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Abstract: Diabetes mellitus (DM), a chronic medical condition, has attained a global pandemic status over the last few decades affecting millions of people. Despite a variety of synthetic drugs available in the market, the use of herbal medicines for managing diabetes is gaining importance because of being comparatively safer. This article reviews the result of a substantial literature search on polyherbal formulations (PHFs) developed and evaluated with potential for DM. The accumulated data in the literature allowed us to enlist 83PHFs consisting of different parts of 147 plant species belonging to 58 botanical families. The documented plant species are laden with bioactive components with anti-diabetic properties and thus draw attention. The most favoured ingredient for PHFs was leaves of Gymnema sylvestre and seeds of Trigonellafoenum-graecum used in 29 and 27 formulations, respectively. Apart from herbs, shilajit (exudates from high mountain rocks) formed an important component of 9 PHFs, whereas calcined Mytilus margaritiferus and goat pancreas were used in Dolabi, the most commonly used tablet form of PHF in Indian markets. The healing properties of PHFs against diabetes have been examined in both pre-clinical studies and clinical trials. However, the mechanism(s) of action of PHFs are still unclear and considered the pitfalls inherent in understanding the benefits of PHFs. From the information available based on experimental systems, it could be concluded that plant-derived medicines will have a considerable role to play in the control of diabetes provided the challenges related to their bioavailability, bioefficacy, optimal dose, lack of characterization, ambiguous mechanism of action, and clinical efficiency are addressed.

Agricultural productivity of pomegranate can be enhanced by identifying the crop-associated microbial diversity in the rhizosphere region with respect to plant growth promoters and other beneficial organisms. Traditional culture methods have limitations in microbial screening as only 1-2% of these organisms can be cultured. In the present study, 16S rRNA amplicon-based metagenomics approach using MinION Oxford Nanopore platform was employed to explore the microbial diversity in the rhizosphere of pomegranate Bhagwa variety, across variable soil depths from 0 to 5 cms (R2), 5-10 cms (R4) and 10-15 cms (R6), using bulk soil as the control. Across all the three layers, significant variations in pH, nitrogen content and total fungal count were observed. 16S rRNA analysis showed the abundance of planctomycetes, Pirellula staleyi, followed by bacteroidetes, Flavisolibacter LC59 and Niastella koreensis across the various soil depths in the rhizospheric soil samples. Pathway prediction analysis indicated arginine and proline metabolism (gamma-glutamyl putrescine oxidase) and hydrogen sulfide biosynthesis as the most abundant pathway hits. Comparative abundance analysis across layers showed the R6 layer with the maximum microbial diversity in terms of highest dimension of variation (79.2%) followed by R4 and R2 layers (p 0.01). Our analysis shows the significant influence of root zone in shaping microbial diversity. This study has reported the presence of Planctomycetes, Pirellula staleyi for the first time in the pomegranate field.

Baccaurea ramiflora Lour. syn. Baccaurea sapida (Roxb.) Muell. Arg. widely known as Burmese grape is native to Southeast Asia. Its leaves, fruits, stem, bark, seeds forms an ingredient in many herbal prescriptions which have been used to treat jaundice, constipation, indigestion, cellulitis, as antidote for sanke venome, antiphlogistic and anodyne against rheumatoid arthritis etc. In the recent years, this plant has been largely explored on scientific grounds to identify the chemical constituents and pharmacological activities. The present review work is an effort to revisit the scientific works done to evaluate the scope for bioprospection of B. ramiflora. Based on the study designed, a number of research papers were reviewed, but only about 35 articles having information on B. ramiflora were evaluated in detail. In total, thirty compounds have been isolated and characterised so far from different parts of this evergreen tree, which accounts for its myriad medicinal value including analgesic, anthelmintic, antioxidant, anti-diarrheal, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, haemolytic, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, insecticidal, neuropharmacological, thrombocytic, anti-fungal and antimicrobial activities. This compilation of assorted information underpins the basic perceptive of B. ramiflora and opens up new horizon for further phytochemical evaluation, safety efficacy, and clinical trials.

