Therapeutic importance and pharmacological activities of karanjin in the medicine for the treatment of Human disorders: A review through scientific data analysis

Backgrounds:

Plant and derived herbal drugs have been used in the traditional system of medicine for the treatment of various forms of human health complications since a very early age. Commercial products prepared from natural herbs have been always valuable for the society in the form of health supplement to medicament. In the ancient time, herbal products were mainly prepared from plants and their derived phytochemical. Plants contain a rich source of pure phytochemical called secondary metabolite and examples are flavonoids, glycosides, tannins and terpenoids etc. Plants and their parts including fruits, flowers, vegetables etc. are the best source of Flavonoid class phytochemicals.

Methods:

Present work summarized the scientific information of karanjin for their health beneficial aspects and pharmacological activities including its analytical aspects. In the present investigation, scientific data of karanjin have been collected from various scientific databases such as Google, Goggle Scholar, Science Direct and PubMed and analyzed to know the health beneficial aspects of karanjin in the medicine. Further pharmacological activity data has been collected and analyzed in the present work to know their biological potential in the medicine. Analytical methods used for the separation, isolation, and identification of karanjin for the standardization of different natural products have been also discussed in the present work.

Results:

Scientific data analysis signified the biological importance of Flavonoid class phytochemicals in the medicine as they are well known for their anti-ischemic, vasodilatory, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-viral, and anti-cancer activities. Scientific data analysis revealed the presences of karanjin in numerous medicinal plants such as Fordia cauliflora, Lonchocarpus latifolius, Millettia pinnata, Millettia pubinervis, Pongamia pinnata, and Tephrosia purpurea. Pharmacological activity data revealed the biological potential of karanjin against cancerous disorders, glucose metabolism abnormalities, gastrointestinal disorders, arthritis, inflammatory disorders, colitis, psoriasis and brain related disorders. However, analytical data signified the importance of RP-HPLC, TLC, HPTLC, UPLC-ESI-MS/MS and HSCCC techniques in the medicine for the quantification of karanjin in different samples.

Conclusion:

Presented information about karanjin in this review paper will be beneficial to the scientific peoples of the world to know the health beneficial aspects of karanjin in the medicine.

Ethosomes-based gel formulation of karanjin for treatment of acne vulgaris: in vitro investigations and preclinical assessment

The aim of the present study was to develop and characterize karanjin-loaded ethosomes-based gel formulation for enhanced topical delivery and effective therapy of skin acne. Karanjin-loaded ethosomes (K-ETH) presented a nanometric size of 140.87 ± 2.35 nm, entrapment of 71.41 ± 2.74% and enhanced permeation with 1.9 times increase in the flux and 2.4 times higher skin deposition compared to the hydro-ethanolic solution of karanjin. The DSC analysis confirmed successful entrapment of the karanjin within the ethosomes. The developed ethosomes were incorporated in the carbopol gel for adequate application on the skin surface. The ethosomal gel (K-EGF) also exhibited greater penetration in the rat skin as revealed by CLSM. The optimized K-EGF formulation was non-irritant to the skin as evident by Draize score test and histopathological examination. The highest zone of inhibition, 30.0 ± 1.52 mm and 36.22 ± 0.57 mm was produced by the K-EGF against Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis, respectively, indicating substantial antibacterial properties of the K-EGF. DPPH assay indicated its potent antioxidant effects. Substantial anti-inflammatory effects in the carrageenan-induced edema in the rat paw were evident with inhibition of rat paw edema by 66.66% and 70.37% upon application of K-EGF and standard anti-inflammatory agent, respectively. Anti-acne effects were also evident with K-EGF treatment with significant decrease in number and size of sebaceous gland units in dermis. Overall, the above findings vouch for a therapeutic opportunity to improve topical delivery of karanjin in acne treatment employing ethosomal gels as the promising carrier system.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-021-02978-3.

Karanjin

Karanjin [IUPAC: 3-methoxy-2-phenylfuro-(2,3-h-chrome-4-ol)], a bioactive furanoflavonoid and a potent biomolecule, was first isolated from Pongamia pinnata (L.). The crude extracts from root, leaf and seed having active constituent karanjin is highly valued in both traditional and modern knowledge systems. This review highlights, critically assesses, and presents the probable biosynthetic pathways of karanjin and its isolation methodologies with a view to actualizing its full potential. Karanjin exhibits multiple health benefits and applications, with evident anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycemic, antioxidant, anti-colitis, anti-ulcer, and anti-Alzheimer properties. Consequently, the physiochemical properties and biological effects of karanjin have been detailed and analyzed. The efficacy of karanjin has been attenuated by toxicological studies that have proven karanjin to be non-toxic at physiological conditions as substantiated by in vitro and in vivo studies. In addition, the multiple insect repellent/insecticidal properties of karanjin and its availability as an acaricide/bio-insecticide have been reviewed. This review article underscores and endorses the immense potential for novel drug leads in various medicinal and industrial applications, suggesting a deeper insight into its metabolic fate, bioavailability, and cellular effects that await further investigations.

UPLC-DAD quantification of chemical constituents of Potentilla atrosanguinea roots and their antioxidant activity

Potentilla atrosanguinea, native to Himalayan region, is well known for its curative effects in traditional medicinal system. An ultra performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection method for the quantification of constituents of root part of P. atrosanguinea has been developed along with antioxidant activity evaluation. A simple and sensitive quantification method developed for seven compounds however only four compounds; p-coumaric acid (4), rutin (7), tiliroside (14) and kaempferol (16) were quantified as others were in lesser amount. Syringic acid and quercetin were found in trace amount whereas chlorogenic acid was absent in the ethanol extract of roots of P. atrosanguinea. Total polyphenolic and flavonoid contents were determined to be 21.75 mg of gallic acid equivalent and 8.57 mg of quercetin equivalent per gram of dry plant material, respectively. Antioxidant activity of extract was assessed using three assays; 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The IC₅₀ values; 35.75 μg/ml and 30.35 μg/ml by DPPH and ABTS assays for ethanolic extract showed excellent free radical scavenging potential of its root part. The ferric reducing ability (FRAP) value, 26.67 mg of ascorbic acid per gram also indicated its higher antioxidant potential.