Medicinal plants commonly used against cancer in traditional medicine formulae in Sri Lanka

Cancer is a global burden. In low- and middle-income countries around 70% of deaths are due to cancer. For a number of years natural products have been a good source of agents for combatting cancer and plants have played a huge role in anti-cancer product development. For many centuries, indigenous cultures around the world have used traditional herbal medicine to treat a myriad of diseases including cancer. In Sri Lanka, a number of plants have been reported to have anti-cancer properties and some of the commonly used plants are described in this review with an account of their compounds and modes of action. Only a small number of the plants in Sri Lanka have been tested for their bioactivity and more research is required to determine their medicinal activity with the aim of developing novel drugs to fight this disease. Keywords: Plants with anti-cancer properties, Traditional medicine, Cance

Characterization of Daboia russelii and Naja naja venom neutralizing ability of an undocumented indigenous medication in Sri Lanka

Background: Indigenous medicinal practice in Sri Lanka talks about powerful compounds extracted from native plants for treating venomous snake bites which are hardly documented in literature but are used by the indigenous doctors for thousand years. Objective: We screened the neutralizing ability of a herbal preparation practiced in indigenous medicine of Sri Lanka, consisting of Sansevieria cylindrica, Jatropha podagrica and Citrus aurantiifolia, for its ability to neutralize venom toxins of Naja naja (Common Cobra) and Daboia russelii (Russell's viper). Materials and methods: The venom toxicity was evaluated using a 5-day old chicken embryo model observing the pathophysiology and the mortality for six hours, in the presence or absence of the herbal preparation. The known toxin families to exist in snake venom, such as Phospholipase A2, Snake venom Metalloprotease, were evaluated to understand the mechanism of venom neutralizing ability of the herbal preparation. Results: The LD50 of D. russelii venom, as measured using the 5-day old chicken embryo model, was 4.8 ± 0.865 ug (R2 = 84.8%, P = 0.079). The pre-incubation of venom with the herbal preparation increased the LD50 of D. russelii venom to 17.64 ± 1.35 μg (R2 = 81.0%, P = 0.100), showing a clear neutralizing action of D. russelii venom toxicity by the herbal medicine. Whereas the pre-incubation of venom with the 1× venom neutralizing dose of commercially available polyvalent anti-venom serum shifted the LD50 venom only up to 5.5 ± 1.35 μg (R2 = 98.8%, P = 0.069). In the presence of the herbal preparation, Phospholipase A2 activity of D. russelii venom was significantly reduced from 9.2 × 10−3 mM min−1 to 8.0 × 10−3 mM min−1 and that of N. naja from 2.92 × 10−2 mM min−1 to 0.188 × 10−2 mM min−1. Further, the pre-incubation of N. naja venom with the herbal preparation significantly reduced its Metalloprotease activity from 0.069 units min−1 to 0.019 units min−1. Conclusion: The herbal preparation shows a clear neutralizing action against the toxicities of D. russelii and N. naja venoms demonstrating the potential to be used as a plant based antidote for snake envenomation

Ethnopharmacological Use and Biological Activities of Tragia involucrata L.

Plants have been utilized as medicines to treat various ailments since ancient times. Formulations made by plant materials have been used in traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine and remain widespread in both developing and developed countries. In developing countries, traditional medicines are widely practiced due to its accessibility and affordability, while in developed countries, complementary and alternative medicine are widely popular due to the adverse effects of chemical drugs. Tragia involucrata Linn. (family: Euphorbiaceae) is a highly used medicinal plant used in both Sri Lankan and Indian traditional medical systems. Since this plant is a weed, it is being extensively destroyed due to the lack of knowledge regarding the medicinal value of this plant. Hence, the objective of this study was to collect data on the medicinal value of this plant by correlating its scientifically validated biological activities with its ethnopharmacological uses. An attempt was made to gather as much information available regarding the ethnopharmacological uses and scientifically validated biological activities of Tragia involucrata through authentic traditional texts, scientific journals, and other authentic texts regarding medicinal plants. Thus, the review provides an insight to the capability of Tragia involucrata to be used as a monoherbal formulation for diseases pertaining to multiple systems of the body. With all the scientifically validated biological activities and the ethnopharmacological uses, Tragia involucrata may qualify as a potent candidate to be developed into a phytomedicine to be utilized as both a preventive and as a therapeutic agent

IEDB conservancy analysis of capsid peptides.

<p>IEDB conservancy analysis of capsid peptides.</p

Mean OD_450nm^* values of positive peptides among four serotypes.

<p>Mean OD_450nm^{<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0178009#t003fn001" target="_blank">*</a>} values of positive peptides among four serotypes.</p

ELISA responses^* of capsid peptides.

<p>ELISA responses<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0178009#t002fn001" target="_blank">^*</a> of capsid peptides.</p