The wonder fruit pomegranate (

Animal genomics is gaining popularity among researchers due to its utility-driven approaches. The major advantage lies in the understanding of how genes function and get expressed within various animal populations. Genomic understanding can propionate the thriving yield in farm animals to bioengineer innovative materials, enhanced productivity of livestock, xenotransplantation, and several other animal-based populous items for consumptions and even nonconsumption-based products like fabrics, silk. In this chapter, we present an introductory commentary on techniques and databases available to deduce animal genomes, a rapidly developing genome project resource, completed genomes summary of various domestic animals such as buffalo, sheep, and goat and the latest progress in the field. We have also flagged a concern with regard to resources and updates concerning farm livestock genome projects, especially in India, as compared to growing population and food demands across the globe within subsequent decades.

Drug Repurposing (DR) is an alternative to the traditional drug discovery process. It is cost and time effective,with high returns and low-risk process that can tackle the increasing need for interventions for varied diseases and new outbreaks. Repurposing of old drugs for other diseases has gained wider attention, as there have been several old drugs approved by the FDA for new diseases. In the global emergency of COVID-19 pandemic, this is one of the strategies implemented in the repurposing of old anti-infective, anti-rheumatic and anti-thrombotic drugs. The goal of the current review is to elaborate the process of DR, its advantages, repurposed drugs for a plethora of disorders, and the evolution of related academic publications. Further, detailed are the computational approaches: literature mining and semantic inference, network-based drug repositioning, signature matching, retrospective clinical analysis, molecular docking and experimental phenotypic screening. We discuss the legal and economic potential barriers in DR, existent collaborative models and recommendations for overcoming these hurdles and leveraging the complete potential of DR in finding new indications.

Computer-Aided Drug Designing (CADD) has gained a wide popularity among biologists and chemists as a part of interdisciplinary drug discovery approach. It plays a vital role in the discovery, design and analysis of drugs in pharmaceutical industry. It is extensively used to reduce cost, time and speed up the early stage development of biologically new active molecules. In the current review we presented a brief review of CADD, merits and demerits, DNA, protein and enzyme as targets, types of CADD: Structure Based Drug Designing (SBDD), Ligand Based Drug Designing (LBDD), Pharmacophore based drug designing (PBDD) and Fragment Based Drug Designing (FBDD), theory behind the types of CADD and their applications. The review also focuses on the in-silico pharmokinetic, pharmacodynamic and toxicity filters or predictions that play a major role in identifying the drug like molecules. Currently in pharmaceutical sciences computational tools and software are exhibiting imperative role in the different stages of drug discovery hence the review throws light on various commercial and freeware available for each step of CADD.

Bamboo is nature’s wonderful gift historically associated with the rural population of the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts. However, indiscriminate use of the resource and the ambiguity in the identification of bamboos in the absence of flowering characters pose a potential risk to the bamboo germplasm. Therefore, we considered revising the taxonomic positions and phylogenetic relationships among 15 tropical bamboo species using 35 key morphological descriptors (MD) to assess the reliability of vegetative characters in identifying species. The phylogenetic tree constructed from the similarity matrix, derived from an unweighted pair group method of analysis (UPGMA) of the 35 MDs, marginally deviated from the conventional taxonomic positions of the bamboo species. While the two varieties, one forma of Bambusa vulgaris (var. Vittata, var. Vulgaris, fo. Waminii) and two species of the genus Dendrocalamus (D. giganteus and D. hamiltonii) clustered together in a single clade, and D. strictus was distantly placed from their congeners. This discrepancy with the conventional classification might have ensued since only vegetative characters such as culm anatomy, culm sheath, leaf, and leaf sheath were considered in the present study. While the phylogenetic relationship among the 15 tropical bamboos (computed from exhaustive MDs) grossly corroborate the conventional taxonomic grouping, a molecular-marker-based multidisciplinary approach should resolve the remaining conflicts in bamboo identification.

