Phytochemical Analysis and Antimalarial Activity Aqueous Extract of Lecaniodiscus cupanioides Root

Traditional uses, biological activities, and phytochemicals of Lecaniodiscus cupanioides: a review

Medicinal plants are indispensable source of therapeutic agents, and have proved to be “warehouse” of lead drug candidates. Lecaniodiscus cupanioides Planch. ex Benth is a medicinal tree plant that is extensively distributed in both Asia and Africa. The species has many ethnomedicinal uses in the treatment of fever, cough, typhoid, wound, skin infection, measles, jaundice, diabetes, sexual dysfunction, cancer, bone fracture, and as galactogogues. In the recent decades, the extracts and phytochemicals of L. cupanioides have been investigated to possess antibacterial, anticancer, aphrodisiac, antifungal, cytotoxic, antidiabetic, antiprotozoal, antioxidant, antidiarrhoeal, analgesic and ameliorative properties. However, triterpenoids which have been linked to its anticancer and antifungal actions, are the only isolated active constituents identified from the species despite the results of the phytochemical screenings and reported biological activities. Moreover, the mechanisms of action of the extracts and active components are yet to be fully elucidated. This paper provides a general review on the ethnomedicinal, phytochemicals, and biological activities of L. cupanioides, and lays a solid foundation for future investigations on the plant.

Effect of Herbal Medicine on Fertility Potential in Experimental Animals - an Update Review

Introduction:

Sexual function greatly affects the quality of life. Any problem which affects satisfaction is considered sexual dysfunction.

Aim:

The aim of this study was to investigate how recently used of complementary and alternative medicines has increased in treating infertility.

Methods:

Study has descriptive character based on searched and analyzed facts from the published articles in scientific journals.

Results:

The majority of the studies done for the detection of the efficacy of medicinal plants in treating male infertility were done on experimental animals with few clinical studies. However, there is still a need for more studies to have certain results, as conflicting results were noted in different studies done on the effect of the same medicinal plant on spermatogenesis. It might be referred it to the absence of standardization among research models, the difference in extracts, administration route, doses and how long did the experiment last added to differences in the part of the plant used and plant collection. This review summarized the finding of many studies that studied the effect of different medicinal herbs on the testes, epididymis, sperm and prostate parameters, testosterone level and steroidogenesis, erection/ejaculation function and libido.

Conclusion:

The protective effect might be due to OLE competence to antagonize the oxidative stress and LPO. Londium suffruticosum I. suffruticosum leaf extract was administered to sub-fertile male rats, subfertility was induced by carbendazim, it resulted in increased spermatogenesis, increased sperm counts, lessened sperm agglutination by preserving normal pH in testicular microenvironment, increasing the testicular oxidative biomarkers, SOD, and CAT. It was found that the main active components of the extract are alkaloids, steroidal lactones and flavonoids.

Evaluating Antiplasmodial and Antimalarial Activities of Soybean (Glycine max) Seed Extracts on P. falciparum Parasite Cultures and P. berghei-Infected Mice

Background

Plasmodium parasite resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) calls for development of new, affordable, safe, and effective antimalarial drugs. Studies conducted previously on soybean extracts have established that they possess antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancerous, and antioxidant properties. The activity of such extracts on Plasmodium parasite resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) calls for development of new, affordable, safe, and effective antimalarial drugs. Studies conducted previously on soybean extracts have established that they possess antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancerous, and antioxidant properties. The activity of such extracts on

Objectives

The aim of this study was to determine the antiplasmodial activity of soybean extracts using Plasmodium falciparum cultures, followed by an in vivo evaluation of safety and antimalarial activity of the extracts in Plasmodium berghei ANKA strain-infected mice.

Method

Aqueous, methanol, and peptide extracts of soybean seeds were prepared. An in vitro evaluation of the extracts for antiplasmodial activity was carried out using two P. falciparum strains: D6, a chloroquine-sensitive Sierra Leone 1 strain and W2, a chloroquine-resistant Indochina 1 strain. Following the in vitro evaluation of the extracts for antiplasmodial activity was carried out using two in vivo evaluation of safety and antimalarial activity of the extracts in P. berghei ANKA strain. The two extracts were tested for their therapeutic potential (curative test). The peptide extract was further assessed to determine whether it could prevent the establishment of a P. berghei ANKA strain. The two extracts were tested for their therapeutic potential (curative test). The peptide extract was further assessed to determine whether it could prevent the establishment of a P. berghei ANKA strain. The two extracts were tested for their therapeutic potential (curative test). The peptide extract was further assessed to determine whether it could prevent the establishment of a

Results

Peptide and methanol extracts showed good activity with IC₅₀ of 19.97 ± 2.57 μg/ml and 10.14 ± 9.04 μg/ml and 10.14 ± 9.04 μg/ml and 10.14 ± 9.04 μg/ml and 10.14 ± 9.04 P < 0.001) in suppression with lower doses.

Conclusion

The results show the presence of antimalarial properties in soybean extracts with higher curative activity when compared to the prophylactic activity. However, more research needs to be conducted on this plant to possibly establish lead compounds.

