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Ethnobotany approached through ethnoeducation allows for the preservation of the cultural heritage of indigenous communities. In this way, the ethnobotanical knowledge of primary school students from the Paniquita Indigenous Community was recognized, regarding the cultural knowledge of medicinal plants and their significance in the conservation of the biocultural heritage. This research had a qualitative, ethnographic approach. The sample consisted of ten students who were part of a focus group, ethnobotanical walks, and participatory workshops with drawings since they stimulate students' creative and dynamic thinking and strengthen interculturality. Twenty-one plants were reported, which are used to relieve sore throats, headaches, and stomach aches, as well as to treat diarrhea and fever, to prevent flu, and as a purgative. All the medicinal plants mentioned grow in the community and are either cultivated or wild, which also shows the students' knowledge of the ir territory. These findings reflect the importance of ethno-education and ethnobotany at school and how historical reconstruction processes are generated from these settings, where indigenous ancestral knowledge is made visible.
La etnobotánica abordada desde la etnoeducación permite mantener el legado cultural de los pueblos originarios. De esta manera, se reconoció el conocimiento etnobotáni co de los estudiantes de primaria de la Comunidad Indígena Paniquita, sobre el conocimiento cultural de las plantas medicinales y su importancia para la conservación del patrimonio biocultural. La investigación tuvo un enfoque cualitativo y etnográfico. La muestra estuvo conformada por diez estudiantes que formaron parte de un grupo focal, caminatas etnobotánicas y talleres participativos con dibujos, ya que estimulan el pensamiento creativo y dinámico de los estudiantes y fortalecen la interculturalidad. Se reportaron 21 plantas que se utilizan para aliviar dolores de garganta, cabeza y estómago, así como para tratar la diarrea y la fiebre, para prevenir la gripe y como purgante. Todas las plantas medicinales mencionadas crecen en la comunidad y son cultivadas o silvestres, lo que también demuestra el conocimiento que los estudiantes tienen de su territorio. Estos hallazgos reflejan la importancia de la etnoeducación y la etnobotánica en la escuela y cómo se generan procesos de reconstrucción histórica desde estos escenarios, donde se visibiliza el conocimiento ancestral indígena.
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Ethnobotany , Herbal Medicine , Colombia , Medicine, TraditionalABSTRACT
Introduction: Oral diseases continue to be a major and common health problem worldwide and affect the quality of life by causing considerable pain and discomfort. While the mechanistic methods of caries prevention and treatment are in vogue, the concern about adverse effects of the constituents of these methods persists. Thus, there has always existed a need to develop effective and safe strategies to combat oral pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans). Aim: To examine the action of Albizia lebbeck (A. lebbeck) bark extracts on the growth and virulence factors of S. mutans such as- biofilm formation, surface adherence, cell surface hydrophobicity and acid production. Materials and Methods: Ethyl acetate, hexane, and chloroform extracts of the bark of A. lebbeck was prepared and tested for their activity against the ATCC 25175 S. mutans. The phytochemical constituents of the extracts were determined by biochemical assays and the MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) and MBC (Minimum Bactericidal Concentration) were obtained using the well diffusion assay. The effect of the sub-MIC concentrations of extracts on biofilm formation & eradication, microbial growth, adherence of the strain to glass surfaces, cell surface hydrophobicity and acid production were also determined. Results: All extracts inhibited the organism’s growth, and MIC was determined as 25 mg/ml. the sub-MIC concentrations of the extracts were found to- inhibit the formation of biofilms, eradicate formed biofilms and interfere with the adherence and acid production of S. mutans. Conclusion: The ethyl acetate and ethanolic extracts were found to be active at low concentrations (0.02mg/ml) and demonstrate a potential to be used in the formulation of anti-caries preparations.
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@#Punica granatum L.(pomegranate) is a medicinal plant belonging to the genus Punica Linn..The peel, seed, flower, leaf and root of P.granatum is widely used as traditional medicine in China.Phytochemical studies showed that the major chemical constituents of P.granatum were tannins, flavonoids, terpenes, alkaloids, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, fatty acids, etc.Biological studies on extracts and active ingredients of P.granatum show some bioactivities, such as antioxidant, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antibacterial activities.Herein, the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of different parts of pomegranate were reviewed, providing a theoretical basis for the further research and utilization of pomegranate.