Objective: The main aim of this scientific report was to investigate a series of phytochemicals in silico and the pharmacology of four plants found at higher altitude in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae (incl. Costaceae) from North-East India, particularly Sikkim. First, the goal was to determine the biological activities of the four herbs (used under Zingiberaceae family) using antioxidant assays to identify the best species. Second, previously reported compounds in litero were subsequently screened for their anticancerous activities using in silico methods. Materials and Methods: Using the methanolic extracts of herbs, quantitative detection of phytochemicals such as total phenols and total flavonoids was detected, and the free radical scavenging activity was also studied using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Docking process was studied, using Discovery Studio version 3.5, to identify suitable molecules at the protein-binding sites through annealing and genetic simulation algorithms. Grids centered on active sites were obtained with spacing of 54 × 55 × 56, and 0.503 grid spacing was calculated. The methods adopted and used in this study were comparisons of Global and Local Search Methods to determine the parameters such as maximum number of 250,000 energy evaluations as well as generations of 27,000, followed by mutation and crossover rates of 0.02 and 0.80. The number of docking runs was set to 10. Molecular dynamics study was done to check the stability of the complex. Results: Among all the genus of Zingiberaceae family investigated in this study, Curcuma angustifolia and Hedychium sp. exhibited the highest 537 ± 12.45; 292 ± 9.16 mg gallic acid equivalent/g total polyphenols and 38 ± 1.54; 75 ± 6.75 mg quercetin equivalent/g flavonoids, respectively. Depending on the concentration, the Hedychium sp. extract exerted the highest scavenging activity on DPPH radical (IC50 36.4 μg/mL). In silico result demonstrated that the synergetic effects of β-phellandrene with other compounds might be responsible for its anticancerous activity. β-phellandrene and farnesene epoxide showed bonding with Leu298, Ala302, Met336, Leu339, Leu343, Phe356, Ala302, Glu305, Met340, Leu343, Arg346, Phe356, Ile373, Ile376, Leu380, His475, Leu476, and Leu491. Conclusion: Based on the current available literature, this is the first study to understand the interaction of compounds found in the rhizomes of Zingiberaceae family. SUMMARY The aqueous methanolic extract of Zingiberaceae family Curcuma angustifolia and Hedychium sp. has potent antioxidant activity as assessed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl assaysHedychium sp. is understood to possess more active compounds than other varietiesIn silico studies indicated synergetic effects of β-phellandrene and other compounds for its anticancerous activity. Abbreviations used: CADD: Computer-aided drug designing; ROS: Reactive oxygen species; ADMET: Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion-toxicity; FeCl3: Ferric chloride; DPPH: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl; NaNO2: Sodium nitrite; TCA: Trichloroacetic acid; K2HPO4: Di-potassium hydrogen phosphate; H2O2: Hydrogen peroxide; KH2PO4: Potassium di-hydrogen phosphate, K2Fe (CN)6: Potassium ferricyanide; KOH: Potassium hydroxide; NaOH: Sodium hydroxide; Na2CO3: Sodium carbonate; CH3COONa: Sodium acetate; AlCl3: Aluminum chloride.

Cancer is one of the prominent death causing diseases around the globe. About 1 in 6 deaths is due to cancer and its related diseases. Cancer mortality can be reduced by early diagnosis and screening, implementing effective treatments. A precise cancer identification is vital for effective treatment, because each cancer type requires a definite treatment procedure, such as radiotherapy, surgery, and chemotherapy. The brisk expansion of herbal therapy and escalating ongoing clinical studies are becoming trendy and useful in the drug development against cancer. Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a prehistoric fruit with illustrious dietary and remedial properties in alternative traditional systems of medicine. The current chapter is aiming to understand various model systems (in silico, in vitro, and in vivo), employed for studying its anti-cancerous properties and diverse molecular effects exhibited by the pomegranate peel and its phytoconstituents. It also highlights the importance of secondary metabolites of P. granatum, especially ellagitannins and their anticancer properties. Although there are enormous in vitro and preclinical data, human clinical trials are sorely lacking. The major focus is on up-to-date investigations into the outcomes of previously reported pomegranate peel components against a diverse type of cancers.

