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Ulcerative colitis is a chronic, refractory disease caused by dysregulation of mucosal immune responses to the indigenous bacterial flora as well as genetic and environmental variables. Recently, there has been increasing interest towards the use of herbal medicines for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and the potential benefits could lie in their high patient acceptability, effectiveness, safety, and relatively low cost. It has been reported that Chebulic myrobalan (Terminalia chebula) exhibits anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. The present study was designed to evaluate the protective potential of extract of dried fruit pulp of T. chebula against Dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis in male BALB/c mice. Three cycles of DSS (3 % w/v in drinking water), each followed by a seven-day remission phase were used to induce ulcerative colitis in mice. Animals were treated with T. chebula (300 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg) starting from I st remission period to the end of the study. Different biochemical assays, histological evaluation and molecular analysis were performed to evaluate the protective effects of T. chebula extract in DSS induced colitis. T. chebula modulates the expression of nuclear factor kappa B, adenosine monophosphate kinase, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, sirtuin 1 and interleukin-1β. Furthermore, it also accorded coloprotective effects against DNA damage, apoptosis, inflammation and nitrosative stress. Finally, it was found that the high dose of the T. chebula extract (600 mg/kg) was found to be more effective than a low dose (300 mg/kg) in restoring the ulcerative colitis induced colonic damage., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Authors of the present investigation declared no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The antioxidant-mediated neuroprotective effect of Allium cepa outer scale extract (ACE) in mice with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury was demonstrated in our earlier work. The current investigation aimed at establishing the bioactive component(s) responsible for this activity. Thus ACE was fractionated into ethyl acetate (EF) and aqueous (AF) fractions. These fractions were evaluated against cerebral I-R injury in mice. I-R injury in mice was induced by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion followed by 24 hr reperfusion. Memory, sensorimotor functions, cerebral infarct size, and oxidative stress were measured to address the neuroprotective mechanism of test substances. EF showed marked improvement of memory and sensorimotor functions by reducing brain oxidative stress and infarct size in mice after I-R injury. The bioactive EF was subjected to chromatographic (HPLC-PDA, HPLC-MS, preparative HPLC) and spectroscopic studies to isolate and identify the neuroprotective compounds. This lead to separation of three components, namely quercetin, quercetin 4'-O-glucoside, and the remaining fraction, from EF. The separated components were biologically evaluated. These components showed improvement in mice with I-R injury. But, EF displayed more marked neuroprotective effects as compared to the isolated components. The distinct neuroprotective outcome of EF may be credited to the synergistic action of compounds present in EF. Further studies such as evaluation of neurotoxic effects and other possible neuroprotective mechanisms are required to develop EF as a neuroprotective drug., (© 2020 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

MsrA, an efflux pump belonging to ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family that conferred resistance to macrolides, was detected in Staphylococcus aureus strains. Herein, we report the isolation of phytoconstituents from Piper cubeba fruit methanol extract and investigated their efflux pump inhibitory potential against S. aureus MsrA pump. Four isolated compounds, viz. pellitorine, sesamin, piperic acid and tetrahydropiperine studied in combination with erythromycin in S. aureus RN4220, exhibited 2-8-fold reduction in minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of erythromycin. Pellitorine and sesamin decreased MIC of erythromycin by 8-fold. The real-time fluorometry-based efflux and accumulation studies of ethidium bromide (EtBr) on S. aureus RN4220 in the presence of these compounds showed reduced efflux and enhanced uptake, thus indicating inhibition of the efflux pump. Pellitorine showed significant post-antibiotic effect of erythromycin. The results revealed that the primary mechanism of action of these compounds involves steady ATP production impairment., (© 2020 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

People of north-eastern states of India consume raw areca-nut (RAN) and lime which could lead to oral, esophageal and gastric cancers. However, the incidence of these cancers are significantly lesser in those who consume pieces of Potentilla fulgens root along with RAN. Since evaluation of anticancer role, if any, of P. fulgens on RAN-mediated genetic alterations in human is difficult because of other compounding factors, this study was undertaken in mice to focus on gastric carcinogenesis since ad libitum administration of RAN extract with lime in drinking water induced stomach cancer due to greater exposure of its lining. A total of 160 mice were used at different time points and either methanol extract of P. fulgens roots (PRE) or mixture of four compounds of ethyl-acetate fraction (EA-mixture) was mixed with mice feed. Histological studies revealed that RAN + lime induced cancer in all the mice and interestingly only 20% developed cancer when PRE/EA-mixture was provided along with RAN + lime. Higher frequency of precocious anaphase and over expression of p53 and Securin genes were significantly reduced by PRE/EA-mixture. Thus PRE/EA-mixture mitigates the RAN-induced tumor-initiating process in stomach by maintaining expression of tumor suppressor and check-point genes under control.

