Phytochemical analysis of Ficus thonningii: A qualitative study

This study assessed the phytochemical contents of the aqueous, ethanol, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of the fruit, leaves, root, and stem of F. thonningii at selected concentrations. The contents of alkaloids, tannins, saponins, volatile oils, phenols and flavonoids were determined qualitatively in these extracts at selected concentrations. The results obtained showed that alkaloids are present in the leaves, roots and stem barks of Ficus thonningii. The volatile oil is found in the stem bark, root bark, and fruit (aqueous only) of the plant. Saponin is found to be concentrated in all the extracts of the plant. Phenol is found to be concentrated in the fruit of the plant. Its presence is also confirmed in the leaves (at few concentrations) and present in trace amount in the stem bark. Tannin is found in the fruit, root bark and leaves of Ficus thonningii. Flavonoids are found in all the parts of Ficus thonningii. The variety of phytochemicals confirmed in the fruit, leaves, stem, and root barks of Ficus thonningii show that the plant is pharmacologically active.

Medicinal plants of ethnopharmacological relevance in Sierra de Ancasti, Catamarca, Argentina

The aim of this work is to document the knowledge, significance, and uses of medicinal plants in the rural population of Ancasti, Catamarca, Argentina, considered an area of great biodiversity. The community defines itself as criollos-serranos and its subsistence economy is associated with traditional livestock production systems and small-scale agriculture. The techniques used in ethnobiology were adopted as a methodological framework. Informants were selected intentionally based on their expertise or by snowball sampling. The specific information about the topic was gathered by records and documentation of species, open interviews and specific semi-structured surveys, participant observation and records of a rapid rural diagnosis. For quantitative analysis, two indices were applied, including: Relative Importance (RI), and Informant Consensus Factor (ICF). A total of 209 medicinal plant and 5 species of fungi belonging to 70 families were recorded. Asteraceae was dominating with 25 species. Herbs were leading with a 45% contribution, followed by shrubs. The RI index highlights species like Rosmarinus officinalis, Vachellia caven and Cestrum parqui, also others rarely referred to in previous studies, as in the case of Lithraea molleoides. The medicinal flora in Ancasti, Catamarca is highly diverse and remained scarcely explored so far. Its composition accounts for a set of species and applications that are shared with those of other regions of central and northwestern Argentina, highlighting the presence of intercultural contacts.s

Walsura robusta Roxb. (Meliaceae), a little-known tree with a rich limonoid profile

The plant Walsura robusta Roxb. (Meliaceae) is a robust tree largely distributed in south-east Asia, including provinces of southern China. A few traditional usages of the plant have been mentioned, notably for the treatment of microbial infections. But experimental studies using different types of plant extracts only revealed modest antibacterial effects, and no major antiparasitic activity. Walsura robusta Roxb. is a rich source of secondary metabolites. Several series of limonoids have been isolated from the leaves or the fruits of the plant, such as walsuronoid A-I, walsurins A-E, walsunoids A-I, walrobsins A-R and other cedrelone- or dihydrocedrelone-type limonoids, in addition to a few other terpenoids. All information about Walsura robusta Roxb. have been collated in this brief review. The analysis underlines the presence of two limonoids endowed with significant anticancer activities, walsuronoid B and cedrelone. They both activate the production of reactive oxygen species in cancer cells, modulate mitochondrial activities and induce apoptosis of cancer cells. Their molecular targets and mechanism of action are discussed. Walsura robusta Roxb. has a potential for the development of anticancer natural products. The use of the plant extracts could be further considered for the treatment of diseases with a cell proliferation component.

A study on the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of Diarrhoea and Dysentery in Khag tehsil of District Budgam of Jammu and Kashmir

People are using medicinal plants to alleviate diseases since the time immemorial. The present paper enumerates a total of 25 medicinal plants belonging to 19 families used for the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery diseases in Khag tehsil of district Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Asteraceae was the dominant family. Leaves were found to be dominant plant used for the preparation of herbal remedies. It was found that in this era of modern medicine, people are still relied on traditional medicine to get their primary health care. It was also revealed medicinal plants are under serious threat and needs to be conserved as so as to enjoy this legacy in future too.

Antigenotoxic potential of gel extract of Aloe vera against Sodium azide genotoxicity in Allium cepa cells

Nowadays, the increasing rate of human exposure to various kinds of environmental mutagens has necessitated the search for natural antimutagens /antigenotoxic agents in natural products. In this study, Aloe vera gel extract was tested for its possible antigenotoxicity following the Allium cepa assay. Ten onions (Allium cepa) per dose were grown for 48 and 72 hours on gel extract of A. vera at 6.25%, 12.5%, 25.0%, 50.0% and 100.0% in combination with sodium azide (0.05mg/ml) solution for microscopic and macroscopic evaluations, respectively. Distilled water and sodium azide were the negative and positive controls, respectively. The cell division in the root tips, and root growth in the exposed A. cepa were inhibited in a dose dependent manner by the mixture of A. vera and sodium azide. However, the mixture of absolute (100.0%) dose and sodium azide completely arrested cell division and induced a lower root length than that recorded for sodium azide alone. The genotoxicity of sodium azide was inversely reduced by the doses of A. vera except at 100.0%. These results show that gel extract of A. vera possesses strong antigenotoxic /antimutagenic potency at lower dose range of 6.25% to 25.0% in A. cepa cells, however, its higher doses above 50.0% to 100.0% could be severely toxic when being considered for suppression of environmental mutagens’ mutagenicity or genotoxicity. This suggests that gel extract of A. vera contains phytochemical(s) that can be useful in the development of anticancer drug.

