Trichosanthes dioica root possesses stimulant laxative activity in mice

Integrated review of the nexus between toxic elements in the environment and human health

Emerging pollutants in the environment due to economic development have become a global challenge for environmental and human health management. Potentially toxic elements (PTEs), a major group of pollutants, have been detected in soil, air, water and food crops. Humans are exposed to PTEs through soil ingestion, consumption of water, uptake of food crop products originating from polluted fields, breathing of dust and fumes, and direct contact of the skin with contaminated soil and water. The dose absorbed by humans, the exposure route and the duration (i.e., acute or chronic) determine the toxicity of PTEs. Poisoning by PTEs can lead to excessive damage to health as a consequence of oxidative stress produced by the formation of free radicals and, as a consequence, to various disorders. The toxicity of certain organs includes neurotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, skin toxicity, and cardiovascular toxicity. In the treatment of PTE toxicity, synthetic chelating agents and symptomatic supportive procedures have been conventionally used. In addition, there are new insights concerning natural products which may be a powerful option to treat several adverse consequences. Health policy implications need to include monitoring air, water, soil, food products, and individuals at risk, as well as environmental manipulation of soil, water, and sewage. The overall goal of this review is to present an integrated view of human exposure, risk assessment, clinical effects, as well as therapy, including new treatment options, related to highly toxic PTEs.

Medicinal plants and natural products can play a significant role in mitigation of mercury toxicity

Mercury is a heavy metal of considerable toxicity. Scientific literature reveals various plants and plant derived natural products, i.e., phytochemicals, which can alleviate experimentally induced mercury toxicity in animals. The present review attempts to collate those experimental studies on medicinal plants and phytochemicals with ameliorative effects on mercury toxicity. A literature survey was carried out by using Google, Scholar Google, Scopus and Pub-Med. Only the scientific journal articles found in the internet for the last two decades (1998–2018) were considered. Minerals and semi-synthetic or synthetic analogs of natural products were excluded. The literature survey revealed that in pre-clinical studies 27 medicinal plants and 27 natural products exhibited significant mitigation from mercury toxicity in experimental animals. Clinical investigations were not found in the literature. Admissible research in this area could lead to development of a potentially effective agent from the plant kingdom for clinical management of mercury toxicity in humans.

The triterpenoid fraction from Trichosanthes dioica root suppresses experimentally induced inflammatory ascites in rats

CONTEXT

Trichosanthes dioica Roxb. (Cucurbitaceae), called pointed gourd in English, is a dioecious climber found wild throughout the plains of the Indian subcontinent and traditionally used in India for several medicinal purposes.

OBJECTIVE

The present study evaluated the protective effect of the triterpenoid enriched fraction from T. dioica root (CETD) against experimentally induced acute inflammatory ascites in Wistar albino rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The CETD was administered orally at the different doses (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight) to overnight fasted rats, and then ascites was induced by intraperitoneal administration of formalin solution. After 7 h, the rats were sacrificed and the volume of ascitic fluid was measured.

RESULTS

The CETD demonstrated significant (p < 0.01) reduction of ascitic fluid formation in a dose-dependent manner as compared with control.

CONCLUSION

The CETD produced significant and dose-dependent inhibition of experimentally induced inflammatory ascites in Wistar albino rats.

The triterpenoid fraction from Trichosanthes dioica root exhibits in vitro antileishmanial effect against Leishmania donovani promastigotes

Background:

Trichosanthes dioica Roxb. (Cucurbitaceae), called pointed gourd in English is a dioecious climber found wild throughout the plains of the Indian subcontinent and traditionally used in India for several medicinal purposes.

Objective:

The present study was aimed at the evaluation of in vitro antileishmanial effect of triterpenoid fraction from T. dioica root (CETD).

Materials and Methods:

The antileishmanial activity of CETD was evaluated against Leishmania donovani (strain MHOM/IN/83/AG83)) promastigotes by in vitro promastigote cell toxicity assay by using MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide). Potassium antimonyl tartrate was used as reference.

Results:

Here, CETD markedly inhibited the growth of L. donovani promastigotes in vitro in a concentration dependent manner and demonstrated IC₅₀ value of 18.75 μg/ml. The reference drug potassium antimonyl tartrate exhibited IC₅₀ of 7.52 μg/ml.

Conclusion:

From the present study it can be inferred that the triterpenoid fraction of T. dioica root exhibited remarkable antileishmanial activity against Leishmania donovani promastigotes in vitro.

Protective role of the triterpenoid-enriched extract of Trichosanthes dioica root against experimentally induced pain and inflammation in rodents

Trichosanthes dioica Roxb. (Cucurbitaceae), called pointed gourd in English, is a dioecious climber grown in the Indian subcontinent. This study evaluated the anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of triterpenoid-enriched extract of T. dioica root (CETD) in rodents at the doses of 50 and 100 mg kg(-1) body weight po. Anti-nociceptive activity was evaluated by acetic acid-induced writhing and tail flick methods in Swiss albino mice. CETD was evaluated for anti-inflammatory activity in experimental acute (carrageenan-, histamine- and serotonin-induced paw oedema) and chronic models (cotton pellet-induced granuloma) in Wistar albino rats. In writhing test, CETD dose dependently and significantly inhibited writhes; in tail flick test, CETD demonstrated significant increase in reaction time (after 60 and 120 min). In all the anti-inflammatory models, CETD exhibited promising anti-inflammatory activity in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, T. dioica root afforded remarkable anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory protections in the tested rodent models.