Safety assessment of selected medicinal food plants used in Ayurveda through CYP450 enzyme inhibition study.

Background: Andrographis paniculata, Bacopa monnieri and Centella asiatica are mentioned in Ayurveda for the management of neurodegenerative disorders. These plants and their phytomolecules, such as andrographolide, bacoside A and asiaticoside, were studied for their inhibition potential on pooled CYP450 as well as human CYP3A4, CYP2D6, CYP2C9 and CYP1A2 by CYP-CO complex assay and fluorogenic assay respectively followed by IC determination. Quantification of bioactive compounds present in the extracts was done by RP-HPLC.

Interaction potential of Trigonella foenum graceum through cytochrome P450 mediated inhibition.

Objective: The seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum (TFG) (family: Leguminosae) are widely consumed both as a spice in food and Traditional Medicine in India. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the inhibitory effect of standardized extract of TFG and its major constituent trigonelline (TG) on rat liver microsome (RLM) and cytochrome P450 (CYP450) drug metabolizing isozymes (CYP3A4 and CYP2D6), which may indicate the possibility of a probable unwanted interaction.

Materials And Methods: Reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography method was developed to standardize the hydroalcoholic seed extract with standard TG.

Cytochrome P450 inhibitory potential and RP-HPLC standardization of trikatu--a Rasayana from Indian Ayurveda.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Trikatu is a very well known 'Rasayana' in Ayurveda and widely used as a polyherbal ayurvedic formulation in India. It consists of three well known plants, viz., Piper longum (PL), Piper nigrum (PN) and Zingiber officinale (ZO) in equal ratio.

Best combination of promoter and micellar catalyst for the rapid conversion of sorbitol to glucose.

Kinetic data for oxidation of D-sorbitol to glucose by hexavalent chromium in aqueous medium and aqueous surfactant medium (SDS, TX-100) have been reported. Effect of promoter such as PA, bipy and phenanthroline on the reaction has been investigated. The reaction is performed under pseudo first order condition with an excess of substrate over the oxidant.

Combination of best promoter and micellar catalyst for more than kilo-fold rate acceleration in favor of chromic acid oxidation of D-galactose to D-galactonic acid in aqueous media at room temperature.

Picolinic acid, 2,2'-bipyridine and 1,10-phenanthroline promoted Cr(VI) oxidation of D-galactose to D-galactonic acid in three representative aqueous micellar media has been studied. The anionic surfactant (SDS) accelerated the rate of reaction while the cationic surfactant (CPC) and neutral surfactant (TX-100) retarded the reaction rate. Combination of bipy and SDS is the best choice for chromic acid oxidation of D-galactose to D-galactonic acid in aqueous media although 1,10-phenanthroline is best promoter in absence of micellar catalyst.

Suitable combination of promoter and micellar catalyst for kilo fold rate acceleration on benzaldehyde to benzoic acid conversion in aqueous media at room temperature: a kinetic approach.

The kinetics of oxidation of benzaldehyde by chromic acid in aqueous and aqueous surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, alkyl phenyl polyethylene glycol, Triton X-100 and N-cetylpyridinium chloride, CPC) media have been investigated in the presence of promoter at 303 K. The pseudo-first-order rate constants (kobs) were determined from a logarithmic plot of absorbance as a function time. The rate constants were found to increase with introduction of heteroaromatic nitrogen base promoters such as Picolinic acid (PA), 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen).

Efficient combination of promoter and catalyst for chromic acid oxidation of propan-2-ol to acetone in aqueous acid media at room temperature.

Oxidation of propan-2-ol to acetone was carried out in aqueous media at room temperature. The effect of promoter (PA, bpy, phen), micellar catalyst (SDS, CPC, TX-100) and their combination has been studied. The reactions were performed under the condition [Propan-2-ol]T≫[Cr(VI)]T at 30°C.

Botanicals as medicinal food and their effects on drug metabolizing enzymes.

Botanicals fall under different regulations in different countries and are mostly consumed without the consultation of the healthcare professional. Over the last decade, utilization of herbal therapies has been extensively documented. The findings indicate the possibility of potential herb-drug interactions due to the concomitant administration of herbal extracts and prescription/over-the-counter drugs.

Enhancing bioavailability and hepatoprotective activity of andrographolide from Andrographis paniculata, a well-known medicinal food, through its herbosome.

Background: Andrographis paniculata is a health food used extensively in Southeast Asia, India and China and contains the pharmacologically important phytochemical andrographolide. Although andrographolide has antihepatotoxic activity, its bioavailability from A. paniculata is restricted by its rapid clearance and high plasma protein binding.

Exploring the effect of Hesperetin-HSPC complex--a novel drug delivery system on the in vitro release, therapeutic efficacy and pharmacokinetics.

Hesperetin is known to exhibit a variety of pharmacological activities in mammalian cell systems. Although it shows appreciable bioavailability when administered orally, its faster elimination from body creates the need of frequent administration to maintain effective plasma concentration. To overcome this limitation, a phospholipid complex of hesperetin was prepared and evaluated for antioxidant activity and pharmacokinetic profile.

Enhanced oral bioavailability and antioxidant profile of ellagic acid by phospholipids.

Ellagic acid (EA) has been reported as a potent antioxidant from natural resources with several nutritional benefits. The major disadvantage of this phytoconstituent is its rapid elimination from the body after administration. To overcome this limitation, a novel dietary formulation of EA with phospholipid was developed to investigate the effect of this complex on carbon tetrachloride induced liver damage in rats.

Validation of HPTLC method for the analysis of taraxerol in Clitoria ternatea.

