Ziziphus mauritiana Leaves Normalize Hormonal Profile and Total Cholesterol in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Rats

In the present study, the beneficial effect of leaves of Ziziphus mauritiana on testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, LH hormones, blood glucose, and total cholesterol levels in the experimentally induced polycystic ovaries of female Sprague Dawley rats were evaluated. Letrozole was used to induce PCOS in rats, and clomiphene citrate was used as a standard control. This study was carried out in vivo on 30 female rats where group I received normal saline and group II to V were treated with letrozole (1 mg/kg/day), which was dissolved in normal saline orally for 21 days to induce PCOS. After PCOS induction, test groups III and IV were orally treated with ZMME at a dose of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg for 14 days, respectively, and group V was treated with clomiphene citrate (2 mg/kg) orally for 14 days. At the end of the experimental period, the animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation, and blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture. After blood collection, the ovaries were removed and weighed. The results showed that Ziziphus mauritiana normalized all hormones and total cholesterol levels. The HPTLC profile showed the presence of gallic acid, rutin, quercetin, and ursolic acid. Many studies have reported that quercetin is effective against PCOS and its complications; it suppresses insulin resistance and reduces testosterone and LH levels. The present study showed an improvement in the inflammatory microenvironment of the ovarian tissue in the PCOS rat model. This research concluded that the leaves of Ziziphus mauritiana have potential efficacy in the treatment of PCOS by normalizing abnormal hormones and total cholesterol levels, which could be due to the presence of quercetin in the leaves.

Wound Healing and Antioxidant Capabilities of Zizyphus mauritiana Fruits: In-Vitro, In-Vivo, and Molecular Modeling Study

LC-HRMS-assisted chemical profiling of Zizyphus mauritiana fruit extract (ZFE) led to the dereplication of 28 metabolites. Furthermore, wound healing activity of ZFE in 24 adult male New Zealand Dutch strain albino rabbits was investigated in-vivo supported by histopathological investigation. Additionally, the molecular mechanism was studied through different in-vitro investigations as well as, studying both relative gene expression and relative protein expression patterns. Moreover, the antioxidant activity of ZFE extract was examined using two in-vitro assays including hydrogen peroxide and superoxide radical scavenging activities that showed promising antioxidant potential. Topical application of the extract on excision wounds showed a significant increase in the wound healing rate (p < 0.001) in comparison to the untreated and MEBO®-treated groups, enhancing TGF-β1, VEGF, Type I collagen expression, and suppressing inflammatory markers (TNF-α and IL-1β). Moreover, an in silico molecular docking against TNFα, TGFBR1, and IL-1β showed that some of the molecules identified in ZFE can bind to the three wound-healing related protein actives sites. Additionally, PASS computational calculation of antioxidant activity revealed potential activity of three phenolic compounds (Pa score > 0.5). Consequently, ZFE may be a potential alternative medication helping wound healing owing to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

Bioactive Extracts of Ziziphus mauritiana Induces Apoptosis in A549 Human Lung Epithelial Carcinoma Cells through the Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species

Background:

In recent years, novel metabolites isolated from botanical sources have been attracted much attention due to their traditional and therapeutic significance. The ethnopharmacological studies suggest that Ziziphus mauritiana is a common remedy against several kinds of ailments.

Objective:

The current study has evaluated the MeOH extract of Ziziphus mauritiana leaves (ZME) through physicochemical, phytochemical, and chromatographic fingerprinting analysis, which displayed an array of biometabolites of pharmacological significance, including flavonoids.

Methods:

The extract was further examined for anticancer activities, which revealed promising anticancer properties against human lung epithelial carcinoma cells (A549) and induction of apoptosis impart by ROS. The oxidative stress was evaluated in terms of production and accumulation of cytosolic extent of ROS, whereas anticancer perspective was determined by MTT assay, cell morphology analysis, followed by nuclear condensation for the examination of apoptosis induction.

Results:

Finding suggests that the MeOH extract of ZME markedly exhibited promising anticancer activity against the A549 lung epithelial carcinoma cell. The ZME was found to be most active in the MTT assay against A549 cells, while it was less toxic to normal cells. The intracellular ROS generation was remarkably induced by ZME, which correlated with the ability of the flavonoidrich fractions in the MeOH extract to inhibit cell growth and might induce apoptosis.

Conclusion:

The present study provides useful insight concerning the promising anticancer potential of ZME against A549 lung carcinomas. However, the clinical correlation will be required for its authorization and the discovery of significant and least noxious novel agents against lung carcinomas.

Immunostimulatory and anti-allergic potential of novel heterotrimeric lectin from seeds of Zizyphus mauritiana Lam

Zizyphus mauritiana Lam. seeds (ZMS) have been used medicinally as sedative or hypnotic drugs in most of Asian countries. ZMS has significant benefits to the human health. Therefore, we have evaluated immunomodulatory effect of lectin extracted from these ZMSL in both in vitro and in vivo study. Anaphylaxis is a severe life-threatening allergic reaction and Arthus reaction is deposition of immune complex and complement system activation, so we hypothesized that if ZMSL can protect these severe allergic diseases. We have studied the effect of ZMSL on macrophages and Wistar albino rats and confirmed its protective effect against anaphylaxis and Arthus reaction. Results of this study suggest ZMSL have immunostimulatory and antiallergic activity.

A panoramic view on phytochemical, nutritional, and therapeutic attributes of Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.: A comprehensive review

Ziziphus mauritiana (Rhamnaceae), commonly known as Indian jujube, is a pharmacologically diverse medicinal plant. A plethora of active phytochemical constituents of this plant has been revealed so far, namely, berberine, quercetin, kaempferol, sitosterol, stigmasterol, lanosterol, diosgenin, and so forth. Several studies demonstrated the exploration of pharmacological potential of various parts such as fruits, leaves, and stems of the plant as antioxidant, cytotoxic, antimicrobial, anti-diarrhoeal, antidepressant, immunomodulator, and hepatoprotective. This review gives a unique summary including phytochemistry, nutritional value, and significant pharmacological importance of Z. mauritiana. The literature search was carried out via search engine PubMed, Science Direct, and so on. The data were heterogeneous in terms of leaves, stem, roots, and fruits which were used for different experimental findings, which made the comparison a lengthy task. Study findings suggested that the extracts from this plant may possess numerous types of pharmacological activities. As the search for novel drugs from botanical sources continues, there is need for future investigations to isolate and characterize pharmacologically active agents that confer medicinal properties on Z. mauritiana, as well as to elucidate the structures of these agents by which they exert their healing properties and to scientifically validate the existing traditional practices concerning its health benefits.