Search

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Snake bites are a critical health issue in many parts of the world particularly in Asian countries lacking efficient health facilities in rural areas. Cobra is the most common snake type in Asia and is responsible for a large number of mortalities particularly in rural areas. Plants are usually considered the most effective and easy-to-approach treatment for snake bites in rural areas of various countries. Vitex negundo L. is an important medicinal plant traditionally used to treat snake bite envenomation in many countries of Asia., Aim of the Study: From literature survey of plants traditionally used in the treatment of snake bites in Asian countries including India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, roots of V. negundo were selected for the present study. Anti-snake venom potential of its roots was assessed through various in vitro assays targeting the phospholipase A 2 enzyme., Materials and Methods: V. negundo roots were sequentially extracted in different organic solvents to get fractions and in methanol to get total extract. The extracts were evaluated for phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2 ) inhibitory potential through inhibition of venom-induced hemolysis, ADP-induced platelet aggregation, PLA 2 -induced fatty acid hydrolysis and anticoagulant effect of cobra venom. Antioxidant power was determined using DPPH and superoxide radical scavenging assays. GC-MS and HPLC analysis was performed for the total methanol extract., Results: Strong PLA 2 inhibitory effect was observed for all the extracts. The ethyl acetate, acetone and methanol fractions significantly inhibited toxic effects of cobra venom under in vitro conditions. Radical scavenging potential of these fractions was also significantly high as compared to non-polar fractions in both DPPH and superoxide scavenging assays. Phytochemical analysis indicated high phenolic and flavonoid contents in these fractions. GC-MS and HPLC analysis of total methanol extract confirmed the presence of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, phenol, o-Guaiacol, palmitic acid-methyl ester, methyl stearate, quercetin and kaempferol in the plant., Conclusion: The study concluded that the roots of V. negundo, particularly their polar extracts, have strong PLA 2 inhibitory effect against cobra venom confirming their traditional use to manage snake bites. The roots of this plant can be further studied for isolation of plant-based antisera., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

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. Later, Watson (2003) and Gulati (2005) in their reviews about cardiovascular health, described the extract as a best neutraceutical agent in this regard. The objective of this paper is to review the current research on this extract in terms of extraction methods, its pharmacological, toxicological and nutraceutical effects and clinical studies. Web sites of Google Scholar, Pubmed and Medline were searched for articles written in English and published in peer-reviewed journals from 2006 to 2009 and sixty-nine research articles were extracted. Of these, two are about extraction advancement and analysis while the rest relate to its clinical, biological and nutraceutical aspects., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Hypericum perforatum L. (Hypericaceae) is a perennial herb that is commonly known as St. John's Wort. The plant has been valued for its important biological and chemical perspectives and its use in the treatment of infectious diseases has been documented in ethnobotanical reports. Most recent interest in H. perforatum has focused on its antidepressant effects, and only recently has its antimicrobial activity been evaluated against a number of bacterial and fungal strains. The present review gives a comprehensive summary of the ethnobotanical uses, chemical constituents and biological effects (antibacterial and antifungal) of this species. A comprehensive account of the chemical constituents including anthraquinone derivatives (naphthodianthrones), flavonoids, prenylated phloroglucinols, tannins and volatile oils is also included. Various types of preparations, ointments, creams and extracts prepared with and compounds isolated from this species have been found to possess a broad spectrum of biological and pharmacological effects such as antidepressant effects, wound-healing, antiviral and antimicrobial activity. The antibacterial activity of crude extracts can be related to the use of the herb as a wound healer in ancient times. The sole antibacterial principle isolated to date is a tetraketone, hyperforin, also thought to be responsible for the antidepressant activity of the herb. The available literature indicates that it has a higher antibacterial activity against Gram-positive than Gram-negative bacteria, and alcoholic extracts (methanolic/ethanolic) were shown to possess more pronounced activity than aqueous extracts. Based on the chemical and pharmacological characteristics of H. perforatum, we concluded that this species has beneficial therapeutic properties and has the potential for use as an effective adaptogenic herbal remedy., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)