The successive generation continues in angiosperm through flowering. The parent plants of some of the members that belong to Poaceae family dies after flowering.A member of the subfamily Bambusoideae of Poaceae, bamboos, exhibit similar characteristics.In this paper, an attempt have been made to document the incidence of the flowering of bamboo in Kokrajhar district of BTAD, Assam.Four bamboo species viz. Bambusa assamica, Bambusa tulda, Dendrocalamus hamiltonii and Melocanna baccifera belonging to three different genera were recorded to flower sporadically during March-May 2015 at Chandrapara, Odlaguri, Baukhungri hills, Chandrapara respectively.All the recorded species were semelparous i.e. the life cycle of the plant ends with flowering. Thus if the flowering continues in the same frequency the time may come in near future when this invaluable natural resource might become endangered or even extinct. Thus, this is the need of the hour to apply biotechnological tools and develop protocols for propagation and conservation and thus, save this green gold from germplasm erosion

Efficacy of several plant extracts in the clinical research for modulating oxidative stress correlated with diabetes mellitus (DM) is well documented. In the present study, we investigated the in vitro antioxidant activity, toxicity, and anti-diabetic activity of methanolic extract of Hippophae salicifolia leaves in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic wistar rats. H. salicifolia leaves were found to be rich in antioxidants. The acute toxicity test of methanolic extract of H. salicifolia leaves revealed that the median lethal dose (LD(50)) was found to be 3.92 g/kg body weight in mice. Administration of H. salicifolia leaves at 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg in alloxan-induced diabetic rats illustrated significant reduction (22% and 39%, respectively) in fasting blood glucose compared to diabetic control. Both the doses were found to be effective when compared to diabetic rats. The Hippophae-treated diabetic rats showed significant increase in the endogenous antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (50% and 74%, respectively), glutathione peroxidase (57% and 41%, respectively) and decrease in malondialdehyde (33% and 15%, respectively) levels. These results suggested that the methanolic leaf extract of H. salicifolia enhanced the antioxidant defence against reactive oxygen species produced under hyperglycaemic conditions. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13205-019-1840-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The process of inflammation is associated with several disorders such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and arthritis. Cyclooxygenase (COX) receptors play an important role in inflammation. COX-2 is an endogenous enzyme which catalyses and converts arachidonic acid to prostaglandins and thromboxanes. The prediction of the docking of small molecules at the active site, i.e. receptor binding site, and the projection of the binding affinity of the complex is a crucial part of computer-aided drug design. The current study evaluates the COX-2 inhibitory activity of compounds detected in Myrica nagi, an actinorhizal plant, using an in-silico approach. Liquid chromatography (LC-MS) studies of M. nagi leaf extract revealed the presence of 21 compounds. The known COX-2 inhibitor Celecoxib was used as reference. Silico docking studies were carried out using iGemdock and verified by discovery studio and autodock software. Three important parameters—binding energy, inhibition constant and intermolecular energy—were determined. The results showed that all selected compounds showed binding energies between −28.19 kcal/mol to −63.13 kcal/mol in iGEMDOCK. Myricetin (−63.13 kcal/mol) showed the best binding energy compared with the Celecoxib reference (−62.35 kcal/mol). Discovery studio and autodock also calculated the same patterns of binding energy. All selected compounds displayed COX inhibitory activity, probably due to their structural parameters. These molecular docking analyses may lead to the further development of potent COX inhibitors for the treatment of inflammation.

Myrica nagi (family Myricaceae) is commonly known as Kathphal (Hindi) and Bayberry (English) and it has a long history of usage in traditional medicine. It is popular actinorhizal plant for its symbiotic relationship with Frankia. This study was taken in force to estimate the analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities of methanolic extract of Myrica nagi (MMN) in an animal model. Anti-oxidative property of MMN was assessed by free radical scavenging assay (DPPH method). The acute toxicity test of methanolic extract of MMN revealed that the median lethal dose (LD50) was found to be 2080 mg/kg body weight in mice. The anti-inflammatory property was evaluated by carrageenan-induced acute inflammation in rats by measuring rat paw volume at different time intervals and toxicological analysis using mice. The analgesic effect was measured in Wistar rats using the acetic acid-induced writhing test and MMN at 200 mg/kg BW showed 54.56 % inhibition of writhing. MMN showed higher anti-oxidant activity in DPPH assays as compared to standard. High dose of MMN showed a significant reduction (21.71 %) in inflammation after 4 h of treatment, which was comparable to diclofenac (10 mg/kg BW; 32.75 %)-treated group. Significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the levels of inflammatory cytokine (IL-1β and TNF-α) markers were also observed in serum of MMN-treated animals as compared to control. Taken together, the phenolic compounds of MMN may serve as potential herbal drug for amelioration of acute inflammation due to their modulatory action on free radicals.

