Psychopharmacological studies on Tragia involucrata root extract

Tragia L. Genus: Ethnopharmacological Use, Phytochemical Composition and Biological Activity

Tragia L. is a genus of plants belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family with worldwide intertropical distribution, composed of more than 150 species. In this literature review, 26 species of the genus used as medicinal plants were found, mainly in East Africa and the Indian subcontinent, with a variety of uses among which antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and reproductive health are most common. Research has been done on a few of the species, mostly those of the Old World, with emphasis on four of them: Tragia involucrata Linn., Tragia spathulata Benth., Tragia benthamii Baker and Tragia plukenetii Radcl.-Sm., confirming several ethnomedicinal claims. Moreover, a variety of active phytochemicals have been isolated, mainly ethers, hydrocarbons, flavonoids and sterols. There is ample field for the evaluation of the activity of Tragia extracts and essential oils and the identification of their active compounds, particularly of the New World species, for which there is still very little research.

Natural Products: Ray of Hope for Anxiety Disorders

Background:

Anxiety, a familiar form of psychiatric disorder, influences numerous persons throughout the world. These psychological disorders frequently need an enduring regime of recommended medicines and impose huge costs on human societies. For the last few decenniums, discovery in the field of natural neurophysiology garnered a lot of recognition because of its least side effects.

Objective:

Many people find it helpful to discover an effective herbal remedy for anxiety with fewer detrimental repercussions. The purpose of the present article is to report medicinal plant species used as anti-anxiety agents, which in turn, are helpful to develop new anti-anxiety herbal formulations.

Method:

An unlimited, semantic electronic and manual exploration of PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, ISI, Google Scholar, Elsevier's abstract and citation database, and the database libraries was carried using keywords such as medicinal plants, herbal drugs, traditional medicine, and anxiety for recognizing natural medications in the management of anxiety disorders.

Results:

Literary review collected the information of potential anti-anxiety plants. Data support the effectiveness of some popular herbal remedies by indicating high-quality scientific studies and support several clinically efficacious natural plants as anxiolytics.

Conclusion:

Evidence-based studies indicate that natural plant treatment is an efficient way to manage anxiety disorders; the benefits outweigh the risks.

Methanol, ethyl acetate and n-hexane extracts of Tragia involucrata L. leaves exhibit anxiolytic, sedative and analgesic activity in Swiss albino mice

INTRODUCTION

Tragia involucrata L. have been utilized as traditional medicine in Indian subcontinent for the treatment of numerous illnesses such as inflammation, pain and skin infection. In this current study we sought to assess the anxiolytic, sedative and analgesic activity of Tragia involucrata L. leaves extract.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We first performed a phytochemical screening test of the leaves extracts following standard phytochemical screening protocols. We next examined the anxiolytic and sedative activity of crude methanol (TIME), ethyl acetate (TIEAE) and n-Hexane (TIHE) extract of Tragia involucrata L. leaves using mouse behavioral models such as elevated plus-maze test and pentobarbital-induced sleeping time test, respectively. Likewise, we evaluated the analgesic activity using acetic acid induced writhing test and formalin induced paw licking test. Additionally, we performed a quantitative analysis of heavy metals content of Tragia involucrata L. leaves by overnight digestion in concentrated nitric acid (HNO3).

RESULTS

Phytochemical screening demonstrated that TIME, TIEAE and TIHE contain flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, phenols, terpenoids and sterols. Administration of these extracts resulted in higher number of open arm entry, lower number of close arm entry and higher time spent in open arm compared to control treatment (p < 0.05). Moreover, these treatments decreased the onset of sleep time and increased the duration of sleep compared to control treated mice (all p < 0.05). Likewise, extracts treated mice exhibited decreased number of writhing as well as lower acute phase and late phase duration compared to control treatment (all p < 0.05). The average level of As and Fe in Tragia involucrata L. leaves was 5.16 ± 0.012 ppm and 2.76 ± 0.015 ppm, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Results from this study support that Tragia involucrata L. leaves extracts exhibit an anxiolytic, sedative and analgesic activity in mice.

Ethnopharmacological Use and Biological Activities of Tragia involucrata L

Plants have been utilized as medicines to treat various ailments since ancient times. Formulations made by plant materials have been used in traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine and remain widespread in both developing and developed countries. In developing countries, traditional medicines are widely practiced due to its accessibility and affordability, while in developed countries, complementary and alternative medicine are widely popular due to the adverse effects of chemical drugs. Tragia involucrata Linn. (family: Euphorbiaceae) is a highly used medicinal plant used in both Sri Lankan and Indian traditional medical systems. Since this plant is a weed, it is being extensively destroyed due to the lack of knowledge regarding the medicinal value of this plant. Hence, the objective of this study was to collect data on the medicinal value of this plant by correlating its scientifically validated biological activities with its ethnopharmacological uses. An attempt was made to gather as much information available regarding the ethnopharmacological uses and scientifically validated biological activities of Tragia involucrata through authentic traditional texts, scientific journals, and other authentic texts regarding medicinal plants. Thus, the review provides an insight to the capability of Tragia involucrata to be used as a monoherbal formulation for diseases pertaining to multiple systems of the body. With all the scientifically validated biological activities and the ethnopharmacological uses, Tragia involucrata may qualify as a potent candidate to be developed into a phytomedicine to be utilized as both a preventive and as a therapeutic agent.

