In vivo Study on Depressant Effects and Muscle Coordination Activity of Galphimia glauca Stem Methanol Extract

Herbal root extracts in Ben-Cha-Moon-Yai remedy attenuated pain-like behaviors and inflammation through the opioid and prostaglandin systems

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Ben-Cha-Moon-Yai (BMY) remedy used in Thai traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic agent compromises five herbal root extracts of equal weights: Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa (AM), Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz (OI), Dimocarpus longan Lour. (DL), Dolichandrone serrulata (Wall. ex DC.) Seem. (DS), and Walsura trichostemon Miq. (WT).

AIM OF THE STUDY

To assess the anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of the root extracts of all five species of BMY in experimental animal (mouse) models to ensure the rational use of herbal products in Thai traditional medicine.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Root extracts prepared by ethanol and water extraction were used for the biological assays in animal models at five dose levels: 25, 50,100,200 & 400 mg/kg. The anti-nociceptive activity was evaluated based on hot-plate latency, duration of paw licking induced by formalin, and abdominal writhing induced by acetic acid. Carrageenan- and prostaglandin-induced paw oedema models were used to determine the anti-inflammatory activity.

RESULTS

The oral administration of AM, DS and WT root extracts displayed significant analgesic effects in the hot-plate test, both phases (early and late) of formalin test and acetic-acid induced writhing test at different dose levels. OI and DL only produced significant analgesia in the late phase of the formalin test and writhing test. The pretreatment of animals with the non-selective opioid receptor antagonist naloxone, reverse AM, DS and WT induced-antinociceptive activity. In both carrageenan and prostaglandin-induced paw oedema tests, all five herbal plant root extracts significantly reduced paw oedema at 3 h or more at different dose levels. Rotarod test results showed no effects of five herbal plant root extracts on the balance and the motor coordination at the highest dose level evaluated (400 mg/kg).

CONCLUSION

The root extracts of AM, DS, and WT possess both central and peripheral anti-nociceptive properties, while OI and DL possess only peripheral analgesic properties. All five root extracts own anti-inflammatory properties, which might be due to their activity on the prostaglandin system. Altogether these findings ensure the rational use of BMY remedy in Thai traditional medicine.

Medicinal Plants for Insomnia Related to Anxiety: An Updated Review

Sleep disorders are common among the general population and can generate health problems such as insomnia and anxiety. In addition to standard drugs and psychological interventions, there are different complementary plant-based therapies used to treat insomnia and anxiety. This review aimed to find and examine the most recent research on the use of herbal medicines for treating anxiety and insomnia as compiled from clinical trials, as well as to assess the safety and efficacy of these medicines and to elucidate their possible mechanisms of action. The process entailed a search of PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library databases from 2010 to 2020. The search terms included "sleep disorder", "insomnia", "sedative", "hypnotic", "anxiety", "anxiolytic", and "clinical trial", combined with the search terms "herbs" and "medicinal plants", in addition to individual herbal medicines by both their common and scientific names. This updated review, which focuses mainly on clinical trials, includes research on 23 medicinal plants and their combinations. Essential oils and their associations have also been reviewed. The efficacy of medicinal plants depends on treatment duration, types of study subjects, administration route, and treatment method. More clinical trials with an adequate, standardized design are necessary, as are more preclinical studies to continue studying the mechanisms of action. As a result of our work, we can conclude that the 3 plants with the most potential are valerian, passionflower, and ashwagandha, with the combination of valerian with hops and passionflower giving the best results in the clinical tests.

Glaucacetalin E and galphimidin B from Galphimia glauca and their anxiolytic activity

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Galphimia glauca is a Mexican medicinal plant used to treat anxiety, fear, phobia and stress as it possesses sedative properties which produce a calming effect. Although some chemical and pharmacological studies have already been carried out on G. glauca, there are still new chemical entities from this plant whose anxiolytic activity should be established.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To validate the use of G. glauca growing in Cuernavaca, Morelos, as an anti-stress agent, through the purification and structural identification of its extracts' chemical constituents; the analysis of the biogenetic relationship of its chemical compounds, and its biological evaluation to demonstrate its traditional use as anxiolytic agents.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The structures of all isolated compounds were established based on their spectroscopic and spectrometric data. The structure of compound 2 was corroborated through X-Ray. The anxiolytic and sedative-like activities were assessed by the open-field, hole-board and exploration cylinder test.

