Morphological features of fruits, seeds and seedlings of Aerva lanata (L.) Juss. in the conditions of introduction to the Southern coast of the Crimea

The results of the study of the early stages of the ontogenesis of Aerva lanata (L.) Juss. in the conditions of introduction to the Southern coast of the Crimea are presented. Morphobiological signs of seeds, morphological features of fruits, seeds and seedlings were revealed. The fruit of A. lanata is a densely pubescent single-seeded box of a rounded shape from greenish to cream color. The morphometric parameters of the seeds have a very low level of variability (from 5 to 10%). On average, their length is 0.72 mm, width - 0.55 mm, and thickness - 0.40 mm. As a result of the research, the seeds were found to be of different quality. Immature seeds from red to dark brown are located mainly in the upper and middle part of the inflorescence. The marginal embryo is milky in color, covering the abundant perisperm in a semicircle, on average 1.55 mm in length and 0.16 mm in width. The seedlings are small lobe-shaped, petiolate light green 2 mm long and 1 mm wide. The hypocotyl is white 0.4 mm long. According to the method of distribution of diaspores, A. lanata refers to barochora plants. The coefficient of semenification was 36.2%.

Herbal remedies used for the management of urolithiasis in Abbottabad, Northern Pakistan

The current study was performed to evaluate the ethnobotanical uses of medicinal plants to treat and prevent kidney diseases, especially urolithiasis in the Abbottabad region, Northern Pakistan. Field surveys were conducted from 2014–2016 in various rural and tribally dwelled hilly areas like Ayubia National Park, Sherwan and Thandiani. Ethnobotanical information about the medicinal plants employed to treat urinary ailments was obtained from well-informed sources like local healers (hakims) and residents (men/women), who had vast knowledge of local plants uses. The questionnaire method was adopted to record the information and queries were made to verify the information. Informed consent was obtained from each informant before conducting the interview process. Quantitative ethnobotanical indices were calculated for each recorded species. Correlation analysis between the RFC, UV and FL% was tested by Pearson’s correlation, SPSS (ver. 16). A total of 38 plant species belonging to 27 families were being used in the study area to treat Urolithiasis or kidney stone diseases. Asteraceae was the most dominant family with 5 species. Local people used different methods of preparation for different plant parts; among them, decoction was the popular and dominant way of preparation (52.6%), followed by powder (18.4%), extracts (15.7%), juice (7.8%) and cooked (5.2%). The highest UV was recorded for Rumex acetosa L. (1.14) followed by Agrimonia eupatoria L. (1.1), Equisetum ramosissimum Desf. (1.05), Aerva lanata L. (1.04), Eclipta alba Hassak. (1.03). Moreover, twenty-three species were recoded with above 50% Fidelity level. It was found that most of the plant species (16 species) were explicitly used to remove kidney stones. All the obtained data about the ethnomedicinal uses of plants to treat urinary tract ailments are alphabetically categorized to their botanical name/family, local name, phytoconstituents, dosage and route of administration, along with quantitative indices value. All the collected ethnomedicinal plants require a thorough scientific investigation for isolation, identification, biochemical assays, toxicities and evaluation of pharmacological activities of the phytoconstituents, especially of the plants recorded with a high-fidelity level before their usage in clinics.

Antirheumatic Properties of Medicinal Plants: A Review

Medicinal plants are widely used for the treatment of rheumatism. Around 80% of world are depends on traditional medicine. Rheumatism is a chronic, autoimmune diseases, that affects own immune system and healthy tissue which are caused inflammation. Rheumatism risk factors include hormonal, genetic, environmental, and nutritional, and socio-economic factors, ethnicity, infections, smoking, and so on. In this review use of some traditional medicine plants against rheumatism such as Aerva lanata, Mahuca longifolia, Acetaea spicata, Aesculus indica, Hemidesmus ndicus, has been discussed. This review includes the mechanism of rheumatism including inhibition of cartilage degradation. Various active compounds such as lignans, flavonols, terpenes and sterols have been found in medicinal plants, which has been found to be beneficial for the treatment of rheumatism.