Introduction : Seabuckthorn (SBT) has received worldwide attention for therapeutic, nutraceutical and cosmetic purposes. It is used for the treatment of a number of diseases. Hundreds of commercial products containing SBT are available in the market. Areas covered : This review article covers patents on the therapeutic potential of SBT and its chemical constituents. The therapeutic areas covered in this review include cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes, inflammation, anti-oxidant, and anti-microbial. The patents were searched through Sci-finder, Espacenet, Google Patent, and US Patent. Expert opinion : Plant-based drugs have played an important role in the modern drug industry. Since ancient times, SBT has been used to cure several ailments. SBT has emerged as an important plant, which has been investigated for numerous pharmacological properties and shown to be beneficial in a number of therapeutic areas. Several clinical trials have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of SBT for the treatment of many diseases including cardiovascular, inflammation, diabetes, platelet inhibition, etc. There is huge potential for developing standardized herbal products from different parts of SBT.

Secondary plant metabolites play an important role in providing protection to plants against herbivore insect pests. Keeping in view the increasing importance of biopesticides, the crude extracts from different plants are being investigated for insecticidal activities. Alpinia galanga, a medicinal plant belonging to family Zingiberaceae exhibits a wide range of biological activities. In the present study, crude extracts of A. galanga and its purified compounds i.e. 1'-acetoxychavicol acetate and galangin were evaluated for their effect on various nutritional parameters of Spodoptera litura (Fab.). All the extracts exhibited a significant influence on relative growth and consumption rates as well as efficiency of conversion of ingested and digested food. Ethyl acetate extract was found to be the most effective causing significant reduction in values of RGR, RCR, ECI and ECD of S. litura larvae in comparison to control larvae. The highest concentration of the ethyl acetate extract (2500 ppm) resulted in 44.95%, 10.99%, 38.08% and 37.04% decrease respectively in RGR, RCR, ECI and ECD in comparison to control. The purified compounds also showed inhibitory effects on various nutritional parameters. 1'-Acetoxychavicol acetate was found to be more effective in comparison to galangin., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Ocimum species are traditionally used for the treatment of anxiety, nerve pain, convulsions and a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-amnesic effect of O. basilicum L., O. sanctum L. and O. gratissimum L. extracts using in-vitro and in-vivo models., Materials and Methods: In-vitro acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory and antioxidant activities of hydro-methanol extracts of plants were evaluated using Ellman and DPPH and FRAP assays, respectively. The most active extract i.e. O. basilicum extract (OBE) was further explored for the possible anti-amnesic activity in mouse model of scopolamine induced amnesia using behavioral models (elevated plus maze and passive shock avoidance task). Brain AChE activity, oxidative profile and histopathological studies were assessed to outline the anti-amnesic mechanism of the extract., Results: Significant antioxidant and AChE inhibition activity was observed with all prepared extracts and however, OBE showed most marked free radical scavenging, reducing power and AChE inhibition (IC 50 0.65±0.15mg/ml) activity. Basil leaves were standardized with respect to content of 7 phenolic acids using a HPLC-PDA method. A TLC densitometric method was employed to determine the quercetin content in the leaves. The in-vivo studies showed that OBE pre-treatment (200 and 400mg/kg, p.o.) reversed the memory deficit induced by scopolamine in mice, evident by significant (p<0.05) decrease in the transfer latency time and increase in step down latency in elevated plus maze and passive shock avoidance task, respectively. Moreover, OBE significantly reduced the brain AChE activity and oxidative stress. Further, histopathological examination of brain tissues displayed decrease in vacuolated cytoplasm and increase in pyramidal cells in hippocampal and cortical regions with OBE pre-treatment., Conclusion: OBE possesses antioxidant and AChE inhibitory activity. These biochemical changes are responsible