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Thespesia populnea, family, Malvaceae, commonly known as paras pipal and Indian tulip tree, is widely distributed in coastal forests of India and south-eastern areas. The plant is medicinally used for the treatment of numerous diseases including cutaneous infections, brain and liver disorders.The review summarizes all the information related to botanical characteristics, traditional uses, chemical components and biological activities of T. populnea, in order to exploit therapeutic potential of this plant.x.The available information about T. populnea was collected through the online search on Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct, Springer and Google Scholar. T. populnea is widely explored concerning its phytochemistry and biological activities. Amongst all phytoconstituents present in Thespesia, sesquiterpenes and phenolic compounds are major bioactive ingredients in plant. Experimental studies show that these compounds exhibit a wide range of biological activities including anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, analgesic, wound healing, anti-alzheimer, anti-ulcer and anti-psoriasis in in vitro and in vivo animal studies.To sum up, the plant, T. populnea, possess high medicinal and social value, that deserves further investigation. T. populnea is promising plant to be utilized in the development of pharmaceutical drug products. However, there is a lack of scientific studies to confirm its ethnopharmcological uses. In addition, further studies on isolation of bioactive molecules and their pharmacological studies are recommended that could be of great significance towards clinical application of this plant.

Background: Lantana camara L. belongs to the family Verbenaceae. It originated in Tropical America in Southern Georgia and the North of Texas, and was introduced in Calcutta, India, in the year 1809 as an ornamental hedge. The plant L. camara is also distributed in Southeast Asia, China, Australia, Brazil, West Indies, Kenya, Mexico, East Africa, and Tanzania. Many of its phytoconstituents possess medicinal properties which are used traditionally to treat fever, uterine hemorrhage, and excess menstrual discharge, chronic ulcers, rheumatism, gonorrhea, toothache, gastrointestinal pain, etc., and it has been used in Brazil for curing malaria, mange, headaches, colds, and fevers. Objective: The review elaborates traditional practices related to Lantana camara L., its phytochemistry, and its role in various types of cancers. Methods: The data on L. camara were collected through different online databases, like Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct, Springer, and Google Scholar. Results: Major phytoconstituents isolated from the plant shows anticancer activity, especially lantadene A-D, icterogenin, oleanolic acid, lantacamaric acid A, B, oleanonic acid, etc. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate the potential of the plant for various cancers. Certain extracts, isolated compounds, and their semi-synthetic derivatives have depicted a significant cytotoxic and anti-proliferative effect. Conclusion: Clinical studies related to the therapeutic efficacy of Lantana camara L. are not yet established, therefore, making it crucial to direct future researches in this area.

In the last few years, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) have attracted attention due to their high prevalence worldwide. Environmental factors may be one of the biggest reasons for these diseases related to neuronal dysfunctions. Most of neuronal disorders are strongly associated with pre- and postnatal exposure to environmental toxins released from industries. Some of the neurotoxic metals such as lead, aluminum, mercury, manganese, cadmium, and arsenic as well as some pesticides and metal-based nanoparticles have been involved in AD and PD due to their ability to produce senile/amyloid plaques and NFTs which are the main feature of these neuronal dysfunctions. Exposure to solvents is also majorly responsible for neurodegenerative disorders. The present review highlights the impact of omnipresent heavy metals with some other neurotoxins on human health and how they give rise to neuronal dysfunctions which in turn causes socio-economic consequences due to increasing pollution worldwide. Graphical abstract.

(C. longa) rhizome extract has been traditionally used to treat many infections. Curcumin, a pure compound isolated from the plant, has been documented to possess a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Thai medicinal plant extracts including C. longa extract and Curcumin on Acanthamoeba triangularis, a causative agent of human Acanthamoeba keratitis. The parasite was isolated from the recreational reservoir at Walailak University, Thailand. The organism was identified as A. triangularis using morphology and 18S rDNA nucleotide sequences. The pathogen was tested for their susceptibility to ethanol extracts of Thai medicinal plants based on eye infection treatment. The ethanol C. longa extract showed the strongest anti-Acanthamoeba activity against both the trophozoites and cysts, followed by Coscinium fenestratum, Coccinia grandis, and Acmella oleracea extracts, respectively. After 24 h, 95% reduction of trophozoite viability was significantly decreased following the treatment with C. longa extract at 125 µg/mL, compared with the control (P

