Journal of Natural Remedis

169-180

Authors: Preethi Mohan, Madhumita Kumar, Abhayakumar Misra, P. Rammanohar

Aegle marmelos is a folklore medicine which is widely consumed as an anti-hyperglycaemic drug, its properties are known since prehistoric times. Plenty of cell line as well as animal research have reported the anti-hyperglycaemic activity of the drug. Even though quality researches are necessary to fulfil further human studies and marketing, no quality assessments for these studies have been undertaken till date. The aim was to critically analyse the quality standards and evaluate the anti-hyperglycaemic potential of A. marmelos in rodent model researches. The search strategy was done using the key words ‘Aegle marmelos, along with ‘Diabetes or Hyperglycaemia,’ in different databases like PubMed (n = 45), Google Scholar (n = 43) and Science Direct (n = 46). However, the filter used during the search was ‘Animal experimentation’. All animal experimentations collected with the keyword search was analysed for the inclusion criteria like serum glucose estimation as primary outcome, timeline of publication 1997 to 2017 in English and treatments containing any part and any form of A. marmelos in single or in combination. Based on the inclusion criteria, 11 articles were selected for the review. Data extraction underwent a blind procedure independently by two reviewers. If full texts were not available, communicating the authors was also tried and all the four authors responded. All the studies selected after screening were given unique codes, to ensure blind review. Result observed indicated higher reduction of serum glucose levels in hyperglycaemia-induced rodent models. After administering the drug, significant changes were observed in total cholesterol as well as triglycerides. Rest of the LDL, HDL, SOD and serum insulin were an in-significant find. Sample size calculation was not mentioned in any of the studies. Only 9% of the studies reported on blinding and 18% reported on randomisation. This might have affected the internal validity of the studies. It can be concluded that A. marmelos is effective in lowering the serum glucose levels in experimental hyperglycaemia. Further research has to be conducted to explore its target specific mode of action. This may lead to the development of an effective anti-hyperglycaemic drug with minimal side effects.

188-197

Authors: Lulung Lanova Hersipa, Katrin, Anton Bahtiar

Alternative therapies for postmenopausal conditions are needed because of the high risks that outweigh the benefits of using hormone replacement therapy. Equol is metabolized from daidzein and is well-known as a supplement for postmenopausal conditions. Lately, liquiritigenin is also known to have a good effect on postmenopausal conditions. The aim of this study was to note the effect of the combination of Eleutherina bulbosa 70% Ethanol Extract (EEB) containing daidzein and Vigna unguiculata (EVU) containing liquiritigenin to obtain a better effect for uterine morphology, vaginal histopathology, and hot flushes. The other aim was to analyze the pharmacokinetic interaction that can affect the level of equol from EVU. Thirty-six female Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study, 32 rats were ovariectomized (OVX) and 4 rats were Sham. Rats were divided into 9 groups: Sham group (CMC), negative group (CMC), positive group (raloxifene), EVU (100 mg/200g BW), EEB (18 mg/200g BW), The four various doses of combination EEB and EVU (D1-D4) were, EVU dosage was 100 mg/200 g BW and EEB were 36 mg, 18 mg, 9 mg, 4.5 mg/200 g BW respectively. Equol in rat serum was analyzed using HPLC/UV-V is in an isocratic condition. Observation of hot flushes was carried out every week, uterus weight wet and vaginal epithelium at the end of the treatment. The D3 and D4 combination decreased the average tail skin temperature 1.86±0.31°C and 1.83± 0.20°C respectively and the rectal temperature 0.58±0.49°C and 0.71±0.28°C (P<0.05). All groups except Sham did not increase the weight of the uterus. The D3 group increased vaginal epithelial thickness to 38.24 ± 6.47 μm (P<0.05). The combination did not significantly change equol pharmacokinetic parameters. The combination of Eleutherina bulbosa 70% ethanol extract (EEB) and Vigna unguiculata is better than EVU and EEB alone in reduced post-menopause syndrome in hypoestrogen rats without changing equol pharmacokinetic parameters.

206-213

Authors: P. K. Tripathi, S. Gehlot

Introduction: Notion of Prakriti as an indispensable concept in Ayurveda has attained remarkable contemplation now a day’s owing to its generous effect in clinical practice. Assessment of Prakriti finds a way with huge inter and intra-rater variability resulting in ambiguous results. This study aims to develop a reliable Prakriti assessment tool. Materials and Methods: Many classical text books of Ayurveda were scrutinized scrupulously to collect the features of different Prakriti individuals. Features related to different Prakriti were kept in simple form. For statistical verification of newly designed tool; 428 students aged between 18-40 years studying different courses at Banaras Hindu University were registered. For validation; Prakriti assessment results of the newly designed tool was compared with other two beforehand tools functional in the Department of Kriya Sharir, Faculty of Ayurveda, IMS BHU. Observations and Result: A Prakriti evaluation tool was designed which had 43, 36 and 42 features of Vata, Pitta and Kapha Prakriti individuals in a very undemanding form. Reliability test result in the form of Cronbach’s coefficient Alpha was found to be 69, 77 and 81 respectively for Vata, Pitta and Kapha. It shows that the newly designed tool is fairly consistent. Cohen kappa coefficient value for tool pairs is 0.51 and 0.57 that corroborate validity of new tool. Conclusion: Results show that newly designed Prakriti assessment tool amalgamates the basic construction of different Prakritis that can be catered with objective precision in a reproducible outcome manner.

