Ethnobotany of the Monpa ethnic group at Arunachal Pradesh, India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The present paper documents the uses of plants in traditional herbal medicine for human and veterinary ailments, and those used for dietary supplements, religious purpose, local beverage, and plants used to poison fish and wild animals. Traditional botanical medicine is the primary mode of healthcare for most of the rural population in Arunachal Pradesh.</p> <p>Materials and methods</p> <p>Field research was conducted between April 2006 and March 2009 with randomly selected 124 key informants using semi-structured questionnaire. The data obtained was analyzed through informant consensus factor (F_IC) to determine the homogeneity of informant's knowledge on medicinal plants.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We documented 50 plants species belonging to 29 families used for treating 22 human and 4 veterinary ailments. Of the medicinal plants reported, the most common growth form was herbs (40%) followed by shrubs, trees, and climbers. Leaves were most frequently used plant parts. The consensus analysis revealed that the dermatological ailments have the highest F_IC(0.56) and the gastro-intestinal diseases have F_IC(0.43). F_ICvalues indicated that there was high agreement in the use of plants in dermatological and gastro-intestinal ailments category among the users. <it>Gymnocladus assamicus </it>is a critically rare and endangered species used as disinfectant for cleaning wounds and parasites like leeches and lice on livestocks. Two plant species (<it>Illicium griffithii </it>and <it>Rubia cordifolia</it>) are commonly used for traditional dyeing of clothes and food items. Some of the edible plants recorded in this study were known for their treatment against high blood pressure (<it>Clerodendron colebrookianum</it>), diabetes mellitus (<it>Momordica charantia</it>), and intestinal parasitic worms like round and tape worms (<it>Lindera neesiana</it>, <it>Solanum etiopicum</it>, and <it>Solanum indicum</it>). The Monpas of Arunachal Pradesh have traditionally been using <it>Daphne papyracea </it>for preparing hand-made paper for painting and writing religious scripts in Buddhist monasteries. Three plant species (<it>Derris scandens</it>, <it>Aesculus assamica</it>, and <it>Polygonum hydropiper</it>) were frequently used to poison fish during the month of June-July every year and the underground tuber of <it>Aconitum ferrox </it>is widely used in arrow poisoning to kill ferocious animals like bear, wild pigs, gaur and deer. The most frequently cited plant species; <it>Buddleja asiatica </it>and <it>Hedyotis scandens </it>were used as common growth supplements during the preparation of fermentation starter cultures.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The traditional pharmacopoeia of the Monpa ethnic group incorporates a myriad of diverse botanical flora. Traditional knowledge of the remedies is passed down through oral traditions without any written document. This traditional knowledge is however, currently threatened mainly due to acculturation and deforestation due to continuing traditional shifting cultivation. This study reveals that the rural populations in Arunachal Pradesh have a rich knowledge of forest-based natural resources and consumption of wild edible plants is still an integral part of their socio-cultural life. Findings of this documentation study can be used as an ethnopharmacological basis for selecting plants for future phytochemical and pharmaceutical studies.</p

Translational Up-Regulation and High-Level Protein Expression from Plasmid Vectors by mTOR Activation via Different Pathways in PC3 and 293T Cells

BACKGROUND: Though 293T cells are widely used for expression of proteins from transfected plasmid vectors, the molecular basis for the high-level expression is yet to be understood. We recently identified the prostate carcinoma cell line PC3 to be as efficient as 293T in protein expression. This study was undertaken to decipher the molecular basis of high-level expression in these two cell lines. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a survey of different cell lines for efficient expression of platelet-derived growth factor-B (PDGF-B), β-galactosidase (β-gal) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) from plasmid vectors, PC3 was found to express at 5-50-fold higher levels compared to the bone metastatic prostate carcinoma cell line PC3BM and many other cell lines. Further, the efficiency of transfection and level of expression of the reporters in PC3 were comparable to that in 293T. Comparative analyses revealed that the high level expression of the reporters in the two cell lines was due to increased translational efficiency. While phosphatidic acid (PA)-mediated activation of mTOR, as revealed by drastic reduction in reporter expression by n-butanol, primarily contributed to the high level expression in PC3, multiple pathways involving PA, PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 appear to contribute to the abundant reporter expression in 293T. Thus the extent of translational up-regulation attained through the concerted activation of mTOR by multiple pathways in 293T could be achieved through its activation primarily by the PA pathway in PC3. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our studies reveal that the high-level expression of proteins from plasmid vectors is effected by translational up-regulation through mTOR activation via different signaling pathways in the two cell lines and that PC3 is as efficient as 293T for recombinant protein expression. Further, PC3 offers an advantage in that the level of expression of the protein can be regulated by simple addition of n-butanol to the culture medium

