Thrombolytic Activity of Methanolic Extracts of Desmodium paniculatum (L.) and Sarcochlamys pulcherrima (Roxb.)

An in vitro thrombolytic model was used to check the clot lysis effect of two herbal extracts viz., Desmodium paniculatum (L.) and Sarchochlamys pulcherrima (Roxb.) by using Streptokinase as positive control and water as negative control. D. paniculatum and S. pulcherrima showed 31.92 ± 8.09% and 36.12 ± 6.81% clot lysis, respectively. From our study we found that D. paniculatum and S. pulcherrima showed significant % of clot lysis effect with reference to Streptokinase (72.54 ± 6.03%). and water (3.48 ± 0.84%). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bpj.v17i1.22318 Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 17(1): 67-69, 2014

Feeding panicled tick-clover to growing goats reduces Haemonchus contortus infection without negative effects on growth

SummaryIn an effort to identify a forage legume with condensed tannins (CT) that reduce gastro-intestinal nematodes (GIN) in small ruminants without negative effects on nutrition, the following trial looked at the effects of two legumes containing CT on average daily gain (ADG) and faecal egg counts (FEC) in kid goats. Lespedeza cuneata (sericea lespedeza, SL) and Desmodium paniculatum (panicled tick-clover; PTC) were pelleted into isonitrogenous complete feeds containing 3.8% CT in a four week feeding trial. Compared to the alfalfa (Medicago sativa) control diet, SL decreased (P ≤ 0.05) feed efficiency and ADG while PTC had the same (P > 0.05) feed efficiency as alfalfa. The SL and PTC pelleted feeds increased (P = 0.006) daily feed intake by 4.5 kg and 3.7 kg, respectively, compared to alfalfa control, while kids consuming SL and PTC showed an average 44% reduction (P ≤ 0.05) in FEC compared to those fed alfalfa. The results showed that feeding PTC, an herbaceous, perennial legume native to much of North America, to goats may provide a natural means of reducing ruminant GIN while simultaneously providing a source of protein.

Effects of CO2 enrichment on growth and photosynthesis in Desmodium paniculatum

Plants of Desmodium paniculatum (Leguminosae) were grown from seeds in normal air (0.035% CO2) and in air containing 0.1% CO2. CO2 enrichment produced an almost twofold increase in dry matter production. Leaf areas were 1.2 times higher at high CO2. Relative growth rates under high CO2 were significantly higher during the early stages of development and then declined. The increase in dry matter production was not associated with an increase in photosynthetic capacity per unit leaf area. Gas exchange measurements indicated that plants from the high CO2 regime had lower light saturation values and lower photosynthetic rates at high quantum flux densities than the controls. An opposite trend was observed if gas exchange rates were expressed on a chlorophyll basis. The depression in photosynthetic rates on a leaf area basis of plants exposed to CO2 enrichment was correlated with increased starch accumulation and reduced grana formation in chloroplasts of leaves continuously exposed to high CO2 concentrations.