Annals of Phytomedicine; An International Journal

4

Authors: Nlandu Roger Ngatu, Mimi Mukuamu, Ryoji Hirota, Luzitu Severin Nangana, Benjamin Longo-Mbenza and Narufumi Suganuma

Abstract We report on a 5-year old girl from Mbanza-Ngungu (formerly T hysville), a Congolese rural city, who developed atopic eczema skin lesions during infancy and which, later on, became recalcitrant despite a long period treatment with some steroid preparations, zinc oxide and also local ethnomedicine products. She was first diagnose d with psoriasis by the first doctor 4 years befor e. At the admi ssion, she present ed wit h sever e li chenificat ion, oozing, swell ing and hyperpigmention on large areas of upper and lower limbs and trunk. Her skin condition has seriously affected her quality of life and she had an associated Tinea capitis. After a careful history taking, physical examination and use of the Haniffin and Rajka AD diagnostic criteria whi le consi deri ng t he locali zati on of sk in l esi ons, the dia gnosis of sever e and recalcitra nt atopic eczema was considered. She was treated with a twice daily application of 10% Vernonia amygdalina e xtracts, an African edible plant that exerts anti-itch and antiallergic activities. And Tinea capi tis was successfully treated with 3 week topical 2% Miconazole. A marked impr ovement of eczema a rea severi ty i ndex (EASI ) and dermat ol o gical life qua li ty i ndex (DLQI) was noted 3 weeks later, with reduction of total serum IgE, eosinophilia and erythrocytes sedi menta ti on ra te (E SR ) at da y4 0 of tr eat ment. An improvement of the cou nt ry’s heal th system a nd pr ovi si on of speci al i zed hea lt h car e i n t he ru ra l a rea s cou ld help t o pr event misdiagnosis of treatable diseases in poor settings

6

Authors: Shivani Chaturvedi, Suaib Luqman* and Sunil Kumar Khare

Abstract Effect of different processing conditions on isoflavone, phenol and flavonoid content of Indian soybean varieties ‘Punjab long’, ‘Hardee’ and ‘Kalitur’ were appraised employing a variety of commonly prevalent processing practices such as boiling, soaking, sprouting and drying. The isoflavone contents were reduced on boiling, soaking, roasting and defatting, however, exposure of flour to ultra-violet radiation, soaking and sprouting under 50 o C increased the amount. T he examined varieties contained 1020.0 g, 611.8 g and 659.0 g of isoflavone per kg, respectively in soyflour. The black variety ‘Kalitur’ showed a superior phenol and flavonoid content, compared to other two varieties. The investigation revealed that process of soaking and sprouting contribute s towards increasing the isoflavone content in soybean varieties. The phenol and flavonoid contents were found to be significantly higher in Hardee and Kalitur varieties as compared to Punjab Long

6

Authors: Sharadha Srikanth, Joel Chandrakanth, V. Uma Maheswara Rao and G. Krishna Mohan*

Abstract Nootropics are agents that enhance cognition and memory and are alleged to work by increasing the levels of neurochemicals in the brain, especially cholinergic transmission or by neutralizing free radical s. Onion ( Allium cepa L.) is a known tradit ional medicina l plant that has been consumed for its putative nutritional and health benefits for centuries. Onion is a rich source of sever al phytonutr ients such as thiosulphinate, vola til e sulfur compounds and ma ny pol ar components of phenolic origi n. T he present study was aimed t o evaluate the cogniti ve and memory enhancing effect of aqueous as well as methanolic extract of onion bulb on mice. T he effects were also compared with some commercially available memory enhancer supplements. T he evaluation parameter, transfer latency, showed significant ( p <0.01) change in methanolic extract when compared with the aqueous extract. Whole brain acetyl cholinesterase enzyme activity was studied which indicated that the methanolic extract of onion may be useful as a memory enhancer. The rich storehouse of antioxidants in the form of flavonoids and its ability to improve the cholinergic transmission may be attributed to the nootropic activity of onion extr acts.

7

Authors: Rand R. Wilcox

Abstract During the last fifty years, there have been many advances and insights relevant to the most basic statistical methods, designed to compare groups and study associations. Classic, routinely used methods assume sampling is from a normal distribution. Numerous papers make it clear that violating this assumption can result in missing true differences among groups and true associations among variables. Many new methods have been derived that are designed to perform well when dealing non-normal distributions and outliers that can make a substantial difference when analyzing data. Broadly, modern technology offers the opportunity to get a deeper and more accurate understanding of data. The paper reviews the basic reasons why standard methods can be highly unsatisfactory and provides an overview of some of the more modern methods that have been derived. Comments on SPSS and the software R are included

8

Authors: Nlandu Roger Ngatu, Ryoji Hirota, Maiko Kaneko Okajima, Luzitu Severin Nangana, Basilua Andre Muzembo, Masamitsu Eitoku, Okitotsho Stanislas Wembonyama, Tatsuo Kaneko Benjamin Longo-Mbenza and Narufumi Suganuma