Phytochemical screening, antioxidant activity and toxicity of the orchids Prosthechea cochleata and Prosthechea livida-A preliminary study

Phytochemical composition, antioxidant, and toxic effects of two orchid (Prosthechea cochleata and Prosthechea livida) were examined in their different hexane and dichloromethane/methanol extracts of leaves, pseudobulbs, rhizome and roots. Phytochemical screening reveals the presence of alkaloids, coumarins, flavonoids, saponins, steroids and terpenes except for anthracene derivatives in P. livida and tannins in both species. Results showed exhibited significant toxicity against brine shrimp with an LC50 values ranged from 3 to 54 µg/ml in 24 h. Finally, the results of the antioxidant test in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) showed that CH2Cl2:MeOH extract of P. cochleata root extract presented the most efficient protective antioxidant percentage (%PA), with 20 µg/mL, displaying a cell viability of 68.58%. In P. livida case, rhizome extract presented the most efficient %PA, with 1000 µg/mL, with a cell viability of 65.82%. The results evidenced the toxicity of Prosthechea cochleata and Prosthechea livida and reveals potential antioxidative of extracts.

Indigenous medicinal usage of family Solanaceae and Polygonaceae in Uri, Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir

Kashmir Himalaya is known for it’s dense and diverse vegetation. People here have gained immense knowledge regarding the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of different ailments. The present study attempts to explore and document the medicinal plants belonging to the family Solanaceae and Polygonaceae used against different ailments by tribal communities of Uri, Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir. Data was collected by using semi structured interviews and group discussions. Besides local tribal communities of Gujjar and Bakerwal, herbal healers and local knowledgeable persons were consulted during the course of the study. During the study, a total of 25 plants were reported with a species contribution of 10 and 15 of Solanaceae and Polygonaceae respectively. The study revealed that either the whole plant or some plant parts are used as remedies against different ailments in the area.

Can antimalarial, antiviral and anti-respiratory infections Cameroonian medicinal plants be used as one of the potential ways to cure COVID-19? Pharmacological and ethnomedicinal proof

COVID-19 is a severe acute respiratory syndrome-related corona-virus SARS-CoV-2, that constitutes a pandemic threat to global public health. Unfortunately, there are no specific available therapies. This research work presents the findings of an investigation on traditional Cameroonian remedies of respiratory tract infections, malaria and viral infections, and also recipes that could serve as a baseline for the prevention, alleviate symptoms, treatment and perhaps may help for the anti-COVID-19 drugs discovery. Data on the medicinal plants were collected from traditional healers, Cameroonian medicinal plants books, the internet, and in addition to our personal experience as researchers and herbalists. Details of 85 plant species used to manage these three mentioned diseases in Cameroon and their pharmacological properties are recorded. Due to their ethnomedicinal uses and pharmacological activities, twenty-eight (28) plant species and 13 recipes are suggested for COVID-19 prevention, alleviate symptoms, treatment and baseline for anti-COVID-19 drug discovery. Amongst the proposed plants we have the following, Curcuma longa, Azadirachta indica, Zingiber officinale, Allium sativum and Ocimum gratissimum which were reported to possess certain inhibition properties against COVID-19 protease.

Biochemical Properties and Urease, α-amylase Inhibitory Effects of Ocimum basilicum L. (Reyhan)

With the understanding of the role of antioxidants in preventing degenerative and age-related diseases caused by oxidative stress, and taking into account the multitude of pharmacological applications such as antidiabetic, antifungal, cardioprotection, immunostimulant, interest in plants rich in this respect has increased. Ocimum basilicum L. (purple) is a one-year, fragrant spice herb with its own aroma. In this study, chemical characterization of Ocimum basilicum L. plant was performed and inhibition effects on urease and a-amylase were investigated. Total phenolic content of Ocimum basilicum L. leafs ethanolic and water extracts were 320.08±2.03, 388.15±1.05 mg GAE/100g; total flavonoids were 282.57±1.12, 307.75±0.89 mg QE/100g; antioxidant capacity of samples were 0.46±0.01 and 0.52±0.02 mM Fe+2/mg extract, 0.46±0.01; IC50 values of urease were 18.77±0.22, 20.19±0.15 % and IC50 values of α-amylase were 0.47±0.01, 0.42±0.01 µg/mL, respectively. It is determined that ethanolic extract of leaves is rich in linalool, linolenin, phytol and α-humulene. The datas show that the leaves of the plant may be effective on two important diseases such as Diabetus mellitus and H. pylori.