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Nature has gifted widest range of plant diversity to India for the welfare of mankind. Plants have been utilized for various purposes by the human beings since the time immemorial. Plants have been the basic source for therapeutic preparation in the indigenous system of medicine, the Ayurveda. With the recent changes in the life style of human being, over exploitation of natural resources has put a large number of plant species to the verge of extinction. Euphorbia fusiformis Buch. -Ham. ex D. Don (Euphorbiaceae), botanical source for the classical drug Adhoguda is one among plant species threatened with the extinction (endangered). It is a plant having potential pharmacological properties and actions. Traditionally, tribal communities have been using this plant in ethnomedicine to treat headache, arthritis, gout, paralysis, diarrhoea, abdominal diseases, abdominal tumour, liver disorders, urinary stones, chronic wounds, cracks, skin disease, eczema and poor lactation, scorpion and snake bites and plant latex as an antidote. E. fusiformis is reported to possess variety of pharmacological activities like antioxidant, antifungal, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, hepatoprotective, antinociceptive and galactagogue. Also, the plant has been evaluated for its use in female infertility. Present paper is an attempt to review therapeutic potential of this underexplored drug E. fusiformis.
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Herbal medicine has played a leading role in the health systems of many traditional societies. The main objective is to characterize an aspect of the natural and cultural heritage of a protected area of the town of La Calera, through the documentation of medicinal plants of the Bamba Water and Recreational Nature Reserve (RNHRB), in the province of Córdoba, Argentina. Methodologies of social and natural sciences, typical of ethnoecological approaches, were combined, complementing with qualitative and quantitative analyzes. A total of 221 uses corresponding to 137 medicinal species were documented. The most relevant families in terms of quantity of species and uses are Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Lamiaceae. In all cases the native / wild status predominates. Applications associated with gastrointestinal conditions are the most frequent, followed by dermatological, pneumonological, infectological and nephrological. It is concluded that herbal medicine in protected areas provides valuable information and efforts for the conservation of biocultural heritage in intangible rural areas with urbanized spaces, as well as for the potencial knowledge and use of resources by small local producers.
La medicina herbaria ha desempeñado un papel de liderazgo en los sistemas de salud de muchas sociedades tradicionales. El objetivo principal es caracterizar un aspecto del patrimonio natural y cultural de un área protegida de la localidad de La Calera, a través de la documentación de plantas medicinales de la Reserva Natural Acuática y Recreativa de Bamba (RNHRB), en la provincia de Córdoba, Argentina. Se combinaron metodologías de las ciencias sociales y naturales, propias de los enfoques etnoecológicos, complementando con análisis cualitativos y cuantitativos. Se documentaron un total de 221 usos correspondientes a 137 especies medicinales. Las familias más relevantes en cuanto a cantidad de especies y usos son Asteraceae, Fabaceae y Lamiaceae. En todos los casos predomina el estado nativo/salvaje. Las aplicaciones asociadas a afecciones gastrointestinales son las más frecuentes, seguidas de las dermatológicas, neumonológicas, infecciosas y nefrológicas. Se concluye que la fitoterapia en áreas protegidas brinda valiosa información y esfuerzos para la conservación del patrimonio biocultural en áreas rurales intangibles con espacios urbanizados, así como para el potencial conocimiento y uso de recursos por parte de pequeños productores locales.