Background: From an age-old period bamboo has been an important ingredient of traditional Asian medicines ingeneral and Chinese medicine in particular. Today people are searching over the use of herbal medicine instead of thesynthetic drugs. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate phytochemical, biochemical constituent and invitro antioxidant activity of aqueous methanolic leaf extract of Bambusa tulda. Bambusa tulda (Poaceae) is widelydistributed in North Eastern parts of the Country. Methodology: Phytochemical constituents of leaves were extractedby hot extraction method. Aqueous methanolic extract showed that the presence of phenolic compound, alkaloids,saponnins, flavonoids, steroids, anthraquinones, glycosides. The total phenolic, flavonoid and flavonol content in theaqueous methanolic extract were determined by calorimetric assay as well as their antioxidant activity throughvarious chemical assays like DPPH radicals, hydrogen peroxide scavenging and reducing power assay. Results: Thetotal phenolic, flavonoids and flavonol content in aqueous methanolic extract were 17.494±0.01 mg GAE/g,176.35±0.03 mg QE /g and 96.2±0.01 mg QE /g respectively. Conclusion: This may be first report to provideevidence that the crude aqueous metanolic extract of Bambusa tulda leaf is a potential source of natural antioxidant.

Background: Punica granatum (family: Lythraceae) is mainly found in Iran, which is considered to be its primary centre of origin. Studies on pomegranate peel have revealed antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiangiogenesis activities, with prevention of premature aging and reducing inflammation. In addition to this it is also useful in treating various diseases like diabetes, maintaining blood pressure and treatment of neoplasms such as prostate and breast cancer. Objectives: In this study we identified anti-cancer targets of active compounds like corilagin (tannins), quercetin (flavonoids) and pseudopelletierine (alkaloids) present in pomegranate peel by employing dual reverse screening and binding analysis. Materials and Methods: The potent targets of the pomegranate peel were annotated by the PharmMapper and ReverseScreen 3D, then compared with targets identified from different Bioassay databases (NPACT and HIT’s). Docking was then further employed using AutoDock pyrx and validated through discovery studio for studying molecular interactions. Results: A number of potent anti-cancerous targets were attained from the PharmMapper server according to their fit score and from ReverseScreen 3D server according to decreasing 3D scores. Conclusion: The identified targets now need to be further validated through in vitro and in vivo studies.

The G-coupled receptors seen on the cell surface are composites with a lipid bilayer. The chemokines are kind of G-coupled receptor which majorly involved in the activation and downstream signalling of the cell. In general, many G-coupled receptors lack their 3D structures which become a hurdle in the drug designing process. In this study, comparative modelling of the CXCR3 receptor was carried out, structure evaluation was done using various tools and softwares. Additionally, molecular dynamics and docking were performed to prove the structural quality and architecture. Interestingly, the studies like toggle switch mechanism, lipid dynamics, virtual screening were carried out to find the potent antagonist for the CXCR3 receptor. During virtual screening 14,303 similar molecules were retrieved among them only four compounds have an ability to interact with a crucial amino acid residue of an antagonist. Hence, these screened compounds can serve as a drug candidate for a CXCR3 receptor, but further in vitro and in vivo studies are ought to do to prove its same efficacy.

With about 136 species, India is one among the richest countries in bamboo resources that help mankind in more than 1500 diverse ways. Although the utilization of juvenile shoots of bamboo in tribal diet of Northeast India is a very old observable fact, its numerous health benefits and potentiality remains uncharted. Apart from being delicious, the bamboo shoots are also rich in minerals and nutrient components such as carbohydrates, proteins, fiber and are low in fat and sugar which could be helpful in mitigating the problem of malnutrition. Few studies also revealed the health benefits of bamboo shoots for the treatment of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, weight loss and to improve digestion. Over and above the nutritional values of different species of bamboo shoots, the increasing inclinations towards health awareness among the consumers have emphasized its utilization in modern diet as a health food for boosting the nutritional security. Thus, in the present review, the nutraceutical potentiality of bamboo shoots is explored alongside its various qualities.

