ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF MANILKARA ZAPOTA LEAF EXTRACT

Objective: Manilkara zapota is a medicinal plant which is native to Mexico and Central America, and widely distributed in India. Various parts of this plant are traditionally used for treatment of several diseases, including inflammation-associated ailments. The main aim of the present study is to evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of ethyl acetate and methanolic extracts of M. zapota leaf.Methods: In vitro secretary phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and 5-Lipoxygenase (5-LOX) assays and In vivo studies using carrageenan induced rat paw edema model were performed to assess the anti-inflammatory activity of M. zapota leaf extracts.Results: In vitro studies suggest that M. zapota leaf extracts exhibited significant SPLA2 and 5-LOX inhibitory activities. In in vivo studies M. zapota leaf extracts showed dose dependent inhibition of carrageenan induced paw edema in rats. The anti-inflammatory activity of ethyl acetate leaf extract was superior to methanolic extract.Conclusion: This study concluded that ethyl acetate leaf extract of M. zapotaexhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity and warranted further investigation to isolate and identify the components.Â

Towards an understating of signal transduction protein interaction networks

Protein network analysis has witnessed a number of advancements in the past for understanding molecular characteristics for important network topologies in biological systems. The signaling pathway regulates cell cycle progression and anti-apoptotic molecules. This pathway is also involved in maintaining cell survival by modulating the activity of apoptosis through RAS, P13K, AKT and BAD activities. The importance of protein-protein interactions to improve usability of the interactome by scoring and ranking interaction data for proteins in signal transduction networks is illustrated using available data and resources

Suppressive effect of Strychnos nux-vomica on induction of ovalbumin-specific IgE antibody response in mice

341-344Strychnos nux-vomica Linn. (SNV; Loganiaceae), a medicinal plant has been used as folk medicine for alleviating inflammation, joint pains and allergic symptoms. In the present study, we examined its possible immunomodulatory effect on induction of ovalbumin (OVA)-specific IgE antibody response in a murine model, as evaluated by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA). The OVA-specific IgE antibody response was significantly suppressed in BALB/c mice (H-2d), following intraperitoneal administration of aqueous stem extract of the plant along with OVA. Furthermore, the different doses of SNV extract were found to significantly suppress the induction of OVA-specific IgE antibody response. The anti-OVA IgE antibody response was suppressed in different haplotypes of mice viz., C57BL/6 (H-2b) and SWR/J (H-2q). However, preliminary findings revealed no significant change in the total IgG antibody response against OVA, as evaluated by ELISA. These results confirm the suppressive activity of S. nux-vomica on allergen-specific IgE antibody response and suggest its possible application in allergic conditions

Immunomodulation of ovalbumin-specific IgG and other classes of antibody response by honey in mice

It was reported earlier that intraperitoneal administration of honey had immunosuppressive activity on elicitation of allergen-specific murine antibody response as evaluated by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis and double immunodiffusion methods. In this study, the immunomudulatory effect of honey is evaluated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using ovalbumin as model allergen. It was found that ovalbumin (OVA)-specific IgG antibody responses elicited with various doses of OVA were significantly suppressed by rock bee honey (p<0.01). Honey was also found to have inhibited the production of OVA-specific IgM, IgA, IgG(1), and IgG(2b) whereas that of IgG(2a) and IgG(3) were not affected. Furthermore, honey also suppressed the OVA-specific total IgG antibody response in various inbred mice with different genetic background. In addition, the suppressive activity of honey was examined in different groups of mice by injecting honey at different time intervals, before and after immunization with OVA. The anti-OVA IgG antibody response was suppressed significantly when honey was injected 12 hours prior/latter to OVA injection. These results confirm the suppressive activity of honey on antibody response and suggest possible clinical application