Advancement in Medicinal Plant Research

64-69

Authors: Wakae Murata, Marina Hasegawa, Seiru Sakasegawa, Ken-ichi Fujita, Toshio Tanaka and Akira Ogita

Calorie restriction is the main intervention known to effectively extend the lifespan through anti-aging effects in eukaryotic cells. However, the identification of nutrients with benefits similar to those of calorie restriction for the development of anti-aging agents has been gaining increasing research interest. To this end, in the present study, we evaluated the potential anti-aging effects of unripe pear fruit extract by employing a chronological lifespan assay in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Exposure of unripe pear fruit extract at 1.0% (v/v) significantly prolonged the chronological lifespan of the yeast compared with that of untreated yeast cells (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the underlying mechanism was explored through the analysis of the expression of silent information regulator genes by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, which demonstrated that the expression levels of sirtuin family genes-known regulators of the aging process-were significantly increased upon treatment with unripe pear fruit extract (P < 0.05). These results suggest that unripe pear fruit extract might contribute to anti-aging effects in mammalian cells in vivo, supporting further exploration of the benefits of a human homolog corresponding to the aging regulator gene of yeast.

33-39

Authors: Hermeline Ntalani, Mon-Sang César Akouala Bouanga, Gelase Fredy Nsonde Ntandou, Dieudonné Mumba Ngoyi, Papy Mandoko Nkoli, Ange Landela, Pascal Robin Ongoka and Jean-Maurille Ouamba

Alstonia boonei De Wild is very cited in ethnobotanical surveys and in literature as an antimalarial plant. In the Republic of Congo, traditional therapists use the decoction of A. boonei stem bark to treat Malaria. To verify this information obtained from the traditional therapists, we conducted a phytochemical study, evaluated the antiplasmodial activity and the acute toxicity of the decoction of its stem bark. The phytochemical study revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids and saponins. It also allowed the extraction of total alkaloids with a yield of 6.33 ± 0.02%. The antiplasmodial activity evaluated on the strain isolated from patients infected with Plasmodium falciparum was comparable between the decoction (IC50 = 111.2 μg.ml-1) and the total alkaloids (IC50 = 116.4 μg.ml-1). This activity is therefore due to alkaloids. The lethal dose 50% (LD50) is greater than 5000 mg.kg-1, the plant is not toxic.

46-53

Authors: A. Rahimian Boogar, F. Saedi and S. M. Mosavi Nik

Drought stress and organic manure have vigorous role in plant growth. In order to alleviate effects of drought on chicory (Chicorium intybus L.), poultry and livestock manures were used at different levels of drought which induced according to evaporate level from evaporation pan. Aim of this research was to improve the chicory nutritional and pharmaceutical suitability under drought. Results suggested significant effects of both manures on chicory mineral accumulation and phytochemicals. The highest concentration of potassium (K), phosphorus (P) and manganese (Mn) were obtained with poultry application at moderate drought, but no significant difference with livestock manure on potassium in severe drought. Livestock manure usage increased zinc (Zn) concentration in severe drought significantly. Both manures increased total phenolic compounds in severe drought significantly, but total carbohydrate significantly affected by poultry manure. Therefore, chicory inulin and chicoric acid under drought conditions were significantly affected by both poultry and livestock manures.

19-25

Authors: Udomporn Pangnakorn and Sombat Chuenchooklin

The objective of the current study was to determine the fumigant toxicity of essential oils for control stored product insects pest. Essential oils from ten plant species currently found in Thailand: pine (Pinus Palustris), lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus Stapf), peppermint (Mentha Piperita), citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus Linn), sweet acacia (Acacia farnesiana), cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum J.S. Presl), sweet orange (Citrus sinensis Pers), basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), clove (Syzygium aromaticum L.), and star anise (Illicium verum Hook) were extracted by steam distillation and tested for their insecticidal activities against maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motshulsdy). Fumigant toxicity test was evaluated on adult of the maize weevil under laboratory conditions. Mortality of the maize weevil was observed and recorded every 12 h until 72 h. Responses varied with the test applied 100 and 10 µl of essential oils from the ten plants species on the tested insects. Three of the essential oils (sweet acacia, basil and star anise) showed high toxicity and were selected for the residuality test to mortality by contact with a surface of treated petri dish and glass jar. The results revealed that diluted 7.5 µl and 205.0 µl of essential oils from three plants (star anise, basil and sweet acacia) achieved a high mortality of the tested insects at 100% within 36 h after exposure to surface of treated petri dish and glass jar respectively.

