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Indian Medicinal Plants (indian + medicinal_plant)
Selected AbstractsWithania somnifera (Ashwagandha): a Novel Source of L-asparaginaseJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Vishal P. Oza Abstract Different parts of plant species belonging to Solanaceae and Fabaceae families were screened for L-asparaginase enzyme (E.C.3.5.1.1.). Among 34 plant species screened for L-asparaginase enzyme, Withania somnifera L. was identified as a potential source of the enzyme on the basis of high specific activity of the enzyme. The enzyme was purified and characterized from W. somnifera, a popular medicinal plant in South East Asia and Southern Europe. Purification was carried out by a combination of protein precipitation with ammonium sulfate as well as Sephadex-gel filtration. The purified enzyme is a homodimer, with a molecular mass of 72 ± 0.5 kDa as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresisand size exclusion chromatography. The enzyme has a pH optimum of 8.5 and an optimum temperature of 37 °C. The Km value for the enzyme is 6.1 × 10,2 mmol/L. This is the first report for L-asparaginase from W. somnifera, a traditionally used Indian medicinal plant. [source] Administration of Cyperus rotundus tubers extract prevents weight gain in obese Zucker ratsPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 8 2007Bernard Lemaure Abstract Cyperus rotundus L. (Cyperaceae; C. rotundus) is an Indian medicinal plant demonstrated to exert multiple health benefits. The purpose of the present study was to test the biological efficacy of C. rotundus tubers extract on weight control in obese Zucker rats. It was demonstrated that administration of 45 or 220 mg/kg/day of C. rotundus tubers hexane extract for 60 days in Zucker rats induced a significant reduction in weight gain without affecting food consumption or inducing toxicity. In vitro, 250 µg/mL of this extract was able to stimulate lipolysis in 3T3-F442 adipocytes suggesting that this medicinal plant contains activators of , -adrenoreceptors (AR). The binding assay performed on the rat ,3-AR isoform, known to induce thermogenesis, demonstrated that C. rotundus tubers extract can consistently and effectively bind to this receptor. These data suggest that the effect on weight gain exerted by C. rotundus tubers extract may be mediated, at least partially, through the activation of the ,3-AR. In conclusion, C. rotundus tubers extract prove to be a new herbal supplement for controlling body weight preferentially in ,3-AR sensitive species. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effect of certain bioactive plant extracts on clinical isolates of ,-lactamase producing methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureusJOURNAL OF BASIC MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2005Farrukh Aqil Ethanolic extracts and some fractions from 10 Indian medicinal plants, known for antibacterial activity, were investigated for their ability to inhibit clinical isolates of ,-lactamase producing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA). Synergistic interaction of plant extracts with certain antibiotics was also evaluated. The MRSA test strains were found to be multi-drug resistant and also exhibited high level of resistance to common ,-lactam antibiotics. These strains produced ,-lactamases, which hydrolyze one or other ,-lactam antibiotics, tested. The extract of the plants from Camellia sinensis (leaves), Delonix regia (flowers), Holarrhena antidysenterica (bark), Lawsonia inermis (leaves), Punica granatum (rind), Terminalia chebula (fruits) and Terminalia belerica (fruits) showed a broad-spectrum of antibacterial activity with an inhibition zone size of 11 mm to 27 mm, against all the test bacteria. The extracts from the leaves of Ocimum sanctum showed better activity against the three MRSA strains. On the other hand, extracts from Allium sativum (bulb) and Citrus sinensis (rind) exhibited little or no activity, against MRSA strains. The antibacterial potency of crude extracts was determined in terms of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by the tube dilution method. MIC values, of the plant extracts, ranged from 1.3 to 8.2 mg/ml, against the test bacteria. Further, the extracts from Punica granatum and Delonix regia were fractionated in benzene, acetone and methanol. Antibacterial activity was observed in acetone as well as in the methanol fractions. In vitro synergistic interaction of crude extracts from Camellia sinensis, Lawsonia inermis, Punica granatum, Terminalia chebula and Terminalia belerica was detected with tetracycline. Moreover, the extract from Camellia sinensis also showed synergism with ampicillin. TLC of the above extracts revealed the presence of major phytocompounds, like alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, phenols and saponins. TLC-bioautography indicated phenols and flavonoids as major active compounds. