STUDY OF ANTI-ANAEMIC EFFECT OF SCHREBERA SWIETENIOIDES ROXB. IN RAT MODELS

Objective: Ethnobotanical survey of Schrebera swietenioides Roxb revealed the bark of the tree to be useful in anemia. The objective of this study wasto study the ant-anemic effect of methanolic extract of root bark of S. swietenioides Roxb. against phenylhydrazine induced anemic rat model.Methods: The methanolic extracts of Leaf, Stem bark, and Root bark were prepared by soxhlation. Phytochemical analysis of the extracts was performedusing standard testing procedures. The total phenolic content (TPC) of Schrebera leaf extract, Schrebera stem bark extract and Schrebera root barkextract (SRE) was determined by Folin–Ciocalteu method. Hemolytic anemia was induced in male Wistar rats by intraperitoneal administrationof phenylhydrazine HCl (PHZ) at doses of 40 mg/kg body weight/day for 3 consecutive days. Anemic rats were orally treated with SRE at doses of200 and 350 mg/kg body wt/day. The rats were analyzed for hematological parameters such as hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell count (RBC) andhematocrit or packed cell volume (PCV) on day 4 and 14.Results: Phytochemical screening of the extracts indicated the presence of carbohydrates, saponins, sterols, polyphenols, tannins, and flavonoids.Folin–Ciocalteu method of testing for TPC demonstrated SRE to be rich in total phenols with a value of 266 mg GAE/g of dry extract. Anemia wasinduced successfully in Groups II, III, IV, and V, which was indicated by a mean reduction of 51.6% in RBC count; 53.85% in Hb content, and 54.9% inPCV. Analysis of hematological parameters on day 14 showed that SRE significantly (p<0.05) improved Hb, RBC count, and PCV at a dose of 350 mg/kgbody weight.Conclusion: This study, not only substantiates the folklore use of the root bark of S. swietenioides, but also suggests its inclusion in the treatment ofanemia as it exhibited significant anti-anemic activity.Keywords: Schrebera swietenioides, Anemia, Hematological parameters, Phenyl hydrazine, Hematocrit

DEVELOPMENT OF HERBAL MOSQUITO REPELLENT FORMULATIONS AND THEIR COMPARATIVE EVALUATION

Objective: The aim of the present research work was to develop herbal mosquito repellents as gels, incense sticks & liquids for plug-in-devices and also to assess their performance characteristics. Method: herbal materials possessing mosquito repellent activity were selected from literature review based on percentage repellency and protection period. In this study lavender, rosemary, lemon grass and cedar wood oils were selected as actives. Span 20, tween 80 were used to emulsify the volatile materials and then incorporated into Carbopol 934 base to form  F1 and F2 gels which were evaluated for homogeneity, pH, spredability, viscosity and extrudability. Incense sticks were developed using charcoal and jigat as base materials. The prepared incense sticks F3 and F4 were evaluated for burning time, ash weight and smoke. Solutions F5 and F6 were prepared using surfactants and cosolvents and were evaluated for phase separation. All formulations were screened for their mosquito repellency by screen cage method and their performance was compared to that of the marketed herbal repellents.                                                                           Results: Reared mosquitoes were identified as Culex species by microscopical observations of antenna and maxillary palps.  Mosquito repellency in 4hrs are 93%, 87%, 89%, 79%, 89%, 85%   for F1, F2, F3, F4, F5 and F6 and respectively. Among all, gel formulation F1 expressed the highest mosquito repellent activity with 93% and is a better candidate.                                        Conclusions: Gel, incense sticks and liquids prepared for use in plug in devices exhibited reasonably good percentage repellency comparable to that of the standard. All the developed formulations are suitable for indoor protection from mosquito bites. However, safety, stability and field studies need to be carried out to demonstrate suitability for regular use. &nbsp