9-12

Authors: Farah Khameis Farag Teia and Ahmed Osman

In this present study six different plants used in traditional Sudanese medicine; Allium sativum L. (Liliaceae), Azadirachta indica (Meliaceae), Capsicum frutescence L. (Solanaceae), Momordica balsamina (Cucurbitaceae), Petroselinum crispum (Apiaceae) and Pulicaria undulata L.(Asteraceae), were examined against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cicer., the causal agent of vascular wilt in chickpea. We used disc agar method to determine the in vitro antifungal activity of these plants. The ethanolic extracts of studied plants exhibited varying degrees of inhibition activity against the tested fungi. Among the 6 plants studied only two plants (A. sativum, P. crispum) showed high activity, other plants (M. Balsamina, A. indica, C. frutescence, P. undulata) showed moderate activity. These results suggest that the plants may have individual components that can be useful for managing Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cicer.

51-62

Authors: Farhana Tasleem, Saad Bin Zafar Mahmood, Iqbal Azhar, Rubina Gulzar, Faheem Ahmed and Zafar Alam Mahmood

The aim of this research work was to investigate the less toxic and more specific hepatoprotective and anti-oxidant effects of hexane, ethanol extracts along with pure compound β-sitosterol glucoside isolated from leaves of Adenanthera pavonina in carbon tetra chloride (CCl4) induced liver damage in rat. The anti-oxidant effect was assessed in different concentrations of 100, 250, 500 and 1000 µg/ml by in-vitro model system of ferric cyanide reducing power assay using, ascorbic acid as a standard drug. Ethanol and hexane extracts of A. pavonina 75, 150 and 250 mg/kg body weight along with pure compound β-sitosterol glucoside 25, 75 and 100 mg/kg body weight were administered orally for six days to CCl4 (1.5 ml/kg body weight in equal volume of olive oil (1:1)) treated rats and the hepatoprotective activity was assessed in prophylactic and therapeutic model using biochemical parameters aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine biochemical parameters like aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphate (ALP), total bilirubin (TB) and direct bilirubin (DB) along with histopathological studies of liver tissues. The results were compared with standard hepatoprotective drug containing (BetaineGlucuronate + Diethanol amine Glucuronate + Nicotinamide Ascorbate). Five-days treatment of tested samples showed dose dependent reduction of CCl4 induced elevated activity of serum enzymes and total and direct bilirubin indicating the recovery of hepatic enzymes both in prophylactic and therapeutic model. However oral administration of β-sitosterol glucoside can significantly reduce the activity of ALP 183.40 IU/L, ᵞ-GT 0.60 IU/L, DB 0.04 mg/dl and ALT 30.20 IU/L, TB 0.14 mg/dl at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight in prophylactic and therapeutic model respectively. This hepatoprotective effect was comparable to that of the standard drug. Histopathological study of animals showed intact bile duct and portal vein without any cellular necrosis and fatty infiltration. The ferric cyanide reducing power assay showed that A. pavonina possessed magnificent anti-oxidant potential in concentration dependent manner but less than standard drug ascorbic acid and among all tested samples β-sitosterol glucoside indicated highest reducing power 0.279. Results of the present study indicated presence of anti-oxidant phytochemicals in A. pavonina leaves and exhibited substantial reducing power of free radicals, responsible for promising hepatoprotective effect.

68-74

Authors: Anibal PC, Barbosa JP, Oliveira TR and Höfling JF

Faced with increasing cases of antimicrobial resistance, new compounds from natural products have been scientifically investigated for their antibacterial and antifungalaction. Ethnopharmacological studies have shown that many plants extracts have been a source of new bioactive compounds acting against several types of diseases, attracting attention to researchers, aimed at their application in medicine. Studies were carried out with extracts from Punica granatum L. and its compounds have showed antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects for the treatment of oral diseases, skin diseases, diarrhea, helminth infections, microbial infections and respiratory diseases among others. Its antimicrobial activity has been investigated recently, and may be present in various parts of the plant such as flowers, leaves, stems and bark. It was found high activity of the P. granatum methanolic extracts against strains of Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans and other species. Candida yeast is an opportunistic pathogen and its virulence factors may contribute to its invasion and pathogenicity. These considerations served as a basis of the studies carried out in this review work, aiming to evaluate the use of extracts obtained from different parts of the P. granatum L. fruits as antimicrobial agents, associated to researches of components with bioactive potential present in these structures, determined by mass spectrometry.