Protective Roles of Shilajit in Modulating Resistin, Adiponectin, and Cytokines in Rats with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the effect of Shilajit, a medicine of Ayurveda, on the serum changes in cytokines and adipokines caused by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).@*METHODS@#After establishing fatty liver models by feeding a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks, 35 Wistar male rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, including control (standard diet), Veh (HFD + vehicle), high-dose Shilajit [H-Sh, HFD + 250 mg/(kg·d) Shilajit], low-dose Shilajit [L-Sh, HFD + 150 mg/(kg·d) Shilajit], and pioglitazone [HFD + 10 mg/(kg·d) pioglitazone] groups, 7 rats in each group. After 2-week of gavage administration, serum levels of glucose, insulin, interleukin 1beta (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), adiponectin, and resistin were measured, and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was calculated.@*RESULTS@#After NAFLD induction, the serum level of IL-10 significantly increased and serum IL-1β, TNF-α levels significantly decreased by injection of both doses of Shilajit and pioglitazone (P<0.05). Increases in serum glucose level and homeostasis model of HOMA-IR were reduced by L-Sh and H-Sh treatment in NAFLD rats (P<0.05). Both doses of Shilajit increased adiponectin and decreased serum resistin levels (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The probable protective role of Shilajit in NAFLD model rats may be via modulating the serum levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-10, adipokine and resistin, and reducing of HOMA-IR.

Used Pattern Of Metals And Minerals In Ashtang Hridaya: - The Birds Eye View

Human evolution and progress has count mainly on the discovery of metals. Primitive man used metals first time for making apparatuses and weaponries; as the information advances metals played a significant role in development of agriculture, transport arts, crafts and health care. Ayurveda have faith in the principle of ‘YatPinde Tat Bramhande’ and therefore all these naturally occurring metals and minerals have major role in restoration of human health and treatment of any kind of illness. Classical treatise Ashtanga Hridaya is a very popular book among the physicians among south India. In this classic, eight types of Dhatu (metals), varieties of Ratna-Uparatna (precious stones and minerals) are mentioned for different purposes. Here an attempt is made to collect all these information of metals and minerals in a collective form to analyse their used pattern in therapeutic, Diagnostic (Nidana Panchaka), Pharmaceutical Benefits, Dincharya/ Pathya- Apathya, Panchakarma and Surgical/Para Surgical Procedure. All these metals and minerals are used in different formulations like Sneha (Oil &Ghee), Sandhana (Fermentation), Churna (powder), Vati (tablet), Lepa (Caoting powder) & Anjana (Collyrium). Human body is composed of almost every natural element found in nature and our civilization is completely reliant on metals and the science of metallurgy is now one of the most widely documented and researched material science.

Shilajit-The Important Traditional Medicine / 中国药学杂志

Shilajit, as a natural exsiting organic matter, mainly distributed in mountains area along the silk road. Shilajit mainly contains humus, as a kind of adaptogen, with pharmacological effects of anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory, immune regulation and so on. It mainly treats urogenital diseases, digestive dysfunction and neurological diseases. The research of shilajit is still in the initial stage, and its source, composition, effective material basis and quality control of shilajit are worth further study. It is believed that after the systematic arrangement and further research, shilajit will become one of important traditional medicine.

Effects of shilajit on the bone tissue of alcohol administered rats.

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of Shilajit; a herbomineral, supplementation on the mechanical strength of alcohol treated rat bone. Methods: Experimental animals each were assigned to six groups: group A(control): control rats were given water orally for a period of ten weeks; group B (treated): Animals were given processed shilajit (PS; 100mg/kg/day); group C (treated): Animals were given processed shilajit (PS; 200mg/kg/day); group D: animals were given 30% alcohol; group E: animals were given 30% alcohol and shilajit (100mg/kg/day) orally; group F: animals were given 30% alcohol and shilajit (200mg/kg/day) orally for ten weeks. Bone tissue mechanical strength along with bone weight, liver antioxidative enzymes and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were assessed for all the treatment groups. Results: Mechanical strength of the bone tissue (both femur as well as tibia) was found to be significantly enhanced upon shilajit supplementation to alcohol treated group. Also, the activities of anti oxidant enzymes and alkaline phosphatase in the liver of alcohol administered groups were restored upon shilajit administration. Conclusion: These findings suggest that shilajit is very efficacious and competent in the maintenance of bone health

Effect of shilajit on the heart of Daphnia: A preliminary study.

