The Understanding of Human Anatomy Elicited from Drawings of Some Bangladeshi Village Women and Children

There are a number of methods to obtain information about a person’s understanding of science (White & Gunston, 1992; Tunnicliffe & Reiss, 1999a). Drawings are considered one useful tool (Haney et al., 2004). Most techniques require respondents to talk or write their answers to questions. Osborne and Gilbert, 1980 used oral questions whilst written responses have been analysed, for example by Lewis, Leach and Wood-Robinson, 2000. Tunnicliffe and Reiss (1999b) elicited children’s spontaneous conversations about learners’ interpretations of brine shrimps

Chemical composition of the essential oils and extracts of Achillea species and their biological activities: A review.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The Asteraceae (alt. Compositae) family incorporates a large number of flowering plants, which have been classified under ca. 1600 genera covering more than 23,000 species. The genus Achillea is one of the best-known genera of this family. The Achillea species are important for their uses in the chemical and pharmaceutical purposes, and traditional and folk medicines. From ethnobotanical point of view, they heve been recommended as effective tonic, sedative, diuretic and carminative remedies and extensively prescribed for the treatment of stomachache, inflammation, gastrointestinal, hemorrhoid, hay fever, and wound healing in indigenous medicines. They are also known as effective remedies that promote breast-feedings and regulate women menstruation. This review presents an overview on the ethnopharmacological knowledge of the Achillea genus and provides a deeper insight into medicinal and pharmaceutical applications of different Achillea species. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant data were obtained through systematic electronic searches from various scientific databases including the Institute of scientific information (ISI)-Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus, Pubmed, other relevant texts and local books. RESULTS: A variety of ethnopharmacological properties of the Achillea have been documented, and a broad spectrum of medicinal applications, and phytochemicals of the essential oils and extracts of this genus have been identified. CONCLUSIONS: General correlations between the ethnopharmacological uses and medicinal properties identified through systematic research have been observed. Some of the medicinal properties could also be linked to the phytochemicals present in this genus. The findings of the studied reports in this review article represent therapeutic characteristics of Achillea species and account for their significant impact on the current and future modern medicine

Oxyresveratrol possesses DNA damaging activity

Artocarpus lakoocha Wall. ex Roxb. (family: Moraceae) has been used as a traditional Thai medicine for the treatment of various parasitic diseases. This species has been reported to be the source of phytochemicals, which show potent biological activities. The objective of this study was to investigate the phytochemical profile of the extracts of the heartwood of A. lakoocha and their prooxidant activity in vitro. The heartwood was ground, extracted, and then chromatographic and spectroscopic analyses were carried out; oxyresveratrol was identified as the major component in the extracts. The pro-oxidant activity was investigated using DNA-nick, reactive oxygen species and reducing assays. The results showed that oxyresveratrol induced DNA damage dose-dependently in the presence of copper (II) ions. It was also found to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in a dose-dependent manner and reduce copper (II) to copper (I). It is concluded that oxyresveratrol is the most abundant stilbenoid in A. lakoocha heartwood. The compound exhibited pro-oxidant activity in the presence of copper (II) ions, which may be associated with its ability to act as an anticancer compound

Ferulone A and ferulone B: two new coumarin esters from Ferula orientalis L. roots, Natural Products Research

Ferula orientalis (Apiaceae) is a well known perennial herb growing wild in Iran used in traditional medicine. To perform phytochemical studies, dried ground roots of F. orientalis were sequentially Soxhlet-extracted using n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanol. A combination of vacuum liquid chromatography and preparative thin layer chromatographic analyses were performed to isolate coumarin esters. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic means, and in vitro free-radical-scavenging property was determined by the DPPH assay.Two new coumarin esters, 7-O-(4,8,12,16-tetrahydroxy-4,8,12,16-tetramethyl-heptadecanoyl)-coumarinand 7-O-(4-hydroxy-4,8,12-trimethyl-trideca- 7,11-dienoyl)-coumarin, named ferulone A and ferulone B, respectively, were isolated from the n-hexane extract of the roots of F. orientalis. Both compounds showed a low level of free-radical-scavenging property with the RC50 values of 0.252 and 0.556mg/mL for compounds 1 and 2, respectively, as opposed to that of the positive control (quercetin) 0.004 mg/mL. This is the first report on the purification of coumarin esters from the genus Ferula

The ethnomedicinal, phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Phaleria macrocarpa (Scheff). Boerl

Phaleria macrocarpa (Scheff.) Boerl. is a dense evergreen tree of the family Thymelaeceae. This plant is popular with the name of Mahkota dewa, which is literally translated as God's Crown. All parts of this plant including fruits, seeds, stem, and leaves have well known therapeutic properties and have been extensively used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases such as cancer, diabetes mellitus, allergies, kidney disorders, blood diseases, stroke, and acne with satisfactory results. Scientific findings on bioactivities of P. macrocarpa also demonstrated different pharmacological properties of various parts of this plant including cytotoxic, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antihypertensive activities. Phytochemicals studies of P. macrocarpa revealed the presence of several classes of compounds such as benzophenones, terpenoids, xanthones, lignans, acids, and sugars. This review aims to provide a critical overview on botanical description, traditional usage, phytochemicals, and pharmacological activities of P. macrocarpa

Actividad antibacteriana y antioxidante de los extractos de Piper cubeba (Piperaceae)