Anti-malarial herbal remedies of northeast India, Assam: An ethnobotanical survey

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Malaria is a serious public health problem in the north-eastern region of India including Assam, in view of development of chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum. There is need for alternative and affordable therapy. Aim of the study: This study was conducted to document indigenous knowledge, usage customs and practices of medicinal plant species traditionally used by the residents of Sonitpur district of Tezpur, Assam to treat malaria and its associated symptoms. Materials and methods:A total of 50 randomly selected sampling represented by male (38.76%) and female respondents (12.24%) were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: The present ethno-botanical survey revealed 22 species of plants belonging to 17 botanical families were reported to be used exclusively in this region for the treatment of malaria. Verbenaceae (three species), Menispermaceae (two species), and Acanthaceae (two species) botanical families represented the species that are most commonly cited in this survey work and the detailed use of plants has been collected and described. Conclusions: The most serious threat to the existing knowledge and practice on traditional medicinal plants included cultural change, particularly the influence of modernization and lack of interests shown by the next younger generations were the main problems reported by the informants during the field survey. Hence, the proper documentation of traditional medicinal plants being used as anti-malarial agents and related indigenous knowledge held by the tribal community is an important approach to control the spread of vector-borne diseases like malaria reported in this survey work. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in the Eastern Himalayan zone of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Aim of the study: The medicinal plants are integral source of easily available remedy used in rural healthcare system. This study was conducted among three major ethnic groups namely the Nocte, the Nyishi and the Adi in the Eastern Himalayan region of Arunachal Pradesh to evaluate their comparative knowledge on medicinal plants. Materials and methods: The three remote districts of Arunachal Pradesh namely the Tirap, the Dibang Valley and the Papum Pare were surveyed through interviewing of randomly selected 237 participants using semi-structured questionnaire and regular field visits to selected districts. Results: We recorded the traditional use of 74 medicinal plants species belonging to 41 taxonomic plant families used for treating a total of 25 different diseases/ailments. The informant consensus factor (ICF) values demonstrated that local people tend to agree more with each other in terms of the plants used to treat malaria (0.71), jaundice (0.62), urological problems (0.56), dermatological disorders (0.45), pain (0.30), and respiratory disorder (0.33), and while the general health (0.15) and gastro-intestinal disorders category (0.28) were found low ICF values. Conclusion: Of the total 74 species recorded, the highest number of medicinal plants (36 species) was reported from the Adi of Lower Dibang Valley followed by the Nocte of the Tirap (25 species) and the Nyishi ethnic groups of Papum Pare districts (13 species). In the present study, we found that the men, elder people and illiterate ones had better knowledge on medicinal plants as compared to women, younger and literate people. Findings of this documentation study can be used as an ethnopharmacological basis for selecting plants for future phytochemical and pharmaceutical studies. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Analysis of the differential effect of n-Butanol, U0126, Wortmannin and LY294002 on reporter gene expression and phosphorylation of mTOR in transfected PC3 and 293T cells.

<p>Effect of n-butanol on expression of (<b>A</b>) GFP; (<b>B</b>) β-Gal, and (<b>C</b>) Inhibition of phosphorylation of mTOR by n-butanol; Effect of U0126 (U0), Wortmannin (Wort) and LY294002 (LY) on (<b>D</b>) β-Gal and (<b>E</b>) GFP expression. Proteins were separated by 12–14% SDS-PAGE and detected by immunoblotting using antibodies specific to GFP and β-Gal.</p

Evaluation of anti-inflammatory potential of Chloranthus erectus (Buch.-Ham.) Verd. leaf extract in rats

