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Medicinal plants are considered as one of the main sources of biologically active molecules for various diseases, in addition to their traditional applications. Worldwide, interest on medicinal plants having nutritional value and used as food, is increasing day by day as these can prevent or delay the occurrence of chronic diseases. Further exploration of such plants require a thorough updated information on that plant species to ascertain what is known and what can be done. Medicago polymorpha, also known as Medicago denticulata is an annual dicotyledonous weed of family Fabaceae, which is found as a weed in agricultural lands, road sides and other disturbed areas. Herein, we have compiled the information related to traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacological activities and metal nanoparticles of M. polymorpha available in Scopus database, which will be a ready reference for the researchers working on this plant to further explore it. The plant contains a wide range of secondary metabolites and has been scientifically studied for its analgesic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, anthelmintic, antiamnesic, antidiarrhoeal, antifungal, antidiabetic, and immunomodulatory activities.

Medicago denticulata is commonly used as a leafy vegetable, salad, and food ingredient. In this study, different doses of leaves aqueous extract of M. denticulata (MD) were fed to intoxicated rabbits with paracetamol (100, 200, and 300 mg/kg) for regular 21 days. The aqueous extract was evaluated for phenolic composition using HPLC‐DAD. Serum biochemical and hematological parameters were studied to check its activity. The liver was examined histologically and for antioxidant status. Results revealed that paracetamol led to a significant alteration in all the hematological (RBC, WBC, Hb, PLT, and HCT), and serum lipid parameters (TC, HDL, LDL, and TG) while MD at the dose rate of 300 mg/kg had a curative effect on the stabilization of the affected parameters. The high dose of MD ameliorated different antioxidant parameters such as reduced glutathione (GSH), DPPH radical scavenging activity (RSA), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) of the liver on day 21st of the treatment. Histological studies revealed significant paracetamol‐induced toxicity of the liver, whereas the MD had positive effects on induced toxicity. Improvement in all these alterations confirms the curative potential of Medicago denticulata extract. Practical applications: Paracetamol is a well‐known antipyretic and analgesic medicine. However, it has been found to cause toxicity including hepatotoxicity. Synthetic drugs such as statins, antibiotics, and anti‐viral are used for curing hepatic diseases also cause severe side effects. Thus, nutraceuticals from plant foods are used to reduce the side effects of different hepatotoxic medicine are continuously researched. This study reported for the first time that aqueous extract of the plant leaves was protective against the hepatotoxicity induced by paracetamol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analgesic, antidiarrheal, and neuro-pharmacological potentials of Medicago denticulata leaves extract were screened in animal models. Potential analgesic response was noted (*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001) in formalin, acetic acid and heat-induced pain models in a dose-dependent manner. Maximum activity by means of writhing inhibition was documented for Medicago denticulata at 300 mg/kg that was found to be 71.79% (17.43 ± 1.31). In first phase, the Medicago denticulata at a dose of 150 and 300 mg/kg showed analgesic activity and reduced the pain by 54.18% (18.39 ± 1.67) and 62.90% (14.89 ± 1.56), respectively. In second phase, the Medicago denticulata at a dose of 150 and 300 mg/kg showed analgesic activity and reduced the pain by 69.48% (19.78 ± 1.44) and 70.89% (18.86 ± 1.58), respectively. In hot plate method, the Medicago denticulata at a dose of 150 and 300 mg/kg showed the maximum response of 61.16% (8.47 ± 1.23) and 67.39% (10.09 ± 1.04), respectively at 60 min. Scopolamine significantly reduces spontaneous alteration in Y-maze model for antiamnesic activity. Medicago denticulata significantly increased the discrimination index in a dose-dependent manner using novel object recognition test (NORT) model. Exploration time in sec for the novel object was increased significantly (P < 0.001) by donepezil decreased for familiar one with a discrimination index (DI) of 62.18%. Medicago denticulata significantly increased the discrimination index by 60.86% and 57.24% at 300 and 150 mg/kg b.w, respectively. The lowest DI of 53.80% at 75 mg/kg was observed in comparison to the amnesic group. The Medicago denticulata significant decreased the elevated levels of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and malondialdehyde (MDA and enhancing level of acetylcholine (ACh), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) acting as an antioxidant agent. Medicago denticulata reduced the total number of diarrheal feces to lesser extent at dose-dependent manner. From the study results, it is suggested that the Medicago denticulata extract possess good analgesic and antiamnesic activity however the antidiarrheal effects of plant were negligible. In the current study, the traditional use of the plant as a source of medicine has been validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Many weeds interfere with the productivity of wheat and other winter annual crops; however, one common weed Medicago denticulata, appears to have a beneficial effect. An experiment was conducted at Agricultural Experimental Farm of the Indian Statistical Institute, Giridih, Jharkhand to observe the effect of M. denticulata (a legume) on different crops yield of barley (Hordeum vulgare Sensu lato), linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.), Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czernj. & Cosson] and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The commensalisms interaction was studied, in which one species benefits, while the other is unaffected, between the crops, M. denticulata and other weeds, to observe the role of medicago as biological control agent of other weeds for enhancement of crop productivity. Further, a statistical test was performed to establish the effect of M. denticulata and weed infestations based on one-step Markov structure of the covariance matrix of the biomass. This permitted development of a mathematical model of a crop–M. denticulata–other weeds system and their interactions through direct and indirect competition for resources. Crops yield decreased considerably due to the presence of other weeds, while it increased due to introduction of medicago and hence medicago acted as a controlling agent in a crop–M. denticulata–other weeds system. Our mathematical analysis supported the experimental findings. The model parameters are estimated through a nonlinear least square and stochastic differential equations. Moreover, some thresholds for the growth of medicago population came out from our analysis that may be used as a biological control threshold for the enhancement of crop productivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]