Biosynthesis and characterization of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Thunbergia erecta (Benth.) T. Anders plant extracts

The present study focuses on the green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using leaf, stem, root and flower extracts of Thunbergia erecta. Zinc nitrate hexahydrate (Zn (NO3)2.6H2O) solution was used as precursor to synthesize the nanoparticles. Five grams of plant materials (leaf, stem, root and flowers) were weighed and cut in to small pieces and boiled with deionised water in water bath at 50°C for about 30 min. The extracts were filtered and mixed with Zinc nitrate hexahydrate solution for the preparation of nanoparticles. Synthesis of nanoparticles were monitored by visual color change from colorless to yellow and characterized by UV-Visible double beam spectrophotometric analysis. The absorption peaks of leaf reaction medium was at 308 nm, stem and root reaction media were at 296 nm and flower reaction medium was at 302 nm as shown by the UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The results conclude that T. erecta could be exploited for green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles which can be used in the development of pharmaceutical products beneficial to the mankind

In vitro multiplication, micromorphological studies and ex vitro rooting of Hybanthus enneaspermus (L.) F. Muell. – a rare medicinal plant

Hybanthus enneaspermus is a rare medicinal plant. We defined a protocol for micropropagation, exvitro rooting of cloned shoots and their acclimatization. Surface-sterilized nodal segments were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with different concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and kinetin (Kin). Medium supplemented with 1.5 mg L–1 BAP was found optimum for shoot induction from the explants and 6.4±0.69 shoots were regenerated from each node with 97% response. Shoots were further proliferated maximally (228±10.3 shoots per culture bottle with 7.5±0.43 cm length) on MS medium augmented with 1.0 mg L–1 each of BAP and Kin within 4–5 weeks. The shoots were rooted in vitro on half strength MS medium containing 2.0 mg L–1 indole-3 butyric acid (IBA). The cloned shoots were pulse-treated with 300 mg L–1 of IBA and cultured on soilrite® in a greenhouse. About 96% of the IBA-pulsed shoots rooted ex vitro in soilrite®, each shoot producing 12.5±0.54 roots with 5.1±0.62 cm length. The ex vitro rooted plantlets showed a better rate of survival (92%) in a field study than in vitro rooted plantlets (86%). A comparative foliar micromorphological study of H. enneaspermus was conducted to understand the micromorphological changes during plant developmental processes from in vitro to in vivo conditions in terms of variations in stomata, vein structures and spacing, and trichomes. This is the first report on ex vitro rooting in H. enneaspermus and the protocol can be exploited for conservation and large-scale propagation of this rare and medicinally important plant

Phytotherapy for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is commonly a neurodevelopmental behavioural disorder in children and adolescents. Mainly characterized by symptoms like lack of attention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness, it can impact the overall mental development of the one affected. Several factors, both genetic and non-genetic, can be responsible for this disorder. Although several traditional treatment methods involve medication and other counselling techniques, they also come with different side effects. Hence, the choice is now shifting to alternative treatment techniques. Herbal treatments are considered one of the most popular complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) administered. However, issues related to the safety and efficacy of herbal remedies for the treatment of ADHD need to be investigated further. This study aims to find out the recent advancement in evidence-based use of herbal remedies for ADHD by a comprehensive and systematic review that depicts the results of the published works on herbal therapy for the disorder. The electronic databases and the references retrieved from the included studies present related randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and open-label studies. Seven RCTs involving children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD met the inclusion criteria. There is a fair indication of the efficacy and safety of Melissa officinalis L., Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst., Matricaria chamomilla L., and Valeriana officinalis L. from the studies evaluated in this systematic review for the treatment of various symptoms of ADHD. Limited evidence was found for Ginkgo biloba L. and pine bark extract. However, various other preparations from other plants did not show significant efficacy. There is inadequate proof to strongly support and recommend the administration of herbal medicines for ADHD, but more research is needed in the relevant field to popularize the alternative treatment approach

Betelvine (Piper betle L.): A comprehensive insight into its ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and pharmacological, biomedical and therapeutic attributes

