CICHORIUM INTYBUS LINN: A REVIEW OF PHARMACOLOGICAL PROFILE

The use of natural products as medicinal agents presumably predates the earliest recorded history. Cichorium Intybus L. is a plant which is used in several traditional medicine systems to cure various diseases Chicory belongs to the family Asteraceae is a small aromatic biennial or perennial herb. This plant has been known to posses Anti-ulcer, Hepatoprotective, Antibacterial, Cardioprotective, Antioxidant and Free radical Scavenging, Anti-malarial, Anti-fungal, Gastroprotective, Antihelminthic, Analgesics, Tumour protective, Anti-allergic and other miscellaneous activities. The whole plant contains a number of medicinally important compounds showing therapeutic effects such as inulin, esculin, volatile compounds, bitter sesquiterpene lactones, coumarins, flavonoids and vitamins etc. The pharmacological studies reported in the present review confirm the therapeutic value of Chichorium Intybus L. Thus the use of this plant for human and animal disease therapy and reinforce the importance of the ethno-botanical approach as a potential source of bioactive substances

Unravelling the role of nutraceutical supplements in treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) causes motor dysfunction that usually begins in the elderly population. The prevalence rate of PD is increasing significantly. Currently available therapies are able to manage the disease, however, they have certain side effects associated with long term usage. Hence, there is a dire need to bring therapies that can offer good treatment to PD with less side effects. Recent research has revealed that food supplements which are specifically rich in antioxidants and vitamins have shown better efficacy against PD with a better safety profile. Hence, the present study focuses on the role of nutraceuticals in treatment of PD. Nutritional supplements targeting PD pathology were explored between 2016 and 2022 through Scopus, google scholar and PubMed. The review deciphered the neuroprotective benefits of vitamins, minerals, natural compounds, and phytochemicals that might procrastinate or help in the prevention of PD’s progression by targeting some of the major pathological mechanisms such as oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, misfolding of alpha-synuclein, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Various studies indicating the potential of nutraceutical supplements are discussed in detail

Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Recent Update on Targeting Inflammatory Pathways with Natural Anti-Inflammatory Agents

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous category of developmental psychiatric disorders which is characterized by inadequate social interaction, less communication, and repetitive phenotype behavior. ASD is comorbid with various types of disorders. The reported prevalence is 1% in the United Kingdom, 1.5% in the United States, and ~0.2% in India at present. The natural anti-inflammatory agents on brain development are linked to interaction with many types of inflammatory pathways affected by genetic, epigenetic, and environmental variables. Inflammatory targeting pathways have already been linked to ASD. However, these routes are diluted, and new strategies are being developed in natural anti-inflammatory medicines to treat ASD. This review summarizes the numerous preclinical and clinical studies having potential protective effects and natural anti-inflammatory agents on the developing brain during pregnancy. Inflammation during pregnancy activates the maternal infection that likely leads to the development of neuropsychiatric disorders in the offspring. The inflammatory pathways have been an effective target for the subject of translational research studies on ASD

Zanthoxylum alatum abrogates lipopolysaccharide-induced depression-like behaviours in mice by modulating neuroinflammation and monoamine neurotransmitters in the hippocampus

Context: Depression is an inflammatory, commonly occurring and lethal psychiatric disorder having high lifetime prevalence. Zanthoxylum alatum Roxb. (Rutaceae), commonly called Timur, has high medicinal value and is used ethnomedicinally for the treatment of various diseases. Objective: To evaluate the effect of hexane extract of Z. alatum seeds (ZAHE) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced depression-like behaviour in Swiss albino mice. Materials and methods: Mice were treated with ZAHE (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) and imipramine (10 mg/kg injected i.p.) for 14 days. On 14th day of the treatment, depression-like behaviour was induced by LPS (0.83 mg/kg injected i.p.) and after 24 h of LPS administration, it was assessed by measuring behavioural parameters and biochemical estimations. Results: Behavioural tests, including the open field test, forced swimming test, tail suspension test and sucrose preference test revealed that ZAHE (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) and imipramine (10 mg/kg injected i.p.) alleviated the depression symptoms of LPS-induced mice. Moreover, ZAHE treatments reversed the LPS-induced alterations in the concentrations of norepinephrine and serotonin (5-HT) and inhibited the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxido-nitrosative stress in the mice. Acute toxicity was calculated to be LD50 > 2500 mg/kg. Discussion and conclusions: This study showed that LPS-induced depression in mice was significantly prevented by ZAHE at both the dosages. In conclusion, ZAHE exhibited an antidepressant activity by altering monoaminergic neurotransmitters in the brain combined with its anti-inflammatory potential. Thus, it could be an effective therapeutic against inflammation-induced depression and other brain disorders

Unravelling the role of nutraceutical supplements in treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) causes motor dysfunction that usually begins in the elderly population. The prevalence rate of PD is increasing significantly. Currently available therapies are able to manage the disease, however, they have certain side effects associated with long term usage. Hence, there is a dire need to bring therapies that can offer good treatment to PD with less side effects. Recent research has revealed that food supplements which are specifically rich in antioxidants and vitamins have shown better efficacy against PD with a better safety profile. Hence, the present study focuses on the role of nutraceuticals in treatment of PD. Nutritional supplements targeting PD pathology were explored between 2016 and 2022 through Scopus, google scholar and PubMed. The review deciphered the neuroprotective benefits of vitamins, minerals, natural compounds, and phytochemicals that might procrastinate or help in the prevention of PD’s progression by targeting some of the major pathological mechanisms such as oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, misfolding of alpha-synuclein, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Various studies indicating the potential of nutraceutical supplements are discussed in detail