In vitro antioxidant property of the extract of Excoecaria agallocha [Euphorbiaceae]

Excoecaria agallocha L. [Family: Euphorbiaceae] is a Bangladeshi medicinal plant found predominantly in the tidal forests and swamps of the Sundarbans and other coastal areas in Bangladesh. As part of our on-going phytochemical and bioactivity studies on medicinal plants from Bangladeshi flora, the in vitro antioxidant property on the bark of this plant was evaluated. The hydroalcohol extract of the dried and ground bark of E. agallocha was assessed for antioxidant activity using a series of well-established assays including the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH], the lipid peroxidation by thiobarbituric acid [TBA], the reducing power, the nitric oxide [NO.] and the hydrogen peroxide [H[2] O[2]] scavenging assays. In the DPPH, the NO and the H[2]O[2] scavenging assays, the extract of E. agallocha displayed significant antioxidant activities with the IC[50] values of 179.16, 120.24 and 134.29 microg/ml, respectively. The reducing power of the extract increased dose-dependently, and the extract reduced the most Fe[3+] ions to the extent less than butylated hydroxy toluene [BHT]. In the lipid peroxidation assay, the extract showed significant inhibition of peroxidation effect at all concentrations, with an IC[50] value of 189.27 microg/ml. Since reactive oxygen species are important contributors to serious ailments such as atherosclerosis, alcoholic liver cirrhosis and cancer, the antioxidant property of the extract of E. agallocha as observed in the present study might be useful for the development of newer and more potent antioxidants

Antidiarrhoeal and neuropharmacological activities of Avicennia officinalis Linn.

The methanolic extract of the leaves of Avicennia officinalis Linn. was tested for its antidiarrhoeal and neuropharmacological activities The extract showed a significant antidiarrhoeal activity against castor oil induced diarhoea in mice in which it decreased the frequency of defecation and increased mean latent period at the dose of 500 mg/kg body weight Moreover, it potentiated the pentobarbital induced sleeping time in mice at the dose of 500 mg/kg body weight, and decreased the number of holes crossed from one chamber in the hole cross test and decreased the head dip responses. The overall results tend to suggest the antidiarrhoeal and central nervous system depressant activities of the extract