ABSTRACT
@#Medicinal plants are a potential source of new antifungal agents to combat the development of drug-resistant fungi. This study aims to investigate the aerial parts of Alternanthera sessilis (Amaranthaceae) and Ipomoea aquatica (Convolvulaceae), and the leaves of Catunaregam spinosa (Rubiaceae) and Tradescantia spathacea (Commelinaceae) for antifungal activity and cytotoxicity. The plant materials were extracted sequentially using hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol, and distilled water. The antifungal activity was evaluated against four species of yeasts and two species of filamentous fungi using a colorimetric broth microdilution method. The toxicity of the extracts was assessed using African monkey kidney epithelial (Vero) cells. All 24 extracts from the four medicinal plants showed inhibitory activity against all fungal species, except Aspergillus fumigatus, with a minimum inhibitory concentration range of 0.04–2.50 mg/mL. The antifungal activity of these plants was more prominent on the yeasts than the filamentous fungi. Generally, the less polar extracts (hexane, chloroform, and ethyl acetate) of the plants had stronger antifungal activity than the more polar extracts (ethanol, methanol, and water). In contrast, toxicity assessment revealed that the less polar extracts showed relatively higher toxicity towards the Vero cells than the more polar extracts. The lowest median cytotoxic concentration was shown by the chloroform extract of A. sessilis (17.4 ± 0.4 μg/mL). All water extracts, the methanol extract of I. aquatica, and the ethyl acetate, ethanol, and methanol extracts of T. spathacea did not show significant toxicity (P>0.05) towards the Vero cells. The results suggested that Tradescantia spathacea has the most promising potential for pharmaceutical developments due to its broad spectrum and selective activity against human fungal pathogens.
ABSTRACT
Objective: The study was aimed at evaluating the folkloric use of the Catunaregam spinosa (Thunb) bark for its hypoglycaemic and antioxidant activity against dexamethasone-induced diabetes in wistar rats. Methods: Diabetes was induced in wistar rats by dexamethasone administration 10 mg/kg, b. wt., s. c for 11 consecutive days to all group animals (except Group I). After confirmation of diabetes, the animals were divided into 5 groups (n=6). Group I: Vehicle control treated with normal saline only, Group II: Diabetic control treated with dexamethasone only, Group III: Standard control treated with dexamethasone plus glibenclamide (5 mg/kg, b. wt., p. o), Group IV and V: Test control received dexamethasone plus ethanolic extract of Catunaregam spinosa (EECS) at graded doses of 200 mg/kg, b. wt. and 400 mg/kg, b. wt., p. o for 21days respectively. On the last day of the experiment, the effect of Catunaregam spinosa bark was measured by estimating the biochemical and antioxidant parameters. Results: There was a significant alteration in the serum glucose, HbA1c, total proteins, serum lipid profile and tissue antioxidant parameters in dexamethasone-treated animals when compared to the normal control rats. In test groups treated with glibenclamide and EECS, it was significantly ameliorated the altered parameters such as serum glucose, HbA1c, total proteins, serum lipid profile and the antioxidant parameters like SOD, CAT, GSH and MDA when compared to dexamethasone-treated animals with evidence of histopathological studies of the pancreas. Conclusion: The results indicated that the ethanolic extract of Catunaregam Spinosa (Thunb) bark has shown the hypoglycemic and antioxidant property.