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Plants, Medicinal , Medicine, Traditional , Argentina , Protected AreasABSTRACT
Cephalotaxus is the only genus of Cephalotaxaceae family, and its natural resources are declining due to habitat fragmentation, excessive exploitation and destruction. In many areas of China, folk herbal doctors traditionally use Cephalotaxus plants to treat innominate swollen poison, many of which are cancer. Not only among Han people, but also among minority ethnic groups, Cephalotaxus is used to treat various diseases, e.g., cough, internal bleeding and cancer in Miao medicine, bruises, rheumatism and pain in Yao medicine, and ascariasis, hookworm disease, scrofula in She medicine, etc. Medicinal values of some Cephalotaxus species and compounds are acknowledged officially. However, there is a lack of comprehensive review summarizing the ethnomedicinal knowledge of Cephalotaxus, relevant medicinal phytometabolites and their bioactivities. The research progresses in ethnopharmacology, chemodiversity, and bioactivities of Cephalotaxus medicinal plants are reviewed and commented here. Knowledge gaps are pinpointed and future research directions are suggested. Classic medicinal books, folk medicine books, herbal manuals and ethnomedicinal publications were reviewed for the genus Cephalotaxus (Sanjianshan in Chinese). The relevant data about ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and pharmacology were collected as comprehensively as possible from online databases including Scopus, NCBI PubMed, Bing Scholar, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). "Cephalotaxus", and the respective species name were used as keywords in database search. The obtained articles of the past six decades were collated and analyzed. Four Cephalotaxus species are listed in the official medicinal book in China. They are used as ethnomedicines by many ethnic groups such as Miao, Yao, Dong, She and Han. Inspirations are obtained from traditional applications, and Cephalotaxus phytometabolites are developed into anticancer reagents. Cephalotaxine-type alkaloids, homoerythrina-type alkaloids and homoharringtonine (HHT) are abundant in Cephalotaxus, e.g., C. lanceolata, C. fortunei var. alpina, C. griffithii, and C. hainanensis, etc. New methods of alkaloid analysis and purification are continuously developed and applied. Diterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, flavonoids, lignans, phenolics, and other components are also identified and isolated in various Cephalotaxus species. Alkaloids such as HHT, terpenoids and other compounds have anticancer activities against multiple types of human cancer. Cephalotaxus extracts and compounds showed anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, immunomodulatory activity, antimicrobial activity and nematotoxicity, antihyperglycemic effect, and bone effect, etc. Drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic studies of Cephalotaxus are increasing. We should continue to collect and sort out folk medicinal knowledge of Cephalotaxus and associated organisms, so as to obtain new enlightenment to translate traditional tips into great therapeutic drugs. Transcriptomics, genomics, metabolomics and proteomics studies can contribute massive information for bioactivity and phytochemistry of Cephalotaxus medicinal plants. We should continue to strengthen the application of state-of-the-art technologies in more Cephalotaxus species and for more useful compounds and pharmacological activities.
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Objective: An effort currently made to appraise the preliminary phytochemical, pharmacognostic criteria, antioxidant, GCMS and antihyperglycemic investigations of the Thunbergia coccinea leaves. Thunbergia coccinea (T. coccinea) is an ornamental plant considerably practiced by the tribes of forest areas of Assam (INDIA) as an analgesic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antidote, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic and detoxificant substance. Methods: A comprehensive literature survey was conducted to recognize the ethnomedicinal value of T. coccinea, which is currently grown practically in all provinces. The physicochemical constants like moisture content, ash values especially total ash, insoluble acid ash, water-soluble ash and foreign organic matter were determined for the assessment of the drug. Pharmacognostic parameters like fluorescence examination and microscopic characters of the leaf were studied that would serve to verify for contamination. The extract secured by maceration was subjected to the phytochemical inquiry to determine the existence of substances and their antioxidant activity. The antihyperglycemic characteristic of alcoholic extract of the leaf was examined with the inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) studies of alcoholic extract of the plant leaf have undertaken to get an insight into the therapeutic properties of the molecules present based on online PASS prediction. Results: Various physicochemical, microscopic parameters studied gave a clear distinguishing and identifying features of T. coccinea leaf. Phytochemical screening gave an insight into the secondary metabolites existing in the plant leaf through picturizing its therapeutic properties against various ailments. Both extracts of T. coccinea leaf showed enhanced antioxidant activities. Nevertheless, the alcoholic leaf extract has shown significant antioxidant activity with an IC50 of 171.38±2.51 μg/ml and AQTC an IC50 value of 206.29±4.5 μg/ml respectively by DPPH method. Further, ACTC showed a better-reducing potential with an IC50 value of 105.74±0.61 μg/ml in comparison with AQTC IC50 value of 203.702±0.97 μg/ml by FRP method. The inhibition potentiality of α-amylase and α-glucosidase was found to be 71.66 % and 83.74 %, respectively at 500 µg/ml that rationally an adequate remedy in the treatment of type-2 diabetes. GCMS studies of the alcoholic extract unveiled the presence of different molecules like Glycerol, tris (trimethylsilyl) ether, 3,7,11,15-Tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-1-ol, Undecanoic acid, Ethyl ester, Phytol in comparison with NIST library, thereby giving its predicted therapeutic properties like sugar phosphatase inhibitor, antifungal, phobic disorders treatment, antiviral and so on. Conclusion: The selected plant had many proven therapeutic traits and, possibly, successively united on to the sort of potential therapeutic plants. Besides, isolation and discoveries will lead to the detection of certain novel compounds, which will be of potential medicinal value.