Aim of the study: Chloranthus erectus (Buch.-Ham.) Verdcourt (Chloranthaceae) is a shrub native to tropical and temperate zone of Eastern Himalaya of India and South-East Asia and have traditionally been used as a folklore medicine to treat localised swelling, joint pain, skin inflammation, fever and bodyache. In this study, an attempthas been made to demonstrate the anti-inflammatory activity of methanol extract obtained from Chloranthus erectus leaves (MECEL) in acute, sub-acute and chronic mouse models. Materials and methods: Inflammation in the hind paw of Wistar albino rat was induced by carrageenan, histamine and serotonin, and tissue granuloma pouch was induced by cotton pellet method. Antiinflammatory drug-phenylbutazone was used as standard drug for comparison. Results: In acute carrageenan-induced rat hind paw edema, oral administration of MECEL at 200 mg/kg produced significant inhibition of edema by 38.34 % (p&lt;0.01) while the histamine- and serotonin-induced sub-acute model, the inhibition of paw edema reached 52.54 % (p &lt; 0.001) and 25.5 % (p &lt; 0.01), respectively. in a 7-day study, MECEL at 20 and 50 mg/kg produced significant suppression of cotton pellet-induced tissue granuloma formation in rats. Conclusions: This preliminary study revealed that the methanol extract of Chloranthus erectus exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity in the tested models, and may provide the scientific rationale for its popular folk medicine as anti-inflammatory agent

Comparative analysis of the translational regulatory proteins and different signaling pathway proteins in PC3 and 293 T cells.

<p>(<b>A</b>) Analysis of mTOR target proteins 4EBP1, S6, eEF2K and p70S6K. (<b>B</b>) mTOR and TSC2. (<b>C</b>) PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2. (<b>D</b>) PKC. 200 µg of cell lysate was used for PKC analysis and 50 µg was used for analysis of other proteins.</p

An ethnobotanical study of traditional anti-inflammatory plants used by the Lohit community of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Aim of the study: Most people especially in rural areas depend on herbal medicines to treat many diseases including inflammation-related ailments such as rheumatism, muscle swelling, cut wound, accidental bone fracture, insect bites, pains and burn by fire and hot water. The objectives of this study were: to catalog ethno-medicinal plants of Lohit community, ecological status, indigenous folk medicinal uses, morphological parts used and to determine their reported pharmacological studies. Materials and methods: The ethnobotanical information on traditional medicinal plants exclusively used for management of inflammation-related ailments by the Khampti community of Arunachal Pradesh, India was based on first-hand field survey work through semi-structured interviews. Results and conclusion: A total of 34 species in 32 genera and 22 families were encountered during the field survey. Botanical families such as Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Zingiberaceae and Lamiaceae were represented by the highest numbers of species reported in this study. Thirteen plant species, namely: Bombax ceiba, Canarium strictum, Chloranthus erectus, Xanthium indicum, Lycopodium clavatum, Coleus blumei, Batrachospermum atrum, Chlorella vulgaris, Marchantia palmata, Marchantia polymorpha, Eria pannea, Sterculia villosa and Alpinia galanga are reported for the first time for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases

Analysis of RNA and protein levels derived from the transfected expression vectors of PDGF-B, GFP and β-Gal in PC3, PC3BM, HeLa, 293T and MA104 cells.

<p>(<b>A</b>) PDGF-B mRNA levels were determined by RNase protection Assay. The 144 nt protected band corresponds to PDGF-B and the 120 nt band represents that of β-Actin mRNA. (<b>B</b>) RT-PCR of β-Gal, GFP and β-Actin mRNA in pcDNA3-β-Gal and pcDNA3-GFP transfected cells. (<b>C</b>) Radioimmunoprecipitation of PDGF-B protein expressed in pCMV-PDGF-B transfected cells using an N-terminal antibody <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0014408#pone.0014408-Rao2" target="_blank">[69]</a>. (<b>D</b>) Levels of β-Gal, GFP and β-Tubulin proteins in pcDNA3- β-Gal and -GFP transfected cells. 50 µg of transfected cell lysate was analyzed for GFP and β-Gal levels by SDS-PAGE. (<b>E</b>) β-galactosidase assay using the β-Gal ELISA Kit from Roche Diagnostics. (<b>F</b>) Fluorescence microscopy and bright field (BF) images of 293T, PC3BM, HeLa and PC3 cells transfected with pcDNA-GFP reporter gene construct. (<b>G</b>) Analysis of the fold differences in expression of the reporter mRNA and protein levels between PC3 and HeLa, and PC3 and PC3BM.</p