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Acetylcholinesterase inhibitory potential of a carbazole alkaloid, mahanimbine, from Murraya koenigiiPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 4 2010N. Satheesh Kumar Abstract In the search for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors from Indian medicinal plants, via bioassay-guided isolation, a carbazole alkaloid, mahanimbine [3, 5-dimethyl-3-(4- methylpent-3-enyl)-11H-pyrano [5, 6-a] carbazole], was isolated from the petroleum ether extract of the leaves of Murraya koenigii. Inhibition of AChE was evaluated based on Ellman's method using 96-well microplate readers. Mahanimbine inhibited AChE activity in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 0.03 ± 0.09,mg/mL, while galantamine was used as a standard. The AChE inhibitory activity of this carbazole alkaloid has not been reported so far, and this study is the first to reveal this activity in carbazole alkaloid mahanimbine, isolated from Murraya koenigii. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Inhibition of , -glucosidase and amylase by bartogenic acid isolated from Barringtonia racemosa Roxb. seedsPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 8 2007P. Mangala Gowri Abstract Barringtonia racemosa presents a wide range of therapeutic applications. In the course of identifying bioactives from Indian medicinal plants it was observed that the hexane, ethanol and methanol extracts of B. racemosa seeds displayed potent yeast and intestinal , -glucosidase inhibitory activities. The methanol extract was found to be superior among them. However, none of the extracts exhibited pancreatic , -amylase inhibitory activity, rather the ethanol and methanol extracts accelerated the , -amylase enzyme activity. Interestingly, however, bartogenic acid isolated from the methanol extract inhibited , -amylase also. This is the first report identifying , -glucosidase inhibitory activity in B. racemosa seed extracts and assigning to bartogenic acid an , -glucosidase and amylase inhibitory property. The presence of bartogenic acid in B. racemosa seeds as a major compound is also reported for the first time in this communication. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Free radical scavenging, enzyme inhibitory constituents from antidiabetic Ayurvedic medicinal plant Hydnocarpus wightiana BlumePHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 4 2005S. Venkat Reddy Abstract Hydnocarpus wightiana is advocated in traditional Indian medicine to possess strong antidiabetic activity. In the course of identifying bioactive fractions from Indian medicinal plants we observed that acetone extract of the seed hulls of H. wightiana possess strong free radicals (DPPH and ABTS) scavenging, , -glucosidase and moderate N-acetyl- , -D-glucosaminidase inhibitory activities. Further fractionation of the extract led to the isolation of hydnocarpin, luteolin and isohydnocarpin in substantial yields. All the compounds showed strong ABTS scavenging property. However, only luteolin could display strong DPPH scavenging activity. Furthermore, all the three compounds also showed varying degrees of , -glucosidase and N-acetyl- , -D-glucosaminidase inhibitory activity, luteolin being the superior. The kinetics of , -glucosidase inhibition by these compounds showed that acetone extract inhibits the enzyme in competitive manner however, luteolin and isohydnocarpin showed mixed-type inhibition. This is the first report assigning hydnocarpin and isohydnocarpin free radical scavenging, , -glucosidase and N-acetyl- , -D-glucosaminidase inhibitory properties and luteolin as N-acetyl- , -D-glucosaminidase inhibitor. This study suggests that presence of amphiphilic antioxidant molecules along with enzyme inhibitory activities in the acetone extract of H. wightiana seed hulls may be responsible for the antidiabetic properties as advocated in traditional medicine. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Screening South Indian medicinal plants for antifungal activity against cutaneous pathogensPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 9 2003A. Vonshak Abstract In this study, twenty-eight South Indian medicinal plants were screened for their anti-fungal activity against six species of fungi (Trichophyton mentagrophytes, T. rubrum, T. soudanense, Candida albicans, Torulopsis glabrata, and C. krusei). Three plant species extracts, Celastrus paniculatus, Eriodendron anfractuosum and Ficus glomerata showed inhibitory activity. An aqueous extract of galls of Terminalia chebula showed inhibitory effects on three dermatophytes (Trichophyton spp.) and three yeasts (Candida spp.). Seeds extract of T. chebula inhibited only the growth of T. glabrata. An aqueous extract of T. chebula showed inhibitory effects higher than those measured in ethanol extracts. It is therefore suggested that tannins are plausible candidates for the anti-dermatophytic effects of T. chebula. Chebulinic acid, a known tannin of T. chebula was tested and found not inhibitory, thus a search for the active compound is needed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||