221-235

Authors: Arhin Isaiah, Dwarka Depika, Bissessur Ajay, Naicker Delon, Mackraj Irene

114-123

Authors: Vandana Verma, Sangeeta Gehlot, Sonam Agrawal

Physiology of sweating and thermoregulation was well conceived by Ancient Ayurveda scholars. The detailed description of Svedavaha Srotas (channels carrying sweat), Sveda (sweat) as Mala (waste), its mechanism of formation on exposure to heat, therapeutic application of heat for inducing sweating under the concept of Svedan Karma (sudation) for purification and balancing the Dosha for management of disorders reflects the deep understanding of Ayurveda scholars about the physiology of sweating and temperature regulation. Keeping these facts in mind a detailed review has been done as an attempt to understand the physiology of sweating and temperature regulation mechanism described in Ayurveda in view of contemporary sciences and recent researches.

135-138

Authors: Deeksha Singh, Sangeeta Gehlot, B. M. Singh, D. C. Rai

Introduction: Mother’s milk is considered to be the supreme food for neonates, infants and toddler. It is also regarded as the finest gift form a mother to her baby. The individual characteristic of a person enumerating external and internal body features is known as Prakriti. It is the sense of personality or constitution or temperament of an individual. The aim of the present study was to assess “variations of human milk composition as per Prakriti”. Materials and Methods: Total 64 lactating mothers of 20-35 years age group, not suffering from any acute or chronic illness and who were on similar diet regardless of their mode of delivery were registered and included in the study while lactating mothers not falling in this age group or who were taking any specific drug for the illness or suffering from any disease including- moderate (9.97-7 g/dl) to severe (6.94-4 g/dl) anemia were excluded from the study. Result: On applying One Way ANOVA, the mean values of fat percentage in milk varied significantly as per Prakriti (p = 0.0287). On applying Post Hoc Test the significant pairs were for Vata vs. Pitta (<0.05) and Vata vs Kapha (<0.05) Prakriti. In all other parameters of milk, no significant variation was found. Conclusion: We can conclude that the composition of mother’s milk varies as per Prakriti.

146-152

Authors: Nutthapol Funnimid, Wilart Pompimon, Narong Nuntasaen

The genus Goniothalamus belongs to the Annonaceae family. The pure compounds from Goniothalamus rongklanus and Goniothalamus latestigma were isolated by repeated column chromatography. The structures were recognized by NMR spectral methods. The chemical compounds of ethyl acetate extract (EtOAc) from the stems of G. rongklanus were identified as goniotriol (1) and stigmasterol glucoside (2). The EtOAc leaves extract of G. latestigma yielded a compound, which was identified as pinocembrin (3). The ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and methanol (MeOH) extract were tested for anti-HIV-1 RT and cytotoxic activities against P-388, KB, HT 29, MCF-7, A 549, ASK and CL cell lines. The EtOAc and MeOH extract of G. rongklanus showed evidence of anti-HIV-1 RT inhibition at 76.44 and 88.48 %, respectively. The EtOAc extract of G. rongklanus and G. latestigma showed cytotoxic activities on KB and HT 29 with an ED50 at <4 μg/mL. In addition, antibacterial study on extracts and isolated compounds was also performed. Antibacterial study was evaluated using nine strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli 0157: H7, Escherichia coli (ETEC), Escherichia coli (EPEC), Proteus mirabilis, Salmonella typhimuriam, Shigella flexneri and Vibrio cholera) by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) method. Goniotriol was the most effective antibacterial with a MIC in the range <0.16 - 0.6 mg/mL and MBC in the range 0.3 - >5 mg/mL. The antibacterial activity of goniotriol has been reported for the first time.

64-73

Authors: Ahmed M. H. Ali, Emad M. Abdallah, Adil A. H. Mujawah, Elena Yu. Avdeeva

Trachyspermum ammi fruits (T. ammi) are widely sold and used in the Arabian herbal markets, which requires scientific investigations about its biological activities. The GC-MS analysis of the essential oil revealed that it contains 20 compounds, of which the main components are aromatic and monocyclic terpenes. Thymol was present in the higher amounts (36.00%) followed by γ-terpinene (26.01%) and m-cymene (21.44%). The essential oil of T. ammi contains about 9.77% of bicyclic terpenes of which β-pinene is about 6.70%. The anti-bacterial activity (in vitro) was performed by disc diffusion, MIC and MBC methods. The essential oil of the fruits of T. ammi exhibited significant dose-dependent antibacterial activity against all tested microorganisms (three Gram-positive and four Gram-negative bacteria) and it was comparable to the positive control (Chloramphenicol), with a remarkable MIC and MBC values. Water extract of T. ammi exhibited promising larvicidal activity against S. littoralis and the lethal concentration, LC50 was found to be 6.21%. The current study provides some scientific support to the application of T. ammi fruits in traditional medicine and suggests it as a source of antibacterial drug and natural larvicidal agents for crops as biocontrols.

