Modulatory effect of Kolin PlusTM, a polyherbal formulation on muscle growth development in choline deficient diet model of broilers: a genomic analysis using microarray

Background:The present study was conducted to elucidate the genes and its associated pathways delineating the growth-promoting potential of polyherbal formulation (PHF), Kolin PlusTMusing microarray in Cobb 430 broiler chickens. Methods:Microarray was performed forfour groups, namely, normal diet (ND) as G1, choline chloride deficient (CCD) diet as G2, choline chloride (CCL, 400 g/ton) as G3 and PHF (400 g/ton) as G4. Breast muscle samples were collected, and the growth-related gene expression profile was measured using the Agilent microarray platform.Results:Totally 2900 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in muscle tissue sample was revealed using hierarchical clustering based on the similarity of their expression profiles, which further allows the user to pick out groups of similar genes. Among them, 1000, 364 and 481 genes were significantly upregulated and 244, 485 and 326 genes were significantly downregulated between ND and CCD, CCL and CCD, PHF and CCD respectively. Furthermore, some of the focused genes (CSRP3, SOX10, BCO1, CALB1, LMOD2, KLF15, CTHRC1, PHGDH, UTS2R, and ANKRD2) were significantly (p<0.05) modulated by PHF (400 g/ton) supplementation in birds fed with CCD diet. These genes play an essential role in protein translation, energy metabolism, and muscle growth promotion.Conclusions:It may be concluded that supplementation of PHF at 400 g/ton of feed could positively influence the certain focused genes associated with muscle growth promotion, which favoursthe productive phenotypic response in broiler chickens fed with CCD diet

A Review On The Anti-diabetic (pramehahara) Action Of An Ayurvedic Polyherbal Formulation -nisakatakadi Kwatha

Type 2 Diabetes mellitus is one of the major diseases affecting the population world wide. India is no exception with its 69. 1 million people affected as per current statistics. So in the current scenario, search for effective anti diabetic drugs are on the rise. The management of diabetes with modern system of medicine, inspite of many advances still remains unsatisfactory. This led to the search of safe, effective and cheaper herbal remedies. Such remedies can be explored from the huge wealth of Ayurveda which has been practice in India since centuries. One such effective anti diabetic Ayurvedic formulation that has been in use in Kerala by traditional vaidyas since long ago is Nisakatakadi kwatha. It is mentioned in one of the traditional Malayalam text, Sahasrayoga. It is a formulation consisting of 8 drugs viz. Nisa, Kataka, Amalaki, Paranthi, Lodhra, Bhadrika, Saptachakra and Ushira. In this review an attempt has been made to analyse the anti diabetic (pramehahara) action of this formulation by reviewing the pharmacological properties and the recent research updates on each of these 8 drugs by reviewing textbooks of Ayurveda and journal articles. This review also aims to familiarize this effective formulation to the Ayurvedic fraternity and to the general public.

Comparative Antidiabetic Potential Assessment Of Herbal Formulation Of Gymnemic Acid And Curcumin

Standardization of polyherbal formulations with respect to bioactive phytocompounds is the need of the time for registration and marketing authorization in developed countries. This has prompted to prepare and evaluate a standardized bioactive phyotcompounds conintaining formulation. The study aims at development and screening of a standardized antidiabetic suspension containing active isolated phytoconstituents targeting better therapeutic effect with reduced bioburden. Suspension of isolated gymnemic acid and curcumin (GCS) was prepared, evaluated and authenticated by TLC and HPTLC. Antidiabetic efficacy of GCS was screened against alloxan induced diabetes on rats following 28 days of treatment comparative to Hyponidd tablet and Madhumehari granules. Body weight, relative organ weight, blood glucose, cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) level was measured. The formulation having pH 6.0, refractive index 1.41 and 45.58 mg/ml total solid content showed high alcohol and water soluble extractive value. The GCS treatment normalized liver and kidney weight, decreased body weight gain, TC, TG, LDL and VLDL level along with an increase in HDL level. Study outcome signifies similar antidiabetic potential of standardized formulation GCS compared to marketed Polyherbal formulation with antihyperlipidemic activity signifying as a promising natural and safe remedy for the prevention of diabetic complications.