Piper cubeba L. (Piperaceae), commonly known as ‘cubeb’, is native to Indonesia, and also found in many other countriesof the South-East Asia, and in some African countries. This plant has been used as a popular food additive, andin folklore medicine to treat various ailments, particularly bacterial infections. The n-hexane, dichloromethane (DCM)and methanol (MeOH) extracts of the dried berries (fruit) of this plant were assessed for their antioxidant (free radicalscavenging) and antibacterial activities using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and the micro titre basedantimicrobial assay incorporating resazurin as an indicator of cell growth, respectively. While all extracts showed antioxidantactivity in the qualitative assay, the most prominent antioxidant activity was observed with the MeOH extract inthe quantitative assay with a RC50 value of 2.71 x 10-1 mg/mL. The antioxidant potency of the DCM extract was about3 fold less (RC50 = 6.50 x 10-1 mg/mL) than that of the MeOH extract. None of the extracts showed any antibacterialproperty against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and ampicillin resistant Escherichia coli. While both the n-hexaneand the DCM extracts inhibited the growth of Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, theMeOH extract was active only against B. cereus and P. aeruginosa. The most potent antibacterial activity was displayedby the n-hexane extract against B. cereus with an MIC value of 1.56 mg/mL. All antibacterial activities of the extractswere found to be bacteriostatic rather than bactericidal.Piper cubeba L. (Piperaceae), conocida comúnmente como ‘cubeb’, es autóctona de Indonesia y también se encuentraen muchos otros países del sureste de Asia, así como en algunos países africanos.Esta planta se ha utilizado como un popular aditivo alimentario y, en la medicina tradicional, para tratar diversasdolencias, especialmente infecciones bacterianas. Para evaluar la actividad antioxidante (barrido de radicales libres)y la actividad antibacteriana de los extractos de n-hexano, diclorometano (DCM) y metanol (MeOH) de las bayassecas (fruto) de esta planta, se llevó a cabo un ensayo 2,2-difenil-1-picrilhidracil (DPPH) y un ensayo antimicrobianobasado en microtitulación que incorporaba resazurina como indicador del crecimiento celular, respectivamente. Aunquetodos los extractos mostraron actividad antioxidante en el ensayo cualitativo, la actividad antioxidante más destacadase observó con el extracto de MeOH en el ensayo cuantitativo con un valor de RC50 de 2,71 x 10-1 mg/mL.La potencia antioxidante del extracto de DCM fue aproximadamente 3 veces menor (RC50 = 6,50 x 10-1 mg/mL)que la del extracto de MeOH.Ninguno de los extractos mostró propiedades antibacterianas frente a Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli y Escherichiacoli resistente a la ampicilina. Aunque ambos extractos, el n-hexano y el DCM, inhibieron el crecimiento de Bacilluscereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa y Staphylococcus aureus, el extracto de MeOH sólo mostró actividad frente a B.cereus y P. aeruginosa. El extracto de n-hexano fue el que mostró mayor potencia antibacteriana frente a B. cereus,con un valor de concentración inhibitoria mínima (CIM) de 1,56 mg/mL. Se observó que todas las actividades antibacterianasde los extractos resultaron más bacteriostáticas que bactericidas

The Use of natural Products in 3D Printing of Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms

Background: Three-dimensional printing (3DP) has been investigated widely for applications in pharmaceutical sciences. Different 3DP techniques have been employed such as fused deposition modelling (FDM 3DP), powder bed 3DP, stereolithography 3DP (SLA 3DP), selective laser sintering (SLS 3DP), pates-extrusion 3DP and inkjet 3DP. Aim: This article aims to explore the use of natural products as active ingredient or excipient. Methods: Literature search was conduced for latest applications of 3DP for pharmaceutical dosage forms, and typical employed materials were identified. Results: Polymeric materials form the main bulk of 3DP excipients such as polyvinyl alcohol or ploy lactic acid. Chemical stabilisers may be added to these polymers to increase their stability at high temperatures during hot melt extrusion for making filaments or printing. In addition, photoinitiators have been added such as diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl) phosphine oxide in SLA 3DP, or candurin gold sheen in SLS 3DP. Presence of lead has been detected in FDM £DP, which originated from the nozzle. Currently, natural products have been employed only in paste extrusion 3DP of pharmaceutical dosage forms. We have identified a protentional natural thermoplastic polymer that may be used in 3DP FDM. Conclusion: Natural products may be employed in 3DP of pharmaceutical dosage forms to improve the safety profile of printed objects

‘Thankuni’ [Centella asiatica (L.) Urban]: When food is medicine

’Thankuni’ [Centella asiatica (L.) Urban; synonyms: Hydrocotyle asiatica L.; Trisanthus cochinsinensis Lour.] is one of the widely consumed Bangladeshi edible plants from the family Apiaceae (alt. Umbelliferae) (Fig. 1). ‘Thankuni’, also known as ‘Goku Kola’ in India, is an herbaceous perennial plant, indigenous to Bangladesh, India and a few other Asian countries, as well as wetlands of the South-East USA. this plant is called ‘Indian pennywort’ or ‘Asiatic pennywort’

Madangones A and B, two new neolignans from Beilschmiedia madang Blume and their bioactivities

Two new neolignans, madangones A (1) and B (2), together with (+)-kunstlerone (3), vanillin, vanillic acid, betulin, β-sitosterol and β-sitostenone, were isolated from the stem bark of Beilschmiedia madang (Lauraceae). The structures of the compounds were determined by spectroscopic means. The compounds were tested for antioxidant, acetylcholinesterase inhibitory and anti-inflammatory activities. Compound (3) displayed the strongest DPPH radical-scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 68.7 M. Compound (2) exhibited the highest level of activity on the COX-2 model and acetylcholinesterase inhibition assay, with IC50 values of 27.4 and 70.3 µM, respectively