting material and fractions against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with UPLC-MS data. Our results support the hypothesis that multiple constituents, including the anthraquinone emodin, contribute to the antimicrobial activity of R. crispus against MRSA.

Influence of Pancreo-Plant on the histological parameters of the liver in conditions of acute toxic hepatitis

Toxic liver damage is the most problematic for pharmacotherapy and, accordingly, the normalization of the patient’s condition. Most often, hepatotoxins include alcohol, drugs, household and industrial toxins, the effect of which on the liver leads to the development of hepatocyte necrosis. The peculiarity of drug toxic hepatitis is a wide range of clinical manifestations, the absence of unambiguous diagnostic methods, frequent poor prognosis, which makes toxic hepatitis one of the most difficult problems in clinical practice. A promising drug for the treatment of toxic liver damage is a multicomponent herbal remedy, which is currently produced by a domestic manufacturer in the form of a dietary supplement. The aim of the work is to study the effect of the herbal remedy Pancreo-Plant on the histological structure of the liver of rats, under conditions of subacute ethanol-tetrachloromethane intoxication. Materials and methods. A model of poisoning was formed and liver samples from nonlinear white rats were examined. The slides were examined under the light microscope Granum, photographing of microscopic images was carried out with Granum DCM 310 digital video camera. The photographs were processed on a computer using the Toup View program. Results. Micropreparations obtained from liver samples of rats under the condition of subacute ethanol-tetrachloromethane intoxication, were investigated. It has been proven that Pancreo-Plant helps to reduce necrotic manifestations, hydropic degeneration of hepatocytes, manifestations of steatosis, and signs of inflammation; it also stimulates carbohydrate metabolism in hepatocytes and improves regenerative manifestations. Conclusions. It was found that the investigated agent based on medicinal plant materials, when using the model of subacute ethanol-tetrachloromethane intoxication, exhibits a significant hepatoprotective effect. It normalizes the histological structure of hepatocytes, restores the processes of glycogen accumulation, and prevents the development of fatty degeneration of the liver.