RESULTS

The nor-triterpenes glaucacetalin E (1) and galphimidin B (2) were isolated for the first time along with seven other known compounds, one of them galphimidin (3), from the CHCl₃ fraction of the aerial parts of Galphimia glauca. The biogenesis of the natural nor-triterpenes isolated from Galphimia glauca is delineated for the first time starting from the taraxasteryl cation. Oral administration of CHCl₃ fraction and 1-3 compounds produced significant attenuation in the anxiety-response in cylinder activity, decrease in the ambulatory activity and in head dipping when compared to the vehicle. However, only the extract enhanced the pentobarbital-induced hypnosis. Diazepam was used as a positive control.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that G. glauca growing in Cuernavaca, Morelos, exerts anxiolytic-like activity due to the presence of the nor-triterpenes 1-3. These results reinforce the potential use of this species in the treatment of anxiety.

Multidisciplinary Investigations on Galphimia glauca: A Mexican Medicinal Plant with Pharmacological Potential

Galphimia glauca (Cav.) Kuntze is an important endemic plant species, which possesses many medicinal properties and has been used in the Mexican traditional medicine for its sedative, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, antiasthmatic and antiallergic properties. The therapeutic properties of this plant are mainly due to the presence of diverse bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, triterpenoids, and phenolics. Several triterpenoids and flavonoids compounds have been isolated and identified. Modern studies have demonstrated many biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antidiarrheal, gastroenteritis, antimalarial and cytotoxic activities. Nevertheless, many studies are restricted to the crude extract, and many bioactive compounds are yet to be identified and validated according to its traditional use. However, its commercial exploitation and use are highly limited due to the non-availability of enough plant material and lack of knowledge about its agronomical practices. Moreover, the misinterpretation and mislabeling of closely related species of the genus Galphimia Cav. as G. glauca or G. gracilis is a common problem for its rigorous scientific study and commercial exploitation. The present review provides comprehensive knowledge based on the available scientific literature. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review on G. glauca. This comprehensive information will certainly provide a guide for the better understanding and utilization of G. glauca for its scientific and industrial exploitation.

In Vivo Psychopharmacological Investigation of Delphinium Denudatum and Amaranthus Spinosus Extracts on Wistar Rats

Introduction:

In our modern era, life style of human being changes and updates every day that may affect their health status. There is an incredible expectation that natural origin drugs lack undesirable effects not like synthetic drugs, though have the same potency and efficacy. No scientific data is available about the antianxiety properties of Delphinium denudatum root and Amaranthus spinosus leaves. In this regard, the present study was designed to carry out comparative and combined study on antianxiety properties of Delphinium denudatum root and Amaranthus spinosus leaves.

Methods:

Delphinium denudatum root and Amaranthus spinosus leaves were defatted with petroleum ether, and then extracted with hydroalcoholic solvent by soxhlation process. The hydroalcoholic extract of both drugs singly and in combination were evaluated for their anxiolytic effects on Wistar albino rats in doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg using different anti-anxiety tests like Elevated Plus Maze, Staircase, Actophotometer, and Light and Dark tests.

Results:

Both hydroalcoholic extracts possessed flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates, steroids, sterols, etc. In the dose dependent manner, both the hydroalcoholic extracts produced good anxiolytic activity. The best result was obtained by a combination of them in higher dose.

Conclusion:

Hydroalcoholic extracts of Delphinium denudatum root and Amaranthus spinosus leaves and their combination may act as a potent anxiolytic agents in rats. Amaranthus spinosus was found to be more effective than Delphinium denudatum.