ANALYSIS OF ESSENTIAL OIL OF ORIGANUM VULGARE LINN. BY GC AND GC-MS

The aim of present study to analyze the essential oil components of whole plant of Origanum vulgare Linn. (Lamiaceae) by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation method from the whole plant of O. vulgare and analyzed by GC and GC-MS method. The individual constituents were identified by GC and GC-MS analysis by comparison with spectrometer database of NBS 54 K.L, WILEY8 libraries and published literature. The yield of the essential oil was 0.45 % (v/w). Sixty-seven compounds representing 99.03 % of the oil were characterized. The volatile oil was found rich in monoterpenes (69 %) and sesquiterpenes (23.42 %). Carvacrol acetate (66.01 %) was predominant in monoterpenes identified in essential oil of O. vulgare. Diterpenes and aliphatic components are also present in essential oil of Oregano in lesser quantity. The current study investigated the composition of essential oil of O. vulgare for making foundation for quality control and clinical treatments

A PHARMACOGNOSTIC REVIEW ON ARTEMISIA ABSINTHIUM

Artemisia, being the widely distributed genus of the plant family Asteraceae encompasses about 500 species. Among them, Artemisia absinthium (A. absinthium) is a well-known herb commonly known as Wormwood and Afsanteen. A. absinthium reported to possess several therapeutic benefits in fever, inflammation, epilepsy, gastric problems and urinary disorders. Review of literature included PubMed, Science Direct searches with ‘A. absinthium’ and ‘Wormwood’as initial key words. The search was further refined by looking for terms such as ‘Constituents’ (or composition) and ‘Activity’ (or effect) within the results. The major bioactive constituents of Wormwood are mono and sesquiterpenes. The present review comprises upto date information of traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of A. absinthium. The A. absinthium is a rich source of chemically novel compounds and needs elaborate screening strategies to dwell into the pharmacological effects of its phytoconstituents at the molecular level. This review article provides preliminary information and gives a direction for the basic and clinical research on A. absinthium

A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON NATURAL BIOENHANCERS

Natural bioenhancers reported to improve bioavailability and bioefficacy in combination therapy. Many studies are increasingly showing interest toward the improvement of bioavailability of a large number of synthetic and herbal drugs by natural bioenhancers. In modern medicine treatment cost and adverse effect are major concern, hence systematic innovative means to reduce treatment cost and adverse effect are needed. Natural compounds such as resveratrol, piperine, glycyrrhizine, quercetin, sinomenine and Cumins demonstrated capability to enhance bioavailability. The objective of this review is to summarize upto date information of natural bioenhancers

Role of Rosa damascena Mill. Flowers in the Treatment of Obesity and Obesity-Related Disorders

Background and Objective: The prevalence of obesity is increasing both worldwide and locally in India. It is considered a major health problem and often leads to other associated diseases such as type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart diseases, stroke and cancer. In the present study, the effects of powder of Rosa damascena flowers on high-fat diet-induced obesity in Wistar albino rats were examined. Materials and Methods: Female Wistar albino rats fed with a High Fat Diet (HFD) (p.o) for 6 weeks were used to induce obesity. Powder of R. damascena (214 mg kg–1 b.wt.) petals administered orally to HFD-fed rats for 6 weeks. Physiological parameters like body weight, food and water intake, fat pad analysis and biochemical parameters like serum lipids, glucose, Serum Glutamate Oxaloacetate Transaminase (SGOT) and Serum Glutamate Pyruvate Transaminase (SGPT), serum urea and creatinine levels were measured. Results: Treatment with powder of R. damascena flower petals to HFD-induced obese rats resulted in a significant reduction in body weight gain, fat pads, serum lipids, glucose, SGOT, SGPT and creatinine levels as compared to rats fed HFD alone. Further, the extract also showed a significant increase in High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) levels. Conclusion: These results exhibit that the R. damascena flower possesses significant anti-obesity potential

ANTIHYPERGLYCEMIC ACTIVITY OF CHARANTIN ISOLATED FROM FRUITS OF MOMORDICA CHARANTIA LINN.

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the development of alternative medicines for maintaining glucose homeostasis in diabetes, specifically by screening plant extracts as well as their isolated compounds for their ability to delay or prevent carbohydrate metabolism and absorption. The objective of present study was to undertake in-vitro and in-vivo studies to generate a stronger biochemical rationale for the management of post prandial hyperglycaemia (PPHG) with charantin. In this study, charantin (β-sitosteryl glucoside) was isolated from Momordica charantia Linn. by normal phase column chromatography and screened for the inhibition of key enzymes related to carbohydrate metabolism. Charantin showed mild αamylase (IC50 2.71± 0.21 mg/mL) and strong α-glucosidase (IC50 1.82±0.15 mg/mL) inhibitory activity. The positive in-vitro enzyme inhibition tests paved way for confirmatory in-vivo studies. The in-vivo studies demonstrated that charantin (20 mg/kg, b.w.) given orally significantly (P<0.01) reduced area under curve (AUC) in mice when challenged with oral administration of starch and sucrose separately. The reduction in AUC by charantin was comparable to that of acarbose (10 mg/kg, b.w., p.o.). These studies indicated the potential of charantin to prevent PPHG by inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes

Piperine: A Mini Review on its Pharmacological Profile and Synthetic Derivatives

Piperine, known for its vast biological profile, is obtained from black pepper (Piper nigrum, Family: Piperaceae) which is one of the most commonly used spice in major parts of the world and is known for its pungent taste. Piperine is also found to act as an important bioenhancer by increasing the bioavailability of drug molecules and reducing their dosing frequency and dosage. This review article aims at providing various biological activities exhibited by piperine and its numerous synthetic derivatives in order to get some potential lead molecule for future drug discovery