Abs tract Vernonia amygdal ina Del. is an edible plant which is a member of the Asteracaea family, genus Vernonia, growing in the tropical Africa, whose leaf extracts are used as a remedy for malaria, cough, gastrointestinal disorders and hepatitis , whereas both root and leaf extracts are used to treat fever, hiccups, kidney disease, diabetes and helminthiasis in African ethnomedicine. The plant extracts are reported to contain antioxidant flavonoid compounds(Luteolin, Luteolin 7-O- b-glucoroniside, Luteolin 7-O-b-glucoside) and saponins such as Vernoniosides A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, D3 and C. T heir ma in active sesquiterpenes areVernodalin, Vernodalol, Vernolepin and Vernomygdin and Vernolides. We report on the safety and efficacy of the water and alcoholic extracts of Vernonia amygdalina leaf in children with atopic eczema.In this preliminary clinical trial, 25 atopic eczema or atopic dermatitis (AD) school children (age: 5-17 y) who satisfied entry criteria and completed at least 2 weeks of treatment were considered in this study. Each patient was randomly assigned one of the following topical treatments: water (Vamex1) and ethanol extract s (Vamex2) of V. amygdalina leaf, dexamethasone or Vaseline (5 -7 patients/ group). Clinical assessment and the evaluation of disease severity were performed once a week using the Eczema Area Severity Index (EASI) scoring system. The treatment was administered topically twice daily; hematological assays and hepatic function assessments were performed. Topical application of Vamex1, Vamex2, as well as dexamethasone, significantly reduced the disease severity (EASI score) (vs. Vaseline; p<0.05); though dexamethasone showed a relatively better effect as compared to Vamex1 and Vamex2, the difference did not reach the significance level. In addition, topical Vamex1 and Vamex2 relieved itch within the second week of treatment (vs. Vaseline; p<0.05). Results from the hematological and immunological assays showed a significant reduction in ESR in Vamex1, Vamex2 and dexamethasone-treated patients (vs. Vaseline; p<0.05), whereas serum transaminases (AST, ALT ) remained within normal ranges in all groups after a four-week treatment period. In addition, a decrease in total IgE was noted in dexamethasone and Vamex-treated patients, but not significantly. No side effects related to any of the treatments was noted.Results from this preliminary trial show that topical application of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extracts might be safer and has a potential to serve as natural alternative remedy for mild to moderate atopic dermatitis

10

Authors: Sharadha Srikanth, K. Prathyusha, V. Uma Maheswara Rao and G. Krishna Mohan*

Abstract The evaluation of the nootropic activity of cod liver oil was carried out, using standard animal mode ls. C o d live r oil is ric h sourc e of e ssential fat ty acids lik e,  - 3- fatty ac ids suc h as docasahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid which are antio xidants by nature. They can scavenge free radicals and prevent oxidative damage which is essential to reverse the effects of memory deficit which is a common problem now- a- days, occurring due to many reasons. O ur literature survey revealed that the nootropic activity and formulation of cod liver has not been scientifically evaluated. Hence, we decided to evaluate and formulate it. O ur preclinical studies revealed that it has significant nootropic activity as evidenced by its ability to reduce the transf er latency in elevated plus maze, step down latency (p<0.05), water maze (p<0.01) and reduce the acetyl choline esterase activity (p<0.01). The transdermal patches of cod liver oil were prepared by solvent evaporation method. Its preformulation studies and patch evaluation were carried out successfully

21

Authors: P. Pushpangadan, V. George, P. Sreedevi, A.J. Bincy, S. Anzar, T. Aswany, A.S. Ninawe* and T.P. Ijinu

Abstract Science has shown that diet affects human health. T herefore, healthy diets promote good health. The suggestion that certain food components and nutrients are associated with the prevention / treatment of chronic diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease (CHD), and osteoporosis has encouraged consumer’s interest in functional foods and natural health products. A nutraceutical is a product, isolated or purified from foods that is generally sold in medicinal forms not usually associated with food. A functional food is similar in appearance to, or may be, a conventional food, is consumed as part of a usual diet, and is demonstrated to have physiological benefits and/ or reduce t he risk of chronic di sea se beyond basic nut rit ional functi ons. T he creati on of nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics, two fields with distinct approaches to elucidate the interaction between diet a nd genes but wi th a common ult ima te goa l t o opti mize heal th thr ough t he personalization of diet, provide powerful approaches to unravel the complex relationship between nutritional molecules, genetic polymorphisms, and the biological system as a whole. Ayurveda as a way of life and habits is the most ideally suited systems to inspire a discovery path to nutraceut icals. Ayurveda , enables sub grouping of individuals into three major categories namely: Vata , Pitta and Kapha , based on Prakriti . Research with this line will add a newer dimension to functional food science as having great potential for t he development of new food science, technology and industry. The emerging disciplines branching from genomics such as transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, RNomics, miRNomics, liponomics, fluxomics, toxigenomics etc . will, further facilitate these kinds of research