Bambusa balcooa (Poaceae) is native to India and has been used traditionally by the tribes of Northeast India to treat diabetes. The present investigation was aimed to evaluate the toxicity, anti-diabetic activity along with in vitro antioxidant activity of the leaf of B. balcooa in alloxan-induced diabetic rats and also identify active compounds by using HPLC. The acute toxicity test of aqueous extract of B. balcooa leaf revealed that the median lethal dose (LD50) of B. balcooa aqueous extract (BAQE) was 5.18 g/kg body weight in mice. Administration of BAQE at 100 and 200 mg/kg in alloxan-induced diabetic rats showed significant reduction in fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin while plasma insulin level was elevated compared to diabetic control. Both the doses were effective when compared to diabetic glibenclamide rats. The BAQE treated diabetic rats showed significant increase in the endogenous antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and decrease in malondialdehyde levels. HPLC analysis of BAQE showed the presence of rutin, gallic acid and β sitosterol. Thus, it can be inferred from this study that BAQE possess antidiabetic and in vivo antioxidant activity. The overall activity might be possibly due to the presence of potential antioxidants.

No abstract

Background and Aim. Despite tangible progress in recent years, substantial therapeutic challenges remain unexplored in nephropathy, particularly in diabetic patient. Addressing these challenges requires identification of novel drugs and development of noninvasive and cost-effective methods to select the most appropriate therapeutic option for the disease. Angiopathic nephropathy is one of the complications of diabetes mellitus and is becoming the single most important reason for end-stage renal disease in the western world. This study has investigated the inhibitory effect of a library naturally occurring nonprotein compounds that inhibit angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). Materials and Methods. Docking studies of ACE protein with natural compounds and synthetic commercial drug perindopril were done using AutoDock, FlexX, and Hex. Toxicity predictions were carried out using OpenTox. Quantum mechanical properties were studied using GAMESS. Results. Pelargonidin-3-glucoside could be used as a potent renoprotective drug candidate, which inhibits ACEII. It has low toxicity and its quantum mechanical properties are comparable to those of commercial drugs.

Background: Emblica officinalis (Euphorbiaceae), popularly known as Indian gooseberry or “Amla” in India, is used in Ayurveda as “rejuvenating herb” since ancient times. Objective: This study was carried out to estimate toxicity, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative activities of the methanolic extract of Emblica officinalis fruit (MEO) in an animal model. Materials and Methods: Antioxidative property of MEO was assessed by in vitro assays such as phosphomolybdenum assay (total antioxidant capacity), free radical scavenging assays 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2’-azino-bis and 3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (DPPH and ABTS method) and lipid peroxidation assay (LPO). The anti-inflammatory property was evaluated by carrageenan-induced acute inflammation in rats by measuring rat paw volume at different time intervals and toxicological analysis using mice. Results and Discussion: High performance liquid chromatography studies revealed the presence of gallic acid (2.10%), mucic acid (4.90%), ellagic acid (2.10%), quercetin (28.00%), rutin (3.89%), and β-glucogallin (1.46%). MEO showed highest antioxidant activities by using DPPH (17.33–89.00%), ABTS (23.03–94.16%), nitric oxide scavenging activity (12.94–70.16%), LPO (56.54%), and phosphomolybdenum assay (142 ± 6.09 μg/ml). The LD50 was found to be approximately 1125 mg/kg (p.o). High dose of MEO showed significant reduction (72.71%) in the inflammation after 4 h of treatment, which was comparable to diclofenac (10 mg/kg) (61.57%) treated group. Significant reduction (P < 0.05) in the inflammatory cytokine (interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α) markers were also observed (57.25% and 35.41%, respectively) in serum of MEO treated animals as compared to control. Conclusion: Taken together, phenolic compounds of MEO may serve as a potential herbal drug for amelioration of acute inflammation due to their modulatory action on free radicals. SUMMARY The methanolic extract of Emblica officinalis fruit (MEO) has potent antioxidant activity as assessed by DPPH, ABTS and LPO assaysMEO has potent anti-inflammatory activity in carrageenan induced paw edema modelThe phenolic compounds of MEO might be a potential herbal drug for amelioration of acute inflammation. Abbreviations used: ROS, reactive oxygen species; RNS, reactive nitrogen species, LPO, lipid peroxidation, NO, nitric oxide, IL, interleukin; TNF α tumor necrosis factor alpha; NSAIDs, nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs; AA, ascorbic acid; MEO, methanolic extract of Emblica officinalis fruit; ABTS+; 2,2’ azino bis 3 ethylbenzthiazoline 6 sulphonic acid; DPPH, 1,1 diphenyl 2 picrylhydrazyl; HPLC, high performance liquid chromatography; MDA, malondialdehyde; DMSO, dimethyl sulphoxide; ELISA, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.

