Microarray analysis of genes from animals treated with a traditional formulation reveals its therapeutic targets.

Background: Traditional medicinal preparations have not received global acceptance, and their therapeutic benefits remain disputed due to lack of scientific evidence on their mechanism of action. Microarray analysis has emerged as a powerful technique that can aid in understanding the complex signaling networks activated by these formulations and thereby assess their beneficial as well as adverse effects.

Aim: The present work aims to investigate the differential influence of , formulation used in the treatment of diabetes, anemia, urinary, respiratory, skin and liver disorders.

Influence of membrane lipid composition on flavonoid-membrane interactions: Implications on their biological activity.

The membrane interactions and localization of flavonoids play a vital role in altering membrane-mediated cell signaling cascades as well as influence the pharmacological activities such as anti-tumour, anti-microbial and anti-oxidant properties of flavonoids. Various techniques have been used to investigate the membrane interaction of flavonoids. These include partition coefficient, fluorescence anisotropy, differential scanning calorimetry, NMR spectroscopy, electrophysiological methods and molecular dynamics simulations.

Safety and toxicity issues associated with lead-based traditional herbo-metallic preparations.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Herbal and herbo-mineral preparations are being traditionally used in Indian medicines. The herbo-mineral preparations have several benefits that have been instrumental in their widespread use in treatment of different disorders by traditional medicinal practitioners. These include better stability, lower dosage, ease of storability and sustained availability.

Flavonoid-metal ion complexes: a novel class of therapeutic agents.

Flavonoids are among the most investigated phytochemicals due to their pharmacological and therapeutic activities. Their ability to chelate with metal ions has resulted in the emergence of a new category of molecules with a broader spectrum of pharmacological activities. However, the biological significance of these flavonoid-metal ion complexes is yet to be completely explored.

Scientific validation of the different purification steps involved in the preparation of an Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Lauha bhasma.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Lauha bhasma (iron ash) is one of the iron-based herbo-metallic preparations used in Ayurvedic medicine for treating various ailments due to iron deficiency.

Materials And Methods: The preparation of Lauha bhasma (iron ash) requires normal purification (heat treatment in vegetable and animal products), special purification (treatment with herbal constituents) and calcination steps aimed at converting the raw material to a suitable therapeutic form. In this study, we have systematically and scientifically evaluated through a series of qualitative tests and modern analytical tools the importance of the treating media.

Mercury-based traditional herbo-metallic preparations: a toxicological perspective.

This review aims to explore the toxicological aspects of mercury-based herbo-metallic preparations like cinnabar and "Rasasindura" that are primarily composed of mercuric sulfide (HgS). Cinnabar-containing preparations have been used extensively in Indian and Chinese systems of medicine for treatment of chronic ailments like syphilis, high fever, pneumonia, insomnia, nervous disorders, deafness, and paralysis of the tongue. Contrary to Western medicine, which does not promote the use of mercury due to its toxic effects, Indian and Chinese traditional practitioners believe that mercury-based formulations have potent therapeutic efficacy, while there is no toxicity due to the unique and repeated purification processes employed during preparation.

Investigations on membrane perturbation by chrysin and its copper complex using self-assembled lipid bilayers.

The mechanism of membrane interactions of most of the flavonoids in the presence of transition-metal ions is not well-understood. To understand this phenomenon, the present work aims to synthesize a chrysin-copper complex at room temperature and investigate its influence on the electrical characteristics of planar lipid bilayers. The chrysin-copper complex was characterized by various spectroscopic techniques and was found to have a metal/ligand ratio of 1:2 and of cationic nature.