OXIDATIVE STRESS REDUCING AND LIVER PROTECTIVE EFFICACY OF ETHYL ACETATE FRACTION ISOLATED FROM PAJANELIA LONGIFOLIA (WILLD) K. SCHUMAN

Objectives: We investigated the liver protective as well as oxidative stress reducing activity of isolated fractions (Pajanelia fraction-1, 2, and 3 [PF1, PF2, and [PF3]) from ethyl acetate extract of Indian medicinal plant Pajanelia longifolia (Willd.) K. Schuman.Methods: The liver protective activity of fractions was evaluated against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) (0.5 ml/kg body weight intraperitoneal [b.w. i.p.]) induced hepatic damage in Swiss albino mice. Isolated fractions (at dose level of 150 mg/kg b.w. per orally [p.o.]) were administered to mice before 30 minutes of CCl4 administration. Silymarin at a dose of 50 mg/kg b.w. p.o. was taken as a standard drug. The liver protective activity of fractions was measured on serum biochemical parameters such as serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, serum alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin (total). Further antioxidant activity of fractions was also measured on antioxidant enzymatic and non-enzymatic levels such as reduced glutathione, lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase.Results: The in vivo study revealed that the PF3 most effectively protected the liver from damage by CCl4. The findings were also confirmed by histopathological observations. High-performance liquid chromatography result was clearly indicated that the fraction was pure.Conclution: Ethyl acetate fraction (Pajanelia fraction 3) from P. longifolia may be considered as a liver protective agent

COMPUTATIONAL STUDY ON THE ANGIOTENSIN CONVERTING ENZYME INHIBITORY POTENTIAL OF THE TEA POLYPHENOLS – CATECHINS: RELEVANCE TO CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES

Objectives: Secondary metabolites obtained from different plants have been the starting material for designing different drugs. Polyphenols are the secondary metabolites that shows myriad varieties of pharmacological activities. Different polyphenols have been found to be cardioprotective and paved the path towards development of cardioprotective formulations. In the present study, we have analyzed the inhibitory potential of tea catechins, a group of polyphenols, on the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) - the enzyme responsible for various cardiovascular diseases.Methods: Binding affinity of catechins against known cardioprotective drug target were calculated by performing the docking experiment using FlexX and IC50 values of the compounds were predicted by QSAR analysis.Results: ADMET screening revealed that catechins were non-toxic and obeyed Lipinski's rule. The docking studies showed greater affinity of the catechins towards the active site of drug target. QSAR analysis revealed that the catechins have significant IC 50 values.Conclusion: The study suggests that catechins may be Angiotensin Converting Enzyme targeted potent new drug for treating Cardiovascular diseases.Â

HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF OXALIS DEBILIS KUNTH AGAINST CCL4 - INDUCED LIVER DAMAGE

  Objective: To evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of aqueous extract of Oxalis debilis Kunth in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity in Swiss albino mice.Methods: Hepatotoxicity was induced by CCl4 30% in olive oil (1 ml/kg intraperitoneally). Mice were treated with aqueous extract of O. debilis at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight orally for 14 days. There were two groups, pre-treatment (once daily for 14 days before CCl4 intoxication) and post-treatment (2, 6, 24, and 48 hrs after CCl4 intoxication). The observed effects were compared with a known hepatoprotective agent, silymarin.Results: Pre-treatment and post-treatment groups of aqueous extract of O. debilis significantly reduced elevated serum levels of serum transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin and increased the level of total protein as compared to CCl4-treated group. The histopathological study also confirms the hepatoprotection. Preliminary qualitative phytochemical analysis of the plant revealed the presence of phenolic compounds, tannins, flavonoids, and saponins.Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that O. debilis can be used as safe, cheap, and alternative preventive and protective drugs against liver injury. The protective effect observed could be attributed to the presence of various phytochemicals which are responsible for the restoration of liver damage

ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL PROFILE OF PAJANELIA LONGIFOLIA (WILLD.) K. SCHUMAN.; POTENTIAL NEW SOURCES OF NATURAL ANTIOXIDANT.

Objectives: The aim of the present work is to screen the antioxidant potentiality of the bark extracts of Pajanelia longifolia (Willd.) K. Schuman, ethnomedicinally prescribed plant as hepatoprotective. Methods: Bark extract was prepared using Soxhlet apparatus. Total phenol, flavonoid, total alkaloid were analyzed using Folin–Ciocalteu assay, aluminum chloride calorimetric assay, atropine standard, respectively. Antioxidant capacity and free radical scavenging potentialities were done by various in vitro methods, viz.; 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, reducing power assay, metal chelating activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method. Result: Total phenol, flavonoid, and alkaloid were found to be highest in acetone extract of P. longifolia (Willd.) K. Schuman. Acetone extracts of the bark of P. longifolia (Willd.) K. Schuman showed very low inhibitory concentration 50 (IC50) and effective concentration 50 values for DPPH assay and reducing power assay compared to other extracts. In hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity assay, the lowest IC50 value was recorded in acetone extract with 181.78±0.09 μg/ml in P. longifolia. The FRAP assay for P. longifolia acetone extract showed the highest activity at 967±0.69 μg/ml of ascorbic acid equivalent. The ferric reducing capacity and TBA values of the plant extracts confirmed the presence antioxidant principles in the bark of the said plant. Conclusion: These underused plants may be used for mitigating the detrimental effect of oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species-mediated disease and thus justifies its use in folklore medicines.Â