Objective Finding a cure for diseases and infections using herbal medicines are as old as mankind. The present study aimed at investigation of anti-hyperglycemic potential of methanolic extract of some indigenous ayurvedic plants used in Karnataka. Design setting There are a few explicit studies to confirm invitro hypoglycemic activity. Our work is based on the study of some indigenous plants which show inhibitory effect on glucose oxidase and are in use as hypoglycemic agents in traditional system of medicine. Result Syzygium cumini , Trigonella foenum graecum seed , Moringa alba leaf , Punica granatum peel , Emblica officinalis and Momordica charantia possessed highest hypoglycemic activity of varying degree. S. cumini and T. foenum had shown the better activity in neutral and basic media than others. Whereas, Alterathera ficoicka leaf, T. foenum and Momordica charantia have shown prominent result in acidic media. The result in three different media revealed that, acidic medium shows less prominent hypoglycemic activity as compared to neutral and basic medium. Conclusion S. cumin, T. foenum seed and M. charantia gave the impression of being prominent candidates for drug targets for diabetes. This may be the first report using invitro approach to prove their antidiabetic properties.

Objective The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of Punica granatum peel methanolic extract ( PGPE ) on cerebral cortex (CC) and Hippocampus (HC) brain antioxidant defense system and markers of lipid and protein oxidation in alloxan induced diabetic rats. Methods Oral administration of PGPE (75 and 150 mg of kg body weight) for 45 days resulted in significant reduction in blood glucose levels. Results Supplementation of diabetic rats with PGPE showed increased activities of SOD and GPx with concomitant decrease in MDA and PC content. Region-specific changes were more evident in the HC when compared to CC. Conclusions The present study indicated that PGPE can ameliorate brain oxidative stress in alloxan induced diabetic rats by up regulating antioxidant defense mechanism by attenuating lipid and protein oxidation. PGPE thus may be used as a potential therapeutic agent in preventing diabetic complications in the brain.

Objective & Methodology: The present study aimed to detect a novel in-vitro method for some of indigenous plantextracts which demonstrate inhibitory effect to glucose oxidase and are in use of our traditional remedial system forhypoglycemic impending.Result: Bambusa vulgaris possessed hypoglycemic activity of varying degree. Dendrocalamus hamiltonii,Dendrocalamus sikkimensis had shown the better activity in neutral and basic media than others. Whereas, Bambusabalcooa and Bambusa pallida showed prominent result in acidic media. The result in three different media revealedthat, acidic medium had less prominent hypoglycemic activity as compared to neutral and basic medium. Conclusion: This may be the first report for using glucose oxidase as in vitro method to prove their antidiabeticproperties, can save a hugh preclinical burden for the budding herbal products.