Shilajit is a mineral-rich complex organic compound used in the traditional system of Ayurvedic medicine for treating hypertension and improving the cardiac function with many herbomineral preparations. However, very little experimental evidence is available about its effect on the cardiac function. We used Daphnia as a model organism for observing the effect of shilajit on its heart due to its myogenic properties and its response to number of cardioactive drugs that are known to affect human heart function. Genome of Daphnia shows the strongest homology with the human genome. These characteristics of Daphnia make it an ideal organism for biomedical research. Our results suggest that this complex organic compound lowers the heart beats as its concentration increases from 1.0 to 100 ppm. The beats come to near normal condition at 1000 ppm. Above 1000 ppm, the beats are very fast and impossible to count. These results indicate a negative chronotropic effect on the Daphnia heart at low concentrations and a positive chronotropic effect to arrhythmia and fi nally failure at increasing higher concentrations of shilajit.

Glycine- and GABA-mimetic Actions of Shilajit on the Substantia Gelatinosa Neurons of the Trigeminal Subnucleus Caudalis in Mice

Shilajit, a medicine herb commonly used in Ayurveda, has been reported to contain at least 85 minerals in ionic form that act on a variety of chemical, biological, and physical stressors. The substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons of the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (Vc) are involved in orofacial nociceptive processing. Shilajit has been reported to be an injury and muscular pain reliever but there have been few functional studies of the effect of Shilajit on the SG neurons of the Vc. Therefore, whole cell and gramicidin-perfotrated patch clamp studies were performed to examine the action mechanism of Shilajit on the SG neurons of Vc from mouse brainstem slices. In the whole cell patch clamp mode, Shilajit induced short-lived and repeatable inward currents under the condition of a high chloride pipette solution on all the SG neurons tested. The Shilajit-induced inward currents were concentration dependent and maintained in the presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX), a voltage gated Na+ channel blocker, CNQX, a non-NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist, and AP5, an NMDA receptor antagonist. The Shilajit-induced responses were partially suppressed by picrotoxin, a GABAA receptor antagonist, and totally blocked in the presence of strychnine, a glycine receptor antagonist, however not affected by mecamylamine hydrochloride (MCH), a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist. Under the potassium gluconate pipette solution at holding potential 0 mV, Shilajit induced repeatable outward current. These results show that Shilajit has inhibitory effects on the SG neurons of Vc through chloride ion channels by activation of the glycine receptor and GABAA receptor, indicating that Shilajit contains sedating ingredients for the central nervous system. These results also suggest that Shilajit may be a potential target for modulating orofacial pain processing.

Evaluation of the anti-ulcer activity of NR-ANX-C (a polyherbal formulation) in aspirin & pyloric ligature induced gastric ulcers in albino rats.

Background & objectives: The aetiology of gastric ulcers is not completely understood and continuous use of anti-ulcer agents leads to many side effects. In this study we evaluated the anti-ulcer efficacy of a polyherbal formulation with potent antioxidant activity in aspirin and pyloric ligature induced gastric ulcers in rats. Methods: The efficacy of the polyherbal formulation NR-ANX-C (composed of the extracts from Withania somnifera, Camellia sinensis, Ocimum sanctum, shilajith and triphala) was evaluated in terms of antioxidant potential as assessed in terms of protection from lipid peroxidation and the antiulcer activity as seen by the area of gastric lesions, gastric juice volume, gastric pH, total acidity and total adherent gastric mucus content. Results: In our study, NR-ANX-C (25 and 50 mg/kg) was more efficacious than ranitidine in reducing ulcer index in both the models. At the highest dose tested (50 mg/kg), NR-ANX-C was comparable to omeprazole in preventing ulcer formation in the pyloric ligature model. NR-ANX-C showed a dose- dependent decrease in gastric juice volume and total acidity in both the models. A dose-dependent increase in gastric pH and total adherent gastric mucus was also seen in NR-ANX-C treated groups. The extent of lipid peroxidation was also reduced in the test drug treated groups. Interpretation & conclusion: Based on our findings, we presume that the cytoprotective, anti-secretary and antioxidant properties of NR-ANX-C were responsible for its anti-ulcer activity. These findings suggest the potential for use of NR-ANX-C as an adjuvant in the treatment of gastric ulcer.