for the anti-amnesic and neuroprotective activities of O. basilicum which may be attributed to the presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. This can be developed as an effective anti-amnesic drug., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The fruit pulp of Eugenia jambolana (jamun) is a rich source of anthocyanins (ACs). The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of various physical and chemical factors on the stability of ACs and anthocyanidins (ACdn) in the crude, anthocyanins-enriched extract (ACs-EEX), anthocyanins-enriched sephadex extract (ACs-EES) and anthocyanidins-enriched extract (ACdn-EEX). ACs and ACdn contents were analyzed using a stability indicating HPLC analytical method. The ACs content reduced to 86.4% (crude extract), 60.9% (ACs-EEX), 36.0% (ACs-EES), 64.8% (ACs-EEX tablet), and 71.7% (ACs-EEX capsules) after 1 year at 5 °C. The ACdn content reduced to 83.1% (ACdn-EEX), 90.1% (ACdn-EEX tablet) and 93.8% (ACdn-EEX capsules) after 1 year at 5 °C. ACs and ACdn showed lesser degradation at low pH and higher degradation at high H2O2 concentration. The thermal degradation products of ACs were identified and quantified., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Potentilla fulgens root traditionally used as a folk remedy in Meghalaya, India. However, systematic evaluation of its anticancer efficacy was limited. We investigated the anticancer potentials of the various extracts prepared by partitioning of the methanol extract of the root with the aim to discover major contributing factors from the most effective fractions. Methanol extract of P. fulgens roots (PRE) was prepared by maceration which was subsequently fractionated into hexane, ethyl-acetate (EA) and n-butanol soluble fractions. Various assays (clonogenic assay, Flow cytometry analysis, western blot, semiquantitative RT-PCR and the level of endogenous glutathione) were used to evaluate different parameters, such as Cell survivability, PARP-1 proteolysis, expression pattern of anti-apoptotic and γ-glutamyl-cysteine synthetase heavy subunit (GCSC) genes in both MCF-7 and U87 cancer cell lines. Since the EA-fraction showed most efficient growth inhibitory effect, it was further purified and a total of nine compounds and some monomeric and dimeric flavan-3-ols were identified and characterized. Three compounds viz., epicatechin (EC), gallic acid (GA) and ursolic acid (UA) were taken on the basis of their higher yield and 10 μg/ml of each was mixed together. The concentration used in this study for PRE, EA- and Hex-fraction was 100 μg/ml, which was higher than the IC50 value. Apoptotic cell death in the PRE, EA-fraction and EC+GA+UA treated cancer cell cultures was significantly greater than in normal cells due to suppression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl2 following treatment. Depletion of glutathione by downregulating GCSC was also observed. Induction of apoptosis and lowering the level of glutathione are considered to be positive activity for an anticancer agent. Therefore, modulation of GSH concentration in tumor cells by PRE and its EA-fraction opened up the possibility of a new therapeutic approach because these plant products are not harmful to normal cells and may regulate the tumor cellular response to different anticancer treatments. Thus, it would be interesting to examine efficacy of these plant products or EA-fraction in human cancer treatment.

Eugenia jambolana, commonly known as 'jamun' or Indian blackberry, is an important source of bioactive compounds. All parts of the plant like stem bark, leaves, flower, fruit pulp and seeds are traditionally used for many diseases. Metabolite profiling in medicinally important plants is critical to resolve the problems associated with standardization and quality control. Metabolite profiling of the fruit pulp of Jamun was performed by NMR, HPLC, MS, GC-MS and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. These hyphenated techniques helped in the identification of 68 chemically-diverse metabolites of the fruit pulp. These include anthocyanins, anthocyanidins, sugars, phenolics and volatile compounds. Five extracts of fruit pulp were prepared i.e. hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate, butanol and aqueous methanolic. Twenty-five metabolites identified and quantified in the n-butanol and aqueous-methanolic extracts of ripe jamun fruit by qNMR. LC-PDA-MS and MALDI-TOF spectrometry helped in deciphering thirty-nine metabolites out of which thirteen were quantified.