The efficacy of polyherbal formulation of Moringa oleifera, Viola odorata, Allium sativum against microbes- synergistic effect.

The purpose of our present study is to test antimicrobial and antifungal activity of polyherbal formulations. The testing of the antimicrobial activity on polyhernal formulation was done against gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis) and gram negative (Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli,) bacteria. The testing of antifungal activity was done against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans with different combinations of polyherbal formulation. The microorganism to be tested was grown in relevant nutritional media. The solvent used for the extraction of Moringa oleifera, Viola odorata, Allium sativum was methanol. These methanolic extracts of chosen plants were further used in specific proportions for the preparation of polyherbal formulation (PF-1, PF-2, and PF-3). The resultant compositions were further used to check the efficacy against selected experimental microorganisms. PF-3 showed the significant high zone of inhibition against all the experimental microorganisms as compared to the other two combinations PF-1 and PF-2. Thus, the result has revealed that the antimicrobial activity is due to the synergistic effect of secondary metabolites present in these selected plants.

Evaluation of Microbial Purity and Acute and Sub-acute Toxicities of a Nigerian Commercial Polyherbal Formulation Used in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus.

Objective: This study evaluated acute and sub-acute toxicities in rodents and microbial purity of a polyherbal formulation, Bobwell® popular among the natives for the management of diabetes mellitus (DM). It was prepared with unspecified quantities of the following plant materials viz. Gongronema latifolium. Garcinia kola, Vernonia amgydalina, Sphenocentrum jollyanum and Kigelia africana leaves. Materials and Methods: Microbial purity was evaluated on some bacterial and fungal organisms using appropriate diagnostic media. Toxicity of the polyherbal preparation was evaluated in Swiss albino mice by administering to the animals graded oral doses of the lyophilized preparation in the ranges of 1.0 to 20.0 g/kg body weight (bwt) and observed for changes. Wistar rats were also fed with different doses of the lyophilized formulation for 30 days and the effects on the biochemical profiles and haematological parameters were evaluated. Results: The purity evaluation test revealed presence of some bacterial organisms with the load within officially acceptable limits except Escherichia coli having a load of 1.50x102 cfu/ml while no fungal organisms were observed. The median acute toxicity value (LD50) of the polyherbal medicine was determined to be 15.2 g/kg bwt. There was significant increase (P ≤0.05) in the body weight of the animals treated with the highest dose of the formulation compared to the control. The biochemical parameters showed marked decrease in the plasma glucose level compared to the control. Increase in creatinine level was observed only in the animals that received the highest dose of the formulation while aspartate aminotransferase (AST) decreased significantly. On the other hand, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) exhibited significant increased (P ≤0.05) at the highest dose. The photomicrograph of hepatic tissue showed focal necro-inflammation around the portal hepatics. There was marked increase in the haemoglobin level and in the red blood cell (RBC) count at the highest doses. There was also significant increase in white blood cells (WBC). Conclusion: The high LD50 value indicated that the polyherbal preparations could be safe for use but its safety was negated by high presence of E coli load. Although the formulation showed good hypoglycaemic activity and beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors, at the highest dose, the formulation exhibited deleterious effect on the hepatic tissue.