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The present study was aimed to survey and document the anthelmintic medicinal plants traditionally used by the tribalcommunities of Udalguri district of Assam. The survey was conducted in different villages of the district followinga face-to-face interview and a readymade questionnaire. The study found that a total of 75 plant species belonging to67 genera and 44 plant families were used as deworming agents. The result showed that Andrographis paniculata,Ananas comosus, Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides, and Centella asiatica were the most popular plant species. Acanthaceaefamily was found to be most common among the traditional healers. The leaves were found to be commonly used plantparts for herbal preparation. Decoction, infusion, and raw preparations were found to be the most commonly usedtraditional formulation methodologies. The present study could be used to identify the potential anthelmintic plantsand in designing new anthelmintic drug having better property and efficacy
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An Ethno-Medicinal survey was carried out in some villages of Juang community in Keonjhar district of Orissa to evaluate the plants used for medicine by them. The investigation was carried out in Juang villages with participant observation, Interview method, case study, snowball sampling and administration of Survey schedules. The study enumerated 32 species belonging to 21 families that are used by them for treatment of common ailments and Healthcare. The plants used for traditional medicines are mostly collected from the forest. It has been revealed that although the Juang concept of disease and treatment revolves around a religious beliefs and practices, they depend on plant medicine to a larger extent, although they are using modern medicine in the current scenario. It has been understood that some of the medicinal plants have become scares in the area due to industrialisation and other activity. Documentation of traditional knowledge on the economy and the uses of these plants may contribute to the germplasm conservation efforts as well as for the new drug development.
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In December 2019, an outbreak of viral pneumonia began in Wuhan, Hubei Province, which caused the spread of infectious pneumonia to a certain extent in China and neighboring countries and regions, and triggered the epidemic crisis. The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) is an acute respiratory infectious disease listed as a B infectious disease, which is managed according to standards for A infectious disease. Traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine have played an active role in the prevention and control of this epidemic. China's ethnomedicine has recognized infectious diseases since ancient times, and formed a medical system including theory, therapies, formula and herbal medicines for such diseases. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Chuxiong Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan, Qiandongnan Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou have issued the prevention and control programs for COVID-19 using Tibetan, Mongolian, Uygur, Yi and Miao medicines. These programs reflect the wisdom of ethnomedicine in preventing and treating diseases, which have successfully extracted prescriptions and preventive measures for the outbreak of the epidemic from their own medical theories and traditional experiences. In this paper, we summarized and explained the prescriptions and medicinal materials of ethnomedicine in these programs, and the origin of Tibetan medicine prescriptions and Mongolian medicine prescriptions in ancient books were studied. These become the common characteristics of medical prevention and treatment programs for ethnomedicine to formulate therapeutic programs under the guidance of traditional medicine theories, recommend prescriptions and prevention and treatment methods with characteristics of ethnomedicine, and focus on the conve-nience and standardization. However, strengthening the support of science and technology and the popularization to the public, and improving the participation of ethnomedicine in national public health services and the capacity-building to deal with sudden and critical diseases are key contents in the development of ethnomedicine in the future.
