Phytochemical profiling, antimicrobial and anticancer potential of Rosmarinus officinalis growing in Kashmir Himalayan region

Currently, medicinal plants are gaining importance in pharmaceutical and scientific communities. Medicinal plants are the most abundant natural source of valuable phytochemicals, which can help treat human diseases. The present study aimed to do phytochemical profiling and assess the antimicrobial and anticancer activity of the methanolic leaf extract of Rosmarinus officinalis. The photochemical profiling of R. officinalis leaves was done by GC-MS analysis. Twenty-six compounds were identified from the leaf extracts with great significance in pharmaceutical science for therapeutically efficient formulations to combat various diseases. The antimicrobial activity was done by the well diffusion method, while the anticancer potential against the A549 lung cancer cell line by MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The highest zone of inhibition was seen against Escherichia coli ATCC 11229 (21 ± 0.7 mm), Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 (19 ± 0.8 mm), Candida albicans ATCC 10231 (18± 0.6 mm) followed by Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 (18 ± 0.8 mm) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11 ± 0.5 mm) with MIC values ranging from 128 to 256 µg/mL. R. officinalis demonstrated significant (p ≤ 0.05) anticancer activity against the A549 cancer cell line with IC50 values of 39.70 and 33.60 µg/mL for 24 and 48 hours, respectively. The methanolic extract of R. officinalis can be a potential antimicrobial and anticancer agent and a vital resource for developing new drugs.

Potentials of leaves of Aspilia africana (Compositae) in wound care: an experimental evaluation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The potentials of the leaves of the haemorrhage plant, <it>Aspilia africana </it>C. D Adams (Compositae) in wound care was evaluated using experimental models. <it>A. africana</it>, which is widespread in Africa, is used in traditional medicine to stop bleeding from wounds, clean the surfaces of sores, in the treatment of rheumatic pains, bee and scorpion stings and for removal of opacities and foreign bodies from the eyes. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the potentials for use of leaves of this plant in wound care.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The effect of the methanol extract (ME) and the hexane (HF) and methanol (MF) fractions (obtained by cold maceration and graded solvent extraction respectively) on bleeding/clotting time of fresh experimentally-induced wounds in rats, coagulation time of whole rat blood, growth of microbial wound contaminants and rate of healing of experimentally-induced wounds in rats were studied as well as the acute toxicity and lethality (LD₅₀) of the methanol extract and phytochemical analysis of the extract and fractions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The extract and fractions significantly (<it>P </it>< 0.05) reduced bleeding/clotting time in rats and decreased coagulation time of whole rat blood in order of magnitude of effect: MF>ME>HF. Also, the extract and fractions caused varying degrees of inhibition of the growth of clinical isolates of <it>Pseudomonas fluorescens </it>and <it>Staphylococcus aureus</it>, as well as typed strains of <it>Ps. aeruginosa </it>(ATCC 10145) and <it>Staph. aureus </it>(ATCC 12600), and reduced epithelialisation period of wounds experimentally-induced in rats. Acute toxicity and lethality (LD₅₀) test in mice established an i.p LD₅₀of 894 mg/kg for the methanol extract (ME). Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, resins, sterols, terpenoids and carbohydrates.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The leaves of <it>A. africana </it>possess constituents capable of arresting wound bleeding, inhibiting the growth of microbial wound contaminants and accelerating wound healing which suggest good potentials for use in wound care.</p

Effects of Hydrogen Peroxide on Wound Healing in Mice in Relation to Oxidative Damage

10.1371/journal.pone.0049215PLoS ONE711