Introduction: Potentilla fulgens is a commonly used folk medicine by natives of northeast India, Nepal and Bhutan and is rich in polyphenolic and triterpene constituents., Objective: To identify chemomarkers in the roots of P. fulgens by an interplay of (13)C-NMR, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation with time-of-flight (MALDI/TOF) MS, electrospray ionisation (ESI) MS/MS and HPLC/UV., Material and Methods: The (13)C-NMR spectrum of crude methanolic extract was recorded in deuterated dimethyl sulphoxide. For MALDI/TOF/MS analysis, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid was used as the matrix. For determination of chemical constituents, two independent simple isocratic HPLC/UV methods for monomeric/oligomeric flavanols and triterpene acids were developed and validated., Results: The (13)C-NMR spectrum of the methanolic extract indicated the presence of B-type oligomeric polyphenolics containing mainly epicatechin/catechin (epicat/cat) and epiafzelechin/afzelechin (epiafz/afz) as the monomeric units. Several isobaric monomeric and oligomeric flavanols and triterpenoids were tentatively identified by MALDI/TOF/MS and ESI/MS/MS. Fourteen compounds (four monomeric and five dimeric flavanols and five triterpene acids) were isolated using repeated column chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC, and were quantitated using HPLC/UV., Conclusion: It is evident from these analyses that roots of P. fulgens contain flavans, including oligomeric flavanols, as major constituents followed by triterpene acids. The methods described can be applied to other Potentilla species to identify their constituents., (Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Dietary polyphenols may contribute to the prevention of several degenerative diseases, including cancer. Anthocyanins have been shown to possess potential anticancer activity. The aim of this study was to determine anthocyanin bioavailability in lung tissue of mice fed a blueberry diet (5% w/w) for 10 days or a bolus dose (10 mg/mouse; po) of a native mixture of bilberry anthocyanidins. All five anthocyanidins present in the blueberry were detected in the lung tissue using improved methods. The effect of various solvents on the stability of anthocyanins and their recovery from the biomatrix was analyzed. Detection of anthocyanins and their metabolites was performed by UPLC and LC-MS. Although anthocyanins were not detected, cyanidin was detected by UPLC-PDA and other anthocyanidins were detected by LC-MS, following conversion to anthocyanidins and selective extraction in isoamyl alcohol. The results show that anthocyanins can be detected in lung tissue of blueberry-fed mice and thus are bioavailable beyond the gastrointestinal tract.

The antileishmanial activity of extracts and phytoconstituents of Moringa oleifera Lam. was investigated in vitro against promastigotes of Leishmania donavani. The 70% ethanolic extract of roots and the methanolic extract of leaves showed moderate inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 83.0 microg/ml and 47.5 microg/ml, respectively. Antileishmanial activity of the methanolic extract of leaves increased upon fractionation, as its ethyl acetate fraction was found to be more active with an IC50 value of 27.5 microg/ml. The most active antileishmanial compound niazinin, a thiocarbamate glycoside isolated from this fraction, showed an IC50 value of 5.25 microM. Results presented in this study indicate that extracts from M. oleifera may be developed as an adjuvant therapy for the treatment of leishmaniasis.

The roots of Potentilla fulgens have been used for a long time as a folk remedy for many ailments without having information on its pharmacological action. Of the various extracts prepared by partitioning of the methanol extract, the ethyl acetate fraction was found to possess better antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. The degree of reduction in cloning efficiencies of MCF-7 cell lines was more with ethyl acetate than with hexane fraction of the root-extract. Hence, this fraction was further purified and nine compounds, including two new ursane type triterpenoids Fulgic acid A (4) and Fulgic acid B (5), were identified and characterized. Other compounds were identified as ursolic acid, euscaphic acid, corosolic acid, epicatechin, catechin, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde and gallic acid. Chemical structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, especially ESIHRMS and 2D NMR techniques. The new compounds showed good antioxidant activity and therefore this plant can be a source of natural antioxidants., (© 2013.)

