Anti-microbial principles of selected remedial plants from Southern India

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To examine the anti-bacterial activity of leaf extracts of Morus alba L. (Moraceae) and Piper betel L. (Piperaceae), and seed extracts of Bombax ceiba L. (Borabacaceae).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We have partially purified plant extracts by solvent extraction method, and evaluated the effect of individual fractions on bacterial growth using Escherichia coli (E. coli), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacterial strains.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with Morus and Bombax fractions, Piper fractions showed significant growth inhibition on all the three types of bacteria studied. The EtOAc-hexane fractions of Piper leaves exhibited significant anti-bacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 50 µg/mL culture against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The EtOAc-fractions I, II, and IV inhibited bacterial colony formation on soft agar in addition to growth inhibition. A combination treatment of piper fractions with ampicillin resulted in significant growth inhibition in E. coli and P. aeruginosa, and combination with anticancer drug geldanamycin (2µg/mL) showed selective growth inhibition against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. Three major compounds, i.e., eugenol, 3-hexene-ol and stigmasterol, were primarily identified from Piper betel leaf extractions. Among the individual compounds, eugenol treatment showed improved growth inhibition compared with stigmasterol and 3-hexene-ol.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>We are reporting potential anti-bacterial compounds from Piper betel against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria either alone or in combination with drug treatment.</p>

Newer therapies for asthma: a focus on anti-IgE.

The prevalence of asthma and other allergic disorders has been on the increase not only in the western world but also in the developing countries. This increasing prevalence has lead research into the discovery and development of various new therapeutic strategies. The improved understanding about the pathophysiology of asthma has prompted the developments of novel molecules to tackle this problem. These include newer phosphodiesterase inhibitors, cytokine modulation strategies, allergen immunotherapy, and anti-IgE. Immunoglobulin E plays a major role in airway inflammation in asthma. Omalizumab, a novel humanised monoclonal antibody directed against the high affinity FcepsilonRI portion of the IgE has shown a lot of promise in the control of asthma symptoms and as a steroid sparing agent in the management of allergic asthma. This new molecule has an excellent safety profile and could play an important role in the management of patients with severe asthma. This review gives a brief overview of the newer therapies under investigation with special reference to omalizumab in the treatment of allergic asthma.