BIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF FLOWERS OF Vinca major, A MEDICINAL WEED PLANT OF HILLY AREAS OF PAKISTAN

Vinca major L. is an evergreen perennial weed of family Apocynaceae, growing naturally in hilly areas of Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Flowers of this weed were collected from Khanspur, Ayubia during June 2021, shade dried and extracted in pure methanol for two weeks. After filtration, the extract was analyzed by GC-MS for identification of possible bioactive compounds. α-Amyrin was the major compounds (32.49%) followed by lup-20(29)-en-3-ol, acetate, (3β)- (25.72%). Moderately abundant compounds included γ-sitosterol (8.78%), β-amyrone (7.25%), cyclohexane, 1,3,5-triphenyl- (7.01%), olean-12-en-3-ol, acetate, (3β)- (5.68%), and n-hexadecanoic acid (3.18%). Some of the identified compounds have various important biological properties including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, antimalarial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antitumor etc.

Leaves anatomical and physiological adaptations of Vinca major ‘Variegata’ and Hedera helix L. to specific roof garden conditions

Urban agglomerations create extreme microclimates for plants, in which growth, development and survival means adaptation. Plantations expansions beyond the typical gardens to buildings, walls or other build structures were realized in many cities with a rigorous selection of plant species. Although the number of woody species well adapted to the urban environmental conditions is quite large, few species manage to grow and develop on the roofs. Two species - Vinca major ‘Variegata’ and Hedera helix, regularly used for this type of plantations in Bucharest, were selected to understand their mechanism of adaptation. A comparative study was conducted on these species, growing on a rooftop garden and at the ground level into a typical garden. Both species revealed considerable anatomical differences of the leaves. In addition, physiological determinations revealed a stronger intensity of photosynthesis, an intense transpiration and a lower respiration rate at plants grown in the roof garden.

Immune responses induced in rabbits after oral administration of bovine serum albumin in combination with different adjuvants (herb extracts, aluminium hydroxide and platinum nanoparticles)

<p>The aim of the current study was to evaluate the immunostimulatory activity of 10 different herbal extracts from <em>Vitex agnus-castus</em>, <em>Vinca major, Aloe arborescens </em>and the polyherbal product containing extracts from <em>Sambucus nigra</em>, <em>Primula</em><em> versis</em>, <em>Pinus alba</em>, <em>Gentiana lutea</em>, <em>Cetraria islandica</em>, <em>Eucaliptus globulus</em>, <em>Citrus limon </em>and aluminium hydroxide, as well as platinum nanoparticles. Rabbits were immunized three times orally with bovine serum albumin (BSA) in combination with the components mentioned above. BSA-specific IgA antibodies in saliva and IgG antibodies in serum were examined by ELISA. It was found that the rabbits immunized with BSA in combination with either platinum nanoparticles or aluminium hydroxide had higher titres of BSA-specific IgA antibodies in their saliva at day 56 of observation. Likewise, rabbits treated with BSA and <em>Vinca major </em>or <em>Aloe arborescens </em>extracts showed higher levels of BSA-specific IgG antibodies in the serum at the end of observation. These results suggest that some plant extracts, aluminium hydroxide and platinum nanoparticles components could be used as oral adjuvants or as immunomodulators for rabbits.</p>