In vitro immuno-stimulatory and anticancer activities of Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz.: An evidence for substitution of aerial parts for conservation

BACKGROUND

In Ayurveda, "Dashamoolarishta" is one of the important composite herbal formulations. Mainly, the root and root bark of Oroxylum indicum are used as one of the ingredients in its preparation. This leads to over exploitation of medicinal plants owing, to excessive demand due to population expansion and its perceived importance in traditional herbal remedies.

OBJECTIVE

For the conservation of biodiversity, the present investigation had an objective to prepare the extracts of different parts of O. indicum plant and to, compare the chemo-profiles as well as to study the biological activities of the prepared extracts.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Hydro-alcoholic (HA) and aqueous (Aq) extracts of various plant parts were prepared and chemical investigation was done with the help of (LC-MS/MS). Further, in vitro biological activities such as immuno-stimulation (IS) using a cytokine bioassay in RAW264.7 and in vitro anticancer in TNF-α ELISA in THP-1 cells were studied.

RESULTS

The mass spectral profile of the plant revealed the presence of markers such as oroxylin A and chrysin in HA and Aq extracts of stem, leaf, bark and root. Cytokine release and TNF-α secretion was observed in both hydro-alcoholic and aqueous extracts.

CONCLUSION

Based on the results from the present study, it can be concluded that it is possible to replace the roots and the bark of O. indicum with the stem of young plants and leaves. It paves a way for the conserving the medicinal plants without uprooting and extinguishing the whole plant.

Mast cell stabilization potential of Sitopaladi churna: An ayurvedic formulation

Background:

Sitopaladi churna (SPC) is a popular polyherbal ayurvedic formulation used in the treatment of allergy and respiratory diseases.

Objective:

The present study was aimed to justify the classical use of antiallergic claim by performing the mast cell stabilizing activity of extracts of SPC.

Materials and Methods:

The protective effect of aqueous extract and methanolic extract - of SPC against compound 48/80-induced mast cell degranulation model was carried out.

Results:

Sitopaladi churna aqueous extract (SPCA) at the dose of 300 mg/kg and Sitopaladi churna methanolic extract (SPCM) at the doses of 150 and 300 mg/kg showed better protection of mast cell degranulation (65%-74%) and were comparable to the standard drug ketotifen (79%), when peritoneal mast cells were treated with compound 48/80. The protection against mast cell degranulation was significant (P < 0.0001).

Conclusion:

From the above results, it has been justified that SPC can be used to treat allergic disorders.

Anti-inflammatory activity of Ajmodadi Churna extract against acute inflammation in rats

Background:

Ayurvedic polyherbal formulations are widely prescribed for a wide range of inflammatory conditions, yet, despite widespread use, there has been no systematic documentation of their safety and efficacy.

Objective:

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of aqueous extracts of Ajmodadi churna (AJM) in rats.

Materials and Methods:

Carrageenan-induced hind paw edema and air pouch inflammation models were used for the study.

Results:

The extracts showed significant antiinflammatory activity, reducing paw edema volume by 0.417 ± 0.097 and 0.379 ± 0.049, respectively. In the carrageenan-induced air pouch model, AJM reduced total leukocyte count by 73.09 ± 7.13 and 62.17 ± 10.53, granulocyte count by 69.48 ± 5.44 and 63.33 ± 4.13, and myeloperoxidase activity by 14.84 ± 0.91 and 18.44 ± 3.18, respectively, compared to controls.

Discussion and Conclusion:

AJM significantly reduced paw edema, during the second phase of edema development. In the carrageenan-induced air pouch model, AJM inhibited cellular infiltration into the air pouch fluid. We conclude that AJM is an effective candidate for prevention or treatment of acute inflammation

Standardization of Ajmodadi churna, a polyherbal formulation

Standardization of herbal formulations is essential in order to assess the quality of drugs, based on the concentration of their active principles. This article reports on standardization of Ajmodadi churna, a polyherbal ayurvedic medicine used as a carminative and an antispasmodic, and is a strong wormifuge, and helps in all painful conditions like sciatica and stiffness in back and also restores normal digestive functions. Ajmodadi churna was prepared as per Ayurvedic Formulary of India. In-house preparation and the marketed drug have been standardized on the basis of organoleptic characters, physical characteristics, and physico-chemical properties. The set parameters were found to be sufficient to evaluate the churna and can be used as reference standards for the quality control/quality assurance laboratory of a Pharmaceutical house.

Formulation and evaluation of floating tablets of liquorice extract

Background:

Floating tablets prolong the gastric residence time of drugs, improve bioavailability, and facilitate local drug delivery to the stomach. With this objective, floating tablets containing aqueous extract of liquorice as drug was prepared for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori and gastric ulcers.

Methods:

The aqueous extract of liquorice was standardized by HPTLC. Tablets containing HPMC K100M (hydrophilic polymer), liquorice extract, sodium bicarbonate (gas generating agent), talc, and magnesium stearate were prepared using direct compression method. The formulations were evaluated for physical parameters like diameter, thickness, hardness, friability, uniformity of weight, drug content, buoyancy time, dissolution, and drug release mechanism. The formulations were optimized on the basis of buoyancy time and in vitro drug release.

Results:

The diameter of all formulations was in the range 11.166–11.933 mm; thickness was in the range 4.02–4.086 mm. The hardness ranged from 3.1 to 3.5 kg/cm². All formulations passed the USP requirements for friability and uniformity of weight. The buoyancy time of all tablet formulations was less than 5 min and tablet remained in floating condition throughout the study. All the tablet formulations followed zero-order kinetics and Korsemeyer-Peppas model in drug release.

Conclusion:

The optimized formulation was found to be F6 which released 98.3% of drug in 8 h in vitro, while the buoyancy time was 3.5 min. Formulations containing psyllium husk, sodium bicarbonate and HPMC K100M in combination can be a promising for gastroretentive drug delivery systems.

Antioxidant and antiulcer activity of aqueous extract of a polyherbal formulation

The aqueous extract of Hingwashtak churna was evaluated for gastroprotection in rats using the ibuprofen and ethanol induced ulcer models. Efficacy was assessed by determination of mean ulcer size, ulcer number and ulcer index. Oral administration of the aqueous extract (750 mg/kg) significantly protected against gastric lesions by 84.96% and 91.12% as compared to ranititidine (95.54 and 95.2%) in the ibuprofen and alcohol induced ulcer models respectively. The findings suggest that the significant gastroprotective activity could be mediated by its antioxidant activity which was evaluated by using different antioxidant models of screening.