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Shatavari was called as "Queen of Herb". It improves female reproductive health including hormonal imbalance, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, polycystic ovarian syndrome, follicular growth, oocytes quality and infertility. Shatavari act as galactgogue and also as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and immunomodulator for many infectious diseases. The present study was carried out to analyze the physicochemical and phytochemical properties of different forms of Shatavari supplement available in local markets. Three different forms of supplement such as tablet, capsule and powder were chosen by purposive sampling technique. Experimental research design was adopted for the study. Shatavari standard sample was found to have 5.29% of moisture content. The Total ash yield was 3.70%. The percentage of acid insoluble ash was found to be 2.39 and water soluble ash was 1.21%. The water extractives value (45.72%) was considerably higher than alcohol extractive (8.91%). Physicochemical analysis of Tablet, Capsule and Powder divulge the percentage of various parameters moreover similar to standard. The pH value reported that Shatavari was slightly acidic in nature. The phytochemical study revealed the presence of bioactive components like Saponins, Tannins and Glycosides in all forms of samples including standard. The present study reported that the formulation of different forms of Shatavari supplement contains several bioactive components which was essential to consider as an ideal Herbal Nutraceutical supplements. Hence Shatavari - An Herbal Nutraceutical supplement can be suggested to promote overall Health.
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Background: Cardiotoxicity is one of the most feared side effects of anticancer agents like Doxorubicin. Asparagus racemosus is a widely used medicinal plant in Indian system of medicine known for its antioxidant activity. In certain studies ethanol extract of Asparagus racemosus has shown to possess cardioprotective activity in experimental animals while in some other studies cardioprotective potential of Asparagus racemosus has not been demonstrated. Therefore, due to the controversial action, the present study was designed to explore the cardioprotective effect of aqueous effect of Asparagus racemosus against doxorubicin induced cardiotoxity.Methods: Following approval from Institutional Animal Ethics Committee of L.L.R.M Medical College registered under CPCSEA, India, this study was conducted in which 30 rats were randomized into five groups of six rats each. Group I received 2 ml/kg b.w. normal saline p.o for 21 days, group II apart from receiving pellet diet and normal saline for 21 days were treated with Doxorubicin in a single dose of 20 mg/kg intraperitoneally on the 21st day, group III and group IV received aqueous extract of Asparagus racemosus in doses of 250 mg/kg/day and 500 mg/kg/day respectively p.o. for 21 days followed by administration of Doxorubicin (20 mg/kg i.p.) on the 21st day, Group V received Carvedilol in doses of 30 mg/kg/day p.o. for 21 days followed by administration of Doxorubicin (20mg/kg i.p) on the 21st day. Then they were anaesthetized and blood sample was collected from abdominal aorta for performing blood test i.e. Creatinine kinase MB fraction (CK-MB), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), Serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT). After blood collection the animals were sacrificed and heart was dissected out for histopathological study. The data obtained was organized and analysed by suitable statistical methods i.e. ANOVA followed by Post Hoc test.Results: CK-MB, LDH, SGOT and SGPT levels were found to be significantly raised (p<0.001) in Doxorubicin treated group. Asparagus racemosus pretreated groups exhibited significant limitation (p<0.001) in rise in levels of CK-MB,LDH,SGOT and SGPT levels in a dose dependent manner following Doxorubicin administration which were comparable to the group treated with the standard cardioprotective drug Carvedilol. Histopathological changes further corroborated cardioprotective potential of Asparagus racemosus.Conclusions: The present study concluded that aqueous extract of Asparagus racemosus possess cardioprotective potential against Doxorubicin induced cardiotoxicity.
ABSTRACT
Shatavari, Asparagus racemosus is one of the most important herbal drugs used by Ayurvedic Vaidyas since ancient days. The drug is having wide range of therapeutic activity and mentioned as a Rasayan by ancient Ayurvedic texts. The main part used by Ayurvedic doctors is a root. It is mentioned as a tonic and having lactogenic function. Shatavari has also been successfully used by several Ayurvedic practitioners for Nervine disorders, Acid peptic diseases, certain infectious diseases and as a immunomodulant. Main use of this drug is in female disorders specially as a galactagogue and several menstrual disorders. Scientific fraternity is working on this drug at multidimensional level to prove this drug as a potent medicinal drug in multiple disorders. Various scientific studies are proved that this drug worked as a potent antitussive, antineoplastic, galactologue, antidiarroheal, and as immunomodulant. The main focus of this article is to review the scientific studies done on A.racemsosus mainly on its phytochemistry, pharmacology, therapeutic uses mentioned in both modern sciences as well as in ancient Ayurvedic texts. Additional attempt is made to find the clinical studies done on A.racemosus. The present review article includes the detailed scientific exploration of root extract of A.racemsosus in systematic way so that it can highlight future research prospects of this famous and commercially useful drug.