Antiplasmodial activity of methanol leaf extract of Citrus aurantifolia (Christm) Swingle

Introduction: Citrus aurantifolia (Christm) is a plant used for the treatment of various ailments including malaria. This study aimed to evaluate the in vivo antiplasmodial efficacy of methanol leaf extract of C. aurantifolia in Swiss albino mice. Methods: The median lethal dose (LD50) was determined by intraperitoneal administration of different doses of the extract (100–4000 mg/kg) to 6 groups of 3 mice each and the animals were observed for 24 hours for physical signs of toxicity. To evaluate the antiplasmodial activity of the extract, three models were used: suppressive, curative and repository. Doses of the extract used were 320, 640 and 960 mg/kg/d in mice, with Chloroquine (5 mg/kg/d) as standard drug. Pyrimethamine (1.2 mg/kg/d) was used as the standard drug for the repository test and distilled water (10 mL/kg/d) as control in all models. Results: In all models, the low dose (320 mg/kg) of the extract produced the highest chemosuppressive effects in all models (P < 0.001). Mice treated with extract lived longer than those in the control group (P < 0.001). Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins and cardiac glycosides and the LD50 of 3280 mg/kg ± 0.01 shows that the extract has low toxicity. Conclusion: The result of this study shows that C. aurantifolia has antiplasmodial properties which support its use in ethnomedicine in the treatment of malaria.

Antimalarial Activity of Acetylenic Thiophenes from Echinops hoehnelii Schweinf

Malaria is one of the world’s most severe endemic diseases and due to the emergence of resistance to the currently available medicines, the need for new targets and relevant antimalarial drugs remains acute. The crude extract, four solvent fractions and two isolated compounds from the roots of Echinops hoehnelii were tested for their antimalarial activity using the standard four-day suppressive method in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. The 80% methanol extract exhibited suppression of 4.6%, 27.8%, 68.5% and 78.7% at dose of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg respectively. The dichloromethane fraction displayed chemosuppression of 24.9, 33.5 and 43.0% dose of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of body weight. Five acetylenicthiophenes were isolated from the dichloromethane fraction of which 5-(penta-1,3-diynyl)-2-(3,4-dihydroxybut-1-ynyl)-thiophene decreased the level of parasitaemia by 43.2% and 50.2% while 5-(penta-1,3-diynyl)-2-(3-chloro-4-acetoxy-but-1-yn)-thiophene suppressed by 18.8% and 32.7% at 50 and 100 mg/kg, respectively. The study confirmed the traditional claim of the plant to treat malaria and could be used as a new lead for the development of antimalarial drugs.

The Role of Anethum graveolens L. (Dill) in the Management of Diabetes

Aim. There is evidence that Anethum graveolens (AG) has been used for centuries in Asian traditional medicine, and its constituents have useful effects on the control and management of diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. AG has many useful effects, including hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic effects, and it has been reported to reduce the incidence of diabetic complications. It acts mainly by affecting antioxidant capacity and change in some genes in glucose and lipid pathways. The aim of the present paper was to summarize pharmacological effects of AG in the management of diabetes. Methods. To prepare this review, a pharmacological and phytochemical literature survey was performed using Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science. Also, some historical and ethnopharmacological literature sources were used. Results. This review plans to provide readers with an assessment of the pharmacological effects of AG, especially in diabetes. Conclusion. The paper highlights the therapeutic effects of AG which would aid in supporting their safe use in the management of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Comparative phytochemical profiling of Clerodendrum infortunatum with some selected medicinal plants predominant in the Sub-Himalayan region of West Bengal

BACKGROUND

The aim of the present study was to quantify the phytochemicals of Clerodendrum infortunatum root and correlate on the basis of phytochemicals present with other medicinal plants belonging to different families.

METHODS

Various standard biochemical and spectrophotometric methods were employed to study the phytochemical status of the root of C. infortunatum. All the analysis was performed in multiple sets. Various statistical methods like principal component analysis, dendogram, Euclidean distance and correlation study were done to compare the phytochemical profile of C. infortunatum with different selected medicinal plants belonging to different families.

RESULTS

Results indicated the presence of various phytochemicals like phenol, alkaloid, flavonoid, tannin, thiamine, riboflavin, etc. Among the estimated phytochemicals, phenol had the highest quantity (65.59±1.26 mg/g) followed by lipid (27.51±0.23 mg/g) and tannin (16.40±0.07 mg/100 g). The phytochemical contents of C. infortunatum are much higher than those of the other reference plants.

CONCLUSIONS

It may be concluded from the present study that the root of C. infortunatum contains very high amount of phytochemicals which are chiefly responsible for various medicinal properties. Therefore, the presence of the bioactive compounds in high quantity may lead to the potent medicinal value of C. infortunatum root.

Potential antimalarials from African natural products: A reviw

Malaria remains an overwhelming infectious disease with significant health challenges in African and other endemic countries globally. Resistance to antimalarial drugs has become one of the most momentous challenges to human health, and thus has necessitated the hunt for new and effective drugs. Consequently, few decades have witnessed a surfeit of research geared to validate the effectiveness of commonly used traditionally medicines against malaria fever. The present review work focuses on documenting natural products from African whose activity has been reported in vivo or in vitro against malaria parasite. Literature was collected using electronic search of published articles (Google Scholar, PubMed, Medline, Sciencedirect, and Science domain) that report on antiplasmodial activity of natural products from differernts Africa region. A total of 652 plant taxa from 146 families, 134 isolated antimalarial compounds from 39 plants species, 2 herbal formulations and 4 insect/products were found to be reported in literature from 1996 to 2015. Plants species from family Asteraceae (11.04%), Fababceae (8.128%), Euphorbiaceae (5.52%), Rubiaceas (5.52%), and Apocyanaceae (5.214%), have received more scientific validation than others. African natural products possess remarkable healing properties as revealed in the various citations as promising antimalarial agents. Some of these natural products from Africa demonstrate high, promising or low activities against Plasmodium parasite. This study also shows that natural products from Africa have a huge amount of novel antimalarial compounds that could serve as a leads for the development of new and effective antiplasmodial drugs. However, in a view of bridging the gap in knowledge, clinical validation of these natural products are of paramount importance.