Chemical Composition and Cytotoxic Activity of Pistacia atlantica var. kurdica Fruits

Pistacia atlantica var. kurdica (Anacardiaceae) is a major subspecies found in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and has several beneficial bioactivities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral. P. atlantica growing in the Kurdistan region is not yet studied phytochemically and pharmacologically. Hence, the goal of the present study is to characterize chemical compounds present in ethanolic extract of P. atlantica fruits by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC–MS) and to evaluate cytotoxic activity using A549 (human lung cancer) cell lines by (3-4,5 dimethylthiazol-2yl2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. The GC–MS analysis shows the presence of 33 chemical compounds which constitute about 99.95% of total compounds, and isospathulenol (14.63%), spathulenol (13.45%), α-terpineol (13.28%), limonene (10.92%), terpinolene (10.89%), β-myrcene (6.92%), ethyl pentadecanoate (6.15%), β-pinene (4.98%), and caryophyllene oxide (4.01%) were found as major chemical compounds. P. atlantica inhibits cell proliferation in A549 cell lines in a time (24 h) and dose-dependent manner (0.5–500 µg/mL). After 24 h of treatment with P. atlantica, the cell viability of A549 cell lines ranged from 93.01 ± 5.24 to 57.69 ± 4.15% for concentrations of 0.5–500 µg/mL, respectively. This study expands the knowledge of the chemical composition of P. atlantica fruits and provides scientific evidence for its possible use as an anticancer medicine. The substantial anticancer activity of P. atlantica fruits may be due to the presence of isospathulenol, spathulenol, α-terpineol, limonene, terpinolene, β-myrcene, ethyl pentadecanoate, β-pinene, and caryophyllene oxide

Integrated Network Pharmacology and In-Silico Molecular Docking Studies to Unveil Mechanism of Action of Polyphenolic Compounds of Psidium Guajava for The Management of Thrombocytopenia

Despite considerable studies, thrombocytopenia is still affecting millions of people with an increasing rate of morbidity and mortality around the globe. Therefore, we aimed to identify pharmacologically active polyphenolic compounds such as quercetin, apigenin and kaempferol in Psidium guajava for the management of thrombocytopenia using network pharmacology and in-silico molecular docking. The results of ADME/Tox screening revealed that all the polyphenolic compounds possess the drug-likeness activity and were found safe. Moreover, network pharmacology revealed that polyphenolic compounds of Psidium guajava may combat diabetes by acting on key targets, such as MAPK, TP53 and TNF-α which were strongly involved in oxidative stress, inflammatory responses and blood-related parameters involved in thrombocytopenia. Further, a mechanistic approach through molecular docking also supports the strong binding sites of quercetin, apigenin and kaempferol. Conclusively, in-silico ADME, molecular docking and network pharmacology study revealed that identified compounds are safe and pharmacologically effective. These identified compounds could be a great source for the development of new anti-thrombocytopenic drugs in the future

Toxicity profiles of the hydroalocholic seed extract of Psoralea Corylifolia L Fabaceae in Wistar rats

Introduction: Ayurveda is well known system of medicine and practiced in Indian subcontinent since about 5000 years. Ayurveda offers holistic life style caring for the individual’s mind and spirit as well as their body. Psoralea corylifolia Linn. (Fabaceae) is well known traditional plant used in Ayurveda and Chinese system of medicines and known for its beneficial actions in skin diseases such as psoriasis, alopecia, leprosy, leucoderma, and vitiligo etc. Objective: The aim of present study to determine toxicity of hydroalcoholic extract of P. corylifolia in acute and sub-chronic toxicity assay models. Methods: The albino mice were used in cute toxicity study for dose ranging from 10 to 1000 mg/kg, b.w.; and in sub-chronic toxicity assay, albino wistar rat used for dose ranging from 100 to 500 mg/kg, b.w. Daily body weight, food intake and different biochemical and haematological parameters were measured. Macroscopic observation of the vital organ of the test groups when compared to the control group. Results: The results of toxicity study showed that there are no toxic symptoms produced in acute as well as in sub-chronic toxicity studies upto 1000 mg/kg, b.w. when tested in albino mice and rats orally. The overall behaviour of the animals was more active and healthy during the treatment period. It was found that there was no remarkable difference indicating the non-toxic property of the seed extract on acute toxicity and sub-acute repeated administration causes mild adverse effects. Conclusion: The current study provides scientific data on safety of P. corylifolia

PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT FRACTIONS OF TERMINALIA ARJUNA BARK BY GC-MS

Traditionally Terminalia arjuna Roxb. (T. arjuna) is being used widely to cure various diseases like cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases, and cancer etc. The aim of the present study is to phytochemical analysis of petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanolic fractions of T. arjuna bark by GC-MS analysis. The present investigation was carried out to determine the possible bioactive components of T. arjuna bark using GC-MS analysis. The GC-MS analysis of petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanolic fractions of bark of T. arjuna leads identified of 10, 12 and 16 compounds, respectively. The main identified compounds are 9-Octadecenoic acid (Z)-methyl ester (35.38 %), Hexadeca-2,6,10,14-tetraen-1-ol (34.94 %) and Furancarboxaldehyde, 5-(hydroxymethyl) (19.31 %) from petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanolic fractions of bark of T. arjuna, respectively. The present study is therefore an effort to give detailed information on phytochemical profile of T. arjuna bark by GC-MS method