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Aim: To study the genetic diversity in Asparagus racemosus germplasm using RAPD molecular markers for its better conservation and utilization. Study Design: RAPD markers used to check genetic diversity in Asparagus racemosus using different softwares. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Bio & Nano Technology, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar-125001 between May 2013 to June 2014. Methodology: A total of 60 RAPD markers used to check polymorphism at genetic level among 60 asparagus genotypes. PCR amplified bands were scored as 0 and 1 for absence and presence. The binary data so obtained used to reveal genetic polymorphism via NTSYS, POPGENE and AMOVA analysis. Results: A significant level of genetic diversity (81.48%) among all genotypes was assessed by using RAPD molecular markers. Out of 60, 49 RAPD primers produced 425 polymorphic loci. The value of Jaccard’s coefficient varied from 0.48 to 0.97 for RAPD. OPB-15 primer proved to be the most polymorphic marker among all used. The POPGENE analysis revealed 44.44, 79.01 and 64.20% polymorphism for RAPD analysis in groups with low, intermediate and high saponin content. The overall value of Shannon’s index and Nei’s genetic diversity was 0.3402 & 0.2169 for RAPD marker system. Conclusion: These results showed RAPD marker system useful in detecting significant genetic polymorphism among genotypes which can be used for production and conservation of improved genotypes.
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The antioxidant activities of the crude hydro-alcoholic extract (CE) and its four fractions viz. methanol (MF), ethyl acetate (EF), n-Butanol (BF), and precipitated aqueous (PAF) of A.racemosus roots tested decreased in the order of EF > MF > CE > BF > PAF when investigated by DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Under iron induced lipid peroxidation almost similar results were observed except that the activity was more in PAF than BF. Hepatoprotective activity of the extracts was also demonstrable in vivo by the inhibition of–CCl4 induced formation of lipid peroxides in the liver of rats by pretreatment with the extracts. CCl4–induced hepatotoxicity in rats, as judged by the raised serum enzymes viz. glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, glutamate pyruvate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and total and direct bilirubin as well as oxidant enzyme viz. malon dialdehyde were prevented, while antioxidant enzymes viz. superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione and catalase were elevated by pretreatment with the extracts, demonstrating the potent hepatoprotective action of the roots of A. racemosus.
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Background: Atherosclerosis is associated with hyperlipidemia which is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease. Therefore, treatment of hyperlipidemia is one of the major approaches to decrease the atherogenic process. Many studies revealed that Asparagus racemosus (AR) possesses hypolipidemic and antioxidant potential, but results were not consistent. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to investigate lipid lowering and antioxidant potential of AR root powder in hyperlipidemic rats. Methods: Hyperlipidemia was induced in normal rats by including 0.75 gm% cholesterol and 1.5 gm% bile salt in normal diet and these rats were used for the experiments. Dried root powder of Asparagus racemosus was administered as feed supplement at 5 gm% and 10 gm% dose levels to the hyperlipidemic rats. Plasma lipid profile, malondialdehyde, ascorbic acid, catalase and superoxide dismutase were estimated using standard methods. Statistical analysis was done by one way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Feed supplementation with 5 gm% and 10 gm% Asparagus racemosus resulted in a significant decrease in plasma cholesterol, LDL and significant increase in HDL. But there were no significant decrease in triglycerides and VLDL. The feed supplementation increased activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and ascorbic acid content increased significantly in both the experimental groups (5 and 10 gm% supplemented groups). But there was no significant change in the concentration of malondialdehyde in these groups. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that addition of Asparagus racemosus root powder at 5 gm% and 10 gm% level as feed supplement reduces the plasma lipid levels and also acts as an antioxidant.
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Diabetic nephropathy is a major ‘‘microvascular’’ complication of diabetes, differs from other causes of chronic kidney diseases in its predictability, with well-defined functional progression from hyperfiltration to micro- to macroalbuminuria to renal failure. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of Asparagus racemosus Willd (Liliaceae) on streptozotocin -induced early diabetic nephropathy. Single i.p injection of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg) was administered to induce early diabetic nephropathy in Wistar rats and thereafter treated orally with ethanolic extract of Asparagus racemosus (EEAR) at a dose level of 100 and 250 mg/kg daily for 4 weeks. The efficacy of extract was compared with diabetic control rats. A. racemosus treatment significantly decreased plasma glucose, creatinine, urea nitrogen, total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Renal hypertrophy, polyuria, hyperfiltration, microalbuminuria and abnormal changes in the renal tissue as well as oxidative stress were effectively attenuated by EEAR treatment. Basement membrane thickening and mesangial proliferation formation without nodules were seen in diabetic rats, whereas these structural changes were reduced in EEAR treated groups. Results of this study suggested that A. racemosus has beneficial effect in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.
