ALPHA-AMYLASE AND ALPHA-GLUCOSIDASE INHIBITORY EFFECTS OF CALLIANDRA HAEMATOCEPHALA AND ITS POTENTIAL ROLE IN DIABETES MELLITUS

Objective: The global burden and the high prevalence of diabetes mellitus in India signify the importance of its control with effective measures. Particularly, intestinal alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase enzyme inhibitors reduce postprandial hyperglycemia and play a key role in preventing diabetic complications. Herbal plants also possess greater antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, and antihyperglycemic activities with minimal side effects. Hence, this study is done to elucidate the inhibition of alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase enzyme activity and antidiabetic potential of Calliandra haematocephala.Methods: The leaves of C. haematocephala extracted by ethanol as a solvent were used to elucidate the blocking of alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase enzymes for antidiabetic effect, and the absorbance was measured using spectrophotometry. The percentage of inhibition and half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of the plant and control were calculated.Results: The maximum percentage inhibition of C. haematocephala against alpha-amylase was 61% (IC50 value of 82.18 μg/ml) and alpha-glucosidase was 71% (31.07 μg/ml). The maximum percentage inhibition of acarbose against alpha-amylase was 92% (IC50 value of 42.65 μg/ml) and alpha-glucosidase was 89% (62.28 μg/ml).Conclusion: Hence, the above study proved the antidiabetic activity of C. haematocephala and its significant role in the pharmacotherapy of diabetes mellitus

Selected neurobehavioural evaluation of Leucas Aspera in wistar albino rats

Background: Leucas Aspera is used in traditional medicine for many ailments. The present study was designed to evaluate the neuro behavioural effects in Wistar albino rats after oral administration of leaves of Leucas Aspera for 28 days.Methods: Wistar albino rats of either sex were treated with the aqueous suspension of dried powdered leaves of L. aspera. Three different groups of animals received L. aspera suspension in doses of 50 mg/kg/day, 100 mg /kg/day or 200mg/kg/day orally for 28 days. The animals were weighed once in a week and the food and water consumption was monitored every day. Behavioural changes in these animals were monitored every week using Rotarod, Actophotometer and William’s maze. Results: A significant increase in body weight, food and water consumption in rats could be recorded after 3rdand 4th week of treatment with 200mg/kg/dayL.aspera. However, there were no changes in any of the behavioural responses in L .aspera treated groups compared to control.Conclusions: The unaltered neuro behavioural responses after L. aspera treatment indicate the safe nature of this medicinal plant. The significant increase in food consumption and body weight changes suggest a potential anabolic/ nutraceutical property of L. aspera

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ANTICANCER ACTIVITY OF ANGIOTENSIN RECEPTOR BLOCKERS - IRBESARTAN AND TELMISARTAN

Objective: Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are effective hypertensive drugs. Reduction in risk of lung cancer with ARBs was proven in clinical studies. Telmisartan and irbesartan are the second-generation ARBs. This study screens the anticancer activity of these two drugs in a dose-dependent manner using A549 cell line.Methods: Different concentrations of irbesartan and telmisartan were treated on A549 cells and the anticancer activity was evaluated through methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] cytotoxicity assay. The dot plot of the cytotoxicity results was used to extrapolate the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values. Microscopic changes in the cells post-treatment with these drugs were also recorded at ideal concentrations.Results: A reduction in cell viability was noted in A549 cells with increasing concentration of the drug. The IC50 values for irbesartan and telmisartan were 31.1 μg and 15.6 μg, respectively. Microscopic observation of the cells shows more rounded and deformed dead cells on telmisartan- and irbesartan-treated cells when compared with the untreated control.Conclusion: The results confirm the anticancer activity of both the drugs with telmisartan being more efficient. The anticancer activity could probably be due to the role of irbesartan and telmisartan in inhibiting mitogen-activated protein kinase cell survival pathway and local angiogenesis

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ANTI-ANGIOGENIC ACTIVITIES OF MEDICINAL PLANTS AND ITS THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL IN ANGIOGENESIS-DEPENDENT DISORDERS

AbstractIntroductionAngiogenesis, the process of new vessel growth from pre-existing capillaries is involved in physiological and pathological process such as embryonic development, wound healing, diabetic retinopathy ,chronic inflammation, tumor growth and metastasis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induced angiogenesis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy and cancer and anti VEGF factor agents are found to be effective . VEGF inhibitors from plant sources show promising result recently. So this study is designed to evaluate and compare the VEGF inhibitory effect of the herbs Osimum Sanctum, Andrographis paniculata, Syzygium cumini and Ginkgo biloba by using in vivo models.Methods: Both Corneal neovascularization assay and Chick Chorioallantoic membrane assays were used for evaluation. The induced neovascularization was compared with control and extract treated groups.Results: The acute and repeated dose toxicity tests showed that the extracts are safe on oral administration. And also the results showed significant antiangiogenic effect of individual extract and their combination in both in vivo models. However the combination of the extract showed excellent result (p <0.001) by reducing neovascularization in both modelsConclusion: The above results suggested that combination of the above extracts have promising future in the management of angiogenesis dependent disorders.Key words: Osimum Sanctum, Andrographis paniculata, Syzygium cumini, Ginkgo biloba,   Angiogenesis, chorioallantoic membrane, angiogenesis dependent disorders

Sinapis arvensis-Wild Mustard as an Anti-inflammatory Agent: An In-vitro Study

Introduction: Inflammation is body’s immune response to harmful stimulus. Commonly used conventional anti-inflammatory agents are Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). But on prolonged long-term use, it causes serious adverse events. So, the search towards natural agents which have anti-inflammatory property are increasing nowadays. Sinapis arvensis is an annual flowering plant which has proven multipurpose medicinal phytoconstituents. Aim: To evaluate in-vitro anti-inflammatory effects of flower extracts of Sinapis arvensis with diclofenac as standard. Materials and Methods: This in-vitro study assessed the laboratory based anti-inflammatory activity, performed using Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) assay in December 2021 at Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. BSA at pH of 6.8 generated denatured proteins. The anti-inflammatory activity of the sample (flower extracts of Sinapis arvensis) and standard (Diclofenac) was assessed by adding to BSA and percentage of inhibition of denaturation were calculated using the formula based on the absorbance measured. Descriptive statistics was used for analysis of collected data. Results: The concentration-dependent inhibition of protein denaturation was observed for both Sinapis arvensis and Diclofenac. At 100 μg concentration, percentage of inhibition reached up to 81.8% and 100% for Sinapis arvensis and Diclofenac, respectively. Conclusion: The present study showed that flower extracts of Sinapis arvensis exhibited concentration dependent anti-inflammatory property invitro which proves to be nearly equivalent with that of the standard Diclofenac