Some Antipyretic Ethno-medicinal Plants of Manipuri Community of Barak Valley, Assam, India

This ethnobotanical survey was carried out to collect the information on the use of some antipyretic activity plants used by Manipuri community of Barak valley, Assam. A total of 26 nos. of antipyretic plant species belonging to 20 families and 23 genera have been recorded through structured questionnaires in consultations with the community practitioners. For curing fever the use of aboveground plant parts was higher (65.38%) than the underground plant parts (15.38%). Of the aboveground plant parts, leaf was used in the majority of cases (13 species), followed by whole plant part (5 species), fruit (1 species), bark (1 species), flower (2 species), root (2 species ), and rhizome (2 species ), were also found to be in use by the Manipuri community of Barak valley, Assam having antipyretic activity plants. The present paper implies the potential of the traditional knowledge for the mankind.Some of the interesting plants are Canna indica L., and Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L) P.Beauv

Effect of various mordants in Kum dyed cotton, silk and woollen yarns

The colour fastness properties, tensile strength and elongation percentage of various yarns such as cotton, wool and silk, naturally dyed with fermented Kum leaves [Strobilanthes cusia (Nees) Kuntze] using traditional technique of cold and heating process and chemical technique with metallic salts have been studied. The colour fastness in both traditional and chemical technique shows fair to excellent results. Except for some cases in silk and woollen yarns, the tensile strength and elongation percentage of all the dyed yarns are found to be higher as compared to that of the grey yarn. In cotton yarn, both traditional and chemical pre-mordanting techniques show improvement in colourfastness and high tensile strength and elongation percentage as compared to grey yarn

IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF BARK EXTRACTS OF OROXYLUM INDICUM (L) VENT

  Objectives: The aim of the present work is to screen the antioxidant potentiality of the bark extract of Oroxylum indicum (L) Vent, ethnomedicinally prescribed plant as hepatoprotective.Methods: Bark extracts were prepared using soxhlet apparatus. Total phenol, flavonoid, and total alkaloid were analyzed using Folin–Ciocalteu assay, aluminum chloride colorimetric assay, atropine standard, respectively. Antioxidant capacity and free radical scavenging potentialities were done by several in vitro methods, viz.; 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, reducing power assay, metal chelating activity, ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) assay, and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method.Result: Total phenol, flavonoid, and alkaloid were found to be highest in methanolic extract of O. indicum (L) Vent. Methanolic extract of the bark showed very low inhibitory concentration (IC50) and effective concentration values for DPPH assay and reducing power assay compared to another extract. In hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity assay, the lowest IC50 value was recorded in methanolic extract with 153.45±0.06 μg/ml. The FRAP assay for O. indicum methanolic extract showed the highest activity at 940.09±0.07 μg/mL of ascorbic acid equivalent. The ferric reducing capacity and TBA values of the plant extracts confirmed the presence antioxidant principles in the bark of the said plant.Conclusion: These underused plants may be used for mitigating the detrimental effect of oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species-mediated disease and thus justifies its use in folklore medicines

ANTIOXIDATIVE AND FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING POTENTIALS OF CYCLOSORUS INTERRUPTUS (WILLD.) H. ITÔ AND PRONEPHRIUM NUDATUM (ROXB. EX GRIFF.) HOLTTUM

Objectives: The work aims to screen the antioxidative potentials of different crude extracts of the fronds of two medicinally important pteridophytes of Southern Assam, India, namely, Cyclosorus interruptus (Willd.) H. Itô and Pronephrium nudatum (Roxb. ex Griff.) Holttum. Methods: Frond extracts of the pteridophytes were prepared by Soxhlet hot extraction method. Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of the hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone, and methanol extracts of the fronds of the plants were done by following standard protocol. In vitro assessment of the antioxidative behavior of the extracts was performed using standard 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging assay, reducing power assay, metal chelating assay, hydroxyl, superoxide, and 2,2’- azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline - 6 – sulfonic acid) radical scavenging methods in different in vitro systems. Results: Preliminary phytochemical analysis implicated the presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds in all the frond extracts. The methanol extract of the fronds of both the plants showed maximum phenolic and flavonoid contents in comparison to the other extracts, however, that of C. interruptus was found to be higher than P. nudatum. Antioxidative potentials of the said extracts were also found to be impressive and noteworthy. The decreasing order of the antioxidative efficacies of the extracts was found to be same as that of TPC and TFC of the extracts. Conclusion: It is pertinent to comment that the methanol extract of the fronds of both the plants may be treated as a potential source of natural antioxidants