Type 2 diabetes is an inevitably progressive disease, with irreversible beta cell failure. Glycogen synthase kinase and Glukokinase, two important enzymes with diverse biological actions in carbohydrate metabolism, are promising targets for developing novel antidiabetic drugs. A combinatorial structure-based molecular docking and pharmacophore modelling study was performed with the compounds of Hippophae salicifolia and H. rhamnoides as inhibitors. Docking with Discovery Studio 3.5 revealed that two compounds from H. salicifolia, viz Lutein D and an analogue of Zeaxanthin, and two compounds from H. rhamnoides, viz Isorhamnetin-3-rhamnoside and Isorhamnetin-7-glucoside, bind significantly to the GSK-3 beta receptor and play a role in its inhibition; whereas in the case of Glucokinase, only one compound from both the plants, i.e. vitamin C, had good binding characteristics capable of activation. The results help to understand the type of interactions that occur between the ligands and the receptors. Toxicity predictions revealed that none of the compounds had hepatotoxic effects and had good absorption as well as solubility characteristics. The compounds did not possess plasma protein-binding, crossing blood-brain barrier ability. Further, in vivo and in vitro studies need to be performed to prove that these compounds can be used effectively as antidiabetic drugs.

Over the past decade, pomegranate (Punica granatum) is entitled as a wonder fruit because of its voluminous pharmacological properties. In 1830,P. granatumfruit was first recognized in United States Pharmacopeia; the Philadelphia edition introduced the rind of the fruit, the New York edition the bark of the root and further 1890 edition the stem bark was introduced. There are significant efforts and progress made in establishing the pharmacological mechanisms of peel (pericarp or rind) and the individual constituents responsible for them. This review provides an insight on the phytochemical components that contribute too antihyperglycemic, hepatoprotective, antihyperlipidemic effect, and numerous other effects of wonderful, economic, and eco-friendly pomegranate peel extract (PP).

UNLABELLED Bamboo, the "Green Gold", included in the non-timber forest products has both ecological and economic importance. Here is an attempt to describe a database named "Bambooinfoline" , which provides enumeration of the different species of bamboos found in North Bengal, with special emphasis on taxonomy, edible properties, chemical constituents, morphological features along with tissue culture specifications, which in turn benefits of scientific community. AVAILABILITY The database is freely available at http://www.bamboodb.ind.in/

Actinorhizal plants contain numerous antioxidants that may play a crucial role in preventing the formation of tumors. H-Ras p21, a member of the Ras-GTPase family, is a promising target to treat various kinds of cancers. An in silico docking study was carried out to identify the inhibitory potential of compounds of these plants against H-Ras by using Discovery Studio 3.5 and by using Autodock 4.2. Docking studies revealed that four compounds, isorhamnetin-7-rhamnoside, quercetin-3-glucoside-7-rhamnoside (present in H. rhamnoides), zeaxanthin, and translutein (present in H. salicifolia) significantly bind with binding energies −17.1534, −14.7936, −10.2105 and −17.2217 Kcal/mol, respectively, even though they slightly deviate from Lipinski's rule. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADME/tox) analyses of these compounds and their stereoisomers showed that they were less toxic and non-mutagenic. Amongst them, isorhamntein-7-rhamnoside showed hepatotoxicity. Hence, these compounds can be further investigated in vivo to optimize their formulation and concentration and to develop potential chemical entities for the prevention and treatment of cancers.

BACKGROUND: Keeping adverse effects ofantidiabetic drugs in mind scientists have nowdiverted towards identification of plant basednovel drugs with more potential and lesser sideeffects which in turn will reduce economic andclinical toll of Diabetes. OBJECTIVE:Upgradation of Phytomellitus databaseincludes introductory details of Diabetesmellitus and its future statistical aspect,alongwith details of Ayurvedic world or itstraditional medicines. It also give option ofHome, Types, Diabetes Dictionary, DiabetesMining, Diabetes Drug, Diabetes Quiz,Diabetes FAQ’s on the top of Home Page andoptions like Copyright, Terms of Use,Contributors, Contact Us in the bottom of thepage. METHODOLOGY: Methodologyremains same as per author’s previousmanuscripts1,2. RESULTS: Up-gradation wasneeded to maintain and incorporate new dataand chemical composition of the plantsincluding their structural views. Older versionof the phytomellitus includes 31% were wholeplants, 26% leaves, 11% seeds, 10% roots, and9% fruits from the collected data1. New versionincludes more than 250 number ofethanobotanical information than the previousone. In upgraded version chemical structures ofthe plants with their IUPAC nomenclatureauthor have incorporated.