RP–LC Simultaneous Determination of Aconitine, Solanine and Piperine in an Ayurvedic Medicine

Anti-inflammatory potential of aconitine produced by endophytic fungus Acremonium alternatum

Argemone mexicana belonging to family Papaveraceae is a traditional medicinal plant widely utilized by tribal people in India for treating various ailments like skin infections, wounds and inflammation. This plant is very rich in alkaloidal content, which has a great potential in the treatment of anti-inflammatory disorders. Therapeutically promising bioactive molecules are often produced by endophytic fungi associated with medicinal plants. In this investigation, endophytic fungi were isolated from various parts of A. mexicana and screened for alkaloidal content. Among these, one of the fungal isolate, Acremonium alternatum AMEF-5 producing maximum alkaloids showed significant anti-inflammatory activity. Fractionation of this crude fungal extract through column chromatography yielded eight fractions, which were further screened for anti-inflammatory activities. Fraction 3 exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity by the inhibition of lipoxygenase enzyme (IC50 15.2 ± 0.09 µg/ml), scavenging of the nitric oxide radicals (IC50 11.38 ± 0.35 µg/ml), protein denaturation (IC50 14.93 ± 0.4 µg/ml), trypsin inhibition (IC50 12.06 ± 0.64 µg/ml) and HRBC stabilization (IC50 11.9 ± 0.22 µg/ml). The bioactive alkaloid in fraction 3 was identified as aconitine which was confirmed by UV, FTIR, HPLC, HRMS, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR analysis. This study demonstrates that endophytic fungi serve a potential source for sustainable production of therapeutically important alkaloids.

Use, history, and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry chemical analysis of Aconitum

Aconitum and its products have been used in Asia for centuries to treat various ailments, including arthritis, gout, cancer, and inflammation. In general, their preparations and dispensing have been restricted to qualified folk medicine healers due to their low safety index and reported toxicity. In the past few decades, official guidelines have been introduced in Asian pharmacopeias to control Aconitum herbal products. However, these guidelines were based on primitive analytical techniques for the determination of the whole Aconitum alkaloids and were unable to distinguish between toxic and nontoxic components. Recent advances in analytical techniques, especially high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrophoresis coupled with highly sensitive detectors, allowed rapid and accurate determination of Aconitum secondary metabolites. Reports focusing on liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of Aconitum and its herbal products are discussed in the current review. This review can be used by the health liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry regulatory authorities for updating pharmacopeial guidelines of Aconitum and its herbal products.

Biological Evaluation of Polyherbal Ayurvedic Cardiotonic Preparation "Mahamrutyunjaya rasa"

Mahamrutyunjaya rasa (MHR), an Ayurvedic formulation, used as cardiotonic, contains potentially toxic compounds like aconitine, which are detoxified during preparation using traditional methods. Comparative toxicological evaluation of laboratory prepared formulation (F1) and two marketed formulations (F2 and F3) were performed based on their effects on viability of H9c2 cells and after single oral dose administration in mice. Cardioprotective effect of formulations at 25 and 50 mg/kg doses were studied in isoproterenol- (ISO-) induced myocardial infarcted rats. F1 and F2 did not affect the cell viability, while F3 decreased the cell viability in concentration and time-dependent manner. Rats administered with ISO showed significant increase in the serum levels of glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, alkaline phosphotase, creatinine kinase isoenzymes, lactate dehydrogenase, and uric acid, while F1 and F2 treatment showed significant reduction in the same. F3 showed further increase in the serum levels of enzymes and uric acid in ISO-challenged rats. High pressure liquid chromatographic analysis of formulations showed higher concentration of aconitine in F3. Study shows that F1 and F2 possess cardioprotective property with higher safety, while formulation F3 cannot be used as cardioprotective due to its cytotoxic effects. Thus, proper quality assessment methods are required during preparation of traditional formulations.