Eleven plants used in the Cameroonian traditional medicine for the treatment of some parasitic infections were tested for their activity on the promastigote form of Leishmania donovani. After incubation with different plant extracts at doses of 1600, 800, 400 and 200 microgram/mL, the evaluation of the cell viability was done by the trypan blue exclusion technique and by flow cytometry. This study shows that 48 h after incubation of promastigotes with plant extract, Solanocia mannii and Solanum torvum significantly inhibited the proliferation of promastigotes in culture with IC50 of 60.78±5.05 and 96.08±4.39 using the trypan blue exclusion technique. In addition, IC50 of 43.91±6.49 and 86.13±4.30 were obtained using the flow cytometry technique. Furthermore, 24 h after incubation of promastigotes with the Solanocia mannii and Solanum torvum, there was significant disruption of their long spindle shaped bodies. The results of this study support the popular uses of these plants for the treatment of some parasitic infections in Cameroonian folk medicine., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Quantitative analysis and standardisation of plant extracts or herbal products is a tedious process requiring time-consuming sample preparation and analytical method development for the resolution of analyte peaks from the complex natural extract. Quantitative analysis by HPLC requires a pure authentic standard of the compound being quantified. We report here a quantitative NMR (qNMR) method for quantitative analysis of three medicinal plant extracts and their herbal products without the need of authentic standards. Quantitation can be done by using any commercially available pure sample as an internal reference standard., Objective: To develop a reliable method for standardisation and quantitative analysis of extracts from medicinal plants Eugenia jambolana, Withania somnifera and Aegle marmelos and their herbal products using qNMR., Methodology: The (1) H-NMR spectra of known amounts of crude plant extracts with internal standards were recorded in deuterated solvents and quantitation was performed by calculating the relative ratio of the peak area of selected proton signals of the target compounds and the internal reference standard. Anthocyanins [delphinidin-3,5-diglucoside (1), petunidin-3,5-diglucoside (2) and malvidin-3,5-diglucoside (3)] for E. jambolana fruit extract and imperatorin (4) for A. marmelos fruit extract were selected as marker constituents for quantitation and 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene (TMB) was used as an internal reference standard. Total withanolide content was determined for W. somnifera using 2,4-diformyl phloroglucinol as an internal reference standard., Results: The (1) H-NMR gave a linear response for the marker constituents, anthocyanins, withaferin A and imperatorin. Using the described method, the amount of anthocyanins in Amberlite(R) XAD7HP and Sephadex enriched extracts of E. jambolana was 3.77% and 9.57% (delphinidin-3,5-diglucoside), 4.72% and 12.0% (petunidin-3,5-diglucoside), 6.55% and 15.70% (malvidin-3,5-diglucoside), respectively. The imperatorin content was 0.424% in A. marmelos fruit and 0.090 % and 0.114% in sharbat and candies. Total withanolides content was 0.191% in the chloroform extract and 0.234% in the capsule extract. These values are in accordance with HPLC results., Conclusion: This qNMR technique could be used for NMR fingerprinting and quantitation for the purpose of quality control and standardisation of many plant-based herbal products and medicines and has certain advantages over HPLC., (Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Chemoprevention by medicinal plants has evolved as a practical strategy to control the incidence of cancer. Azadirachta indica (neem) containing various bioactive components is a promising candidate for chemoprevention. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the chemopreventive efficacy of the bioactive subfractions ethyl acetate chloroform insoluble fraction (ECIF) and the methanol ethyl acetate insoluble fraction (MEIF) following activity-guided fractionation of neem leaf extract. Analysis of the mechanism of chemoprevention revealed multitargeted mode of action that involved modulation of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of mitochondrial apoptosis, and abrogation of NF-κB signaling. HP-TLC, GC-MS and LC-MS analyses indicated the presence of several polar phytochemical entities in the neem leaf subfractions that might be responsible for their potent chemopreventive efficacy., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Context: Eucalyptus has been a source of a number of biologically active compounds. The anti-leishmanial activity of terpenoids from Eucalyptus loxophleba (Benth.) ssp. lissophloia (Myrtaceae) has not yet been investigated., Objective: Isolation of the terpenoidal constituents for evaluation of in vitro anti-leishmanial activity against the Leishmania donovani (Dd8 strain) promastigotes., Materials and Methods: The chloroform-methanol (8:2) extract of dried leaves of Eucalyptus loxophleba was used to isolate terpenoidal constituents employing solvent partitioning, column chromatography and preparative high performance liquid chromatography and characterized from spectral data. The anti-leishmanial activity of the isolated compounds was tested in vitro using an Alamar blue assay against a culture of L. donovani (Dd8 strain) promastigotes., Results: Two new naturally occurring triterpenes, named loxanic acid and 3-acetyl loxanic acid together with four known ursane triterpenoids and one bis-monoterpene glycoside, cuniloside B isolated from the leaves showed anti-leishmanial activity (IC(50) 133 to 235 μM) against the promastigotes of the tested strain., Conclusion: The terpenes isolated from the leaves of E. loxophleba showed moderate anti-leishmanial activity.

