In vitro cytotoxic, thrombolytic, anthelmintic and antioxidant activities of Litsea monopetala: a medicinal plant

The present study was conducted to assess the cytotoxicity, thrombolytic, anthelmintic and antioxidant activity of mehanolic extract of Litsea monopetala (Family: Lauraceae) leaves in laboratory using in vitro methods. Cytotoxicity test was done by brine shrimp lethality bioassay where the extract concentration was 400, 200, 100, 50, 25, 12.5, 6.25, 3.125, 1.5625, 0.78125 (µg/ml). In vitro thrombolytic activity of Litsea monopetala was performed by clot lysis method using extract concentration 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 (mg/mL) in saline water. Anthelmintic activity test was done by using adult earthworms where 10, 20, 40, 60, 80 (mg/ml) extract concentration were used. Finally antioxidant activity was determined by total phenolic content determination using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The Litsea monopetala extract showed cytotoxic activity against brine shrimp nauplii and LC50 value was 41.05(µg/ml) and the investigated thrombolytic activity in our research was 9.52, 9.49, 13.64 and 17.50 %   respectively as % of clot lysis. The paralysis time were at 76.75 min, 60 min, 51.75 min, 44.5 min and 64.5 min and death were at 90.50min, 63.75min, 55.50min, 44.75min and 71min. respectively. The Litsea monopetala extract displayed significant antioxidant activity which was 20.75 (mg of GAE / gm) of extracts. The activities observed could be attributed to presence of some of the phytochemicals which have been related with cytotoxic, thrombolytic, anthelmintic and antioxidant property.   

Review of ethnobotanical studies on medicinal plants that used to treat diarrhea and dysentery in Ethiopia

Background: Diarrheal diseases are a major public health problem. Studies indicated that medicinal plants are being lost as a result of combined effects of environmental degradation, agricultural expansion, and deforestation and over harvesting of species. Poor resource administration, lack of awareness on herbal medicine and oral transmission of knowledge from generation to generation have also a great contribution for the lost. As a result, this review was initiated to document the medicinal plants, particularly those plants that used to treat diarrhea or/and dysentery in Ethiopia. Therefore, the data could be used as a basis for further studies.Objective: To review medicinal plants that used to treat diarrhea or/and dysentery and to document it that could be used as a source of knowledge to scientists.Methods: A review of available ethnobotanical literature on Ethiopian traditional medicine particularly that was related to diarrhea treatment was carried out. Google scholar online internet searches were done.Result: Ninety (90) medicinal plants distributed in 51 families were found from the reviewed studies. Of the 51 families 19 consist at least 2 species within each family, where as the remaining consist only one species. Most of them are used for diarrhea (76.5%), dysentery (16.5%) and the remaining 7 % used for both diarrhea and dysentery. Some of the plants also used for stomachache, vomiting and intestinal parasite therapy. Of different plant parts leaves are the most commonly used followed by roots, fruits, seeds and barks that used by preparing in different methods.Conclusion: This review has identified a number of important medicinal plants used by the Ethiopian community and traditional healers for the treatment of diarrhea/dysentery which provides a baseline for future phytochemical and pharmacological investigations. It has also identified the presence of bad practices that need improvement for better service such as absence of accurate and reproducible doses that need for a multidisciplinary approach to develop potentially effective dose

In vitro analysis of phytoconstituents and bioactivities of Senna alata L. leaf extracts

Senna alata L. is a widely distributed medicinal plant mainly used to treat fungal infections. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the phytochemical constituents, antioxidants, thrombolytic, anticoagulant and anthelmintic potentials of the aqueous (AE) and ethanolic (EE) extracts of Senna alata leaves. The major phytochemical classes were checked through qualitative screening. Quantitative assays were employed to determine the total phenolic, flavonoid, flavonol, tannin, and protein contents. Antioxidant potential was revealed through the DPPH scavenging assay. The extracts were applied to dissolve blood clots to evaluate the thrombolytic potential. Prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) tests indicated the potential anticoagulant activity. The anthelmintic potential was evaluated by using aquarium worms (Tubifex tubifex). The presence of 9 different classes of phytochemicals indicated the chemical diversity of the extract. In the quantitative determination, EE was found to contain higher quantities of phytochemicals than AE. The highest DPPH scavenging activity (89.44%) was displayed by the EE at its 800 µg/mL concentration. The IC50 values of EE and AE were 61.02 µg/mL and 142.42 µg/mL, respectively. During the thrombolytic potential evaluation of EE and AE, 37% and 27% clot lysis abilities were observed respectively. EE paralyzed the aquarium worms at 4 min and killed them at 6 min. The leaves of Senna alata have the potentials for being utilized for medicinal purposes other than their traditional use as an antifungal agent. These findings can pave the way for the exploration of herbal remedies with better efficacy