Piper betle L. (synonym: Piper betel Blanco), or betel vine, an economically and medicinally important cash crop, belongs to the family Piperaceae, often known as the green gold. The plant can be found all over the world and is cultivatedprimarily in South East Asian countries for its beautiful glossy heart-shaped leaves, which are chewed or consumed as betelquidand widely used in Chinese and Indian folk medicine, as carminative, stimulant,astringent, against parasitic worms, conjunctivitis, rheumatism, wound, etc., andis also used for religious purposes. Hydroxychavicol is the most important bioactive compound among the wide range of phytoconstituents found in essential oil and extracts. The pharmacological attributes of P. betle are antiproliferation, anticancer, neuropharmacological, analgesic, antioxidant, antiulcerogenic, hepatoprotective, antifertility, antibacterial, antifungal and many more. Immense attention has been paid to nanoformulations and their applications. The application of P. betle did not show cytotoxicity in preclinical experiments, suggesting that it could serve as a promising therapeutic candidate for different diseases. The present review comprehensively summarizes the botanical description, geographical distribution, economic value and cultivation, ethnobotanical uses, preclinical pharmacological properties with insights of toxicological, clinical efficacy, and safety of P. betle. The findings suggest that P. betle represents an orally active and safe natural agent that exhibits great therapeutic potential for managing various human medical conditions. However, further research is needed to elucidate its underlying molecular mechanisms of action, clinical aspects, structure–activity relationships, bioavailability and synergistic interactions with other drugs.This research was funded by projects APOGEO (Cooperation Program INTERREG-MAC 2014–2020, with European Funds for Regional Development-FEDER, ‘Agencia Canaria de Investigación, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información (ACIISI) del Gobierno de Canarias’ (project ProID2020010134), and CajaCanarias (project 2019SP43).Peer reviewe

An updated review on Cissus vitiginea L. (Family: Vitaceae) - An important medicinal climber

Cissus vitiginea L. is a perennial climber with potent medicinal values and used in Indian traditional systems of medicines to cure wounds, diabetes, cardiovascular illness, cancers, particularly bone diseases and arthritis. This plant is kept under rare category in certain parts of India due to its imprudent harvesting from the wild. Assortment of literature on phytochemical studies of this plant shows the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenoids, steroids, glycosides, coumarin, tannins, sugar, proteins etc. The reported secondary metabolites have been reviewed to possess immense biological activities in living systems. In the present review, we have summarized the information concerning the botanical description, phytochemistry, toxicology, pharmacology and the traditional medicinal uses of C. vitiginea. It has been concluded that this plant has not been well explored for its various biological activities and the alternate methods of propagation to increase its natural population in the wild

Improved micropropagation and foliar micromorphological studies in Turnera ulmifolia L. – An important medicinal plant

The present study reports an efficient in vitro propagation system for Turnera ulmifolia using nodal segments as explants. Turnera ulmifolia (Passifloraceae) is an important garden plant with multipotent medicinal values. Effective shoot proliferation was achieved on agar gelled MS medium (Murashige and Skoog, 1962). The maximum number of shoots (8.3 ± 0.57) per initial explant was obtained on MS medium supplemented with 8.88 mM of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.54 mM of α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). The highest number of shoots (59.5 ± 2.10) proliferated on semi-solid MS medium (with agar) augmented with 2.22 mM of BAP and 2.32 mM of kinetin (Kin) along with 0.54 mM of NAA. Longer (4-5 cm) and healthy shoots were rooted (12.0 ± 0.10 roots per shoot) on half-strength MS medium fortified with 9.84 mM of indole-3 butyric acid (IBA). The in vitro regenerated plantlets were hardened in the greenhouse and transferred to the field. Significant developmental changes were observed in the foliar micromorphology of in vitro raised plantlets when these were transferred to the field. The stomatal index was gradually reduced (26.72 to 21.25) in the leaves from in vitro to field environments. But, vein-islets and veinlet terminations (13.4 and 7.6) were increased (39.7 and 18.4) respectively from in vitro to in vivo grown plants. Simple, unicellular, less frequent and underdeveloped trichomes were observed with the leaves of in vitro plants but fully developed trichomes recorded in the field transferred plants. The study could help in understanding the response and adaptation of tissue culture raised plantlets towards changed environmental conditions