Background and objective: Leaves of plant Dolichandrone falcata Seem. Are traditionally used by the healers of “India” for the treatment of piles and diabetes. Therefore, the main objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the anti-hemorrhoidal potential of ethanolic leaf extract from the plant D. falcata (EDF). Methods: D. falcata leaf extract obtained after maceration process was initially subjected to phytochemical standardization with the help of HPLC using rutin as a marker compound. Hemorrhoid was induced in the rats using croton oil rat model, and the treatment was carried out with EDF suspension prepared using carboxymethyl cellulose for 5 days using 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg p. o. The scoring of inflammation was calculated on the basis of the clinical hemorrhoidal area and severity index, which was followed by estimating the level of Evans blue dye as an inflammatory marker. The hemorrhoidal tissues were also subjected to cytokine profiling, biochemical evaluation and histopathology. Results: EDF demonstrated the presence of mainly polyphenols, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, and saponins, while rutin was calculated to be 3.08% w/w in EDF following HPLC analysis. The results depicted more potent anti-hemorrhoidal activity of EDF at 200 mg/kg orally which was evident through the grading of inflammatory index. The result demonstrated significant decline in the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α expression and also showed restoration of altered antioxidants and liver enzymes. Histopathological study showed minimal inflammation and reduced dilated blood vessels in treated animals, thereby confirming the tissue recovery. Conclusion: Thus, we have successfully explored and substantiated the traditional use of the leaves from the plant D. falcata for the first time in the treatment of hemorrhoids, which may be attributed to its anti-inflammatory and its antioxidant potential.

The review article serves as a mini directory of medicinal plants (662 medicinal plants have been identified) that have been investigated for antiviral property between 2015 and 2019. Data have been extracted from Scopus using specific keywords followed by manual sorting to avoid any duplication. Critical analyses of handpicked data have been presented. Mapping of medicinal plants, followed by critical analysis on the families and plant parts investigated in the said tenure, and its correlation with the participating countries and virus types have been critically analyzed. Interceptive role of phytochemicals in impeding viral replication has also been taken note of. Emphasis on India's exploration of various medicinal plants has also been given. Also presents a tutelage, which is likely to revive the interest in natural products for search of potential antivirals. This review is expected to serve as a rich data bank and as a guiding principle for researchers who are planning to explore medicinal plants in search for potential antiviral. It is time that researchers need to revisit their countries' own history of traditional medicine to predict something worthful in future.

The main objective of this investigation was to perform physicochemical and phytochemical standardization and to evaluate the anthelmintic activity of different extracts of the whole plant of Evolvulus alsinoides. Quality control standardization of the whole plant was carried out following the World Health Organization guidelines. Further, 6 different extracts of Evolvulus alsinoides were prepared with n-hexane, petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, ethanol and water. High performance thin layer chromatography analysis was performed to quantify the content of luteolin in these extracts. In vitro anthelmintic activity was screened on Indian adult earthworm due to its similarities to intestinal roundworms of humans. Doses of 100 mg/ml of each dried extract were mixed with PBS and earthworms were placed in them. Paralysis and/or death of earthworms were taken as a criterion for anthelmintic activity. Most of the physicochemical parameters were found to be within the prescribed limits of World Health Organization guidelines, while, the plant material did not show the presence of any aflatoxins. Ethanol extract of Evolvulus alsinoides showed potent anthelmintic activity and the maximum amount of luteolin was also found to be present in the ethanol extract compared to other extracts. Thus, the potent anthelmintic activity of ethanol extract of Evolvulus alsinoides could possibly be attributed to the presence of luteolin.

Objectives The objective of the present study was to evaluate wound healing potential of Solanum xanthocarpum extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Methods Alcoholic extract of the aerial parts (ESX) was subjected to phytochemical estimations and its standardization with chlorogenic acid using HPLC. ESX was then evaluated for wound healing potential in, streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats using excision and incision wound models on topical and oral treatment Various biochemical evaluations, such as collagen, hexosamine, hyaluronic acid, protein, DNA along with antioxidant parameters, proinflammatory cytokines, VEGF and histopathological examination were also evaluated. Key findings Extract of S. xanthocarpum depicted the presence of mainly alkaloids, polyphenols, steroids, while content of chlorogenic acid was found to be 8.44% w/w. The maximum effective nature of ESX in healing was observed at 10% gel (topical) and 200 mg/kg (orally) in diabetic rats, where highest healing power was observed when treated both orally and topically. Biochemical evaluations showed significant increase in the levels of collagen, hexosamine, hyaluronic acid, protein, DNA followed by significant decline in the levels of blood glucose, lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide and expression of proinflammatory cytokines, supported by histopathology. Conclusions The potential healing effect in diabetic rats may be attributed to the presence of chlorogenic acid in combination with other phytoconstituents.

