Gastroprotective effect of the iridoid fraction from Barleria prionitis leaves on experimentally-induced gastric ulceration

Distribution profile of iridoid glycosides and phenolic compounds in two Barleria species and their correlation with antioxidant and antibacterial activity

INTRODUCTION

Barleria prionitis is known for its medicinal properties from ancient times. Bioactive iridoid glycosides and phenolic compounds have been isolated from leaves of this plant. However, other parts of a medicinal plants are also important, especially roots. Therefore, it is important to screen all organs for complete chemical characterization.

METHOD

All parts of B. prionitis, including leaf, root, stem and inflorescence in search of bioactive compounds, with a rapid and effective metabolomic method. X500R QTOF system with information dependent acquisition (IDA) method was used to collect high resolution accurate mass data (HRMS) on both the parent (MS signal) and their fragment ions (MS/MS signal). ESI spectra was obtained in positive ion mode from all parts of the plant. A comparative analysis of antioxidant and antibacterial activity was done and their correlation study with the identified compounds was demonstrated. Principal component analysis was performed.

RESULT

Iridoid glycosides and phenolic compounds were identified from all parts of the showing variability in presence and abundance. Many of the compounds are reported first time in B. prionitis. Antioxidant and antibacterial activity was revealed in all organs, root being the most effective one. Some of the iridoid glycoside and phenolic compounds found to be positively correlated with the tested biological activity. Principal component analysis of the chemical profiles showed variability in distribution of the compounds.

CONCLUSION

All parts of B. prionitis are rich source of bioactive iridoid glycosides and phenolic compounds.

Phytochemicals and Biological Activities of Barleria (Acanthaceae)

Plant species belonging to the family Acanthaceae are globally known to possess various medicinal properties and have cultural and economic importance in both traditional medicine and horticulture. They are important to both animals and humans and are used as food or for ornamental purposes worldwide. Barleria is the third largest genus in the family Acanthaceae. A few of the highly important and reported species of Barleria include B. prionitis, B. cristata, B. grandiflora, and B. lupulina. The flowers, leaves, stems, roots, and seed extracts of plants belonging to this genus are rich in bioactive compounds and have exhibited significant medicinal potential for the treatment of various ailments and infections. Evidence derived from several studies has demonstrated the antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, antiulcer, hepatoprotective, analgesic, antiamoebic, antihelminthic, antiarthritic, antihypertensive, antiviral properties and toxicity of extracts, in addition inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity and biosynthesis of nanoparticles, of the plant and seed extracts of species belonging to Barleria. Studies have reported that bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, quinones, iridoids, phenylethanoid glycosides, the immunostimulant protein “Sankaranin”, and antibiotics isolated from Barleria species are resposnsible for the above biological activities. Traditionally, the genus Barleria has significant medicinal potential; however, there is a scarcity of information on various species that are yet to be evaluated. This review provides a comprehensive report on existing literature, concerning the phytochemistry and biological activities of the genus Barleria.

Medicinal Plants and Natural Products Used in Cataract Management

Cataract is the leading reason of blindness worldwide and is defined by the presence of any lens opacities or loss of transparency. The most common symptoms of cataract are impaired vision, decreased contrast sensitivity, color disturbance, and glare. Oxidative stress is among the main mechanisms involved in the development of age-related cataract. Surgery through phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation is the most effective method for cataract treatment, however, there are chances of serious complications and irreversible loss of vision associated with the surgery. Natural compounds consisting of antioxidant or anti-inflammatory secondary metabolites can serve as potential leads for anticataract agents. In this review, we tried to document medicinal plants and plant-based natural products used for cataract treatment worldwide, which are gathered from available ethnopharmacological/ethnobotanical data. We have extensively explored a number of recognized databases like Scifinder, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Scopus by using keywords and phrases such as “cataract”, “blindness”, “traditional medicine”, “ethnopharmacology”, “ethnobotany”, “herbs”, “medicinal plants”, or other relevant terms, and summarized the plants/phytoconstituents that are evaluated in different models of cataract and also tabulated 44 plants that are traditionally used in cataract in various folklore medical practices. Moreover, we also categorized the plants according to scientific studies carried out in different cataract models with their mechanisms of action.