80-86

Authors: Emerson B. da Silva, Camila S. Chagas, Marina P. A. Oliveira, Alexandre L. A. Fonseca, Beatriz da C. A. Alves, Izilda Bagatin, Fabio F. Perazzo, Paulo Rosa, David Feder, Giuliana Petri, Fernando Luiz A. Fonseca

Cancer is one of the pathologies that most challenge medicine, not only because of the complexity of its development, but also because of the difficulty of treatment that is not always effective. Due to the significant toxicity and adverse effects profile presented by the main chemotherapeutic agents used to treat neoplasm, there is a constant interest in the search for new drugs that may be a more effective alternative. Therefore, the search for new compounds of plant origin becomes an interesting tool for the discovery of drugs with antitumor activity. Synadenium umbellatum is a plant native to tropical Africa known as "cola-nota", "hazel", "cancerous", "miraculous", among others. The plant is used by the Brazilian population as having anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antineoplastic properties, among others. However, the literature is lacking on reports of the toxicity of Synadenium umbellatum macerate. Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound found in different plant species, mainly in grape species (Vitis) and their seeds. Vitis vinifera is a species of grape easily found in several regions, also containing a high concentrations of phenolic compounds, including resveratrol in its fruits, leaves and seeds. Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate the myelotoxicity of macerate, extract and resveratrol and their antitumor activity in Balb/c mice with Ehrlich tumor. The hematological evaluation was obtained by flow cytometry and the tumors were measured using a pachymeter and the tumor masses by means of weighing. No statistically significant difference was observed between results from the control group and the treatment groups. It was concluded that macerate, crude extract and resveratrol did not demonstrate a myelotoxic effect and did not cause a decrease in tumor mass.

12-23

Authors: Rana Mohamad Bitar, Ragaee Ramzi Fahmi, Jamilah Mohamad Borjac

Annona muricata (AM) is a herb traditionally used to treat various human ailments. The mechanistic effect of Annona muricata extract on NALP3 inflammasome activation is not well understood. Objective: The present study investigates the inhibitory effects of Annona muricata extract on NALP3 inflammasome activation and its role in sepsis prevention. Methods: Sepsis was induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection of Escherichia fergusonii. Mice were treated with Annona muricata extract. Its effect on liver was assessed both histologically and biochemically. Lipid peroxidation, level of IL-1β, TNF-α was measured colorimetrically and using Elisa kit in liver homogenates. The expression levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, caspase-1 and NALP3 genes were measured using RT-PCR. Results: AM extract significantly minimized the inflammation by decreasing the level and the expression levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in a time-dependent manner. Significant decrease in the gene expression level of caspase-1 and NALP3 was observed. Histopathologically, normal architecture of the liver of infected mice was regained after the herb treatment. Conclusion: Anonna Muricata can act as a potent therapeutic agent in treating various NALP3 associated inflammatory disorders.

32-42

Authors: Veena , Vandana Verma, Sangeeta Gehlot

Nutrition is the science that interprets the interaction of food in relation to maintenance, growth, health and disease of an organism. The history of nutrition science and dietetics can be traced back as far as history of civilization across the world. The food habits, cooking and food processing have been evolved with cultural development of human beings. The ancient physicians from Greek, Hippocrates, Galen, Plato, Chinese civilization and Indian physician of Ayurveda like Charak and Sushruta have duly recognized the importance of diet and dietetics along with physical activity in health and management of various disorders. Although the advancement in nutrition science has added the discovery of various micronutrients and fortified food substances, still a large number of populations worldwide is suffering from disorders of malnutrition, food-borne diseases, neurotoxins and other non-communicable diseases due to wrong cooking, storage, packaging practices and intake of food in wrong combination. Ayurveda has advocated that to get the optimum benefits from the consumed food (Aahara), people should give due consideration to their psychosomatic constitution (Prakriti), state of digestive power (Agni), age, dietary rules, nature and combination of food etc. It is very surprising fact that scientific development of nutrition science was started in between 18th and 19th century, but the researchers and academicians working in the field of nutrition and medicinal health science have not incorporated the valuable, time tested knowledge of Ayurveda, which could be applied for development of nutrition science, and will be helpful in treatment of diseases and maintenance of health too.

49-56

Authors: H. A. Abdel Maksoud, Raafat R. Mohammed, Mohamed G. Elharrif, Nedal S. Abdulatif

Kombucha tea is highly fermented beverage popularly consumed in many countries. The aim was to evaluate the possible protective effects of the usage of Kombucha as natural agent against the stressful effects resulted from administration of high sucrose diet to male rabbits through determination of some biochemical parameters. The results demonstrated that pretreatment with Kombucha tea in high sucrose stressed rabbit significantly improve lipid profile and antioxidant system meanwhile significant reduction of glucose, urea, creatinine, cupper and non significant change in testosterone and copper levels. In conclusion, Kombucha tea was able to ameliorate serum biochemical parameters in high sucrose stressed rabbits mediated by antioxidant and lipotropic properties.