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Humans , Betacoronavirus , China , Coronavirus Infections , Drug Therapy , Medicine, Traditional , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral , Drug Therapy , TibetABSTRACT
Objective: To study the active triterpenoid saponins of Tujia ethnomedicine Kouziqi (Panax japonicus var. major). The antitumor activity was screened and the relationship between the structure and activity of the compounds was discussed. Methods: The ethanol extract of Kouziqi was isolated by Silica gel, ODS and MCI column chromatograph and purified by preparative HPLC. The structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and compared with literatures. Using MTT assay to detect the cytotoxicity of 14 compounds in BGC-823, HCT-116, Hela, HepG-2 cells. Results: A total of 14 known compounds were isolated from Tujia ethnomedicine Kouziqi and determined as chikusetsusaponin IVa methyl ester (1), chikusetsusaponin IVa butyl ester (2), chikusetsusaponin IV (3), chikusetsusaponin IVa (4), 28-desglucosylchikusetsusaponin IVa (5), oleanolic acid-3-O-β-D-(6'- methylester)-glucuronopyranoside (6), (24R)-majonoside R1 (7), (24R)-pseudoginsinoside F11 (8), (20S)-notoginsinoside-R2 (9), (20S)-ginsenoside Rg2 (10), ginsenoside Rg1 (11), ginsenoside Re (12), ginsenoside Rd (13) and chikusetsusaponin-V methyl ester (14). Among the 14 compounds, compounds 5 and 6 showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity to BGC-823, HCT-116, Hela and HepG-2 cells. Compound 5 had cytotoxicity in BGC-823 and HCT-116 cells with IC50 values of 9.94 and 14.17 μmol/L, respectively. Compound 6 had the best cytotoxicity in HepG-2 cells with IC50 value of 12.70 μmol/L. Conclusion: Compound 6 is isolated from Kouziqi for the first time and its spectral data were reported. The antineoplastic activity of Tujia ethnomedicine Kouziqi is based on the oleanolic acid-type triterpenoid saponins and related to the substituents of C-28, but the mechanism still needs to be deeply studied.
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Objective: To develop a new method for the determination of anti-oxidant activity of drugs by using the peroxidase activity of graphene nanoenzyme, and apply it for the determination of the anti-oxidant activity of the national medicine Achnatherum inebrians. Methods: The anti-oxidant activity of 18 batches of samples was measured after optimizing H2O2 concentration and reaction time. At the same time, the anti-oxidative activity was measured again using the DPPH method. The Bland-Altman and Passing-Bablok regression methods were used to compare the detection data of the two methods. Results: Using the nanoenzyme method, the inhibition rates of 18 batches of A. inebrians were between 37.28% and 71.58%, with an average of 50.87% and a median of 47.09%. Free radical scavenging rates of 18 batches of A. inebrians measured by the DPPH method were between 36.06% and 83.11%, with an average of 54.89% and a median of 50.83%. The statistical results showed that the measured values of nanoenzyme method and DPPH method were similar; There was a linear relationship between the two methods, and different methods can be transformed by Passing-Bablok regression method. Conclusion: The graphene nanoenzyme was successfully applied to the detection of anti-oxidant activity, and the anti-oxidant activity of A. inebrians was also found. The nanoenzyme method can avoid the problem of light sensitivity of the reagent, shorten the reaction time, reduce the amount of medicinal solution, and the results are consistent with the DPPH method, which is suitable for the determination of antioxidant activity.
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OBJECTIVE：To establish sustainable development ability evaluation index system for ethnomedicine enterprises in Guizhou province ，and to promote the sustainable development of the ethnomedicine industry. METHODS ：The draft of evaluation index system had been made by documents collection and a meeting of focus group discussion ，the final indexes and weight had been determined by Delphi method for conducting 2 rounds expert questionnaire survey ；the index system was used to measure and compare the results with the evaluation results of the drug regulatory department and the authoritative experts of the industry. RESULTS：The draft of evaluation index system included 6 indexes in the first level indicators and 49 indexes in the second. The expert’s positive coefficients was 100％ after 2 rounds of consultation ；the authoritative coefficients on the opinions of experts for the levels of indicators were 0.86，the coordination coefficient of experts was 0.22 in the first round and 0.48 in the second. After 2 rounds of expert consultation ，the final established evaluation index system contained 6 indexes in the first level indicators and 33 indexes in the second. Fifteen ethnomedicine enterprises in Guizhou province were selected for on-site testing. The evaluation results were not much different from those of the drug regulatory department and the authoritative experts of the industry. CONCLUSIONS：Established sustainable development ability evaluation index system for ethnomedicine enterprises is scientific ， reasonable and feasible ，and can provide standardized reference for regular monitoring and evaluation.