Exploration of in vitro thrombolytic, anthelminthic, cytotoxic and in vivo anxiolytic potentials with phytochemical screening of flowers of Brassica nigra

Background

Brassica nigra is a plant of Brassicaceae family, which possesses numerous medicinal values. Our present study is intended to assess the potential in vitro thrombolytic, anthelminthic, cytotoxic and in vivo anxiolytic properties of MCE of B. nigra flowers. MCE was fractioned for separating the compound on the basis of polarity by using chloroform, n-hexane and ethyl acetate solvent. Thrombolytic and anthelminthic activities were explained by collecting human erythrocytes and earthworms as test models, respectively. Anxiolytic activity was evaluated by elevated plus maze and hole board models while cytotoxic test was conducted through brine shrimp lethality bioassay.

Results

MCE revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannin, diterpenes, glycosides, carbohydrates, phenols, fixed oils and fat. In case of thrombolytic test, the MCE, CSF, ASF and n-HSF had produced maximum clot lysis activity at 5 and 10 mg/ml dose conditions. Two different concentrations (10 and 20 mg/ml) of MCE and its fractions showed significant (p < 0.05) anthelminthic activities in a dose-dependent manner. Significant anxiolytic activity was observed for all fractions which was comparable to the standard drug diazepam (p < 0.05). Again, the cytotoxic screening also presented good potentials for all fractions.

Conclusion

From the findings of present study, we can conclude that MCE of B. nigra flowers and its fraction possess significant anxiolytic, anthelmintic, anticancer and thrombolytic properties which may be a good candidate for treating these diseases through the determination of bio-active lead compounds.

Evaluation of anxiolytic and hypoglycemic potential of Cissus adnata Roxb. in animal model

Background This study was designed to evaluate the anxiolytic and hypoglycemic potential of methanolic extract of Cissus adnata Roxb. is a crucial medicinal plant used in many disorders belongs to Vitaceae family. Methods Elevated plus maze (EPM) test and hole board test was applied for the anxiolytic activity with the Swiss albino mice. The hypoglycemic activity was measured by the glucose tolerance test in mice model. The capacity to produce the desired effect of the plant extract (200 and 400 mg/kg) was compared with the anxiolytic drug of standard diazepam (1 mg/kg i.p.) and anti-diabetic drug glibenclamide (10 mg/kg i.p.), respectively. Results The phytochemical screening of Cissus adnata extract exposed the presence of carbohydrate, phenol, flavonoid, saponins, cardiac glycoside, tannin, and gum. The anxiolytic effect was detected in both experiments which significantly raised the number of head dips and the time spent in the open arm of the EPM (p<0.05) as the dose enlarged. Hypoglycemic study of the extracts shows better effect by reducing blood glucose level. Conclusions The better anxiolytic and hypoglycemic activities in the present study are due to the existence of various phytochemical constituents like saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenols, and tannins in this methanolic extract.

PHYTOCHEMICAL, PHARMACOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROFILES OF TRAGIA SPECIES (FAMILY: EUPHORBIACEAE)

Background:

Tragia belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae which contains about 152 species. Interestingly, most of the earlier investigations have been done using only five Tragia species, namely, Tragia involucrata, Tragia cannabina, Tragia spathulata, Tragia plukenetii, and Tragia benthamii. The objective of the present review is to compile the phytochemical, pharmacological and biological studies of the selected five Tragia species reported in the literature.

Methods:

The reported data/information was retrieved mainly from the online databases of PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE and Botanical Survey of India.

Results:

The present review elaborated the phytochemical, pharmacological and biological properties of the selected five Tragia species obtained from recent literature.

Conclusion:

This review provides a basis for future investigation of Tragia species and, especially for those species that have not been explored for biological and pharmacological activities.

Evaluation of antinociceptive effects of Tragia plukenetii: A possible mechanism

Tragia plukenetii R.Smith. (Euphorbiaceae) is an erect, prostate herb with sparsely hispid stinging hairs. In the present study, ethanolic extract and its fractions of T. plukenetii aerial parts were evaluated for antinociceptive and central nervous system (CNS) depressant effects. Among all the extracts, chloroform extract has produced significant analgesic activity at a test dose of 250 mg/kg in acetic acid induced writhing test and Eddy's hotplate test. The analgesic effect of chloroform extract (68.83% inhibition) is comparable with aspirin (72.09% inhibition) in acetic acid induced writhing test. Chloroform extract significantly increased the latency time in hotplate test. In the study of CNS depressant effect, the chloroform extract was found to produce a significant (P < 0.01) reduction of the exploratory capacity and depressant effect in locomotor activity. From the point of CNS depressant and good protective effect on chemical and thermal pain stimuli, indicates that T. plukenetii chloroform extract may have morphinomimetic properties. The naloxone is not able to alter the T. plukenetii induced antinociceptive effect in writhing and hotplate test. Thus, the observed antinociceptive activity of T. plukenetii might have resulted from the activation of peripheral receptors.

Therapeutic effects of herbal extracts and constituents in animal models of psychiatric disorders

A search for novel pharmacotherapy from medicinal plants for psychiatric illnesses has progressed significantly in the past decade. This is reflected in the large number of herbal preparations for which psychotherapeutic potential has been evaluated in a variety of animal models. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of herbal extracts and constituents that have significant therapeutic effects in animal models of psychiatric illnesses. Eighty five individual herbs reviewed were classified as anxiolytic, antidepressant, neuroleptic, antidementia, or anti-substance abuse herbs. The full scientific name of each herb, herbal part used, active constituent, extract, dose range and route, animal model, possible mechanisms of action, and pertinent references are presented via synoptic tables. The herbal mixtures were also mentioned. A considerable number of herbal constituents whose behavioral effects and pharmacological actions have been well characterized may be good candidates for further investigations that may ultimately result in clinical use. The investigation of a large portion of the herbal extracts and herbal mixtures is in its infancy. Herbal remedies that have demonstrable psychotherapeutic activities have provided a potential to psychiatric pharmaceuticals and deserve increased attention in future studies.