An Improved liquid Culture System for Efficient Shoot Multiplication in Aerva lanata (L.) Juss. Ex Schult.

An improved in vitro mass propagation protocol was developed for Aerva lanata using MS liquid medium. The influence of MS medium (solid and liquid) with cytokinin (TDZ and BAP, respectively) were studied for shoot proliferation and growth. The liquid medium perfomed better than solid medium in shoot multiplication. The maximum shoot multiplication rate was (29.37 ± 0.64 shoots per explant), obtained in MS liquid medium which is containing 0.6 mg/l TDZ, 0.3 mg/l NAA and 0.2 mg/l IBA. Different volumes of liquid medium have been used, 30 ml of medium flask showed the maximum number of shoots. Liquid medium is better suited for in vitro propagation of A. lanata since the enhanced multiplication rate was observed with shorter subculture intervals. Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 31(1): 35-42, 2021 (June)

Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Anti-Diabetic Activity of Phenolic Acids Fractions Obtained from Aerva lanata (L.) Juss.

Many plants that are commonly used in folk medicine have multidirectional biological properties confirmed by scientific research. One of them is Aerva lanata (L.) Juss. (F. Amaranthaceae). It is widely used, but there are very few scientific data about its chemical composition and pharmacological activity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the chemical composition of phenolic acid (PA)-rich fractions isolated from methanolic extracts of A. lanata (L.) Juss. herb using the liquid/liquid extraction method and their potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic properties. The free PA fraction (FA), the PA fraction (FB) released after acid hydrolysis, and the PA fraction (FC) obtained after alkaline hydrolysis were analysed using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). The phenolic profile of each sample showed a high concentration of PAs and their presence in A. lanata (L.) Juss. herb mainly in bound states. Thirteen compounds were detected and quantified in all samples, including some PAs that had not been previously detected in this plant species. Bioactivity assays of all fractions revealed high 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) (2.85 mM Trolox equivalents (TE)/g) and 2,2-azino-bis-3(ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS•+) (2.88 mM TE/g) scavenging activity. Fraction FB definitely exhibited not only the highest antiradical activity but also the strongest xanthine oxidase (XO) (EC50 = 1.77 mg/mL) and lipoxygenase (LOX)(EC50 = 1.88 mg/mL) inhibitory potential. The fraction had the best anti-diabetic properties, i.e., mild inhibition of α-amylase (EC50 = 7.46 mg/mL) and strong inhibition of α-glucosidase (EC50 = 0.30 mg/mL). The activities of all analysed samples were strongly related to the presence of PA compounds and the total PA content.

GC-MS Analysis of n-hexane Extract of Roots of Aerva lanata (Linn) Juss. ex. Schult.

Context: The roots of the plant Aerva lanata are extensively used in Indian System of Medicine to cure urinary stones, antidiabetic, diuretic and used as demulcent. Aim: To investigate the phytoconstituents from the n-hexane extract of the roots of Aerva lanata using GC-MS analysis. Materials and Methods Roots of Aerva lanata was extracted by Soxhlet extraction method using n-hexane. The chromatogram was recorded by injecting the extract by splitless injection mode into the GC MS 5975 C Agilent equipped with a QP- 5000 (quadrupole) Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometer. Results: 23 phytoconstituents were identified by close matches with standard MS spectra and compared with NIST- 11 and WILEY library data from n-hexane extract. The major compounds reported are oleic acid (21.68%), γ-sitosterol (10.67%), Stigmasterol (5.13%), 3-β,5-α-stigmast-7-en-3-ol (4.23 %) and other constituents were found to be in traceable quantities. Conclusion: GC-MS analysis of roots of Aerva lanata revealed certain interesting facts of presentation of various phytoconstituents. The presence of various phytoconstituents contributes to the medicinal activity of the plant.