Anti-diabetic and antihyperlipidemic effect of allopolyherbal formulation in OGTT and STZ-induced diabetic rat model.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic activities of Allopolyherbal formulation (APHF) consisting of combinations of three well known medicinal plants used in traditional medicines (Trigonella foenum graceum, Momordica charantia, Aegle marmelos) and synthetic oral hypoglycaemic drug (Glipizide-GL). The optimized combination of lyophilized hydro-alcoholic extracts of drugs was 2:2:1 using OGTT model. The optimized PHF was simultaneously administered with GL and optimized using OGTT model in diabetic rats and further studied in STZ-induced diabetic rats for 21 days. The results (serum glucose level, lipid profile, hepatic enzymes and body weight) were compared with the standard drug GL (10 mg/kg body wt). The optimized APHF (500+5 mg/kg body wt) has shown significant antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activities. The results were comparable with the standard; even better than the GL (10 mg/kg body wt) alone. The proposed hypothesis has reduced the no. of drug components from eight to three and dose almost 50 % of both PHF and GL which fulfil the FDA requirements for export. Thus the developed APHF will be an ideal alternative for the existing hypoglycemic formulations in the market with an additional advantage of hypolipidemic effect and minimizing the cardiovascular risk factors associated with diabetes.

Evident stabilization of the clinical profile in HIV/AIDS as evaluated in an open label clinical trial using a polyherbal formulation.

Background & objectives: The complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) have not been systematically evaluated for the management of HIV/AIDS patients. In a prospective, single-site, open-label, non-randomized, controlled, pilot trial, we evaluated a polyherbal formulation (PHF) for its safety and efficacy in treating subjects with HIV-AIDS. Methods: A total of 32 and 31 subjects were enrolled under the PHF and highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) arms, respectively, and followed up for a period of 24 months. Plasma viral RNA, CD4 cell count and blood chemistry were monitored at 3-month intervals. Following mid-term safety evaluation, 12 subjects from the PHF arm were shifted to HAART and were followed separately as PHF-to-HAART arm, for the rest of the period. Results: The HAART arm was characterized by significant improvements in CD4 cell count (154.4 cells/μl/year, P<0.001) and reduction in plasma viral load within 3 to 6 months (-0.431+ 0.004 log10 IU/month, P<0.001). In contrast, the PHF arm showed a profile of CD4 cell loss at remarkably slower kinetics (14.3 cells/μl/year, P=0.021) and insignificant reduction in the viral load. The PHF and HAART arms did not differ significantly in the occurrence of AIDS-related illnesses over the study period of 24 months. In the PHF-to-HAART arm, the rates of CD4 count and reduction in viral load were significant and comparable to that of the HAART group. In the PHF arm, at 1 month, a significant increase in CD4 cell count and a concomitant decrease in viral load were seen. Interpretation & conclusions: The PHF appears to have provided protection by delaying the kinetics of CD4 cell reduction. Given the several study limitations, drawing assertive inferences from the data is challenging. Future studies with a stringent study design are warranted to confirm these findings.

RP-HPLC Method Development and Validation of Gallic acid in Polyherbal Tablet Formulation.

A new simple, accurate, precise, sensitive and validated RP-HPLC method was developed for the estimation of Gallic acid in bulk and pharmaceutical tablet dosage form. The chromatographic conditions used for the separation was Phenomenex Luna C18 (2) (4.6 x 250mm, 5μ), rheodyne manual injector with capacity of 20μL and mobile phase comprised of Water: Acetonitrile (80: 20%v/v) and pH is maintained at 3.00 using Ophosphoric acid (OPA). The flow rate was 1.0mL/min with detection at 272nm. The retention time was found to be 3.60min. The linearity was found to be in the range of 0.5-50μg/mL for Gallic acid with correlation coefficient of 0.9994. The proposed method is accurate with 99.97% - 100.58 % recovery and precise (%RSD of repeatability, intra-day and inter-day variations were 1.26%, 0.48-0.95%, 0.80-1.83%). The Limit of Detection (LOD) and Limit of Quantification (LOQ) were found to be 0.0178μg/mL and 0.0539μg/mL respectively. The amount of Gallic acid in Polyherbal tablet was found to be 1.63%.

