Extraction methods and computational approaches for evaluation of antimicrobial compounds from Capparis zeylanica L

Capparis zeylanica L. root extract promotes apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, inhibits epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and triggers E-cadherin expression in breast cancer cell lines

Capparis zeylanica L. is a climbing shrub distributed in Indian subcontinent and Mediterranean region. Almost all parts of the plant are used in folk medicine and traditional practices to treat several human ailments. The present study was aimed to investigate the role of C. zeylanica L. root extract in preventing cancerous cells growth and proliferation, as well as promoting apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Methanolic extract of C. zeylanica L. (MECz) was prepared and characterized by LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis. In vitro cytotoxicity and anti-proliferative activity of MECz was evaluated by MTT assay, while cell viability, apoptosis and cell cycle progression by Muse Cell analyzer. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein expressions of EMT markers were assessed using qRT-PCR and western blotting techniques, respectively. The MECz was found to be rich in phenolic compounds including chlorogenic acid, 6-gingerol, and certain triterpenes like ursolic acid etc. The apparent anti-metastasis activity of MECz was evident from IC50 value of 19.12 and 24.22 μg/mL, respectively, on MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells in MTT assay. An absolute decrease in cell viability (78.1-53.4% and 89.9-49.0%), augmented apoptosis (90.98-48.25% and 88.25-47.70%) and S phase, G2/M phase cell cycle arrest was found by MECz treatment on MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells. The gene expression studies revealed that MECz could significantly (p < 0.001) regulate the expression of EMT markers such as snail, slug, zeb-1, twist-1, fibronectin, vimentin and E-cadherin at molecular level. These findings demonstrate that C. zeylanica L. root extract inhibits breast cancer cells growth and proliferation through regulating the expression of key EMT marker genes and proteins. Thus, MECz may be suggested as a potential anti-metastasis agent in the treatment of breast cancer.

Ayurveda and in silico Approach: A Challenging Proficient Confluence for Better Development of Effective Traditional Medicine Spotlighting Network Pharmacology

Coalescence of traditional medicine Ayurveda and in silico technology is a rigor for supplementary development of future-ready effective traditional medicine. Ayurveda is a popular traditional medicine in South Asia, emanating worldwide for the treatment of metabolic disorders and chronic illness. Techniques of in silico biology are not much explored for the investigation of a variety of bioactive phytochemicals of Ayurvedic herbs. Drug repurposing, reverse pharmacology, and polypharmacology in Ayurveda are areas in silico explorations that are needed to understand the rich repertoire of herbs, minerals, herbo-minerals, and assorted Ayurvedic formulations. This review emphasizes exploring the concept of Ayurveda with in silico approaches and the need for Ayurinformatics studies. It also provides an overview of in silico studies done on phytoconstituents of some important Ayurvedic plants, the utility of in silico studies in Ayurvedic phytoconstituents/formulations, limitations/challenges, and prospects of in silico studies in Ayurveda. This article discusses the convergence of in silico work, especially in the least explored field of Ayurveda. The focused coalesce of these two domains could present a predictive combinatorial platform to enhance translational research magnitude. In nutshell, it could provide new insight into an Ayurvedic drug discovery involving an in silico approach that could not only alleviate the process of traditional medicine research but also enhance its effectiveness in addressing health care.

Antiulcer activity of ethanolic leaf extract of Capparis zeylanica against chemically induced ulcers

Background

Peptic ulcer is the term which refers to acid peptic injury of the digestive tract, and it results in mucosal break reaching the submucosa. Leaves of Capparis zeylanica are used as counterirritant, rubefacient, as a cataplasm in piles, boils and swellings. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the antiulcer activity of C. zeylanica ethanolic extract against chemically induced ulcers. The leaves were extracted with ethanol (50%) as solvent using hot perforation method. The extract was evaluated against acute and chronic ulcer models. Further, extract was evaluated for gastric autopsy of animals infected with Helicobacter pylori bacteria. The genes of rats were evaluated by gel electrophoresis method. Morphology of stomach was also studied after treatment with plant extract.

Results

Results exhibited that the area of ulcer was significantly reduced in both acute [naproxen-induced ulcer model (3.62 mm2), histamine-induced ulcer model (3.2 mm2) and ethanol-induced ulcer model (106.4 mm2)] and chronic [chronic naproxen-induced ulcer model (2.14 mm2), chronic histamine-induced ulcer model (0.16 mm2)]. The animals of naproxen-induced ulcer infected with H. pylori showed 91.48% reduction of ulcer area on 9th week after treatment with C. zeylanica extract (360 mg/kg). The rapid urease test and DNA observation revealed that no infection was present from 4th week after treatment with C. zeylanica extract (480 mg/kg). Morphological studies showed less conspicuous petechial marks and hemorrhages in stomach tissues after treatment with test drugs. Histopathological study revealed that C. zeylanica extract reduced stomach damages and eradicated H. pylori infections.

Conclusion

It can be concluded from the study that C. zeylanica possess antiulcer and anti-helicobacter activities.

Traditional Medicinal Plants as a Source of Antituberculosis Drugs: A System Review

Medicinal plants are the chief components in the different oriental formulations in different traditional medical systems worldwide. As a thriving source of medicine, the medicinal plants with antituberculosis (TB) properties inspire the pharmacists to develop new drugs based on their active components or semimetabolites. In the present review, the anti-TB medicinal plants were screened from the scientific literatures, based on the botanical classification and the anti-TB activity. The obtained anti-TB medicinal plants were categorized into three different categories, viz., 159 plants critically examined with a total 335 isolated compounds, 131 plants with their crude extracts showing anti-TB activity, and 27 plants in literature with the prescribed formula by the traditional healers. Our systemic analysis on the medicinal plants can assist the discovery of novel and more efficacious anti-TB drugs.

Natural-Product-Based Solutions for Tropical Infectious Diseases

About half of the world's population and 80% of the world's biodiversity can be found in the tropics. Many diseases are specific to the tropics, with at least 41 diseases caused by endemic bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Such diseases are of increasing concern, as the geographic range of tropical diseases is expanding due to climate change, urbanization, change in agricultural practices, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity. While traditional medicines have been used for centuries in the treatment of tropical diseases, the active natural compounds within these medicines remain largely unknown. In this review, we describe infectious diseases specific to the tropics, including their causative pathogens, modes of transmission, recent major outbreaks, and geographic locations. We further review current treatments for these tropical diseases, carefully consider the biodiscovery potential of the tropical biome, and discuss a range of technologies being used for drug development from natural resources. We provide a list of natural products with antimicrobial activity, detailing the source organisms and their effectiveness as treatment. We discuss how technological advancements, such as next-generation sequencing, are driving high-throughput natural product screening pipelines to identify compounds with therapeutic properties. This review demonstrates the impact natural products from the vast tropical biome have in the treatment of tropical infectious diseases and how high-throughput technical capacity will accelerate this discovery process.