ABSTRACT
Anacardium occidentale L. and Mangifera indica L. has been used worldwide both for pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries due to the presence of biological activities of some of its metabolites. The present study comprises the correlation of antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity in ethyl acetate extract of young leaves and bark of A. occidentale and M. indica. The activity of 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) on radical scavenging effect of the extracts was carried out by spectrophotometrically. All the plant extracts showed DPPH radical scavenging activity and among the extracts, A. occidentale young leaves indicated higher antioxidant potential in comparison with those of the other extracts. The antibacterial activity of various extracts was also screened against some human pathogens of clinical importance; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Salmonella typhi; Bacillus subtilis; Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.
ABSTRACT
One of the molecular mechanisms of alcohol induced toxicities is mediated by oxidative stress. Hence our studies were focused on the effect of thiamine (antioxidant) in the reversal of alcohol induced toxicity and comparison of the reversal with abstinence. Administration of ethanol at a dose of 4 g/kg body wt/day for 90days to Sprague Dawley rats manifested chronic alcohol induced toxicity evidenced by decreased body weight, an increase in liver-body weight ratio, increase in activities of serum and liver aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT); decrease in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase in the liver and brain. The levels of inflammatory markers, fibrosis markers and DNA fragmentation were also elevated in the serum, liver and brain. After ethanol administration for 90days, the reversal of the alcohol induced toxicity was studied by supplementing thiamine at a dose of 25 mg/100 g body wt/day. Duration of the reversal study was 30 days. The activities of AST, ALT, GGT, scavenging enzymes as well as markers of inflammation and fibrosis in serum, liver and brain were reversed to a certain extent by thiamine. Changes in neurotransmitter levels in brain were also reversed by thiamine supplementation. DNA damage was decreased and DNA content increased in thiamine supplemented group compared to abstinence group showing a faster regeneration. In short, histopathological and biochemical evaluations indicate that thiamine supplemented abstinent rats made a faster recovery of hepatic and neuronal damage than in the abstinence group.