Colored fruits, particularly berries, are highly chemoprotective because of their antioxidant, antiproliferative, and antiinflammatory activities. We report the cancer chemoprotective potential of Syzygium cumini L., commonly known as jamun or Indian blackberry. Anthocyanins and other polyphenolics were extracted with acidic ethanol and enriched by amberlite XAD7/HP20 (1:1). The pulp powder was found to contain 0.54% anthocyanins, 0.17% ellagic acid/ellagitannins, and 1.15% total polyphenolics. Jamun seed contained no detectable anthocyanins but had higher amounts of ellagic acid/ellagitannins (0.5%) and total polyphenolics (2.7%) than the pulp powder. Upon acid hydrolysis, the pulp extract yielded 5 anthocyanidins by HPLC: malvidin (44.4%), petunidin (24.2%), delphinidin (20.3%), cyanidin (6.6%), and peonidin (2.2%). Extracts of both jamun pulp (1,445 ± 64 μmol of trolox equivalent (TE)/g) and seeds (3,379 ± 151 μM of TE/g) showed high oxygen radical absorbance capacity. Their high antioxidant potential was also reflected by 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)- and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-scavenging and ferrous ion-chelating activities. We also analyzed antiproliferative activity of jamun extracts against human lung cancer A549 cells. The hydrolyzed pulp and seed extracts showed significant antiproliferative activity. However, unhydrolyzed extracts showed much less activity. These data showed that in addition to 5 anthocyanidins, jamun contains appreciable amounts of ellagic acid/ellagitannins, with high antioxidant and antiproliferative activities.

Two new naturally occurring formylated phloroglucinol compounds (FPCs), a dimer, loxophlebal B (10) and a cyclized FPC, loxophlebene (8) together with eight other formylated phloroglucinols (1-7 and 9) were isolated from the chloroform-methanol (8:2) extract of the leaves of Eucalyptus loxophleba ssp. lissophloia. The structures of new compounds were established by comprehensive spectral analysis and by comparison of their NMR data with those of related compounds in the literature. All the isolated compounds were evaluated for anti-leishmanial activity against promastigotes of Leishmania donovani., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Loxophlebal A, a new antibacterial formylated phloroglucinol was isolated from the mother liquor obtained after separation of sideroxylonals from the chloroform-methanol extract of leaves of Eucalyptus loxophleba ssp lissophloia. The structure of loxophlebal A was determined to be 3-desformyl sideroxylonal A by spectroscopic methods including 1D- and 2D-NMR. The stereochemistry of loxophlebal A was determined by chemical correlation with sideroxylonal A. This article also reports an efficient, simple and economic method for large scale isolation of sideroxylonals in a purity of >90% from the leaves of Eucalyptus loxophleba ssp lissophloia., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Abhayarishta is an Ayurvedic formulation prepared traditionally by the fermentation of the decoction of Terminalia chebula (pericarp), Vitis vinifera (fruits), Embelia ribes (fruits) and Madhuca indica (flowers). In the present communication, chemical changes occurring during fermentation in Abhayarishta have been studied for the purpose of its standardization. An HPLC-DAD method for quantitative estimation of selected marker constituents in the formulation has been developed and validated. A comparison of decoction and final processed formulation revealed that major polyphenolics (chebulagic and chebulinic acid) of T. chebula were hydrolyzed to their respective monomers and, consequently, there was an increase in the amount of chebulic acid, gallic acid, ellagic acid and ethyl gallate after fermentation. 5-Hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) was also found in the formulation. Thus, emphasis is laid upon consideration of processing methods of formulation which has been lacking in the standardization of most of Ayurvedic formulations.

Hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts (100 microg/ml) of Alpinia galanga rhizomes exhibited significant activity in vitro against promastigotes of L. donovani. Twelve compounds namely, methyleugenol (1), p-coumaryl diacetate (2), 1'-acetoxychavicol acetate (3), 1'-acetoxyeugenol acetate (4), trans-p-acetoxycinnamyl alcohol (5), trans-3,4-dimethoxycinnamyl alcohol (6), p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (7), p-hydroxycinnamaldehyde (8), trans-p-coumaryl alcohol (9), galangin (10), trans-p-coumaric acid (11) and galanganol B (12) were isolated from these extracts. Of these, compounds 2, 3, 4 and 5 were found most active in vitro against promastigotes of L. donovani with IC50 values of 39.3, 32.9, 18.9 and 79.9 microM respectively. This is the first report of antileishmanial activity of the extracts and isolated constituents of A. galanga.

Radioprotective effect of leaves extract of Rosemarinus officinalis (ROE) has been studied against 6 Gy gamma-radiations in the liver of Swiss albino mice at various post-irradiation intervals between 12 h and 30 days. In control animals (without ROE treated irradiated), an elevation in glycogen, protein, acid and alkaline contents was found till day 5th, but thereafter decreased at successive intervals without returning to normal. Cholesterol level was found to be lower than normal till 10th day, then increased up to 20th day but later declined without restoring normal level. A similar trend of variation in these biochemical parameters was observed in experimental group (ROE pretreated irradiated) also but to a lower extent. ROE significantly delayed and inhibited the rise in these biochemical parameters. Almost normal values of such constituents were regained by day 30th in experimental animals; whereas in control animals, normal values were not ever attained. In control animals, there was an elevation in lipid peroxidation (LPx) and a decrease in glutathione (GSH) in blood and liver; whereas in experimental group, decline in LPx accompanied by an increase in GSH concentration was observed.

Oral administration of Emblica officinalis (Linn.) before exposure to gamma radiation was found to be effective in protecting mice against the hematological and biochemical modulation in peripheral blood. A significant increase in the RBC, WBC, hemoglobin, and hematocrit values was observed in the animals pretreated with E. officinalis extract as compared to the hematological values observed in the irradiated group. Furthermore, radiation sickness was greatly inhibited in those mice that were irradiated with prior treatment of E. officinalis. A significant decrease in glutathione (GSH) content and increase in lipid peroxidation (LPx) level were also observed in irradiated animals; whereas E. officinalis pretreated irradiated animals exhibited a significant increase in GSH content and decrease in LPx level, but such remained below the normal. The results from the present study suggest that E. officinalis pretreatment provides protection against irradiation to Swiss albino mice.

The fruit pulp of Emblica officinalis (EO) is an important drug used in Indian systems of medicine for several diseases and as a tonic. In view of its multifarious uses, the plant extract (aqueous) was tested for its radioprotective properties against sublethal gamma radiation (9 Gy) in Swiss albino mice. Animals were divided into two groups and irradiated with gamma radiation externally, with or without EO extract, which was given orally at different doses before irradiation. The dose of fruit pulp extract found to be most effective against radiation was 100 mg/kg b.wt. This dose increased the survival time and reduced the mortality rate of mice significantly. Furthermore, body weight loss in EO administered irradiated animals was significantly less in comparison with animals who were given radiation only., (Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Secondary plant metabolites play an important role in mediating interactions among plants, insect herbivores, and their parasitoids. These defensive compounds not only affect the growth and development of herbivores, but also influence their natural enemies. In the present study, the diet‐mediated effect of hexane extract of Inula racemosa (Hooker fil.) (Asteraceae) was evaluated on the growth and development of the gregarious ectoparasitoid Bracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) using a polyphagous pest, Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), as its host. The influence of various concentrations of I. racemosa extract was recorded on B. hebetor's parasitization behavior on its host larvae. The parasitism rate of naive female wasps decreased significantly when host larvae were reared on treated diet, but no adverse effect of plant extract was recorded on the viability of eggs. Detrimental effects of the plant extract were also detected in the form of reduced survival and delayed development of the parasitoid. Ingestion of hexane‐extract‐supplemented diet by S. litura adversely affected the emergence and parasitism rate of adults from the first generation of B. hebetor. In conclusion, consumption of I. racemosa extract by S. litura had a negative impact on various biological parameters of B. hebetor, although lower concentrations of plant extract had no adverse effects. There is a need to study the possible effects of secondary metabolites on these trophic interactions under natural conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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