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Rourea is a genus of climbing shrubs and small trees and widely distributed in the Amazon, Pacific region, Africa, andAsia. It has about 65 species and 129 varieties. They are widely used in ethnomedicine for various health complaintssuch as rheumatism, diabetes, tumor, asthma, and diarrhea. This paper summarizes 38 compounds from Rourea sp.from different classes of compounds such as flavonoids, triterpenes, phenolic compounds, lipids, phytosteroids, andcoumarin. Several bioactivities such as hypoglycemia, antinociceptive, antibacterial, antioxidant, antiplasmodial, andlarvicidal activities are also discussed
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The tribal communities concealing Arunachal Pradesh, India, uses medicinal plants for treating ailments and poisonousplants for fishing and hunting. The study was conducted with an objective to explore the important medicinal andpoisonous plants of the Upper Subansiri district. Data were collected using standard questionnaires and groupinterviews. The data were analysed to find out the Use value and Fidelity level of the collected medicinal plants.The plants were identified referring various flora and herbaria. A total of 36 plants belonging to 26 families werereported, of which 26 were medicinal and 10 were poisonous plants. Leaves (53%) were the most commonly usedplant part in herbal therapy, while 33% of the plants were used in paste form. Among the poisonous plants, score forthe harmful part was maximum (36%) for the whole plant. The commonly observed reactions caused by these plants,include allergy, nausea, itching, fever, and death, in severe cases. According to the quantitative data collected fromthe informants, medicinal plants Clerodendrum glandulosum (96%), Ageratum houstonianum (94%), and Centellaasiatica (92%) were reported with the highest Fidelity Score. As the villages are situated in the remote hills, most ofthe rural people of this region still depend on herbs and toxic plants for treatment, hunting, and fishing, respectively.However, biochemical investigation of these traditional medicines may unveil new direction in the modern health caresystem.
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Ethnic tribes use wild mushrooms as their traditional medicine as well as food items from ancient times throughoutthe world and its diverse uses will be helpful to prove different medicinal characterization. The main motive fordocumentation of this review work is to focus the ethnomedicinally important wild mushrooms of India, which areused by the tribal or local people of India along with their traditional names, various uses and preparation techniquesfor medical treatments. This review work out to display that there are almost 18 research reports on traditional use ofwild mushrooms as medicine from 14 states of India. This documentation implied that at present there are 100 speciesof macrofungi which are belonged to 56 genera are used by the tribes or local people of India and they use them forcommon illness, various scared diseases, private diseases and also use as herbal medicines. Present findings exhibitthat there are almost 24 modes of preparation for different ethnomedicinal uses. Therefore, there is an urgent necessityto document indigenous knowledge about wild medicinal mushrooms which are used by the tribal peoples belongingto different states of India as well as all over the world.
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Aims: To document, highlight and provide baseline data to preserving traditional uses of sand dune based medicinal plant species. Place and Duration of Study: Different villages of coastal Purba Medinipur district under West Bengal state in India, between March 2016 to April 2018. Methodology: The ethnobotanical information was collected through semi-structured interviews and key informant discussion. The data was recorded in a data sheet with the names of the plant species, families, vernacular names, voucher number of plant specimens, habits, life span, flowering and fruiting seasons, Raunkiaer's life form and sub type, IUCN status, plant part (s) used, mode of administration, uses(s), fidelity level (FL) and use value (UV). Data were analyzed using informant consensus factors (ICF), UV and FL for each medicinal plant species used to cure various ailments. Results: We documented 130 plant species showing “thero-chamaephytic” phytoclimate belonging to 49 families and 110 genera used for treating 21 human ailments, most of which were herbs. Most remedies were prepared in the form of decoction and used orally. The leaves were most frequently used plant parts. Dental ailments had the highest ICF 0.97, whereas analgesic uses had the lowest 0.5 ICF. Ochthochloa compressa had the highest FL (96.81%) being used for skin and wound healing and Acanthus volubilis had the lowest (3.33%) for the digestive and respiratory disorder. Conclusions: ICF values indicated that there was high agreement in the use of plants associated with dental problems. FL or UV values indicated the more preferred plant species used in study areas. This preferred plant species might be prioritized for conservation and subjected to further studies related to the potential for future. Most of the medicinal plants of the region were collected in the wild and were often harvested for trade. Sustainable harvesting methods and domestication of the highly traded species were thus needed in the study areas.