A new, simple, sensitive, selective and precise HPTLC method has been developed for the determination of taraxerol in Clitoria ternatea L. Determination of taraxerol was performed on TLC aluminium plates. Linear ascending development was carried out in twin trough glass chamber saturated with hexane and ethyl acetate (80:20 v/v).

Plants of Indian origin in drug discovery.

The Indian system of medicine (ISM) consists of several major components such as Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and homeopathy. All these components provide the major healthcare for a large part of the population in India and have been flourishing in this country for many centuries. Medicinal plants constitute a major part in all of these traditional systems.

Regulation of extracellular calcium in the hippocampus in vivo during epileptiform activity--role of astrocytes.

Astrocytes have been suggested to regulate the extracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](o)), but this has not been thoroughly investigated. Adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to record changes in [Ca(2+)](o) in the hippocampus during epileptiform activity. Maximal decreases in [Ca(2+)](o) in CA1 were measured in the pyramidal cell layer during 20 Hz, 20s stimulus trains to the contralateral CA3 region.

Protective effect of biflavones from Araucaria bidwillii Hook in rat cerebral ischemia/reperfusion induced oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of ischemic brain injury. Flavonoids from various herbal extracts have been shown to be neuroprotective in experimental models of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). The present study was designed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of the biflavone rich fraction from Araucaria bidwillii Hook (ABH) (Family: Araucariaceae) in I/R induced oxidative stress.

Substance P is responsible for physiological alterations such as increased chloride ion secretion and glucose malabsorption in cryptosporidiosis.

Cryptosporidiosis, caused by the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium, causes self-limited diarrhea in immunocompetent hosts and severe life-threatening diarrhea in AIDS patients. Highly active antiretroviral therapy has been used to effectively treat cryptosporiosis in some but not all AIDS patients. Therefore, there is an urgent need for innovative drugs to treat this disease.

Determination of 6-gingerol in ginger (Zingiber officinale) using high-performance thin-layer chromatography.

A sensitive and accurate High-Performance TLC (HPTLC) method has been developed to determine the quantity of 6-gingerol in rhizomes of Zingiber officinale (family: Zingiberaceae), commonly known as ginger. Methanol extracts of rhizomes from three different sources were used for HPTLC, n-hexane, and diethyl ether (40:60 v/v) as the mobile phase. The Rf of 6-gingerol was found to be 0.

Curcumin-phospholipid complex: Preparation, therapeutic evaluation and pharmacokinetic study in rats.

A novel formulation of curcumin in combination with the phospholipids was developed to overcome the limitation of absorption and to investigate the protective effect of curcumin-phospholipid complex on carbon tetrachloride induced acute liver damage in rats. The antioxidant activity of curcumin-phospholipid complex (equivalent of curcumin 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight) and free curcumin (100 and 200 mg/kg body weight) was evaluated by measuring various enzymes in oxidative stress condition. Curcumin-phospholipid complex significantly protected the liver by restoring the enzyme levels of liver glutathione system and that of superoxide dismutase, catalase and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances with respect to carbon tetrachloride treated group (P < 0.

Enhanced therapeutic potential of naringenin-phospholipid complex in rats.

Naringenin is a naturally occurring flavanone, possessing a variety of biological activity. Due to its rapid elimination, naringenin needs frequent administration to maintain an effective plasma concentration. We have evaluated the therapeutic potential of naringenin-phospholipid complex under oxidative stress conditions compared with free naringenin.

An ABRE-binding factor, OSBZ8, is highly expressed in salt tolerant cultivars than in salt sensitive cultivars of indica rice.

Background: The bZIP class Abscisic acid Responsive Element (ABRE)-binding factor, OSBZ8 (38.5 kD) has been considered to regulate ABA-mediated transcription in the suspension cultured cells of japonica rice. Still, nothing is known about the expression of OSBZ8 at protein level in vegetative tissue of salt sensitive and salt tolerant rice plants.

Antioxidant effect of Cytisus scoparius against carbon tetrachloride treated liver injury in rats.

The study was aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity of Cytisus scoparius L. (Family: Leguminosae) on CCl(4) (carbon tetrachloride) treated oxidative stress in Wistar albino rats. CCl(4) injection induced oxidative stress by a significant rise in serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminases (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminases (SGPT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) along with reduction of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GRD).

Leads from Indian medicinal plants with hypoglycemic potentials.

Diabetes mellitus is caused due to deficiency in production of insulin by the pancreas, or by the ineffectiveness of the insulin produced. It is a global problem and number of those affected is increasing day by day. The plants provide a potential source of hypoglycemic drugs because many plants and plant derived compounds have been used in the treatment of diabetes.

Cytisus scoparius link--a natural antioxidant.

Background: Recent investigations have shown that the antioxidant properties of plants could be correlated with oxidative stress defense and different human diseases. In this respect flavonoids and other polyphenolic compounds have gained the greatest attention. The plant Cytisus scoparius contains the main constituent of flavone and flavonals.

Antioxidant activity of Nelumbo nucifera (sacred lotus) seeds.

Antioxidant activity of hydro alcoholic extract of Nelumbo nucifera seeds (HANN) was studied using in vitro and in vivo models. Total phenolic content in HANN was found to be 7.61 +/- 0.

Evaluation of wound healing activity of some herbal formulations.

The wound healing activity of two herbal formulations (Himax ointment and lotion) containing Indradaru extract, i.e. Arjuna bark (Terminalia arjuna, Family-Combretaceae), extract was evaluated for its wound healing potential in two types of wound models in rats (i) excision wound model and (ii) incision wound model.