Evaluation of bioactive components from natural products for prevention of toxicity and neurological disorders

Abstract

Nature has created almost an inexhaustible array of molecular entities, which stands as an infinite resource for novel therapeutics and scaffolds for designing of efficacious drugs for a multitude of diseases. The synthetic products gained attention due to its cost and time effectiveness, easy quality control, stringent regulation and quick effects, but their safety and efficacy often remain questionable, resulting in the dependence on the natural products by more than 80% of the total population in the developing world. This study deals with the characterization of proteins, peptides and small organic molecules isolated from natural sources like a medicinal plant Aristolochia indica, Russell’s viper (Daboia russelli russelli) venom (RVV) and human placental extract towards possible development of drugs against various illness. The investigation was initiated on the aqueous extract of the root of A. indica, a wellknown medicinal plant used against snake envenomation in many parts of rural India. Our aim was to evaluate the root extract of this ethnomedicine from its biochemical characters. The aristolochic acid (AA) content of the extract is considerably low and the solution does not exert any detectable toxicity in animals. It contains a large number of proteins that appear to be clustered under native condition. It does not show nonspecific protease activity but strong gelatinolytic, collagenase, nuclease and peroxidase activities. It interacts with the components of RVV and partially inhibits proteolytic and L-amino acid oxidase (LAAO) activities of the venom. Collectively, the properties of the extract explain, at least in parts, neutralization of RVV-induced toxicity and also its application in wound healing and inflammatory diseases