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BACKGROUND: Ethnomedicinally, the family Polygonaceae is famous for the management of cancer. Various species of this family have been reported with anticancer potentials. This study was designed to isolate anticancer compounds from ethnomedicinally important species Polygonum barbatum. METHODS: The column chromatography was used for the isolation of compounds from the solvent fraction of P. barbatum. The characterization of isolated compounds was performed by various spectroscopic techniques like UV, IR, mass spectrometry and 1D-2D NMR spectroscopy. Keeping in view the ethnomedicinal importance of the family, genus and species of P barbatum, the isolated compounds (1-3) were screened for anticancer potentials against oral cancer (CAL-27) and lungs cancer (NCI H460) cell lines using MTT assay. Active compound was further investigated for apoptosis by using morphological changes and flow cytometry analysis. In vivo anti-angiogenic study of the isolated compounds was also carried using chorioallantoic membrane assay. Docking studies were carried out to explore the mechanism of anticancer activity. RESULTS: Three dihydrobenzofuran derivatives (1-3) have been isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of P. barbatum. The structures of isolated compounds were elucidated as methyl (2S,3S)-2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-4-((E)-3-ethoxy-3-oxoprop-1-en-1-yl)-7-methoxy-2,3-dihydrobenzo-furan-3-carboxylate (1), (E)-3-((2S,3S)-2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-7-methoxy-3-(methoxy carbonyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran-4-yl)acrylic acid (2) and (2S,3 S)-4-((E)-2-carboxyvinyl)-2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-7-hydroxy-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran-3-carboxylic acid (3). The compound 1 was found to be more potent with IC50 of 48.52 ± 0.95 and 53.24 ± 1.49 against oral cancer cells as compared to standard drug (IC50 = 97.76 ± 3.44 µM). Both compound also inhibited lung cancer cells but at higher concentrations. Morphological and flow cytometry analysis further confirms that compound 1 induces apoptosis after 24 to 48 h treatment. In antiangiogenesis assay, compounds 1, 2 and 3 exhibited IC50 values of 8.2 ± 1.1,13.4 ± 1.1 and 57.7 ± 0.3 µM respectively. The docking studies revealed that the compounds under study have the potential to target the DNA and thymidylate synthase (TS). CONCLUSION: Based on its overwhelming potency against the tested cell lines and in angiogenesis assay, compound 1 can be further evaluated mechanistically and can be developed as anticancer drug candidate.
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Humans , Benzofurans/pharmacology , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/drug therapy , Apoptosis/drug effects , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/drug therapy , Polygonum/chemistry , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/pharmacology , Benzofurans/isolation & purification , Benzofurans/chemistry , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology , Polygonum/classification , Cell Line, Tumor , Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
The World Health Organization recently raised concerns about antimicrobial resistance and lack of novel antibiotics in the health sector. The success rate of drug discovery is higher when chemical constituents are sourced from natural products and when drug candidates are based on the indigenous knowledge of local communities. Tropical rainforests are an important source of medicinal plants for traditional healthcare systems. The pharmaceutical industry also recognizes the potential of rainforests in novel drug development. However, habitat degradation and loss of traditional knowledge are endangering the healing powers of nature. The islands of Fiji have a rich cultural history of traditional medicine and a number of medicinal plants are sourced from the country's rainforest ecosystems. While deforestation and forest degradation are decimating unique rainforest biodiversity and reducing access to medicinal plants in the wild, inter-generational erosion of ethnobotanical knowledge is attributed to acculturation, rural-urban migration and their effects on the transmission of oral traditions from one generation to another. Under these conditions, plants may disappear before their therapeutic value is formally identified. This review summarizes the importance of traditional medicinal knowledge and the potential for drug discovery from the tropical rainforest ecosystems of Fiji. However, there are several challenges that need to be addressed to realize the true potential of ethnopharmacology in this country.
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Ethnomedicine is the precious wealth left by ethnic minorities in their struggle against diseases. It is similar to traditional Chinese medicine in a narrow sense and has the characteristics of multi-component,multi-target and multi-channel synergy. Under the guidance of the theory of ethnomedicine,the combination of ethnomedicine and network pharmacology will help to understand the essence of the prevention and treatment of ethnomedicines in a dynamic and holistic manner. This paper reviews the research progress of network pharmacology applied in ethnomedicine,analyses the problems and challenges existing in the application of network pharmacology in ethnomedicine research at present,such as inaccurate data and information,lack of network analysis platform for effective analysis of dose-effect relationship of chemical constituents and weak basic research of ethnomedicine,and puts forward corresponding prospects.