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Background: Herbal drugs used to treat illness according to Ayurveda are often misidentifi ed or adulterated with similar plant materials. Objective: To aid taxonomical identifi cation, we used DNA barcoding to evaluate authentic and substitute samples of herb and phylogenetic relationship of four medicinal plants of family Asparagaceace and Asclepiadaceae. Materials and Methods: DNA extracted from dry root samples of two authentic and two substitutes of four specimens belonging to four species were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing. Primers for nuclear DNA (nu ITS2) and plastid DNA (matK and rpoC1) were used for PCR and sequence analysis was performed by Clustal W. The intraspecifi c variation and interspecifi c divergence were calculated using MEGA V 4.0. Statistical Analysis: Kimura’s two parameter model, neighbor joining and bootstrapping methods were used in this work. Results: The result indicates the effi ciency of amplifi cation for ITS2 candidate DNA barcodes was 100% for four species tested. The average interspecifi c divergence is 0.12 and intraspecifi c variation was 0.232 in the case of two Asparagaceae species. In two Asclepiadaceae species, average interspecifi c divergence and intraspecifi c variation were 0.178 and 0.004 respectively. Conclusions: Our fi ndings show that the ITS2 region can effectively discriminate Asparagus racemosus and Hemidesmus indicus from its substitute samples and hence can resolve species admixtures in raw samples. The ITS2 region may be used as one of the standard DNA barcodes to identify closely related species of family Asclepiadaceae but was noninformative for Asparagaceae species suggesting a need for the development of new markers for each family. More detailed studies involving more species and substitutes are warranted.
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Ethanolic extract of the roots of A. racemosus improved the stress tolerance in chemical writhing test and swimming endurance test at all the doses as compared to stress control group. Restraint stress induced elevation of blood glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol levels were significantly lowered by pretreatment with extract. Moreover, stress induced variations in levels of lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide, protein and glutathione content in mouse brain were significantly ameliorated by pretreatment with extract. The extract attenuated the elevated weight of adrenal glands and increased the reduced weight of the spleen during stress. In conclusion, the results suggest antistress property of Asparagus racemosus in different model of stress.
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Bactericidal activity of crude extracts from Asparagus racemosus were screened against eight pathogenic strains which belongs to Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Escherischia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Shigella dysenteriae , Shigella flexneri and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The chloroform and ethanolic extract exhibited predominant antibacterial activity against all the bacteria tested. The chloroform extract showed higher zone of inhibition than ethanolic extract. In case of both extract Gram positive bacteria were found to be more sensitive than those of Gram negative bacteria. The inhibition of both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria by the solvent extracts indicated the presence of broad spectrum antibacterial substances in the plant root. The result was promising and supported the traditional use of Asparagus racemosus in several ailments.
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A dose dependent enhancement of memory was observed with A. racemosus and C. pluricaulis treatment as compared to control group when tested on second day. A. racemosus and C. pluricaulis at the dose of 200 mg/kg, po showed significantly higher percent retentions, than piracetam. Multiple treatment with A. racemosus and C. pluricaulis for three days also demonstrated significant dose dependent increase in percent retentions as compared to control group. The effect was more prominent with C. pluricaulis as compared with piracetam and A. racemosus. A significantly lower percent retention in aged mice was observed as compared to young mice. Aged mice (18-20 months) showed higher transfer latency (TL) values on first and second day (after 24 h) as compared to young mice, indicating impairment in learning and memory. Pretreatment with A. racemosus and C. pluricaulis for 7 days enhanced memory in aged mice, as significant increase in percent retention was observed. Significantly higher retention was observed with C. pluricaulis (200 mg/kg; po) as compared with piracetam (10 mg/kg/; po). Post-trial administration of C.pluricaulis and A. racemosus extract demonstrated significant decrease in latency time during retention trials. Hippocampal regions associated with the learning and memory functions showed dose dependent increase in AChE activity in CA 1 with A. reacemosus and CA3 area with C. pluracaulis treatment. The underlying mechanism of these actions of A. racemosus and C. pluricaulis may be attributed to their antioxidant, neuroprotective and cholinergic properties.
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OBJECTIVE: Asparagusracemosus Willd has been used as diuretic in Ayurveda but has not been validated by a suitable experimental model. Hence the present study was undertaken. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was carried out with an aqueous extract of the roots of Asparagus racemosus utilizing three doses viz 800 mg/kg, 1600 mg/kg and 3200 mg/kg for its diuretic activity in comparison with standard drug (furosemide) and control (normal saline) rats after doing acute toxicity study. RESULTS: Acute toxicity study showed no fatality even with the highest dose and the diuretic study revealed significant diuretic activity (p < 0.05) in the dose of 3200 mg/kg. CONCLUSION: Asparagus racemosus showed diuretic activity at a 3200 mg/kg dose without acute toxicity.
OBJETIVO: El espárrago racemoso Willd ha sido usado como diurético en ayurveda pero no ha sido validado mediante un modelo experimental conveniente. De ahí la razón para emprender el presente estudio. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: El estudio fue realizado con extracto acuoso de raíces de espárrago racemoso, utilizando tres dosis, a saber, 800 mg/kg, 1600 mg/kg y 3200 mg/kg para analizar su actividad diurética, comparándolo con el medicamento estándar (furosemida), y ratas de control (solución salina normal) después de hacer un estudio de toxicidad aguda. RESULTADOS: El estudio de toxicidad aguda no mostró fatalidad, incluso con la dosis más alta, y el estudio del diurético reveló una actividad diurética significativa (p < 0.05) con la dosis de 3200 mg/kg. CONCLUSIÓN: El espárrago racemoso mostró actividad diurética en una dosis de 3200 mg/kg sin toxicidad aguda.