Antidiabetic activity of heart wood of Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb. and analysis of phytoconstituents.

The crude powder, ethanolic extract and aqueous, chloroform, hexane and n-butanol soluble fractions of ethanolic extract of heart wood of P. marsupium showed marked improvement on oral glucose tolerance post sucrose load in normal rats. All these fractions except aqueous fraction showed improvement on oral glucose tolerance post sucrose load on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The crude powder, ethanolic extract and hexane and n-butanol fractions showed marked decline in blood glucose level on STZ-induced diabetic rats. The ethanolic extract (100 mg/kg body weight) when given to STZ-induced diabetic rats for 10 consecutive days declined blood glucose, improved OGTT and increased their serum insulin levels. The ethanolic extract also showed marked improvement on oral glucose tolerance on high fat-low dosed STZ-induced diabetic rats and neonatally STZ treated rats. The ethanolic extract of P. marsupium also showed marked antidyslipidemic effects on high fat diet fed Syrian golden hamsters. Altered renal and hepatic function markers and serum insulin levels of high fat diet fed-low dosed STZ-treated diabetic rats were also found towards normalization when these animals were treated with ethanolic extract of P. marsupium for 28 consecutive days. The four out of five phenolic C-glycosides isolated from n-butanol fraction of ethanolic extract of P. marsupium enhanced glucose uptake by skeletal muscle cells (C2C12) in a dose dependent manner. It may primarily be concluded that phenolic-C-glycosides present in P. marsupium heart wood are the phytoconstituents responsible for the antihyperglycemic activity and validate the claim of antidiabetic activity of heart wood of P. marsupium.

Actividad antimicrobiana de extractos de Psidium friedrichsthalianum L., Pterocarpus hayesii L., Tynanthus guatemalensis L. y Spondias purpurea L / Antimicrobial activity of Psidium friedrichsthalianum L., Pterocarpus hayesii L., Tynanthus guatemalensis L. and Spondias purpurea L. extracts

There is not much information on antimicrobial activity presented by several species traditionally used as medicinal plants in Tabasco. Antimicrobial activity of ethanolic and hexanic extracts from leaf and bark of guayaba agria (Psidium friedrichsthalianum L.), palo de sangre (Pterocarpus hayesii L.) chichimecate (Tynanthus guatemalensis L.) and ciruela (Spondias purpurea L.) was evaluated for against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028 and Bacillus cereus ATCC 11778 by the use of agar diffusion method. Results indicate that the hexanic extract of every one of the plant species presented antimicrobial activity on at least one of the evaluated microorganisms meanwhile bark hexanic extracts did not present activity against the three microorganisms tested. The extracts that presented a Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of < 7.50 mg mL-1 against B. cereus were both leaf ethanolic of P. friedrichsthalianum and S. purpurea and the T. guatemalensis leaf hexanic extract as well as P. friedrichsthalianum bark hexánico extract against S. aureus and S. typhimurium.

Existe poca información sobre la actividad antimicrobiana que pueden presentar varias plantas que han sido reportadas con uso medicinal tradicional en el Estado de Tabasco. Se evaluó la actividad antimicrobiana de los extractos etanólico y hexánico de hoja y corteza de cuatro plantas utilizadas como medicinales: guayaba agria (Psidium friedrichsthalianum L.), palo de sangre (Pterocarpus hayesii L.), chichimecate (Tynanthus guatemalensis L.) y ciruela (Spondias purpurea L.). La actividad antimicrobiana se evaluó contra Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028 y Bacillus cereus ATCC 11778 mediante el método de difusión en agar. Los resultados indican que el extracto hexánico de cada una de las plantas presentaron actividad antimicrobiana al menos en uno de los microorganismos evaluados mientras que los extractos hexánicos de corteza no presentaron actividad contra ninguno de los tres microorganismos ensayados. Los extractos que presentaron una Concentración Mínima Inhibitoria (CMI) igual o menor de 7.50 mg mL-1 contra B. cereus fueron los etanólicos de hoja de P. friedrichsthalianum y S. purpurea y el hexánico de hoja de T. guatemalensis así como el extracto hexánico de corteza de P. friedrichsthalianum contra S. aureus y S. typhimurium.

Cardiotonic activity of aqueous extract of heartwood of Pterocarpus marsupium.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate cardiotonic activity of aqueous extract of heartwood of P. marsupium. This plant species contains 5,7,2-4 tetrahydroxy isoflavone 6-6 glucoside which are potent antioxidant and are believed to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Cardiotonic effect of aqueous extract of heartwood of P. marsupium was studied by using isolated frog heart perfusion technique (IFHP). Calcium free Ringer solution was used as vehicle for administration of aqueous extract of P. marsupium as a test extract and digoxin as a standard. A significant increase in height of force of contraction (positive inotropic effect) and decrease in heart rate (negative chronotropic effect) at a very low concentration (0.25 mg/ml) was observed with test extract as compared to the same dose of a standard digoxin. The present results indicated that a significant increase in height of force of contraction with decrease in heart rate was observed as the dose of test extract increased. The test extract produced cardiac arrest at 4 mg/ml, a higher concentration, as compared to standard, digoxin (0.5 mg/ml). Compared to digoxin, a drug with narrow therapeutic window, P. marsupium showed wide therapeutic window.