Advancement in Medicinal Plant Research

68-74

Authors: K. Ravishankar and A. Satya Sireesha

The present study aimed to investigate the anti-microbial and wound healing activities of Nyctanthes arbor-titris leaves extract gel on rabbits. The leaf extracts of the plant were tested for their in vitro antimicrobial activity by agar well diffusion method with different concentrations. Animals in group 1 were without treatment and served as control (Carbapol gel base). Animals in group 2 received the 5 %w/v N. arbor-tristis leaf gel extract base. Animals in group 3 received 10% w/v N. arbor-tristis gel extract base. Animals in group 4 received gel containing betadine Gel was applied on the wound once daily up to 14-15 days starting from the second day of wounding. The prepared gel was characterized for its physicochemical constants, preliminary phytochemical analysis, spreadability, pH. Carbopol 934 was tried and finally, the gel which showed good spreadability and pH was selected for wound healing property of herbal gel of N. arbor-tristis. Gel formulation prepared with a 10% N. arbor-tristis exhibited a response in terms of wound epithelialization, angiogenesis and number of hair follicles at wound area better than the gel base on the 15th day post-wound day. Application of gel base produced further advantages by increasing hydroxyproline content and collagen fiber thickness. This study explored the wound healing potential of a gel containing 10% N. arbor-tristis through topical application of total extract in a model of excisional wound healing in rabbits.

48-58

Authors: Yuan-Kai Tu, Jui-Sheng Lai, Bo-Jein Kuo, Ruo-Han Jian and Tsing-Fen Ho

Herbs are rich in the active ingredients of drugs for preventing or treating various disorders. However, conventional bioactivity-guided separation is time and labor-intensive and neglects the additive effect of multiple components. These problems hinder the development of new medicines from natural products. This study established a chemometric analysis method that integrates processes based on the spectrum-effect relationship for the rapid identification of the primary active components of a plant. The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprints of 171 Salvia miltiorrhiza extracts (SMEs) with varied constituent profiles were analyzed. Chemometric analysis was performed to establish an HPLC fingerprint–bioactivity relationship to explore the components of SMEs that contribute to the antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity effect, respectively. The results indicated that the developed strategy can be used to identify components largely contributing to particular bioactivities and re-evaluate the efficacy of previously neglected components. The present study identified not only the primary active components of S. miltiorrhiza but also the optimal ratios of constituents, validating the method for use in the future investigation and development of herbal medicines.

30-39

Authors: Minhajur Rahman and Mohammed Kamrul Huda

Ten Bangladeshi orchids were harvested and filed with 66 ethnomedicinal uses from Chittagong, Khagrachari, Bandarban, and Cox's Bazar, by the most frequent being rheumatism, paralysis, epilepsy, fever, and fracture. Phytochemical, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties of plants were studied in greater depth. Plant alkaloids gave a positive response (+) in varying degrees (+ to 4+) when tested qualitatively with one or more types of reagents. Anthraquinone, coumarin, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, steroids, tannins, terpenoids, phlobatannins, and quinine were among the ten other secondary metabolites tested. Coumarin, flavonoids, glycosides, quinine, saponins, steroids, tannins, and terpenoids were found in each species, while anthraquinone and phlobatannins were found in seven and five species, respectively. Phytochemical screening revealed that Aerides odorata had the best profile. The IC50 values of different orchids ranged from 132.24 to 227.24 µg/ml. in the free radical scavenging assay, which was used to test antioxidant activity. As compared to the standard (Ascorbic acid: 73.05 µg/ml), the IC50 values of A. odorata (132.24 µg/ml), Bulbophyllum lilacinum (136.70 µg/ml), and Dendrobium tortile (138.59 µg/ml) in this bioassay were convincing. The highest scavenging ability was found in A. odorata. The heat-induced albumin denaturation bioassay was used to assess anti-inflammatory activity. Acetylsalicylic acid was used as a standard in this assay, with an IC50 value of 84.11 µg/ml. IC50 values ranged from 100.68 to 213.24 µg/ml during this experiment. Cymbidium aloifolium (100.68 µg/ml), Luisia zeylanica (111.35 µg/ml), and P. teres (121.10 µg/ml) have the lowest IC50 values in this bioassay as compared to the standard. C. aloifolium outperformed the other nine species in this bioassay. The phytochemical, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory profile of A. odorata defined in this study favoured its ethnomedicinal uses, instituting it as the most bioactive and therapeutic orchid.

1-10

Authors: Farjana Islam Liya, Mt. Farzana Yasmin, Nargis Sultana Chowdhury, Tasnia Khasru Charu and Ismat Benta Fatema

Plants have been used for thousands of years to treat, prevent, and control a variety of diseases throughout the world. The initial benefits of using plant-derived medicine are that they are relatively safer than artificial alternatives. Mirabilis jalapa Linn. (Nyctaginaceae) is one of the plants that used for health care and medicinal purposes for several thousands of years. It is a perennial bushy herb promulgate by flowers or leaves, a native of America and commonly known as ‘four-o-clock’. It has traditionally been used in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, muscle pain, abdominal colic, and diarrhea in ancient Mexico, Japan, China and Brazil. The literature review revealed that Mirabilis jalapa is widely used as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-diabetic, cytotoxic, antinociceptive, and several other’s medicines. In aerial parts of the Mirabilis jalapa, triterpene and flavonoids are found. Flowers mostly contain anthocyanins and flavonoids. Carbohydrate, resin and alkaloids are found in roots. Tricosan-12-one, n-hexacosanal, β-sitosterol, and tetracosanoic were isolated from the leaves of the M. jalapa. Seeds contain β-sitosterol, β-amyrin and β-sitosterol-D-glucoside. The presence of various bioactive compounds validates the whole plant for different medicinal practitioners. It has been extensively used in almost all folklore remedies worldwide for treating a variety of conditions. It has also been used for reducing agents for the production of gold nanoparticles. The purpose of my review is to find out the areas of scope and to give the detail of the work done on M. jalapa Linn. The present review article focused on ethno-pharmacological and other essential aspects of M. jalapa Linn in an attempt to provide a direction to further research.

22-29

Authors: DAMERDJI Amina

An approach to the diversity of malacofauna associated with toothed lavender was carried out in three stations belonging to the coastal region of Ghazaouet (Wilaya de Tlemcen) from January to July 2013. The specific richness of gastropods is 14 species. Four species are accessories and ten others are accidental. The relative importance of snails varies by station and by month and season. Gastropods preferring certain humidity are easily collected in winter and spring. In April, the species richness is relatively important (6 species) in the 1st and 2nd stations respectively. Milax gagates has a frequency of 78.57% in the first station (Sidi-Aissa) and 57.14% in the 2nd station (Sidi- Amar). Helicella pyramidata has a frequency of 35.71% in station 3 (Bab Khroufa). Similarly, this Helicellinae has a density equal to 0.50 in the same station.