Plants secondary metabolites and antiviral properties

There are between three and five million viral infections annually. And normally viral infections are being managed therapeutically through available antiviral regimens with unsatisfactory clinical outcomes. So chemically synthesized drugs can be replaced by secondary metabolites from medicinal plants, which are healthier, safer, and cheaper alternatives. Phytomolecules have been employed as antiviral medicines against a variety of viruses since they can inhibit them directly through blocking their entry or throughout the replication phases, in addition to their use as adjuvant treatments in respiratory infections. For instance, the newly emerged COVID-19 is causing one of the most disruptive pandemics in this century. Thus, phytomolecules offer a ray of hope for human health amid pandemics such as COVID-19. This review provides updated data on the secondary metabolites with different antiviral activities

Characterization of phytochemicals and determination of antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties of the medicinal plant Ardisia solanacea

The present study was conducted to detect possible phytochemicals and evaluate antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of the extract of Ardisia solanacea. Phytochemical screening was carried out using the standard test methods of different chemical group. For investigating the antioxidant activity, two complementary test methods namely DPPH free radical scavenging assay and total phenolic content determination were carried out. For the evaluation of in vitro antimicrobial activity, disc diffusion method was used. Evaluation of cytotoxic activity was done using the brine shrimp lethality bioassay. In DPPH free radical scavenging test, the petroleum ether soluble fraction showed the highest free radical scavenging activity with IC50 value 40.04 ?g/ml. while compared to that of the reference standards ascorbic acid. Ardisia solanacea was also found as a good source of total phenolic contents. Moreover, the extracts revealed moderate antimicrobial activity at the concentration of 400 ?g/disc. In cytotoxic activity test, the petroleum ether soluble fraction showed significant cytotoxic potential (LC50 value of 0.703 ?g/ml) among all the fractions comparing with that of standard vincristine (0.544 ?g/ml). Therefore, further studies are suggested to determine the active compounds responsible for the pharmacological activities of the plant extracts.    

Phytochemical Screening, in Vitro Antimycotic and Antioxidant Activities of Crude Extracts of Six Rwandan Medicinal Plants

Phytochemicals constitute reliable sources of antifungal and antioxidant compounds with low toxicity to mammals and safe to the environment which may serve as substitutes for synthetically produced chemicals. The present work aims at screening, and investigating the antimycotic and antioxidant activities of six medicinal plants, namely Croton macrostachyus (Euphorbiaceae), Clerodendrum (Rotheca) myricoides (Lamiaceae), Erucastrum arabicum (Brassicaceae), Melanthera scandens (Asteraceae), Senecio mannii (Asteraceae), and Senna didymobotrya (Fabaceae). A qualitative phytochemical screening was conducted by appropriate chemical methods. Antioxidant activity of 18 aqueous extracts has been tested by bleaching the solution of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. Antimycotic activity of all extracts was measured by the disc diffusion method on a potato dextrose agar plate against five fungal strains viz. Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus and Fusarium oxysporum. The study revealed that the main phytochemical constituents of leaf, stem and root bark extracts were terpenoids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids. Furthermore, the results showed that leaf extracts were richer in antioxidant potentials than the rest of the plant parts tested. However, scavenging capacity of leaf extract was lower than that of the ascorbic acid for all extracts except C. macrostachyus and M. scandens which exhibited approximately the same values as ascorbic acid. The leaf extracts displayed the highest inhibition zone average for most of the fungi. The strong antimycotic activity ranged from 14 to 27 mm and was observed mainly in leaf extracts. The leaf extract of M. scandens was the strongest against F. oxysporum with 27.0 mm inhibition zone diameter. The root extract displayed the lowest average zones of inhibition such as 2.0 mm for E. arabicum extract against R. stolonifer and 3.0 mm for S. didymobotrya extract against A. niger. Antioxidant and antimycotic activities were probably attributed to the presence of different groups of phytochemicals as such as terpenoids, flavonoids, and tannins. From the results of this study, plant extracts with higher antioxidant and antimycotic activity could be further studied and eventually be used in the development of natural antioxidants and food preservatives that could replace the synthetic compounds

Effects of Cotinus coggygria extract on human blood T and NK cells activity in vitro