OBJECTIVE: The present investigation was undertaken to develop a psoriatic-like skin inflammation rat model using imiquimod (IMQ) as an inducing agent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The hairs of the back dorsal portion of the Wistar rats were removed and 80, 100, and 120 mg of IMQ cream (5% w/w) for 10 consecutive days was applied to different groups of rats. Further, psoriasis area severity index was used for calculating the psoriatic score, which included scoring of erythema, scaling, and thickening. Various biochemical parameters, pro-inflammatory cytokines, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and histopathological examination were also performed. RESULTS: The results demonstrated signs of erythema, scaling, and thickening on group applied with 120 mg and 100 mg of IMQ along with ear thickening. Biochemical evaluation revealed a significant increase in the granulation tissue weight followed by significant decrease in the levels of collagen and hexosamine. The antioxidant parameters superoxide dismutase and catalase were found to decline, while nitric oxide and lipid peroxidation were significantly elevated in skin lesions, also supported by increased pro-inflammatory cytokines expression, i.e., interleukin (IL)-1 β, IL-6, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor-α, and VEGF. Histopathological studies revealed a disturbed natural structure along with increased epidermal proliferation, abnormal differentiation with increased number of keratinocytes in the psoriatic skin tissue. CONCLUSION: From the overall study, we have successfully developed a psoriatic-like skin inflammation rat model for the first time on Wistar strain using IMQ as an inducing agent.

The main objective of the present investigation was to mechanistically evaluate the potency of the root extract (EEC), its bioactive chloroform fraction (CEC) and eriosematin E (ECM) isolated from Eriosema chinense against Shigella flexneri-induced sub-chronic model of infectious diarrhoea using in vitro, in vivo, and in silico methods. The in vitro antibacterial activity against pathogenic strain of S. flexneri demonstrated maximum effect of ECM followed by CEC and EEC in inhibiting growth of bacteria. Further, for in vivo evaluation, was carried out by inducing diarrhoea to the rats by administering oral suspension of S. flexneri to the animals, which was followed by treatment for a period of 6 days. EEC at 200, CEC at 100 and ECM at 10 mg/kg, p.o. showed promising effect, where EEC and ECM were found to be more effective showing maximum % protection on 6th day. Results also demonstrated a significant restoration of altered antioxidants, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α) expression, electrolyte balance, Na+/K+–ATPase activity and was also supported by histopathological examinations. Molecular docking study revealed that, eriosematin E inactivated the protease activity of SepA, a protein secreted by Shigella, which is responsible for disruption of epithelial barrier integrity. Thus, the overall observation confirmed the role of eriosematin E from E. chinense in treatment of Shigella flexneri-induced infectious diarrhoea.

Three new norneolignans, the clitorienolactones A–C along with a known triterpenoid, taraxerol were isolated from the roots of Clitoria ternatea L. The structures of clitorienolactones A–C were established on the basis of UV, IR, 1D and 2D NMR, and HRESIMS analyses and were further confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis of clitorienolactone A. The clitorienolactones A and B possess memory enhancing and the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the host cell-binding site for SAR-CoV-2, poses two-fold drug development problems. First, the role of ACE2 itself is still a matter of investigation, and no specific drugs are available targeting ACE2. Second, as a consequence of SARS-CoV-2 interaction with ACE2, there is an impairment of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) involved in the functioning of vital organs like the heart, kidney, brain, and lungs. In developing antiviral drugs for COVID-19, ACE2, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), and the specific enzymes involved in the viral and cellular gene expression have been the primary targets. SARS-CoV-2 being a new virus with unusually high mortality, there has been a need to get medicines in an emergency, and the drug repurposing has been a primary strategy. Considering extensive mortality and morbidity throughout the world, we have made a maiden attempt to discover the drugs interacting with RAS and identify the lead compounds from herbal plants using molecular docking. Both host ACE2 and viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and ORF8 appear to be the primary targets for the treatment of COVID-19. While the drug repurposing of currently approved drugs seems to be one strategy for the treatment of COVID-19, purposing phytochemicals may be another essential strategy for discovering lead compounds. Using in silico molecular docking, we have identified a few phytochemicals that may provide insights into designing herbal and synthetic therapeutics to treat COVID-19.