ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF LANNA MEDICINAL PLANTS USED IN MAHOOG FORMULA

Objectives: Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Lanna medicinal plants used in Mahoog formula were investigated.Methods: Dried powders of twenty five Lanna medicinal plants were extracted with ethanol using soxhlet's apparatus and with water by decoction method to obtain ethanolic and water extracts, respectively. Each extract was evaluated for antibacterial activity by agar diffusion technique and antioxidant activity by 2,2´-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) free radical scavenging assay, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay.Results: Most ofLanna medicinal plant extracts were active against gram-positive bacteria. The extract of Caesalpinia sappan (heart wood) showed the highest inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Interestingly,the extract of Sindora siamensis (stem) exhibited potent activity against S. aureus as same as C. sappan with MIC and MBC values of 0.049 and 0.098 mg/ml, respectively. The antioxidant activities revealed that the extract of C. sappan and S. siamensis possess significant free radical scavenging and reducing power.Conclusion: Most of the medicinal plants consisted in Mahoog formula revealed antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Thedata obtained from the study will be used as a scientific evidence to support the pharmacological properties of medicinal plants used in Mahoog formula.Â

Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities of Various Fraction of Leea rubra (Leeaceae)

The present study was designed to evaluate the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of hexane, ethylacetate and ethanol extracts of Leea rubra (Leeaceae) roots and stems, which has been used as a Lanna Traditional Medicines for Màhòog. Each extract was tested for antibacterial activity by agar diffusion method and microbroth dilution method and antioxidant activity by 2,2´-azino-bis(3-ethyl- benzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) free radical scavenging assay, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. The ethylacetate extract of L. rubra root showed the highest antibacterial activity against gram-positive (IZD=15.5.0±0.5 to 17.5±0.5 mm, MIC=0.098-1.562 mg/ml).  While the ethanolic extract of root showed the strongest antioxidant activity in ABTS, DPPH and FRAP method (TEAC=0.888±0.001, 0.849±0.020 and 0.733±0.037, respectively). The data obtained from this study confirms the traditional use of L. rubra for treatment Màhòog. Keywords: Leea rubra, antioxidant activity, antibacterial activit

Synergistic Effects of Some Methoxyflavones Extracted from Rhizome of Kaempferia parviflora Combined with Gentamicin against Carbapenem-Resistant Strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii

The present study aimed to investigate the antibacterial activity of ethanolic Kaempferia parviflora extracts and the combined effects of the plant’s specific compounds with gentamicin against clinical strains of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of gentamicin and Kaempferia parviflora extracts against the tested bacterial strains were determined by using broth microdilution. The combined effects of Kaempferia parviflora extract and gentamicin were investigated by using a checkerboard assay and expressed as a fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI). Crude ethanolic extract of Kaempferia parviflora showed the lowest median values of MIC towards the tested isolates (n = 10) of these tested bacteria at doses of 64 µg/mL, compared to those of other Kaempferia extracts. Among the isolated compounds, only three compounds, namely 3,5,7-trimethoxyflavone, 3,5,7,3′4′-pentamethoxyflavone, and 5,7,4′-trimethoxyflavone, were identified by NMR structural analysis. According to their FICIs, the synergistic effects of gentamicin combined with 3,5,7,3′4′-pentamethoxyflavone were approximately 90%, 90%, and 80% of tested carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), and Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), respectively. The present study concluded that 3,5,7,3′4′-pentamethoxyflavone extracted from Kaempferia parviflora potentiated the antibacterial action of gentamicin to combat bacterial resistance against the tested bacteria

Anti-cancer effects of Kaempferia parviflora on ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells

Abstract Background Kaempferia parviflora (KP) is an herb found in the north of Thailand and used as a folk medicine for improving vitality. Current reports have shown the anti-cancer activities of KP. However, the anti-cancer effects of KP on highly aggressive ovarian cancer have not been investigated. Therefore, we determined the effects of KP on cell proliferation, migration, and cell death in SKOV3 cells. Methods Ovarian cancer cell line, SKOV3 was used to investigate the anti-cancer effect of KP extract. Cell viability, cell proliferation, MMP activity, cell migration, and invasion were measured by MTT assay, cell counting, gelatin zymography, wound healing assay, and Transwell migration and invasion assays, respectively. Cell death was determined by trypan blue exclusion test, AnnexinV/PI with flow cytometry, and nuclear staining. The level of ERK and AKT phosphorylation, and caspase-3, caspase-7, caspase-9 was investigated by western blot analysis. Results KP extract was cytotoxic to SKOV3 cells when the concentration was increased, and this effect could still be observed even though EGF was present. Besides, the cell doubling time was significantly prolonged in the cells treated with KP. Moreover, KP strongly suppressed cell proliferation, cell migration and invasion. These consequences may be associated with the ability of KP in inhibiting the activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 assayed by gelatin zymography. Moreover, KP at high concentrations could induce SKOV3 cell apoptosis demonstrated by AnnexinV/PI staining and flow cytometry. Consistently, nuclear labelling of cells treated with KP extract showed DNA fragmentation and deformity. The induction of caspase-3, caspase-7, and caspase-9 indicates that KP induces cell death through the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. The antitumor activities of KP might be regulated through PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways since the phosphorylation of AKT and ERK1/2 was reduced. Conclusions The inhibitory effects of KP in cell proliferation, cell migration and invasion together with apoptotic cell death induction in SKOV3 cells suggest that KP has a potential to be a new candidate for ovarian cancer chemotherapeutic agent

Kaempferia parviflora Extract Exhibits Anti-cancer Activity against HeLa Cervical Cancer Cells

Kaempferia parviflora (KP) has been traditionally used as a folk remedy to treat several diseases including cancer, and several studies have reported cytotoxic activities of extracts of KP against a number of different cancer cell lines. However, many aspects of the molecular mechanism of action of KP remain unclear. In particular, the ability of KP to regulate cancer cell growth and survival signaling is still largely unexplored. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of KP on cell viability, cell migration, cell invasion, cell apoptosis, and on signaling pathways related to growth and survival of cervical cancer cells, HeLa. We discovered that KP reduced HeLa cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. The potent cytotoxicity of KP against HeLa cells was associated with a dose-dependent induction of apoptotic cell death as determined by flow cytometry and observation of nuclear fragmentation. Moreover, KP-induced cell apoptosis was likely to be mediated through the intrinsic apoptosis pathway since caspase 9 and caspase 7, but not BID, were shown to be activated after KP exposure. Based on the observation that KP induced apoptosis in HeLa cell, we further investigated the effects of KP at non-cytotoxic concentrations on suppressing signal transduction pathways relevant to cell growth and survival. We found that KP suppressed the MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways in cells activated with EGF, as observed by a significant decrease in phosphorylation of ERK1/2, Elk1, PI3K, and AKT. The data suggest that KP interferes with the growth and survival of HeLa cells. Consistent with the inhibitory effect on EGF-stimulated signaling, KP potently suppressed the migration of HeLa cells. Concomitantly, KP was demonstrated to markedly inhibit HeLa cell invasion. The ability of KP in suppressing the migration and invasion of HeLa cells was associated with the suppression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 production. These data strongly suggest that KP may slow tumor progression and metastasis in patients with cervical cancer. Taken together, the present report provides accumulated evidence revealing the potent anti-cancer activities of Kaempferia parviflora against cervical cancer HeLa cells, and suggests its potential use as an alternative way for cervical cancer prevention and therapy