In vitro activity of Aloe extracts against Plasmodium falciparum

The antiplasmodial activity and toxicity data of 34 Aloe species and their main constituents were determined. A number of the methanol extracts possessed antimalarial activity where 50% of the parasite growth was inhibited (IC50 value) by 32 to 77μgml-1 of the extract. The chemical common to the most active species is the anthrone C-glucoside homonataloin which inhibited the chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum strain with an IC50 value of 13.46±1.36μgml-1. Homonataloin was a more potent inhibitor of parasite growth than aloin (IC50 value of 107.20±4.14μgml-1). The Aloe extracts tested did not exhibit any toxicity towards transformed human kidney epithelium cells at the concentrations (0.5-50μgml-1) used in the antimalarial assay

In vitro biological activities of South African Pelargonium (Geraniaceae) species

AbstractDespite commercial interest and ethnobotanical data, the pharmacological activities of a number of indigenous Pelargonium species hitherto remain poorly explored. The acetone extracts of twenty-one Pelargonium species (section Pelargonium) were included in this study. Using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, potent anti-oxidant activity was observed for the crude extracts of P. betulinum and P. crispum (IC50 values of 4.13±0.14 μg/ml and 4.49±0.18 μg/ml, respectively compared to ascorbic acid, IC50=4.72±0.14 μg/ml). The antimicrobial (both bacterial and fungal) potential of the extracts was evaluated by using the minimum inhibitory assay. The crude extracts of P. glutinosum (SBG), P. pseudoglutinosum, P. scabrum and P. sublignosum exhibited considerable antimicrobial activity against the Gram-positive test bacteria, with P. pseudoglutinosum demonstrating the highest inhibitory activity (MIC=39 μg/ml); however the aforementioned species were also relatively cytotoxic. The 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) cellular viability assay was used to determine the toxicity of the acetone extracts against transformed human kidney epithelial (Graham) cells. The acetone extracts of P. sublignosum and P. citronellum (NBG) displayed the highest toxicities (IC50=11.89±1.54 μg/ml and 19.14±0.98 μg/ml, respectively). The results from the toxicity assay suggested that the antimicrobial activity of the extracts may be ascribed to general cytotoxic effects. Considering all the results collectively, Pelargonium cordifolium appears to be the most promising species requiring further investigation

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362