Morphoanatomical and physicochemical studies on Ailanthus excelsa roxb. stem bark: a tree of heaven

Ailanthus excelsa Roxb. (Simaroubaceae) is a traditional medicinal plant used widely in India and China in various health conditions. The morphology and microscopical evaluation are most preferred quality control parameter, in order to establish its quality and purity, we report some important pharmacognostic profile of A. excelsa stem-bark for the purpose of its identification and differentiation from related species. The study of the fresh, powdered and anatomical sections of the stem bark were carried out to determine the morphological, microscopical, some physicochemical and phytochemical parameters. Presence of lignified multicellular trichrome, stone cells, scleroids, lignified pericyclic fibre, phloem fibre, prismatic calcium oxalate, starch grains and uni to multiserrate non-lignified medullary rays observed as distinguishing microscopical characteristics in transverse section and powder studies. The result of preliminary phytochemical screening indicated presence of alkaloids, glycoside, steroids, carbohydrates, proteins, phenolic compounds, tannins, flavonoids and saponins. In addition, quantitative phytochemical analysis revealed significant amount of total phenolic and flavonoid content. The present study will be useful for its identification prior to carrying out further research work. Keywords: Ailanthus excelsa; stem-bark; pharmacognostic; quantitative phytochemical analysis

Phytochemical profile, antioxidant, cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activities of stem bark extract and fractions of Ailanthus excelsa Roxb.: In vitro, in vivo and in silico approaches

This study aimed to assess the phytochemical composition, in vitro antioxidant, cytotoxicity, and in vivo anti-inflammatory activities of the methanolic extract of Ailanthus excelsa (Simaroubaceae) stem bark and its fractions. Quantitative phytochemical analysis revealed that methanolic extract and all fractions contained a high level of flavonoids (20.40–22.91 mg/g QE), phenolics (1.72–7.41 mg/g GAE), saponins (33.28–51.87 mg/g DE), and alkaloids (0.21–0.33 mg/g AE). The antioxidant potential was evaluated in vitro using a range of assays, i.e., DPPH•, ABTS radical scavenging ability, and total antioxidant capacity. The chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions showed stronger antioxidant activity than the methanol extract. In vitro cytotoxic activity was investigated in three human tumor cell lines (A-549, MCF7 and HepG2) using the SRB assay. In addition, the in vivo anti-inflammatory effect was assessed by carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats. The chloroform fraction showed a more pronounced effect by effectively controlling the growth with the lowest GI50 and TGI concentrations. The human lung cancer cell line (A-549) was found to be more sensitive to the chloroform fraction. Furthermore, the chloroform fraction exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity at a dose of 200 mg/kg in the latter phase of inflammation. Besides, methanol extract and ethyl acetate fraction revealed a significant cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory effects. The chloroform fraction of stem bark showed a strong anti-inflammatory effect in experimental animals and significant COX-2 inhibitory potential in the in vitro experiments. GC-MS analysis of chloroform fraction identified the phytochemicals like caftaric acid, 3,4-dihydroxy phenylacetic acid, arachidonic acid, cinnamic acid, 3-hydroxyphenylvaleric acid, caffeic acid, hexadeconoic acid, and oleanolic acid. The in-silico results suggest that identified compounds have better affinity towards the selected targets, viz. the BAX protein (PDB ID: 1F16), p53-binding protein Mdm-2 (PDB ID: 1YCR), and topoisomerase II (PDB ID: 1QZR). Amongst all, caftaric acid exhibited the best binding affinity for all three targets. Thus, it can be concluded that caftaric acid in combination with other phenolic compounds, might be responsible for the studied activity. Additional in vivo and in vitro studies are required to establish their exact molecular mechanisms and consider them as lead molecules in developing of valuable drugs for treating oxidative stress-induced disorders, cancers, and inflammations

Proceedings of National Conference on Relevance of Engineering and Science for Environment and Society

This conference proceedings contains articles on the various research ideas of the academic community and practitioners presented at the National Conference on Relevance of Engineering and Science for Environment and Society (R{ES}2 2021). R{ES}2 2021 was organized by Shri Pandurang Pratishthan’s, Karmayogi Engineering College, Shelve, Pandharpur, India on July 25th, 2021. Conference Title: National Conference on Relevance of Engineering and Science for Environment and SocietyConference Acronym: R{ES}2 2021Conference Date: 25 July 2021Conference Location: Online (Virtual Mode)Conference Organizers: Shri Pandurang Pratishthan’s, Karmayogi Engineering College, Shelve, Pandharpur, India