Pharmacological screening of Hypericum androsaemum extracts for antioxidant, anti-lipid peroxidation, antiglycation and cytotoxicity activity.

Oxidative stress and glycation processes have a combined effect on diabetes related complications. Crude plant extracts and plant derived compounds possessing both antiglycation and antioxidant activities have a high therapeutic potential for treating these complications. Antioxidant, antiglycation, anti-lipid per oxidation and cytotoxic activities of crude methanol extract and solvent fractions of Hypericum androsaemum L.

A review on biological, nutraceutical and clinical aspects of French maritime pine bark extract.

Bark extract of Pinus pinaster has a long history of ethnomedicinal use and is available commercially as herbal dietary supplement with proprietary name pycnogenol. It is used as a food supplement to overcome many degenerative disorders. Rohdewald (2002) wrote the first comprehensive review of extract highlighting its antioxidative nature and its role in different diseases.

A review of the antibacterial activity of Hypericum perforatum L.

Hypericum perforatum L. (Hypericaceae) is a perennial herb that is commonly known as St. John's Wort.

Anti-bacterial alkaloids of Saracococca saligna.

The crude ethanolic extract of Saracococca saligna was found to be cytotoxic and antibacterial but produced no platelet aggregation induced by ADP. Antibacterial activity of two known alkaloid, pachyaximine-A and saracodine was determined. Pachyaximine-A possessed significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium pyrogenes.

New pregnane-type steroidal alkaloids from Sarcocca saligna and their cholinesterase inhibitory activity.

Five new steroidal alkaloids, 5,14-dehydro-N(a)-demethylsaracodine [3beta-N(a)-methyl-20S-N(b)-acetyl-N(b)-methylamino-pregn-5,14-diene] (1), 14-dehydro-N(a)-demethylsaracodine [3beta-N(a)-methyl-20S-N(b)-acetyl-N(b)-methylamino-5alpha-pregn-14-ene] (2), 16-dehydrosarcorine [(20S)-20-(N,N-dimethylamino)-3beta-(N(a)-acetylamido)-5alpha-pregn-16-ene] (3), 2,3-dehydrosarsalignone [(20S)-20-(N,N-dimethylamino)-3beta-(tigloylamino)-pregn-2,5-diene-4-one] (4), and 14,15-dehydrosarcovagine-D [(20S)-20-(N,N-dimethylamino)-3beta-(tigloylamino)-5alpha-pregn-2,14-diene-4-one] (5), were isolated from the ethanolic extract of Sarcococca saligna, along with two known bases, sarcovagenine-C (6) and salignarine-C (7). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods. All seven compounds were found to possess cholinesterase inhibitory potential in a concentration-dependent manner with the IC50 values ranging from 12.