It is an important research area to define the bioactivities of plant fractions and to create appropriate utilization areas for them. Although Cotinus coggygria, which is widely used in folk medicine, which grows from Europe to the center of China, has a wide variety of bioactivities, there is limited information about its influence on the immune system.The anti-proliferative effects of Cotinus coggygria extract on stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were determined by CFSE dilution method. The effects of the extract on peripheral blood T and natural killer (NK) cells were followed by their proliferative responses. Annexin V / PI staining method was used to evaluate the apoptotic effects of the extract on PBMCs. The effects of the extracts on expression levels of IL-1?, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10 genes were investigated.Effect of Cotinus coggygria on the proliferation of T cells and NK cell subsets were decreased in a dose dependent manner. Anti-proliferative effect of Cotinus coggygria extract on stimulated PBMCs was not directly related to its apoptotic properties, it also changes the cytokine genes expression on PBMCs. Our study suggests that Cotinus coggygria methanol extract, whose anti-inflammatory effects have not been investigated yet, may be a pioneer in the identification of new molecules with anti-inflammatory properties and the development of related therapies

Analgesic, anti-inflammatory and non-ulcerogenic properties of Annickia chlorantha aqueous stem bark extract.

Annickia chlorantha is used in Cameroon to treat stomach problemsand many other diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate analgesic,anti-inflammatory and non-ulcerogenic properties of aqueous stem bark extract of Annickia chlorantha (ASBEAC). These properties were tested on in vivo induced pain models by intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid and paw injection of formaldehyde:25 rats were divided into 5 batches of 5 animals: negative control received distilled water (5 mL/kg), positive control received indomethacin (50 mg/kg) and three test groups received ASBEAC (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg). Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by in vitro method using membrane stabilization at different extract concentrations (25-1600 ug/mL).For non-ulcerogenic test, 20 rats were divided into 4 groups of 5 animals: negative control received distilled water (5 mL/kg), two test groups receivedASBEAC (250 and 500 mg/kg), and positive control received indomethacin (50 mg/kg).The results show that, ASBEAC significantly reduced (p< 0.001), with dose-dependent manner, the number of abdominal contortions with a maximum inhibition percentage (76.47%) at the dose of 500 mg/kg. Significant inhibition of pain(p<0.001), in a dose-dependent mode, for the pain test induced by paw injection of formaldehyde were also noted. With a maximum inhibition percentage of 40.69% and 30.35%, respectively for phases 1 and 2. For anti-inflammatory test,ASBEAC (200-1600 ug/mL) significantly (p <0.001) protected heat-induced hemolysis of erythrocytes.The non ulcerogenic test show that ASBEAC at all doses did not cause ulcer, but significantly increased and in a dose-dependent manner, themucus secretion. This study indicates that ASBEAC has analgesic, anti-inflammatory and non-ulcerogenic properties

Phytochemical screening and cytotoxic activity of Elaeocarpus robustus roxb

The present study was aimed to detect medicinal compounds of crude ethanolic extract of Elaeocarpus robustus roxb (EEE) and also it’s cytotoxic activity. The cytotoxic activity of EEE was determined by brine shrimp lethality bioassay. This analysis showed that with increasing concentration cytotoxicity of crude extract increased gradually. The LD50 value of EEE was 82.065±2.00 which was nearly about standard vincristine sulphate LD50value 69.726±1.52. The chi value of EEE (2.34) with the chi square value of standard vincristine sulphate (2.014) was quite similar and indicates little difference exists between the observed counts and expected counts. Through this research we also detect the presence of alkaloid and tannins by several tests like mayar’s reagent, wagner’s reagent, alkaloidal precipitation, ferric chloride test.   

Justicia secunda leaf aqueous fraction suppressed NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-6 and COX-2 in arthritic rat

Justicia secunda Vahl leaf is employed in folklore medicine preparation as a remedy used in the management of inflammatory disorders. Rheumatoid arthritis constitutes one of many chronic inflammatory disorders which is typified by the gradual build-up and prolonged existence of inflammatory cells in synovial joints. Pro-inflammatory mediators (Tumor necrosis factor- alpha (TNF-α), nuclear factor–kappa B (NF-κB), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) play varied roles in the development and continuation of rheumatoid arthritis which proceeds to cause extreme damage to the host tissue. The suppression of these mediators can substantially limit their rate of migration to the cells. This study evaluated the effect of aqueous fraction of J. secunda leaves on selected inflammatory markers (NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-6 and COX-2) and its possible mechanism of action. J. secunda aqueous leaf fraction (JSALF) was tested on carrageenan, arachidonic and Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA) induced rat paw inflammation models, respectively. TNF-α, NF-κB, IL-6 and COX-2 levels were analysed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was carried out. JSALF treated animals had significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed carrageenan, arachidonic and CFA-induced paw edema when compared with untreated control animals. Serum levels of TNF-α, NF-κB, IL-6 and COX-2 were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in JSALF-treated animals. GC-MS detected 10 suspected anti-inflammatory compounds. Findings from this study indicate that J. secunda aqueous leaf fraction substantially suppressed pro-inflammatory mediators and COX-2 pathways in arthritic rats which justifies its folkloric use in the management of inflammatory diseases