Current status of herbal and their future perspectives

Traditional medicine is the synthesis of therapeutic experience of generations of practicing physicians of indigenous systems of medicine. Throughout the history of mankind, many infectious diseases have been treated with herbals. The traditional medicine is increasingly solicited through the tradipractitioners and herbalists in the treatment of infectious diseases. Among the remedies used, plant drugs constitute an important part. A number of scientific investigations have highlighted the importance and the contribution of many plant families i.e. Asteraceae, Liliaceae, Apocynaceae, Solanaceae, Caesalpinaceae, Rutaceae, Piperaceae, Sapotaceae used as medicinal plants. Medicinal plants play a vital role for the development of new drugs (export and import diverse parts or bioactive compounds in the current market). The bioactive extract should be standardized on the basis of active compound. The bioactive extract should undergo limited safety studies

Emodin Suppresses Migration and Invasion through the Modulation of CXCR4 Expression in an Orthotopic Model of Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma

10.1371/journal.pone.0057015PLoS ONE83

Identification of a Novel Calotropis procera Protein That Can Suppress Tumor Growth in Breast Cancer through the Suppression of NF-κB Pathway

10.1371/journal.pone.0048514PLoS ONE712

Toxicological Assessment of Herbal Medicine in Rats

Protein profiles analysis of liver, kidney and spleen by SDS-PAGE in aqueous leaf extract of Tragia involucrata L. (Euphorbiaceae) was injected intraperitoneally in albino rats for 30 days. The variation of protein changes was recorded. In liver, the aqueous leaf extracts treated (1500 mg/kg body/weight) group did not exhibit a marked increase in any of the polypeptides over control. But in the case of other treatments (250, 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg body weight doses) the profile showed significant increases in the accumulation of all polypeptides that were quantified using densitometry. This concludes that the aqueous leaf extract influenced the accumulation of polypeptide in higher concentration. Extra polypeptides may be responsible for the protective action

Melioidosis: Clinical impact and public health threat in the tropics.

This review briefly summarizes the geographical distribution and clinical impact of melioidosis, especially in the tropics. Burkholderia pseudomallei (a gram-negative bacterium) is the major causative agent for melioidosis, which is prevalent in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Northern Australia. Melioidosis patients are increasingly being recognized in other parts of the world. The bacteria are intrinsically resistant to many antimicrobial agents, but prolonged treatment, especially with combinations of antibiotics, may be effective. Despite therapy, the overall case fatality rate of septicemia in melioidosis remains significantly high. Intracellular survival of the bacteria within macrophages may progress to chronic infections, and about 10% of patients suffer relapses. In the coming decades, melioidosis will increasingly afflict travelers throughout many global regions. Clinicians managing travelers returning from the subtropics or tropics with severe pneumonia or septicemia should consider acute melioidosis as a differential diagnosis. Patients with open skin wounds, diabetes, or chronic renal disease are at higher risk for melioidosis and should avoid direct contact with soil and standing water in endemic regions. Furthermore, there are fears that B. pseudomallei may be used as a biological weapon. Technological advancements in molecular diagnostics and antibiotic therapy are improving the disease outcomes in endemic areas throughout Asia. Research and development efforts on vaccine candidates against melioidosis are ongoing