Rapid validated HPTLC method for estimation of piperine and piperlongumine in root of Piper longum extract and its commercial formulation

Piperine and piperlongumine, alkaloids having diverse biological activities, commonly occur in roots of Piper longum L., Piperaceae, which have high commercial, economical and medicinal value. In present study, rapid, validated HPTLC method has been established for the determination of piperine and piperlongumine in methanolic root extract and its commercial formulation 'Mahasudarshan churna®' using ICH guidelines. The use of Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) as an alternative to conventional techniques has been explored. The methanol extracts of root, its formulation and both standard solutions were applied on silica gel F254 HPTLC plates. The plates were developed in Twin chamber using mobile phase toluene: ethyl acetate (6:4, v/v) and scanned at 342 and 325 nm (λmax of piperine and piperlongumine, respectively) using Camag TLC scanner 3 with CATS 4 software. A linear relationship was obtained between response (peak area) and amount of piperine and piperlongumine in the range of 20-100 and 30-150 ng/spot, respectively; the correlation coefficient was 0.9957 and 0.9941 respectively. Sharp, symmetrical and well resolved peaks of piperine and piperlongumine spots resolved at Rf 0.51 and 0.74, respectively from other components of the sample extracts. The HPTLC method showed good linearity, recovery and high precision of both markers. Extraction of plant using ASE and rapid HPTLC method provides a new and powerful approach to estimate piperine and piperlongumine as phytomarkers in the extract as well as its commercial formulations for routine quality control.

Scientific validation of polyherbal hepatoprotective formulation against paracetamol induced toxicity

Objective: This polyherbal formulation has been traditionally used in the Indian system of medicine as a chief formulation for the treatment of hepatic diseases as hepatoprotective. The aim of the study was to study hepatoprotective activity which will be scientific validation of traditional knowledge claimed about this polyherbal formulation. Methods: Hepatotoxicity was induced by administration of paracetamol (300mg/kg) to the animals. The levels of liver enzymes (SGOT, SGPT, Alkaline phosphatase, Serum Bilirubin), lipid profiles (triglyceride, cholesterol, HDL, LDL), creatinine, urea levels and histopathological parameters were measured in order to evaluate hepatoprotective activity of polyherbal formulation. Results: The polyherbal formulation produced a significant hepatoprotective activity of the decoction of polyherbal formulation. The polyherbal formulation (PHF = 1) shows good hepatoprotective activity by lowering the levels of SGOT, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin parameters (P<0.05), lipid profiles - cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and histopathological evaluations shows that PHF = 1 and PHF = 3 formulations have significantly hepatoprotective activity (P<0.05). Conclusions: The study validates that polyherbal formulation has a good hepatoprotective activity. Further standardization processes may be performed in order to make it a beneficial hepatoprotective formulation.

A pilot study on the effects of a polyherbal formulation cream on diabetic foot ulcers.

Background & objectives: Diabetic foot ulcers are the most common cause of non-traumatic lower extremity amputations in developing countries. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the safety of using a polyherbal formulation in healing diabetic foot ulcers in comparison with standard silver sulphadiazine cream among patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A total of 40 (M:F=29:14) consecutive type 2 diabetes patients with foot ulcers were enrolled in this study. They were randomly assigned to two groups of 20 each; Group 1 was treated with polyherbal formulation and group 2 with silver sulphadiazine cream. All the patients were followed up for a period of 5 months. The baseline ulcer size was noted and photograph of the wound was taken at the baseline and at each follow up visit. Number of days taken for healing of the wound was recorded. Results: The mean age of patients, duration of diabetes and HbA1c% were similar in both the study groups. The mean length and width of the ulcers was also similar in both the groups at baseline visit. There was a significant decrease in the size of the wound (length and width) in both the study groups (P<0.001). The mean time taken for the healing of the ulcer was around 43 days in both groups. Interpretation & conclusions: Diabetic wound cream prepared by using polyherbal formulation was found to be effective as well as safe in healing diabetic foot ulcers like the standard silver sulphadiazine cream.